HMHS Chapter 1: The Pond

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When Chi Tang woke up in a strange room, she felt momentarily disoriented. She lay there, staring at the ceiling for a while before remembering that this was her new home.

It seemed to be raining outside. Nanlin City had a particular fondness for rain. In the short week since she arrived, it had rained almost every day. Chi Tang didn’t like the rain—every time it rained, her mood turned sour.

The earbuds she had plugged in before sleeping were still hanging from her ears, but there was no sound. She pulled them out, rubbing her sore ears, then sat at the edge of the bed for a long time without moving.

Until—bam, bam, bam—someone pounded on the door. Her father tried to open it but failed, angrily shouting from outside, “Why are you locking the door? Get up! You’ll have to go to school by yourself today—I have things to do.”

“Chi Tang, did you hear me?” The lock rattled loudly, and the door sounded as if it were about to be smashed down.

Chi Tang lay back down without a word, putting her earbuds back in and playing music on her phone. The increasing volume drowned out the noise outside, just as it had countless times before, blocking out the endless arguments of her parents.

The noise stopped. The rain hadn’t. The house was empty, quiet.

Chi Tang slung her backpack over her shoulder and left. She didn’t like using an umbrella. Since the rain wasn’t heavy, she simply pulled up her hood, keeping her head down as she walked into the drizzle.

Grade 10, Class 2, Nanlin No.1 High School.

A month into the school year, with almost fifty students in the class, most had already found their own friends and formed small groups. But in every class, there were always loners—some by choice, others avoided by the rest.

Chi Tang was the former.

She had transferred in a week ago and had no interest in making friends. She sat cold and distant in the back row. She was the kind of girl who looked striking—her eyelids were thin, her lips thinner, and her nose bridge was high. With her eyes lowered, she always seemed indifferent and detached from the world.

Most students in Class 2 were well-behaved. The teachers forbade phones, so few dared to bring them. But Chi Tang carried hers every day, often wearing earbuds and listening to music as if she didn’t care about anything. She was frequently late to class.

Normally, students like her were those with poor grades who were just passing time. But after the first monthly exam, she placed in the top ten of the class and ranked within the top fifty of the entire grade—far above the other carefree students sitting around her.

Apart from her, Class 2 had another outcast—one that everyone kept their distance from.

Her name was You Yu.

She had enrolled with the second-highest score in the entire school and had just taken the top spot in the latest exam. But alongside her brilliance was her poverty.

Not every student in the class came from wealth, but no one was as poor as You Yu—to the point that it was almost unbelievable. Even someone like Chi Tang, who didn’t care about her surroundings, had heard plenty of gossip from her chatty deskmate.

You Yu came from a remote mountain village. Getting into Nanlin No.1 High School was almost a miracle. She attended on a full scholarship, with tuition and dormitory fees completely waived.

Though everyone wore the same school uniform, the clothes beneath told a different story. You Yu’s inner shirt was a faded, frayed T-shirt that had clearly been worn for years. She wore cloth shoes—something completely out of place when everyone else had sneakers or dress shoes. That single pair of shoes made her stand out completely.

She sat in the third row by the window. She wasn’t short, but her height only emphasized how thin she was. Her long, jet-black hair was neatly tied into a simple, old-fashioned braid down her back.

“God, I can’t stand sharing a dorm with her anymore. She barely says a word all day. Whenever she’s around, the rest of us don’t even feel like talking.”

“Her clothes are falling apart, but she still wears them. And those cloth shoes—she hasn’t washed them in forever. You know she doesn’t even buy shampoo or body wash? She washes everything with a single bar of soap! Soap! She even washes her hair with it!”

“No way, is she really that poor? A new shirt, a bottle of body wash, a pair of shoes—how much can those cost? I heard the school gives her financial aid.”

“She even keeps porridge and steamed buns in the dorm, right next to her bed, and eats them for two days straight! It’s disgusting. What if the food spoils? We won’t be able to stay in that room if it stinks.”

The girls’ complaints droned on.

Chi Tang found it noisy. She lazily lifted her eyes to glance at them before getting up to leave for the restroom.

The bathroom on this floor was too crowded. She didn’t like waiting in line, so she walked a bit further to the one on the south side of the building, where it was quieter.

As soon as she entered, she saw You Yu standing at the sink, washing her hands.

They had never interacted before, and Chi Tang had never really looked at her. But after hearing those comments just now, she unconsciously took an extra glance.

At that moment, You Yu also looked up.

Their eyes met.

Chi Tang woke up in a strange room, feeling a bit disoriented. She lay there motionless for a while, staring at the ceiling, before remembering that this was her new place.

It seemed to be raining outside. Nanlin City was particularly fond of rain; in the short week since she'd arrived, it had rained almost every day. Chi Tang didn’t like rain. Every time it rained, her mood turned particularly bad.

The earphones she had plugged into her ears before sleeping were still hanging there, though there was no sound coming from them. She pulled them off, rubbed her sore ears, and sat on the edge of the bed for a long time without moving.

Then, the door was banged on with loud thuds. Her father tried to open it but failed, shouting angrily from outside, “Why are you locking the door? Get up now. You’ll have to go to school by yourself—I have something to do and I’m leaving first.”

“Chi Tang, did you hear me?” The lock rattled violently, and the door seemed like it was about to be kicked down, making an irritating noise.

