On September 24, 2005, the weather was fine and the weather was sunny and windy.
It was a quiet and peaceful Saturday.
Lin Zhixia grabbed her mother's wrist and asked for her opinion tactfully: "Mom, Mom, my classmates want me to go out and play, so I may not be able to go home for lunch. Can I go out now?"
"Who asked you to go out and play?" Mom asked.
Lin Zhixia described in detail: "My best friend. He was my classmate in elementary school and also in junior high school."
While wiping the shelves, the mother kindly asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Provincial No. 1 Middle School!" Lin Zhixia's tone was very cheerful, "Mom, today is the senior high school club welcome party! The seniors have prepared a lot of programs! My friend and I have an appointment to meet at the school gate, and I plan to treat him to lunch in the school cafeteria at noon today!"
The students in the provincial No. 1 Middle School competition class are basically the best among the top students. Lin Zhixia has unique characteristics and needs the company of her peers. She should really make friends with outstanding children.
What's more, Lin Zhixia and her friends were playing in a familiar campus, so the safety factor was naturally higher. The community where Lin Zhixia lived was very close to the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, and it only took three bus stops to get there.
Her mother agreed without hesitation: "Okay, go ahead, Xia Xia, bring your phone card with you, and call us if you have any questions."
"Okay!" Lin Zhixia ran away.
She returned to her room and put on her favorite light pink cotton T-shirt and dark grey jeans. She also deliberately started braiding her hair from the top of her head, first dividing her hair into two strands, braiding them to the level of the ear tips, and then tied them into two ponytails with a strawberry hair tie.
Her hair-braiding skills are extremely superb, showing her ingenuity and dexterity. When her mother saw her, she would praise her: "Xia Xia is so cute and beautiful today."
Lin Zhixia became happier. She liked to hear her mother praise her since she was a child.
The mother also said: "When our Xia Xia grows up, she will definitely become more beautiful and perfect, with both wisdom and beauty. Mom can't find any flaws in Xia Xia."
"Yeah!" Lin Zhixia nodded shyly.
The elder brother happened to pass by. He heard the conversation between his mother and sister and sneered disapprovingly: "Lin Zhixia, don't be proud. Don't you know? The child may grow up crooked."
Lin Zhixia was in a hurry to go out, and had no time to quarrel with her brother. She rushed out quickly, and before leaving, she said, "Brother, if you grow crooked, you will be more miserable than me, because you will not only lose your beauty, but also your wisdom."
Her brother was so angry that he was speechless.
She ran half a step, then suddenly stepped back: "Today is the high school club welcome party, I'm going to school to watch the show, brother, aren't you going?"
"I'm not going," the brother answered firmly, "I'm at home reviewing for the exam. The midterm exam is on the 11th of next month. Lin Zhixia, you're not reviewing? Your competition class has tests every week."
"I am always the first in the class! Full marks is my score." Lin Zhixia revealed.
She actually dared to say something so arrogant as "full marks is my score".
My brother was speechless again.
Lin Zhixia couldn't understand the strong shock in her brother's heart, which was like a landslide. Her mind was full of high school club parties, and today happened to be her birthday, so Jiang Yubai must have prepared a gift for her!
What would he give her? Exercises, notebooks, or candy and cookies
No matter which one, Lin Zhixia would gladly accept it.
The reality was beyond her imagination.
When she ran into Jiang Yubai at the gate of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, Jiang Yubai handed her a delicately crafted key. The key was as long as her finger and engraved with the Dirac symbol of quantum mechanics. Jiang Yubai said to her, "This key can open the lock."
"What lock?" Lin Zhixia asked in surprise.
Jiang Yubai avoided answering. He sincerely wished her: "Happy birthday, Lin Zhixia."
Lin Zhixia circled around him and said, "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yubai! Is your lock hidden in the school? Do you want to give me a clue? We can look for treasures based on clues, just like the protagonist in Raiders of the Lost Ark!"
Jiang Yubai raised his hand and pointed forward: "Lin Lin Lin Lin Zhixia, the club activities are about to begin. Hide the key and follow me."
"I'm here!" Lin Zhixia grabbed the strap of his schoolbag.
The campus path was paved with uneven pebbles, and lush tree shades hung on both sides of the road. The cool autumn breeze blew on Lin Zhixia's cheeks. She was relaxed, leisurely and comfortable, as if she was on an autumn outing with Jiang Yubai.
The clubs' welcome activities for high school students were in full swing. There was an empty long street on campus, and members of various clubs set up stalls on the side of the street to distribute brochures.
