Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 2

In the narrow corridor, Tan Yanqing’s back grew increasingly blurred until she finally vanished around the corner. Jian Hao turned and headed upstairs.

She had caught the class name on Tan Yanqing’s workbook just now: Senior Class 2.

The First Teaching Building had five floors. As Jian Hao climbed, she looked up at the plaques above the classroom doors. Finally, reaching the fourth floor, she saw the “Senior Year” signs. The first classroom was Class 1; she walked further down the hall until she saw the sign for Class 2.

Jian Hao didn’t know the school’s 2008 schedule, but back in 2025, it would be the second period of the afternoon. After this class, school would be out, followed by dinner and evening self-study. Usually, during this period, students were restless and excited, unable to sit still.

Jian Hao stopped at the door of Class 2. The door was open, and she saw a sea of blue-and-white uniforms. Every student was sitting properly at their desk, their heads bowed over their work with such focus they looked like they were researching a top-secret scientific project.

“You’re the loudest class in the whole building!”

“You don’t know how to do this, you don’t know how to do that—the only thing you know how to do is talk! Are you the only ones with mouths?!”

On the podium, Gao Jing was using a bamboo stick as a pointer, rapping it against the desk. The yellow, peeling wooden surface let out a sharp thwack-thwack sound.

The harsh interrogation and the pounding on the desk kept the students’ heads down, none of them daring to look up.

No wonder they were so well-behaved; they were being scolded. Gao Jing was terrifying when she was angry. Jian Hao mentally lit three sticks of incense for her classmates.

Even though the students didn’t lift their heads, the one sitting nearest the door easily noticed a new person standing there. She looked up slightly and met Jian Hao’s eyes.

Jian Hao mouthed: Is Jian You here?

As she asked, her eyes scanned the room, but she couldn’t find her mother anywhere. Just as her brow began to furrow, Gao Jing spotted her from the podium.

Gao Jing stood with her hands on her hips, turning toward her. “Looking for me?”

Gao Jing’s mood hadn’t improved. Jian Hao shook her head obediently. “Teacher, I’m looking for Jian You.”

Gao Jing stepped down from the podium, walking over to her with the bamboo stick in hand. “What do you want with her?”

Jian Hao bit her lip. “I have something to discuss.”

She didn’t specify what. Gao Jing stared at her for a few seconds before turning back to the class. “The Chinese teacher isn’t here, so you’re on self-study. Self-study should look like self-study! If I catch you making a scene again, school’s getting out thirty minutes late today! Do you hear me?!”

With that, Gao Jing shut the classroom door, exhaled, and said to Jian Hao, “Follow me.”

Jian Hao wasn’t afraid of anything at school—except Gao Jing. Seeing a younger, fiery Gao Jing felt even more intense than the version ten years later. She didn’t say a word, quietly following Gao Jing toward… the office?

Looking at the sign on the door, Jian Hao wondered why she was being taken there. Was she going to get another lecture, or was Gao Jing going to keep grilling her about which class she belonged to?

During class time, there were no other teachers in the office. There was only one person in a blue-and-white uniform sitting at a desk by the window, head down, writing something.

Hearing the door open, the person looked up. Seeing it was Gao Jing, she smirked. “Old Gao, where did you go? I’ve been waiting forever.”

Her voice was crisp, her smile radiant.

The evening light was soft, filtering through the lattice window and cutting into diamond shapes against the floor.

In the flickering shadows, the seventeen-year-old face of Jian You and the thirty-four-year-old face of Jian You shifted back and forth before Jian Hao’s eyes.

What do seventeen years do to a person? Money? Status? Illness? Or do they take a bright, glowing girl and crush her until, in her thirties, her hands are covered in calluses and she’s constantly applying medicated patches to her aching back and neck?

Even though life had improved, the marks of Jian You’s struggles over those seventeen years had never fully vanished.

Jian You never complained to Jian Hao about the hardships of life. But seeing her mother so vibrantly alive, with a clear-eyed gaze so different from the weary look of a thirty-four-year-old, the fear, helplessness, grievance, and heartache Jian Hao had felt since arriving finally reached a breaking point. Her eyes reddened, and she desperately wanted to scream “Mom,” but her feet remained frozen in place, and she bit her lip hard.

Neither of the two women noticed Jian Hao’s distress.

Gao Jing walked to the desk and rapped the bamboo stick twice—tap, tap.

Jian You immediately stood up, grinning at Gao Jing. “I could hear you scolding them from all the way in here. Luckily I wasn’t there, or you’d definitely pin the ‘troublemaker’ label on me again.”

Gao Jing gave a cold snort and a side-eye. She put down the stick and sat. “Finished writing it?”

Jian You slid the paper she had been working on across the desk. “For your inspection.”

Gao Jing picked it up and began to read. Jian You smiled. “Can I go now?”

Gao Jing looked up at her, then past her to the motionless Jian Hao. Her eyes returned to Jian You’s self-reflection essay. “Fine. Drink less in the future.”

Jian You went, “Huh? I haven’t been drinking. Old Gao, don’t go accusing innocent people!”

Gao Jing looked at Jian Hao. “Didn’t you take her out to drink?”

