By the seventh and eighth days of the first lunar month, a large number of graduate students began returning to their laboratories to resume their normal work. This was the reality of the biomedical field in China, and indeed for most other science and engineering disciplines.
Xia Yinuo had fallen behind on many experiments during her recovery. With the new semester starting, her schedule was packed, and every day was filled to the brim with lab work. Sometimes, people outside the field would ask what exactly "doing scientific research" entailed. Whenever this happened, Xia Yinuo never knew how to answer in a way that was both concise and easy to understand. She could only say that, based on theory and fundamentals, one designs an experimental protocol, carries out the hands-on work, analyzes the data, adjusts the design, continues the experiments, analyzes more data, writes a paper, and then, much like a computer program, executes a "goto" command back to the very first loop. If you were to ask Ke Dinghao what he did in the lab all day, he would surely reply that he was taking on the stress of a drug kingpin for the wages of a cabbage peddler. It was a joke, of course, but in some ways, it truly captured the lives of the vast majority of Master’s and PhD students in the domestic academic circle.
Her grandmother called to ask why she hadn't been home for dinner in a while. When Xia Yinuo did the math, she realized it had indeed been over half a month since the New Year. She bought some of the pastries her grandmother liked and headed home, only for the older woman to ask if she had met with that man, Qi Qian. Xia Yinuo finally remembered the matter; Qi Qian had asked if she was free for dinner during the holidays, but she had told him she was busy. He didn't seem like the persistent type, so the matter had simply fizzled out.
Longed for and anticipated, the east wind arrived, and the footsteps of spring drew near. For instance, LoVo woke from its hibernation; Xia Yinuo’s hand finally passed the "hundred days for bones and tendons to heal" mark; and Ke Dinghao and Chen Diandian finally became a couple.
According to Ke Dinghao, Chen Diandian was incredibly busy—so busy that even finding time for a dinner date was a luxury. Xia Yinuo comforted him, saying that as a first-year graduate student, she had to balance classes and experiments, so it was only natural she’d be swamped.
Xia Yinuo thought to herself that Liang Jueyun must be very busy as well. When the boss worked that hard, the students had no excuse to slack off.
As for Liang Jueyun, she spent every day from Monday to Saturday, nine-to-nine, immersed in the laboratory or her office. Sundays were reserved for shopping, the gym, cleaning, and rest. She was practically a robot. Even so, it felt as though there was never enough time.
They say the "neck of spring" is short, and there is truth to that. In the spring of 2013, as the flowers bloomed in C City, Xia Yinuo received a phone call from Sanmao.
During her undergraduate years, Xia Yinuo had made several friends in the Guitar Club: Sanmao from the Music Department, A-Xu from the Math Department, and Xiao Mei from the History Department. Life back then was simple. Young people from all over the country, studying different majors, would gather on weekends to play music—not for a living, but purely for passion. At the time, Sanmao took the lead in forming a band called "Flowers Never Sleep." It consisted of four men and one woman, but Xia Yinuo wasn't among them. Her reason was simple: she didn't want to be tied down.
Sanmao’s real name was Xu Yongming. He was in the same year as Xia Yinuo and was a talented student in C University’s Music Department. After graduation, Sanmao opened a music store in C City and occasionally participated in small performances. Sanmao often said, "In my youthful arrogance, I thought I’d do music for the rest of my life, becoming someone like Jonathan Lee or Lo Ta-yu. After maturing, I realized I’m actually just a commoner. It’s not just a matter of limited talent, but also because you can't have your cake and eat it too. So in the end, I found a job that grazes the edge of my major. You guys shouldn't be opportunistic like me." Xia Yinuo had joked in response, "I actually know a fish that looks like a bear; it's called a sunfish."
We live in an age of choices—choosing which TV channel to watch, choosing whether a person is worth loving, choosing to leave, or choosing to stay, choosing the fish or choosing the bear's paw.
But having a choice is at least better than having none, isn't it?
Back then, the band usually borrowed the Guitar Club’s space for their activities. When the weather was good and they were free, several of them would carry their instruments and simple equipment to the school sports field or the grass. Under the starlight, they would sing or practice with abandon. Occasionally, passing students would join the crowd, some listening intently, others cheering and clapping, and some even volunteering to go up and sing. This was undoubtedly the most interesting part, as it felt like an open-air concert. Eventually, the university intervened, saying that the campus was a public space after all and that their activities might disturb other students. After some discussion, they simply submitted an application to the University’s Student Association Union to establish an independent music club called "Flowers Never Sleep." From then on, all the band's activities were held in the form of club events. Every May, Flowers Never Sleep would hold a small open-air concert at C University.
