The air was slightly cool in the early morning. A magpie with a white belly and blue wings stood on a branch, chirping happily.
Lin Zhixia looked up at the magpie and introduced it, "It is a magpie from the order Passeriformes, family Corvidae, genus Pica. Its Latin name is pica pica."
Jiang Yubai imitated her pronunciation: "pica pica."
Lin Zhixia laughed: "Welcome to Teacher Lin's Latin class."
Jiang Yubai paused and asked: "Have you studied Latin?"
"There are too few Latin textbooks I can find," Lin Zhixia said. "I only have a basic understanding of it."
A few minutes ago, Lin Zhixia finished her breakfast and felt a little bloated. She and Jiang Yubai were strolling around the campus.
They started with the conversation about Latin, the "Church Latin" used exclusively by the Catholic Church, and the scientific and theological research in the Middle Ages. In the European Middle Ages, scholars had to master Latin proficiently because science, theology, and philosophy of that era were closely linked to Latin.
Lin Zhixia said: "In medieval Europe, there were many duchies, principalities, and electoral states... These countries issued their own currencies, which led to a very chaotic monetary system. I remember that in medieval Italy, there were at least more than 400 currencies circulating in the market."
Lin Zhixia tried to steer the topic towards economics. In this way, she could talk to Jiang Yubai about currency issues and financial markets. She knew that when Jiang Yubai was studying in Beijing, he had to study various economic theories every day.
Jiang Yubai asked her, "Do you want to see ancient coins from various European countries?"
Lin Zhixia was very shocked: "Do you have any at home?"
Jiang Yubai answered modestly: "There are several collections."
Lin Zhixia whispered, "I read in a book that the Rothschild family... They are a world-renowned financial family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. More than two hundred years ago, European princes and nobles liked to collect ancient coins. A merchant from the Rothschild family often presented ancient coins to the prince of a state. The prince was very happy and valued him very much, so he became the top leader in the court."
At this point, Lin Zhixia looked up and stared at him: "The ancient coin collection is too valuable, you'd better not show it to me."
Jiang Yubai was about to say "I'll give you a set", but after hearing what Lin Zhixia said, he changed his words and said, "The ones I have are not expensive."
Lin Zhixia was suspicious: "Really?"
Jiang Yubai argued: "When you see it with your own eyes, you will make your own judgment."
Lin Zhixia happily suggested: "Okay, when are you free, can you bring those collections over for me to see?"
"Sure." Jiang Yubai agreed generously.
Before they knew it, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia had arrived at the door of the doctoral dormitory building.
Several male doctoral students from the School of Physics had just bought breakfast from the cafeteria. They had fluffy hair, wore loose pajamas, a long down jacket, and a pair of sneakers, and walked slowly and then quickly towards the dormitory building. They looked free and unrestrained, simple and rustic, and full of the noble temperament and superb charm of doctoral students.
Lin Zhixia shouted to them, "Senior Niu Siyuan?"
Niu Siyuan's breathing stopped instantly.
Today, Niu Siyuan is a doctoral student under Professor Shen Zhaohua.
Niu Siyuan loves academics and scientific research. This year is his first year of doctoral studies. He has set a research topic, but has not yet finished writing his thesis. However, Lin Zhixia published a paper in the Journal of Physical Oceanography, which Niu Siyuan had always dreamed of.
Whenever Lin Zhixia appeared near Niu Siyuan, Niu Siyuan would feel cold from head to toe.
Niu Siyuan stood at the door of the boys' dormitory building, wrapped his down jacket tightly around him, and felt a biting chill on his back.
Although he didn't look back, he was sure that Lin Zhixia was behind him.
The beautiful morning vanished, and the crisp bird calls turned into mourning songs. Niu Siyuan's limbs were stiff, unable to take another step forward. His friends didn't understand what was going on and kept asking him, "Is that Lin Zhixia from your group? She has a seminar today. Do you want to talk to her?"
Niu Siyuan didn't want to talk to Lin Zhixia at all.
However, he decided to protect his classmates.
