Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai have been desk mates for a week.
During this week, they gained a deeper understanding of both parties.
When Jiang Yubai was in primary school in Singapore, no one in his grade could compare to him. Now that he has returned to China, he is no longer the same person he was before. Every morning, he even doesn't want to get up and is afraid to go to school.
This won't do!
In order to rebuild his self-esteem, Jiang Yubai officially regarded Lin Zhixia as his competitor. He also made a request to his parents: "I want to study physics."
At this time, the family was having dinner.
The restaurant was surrounded by six huge French windows. Outside the windows, the vast night sky permeated the entire lawn. The chandelier in the room was shining brightly. Jiang Yubai picked up a glass, and the cold water in the glass sparkled in the bright lights.
Jiang Yubai took a sip of cold water and said again: "I want to study physics."
His mother put down her chopsticks and asked him, "Why did you suddenly come up with this idea?"
Jiang Yubai's mother is nearly 40 years old and has taken very good care of herself. There is not a single fine line on her face. She is beautiful and charming, and her tone of voice is quite gentle: "How old are you, Jiang Yubai? You have to take so many classes. It's so hard to study."
"It's not hard," Jiang Yubai said confidently as he picked up his bowl, "I like physics."
"Really?" Dad asked calmly.
Jiang Yubai nodded: "Yes."
His father asked him: "In addition to going to school every week, you also have to take martial arts lessons, piano lessons, and learn English and French at home. Can you learn it all?"
This question stumped Jiang Yubai.
Dad added, "Your mother and I both want you to have a relaxed and happy childhood. If you are interested in physics, we are willing to cultivate it. But you never mentioned it before, and you never talked to us about physics. Today, you suddenly changed your mind and insisted on studying physics. What's going on?"
Dad had just come back from work, still wearing a shirt and suit. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke to Jiang Yubai, but his eyes were full of inquiry as he looked at his son.
Jiang Yubai realized his father's deep meaning. It seemed that his parents did not want him to go down the scientific path of studying physics.
He said, “I’ll think about it.”
Dad raised his hand and gently patted Jiang Yubai's shoulder: "Mathematics is a conceptual expression of physical reality. If you want to study physics, you might as well study mathematics. Dad only has you as his son. When you grow up, you will definitely inherit my..."
Mom coughed, and Dad changed the subject: "Of course, I don't want to put pressure on you."
Jiang Yubai buried his head in eating.
He couldn't help but wonder: What is Lin Zhixia's parents' attitude towards her? Will her parents support her no matter what she does or learns
In order to solve this doubt, the next afternoon, after school, Jiang Yubai sent a text message to the driver: My classmates and I are going to the stationery store to buy stationery. Please wait for me at the school gate for half an hour.
The driver replied: Okay, Mr. Jiang.
One week into the new semester, Jiang Yubai made a friend named Ding Yan.
Ding Yan has been learning Taekwondo since he was a child, while Jiang Yubai often practices martial arts. The two of them had a fight on the school playground because they were arguing about which one was stronger, "Chinese martial arts or Korean Taekwondo" - the friendship between boys is very strange. After the fight, they appreciated each other, talked about the hardships of practicing martial arts, understood each other, and became good friends.
Jiang Yubai told Ding Yan his plan: "I want to follow Lin Zhixia."
Ding Yan was startled: "What?"
Jiang Yubai explained in detail: "Lin Zhixia said that her home is very close to the school. If we follow her together, we can reach her home in fifteen minutes."
"She...she's not easy to mess with. Before you transferred here, no one wanted to sit at the same table with her." Ding Yan reminded.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was setting in the west. As dusk approached, the dark red glow covered the sky. Only the student on duty for the day was left in the classroom. The warm light of the setting sun penetrated a window, leaving traces of gold powder between the tables, chairs and benches. Lin Zhixia arranged the tables and chairs, swept the floor, said hello to the labor committee, and walked out of the classroom with her schoolbag on her back.
She didn't look back.
Jiang Yubai grabbed Ding Yan and strictly implemented the "tracking plan".
"If she finds out," Ding Yan warned, "you'll be dead."
Jiang Yubai said, "If she beats me to death, she will have no deskmate."
Ding Yan shook his head: "No, you are wrong, she doesn't hit people. But, those who offend her..."
Jiang Yubai asked in a low voice: "What will happen if I offend Lin Zhixia?"
Ding Yan didn't know how to start.
After a moment's hesitation, Ding Yan said, "Anyone who offends Lin Zhixia will become extremely unlucky. For example, Zhou Bufeng, who sits in front of you, likes to steal other people's things. He steals pens and money. Zhou Bufeng also stole from Lin Zhixia... Then when he was in physical education class, there was always a group of ants stinging him. Zhou Bufeng told us that Lin Zhixia was a freak."
