Lin Zhixia’s favorite entertainment place in her life is the library.
She was full of strong interest in every subject. She once imagined that she could live in the library, from morning till dusk, accompanied by countless books.
Jiang Yubai has lived in the provincial capital for many years and has never been to the provincial library.
On the first weekend of summer vacation, Jiang Yubai walked towards this unknown area. He stood in front of the Provincial Library Building, looked down at his watch, and when he looked up again, he heard Lin Zhixia's voice: "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yubai, here I come!"
He responded, "Good morning, Linlinlinlinzhixia."
The Provincial Library Building is six stories high, and the collection of books inside is vast. Lin Zhixia clearly remembers which floor and which place each type of book is placed. She led Jiang Yubai up the stairs, shuttled between rows of bookshelves, and found the "Chinese and Foreign History Area" with ease.
Jiang Yubai picked up a book at random. The title page read "Finance of the Tang Dynasty". He didn't know much about the financial system of the Tang Dynasty, and this book just touched on his blind spot in knowledge.
He said to Lin Zhixia: "I plan to read "Tang Dynasty Finance" today."
Lin Zhixia's eyes swept across the neatly arranged books: "Okay, I also want to take a look at the cultural traditions and folk customs of the Sui and Tang dynasties."
All the bookshelves are made of cold-rolled steel plates, and they feel cold to the touch. Lin Zhixia placed her left hand on a layer of steel plate, stood on tiptoe, and grabbed a book on the top shelf, "Chinese Political History from the 6th to the 9th Century". Her fingertips touched the spine of the book, and she was just a little bit away from pulling out the whole book.
Seeing how hard she was working, Jiang Yubai naturally wanted to help her. He took advantage of his height, passed his fingers over the back of her hand, easily took the book "Chinese Political History from the 6th to the 9th Century", and handed it to her.
Lin Zhixia first said, "Thank you." Then, she instructed him to take a book "Daily Food, Clothing, Housing and Transportation in the Tang Dynasty" from a high place, and took him to a nearby study room - it was a small room with clear light, with only a table and two chairs in the room, just enough for the two of them to study together.
Lin Zhixia walked into the room happily, closed the door, and placed two books on the table. She and Jiang Yubai sat down face to face and quietly opened the books they had chosen.
The early morning sunlight turned into a light golden color, and fell slowly on the pages. Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai read seriously, and neither of them spoke.
Jiang Yubai learned about the taxation system of the Tang Dynasty from the book. The so-called "taxation" refers to taxes and corvée labor. He unconsciously put himself in the role of a poor commoner. Seeing the tax amount described in the book, Jiang Yubai frowned slightly - according to the previous article, if he was a poor man, he could still live a peaceful life in the early and middle Tang Dynasty, but in the late Tang Dynasty, he was destined to be completely exploited in the turbulent times. He couldn't buy salt when he wanted to eat, and couldn't buy an iron knife when he wanted to cook.
Seeing his serious expression, Lin Zhixia couldn't help but ask him, "Jiang Yubai, do you like cookies?"
Lin Zhixia took out a lunch box from her schoolbag, which was filled with honey and milk biscuits. She opened the lid of the lunch box and generously shared the snacks with Jiang Yubai.
She said, "Dad bought a new oven, and Mom made me some honey and milk cookies... These were freshly baked this morning and are very delicious. Jiang Yubai, do you want to try some?"
Jiang Yubai felt that it was hard to refuse such a generous offer, so he did not refuse. He grabbed a biscuit, took a bite, and chewed slowly and silently. During the whole process, Lin Zhixia stared at him intently, and he was a little embarrassed to swallow the food in his mouth.
"How does it taste?" Lin Zhixia asked directly.
Jiang Yubai drank some water to moisten his throat, and replied modestly, "Not bad."
Lin Zhixia supported her cheek with one hand: "Jiang Yubai, the way you eat is very unusual."
Jiang Yubai leaned back in his chair: "What you mean by unusual is..."
"You are different from all the classmates I know." Lin Zhixia told the truth.
Jiang Yubai remembered Lin Zhixia's evaluation of him. She had said more than once that he was the one and only Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zhixia was very grateful to Jiang Yubai, who gave her endless courage and encouragement when she hesitated or retreated. In return, Jiang Yubai also received various compliments from Lin Zhixia. As long as Lin Zhixia sat at the same table with him in Class 17, he would basically maintain a relatively good mood.
