Scene 2: Golden Pupils (1)

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Lu Mingfei glanced at his train ticket and looked up at the church-like dome of Chicago’s train station.

He had two huge suitcases about his own weight, and his backpack bulged out at the back because his aunt had put a cooker in it, a 12-hole quilt in a woven bag, a pillow tied to a suitcase, and his passport in his mouth.

As the top among the tops, Lu Mingfei had brought all the things he needs, took American airway and landed at Chicago International Airport. He will take CC1000 express to Cassel College in Chicago railway station according to the schedule given by Norma.

“I really want to send you there myself, but I have to fly to Russia.” Professor Guderian said in the call. “But don’t worry, Norma will arrange everything.”

Indeed, Norma was an excellent secretary, and three weeks later a huge envelope arrived in the hands of Lu Mingfei, completed with everything from a passport to itinerary, along with a copy of [Cassel College’s Idiot’s Guide to Enrolling], marked “Lu Mingfei’s version”.

The guidebook was titled ridiculously but it worked well, that is, before Lu Mingfei arrived at the Chicago train station.

“The CC1000 express? Never heard of it… Maybe some kind of feeder train? But the number you said is not quite right… The new train schedule contains all the information about the train number. Check again… The ticket seems to be real, but I didn’t know there is such a train…” These were the answer given by the different staff on duty.

This express is not shown in the timetable.

” What the heck!” Lu Mingfei freaked out in the crowd.

God promised Moses, “Go to Canaan, a land flowing with honey and milk”, and give him a map. Moses crossed the red sea with mighty divine power, escaped from Egyptian’s manhunt and finally saw in front of the signpost written “to India”, “to China”, “to Japan”, but no “to Canaan”. The police uncle under the signpost said, “Canaan? Nope, I don’t know!”

Perhaps that’s the feeling of Lu Mingfei at the moment.

He had only twenty dollars left in his pocket. His aunt gave him $500 to spend on the trip, but as he passed Chicago customs, the chubby cop counted the dozens of pirated PS2 discs Lu Mingfei had brought with him, jotted down some scary numbers on the receipts and praised his taste, “Resident evil IV! Ha! Ha! Do you also like The Dynasty Warrior series? Ho! I love Dragon Quest, too! …… “

Maybe out of the appreciation of his taste, the cop left twenty dollars to Lu Mingfei.

Now the Moses, who had travelled thousands of miles, was standing at the Subway door. He was clutching his only twenty-dollar, wondering if he should stay hungry or buy a sandwich and coke. No matter how good the $36, 000 scholarship was, he now has only twenty dollars, six dollars spent and fourteen dollars left. How many more days? Maybe he should save his rations for a phone card to call the college? He didn’t have a cell phone, and the N96 was given to his uncle as a parting gift.

“One dollar, just one dollar…” Someone said behind his back.

In the United States, it is a typical beggar’s phrase, asking for a dollar, the same as the Lotus Rhyme by beggars in ancient China.

“No, I’m poor! No money!” Lu Mingfei replied in plain English.

He looked over his shoulder at the tall, burly young man behind him. His face, buried in his whiskers, was actually handsome. His eyes were ablaze with longing, with a plaid dark green shirt and baggy trousers that not been washed for a long time. It’s not easy to meet such a beggar in America, because all the other beggars are dressed better than him.

“Chinese?” The other side perceived the nationality of Lu Mingfei, immediately changed to speak fluent Chinese, “Dude please give me some money to buy a cup of coke, I am not really a beggar, just went out and lost my wallet.”

You are so familiar with both speaking tone of Chinese and English beggars, you dare to say you are not a professional beggar? Lu Mingfei thought.

“Fingel Von Frings, a college student. I’m really not a beggar.” In order to prove his identity, the young man grabbed out a thick textbook from his satchel.

The book that looked old had the title in a mixture of English and Latin, something he seemed to have read somewhere.

This guy speaks fluent Chinese… Lu Mingfei had a flash in his mind. He had seen this style on the admission documents of Cassel College.