There was a lush osmanthus tree planted nearby. The buds were in full bloom in the beautiful autumn scenery of September. The fragrance of the flowers drifted in the wind. The fragrance was very light, but it smelled good. Lin Zhixia took a deep breath and sighed: "Since ancient times, people have been sad and lonely when autumn comes. I say that autumn is better than spring. This is the "Autumn Poem" by Liu Yuxi, a poet from the Tang Dynasty. Have you heard of it?"
Before Jiang Yubai could reply, a senior from the high school standing next to him suddenly rushed over and said, "Junior girl? Are you a junior girl? You look so young! You just recited a poem! Are you interested in learning about traditional Chinese poetry culture?"
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai both stopped.
The senior patiently explained: "We are the Classical Literature Society of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School! Our society has a good atmosphere, many activities, and fair rules. We use the 'Flying Flower Order' to select each president and vice president..."
Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhixia said in surprise: "Flying Flower Order!"
"Yes!" The senior raised his hands, stretched them to the side, and introduced solemnly, "I am a sophomore this year, and our new president is only a freshman. She is a girl in the first-year gifted class, and also the most beautiful girl in the first year. She is Luo Ying, the most beautiful girl in the class... President Luo Ying!"
Luo Ying
This name is very special.
Lin Zhixia looked up and saw a girl who was about fifteen or sixteen years old—obviously the president of the "Classical Literature Society", the legendary senior sister Luo Ying.
Luo Ying sat on the left side of the "Classical Literature Society" sign, wearing a dark green long-sleeved dress. Her elbows were resting on the table, a mechanical watch was on her wrist, her chin was supported by the back of her thin white hand, and all her eyes were on Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia called out in a sweet voice, "Hello, Senior Luo Ying."
Luo Ying smiled at her: "Hello, are you a junior high school girl?"
"Yes. I'm in the math competition class in the first grade of junior high school." Lin Zhixia admitted.
Luo Ying handed her a brochure: "When you are promoted to the second grade of junior high school, you can also join our club. Junior high school girl, what's your name?"
"My name is Lin Zhixia," Lin Zhixia said honestly, "Lin for forest, Zhi for know, Xia for summer."
"It sounds so nice, the name suits the person." Luo Ying commented.
There were also many high school boys flocking to the Classical Literature Club, like waves on the beach. Luo Ying played "Flying Flowers" with them, just like Zhuge Liang's debate with scholars, Luo Ying fought against hundreds of them alone and defeated countless of them.
Luo Ying also asked Lin Zhixia: "Have you ever played Feihualing?"
Lin Zhixia was about to answer when Jiang Yubai interrupted, "The Astrophysics Club is recruiting new members. They listed the ye-yo cosmic explosion model."
The "ye-yo space explosion model" made Lin Zhixia yearn for it.
She immediately abandoned the Classical Literature Club and ran to the Astrophysics Club across the street.
The president of the Astrophysics Club held a big sign and introduced the "Hypothesis of the Formation of the Universe" to many students passing by. Wearing a pair of thick black-framed glasses and with a head of unkempt short hair, the president patiently narrated: "Alumni passing by, please come and take a look! This is the Astrophysics Club! The universe has developed from the era of quantum gravity to the era of stars, and space and time may have originated from quantum information!"
Lin Zhixia raised her hand and asked, "The quantum information you mentioned is related to quantum error correction code? The English academic name is quantum error correction code."
"Yes!" The president of the Astrophysics Club showed a subtle expression. After traveling thousands of miles and experiencing all kinds of life, he finally found a soulmate!
The president looked at Jiang Yubai again: "Are you all going to join the Astrophysics Club? Junior, do you understand quantum information?"
Jiang Yubai expressed his opinion modestly: "What you wrote on the propaganda board reminds me of the topological quantum field theory in fixed space-time and n-dimensional space-time."
Since Jiang Yubai admitted his friendship with Lin Zhixia, his bedtime reading changed from Junior High School Mathematics to Quantum Computing. His tutoring team also included a physics teacher, who often answered his questions.
So, he had a general understanding of some nouns.
He continued to move forward with Lin Zhixia.
The president of the Astrophysics Club was forgotten by Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia.
Poor president with such a deserted club, he can only look at the backs of his younger classmates from afar.
Lin Zhixia was still questioning Jiang Yubai: "Jiang Yubai, have you studied topological quantum field theory?"
"No," Jiang Yubai stood side by side with her, "I just read a basic introductory book."