Gradually, the band gained popularity on campus. They began appearing at university celebrations and small galas, and there was even a dedicated fan group for Flowers Never Sleep on the school’s BBS. Whether you understood music or not, as long as you loved it, you were welcome to join the Flowers Never Sleep club. Usually, everyone would practice together or simply appreciate music, and through this, they met a group of like-minded friends. Occasionally, Xia Yinuo would make guest appearances as a guitarist or keyboardist. Over the past seven years, she had been considered the band's "sixth member" and a veteran of the club.
After Sanmao graduated, the one who took over the mantle of the band was A-Xu, who usually didn't talk much. A-Xu was originally one year junior to Xia Yinuo, but because Clinical Medicine was a five-year program, they ended up graduating in the same year. A-Xu was also attending graduate school at the same university and was now an elder of Flowers Never Sleep. Sanmao would also return to the school in his spare time to play music with everyone. This year marked the seventh anniversary of Flowers Never Sleep’s founding, and the founder had spoken: he wanted to do something big this year. Ideally, members from various years would return to participate, making it a reunion after the years of separation following graduation. Xia Yinuo was very happy when she received Sanmao’s call. Perhaps for the current members and the general audience, it was just a simple concert, but for Sanmao, A-Xu, and Xia Yinuo, it was a memorial to their youth at C University.
In May, the temperature rose sharply, and people on the streets began changing into summer clothes. The atmosphere of early summer was just right—a gentle breeze blowing, neither hurried nor restless.
The time and venue for the performance were quickly decided, followed by venue decoration, equipment preparation, poster printing, promotion, rehearsals, and so on. A-Xu led the club and band members through the tasks methodically. After his music store closed, Sanmao would also come back to help. Xia Yinuo took charge of all the online promotion and written copy. Former band members Feng Ye and Xiao Mei, who had returned to their hometowns after graduation, also promised they would definitely make it back to participate.
Everyone teased Xia Yinuo: "As a veteran of this club and the band's number one fan, you have to show off your skills this time."
Xia Yinuo laughed and said, "If 'Twist and Shout' is on the setlist, I'll be the guitarist. Just don't cry then, Lao Dou!"
Lao Dou was the band's current guitarist, a sophomore who was quite bold. He immediately beat his chest and said, "As long as Senior Xia is willing to step up, I'm fine with anything. You take lead, I'll take rhythm. But coming back to it, why does it have to be 'Twist and Shout'?"
Sanmao explained, "You wouldn't know. Back when I first had the idea to start the band, I strongly invited Xiao Xia to join. We were practicing in the Guitar Club room, and the DVD player happened to be playing The Beatles' 'Twist and Shout.' She asked me if I knew how to sing that song. I said no, and she said, 'Then forget it.' I only found out later that Xiao Xia just used that as a random excuse to reject me. Talk about being unfair!"
A wave of laughter broke out.
Xia Yinuo asked, "So, have you learned it now?"
Sanmao said with mock grief, "How could I not!"
At ten o'clock that night, Liang Jueyun walked out of the gym. As soon as she turned on her phone, she saw a text message: "Senior, are you free this Saturday night? Remember I told you my friends have a band? They’re holding an open-air concert at the school’s Lover’s Slope. I’ve reserved a front-row seat and would like to invite you to come along."
An open-air band concert? It sounded interesting. Liang Jueyun replied immediately: "Okay, I'm looking forward to it. Let's get in touch then."
Xia Yinuo and Liang Jueyun agreed to meet directly at Lover’s Slope at six o'clock. As soon as Liang Jueyun arrived, she saw Xia Yinuo standing on the outskirts of the crowd. The two hadn't seen each other for a while. Today, Xia Yinuo was wearing a loose white T-shirt, chestnut-colored cropped overalls, and her hair was tied in a small bun. She wore a British-style jazz fedora and carried a large burgundy backpack. She looked refreshed and spirited, embodying the pleasant ease of early summer.
Xia Yinuo saw Liang Jueyun as well. After they greeted each other, Xia Yinuo led Liang Jueyun to the first row. She opened her backpack, took out two glow sticks and a paper box, then handed the bag to a boy on stage before pulling Liang Jueyun down to sit.