“You’re waiting for… CC1000 express?” Lu Mingfei asked.

Each drew from his pocket a magnetic card, exactly the same ticket, black with silver-painted with the pattern of a huge leafy tree.

“I’m a freshman, Lu Mingfei.” Lu Mingfei held out his hand to show his friendliness.

“My dear! Finally a dollar for coke.” Fingel grabbed Lu Mingfei’s hand.

Is there nothing but coke in that chicken coop head of yours? Lu Mingfei thought.

“Brother I admire you very much, you are a righteous person!” Fingel sat sprawled on the bench, munching his sandwich and sipping Lu Mingfei’s coke.

They added up to only $25, and since coke is free to refill, Lu Mingfei suggested they don’t need to buy two, just two straws and double the number of refills. Fingel came from the developed capitalist country Germany, but he had no conscious of the health section, praised the Chinese schoolmate is very thoughtful.

“Senior brother, which grade are you?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“Grade 8.”

“Grade 8?” Lu Mingfei choked.

“Well, it’s fourth grade, but I stayed down,” Fingel said.

“Then why it’s grade 8?”

“Stayed down for four years… “

Lu Mingfei was very anxious about his future and decided not to discuss the horrible thing like staying down for the time being. “So you took the train before?”

“At the beginning of every semester. Otherwise, we would have to go by helicopter. The campus is in the mountains, and only this train goes there. No one knows the schedule, at least no one at Chicago station. The last staff who knew the time dead a few years before, he said the train started its work since WWII.” Fingel said, “But don’t worry, it will come. Low level students have to wait for it.”

“Level? What is it? Like the bourgeoisie and the proletariat?”

“Something like an aristocratic status, where the upper level students have some privileges and the resources of the college are given to him in priority, like the train.”

“You’ve been in school for eight years and your level isn’t high enough?”

“To be honest, I’m struggling with dropping out and making up for my credit!” Fingel spread his hands.

“Is it easy to find a job after graduating from Cassel College? You didn’t drop out of the fourth grade for four years?”

“Nope, they assign work!” Fingel belched loudly.

Looking out of the station’s floor-to-ceiling windows, Lu Mingfei saw dark skyscrapers that looked like giants standing side by side as night fell on the city of Chicago, the elevated railroad throwing bright sparks as trains passed, pedestrians scurrying and neon lights flashing.

Fingel and he had spent two nights at Chicago’s train station. Unable to afford a hotel room, they can only sleep on a bench in the waiting hall, wrapped in blankets. If it’s not the fact that their tickets can actually be used on the machine, they would have been kicked out by security. But no one at Chicago’s train station knew about the mysterious CC1000 express.

Fingel didn’t care. He said it was the same for him every time he went back to school. The only reason is their low level, and high-level students can take the train easily at the VIP entrance.  Lu Mingfei had to ask how low their priorities were. Fingel says it’s about the same as the medieval serfdom. Lu Mingfei was in low spirits, but Fingel consoled him by saying that there were people lower than serfs. There were even people have the same class as mules.

The two of them were alone in the waiting hall. Fingel strolled around with his books, the reading sound of him were echoing through the vast space. Gradually Lu Mingfei’s consciousness grew dim and he heard the distant bell faintly.

Bell, seemed very distant from the church. Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, thinking about wasteland and dark church shadow far away under the moon, thinking about people with torches running in the wasteland, the moon can’t light up their faces, that hidden in the shadows. They ran to the full moon, the incredibly large moon, sinking half round below the horizon. They leap from the mountain top to the moon.

He stunned, not knowing how he could have thought of it. Crazy, magnificent and real, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

Why are there such monotonous bells? He was in Chicago and it was a noisy road outside. Why did he hear only the monotonous and lonely bell? There should be no church nearby.

He sat upon the bench as a huge moon rose from the french window. The moonlight poured in like the tide on the shore. The whole waiting hall was bathed in the cold, watery moonlight, and the shadows of the window panes casting on the back of the bench. A boy sat silent, looking up into the moonlight.

