Volume 1: Elementary School 2004-2005 (3)
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai have been deskmates for a week. During this week, they have a deeper understanding of each other.
When Jiang Yubai was in primary school in Singapore, no one in the whole grade could compare to him. Now, he has returned to China and is no longer the same person. Every morning, he doesn’t even want to get up and is afraid to go to school.
This can’t go on!
In order to rebuild his self-esteem, Jiang Yubai officially regarded Lin Zhixia as a competitor.
In order to rebuild his self-esteem, Jiang Yubai officially regarded Lin Zhixia as a competitor. He also made a request to his parents: “I want to study physics.”
At this moment, the family was having dinner.
The dining room was surrounded by six huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside the window, the vast night colour permeated the entire lawn, and the chandelier in the room shone brightly. Jiang Yubai picked up a glass of water, and even the cold water in the glass shined under the bright lights.
Jiang Yubai took a sip of the cold water and repeated, “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 is very well maintained. There is not a single fine line on her face. She was fresh and charming, and her graceful demeanour makes it hard to guess her age. She was very beautiful and spoke in a very gentle tone: “How old are you, Jiang Yubai? You have to take so many courses. It’s too hard to learn even more.”
“It’s not hard,” Jiang Yubai picked up the bowl and vowed to himself, “I like physics.”
“Really?” Dad asked calmly.
Jiang Yubai nodded: “Yes.”
His dad asked him, “Besides going to school, you also have martial arts classes, piano lessons, and you’re learning English and French at home every week. Can you handle all of that?”
This question stumped Jiang Yubai.
His dad continued, “Your mother and I want you to have a relaxed and happy childhood. If you’re really interested in physics, of course, we’re willing to support that. But you’ve never mentioned it before, nor have you talked to us about physics. Now, all of a sudden, you’re insistent on learning physics. What’s going on?”
His father had just returned from the company and was still wearing his shirt and suit. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke to Jiang Yubai, his expression did not change, but his eyes were full of inquiry when he looked at his son.
Jiang Yubai noticed his father’s deep meaning. His parents didn’t really want him to pursue a path of studying physics and becoming a scientist.
He said, “I’ll think about it some more.”
His father raised his hand and gently patted Jiang Yubai’s shoulder. “Mathematics is the expression of physical reality through concepts. If you want to study physics, you might as well study mathematics. You’re my only son, and when you grow up, you’ll definitely have to take over my…”
Jiang Yubai’s mother coughed, and his father corrected himself, “Of course, I don’t want to put any pressure on you.”
Jiang Yubai buried his head in his meal.
He couldn’t help but wonder: What is the attitude of Lin Zhixia’s parents towards her? Will her parents support her no matter what she does or learns?
To solve this doubt, the next afternoon, after school, Jiang Yubai sent a text message to the driver: My classmates and I went to the stationery store to buy stationery. Please wait for me at the school gate for half an hour.
The driver replied: OK, Mr. Jiang.
*****
After a week of school, Jiang Yubai made a friend. This friend’s name was Ding Yan.
Ding Yan had been practising Taekwondo since he was a child, while Jiang Yubai often trained in martial arts. The two of them got into a fight on the school playground over a debate about which was stronger, “Chinese martial arts or Korean Taekwondo”—boys’ friendships are strange like that. After the fight, they began to appreciate each other, talked about the hardships of martial arts training, understood each other, and became good friends.
Jiang Yubai shared his plan with Ding Yan: “I’m going 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 walk to her home in fifteen minutes.”
“She…she is 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, and only the student on duty for the day was left in the classroom. The warm light of the setting sun penetrated a window, casting golden traces between the desks and chairs. Lin Zhixia arranged the tables and chairs, and swept the floor. After saying goodbye to the class representative, she shouldered her backpack and walked out of the classroom.
She didn’t look back.
Jiang Yubai grabbed Ding Yan, strictly following the “tracking plan.”
“If she catches us,” Ding Yan warned, “you’re done for.”
Jiang Yubai responded, “If she kills me, she won’t have a deskmate anymore.”
Ding Yan shook his head. “No, you’re wrong. She doesn’t hit people. But those who cross her…”
Jiang Yubai whispered, “What happens to people who cross Lin Zhixia?”
Ding Yan hesitated, unsure of how to answer.
After a moment of hesitation, Ding Yan finally said, “People who cross Lin Zhixia tend to have really bad luck. For example, the guy sitting in front of you, Zhou Bufeng, he likes to steal things—pens, money, whatever. He once stole something from Lin Zhixia… Then, during gym class, he kept getting stung by a swarm of wasps. Zhou Bufeng told us that Lin Zhixia is a weirdo.”
Jiang Yubai scoffed coldly, “And you believe what a thief says?”
Ding Yan quickly replied, “I-I don’t believe it.”
Jiang Yubai sarcastically retorted, “Are you afraid of Lin Zhixia? You’re a guy, and you’re scared of a girl…”
Ding Yan gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. “Who’s afraid of her? I’m not afraid at all!”
Jiang Yubai ran ahead. “Keep up with me!”
Ding Yan had no choice but to follow closely behind Jiang Yubai, joining him in exploring Lin Zhixia’s home environment. He also told Jiang Yubai that during a previous parent-teacher meeting, he had seen Lin Zhixia’s mother. He said, “Lin Zhixia’s mom is quite pretty.”
Jiang Yubai casually replied, “Lin Zhixia is also pretty.”
As soon as he said this, his face turned bright red.