Jiang Yubai sneered and said, "You believe what the thief said?"
Ding Yan immediately said, "I, I don't believe it."
Jiang Yubai sarcastically said, "Are you afraid of Lin Zhixia? You are a man, afraid of a girl..."
Ding Yan grabbed the straps of his schoolbag tightly with both hands: "Who is afraid of her? I'm not afraid!"
Jiang Yubai ran forward quickly: "Follow me!"
Ding Yan was helpless. He could only follow Jiang Yubai's footsteps and explore Lin Zhixia's family environment together. He also told Jiang Yubai that he had met Lin Zhixia's mother at the parent-teacher meeting at school before. He said: "Lin Zhixia's mother is very beautiful."
Jiang Yubai said casually: "Lin Zhixia is also very beautiful."
After saying this, his face flushed.
He simply could not forgive himself for making such a big mistake in front of his classmates.
Lin Zhixia was his competitor, so how could he care about her looks? Wasn't he looking for someone who was far smarter than Lin Zhixia, so that she could clearly understand the truth that "there are always higher mountains"
Jiang Yubai calmed himself down and aimed at Lin Zhixia's back again.
Lin Zhixia paused and turned her head to look back. She saw Jiang Yubai and Ding Yan quickly hiding behind the electric pole, and she didn't quite understand what they were doing.
Are they following me? Lin Zhixia guessed.
Then, she thought: Why are you following me
She was thinking as she walked, and before she knew it, she had reached the door of her home.
This is an old residential area.
The main entrance of the community can only accommodate one car. There are two pillars about three meters high outside the gate. Four iron wires are connected to the top of the pillars, bending into an arch, like an arch bridge. Hanging on the iron wire is a sign with four large characters "Ancheng Community".
There are 27 residential buildings in Ancheng Community. The exterior tiles of the buildings are yellowed, and long cement poles are pulling messy wires. Some families have privately pulled two lines downstairs of their houses to secretly use electricity.
There were some sundries piled up between the buildings. A middle-aged man on a tricycle was collecting junk nearby, holding a rattle. He parked the tricycle next to the pile of sundries and bent down to pick up the cardboard boxes scattered on the ground.
There was a road not far away. The road surface seemed to have been dug up, and a large pit had formed. Muddy water accumulated in the pit, forming a ditch. Lin Zhixia stepped over the ditch and ran quickly to a small supermarket, shouting, "Mom and Dad! I'm back!"
Mom sat on a chair next to the cash register, holding a ledger in her hand. She counted twice with a ballpoint pen and cursed, "Lao Lin! Lao Lin! Come here!"
Dad came over immediately.
Lin Zhixia's father is only 33 years old this year. He is still young, and his wife likes to call him "Lao Lin", and he has no choice. He is the same age as his wife. When they just turned 20, they held a banquet in their hometown, borrowed some money, and went to the provincial capital to work and do some small business.
He and his wife have two children. The eldest is Lin Zeqiu, a boy who just entered the first grade of junior high school this year. Lin Zeqiu had a heart problem when he was born and had two heart surgeries. Now he is fine. Taking advantage of Lin Zeqiu's "heart problem", he and his wife successfully obtained permission for a second child, and then gave birth to Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia is a child...
How to say it
She is very special.
For example, now, she was leaning against the cashier counter, and said coquettishly, "Mom, mom, give me the account book... I'll help you look at it."
The so-called "cash register" is a glass cabinet filled with cigarettes and alcohol that cost more than 10 yuan. On the counter, there is a bucket of big rolls, hundreds of lollipops, and a hemispherical piece of soft plastic.
Lin Zhixia reached out to grab the lollipop. She continued to act coquettishly to her mother: "Mom, mom, I'll help you check the account book, can you give me a lollipop? I want a strawberry-flavored lollipop."
The mother replied seriously: "No!"
Lin Zhixia remained silent, tears welling up in her eyes. Her skin was very white, as white as snow, her eyes were very black, and her long eyelashes were stained with tears. She was as cute as she could be, as pitiful as she could be - her mother couldn't resist at all and soon softened her heart.
The mother said to her daughter in a gentle voice: "Xia Xia, I have told you so many times that you can't eat candy all the time. I only buy this much every time I buy goods, and I give it all to you. What should we sell?"
Dad was still mediating: "A piece of candy, is it okay?"
