Sima Qiuyun never imagined that after working for over a year, she would be dragged out of bed at six in the morning to recite English in the school’s small woods. Even during her own college years, she had never participated in morning readings. Though her university life had been characterized by lethargy and procrastination, she had mastered every trait of a typical student: sleeping in, skipping classes, copying homework, and asking others to sign in for her. Waking up at six? Not a chance.
Waking up at six to recite English? The sun would have to rise in the west first.
But then she reconsidered—what was so strange about the sun rising in the west? She had traveled through time, after all!
The woods were located near the school’s east gate. By the time Qiuyun and her roommates arrived, quite a few people were already scattered amidst the morning mist. Everyone spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid of being overheard. Qiuyun was still half-asleep, and the quiet environment only made her more drowsy. She leafed through her textbook; the content was barely at a junior high level. There were no "Han Meimei" or "Li Lei" here, only their parents engaged in dialogue:
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. And you?"
"I'm fine, too."
...
Bored and sleepy, Qiuyun was just about to say her goodbyes and head back for a nap when she heard a voice nearby.
"You came today too?"
Qiuyun turned her head, and her sleepiness instantly vanished. "Teacher Liang?"
"Hello."
"Ah... hello."
"How are you feeling?"
"Oh, much better." Qiuyun noticed he was also holding a book. Unlike the others, a headphone wire extended from his pocket and hung around his neck.
"Oh, this is a Walkman. I'm listening to *Follow Me*," Liang He explained, noticing her gaze.
"A Walkman?"
"Mhm." Liang He pulled a small box from his pocket. It was about the size of an iPhone X but many times thicker. Qiuyun recognized it; she had seen them on TV when she was very young. It held a cassette tape—truly a relic of the last century. When she was in junior high, MP3 and MP4 players had been popular for a while, but those electronic products were soon replaced by smartphones.
"Do you want to listen?" This had been brought back from abroad by Liang He's father. When he first got it, everyone in his dormitory found it incredibly novel and scrambled for a turn. Seeing Qiuyun staring motionless at the device, Liang He assumed she was curious and generously offered to share. "Want to try?"
"Sure." Qiuyun really hadn't used something with such a sense of history before.
Qiuyun put on one earphone, and Liang He pressed a button. She heard a man and a woman speaking with standard British accents. The male voice was magnetic, while the female voice was soft and deliberate. They seemed to be discussing daily meals; it wasn't very difficult.
She took off the earphone.
"Done listening?" Liang He pressed the pause button.
"Yes." Qiuyun rubbed her stomach. "All that talk about food made me hungry." As she spoke, she looked around, wondering where Wang Chen had gone and why she hadn't called her for breakfast yet.
Liang He noticed that Qiuyun didn't seem particularly impressed; it felt more like she had listened for a moment just to be polite. He turned off the Walkman, removed the tape, and asked casually, "Did you understand it all?"
"Yes."
"What were they talking about?" Liang He began idly winding the headphone cord.
"Two people chatting about British food—steak, chicken wings, and..." Qiuyun's mouth suddenly watered. She swallowed before continuing, "...fish and chips."
Fish and chips!
In her mind, images from McDonald's commercials suddenly appeared: golden-brown fried chicken, freshly cooked fries, and that bright, delicious ketchup... In the 21st century, she had looked down on these as junk food, but thinking of them now, they seemed like the ultimate delicacies!
Heavens, how could she have ever dismissed them as junk?
Just then, Wang Chen’s voice drifted through the hazy mist: "Xiao Yun... where are you... it's time to eat..."
Qiuyun’s eyes widened. After a half-second search, she ditched Liang He and bolted toward the depths of the mist.
Liang He stopped winding his headphones, staring at Qiuyun’s receding back in a daze. Two seconds later, he abruptly pulled the cord taut, opened the Walkman, fast-forwarded, and put the earphone in. Amidst the thick British accents, he barely managed to catch a few familiar words:
*Beefsteak, chicken, and fish and chips...*
***
Lost in her fantasies of McDonald's, Sima Qiuyun finished her breakfast, treating the steamed bun like a burger and the congee like oatmeal. After eating, Wang Chen took her to the faucets outside the cafeteria to wash her utensils and then led her to the Western Teaching Building for class. Back when Qiuyun was in university in her own time, the Western Teaching Building was also used for classes, but the old houses around it had been demolished and replaced by modern buildings. Its sloped roof and red brick walls had stood out uniquely against the new architecture. Now, however, it was surrounded by similar red-brick, sloped-roof buildings. The red walls and green trees were perfectly harmonious, looking exactly like a scene from a period drama. Qiuyun couldn't help but stop in her tracks when she reached the front of the building.