When Jiang Yubai was in elementary school, he was thinking about how to beat Lin Zhixia every day. Later, Jiang Yubai saw the reality clearly. He deeply realized that he could never surpass Lin Zhixia in academics, even if he hired a hundred tutors. As a friend of Lin Zhixia, he recognized every achievement of her from the bottom of his heart.
He couldn't help but say: "Compared to me, you are more different."
He lowered his head to read the book, still describing: "Captain Lin Zhixia's light illuminates many dark planets."
Lin Zhixia's eyes lit up. She said happily, "Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai said calmly, "I'm here."
Lin Zhixia called him again: "Jiang Yubai?"
Jiang Yubai looked at her. She called him three times in a row: "Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai." It was as if his name was a precious gift and her importance had to be emphasized over and over again.
Jiang Yubai stopped him and said, "No need to repeat, I heard it."
Lin Zhixia stood up the book in her hand: "Don't think I'm noisy. I'll call you a few more times now and remember your reactions. When you go to Beijing, I will find these memories... Recalling them every day is equivalent to seeing you every day."
Jiang Yubai suddenly felt a little regretful. His behavior just now was too calm and reserved. He should respond to Lin Zhixia with a bright smile and leave her with an optimistic and positive impression.
So he said, "Call me again."
Lin Zhixia shook her head: "No."
Jiang Yubai was rejected by her, but he was not discouraged. He took the initiative to read out her nickname: "Xia Xia."
Lin Zhixia was stunned for a few seconds.
Jiang Yubai imitated her behavior and kept saying, "Xia Xia, Xia Xia, Xia Xia."
Lin Zhixia didn't know why, but she suddenly became nervous. Why was she nervous? Her heartbeat was slightly faster than usual. She picked up a piece of honey and milk biscuit and ate it while thinking that it might be because she had just read about the food culture of the common people in the Tang Dynasty, and she had a yearning in her heart for the various delicacies of the Tang Dynasty, which accelerated her heartbeat.
She nodded, agreeing with her own explanation.
Then she said, "You are the first person besides my family to call me by my nickname continuously."
Jiang Yubai calmly accepted the honor.
At this time, Lin Zhixia stood up and dragged her chair near Jiang Yubai. She sat side by side with him, just like they were deskmates in the third grade (seventeenth) class. Her history book was right next to his, and he could glimpse the contents of the book by turning his head.
Lin Zhixia was immersed in reading. Soon, she came across the hairpins and rings worn by women in the Tang Dynasty. She was full of praise for the craftsmen's superb craftsmanship. Her eyes were like a scanner, carefully scanning the illustrations in the book, not missing a single detail.
Lin Zhixia sighed: "The golden hairpins of the Tang Dynasty were very delicate, and the hairstyles of the court ladies were very unique." She also said: "When I was in the second year of junior high school, we performed a play, and I also wore a hairpin. However, my dress was not retro enough and did not fully show the characteristics of the Qing Dynasty."
Jiang Yubai remembers that in the first semester of the second year of junior high school, their whole class worked together to rehearse a drama called "Changes".
In the play, Lin Zhixia plays a rich lady in the late Qing Dynasty, and Jiang Yubai is a male student in a new-style school. In the play, he advises Lin Zhixia to go home early to take care of her husband and children, and not to dream of competing with men in the school. Then, according to the setting of the script, Lin Zhixia scattered her manuscripts all over the floor, pulled out her hairpin and threw it on the floor, and finally shouted: My daughter has lofty ambitions, and I will send her on a long journey.
My daughter has lofty ambitions, and I will surely send her on a long journey.
Jiang Yubai was deeply impressed by this line. The seven words "A girl has lofty ambitions" were changed by Lin Zhixia on the spur of the moment, while "Steady send her on a journey of ten thousand miles" was a line written by Yao Mian, a scholar in the Song Dynasty.
Jiang Yubai believes that Lin Zhixia’s lines have certain commemorative significance.
Lin Zhixia's birthday is on September 24th. Jiang Yubai will go to Beijing at the end of August, so he can only prepare a birthday gift for her in advance.
Throughout the summer vacation, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia met frequently at the provincial library.
At first, they often read some history, politics, and finance books. Later, when the results of the high school entrance examination were announced, Lin Zhixia became the top scorer in the city. Jiang Yubai congratulated her on her high score, but Lin Zhixia said calmly that she was distracted when writing the Chinese composition and did not perform at her best.
From that day on, Jiang Yubai gave up leisure reading on history, politics, and finance.
Jiang Yubai started preparing for A-level and IELTS.