He said to those classmates: "Ah, yes, Lin Zhixia is in our group. You go first, go back to the dormitory, don't wait for me. I want to chat with her."
The classmates left one after another, and Niu Siyuan was responsible for covering the rest. He stood in front of Lin Zhixia and asked her, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"It's okay," Lin Zhixia said, "I'm just saying hello to you, why are you so nervous?"
Jiang Yubai replied: "You have greeted him, let's go."
Lin Zhixia didn't understand what Niu Siyuan's behavior and manners meant, but Jiang Yubai saw it very clearly.
Niu Siyuan's anxiety and awkwardness reminded Jiang Yubai of himself when he was nine years old. At that time, Jiang Yubai regarded Lin Zhixia as his competitor and compared his academic performance with her every day. Over the years, Jiang Yubai has grown a lot.
Niu Siyuan still hadn’t figured out the secret of genius. Niu Siyuan held his breakfast box and asked quietly, “Can you publish another paper on physical oceanography this year?”
"No." Lin Zhixia told the truth.
Niu Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief: "You have no inspiration?"
Lin Zhixia followed Jiang Yubai down the stairs. She accidentally let out a sentence: "I am preparing a paper on data security and high-performance computing in the computer field. This September, I will go to Beijing to attend university."
Niu Siyuan's breakfast was no longer fragrant. He stood silently at the door of the boys' dormitory for a few seconds, then thought again, Lin Zhixia went to Beijing to study at university, so she would not be in Professor Shen Zhaohua's group - this is a good thing! This is a great thing!
After Niu Siyuan figured it out, he immediately became ecstatic.
He carried breakfast to the second floor and told his fellow students the good news. They were all more or less happy. After cleaning up and washing up, they went to the lecture hall of the School of Physics in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
The lecture hall was full of people.
Lecturers, professors, and vice presidents all sat in the first row. Shen Zhaohua's seat was the most prominent, and Lin Zhixia sat behind her. Shen Zhaohua turned around from time to time and whispered to Lin Zhixia some precautions, and Lin Zhixia listened very carefully.
Jiang Yubai was on the right side of Lin Zhixia. While Lin Zhixia and Shen Zhaohua were talking, Jiang Yubai took out his digital camera, skillfully adjusted the parameters, and tried to record a video.
Lin Zhixia noticed his movements. She moved a little closer to him and asked quietly, "Do you want to take a picture of me?"
"Can we take a photo?" Jiang Yubai asked for her opinion.
"Okay, okay," Lin Zhixia said cheerfully, "Can you package the video and send it to my email?"
Jiang Yubai said: "No problem."
Jiang Yubai originally planned to send her a copy. This was Lin Zhixia's first academic report, and she should save it on her computer as a souvenir.
The host announced Lin Zhixia's name and the topic of her thesis on the stage. With a round of applause, Lin Zhixia slowly walked to the podium. She did not need a speech script. She faced the audience and fluently described the content of her thesis and her research methods.
When she finished her speech, the teachers in the front row asked Lin Zhixia a few questions. Lin Zhixia answered them actively and chatted with them without any scruples. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, but most of the undergraduates did not dare to say a word.
After the thirty-minute exchange, the host returned to the stage. Lin Zhixia bowed to everyone and walked back to her seat.
Jiang Yubai pressed the mute button and played the short film he shot from the beginning. Lin Zhixia held the digital camera in both hands and whispered, "Do I look like a college student on stage?"
Jiang Yubai commented without hesitation: "Looks like a doctoral student."
Lin Zhixia smiled sweetly: "When I grow up, I want to be a teacher, just like Professor Shen Zhaohua."
Jiang Yubai said flatteringly: "Teacher Lin."
He used to be a little reserved and shy when he said "Teacher Lin", but now he was calling her "Teacher Lin" in a lecture hall full of people. She couldn't guess what he was thinking, and just thought he had grown up suddenly.
The seminar started at 10 a.m. and ended at 12:30 p.m. In addition to Lin Zhixia, four other scholars completed their paper presentations. However, Lin Zhixia was the most popular person because she was so young. She was only thirteen years old, and she had already reached this stage.