Jian You turned around and met Jian Hao’s eyes. She scanned her from head to toe and realized the girl was a total stranger; she’d never seen her at school. Just as she was about to say she didn’t know her, Jian Hao stepped forward quickly, grabbed Jian You’s hand, and told Gao Jing, “Got it, Teacher. I’ll go talk to her outside.”

Gao Jing: “Mhm.”

Gao Jing looked at Jian You. “Behave yourself. Next time it won’t be as simple as an essay.”

Before Jian You could reply, Jian Hao had already pulled her out of the office and over to the window in the corridor.

“Why were you writing a self-reflection essay?” Jian Hao asked with a smile. What a coincidence—she’d been punished with the same thing by Dean Gao right before she traveled here.

Jian You shook off Jian Hao’s hand and scanned her again. Confirming she really didn’t know this girl, she frowned. “Who are you?”

Jian Hao lunged forward and hugged Jian You.

Jian You: “…”

She pushed Jian Hao away, her tone sour. “Are you sick?”

Jian Hao blinked. “Do you have medicine?”

“Nutcase.” Jian You turned to walk away, but her wrist was grabbed again.

“Jian… Jian You.”

Jian You let out an exasperated sigh, turned, and stared at Jian Hao’s face once more. Round face, big eyes, blinking lashes… she was cute in a “moe” sort of way, but she definitely didn’t know her.

Then why was she looking for her? And how did she know her name?

Suppressing her annoyance, Jian You asked, “What class are you in? Why haven’t I seen you before?”

“I just got here not long ago,” Jian Hao said truthfully.

Jian You gave a “so what?” look. “What do you want from me?”

Jian Hao didn’t hesitate. “I have amnesia. You’re the only one I remember. Can you help me find… my family?”

Jian You stared at Jian Hao for a long time. Looking at Jian Hao’s pajamas, she nodded twice. “Sure thing.” Then she turned and shoved open the office door.

“Old Gao! Call the mental hospital!”

Nanqing City First Hospital

Gao Jing and Jian You stood in the hallway of the psychiatry department. A police officer came out of the consultation room and walked over to them. “The doctor checked her. There’s nothing wrong with her mentally; it’s just memory confusion. She doesn’t know who she is or where her home is, and she’s completely blank on what happened yesterday. The amnesia is genuine. She’s not a scammer, and she’s not crazy.” The officer directed the last sentence at Jian You.

An hour ago, after hearing about the amnesia, a responsible Gao Jing had taken Jian Hao to the police station to report the case. The police questioned the three of them. Gao Jing explained how she found Jian Hao, and Jian Hao gave a vague account, saying she only remembered this one day. Jian You, meanwhile, had insisted Jian Hao was a nutcase.

Now, Jian You blinked in surprise. “Then why is it I’m the only person she remembers?”

Gao Jing already had a massive headache. Who would have thought they’d run into this? “How should I know? You cause trouble every single day. You sure you didn’t cause her amnesia?”

Jian You said in horror, “That’s a total frame-up! This is the first time I’ve ever seen her!”

Gao Jing added, “No wonder she was calling me ‘Dean’ this morning and asking about home visits. I bet she hit her head and got confused.”

The officer said, “We talked to her. She says she remembers her family was going to transfer her to No. 1 High, so something must have happened during the transfer process. We’ll follow up to find her family.” The officer looked at Jian You. “Since the patient only recognizes you, given the situation, it’s actually more appropriate for her to stay with you.”

“So you’re dumping her on me?”

“She requested to stay with you. We were going to arrange another place, but she said she felt unsafe.”

Jian You: “?” She was speechless. “I’m not her mom!”

The officer looked at Gao Jing. “The patient also said her education shouldn’t be interrupted. She asked if she could audit classes at No. 1 High.”

Gao Jing: “I’ll discuss it with the principal. But she doesn’t have a student record; what about the college entrance exams later?”

Officer: “The exams aren’t for another six months. We’ll do our best to find her family before then. I imagine someone her age going missing will be reported by her family soon.” The officer turned back to Jian You. “So, Student, can you consider helping her out? The station will provide some funds to cover expenses.”

Jian You gave a cold laugh. This was beyond ridiculous. She shoved open the door to the consultation room. The doctor was packing up, and Jian Hao was about to get up to leave. Jian You marched in angrily, her face set, ready to give Jian Hao a piece of her mind.

But before she could speak, the moment Jian Hao saw her, she immediately flashed an obedient smile. She trotted over to her side, grabbed her wrist, and whispered, “Sister, I’m scared.”

Jian You: “…”

She took a deep breath. “You—”

Jian Hao interrupted softly, pleading in a small voice, “Sister, can you take me home?”

As she spoke, Jian Hao began to cry. It wasn’t an annoying, loud wail, but more like a whimpering puppy, eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at her. “Sister, I’m really so scared…”

Frustrated and flustered, Jian You shook off her hand. “Don’t even think about it!”

An hour later, Gao Jing dropped the two of them off at the entrance of a residential complex. As Jian You walked toward the apartment building, she said sternly to Jian Hao, “You’re only staying for a few days! Once your mom is found, you’re out of here!”

Jian Hao looked at Jian You’s back, her eyes curving into a secret, mischievous smile. When Jian You turned back to look at her, she immediately went back to looking like a perfectly behaved little girl.