"What do you care?" The mother was reluctant to get angry at her daughter, so she turned all her anger to her husband. "Where did you put yesterday's bill? I can't reconcile the bill, and I'm still short of 70 yuan for cigarettes and alcohol..."
While Mom and Dad were talking, a few people suddenly came outside.
Mom fell silent immediately. She opened the glass case and arranged the cigarettes in a more orderly manner.
This group of people are all middle-aged men in their thirties and forties. The leader is Lin Zhixia's uncle. The uncle is the first college student in their hometown. After graduating from college, the uncle studied for a master's degree and passed the "Lawyer Qualification Certificate". From then on, he stayed in a famous law firm in the provincial capital and became a glamorous and respectable litigation lawyer.
My uncle lives in a large flat in the city center. He has a son, Lin Zhixia's cousin. The cousin is one year older than Lin Zhixia, and has just started fifth grade. He also goes to the same school as Lin Zhixia.
When Lin Zhixia saw her uncle, she greeted him politely, "Hello, uncle."
The uncle was dressed in a suit and had a famous watch on his wrist. He introduced the people behind him, "This is my sister and brother-in-law, and this is my little niece." He then said to Lin Zhixia's mother, "Four relatives came from our hometown. I'm very busy at work this month, and I have to go on a business trip to Shanghai next month. You know the situation here. Your sister-in-law is very strict with me. There are not many empty rooms in my house, and there is no room for four people..."
Lin Zhixia continued, "Uncle, my house is also too small. My house only has three bedrooms. My parents live in one, I live in one, and my brother lives in one. There are cardboard boxes everywhere, and there is no place to stay in the living room. Uncle's house is different. It is big and bright."
The uncle was startled and touched Lin Zhixia's head: "Xia Xia, have you studied hard recently?"
"No," Lin Zhixia replied, "I just like watching TV and playing games."
She dodged her uncle's hand and hid behind her father. She grabbed her father's clothes and looked out secretly. She found that Jiang Yubai and Ding Yan were still standing on the steps outside the supermarket.
She waved towards Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai seemed to have encountered a terrifying beast. He took four steps back and retreated further away. Before Lin Zhixia could say anything, Jiang Yubai turned around and ran, faster and faster, his back gradually blending into the afterglow of the sunset.
A few more customers came into the supermarket. These customers were all residents of the community and acquaintances of Lin Zhixia's parents.
My mother left my uncle and the four relatives alone. After she finished greeting the guests, she said, "Brother, I have to go out to buy goods at four in the morning every day, and I have to take care of the children and run the business. If you bring the people to my place, I won't be able to take care of them, right?"
My uncle took a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the glass cabinet without paying. He tore open the cigarette box, lit it, exhaled a stream of thin white smoke, and put his left hand into his pocket.
One of the relatives asked, "Where should we live? Give us a definite answer. We are from the same village. We have come to the city to work hard. If we can take care of you, then do so. If we can't, forget it!"
The others all echoed.
My uncle waved his right hand and said, "Let's go. It's okay. I'll make the arrangements."
His relatives all praised him for his righteousness, no wonder he was able to stay in the big city and work as a lawyer.
Lin Zhixia watched her uncle walk away.
She leaned against the door, sighing.
The light of dusk is dim and the city lights are coming on.
At about half past five, my brother came home.
My brother is already a first-year junior high school student, wearing a junior high school uniform. He is over 1.8 meters tall, much taller than Lin Zhixia. Lin Zhixia likes his name - Lin Zeqiu. Lin Zeqiu, which means "benefiting all things in autumn", seems to have a different artistic conception.
As for Lin Zeqiu himself...
Lin Zhixia and him don't have a good relationship.
Lin Zeqiu rode his bicycle back to the doorstep. He carried the bicycle into the supermarket and locked it in the warehouse at the back. His mother was still watching the store, and his father had prepared dinner and called his son and daughter over.
The food was placed on a round table with only three chairs around it. There were four people in the family, but one person always had to stay out to look after the store.
The living room was small, with only a sofa, a round table, and a TV on a wooden cabinet. The TV was a 28-inch color TV, the front and sides were the same width, and the antenna for receiving signals was stretched very long.
Lin Zhixia held the remote control, switched to CCTV-1, and waited patiently for the "Big Windmill" program to be broadcast.
Soon, music came from the TV. Lin Zhixia stood up and sang the theme song of "Big Windmill": "The big windmill is turning, the scenery here is so beautiful, the sky is beautiful, the land is beautiful... and there are a group of happy friends!"
Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath and said, "It's so noisy! Lin Zhixia! Can you eat quietly? If not, get out."
Dad knocked Lin Zeqiu on the head with a chopstick: "How do you talk to your sister? How can you be a brother like you, so fierce and evil? Is she your sister or your enemy?"