Liang Jueyun was dressed simply in a shirt and jeans. Xia Yinuo asked if she had come straight from the lab after work. Liang Jueyun nodded. Xia Yinuo then asked if she had eaten dinner. Liang Jueyun nodded again. Xia Yinuo smiled and handed her the paper box. When Liang Jueyun opened it, she found a sandwich inside. Xia Yinuo winked and, like a magician, pulled a bottle of mineral water from under the chair.
"I guessed you might not have had dinner."
"Thank you," Liang Jueyun said happily, waving the sandwich in her hand.
The musical spring of a campus is a declaration of youth, passion, dreams, and persistence. The Flowers Never Sleep concert wasn't a formal gala; it didn't need extravagant lighting or flowers. The band was already sound-checking, and a dense crowd had gathered below the stage.
Liang Jueyun looked around and asked, "The band was started by your friends? The ones who signed your guitar?"
Xia Yinuo replied, "Yes, friends I met during my undergrad. The band is called Flowers Never Sleep, and it’s been seven years since it was founded. This concert is a seventh-anniversary commemorative performance. Once they’re on stage, I’ll introduce them to you one by one. I heard there’s a surprise today, but I don’t know what it is yet."
Liang Jueyun nodded.
At seven o'clock, the concert officially began. The opening song was "Twist and Shout." Xia Yinuo burst out laughing. Liang Jueyun looked at her curiously, but the music was too loud, so Xia Yinuo had to lean close to Liang Jueyun’s ear and shout that the song had a bit of a history.
The weather was perfect—a deep blue sky dotted with stars—and the atmosphere was wonderful. Audience members without seats simply sat on the grass, listening quietly. Lead singers from different years took turns on stage, performing familiar hits, niche tracks, and many original songs. Whenever the music quieted down slightly, Xia Yinuo gave Liang Jueyun a brief introduction to the band members.
As the concert reached its climax, A-Xu took the stage and said, "Next, please welcome the founder of our band and club, our senior, Xu Yongming."
Sanmao, the former Music Department talent, stepped onto the stage amidst the audience's applause. Standing before the microphone, he said, "Thank you to everyone who came out to support our club and band today, whether you're a die-hard fan or someone who just happened to stop by. Thank you to the heavens for giving us good weather and a beautiful starry sky."
"Actually, when the band was first formed, the name was 'The Night is Young.' We discussed it and everyone felt the name was a bit too feminine. I thought so too. Then a good friend of mine said, 'Why not call it Flowers Never Sleep?' And then I thought *that* name was a bit girly," Sanmao said, drawing a wave of laughter. He laughed as well before continuing, "Then this friend told me she firmly believes that blooming is a beauty that contains sorrow, and that life presents such brilliant and diverse colors precisely because the process is so rich. So, 'Flowers Never Sleep' means welcoming this moment of blooming, even if the next moment brings the fall. I thought that was beautifully said, so our band was named Flowers Never Sleep. Here, I want to say thank you, Xiao Xia." Having said that, Sanmao reached out toward Xia Yinuo in the audience.
Xia Yinuo stood up, took off her hat, and bowed slightly to Sanmao. Liang Jueyun clapped along with the audience, her gaze toward Xia Yinuo exceptionally tender. After Xia Yinuo sat back down, she grinned at Liang Jueyun.
As the applause died down, Sanmao continued, "Seven years. It’s enough time to cross from the campus into society, to go from having a sharp edge to a rounded tolerance, to go from a green and frantic love to a silent, tacit companionship. Seven years is enough for us to experience a period of tempering and growth, and to gather a heavy bag of harvests. Seven years later, Flowers Never Sleep is still Flowers Never Sleep. It has carried half of my youth, and I am certain I will be tied to it for the rest of my life. Thank you to all the past club and band members, and thank you to all the listeners who have loved, supported, or simply passed by Flowers Never Sleep. This next song, 'Having You for a Lifetime,' is for all of you, and for myself."
Pure campus songs always evoke a resonance in the audience, often leading to a sing-along. Liang Jueyun had never heard this song before, so she sat there quietly, listening with full concentration. Xia Yinuo swayed her glow stick to the music. Hearing Sanmao talk about the past had stirred up many memories for her as well.
When the song ended, the applause was thunderous.
Sanmao was a bit emotional. He took a long breath and removed the microphone from its stand. "Today, I also want to do something very cliché, but something I must do. It’s also one of the reasons I chose to sing 'Having You for a Lifetime' today." As he spoke, his gaze fell upon a long-haired girl sitting in the first row. "Li Siyuan, will you marry me?"
***
