A Little Reunion · Chat

Beijing in late August—the steaming summer heat is enough to make one's scalp tingle. When Tong Wenjie rushed out of her house, she even forgot to change her slippers. She only realized something was wrong halfway and turned back to switch to high heels. As she changed, she cursed Fang Yifan, her voice loud enough for the whole building to hear. She hailed a taxi and hurried toward Chunfeng High School, Li Meng's words from the phone ringing in her head: "Fang Yifan's mom, would it be convenient for you to come to the school now?" The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The taxi stopped at the school gate. Just as Tong Wenjie paid and pushed open the door, she saw another woman getting out of a car nearby—wearing a plain dress, with a gentle temperament and a slightly furrowed brow, clutching her phone with an equally hurried look. The two walked toward the school gate one after the other. Tong Wenjie glanced back, and the woman was looking at her too; they nodded to each other. "Are you here for the school too?" Tong Wenjie spoke first. "Yes, my child... something happened." Liu Jing's voice was soft, carrying a bit of a helpless smile. "What a coincidence, me too," Tong Wenjie sighed. "That little monkey of mine, who knows what kind of trouble he's stirred up now." The two walked inside side by side, chatting. The more they talked, the more they hit it off—both were mothers of high school seniors, both had been called by the homeroom teacher early in the morning, and both were feeling uneasy, not knowing how big a mess their children had made. By the time they reached the entrance of the teaching building, Tong Wenjie was already patting Liu Jing on the shoulder, saying, "Let's keep in touch from now on." The homeroom teacher, Li Meng, happened to be coming out of the mailroom, holding a cardboard box. She was startled to see the two parents. Tong Wenjie quickly stepped forward to greet Teacher Li, and Liu Jing nodded along. Before Li Meng could speak, the box in her arms suddenly shifted—something was crawling. She looked down and peeled off the tape; a turtle poked its head out, with four characters crookedly written on its shell in correction fluid: Hello, Teacher Li. Tong Wenjie's smile froze on her face. She slowly turned her head and, through the window at the end of the corridor, saw Fang Yifan leaning over the second-floor railing, looking down with an innocent face. Tong Wenjie looked at the turtle, then at Fang Yifan, and the string in her mind snapped. "Fang Yifan, you stop right there—!" High heels clattered against the terrazzo floor, thumping loudly, making the whole corridor shake. Fang Yifan turned and ran, tables and chairs clattering. Tong Wenjie gave chase, her bag swinging behind her and her skirt fluttering, completely disregarding her image. Liu Jing stood there watching the scene, tilted her head slightly, and said to Li Meng, "It seems... mine is doing okay." Li Meng held the turtle, her mouth open, but not a single word came out. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the topic</choice> <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the current plot</choice> </choice_group>