I Promise to Walk With You for Half of my Life’s Journey - Chapter 13

The results were announced two weeks later on a Monday. During the morning exercise period, the loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life.

“We have a piece of joyful news to share. In the Provincial High School Physics Competition, Cheng Sutong from Class 7, Grade 11, has won the first prize award. Our heartfelt congratulations go to her.”

The broadcast echoed across the playground. Students in the middle of stretching turned their heads one after another, their gazes landing on Cheng Sutong at the end of the line. She stood still as the bright sunlight washed over her face. Applause started in one corner and quickly rippled into a wave. The headteacher gestured from the rostrum for her to come up and receive her award.

Cheng Sutong’s gaze cut through the crowd toward the rostrum. Across the entire playground and over the roar of the voices, their eyes met in mid air. Cheng Sutong read the look in her teacher’s eyes, and it was pride.

Her steps were steady as she climbed the stairs to the rostrum. The principal handed her the certificate. Its red cover shimmered in the sun as she took it and turned to face the playground. Thousands of eyes were on her, but she only looked at one pair. She raised the certificate, not to show it to the crowd, but to wave it gently in the direction of An Chuxin.

Look, I did it. I used the strength you gave me, this frail body, and this imperfect heart.

An Chuxin offered a faint smile that vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

On the way back to the classroom after dismissal, several classmates crowded around to congratulate her. Cheng Sutong responded politely, but her eyes kept following that receding figure in the teachers’ procession. Back in the classroom, she felt a hard object inside her desk drawer. She pulled out a deep blue velvet box. Inside was a silver gray fountain pen with a line of tiny English text engraved on the barrel:

For the one who bends light.

On the other side of the pen, there was an even smaller line of text that could only be seen clearly against the light:

My persistent force.

Cheng Sutong pressed the pen against her chest and closed her eyes. In that darkness, filled only by the sound of her heartbeat, she saw a ray of light.

After school, Sutong returned home and lay on her bed to chat with Qingqing on WeChat.

“Qingqing.”

Qingqing sent a voice message with a sing song tone. “What is it now, my eldest lady?”

“Serious business. I feel like my heart beats so fast when I face Teacher An. My ears always buzz and turn red. I always want to be with her. When I am with her, I feel an unprecedented sense of safety and ease.”

“You are done for. You are falling in love.”

“Wait, what?” Sutong replied with a shocked puppy emoji.

“Alright, I will stop teasing you. Sutong, she is your teacher! Even if you really like her, you have to consider things from her perspective.”

Sutong suddenly fell silent. She thought to herself, That is true.

Sutong lay on the bed and meditated with her eyes closed. Scenes of her and An Chuxin played on a loop in her mind. When did her heart start racing? What exactly was the spark? Her thoughts were in disarray, leading her to make a very bold decision.

After school, Sutong bought three cups of hot coffee. One was for herself, one was for Qingqing, and the third was for Teacher An. She invited An Chuxin to walk laps around the playground after school. As they strolled slowly, Sutong suddenly spoke.

“Teacher An, can you take me to see your mother?”

Sutong had expected to be rejected and felt the abruptness of her request, but for some reason, an instinct was pulling her to get closer and closer. An Chuxin was stunned by the question. Looking at the girl’s sincere eyes, she could not bear to refuse, yet the atmosphere became awkward.

“Teacher An, is my request putting too much pressure on you? I did not mean anything else. I just wanted to help share some of your workload.”

There was another long silence. After a battle between the little devil and the little angel in her heart, An Chuxin finally decided to take her to see her mother on Sunday. Sutong gave her a bright, radiant smile. That smile struck a chord deep within An Chuxin’s heart.

After school on Saturday evening, Sutong rushed to the supermarket to buy a silkie chicken and some soup ingredients. She planned to simmer the soup a night in advance to bring to the hospital the next day to help the mother recover.

Qingqing remarked, “Wow, Sutong, you are so hardworking. Is that for Teacher An? How come you never make anything delicious for me?”

“Oh, hush, my dear Qingqing. I will make something for you next time. Mwah!”

Cooking was too easy for the twenty three year old soul of Sutong. She had already learned how to make many delicious meals. At 9:00 AM on Sunday morning, An Chuxin drove to Sutong’s house to pick her up. She glanced at Sutong as the car door opened.

“You know how to cook?”

“Yes, I have many skills.”

An Chuxin smiled. “Good girl.”

During the drive, they spoke more freely.

“Teacher An, your driving is quite good.”

“Mhm.”

“Teacher An, do you need me to navigate for you?”

“No need.”

“Alright then.”

They were much more familiar with each other than before. After parking in the hospital lot, Sutong followed An Chuxin to the ward.

“Mom, let me introduce you. This is my student. She is very well behaved and smart.”

Sutong held the soup container and said with a beaming smile, “Hello, Auntie. I am Cheng Sutong, the favorite student of Teacher An!”

The mother looked kindly at this high school girl. She saw a cool, well behaved, and intelligent young woman, and her heart filled with joy.

“Auntie, I brewed this soup for you to help your body recover. Drink it while it is hot.”

The two of them worked together to help the mother sit up. An Chuxin was very patient, feeding her one small spoonful at a time. Cheng Sutong was incredibly diligent. She helped massage the mother’s legs and tidied up the room, showing a strong desire to be helpful. She was even patient enough to help with cleaning and changing when the mother could not leave the bed.

After finishing the chores, the two sat in the stairwell. An Chuxin asked her, “Tongtong, how do you know how to do all this?”

Sutong’s mind caught onto a different detail. She called me Tongtong. She called me Tongtong for the first time!

An Chuxin had to tap her on the shoulder to bring her back to reality.

“Oh, well, it is because my father and grandmother raised me. My grandmother is my closest relative, but she is old and has cardiovascular disease. I acted as her little caregiver every day. So, I know everything a caregiver knows. Teacher An, you do not need to hire a caregiver anymore. This way you can save some money. I can help you take care of Auntie.”

An Chuxin looked at the girl. “Is that so? Silly child, you need to focus on your classes, get into a good university, and live well for the sake of the expectations of your grandmother. You do not need to worry about my affairs.”

“I know, I know!” Sutong said. However, in the days that followed, she focused on her studies while also sneaking to the hospital whenever she was free to take care of the mother. She did not tell An Chuxin and even asked the mother to keep it a secret.

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