"Let's go," Wang Chen pulled her along with a smile. "We've been in class for several days already. Today is your first time."
"What class is this?"
Wang Chen laughed again. "You really need to remember the schedule. Today is Wednesday; the morning is the large lecture for Sketching."
Qiuyun turned her head sharply to look at her, then back at the red-brick building. A sudden sense of the shifting stars and the passage of time washed over her.
She had learned sketching right here in her original life. Thirty years back in time, she was still learning here.
Was it a coincidence, or an inevitable arrangement of fate?
Sketching was a foundational course for fine arts. The professor for this course was named Chen Jingtao. He had ear-length gray hair and a goatee, giving him a very artistic temperament. Qiuyun was just thinking that Professor Chen’s name sounded familiar when she noticed a tall young man standing beside him—who else could it be but Liang He?
"Isn't that teacher a professor of oil painting?" Qiuyun asked Wang Chen.
"He is. How did you know?" Wang Chen looked at her curiously and explained, "The department is short on teachers, so he teaches several courses at once."
"Which ones?"
"Sketching, watercolor, gouache, and oil painting."
"...So he basically covers everything."
"It can't be helped," Wang Chen shrugged. "Word is he's also extremely strict."
Qiuyun’s gaze fell back on Liang He. "Then the one by the podium... what's the deal with him?"
"That's Teacher Liang. He came to see you the other day."
"I know that. Didn't they say he's a counselor?"
"Yes, he's our counselor. He's actually a senior from the Class of 'XX who stayed at the school after graduation. He's also Professor Chen's graduate student and is currently a teaching assistant, co-teaching with Professor Chen."
Qiuyun understood. Art classes weren't just lectures; students needed one-on-one guidance while drawing, so one teacher wasn't enough for a single course.
"Isn't he handsome?" Wang Chen winked at her. "I think he looks like a movie star."
Qiuyun smiled. She had always thought people in the eighties were old-fashioned and stiff, but it turned out that fangirling and girlish crushes transcended eras.
Before she could respond, a piece of chalk flew straight at Qiuyun’s forehead.
"You there," Professor Chen said, looking at Qiuyun with an expressionless face. "What is your name?"
Caught off guard, a "Holy crap" nearly escaped Qiuyun's lips. She looked around to see dozens of eyes turned toward her, including Liang He's.
Suppressing her annoyance, she stood up. "Qiuyun."
Professor Chen took off his reading glasses, searched the roster for a moment, and looked up. "Qiu Xiaoyun, right?"
"...Yes."
"Student Qiu Xiaoyun," Professor Chen put his glasses back on. "Please answer: what are the 'Five Tones of Light and Shade' that I just discussed?"
The old man had just talked about the Five Tones?
Wang Chen ducked her head behind her drawing board, frantically signaling to her.
Qiuyun hadn't heard a single word, but she didn't panic. The Five Tones of Light and Shade were introductory theory for sketching. Others might not know if they hadn't listened, but she was a professional artist.
The corners of her mouth curled up. With a calm composure, she picked up a piece of chalk and, under the gaze of the entire class, walked slowly to the blackboard. Professor Chen was somewhat surprised, but he only squinted his eyes and watched her silently.
With a single stroke, Qiuyun drew a circle. With a few quick sweeps, she divided it into five tonal areas, and a three-dimensional sphere quickly emerged. She then labeled each tonal area with text. The entire process was done without a word—fluid, sharp, and decisive.
Before stepping down, she shot Professor Chen a look that carried a hint of defiant pride.
Professor Chen let out a hearty laugh and actually started clapping.
Immediately after, Liang He began to clap as well.
The students below were a bit confused, but they followed suit. Wang Chen greeted Qiuyun’s return with a look of pure adoration—a look that, in modern terms, translated to two words: *Total badass.*
Once the applause died down, Professor Chen said nothing more, as if the interlude had never happened, and continued with his lecture.
*What a strange old man,* Qiuyun thought.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
随声听 | Walkman | A portable cassette player, popular in the 1980s.
《follow me》 | *Follow Me* | A famous BBC English-teaching television program popular in China during the 1980s.
西教 | Western Teaching Building | A specific campus building, likely "West Teaching Building."
陈静韬 | Chen Jingtao | A professor of fine arts and Liang He's mentor.
明暗五调子 | Five Tones of Light and Shade | A fundamental art concept referring to highlight, light tone, half-tone (halftone), shadow core, and reflected light.
邱晓云 | Qiu Xiaoyun | The original name of the body the protagonist inhabits.
辅导员 | Counselor / Political Instructor | A common role in Chinese universities responsible for student affairs and ideological guidance.
助教 | Teaching Assistant (TA) | A junior academic position.