The guard at the door was gone. In the distance, Subway’s sandwich shop had its lights out. He and the boy were alone. He felt very strange, but he dared to speak or even breathe hard. There was an unbreakable silence in the waiting hall.

The boy looked Chinese, about thirteen or fourteen years old, in a little black frock coat with moonlight on his young face. Lu Mingfei didn’t know why such a child had the silence and sadness of “I have lived for thousands of years” written on his face. Besides, there were so many vacant benches, but the boy sat only beside him as if waiting for him to wake up.

Lu Mingfei lifted the blanket and sat down beside the boy. The two men looked at the moon in silence, time slowly passing, as if two people watching the sea.

“Exchange? “The boy whispered.

“What?” Lu Mingfei didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Exchange?” The boy asked again.

“For what? I am poor, no money…”

“So you still refused?” The boy turned his head slowly. His golden pupil looks like a mirror on fire.

All the will of Lu Mingfei was swallowed up by the flame in a moment. His whole body suddenly quivered as if on the verge of extinction, and a huge force was born in his body. He jerked back.

“Ah!” The scream of Fingel woke Lu Mingfei.

Fingel was squatting next to his head. The noise came from outside, the footsteps of pedestrians, the honking of cars, the grinding of wheels and rails, all the sounds of a metropolis. The two guards dozing by the door, while Subway was still opening in a distance.

“Or is it a dream?” Lu Mingfei thought.

He never had two overlapping dreams. In the first, he saw people running on the moors. In the second he talked to the boy. He entered the second dream from the first dream, but actually, he’s just sleeping on the branch with the blanket on him.

“Don’t jump in your dream, you were like a frightened flea!” Fingel complained.

Lu Mingfei wiped the sweat from his forehead. Why are you scared? Because of the boy’s golden pupils? What’s so weird about golden pupils? How many colours of pupils did those girls in the ACG club have before?

“Take your luggage and here comes the train,” Fingel said.

Lu Mingfei heard the bell and the sound of the train whistle. Fingel was right that a train has just arrived, its lights flashing on the platform. At 2 am, on a night when there are no overtime trains, the CC1000 express pulls in.

A dark figure appeared at the empty ticket barrier. It was a man in a dark green uniform, with a small gold bell in his hand and a badge on his hat. He was holding a flashlight in one hand and a card reader in the other.

“CC1000 express, please prepare to board, please prepare to board.” The conductor’s voice echoed through the hall.

The two guards fell asleep again. It seemed that only Fingel could sense the conductor’s arrival, not even Subway’s clerks. It was a strange thing that such a well-dressed conductor should appear in the middle night at the modern Chicago railway station, but no one noticed him at all.

Lu Mingfei shivered. The conductor was like a… ghost!

“Why is it like… train from hell?” He grabbed Fingel’s sleeve.

“It’s just his Speaking Spirit. He’s a normal human being and he’s even a fan of Backstreet Boys.” Fingel said.

“Speaking Spirit?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“We are here we are here! Lu Mingfei and Fingel!” Fingel waved.

Taking his ticket from his pocket, Lu Mingfei followed Fingel to the gate with his bags. When he saw the conductor’s face, he believed Fingel. That guy did not look like a ghost, chewing gum and blowing bubbles.

The conductor took Fingel’s ticket across the ticket machine with a green light and “Beep”.

“Fingel, are you still in school?” Said the conductor.” I thought I won’t see you this year.”

“I’m a man who always finishes his way,” said Fingel. “the train comes so late because my level goes down again?”

“Down to ‘F’. You are ‘A’ before, down from heaven to hell.” Said the conductor.

“From serf to animal indeed…” Fingel murmured.

Lu Mingfei’s ticket went across the ticket machine, but there was music with the green light.

“Lu Mingfei?” The conductor’s beautiful green eyes lit up. “I’m sorry, but there was a scheduling error. Your level is ‘S’, but there are few people at that level, so the system went wrong, just like Y2K.” 1)

” ‘S’?” Fingel’s eyes widened. “Isn’t the principal the only ‘S’?”