Chi Tang lay back down without responding. She put her earphones back on and played music on her phone. The growing volume of the music drowned out the sounds from outside, just like it had countless times before when she used it to block out her parents’ endless arguments.

The noise stopped. The rain hadn’t. The house was empty now—perfectly quiet.

Chi Tang left the house with her bag slung over her shoulder. She didn’t like using umbrellas. The rain outside wasn’t heavy, so she just pulled up her hoodie, covering her head as she walked straight into the wind and rain.

Nanlin No. 1 High School, Class 2 of Grade 10.

A month had passed since the school year started, and most of the fifty or so students in the class had already gotten to know each other. The boys and girls had formed small groups with friends they got along with.

But in every class, there were always a few loners—either those who preferred to be alone or those who were deliberately avoided by others.

Chi Tang belonged to the first category. She had transferred in a week ago and had no interest in making friends, sitting in the back row with an air of cold detachment. She was the kind of girl who was undeniably beautiful—her eyelids were thin, her lips were also thin, her nose bridge was high, and when she lowered her gaze, she exuded a kind of weary indifference toward the world.

Most students in Class 2 were well-behaved. The teachers had banned phones, and hardly anyone dared to bring one. But Chi Tang carried hers every day, often with her earphones in, listening to music as if she didn’t care about anything. She was frequently late for class.

Usually, students like her were the ones who didn’t perform well academically and were just passing the time. But in the first monthly exam, she ranked in the top ten of the class and top fifty in the entire grade—far beyond the other slackers who sat around her.

Aside from her, there was another student in Class 2 who was considered an outcast—You Yu.

When she first entered the school, she ranked second in the entire grade, and after the monthly exam, she had become first. But what stood out even more than her outstanding performance was her poverty.

Of course, not every student in the class came from wealthy families, and some were on the poorer side. But the level of poverty You Yu lived in was almost unbelievable. Even Chi Tang, who usually ignored everything around her, had heard plenty of gossip about You Yu thanks to her chatty deskmate.

You Yu came from a remote mountain village and had managed to get into Nanlin No. 1 High School against all odds. She was reportedly exempted from tuition and dormitory fees because of her circumstances.

The school uniform was the same for everyone, but beneath her uniform jacket, You Yu wore a faded, frayed T-shirt, which was clearly years old. On her feet were cloth shoes—in a school where almost everyone wore sneakers or dress shoes, those plain cloth shoes made her stand out entirely.

You Yu sat in the third row by the window. She was not short—on the contrary, her height only made her seem even skinnier. Her long, jet-black hair was neatly tied into a braid behind her back—the kind of old-fashioned, rural-style braid.

“Oh my god, I can’t stand sharing a dorm with her. She never talks, and when she’s around, none of us feel like chatting. Have you seen her clothes? They’re so worn out, but she won’t throw them away. And those cloth shoes—she never even washes them! You know, she doesn’t even buy shampoo or body wash? Just a bar of soap—she washes her hair with soap!”

“No way, is she really that poor? How much do a bottle of shampoo or a new pair of shoes even cost? I don’t believe someone can actually be that poor. Didn’t the school give her a stipend?”

“She even keeps congee and steamed buns in the dorm—for two days. Can you imagine? I just hope she doesn’t keep spoiled food in there. Otherwise, how are we supposed to live in the same room?”

The chattering voices of the girls annoyed Chi Tang. She glanced lazily at the two girls gossiping nearby, then got up and walked out to the bathroom.

The restroom on this floor was crowded, and she didn’t like waiting in line. She would rather walk further to the south side restroom in the teaching building—there were fewer people there.

As she walked in, she saw You Yu at the sink, washing her hands. They had no interaction before, and Chi Tang had never looked at her carefully. But now, perhaps because of what she had just overheard, she took a closer look.

At that moment, You Yu looked up, and their eyes met.

For the first time, Chi Tang truly saw You Yu’s face.

She had beautiful eyes—very dark, with an especially elegant shape. But she was too thin, and her complexion was pale, making her look completely devoid of the youthful glow that other girls had. She was always silent—not timid, but distant, as if she lived in her own world, simply minding her own business.

They didn’t greet each other, just passed by.

That night, the school had a power outage. The seniors continued their study sessions by candlelight and desk lamps, but for the freshmen, evening self-study was simply canceled.

Chi Tang took the bus home, resting her head against the seat with her eyes closed—she got carsick easily.

A middle-aged woman got on and stood next to her. Before long, she coughed twice and started complaining indirectly, “Young people these days have no manners. See an elderly person standing and won’t even offer their seat.”

Chi Tang opened her eyes and glanced at her but didn’t move. She didn’t even get off at her usual stop. Instead, she waited until the woman got off before getting off herself—then walked two extra stops back home.

When she reached the entrance of her house, she took out her key, ready to unlock the door.

Just as the key slid into the lock, she heard it.

A strange woman’s laughter. Moaning. And her father’s vulgar, obscene voice laughing and cursing.

He had brought another woman home—who knew if it was his new girlfriend or just someone he paid for the night.

Chi Tang expressionlessly pulled her key out of the lock, turned around, and left.

She didn’t return until past midnight. The house was empty by then, but the living room still had a peculiar smell. She stood there, suddenly gagging, feeling utterly disgusted.

Disgusted. And fed up.

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