"A-level" is the college entrance examination in the UK. Jiang Yubai spent a month preparing for some high school mathematics knowledge in advance. "IELTS" refers to the "International English Proficiency Test", which is divided into four subjects: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
Jiang Yubai wants to study for his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University, so he should get excellent grades.
Lin Zhixia was in that study room, practicing oral English seriously with Jiang Yubai. Lin Zhixia played the role of the oral examiner of the IELTS test, and Jiang Yubai was the student she was going to interview.
Lin Zhixia found out the past exam questions of IELTS, randomly selected a few, and asked Jiang Yubai to answer them. Soon, Lin Zhixia discovered the beauty of this game.
She asked Jiang Yubai to answer the following questions in English: "1. Describe your best friend. 2. The most touching thing you encountered in school. 3. The most beautiful gift you have ever received from a friend. 4. Your experience of having dinner with your best friend..."
Jiang Yubai questioned her in Chinese: "Are you abusing your public power for personal gain?"
Lin Zhixia's eyes were clear: "I didn't. I am accompanying you to review for the IELTS exam. I am your oral examiner, Miss Lin. Please call me Miss Lin."
Jiang Yubai refused to cooperate.
Lin Zhixia said meticulously: "You should always follow the rules of the test."
Lin Zhixia reminded him to follow the rules of the IELTS test. She was still eagerly waiting for his answer. Jiang Yubai had no choice but to describe in detail the questions she had just listed.
He spoke English like a chatterbox for about ten minutes. During this time, Lin Zhixia did not interrupt him at all. She listened to every word he uttered, her eyes fixed on him.
When he stopped, she said with great joy, "Hahahahahahahahaha, Jiang Yubai, I remember everything you said."
"I know," Jiang Yubai nodded, "You won't forget me."
Lin Zhixia tilted her head: "Of course not."
This day, August 29, 2008, was also the day they temporarily separated. Tomorrow morning, Jiang Yubai would take a plane to Beijing, while Lin Zhixia would stay in the provincial capital.
The wall clock showed that the current time was 3:40 in the afternoon. They still had 20 minutes to spend together. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Yubai's driver would come to pick him up.
Jiang Yubai took out a wooden box and handed it to Lin Zhixia. He said, "Happy thirteenth birthday, Lin Zhixia."
The box was engraved with the words "鸿鹄之志". Lin Zhixia opened the lid and saw a delicately crafted hairpin. This antique-style hairpin was shining brightly under the light.
Lin Zhixia suddenly didn't know how to express her joy. She was silent for two seconds before she said, "Wow, I never thought you would give me something like this. I like it very much. Thank you, Jiang Yubai."
After that, she took out a glass jar from her schoolbag. She opened her ten fingers, held the jar, and gently pushed the glass jar in front of Jiang Yubai: "There are 365 paper cranes in it, all of which were folded by me. There is a poem written on the paper of each paper crane. If you open a paper crane every day, it is equivalent to receiving a poem belonging to you every day. When you have opened all the paper cranes, I will go to Beijing to study at university."
Jiang Yubai accepted her gift solemnly: "I will put it in the same place as the bookmark."
"Okay," Lin Zhixia said with a smile, "Happy thirteenth birthday, Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai smiled back at her.
After a while, Jiang Yubai's driver called him and urged him to go downstairs. After he packed up his things, he walked out of the building of the Provincial Library with Lin Zhixia. The afternoon sun was still bright and golden, giving him a golden edge. He stood sideways in front of a car, hesitated for a minute and didn't get in the car. He couldn't help but look at Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai were about one meter apart. She was facing the sun, with a long slanted shadow behind her. With a smile in her eyes, she said to him with vigor and vitality: "Jiang Yubai, you must move forward bravely. So will I. I will also move forward. Let's work hard together!"
Jiang Yubai didn't see any sadness on her face. He thought to himself that she was indeed an optimistic and cheerful girl. So he felt relieved and said goodbye to her: "I'm leaving for now. Come on, Lin Zhixia."
He stepped into the car and closed the door.
During the four years from elementary school to junior high school, when Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai parted, she liked to say to him the most: See you tomorrow!
He always responds the same way.
But this time, his tomorrow is far away.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but Lin Zhixia still thought she wouldn't cry. Until the tears fell drop by drop, she had to try hard to keep her voice steady: "Okay, goodbye!"
Jiang Yubai also said, "Goodbye."
The car moved forward slowly, Jiang Yubai turned around and looked for Lin Zhixia. She stood there motionless, and the car was speeding up, and she was gradually blocked by the roadside trees.
Jiang Yubai doesn't have Lin Zhixia's memory, but he will always remember the shade of the trees and the street scenes that summer.