Lin Zeqiu picked up some food viciously and stuffed it into Lin Zhixia's bowl: "I'm sorry!" He apologized to his sister word by word with gritted teeth.
Lin Zhixia smiled and said, "It's okay! Don't be angry, brother!" Then he added, "With your moral character, being able to say sorry to me is the upper limit of your conduct in life!"
Dad slammed his chopsticks on the table: "Lin Zhixia!"
He lectured her, "Lin Zhixia! Why are you saying such harsh words to your brother? Are you your parents' daughter? What other girl is like you, who can't stand even the slightest loss?"
"Why should I suffer a loss!" Lin Zhixia cursed, "I'm not a fool! Lin Zeqiu is the fool!"
Lin Zeqiu threw the bowl and said, "I don't want to eat anymore!"
"Lin Zeqiu! Who are you trying to scare?" Dad was furious. "I'll starve you for three days and you'll eat anything, even toads! If you get mad at me now, when your mom comes, no one will be able to save you!"
Lin Zeqiu was a little scared when he heard "Mom". He barely regained his composure, picked up some spinach from the plate and put it on the rice in his bowl.
Lin Zeqiu lowered his head to eat. He had a high nose bridge and deep eyebrows. Even though he was only twelve years old, it was obvious that he would be a handsome boy when he grew up.
Looking at Lin Zhixia again, she also has extremely delicate facial features and is a natural beauty. In another ten years, she will definitely be a very beautiful girl.
God has blessed the Lin family with such a pair of precious children. Both children have inherited the excellent genes of the Lin family. Their academic performance is very good. Especially Lin Zhixia, who can no longer be described with a simple word "good"...
Lin Zhixia's father suddenly wondered if he was asking too much from life? Was he a little too unsatisfied? Was he too strict with his children? His anger gradually subsided. He shone like a kind father and gently advised: "Lin Zhixia, Lin Zeqiu, you are siblings. Siblings should help each other and not always blame each other. Listen to Dad, okay?"
Lin Zhixia held a chicken leg in her mouth and nodded repeatedly.
Lin Zeqiu also said, "Okay."
Dad was very satisfied. He picked up the bowl again and asked with concern: "Xia Xia, did you learn anything new at school today?"
"Yes," Lin Zhixia finished chewing and narrated while watching cartoons. "Today at school, I thought about the quantum Monte Carlo method. The traditional Monte Carlo algorithm consumes a lot of computing power when calculating the probability distribution of bosons and fermions, and quantum Monte Carlo cannot be integrated. Do you know about Bose-Einstein condensate? What I mean is that when particles are divided into bosons and fermions, bosonic atoms will show gaseous and superfluid states in an environment close to absolute zero [1]..."
"Please shut up." Lin Zeqiu interrupted.
Lin Zhixia lowered her head slightly.
The light of the incandescent lamp was bright. Lin Zeqiu clenched his chopsticks and looked at his sister: "You keep talking about this all day long. You will have no friends in school."
"I didn't tell anyone else," Lin Zhixia defended, "I only told my deskmate at school."
"Do you have a deskmate?" Dad and brother asked in unison.
My brother looked in disbelief, while my father looked overjoyed.
When Lin Zhixia first started elementary school, she often said some "weird things" to her deskmate at the time, and both boys and girls were made to cry by her. The head teacher asked Lin Zhixia's former deskmates: What did Lin Zhixia say to you
None of the children could articulate it.
They even had the same symptoms—dull eyes, absent-mindedness, stumbling speech, and words that came out of their mouths were all "galactic collapse", "id and superego", "de Broglie hypothesis"... and other messy things.
Teacher Wu, the head teacher, said to Lin Zhixia: "Lin Zhixia, have you read a lot of books? Reading is a good thing, but you can't influence others, right? You are a good child, the teacher will not criticize you. The teacher hopes that you can keep improving and bring positive influence to your classmates, okay?"
So, starting from the second grade of elementary school, Lin Zhixia no longer had a deskmate.
She learned to behave like a normal person in class.
But now, Jiang Yubai has become her new deskmate.
Lin Zhixia happily told her father and brother: "My new deskmate is called Jiang Yubai, and he is a very nice person! Jiang Yubai is my good friend. He likes to listen to me talk about physics and asks me to talk to him several times every day."
Lin Zeqiu questioned: "Does he understand what you say?"
Lin Zhixia was very sure: "He didn't understand a single word."
"Then he asked you to talk to him about physics," Lin Zeqiu said with emotion, "He is so cruel to himself at such a young age."