After the meeting, many students from nearby areas came to attend.
Lin Zhixia even saw the male college student who had lined up with her at the entrance of the Shengjian Guotie restaurant this morning. He still didn't understand the experimental method of Lin Zhixia's physical oceanography paper.
He hesitated for half a second and asked loudly, "You didn't explain your title. What exactly does the vertical mixing in that article refer to?"
Lin Zhixia was stunned.
During the rehearsal at home, her brother strongly suggested that she explain more professional terms, but she did not follow his advice.
Jiang Yubai led her out, and she could only say, "There are many modes of vertical mixing, including overall mixing and continuous mixing, sea surface boundaries and ocean interiors... Wait, if you study it further, you will probably understand it."
The undergraduate stood still and did not catch up.
Leaving the noisy lecture hall, Lin Zhixia jumped and skipped along the small path in the school.
She asked Jiang Yubai how she performed today. Jiang Yubai first praised her and said that she had clear logic, quick thinking, and could communicate with real scholars.
Can I communicate with real scholars
Lin Zhixia understood his meaning and said, "Are you trying to say that there are still many listeners who don't quite understand what I'm saying?"
Jiang Yubai shook his head: "A paper is different from popular science. A highly professional paper is not for the general public. It's normal for some people not to understand it. I don't understand it either."
Lin Zhixia agreed repeatedly: "Yeah."
She remembered that the Russian writer Maxim Gorky had a wise saying: a true friend will be happy for your success and will support and encourage you when you are sad.
Gorky's definition of a "true friend" perfectly fits Lin Zhixia's perception of Jiang Yubai.
The only drawback is that Jiang Yubai cannot stay in the provincial capital for too long.
Jiang Yubai is preparing for the North American High School Economics Competition. His teammates are waiting for him in Beijing.
During this winter vacation, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai spent four days together. As usual, they met at the Provincial Library, and Jiang Yubai brought a set of ancient coins from his home for Lin Zhixia to play with. Sitting in the study room, Lin Zhixia put on silk gloves, pointed a magnifying glass at the ancient coins, studied the patterns, designs, and words, and felt an indescribable complex emotion as if she were in another world.
In her imagination, hundreds of years ago, there were living men or women who repeatedly touched these metal creations.
The sense of history and culture brought by the ancient coins allowed her to find a new perspective on separation—she and Jiang Yubai would have many opportunities to meet again, and she didn't need to care about the short separation.
Lin Zhixia maintained a calm state of mind and spent her last winter vacation in high school peacefully.
Shortly after the second semester of the first year of high school started, Lin Zhixia's admission notice was also sent to the Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
In the class meeting of Grade 1 (27), the head teacher, Mr. Deng, solemnly announced: "Students, I have two things to tell you. The first thing is that Lin Zhixia has been recommended to Peking University, and the approval documents have been issued..."
Before Teacher Deng finished speaking, the whole class was in an uproar.
The noise was endless. Teacher Deng clapped the podium. When the students gradually calmed down, Teacher Deng continued, "The second thing is that the first grade will carry out a 'Spring Study Tour'. The whole grade will be divided into nine groups, each with three classes. Our class 27 is in the same group with classes 25 and 26. The destination is Penglai Mountain in Yingzhou, a national 5A-level natural scenic spot. The purpose of this study tour is to cultivate your qualities of protecting the environment and cherishing resources... Volunteer to participate, voluntary registration."
Cao Wu, the class sports committee member, suddenly raised his hand: "Teacher Deng!"
Teacher Deng nodded slightly: "Do you have any questions?"
Cao Wu stood up and asked, "Should we write an essay after returning from this study tour?"
"Yes," Teacher Deng admitted without hesitation, "your Chinese teacher told me that whether you go or not, you must write an 800-word essay when you come back."
The classmates in the class uttered a questioning "Ah—".
Teacher Deng clapped his hands on the podium again and said, "Alright, let's not waste any more time talking. Wait a minute, Lin Zhixia, compile a list of names for the study tour and report it to me when you're done."
Lin Zhixia quickly responded with a yes.