“There are some, but not more than ten people.” Said the conductor. “Get on quickly. It won’t stay too long.”

“I have a question… Is this really an official train? Why isn’t it on the train list? Why not be there on time?” Lu Mingfei cannot help but ask. It’s a weird train in and out. If it is really something like hell express, he can at least pray before taking step in.

“Yeah, through Cassel College, specially approved by the Chicago government. It’s not on the train list because it’s a regional train, it doesn’t run regularly. Do you know that special trains go from the public railroad to some mines and factories? We are the same as those.” The conductor’s answer was very frank.

They followed the conductor to the platform, where the bullet train stopped on the tracks with blazing headlights. The train is black, streamlined, and the dazzling silver-white vine pattern spreads out on the black paint, gorgeous as a work of art. Outside the only sliding door stood a familiar figure, Professor Guderian.

The train sped through the darkness across an oak-barred table, where Lu Mingfei, Fingel, and Professor Guderian sat opposite each other. The carriages are elegantly European style: the walls are decorated with Victorian-style floral wallpaper, the portholes are clad in solid wood, and the blackish green leather sofas are embroidered with gold threads. Lu Mingfei and Fingel had changed into the Cassel College’s school uniform: White shirt, dark green suit with a silver edge, rose colour scarf, embroidered with the badge of Cassel College — the word tree, on the chest. Although they had never measured his stature, they did the clothes fit. Lu Mingfei opened his cuffs and saw his name thread embroidery, Ricardo. M. Lu.

From set foot on this train to change into this dress, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt that he was a top guy, a very top guy.

But he could not help feeling a little frightened, not knowing why, as if something bad is about to happen.

“Coffee or hot chocolate?” Asked Professor Guderian. He had his back against the wall, and behind him was a large painting with canvas blocking.

“Hot chocolate.” Fingel raised his hand.

“Not you, seriously. I’m your temporary tutor assigned by the school, and this is tutorial time,” Professor Guderian said, looking at Lu Mingfei. “You can have a bottle of wine or something.”

“…Can I drink before a teacher?”

“They’ll just give you a drink to calm you down so you won’t scream in the middle of your tutorial,” Fingel whispered in his ear.

“What?? Is that an exaggeration?” Lu Mingfei was shocked.

“More than you think… Even more exaggerated.” Professor Guderian said. “First of all, I’m sorry I’m late. I was delayed in Russia for quite a while, and after I returned to the college I found the system error. So I decided to follow the train to take you. Second, every student is required to take an entrance examination, which we call the ‘3E’ examination. If you did not pass it, we can’t take you and the scholarship will be frozen.”

“A qualification exam?” Lu Mingfei was relieved. “Although it was scary… But at least my heart is ok right now.”

“Here’s a non-disclosure agreement you should sign.” Professor Guderian handed over a document.

Facing the odd document with Latin mixed with English, Lu Mingfei signed it with trembling hands. What could he refuse now that with express speeding at more than 200kph to the mysterious Cassel College, which’s the route his parents had pointed out to him?

Professor Guderian put away the documents carefully. “As a formal university registered with the U.S. Department of Education, Cassel College has been committed to providing high-quality education to students with special talents and recommending jobs. Our normal length of schooling is four years, examples as Fingel rarely exists. Our school has a classical closed education; all students must live on campus. When you are graduated, we will issue you a formal degree certificate. But unfortunately, our degree certificate may not help you find a corresponding major in other universities, so if you want to study for a master’s degree or doctor’s degree, our school is your only choice.”

“You mean… Not a proper degree?” Lu Mingfei was alarmed.

“No, it’s a proper one. Our degree is in line with the requirements of the ministry of education. I mean, our major is very special,” Professor Guderian said carefully. “very special.”

“How special?” Lu Mingfei blinked.

“Do you know divinity school?”

Lu Mingfei nodded.

1. Y2K: The Year 2000 Problem. It’s a computer problem in 2000 because some old versions of pc were using decimal counting on recording dates. But when 2000 arrived, there will be some data analyzing bugs on dates.