Shengliver’s Note: Chen Yulin the teen, a boarder, used to go home every weekend. Unfinished homework forced him to change his tactics. Since the beginning of the term, the boy has stopped visiting his folks every weekend. Instead, he stays on campus and hence discovers a brand-new way of being.

Part 1

This time I will talk about my weekend. This weekend I did not go home. Instead, I chose to stay on campus.

From the very beginning of high school, I thought weekends here in the school would be just a bore. I could not use my mobile phone, watch TV, play my favourite PC games, or even listen to music. The fact, however, was that my weekend at the school turned out to be pretty good.

On Saturday evening, I did my homework in the reading room. To my surprise, it took me only three hours to get everything sorted out. Had I been home, I could not have finished it in such a short time, with distractions beguiling me.

On Sunday morning, I slept well enough to wake up naturally without any alarm set. After breakfast, I reviewed my lessons and played Ping-Pong with the few mates whose homes are too far away.

Not everything was good, though. The drawback was that canteen meals were a let-down. If only I could have had more dishes to choose from on Sunday! On Sunday, fewer dishes are available on the menu with most students off.

Part 2

This weekend, I still opted to stay at school. After lessons on Saturday afternoon, I went to the bookshop to get a novel. When I went up to the checkout, I found my wallet missing. So worried was I that I fumbled through all my pockets, but it was nowhere to be found.

Just at that moment, a girl schoolmate nearby called out to me, “Boy, is that yours?” I glanced in the direction she was indicating, finding it was none other than my dear wallet. Instantly I felt a load taken off my mind. To show my appreciation, I offered to pay for her book, but she refused. What a kind girl!

When I went back to the dorm, the room was cosy and welcome thanks to the newly-installed heating facility. I had planned to go and do my homework in the reading room, but I gave up the idea. I started to read my book in bed right there in the dorm.

While I was browsing through the book, a new discovery dawned upon me. How foolish I had been before! I had always thought reading was dull and a waste of time. This evening, however, I derived a lot of pleasure from just a simple book. Had I not got hooked on video games in middle school, I would have read more, and my writing skills would not be such a shame now.