"Do you understand?" Lin Zhixia asked again.
Jiang Yubai paused for a second and said truthfully: "No."
Lin Zhixia laughed out loud. Then, she looked at him with sparkling eyes and encouraged him, "You tried! This is one of Jiang Yubai's many strengths. Jiang Yubai is fearless and always tries! In fact, I couldn't understand the paper the first time I read it, so I had to start from the basics. When I encounter a new subject, I must first browse its basic theories and introductory knowledge."
She stood on tiptoe, spread her palms, and moved upwards little by little: "The pyramid is built layer by layer. Jiang Yubai and I will build our own pyramid."
Jiang Yubai put his hands in his pockets. He clenched his fists slightly, his heart was full of expectations for adult life. He believed that one day in a few years, he and Lin Zhixia would reach the peak of their careers.
Jiang Yubai thought further than Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia only noticed the Western music club in front of her.
The scene of the Western Music Club was extremely grand. They circled a square area, laid out the instruments, and invited students passing by to play - if you want to join the Western Music Club, you must have a certain level of musical skills.
"Upright piano, they brought an upright piano!" Lin Zhixia pulled Jiang Yubai's schoolbag strap, "Jiang Yubai, I've never heard you play the piano, I really want to hear it."
Lin Zhixia often expressed her inner thoughts in a straightforward manner. When she was with Jiang Yubai, she had no idea what "euphemism" meant. Jiang Yubai was a little embarrassed, after all, he had never played the piano in public.
However, when he thought that after he finished playing a piece of music, Lin Zhixia would sincerely praise him for being amazing... he couldn't help but stand in front of the piano.
Even though he still had some reluctance in his heart, he was still secretly thinking: I should be low-key and not show off my skills... His fingers had already touched the black and white keys. He slowly sat down, made some adjustments, and smooth and beautiful piano sounds jumped out from between his fingers.
The notes are coherent and rhythmic, interweaving into a melodious and magnificent piece of music. The melody is ups and downs, and every measure strikes the heartstrings of the audience.
From Lin Zhixia's perspective, Jiang Yubai's fingering was very sophisticated and experienced. Even though she was an outsider, she could guess that Jiang Yubai must have received instruction from a top master since childhood.
The members around him stopped what they were doing. The seniors passing by formed a circle spontaneously. Jiang Yubai naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. He seemed to be born to adapt to this difference. In short, he was not affected by the exclamations of passers-by. The piano sound was still vigorous, magnificent, and full of power, just like his original intention that never changed.
Near the end, the president of the Western Music Club led the applause for him. The president said three good words in a row: "Good! Good! Good! Junior, what grade are you in? Come over and sign with me. You don't have to pay the club fee, I will pay it for you."
However, Jiang Yubai thanked the president and said sorry for disturbing him, then he put on his schoolbag and followed Lin Zhixia away.
The president of the Western Music Club stood there dumbfounded. How many students from the Provincial No. 1 High School tried every means to join his club? He rejected them all ruthlessly. And the first time he took the initiative to extend an olive branch to his junior, he only got a "sorry for bothering you".
Lin Zhixia wandered aimlessly and reached the end of the long street.
At the end of the street, there is a propaganda column.
The bulletin board was filled with all kinds of campus notices. She saw a blue piece of paper with Dirac symbols and a quantum mechanics equation on it. She calculated the answer on the spot, and then used the hint on the back of the paper to solve a given direction and longitude and latitude.
She turned around and her eyes met Jiang Yubai's.
"Is that place the restaurant next to the school?" Lin Zhixia asked tentatively.
Jiang Yubai showed her his watch: "It's 11:50 noon now."
"Is it time for lunch?" Lin Zhixia hesitated. She took a step and suddenly ran wildly. Jiang Yubai almost didn't react.
Near the south gate of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, there is a high-end restaurant that does very prosperous business. Outside the main entrance of the restaurant, there are always two receptionists in suits standing. When they stand there, passers-by can understand the average consumption level inside the restaurant.
Lin Zhixia stood in front of the steps of the restaurant with her schoolbag on her back. She said to Jiang Yubai, "Jiang Yubai, I brought 40 yuan today, which is my pocket money. I want to treat you to a meal in the cafeteria of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. If you prefer to eat here, I may not be able to afford it... But I can't afford it now, because I'm only ten years old, and it's illegal to employ child labor. When I can earn money in the future, or when I start participating in competitions this year and earn prize money, we can come here to eat again."
Lin Zhixia discussed with Jiang Yubai in a gentle tone. Her eyes were as clear as water, without a trace of impurities, and Jiang Yubai couldn't even look her in the eye.
"This, this is..." Jiang Yubai stuttered inexplicably, "My family's restaurant."
The silence stretched on and on until Jiang Yubai told the truth: "My mother runs a chain of restaurants. The head office was opened in the provincial capital in 1999, and there are branches in Beijing and Shanghai."
Lin Zhixia tilted her head.
The hotel's lobby manager had already walked out of the glass revolving door. She was wearing a neat suit and a pair of black high heels. She politely greeted Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai: "Please follow me, both of you."
Jiang Yubai was particularly frank: "The box for the birthday party has been booked. My uncle booked it for me. He heard that it was your birthday and helped me come up with a way to celebrate."
"Your uncle?" Lin Zhixia repeated.
"My uncle was very impressed by you," Jiang Yubai recounted word for word, "He asked me to fulfill my duty as a friend and to entertain you to the best of my ability and to contribute to the advancement of human science."
Lin Zhixia understood the uncle's logic: "If you entertain me and become my friend, you can contribute to the advancement of human science?"
"That's what my uncle said." Jiang Yubai inadvertently betrayed his uncle.
Under the guidance of the hotel lobby manager, they walked through a long corridor and entered a spacious private room. After opening the door, Lin Zhixia found that several of her elementary school classmates were sitting in the room - including Dong Sunqi, Ding Yan, Wei Rongjie, Gan Shuli, Tang Leqin, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai, a total of seven children in the room.
As soon as Dong Sunqi saw Lin Zhixia, he immediately cheered, "The birthday boy is here! The birthday boy is here! Classmates, just do what we just rehearsed!"
Dong Sunqi stood in front of a soft sofa with his hands raised high. He looked solemn and meticulous, as if he had suddenly arrived at the Vienna Golden Hall and become a professional orchestra conductor.
Onlookers might think that Dong Sunqi was conducting a complex Beethoven symphony. In fact, he was just organizing everyone to sing "Happy Birthday".
After Dong Sunqi's actions, all the students present - the six people except Lin Zhixia - sang loudly: "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you... Lin Zhixia, be happy forever!"
"Okay! Stop it!" Dong Sunqi was very satisfied.
Ding Yan jumped over and hugged Jiang Yubai's shoulders: "Damn, I missed you so much! Jiang Yubai! How are you and Lin Zhixia doing in the new school! Lin Zhixia, are you still the top student in the grade?"
Deputy monitor Tang Leqin replied, "Do you even need to ask? Lin Zhixia must be number one in the grade."
Gan Shuli pulled Lin Zhixia's wrist and said, "Lin Zhixia, how are you doing recently?"
"Very good," Lin Zhixia nodded vigorously, "I, I..."
She couldn't finish a sentence. After two seconds, she asked, "Are you all okay?"
Wei Rongjie walked over with his hands behind his back like an old cadre: "Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai, without you, the atmosphere of study in Grade 5 (1) is not as good as before."
"Wei Rongjie," Dong Sunqi jumped out to refute, "Many classmates come to borrow books from me every day."
Tang Leqin put her hands in her sleeves and looked at the ceiling. "Lin Zhixia, you and Jiang Yubai both skipped a grade. In the first week of school, during the fifth grade baseline test, the top student in the grade became the study committee member of Class 2... We were the top student in our class, but we didn't make it into the top three in the grade."
"No, don't say it!" Dong Sunqi shouted softly, "Don't let Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai hear this! We can't let them worry about us!"
Dong Sunqi's tone was so funny that Lin Zhixia wanted to laugh. The corners of her mouth slightly lifted up, and there was a smile in her eyes. At this time, she turned her head and noticed a strawberry cream cake on the table. She had to use "a cake" to describe the cake, because it had three layers, and each layer was covered with a circle of plump and rosy fresh strawberries, which simply attracted Lin Zhixia's attention.
"So many strawberries!" Lin Zhixia sat closest to the strawberry cake.
The lobby manager served them personally, and the waiters brought them various dishes. Lin Zhixia thought this was a perfect birthday party, and Jiang Yubai told her: "You can open the presents before the meal."
"Are there any more gifts?" Lin Zhixia murmured to herself.
"Of course," Jiang Yubai said solemnly, "This is your tenth birthday, and I want to give you a memory."
"I understand," Lin Zhixia said with a smile, "You gave me happiness. Thank you, Jiang Yubai! I am really happy today! I will cherish this memory and keep it in my mind."