He could hardly forgive himself for making such a mistake in front of his classmate.
Lin Zhixia was his competitor, so how could he pay attention to his competitor’s appearance? What he was after was far beyond Lin Zhixia’s looks—he wanted to surpass her intelligence, to make her clearly understand the saying, “There is always a taller mountain.” [1]
[1] The Chinese idiom “一山更比一山高” (yī shān gèng bǐ yī shān gāo) literally translates to “one mountain is higher than another.” This phrase is used to convey that no matter how good or capable someone is, there is always someone better or more capable.
Jiang Yubai steadied himself and refocused on Lin Zhixia.
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 again: Why are they following me?
She walked while thinking. Unconsciously, she walked to the door of her house.
It was an old residential neighbourhood.
The main entrance of the community can only accommodate one car. There are two pillars about three metres high outside the door. Four iron wires are connected to the top of the pillars, bending into an arch, shaped like an arch bridge. There is a sign hanging on the iron wire, with four big characters “Ancheng Community”.
Ancheng Community had a total of 27 residential buildings. The exterior tiles of the buildings had yellowed, and cement poles supported tangled, disordered wires. A few households had illegally connected additional lines from their buildings, stealing electricity.
Between the buildings, there were some miscellaneous items piled up. A middle-aged man riding a tricycle, holding a rattle drum, was collecting scrap nearby. He parked his tricycle next to a pile of junk and bent down to pick up some cardboard boxes scattered on the ground.
Not far away, there was a road with a large pothole as if it had been dug up. The hole was filled with muddy water, forming a ditch. Lin Zhixia stepped over the ditch and quickly ran toward a small supermarket, shouting, “Mom! Dad! I’m back!”
Mom was sitting on a chair next to the cashier, holding an account book in her hand. She counted twice with a ballpoint pen and scolded: “Old Lin! Old Lin! Come here!”
Her father immediately came over.
Lin Zhixia’s father was only thirty-three years old. He was still young, but his wife loved to call him “Old Lin,” and there was nothing he could do about it. He and his wife were the same age, and when they were just twenty years old, they had a small wedding in their hometown, borrowed some money, and moved to the provincial capital to work, and do some small business.
Lin Zeqiu had a heart problem when he was born. 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. He had two heart surgeries and is fine now. Using Lin Zeqiu’s “heart problem” as a reason, Lin Zhixia’s parents successfully obtained permission to have a second child, and thus Lin Zhixia was born.
Lin Zhixia is a rather special child.
How should I put it?
She’s very unique.
For example, right now, she’s leaning against the cashier’s counter, whining, “Mom, Mom, give me the account book… I’ll help you check it.”
The so-called “cashier’s counter” is actually just a glass cabinet. Inside, it’s filled with alcohol and cigarettes priced above 10 yuan. On the counter, there’s a large container of rolled-up receipts and hundreds of lollipops stuck into a semi-spherical piece of soft plastic.
Lin Zhixia reached out to grab a lollipop. She continued to whine to her mother, “Mom, Mom, I’ll help you with the account book. Can you give me a lollipop? I want a strawberry-flavored one.”
Her mother answered seriously, “No way!”
Lin Zhixia fell silent, her eyes welling up with tears. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were pitch black, and her long eyelashes were dotted with tears. She looked as adorable and pitiful as can be—her mother simply couldn’t resist and soon softened.
In a gentle tone, her mother said to her daughter, “Xiaxia, how many times have I told you that you can’t keep eating candy? Every time I stock up, I only get so much. If I give them all to you, what will we sell?”
Her father chimed in from the side, “One piece of candy won’t hurt, right?”
“Mind your own business!” Her mother, unwilling to scold her daughter, directed all her anger at her husband. “Where did you lose track of the accounts from yesterday? I can’t balance the books—we’re short of 70 yuan worth of cigarettes and alcohol…”
As Lin Zhixia’s parents spoke, a few people suddenly walked in from outside.
Her mother immediately fell silent. She opened the glass cabinet and began arranging a row of cigarettes more neatly.
A group of men in their thirties and forties entered the store. Leading them was Lin Zhixia’s uncle. He was the first university graduate from their rural hometown. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, he went on to pursue a master’s degree and obtained a “lawyer’s qualification certificate.” Since then, he had stayed in the provincial capital, working at a prestigious law firm as a successful litigation lawyer.
Her uncle lived in a spacious apartment in the city center and had a son, Lin Zhixia’s cousin. The cousin was a year older than Lin Zhixia, had just started fifth grade, and attended the same school as her.
When Lin Zhixia saw her uncle, she politely greeted him, “Hello, Uncle.”
Her uncle, dressed in a suit with a luxury watch on his wrist, introduced the people behind him, “This is my sister and brother-in-law, and this is my little niece.” Then, he turned to Lin Zhixia’s mother and said, “Four relatives from our hometown have come to visit. My work has been extremely busy this month, and next month I’ll be on a business trip to Shanghai. You know how things are at my place—my wife keeps a tight rein on me, and we don’t have enough spare rooms to accommodate four people…”
Lin Zhixia chimed in, “Uncle, we don’t have enough space at our place either. We only have three bedrooms—Dad and Mom share one, I have one, and my brother has one. There are cardboard boxes everywhere, and there’s no room to walk in the living room. But your place is different—big and spacious.”
Her uncle was taken aback and patted Lin Zhixia’s head, “Xiàxià, have you been studying hard lately?”
“No,” Lin Zhixia replied, “I only like watching TV and playing games.”
She pulled her father’s clothes and secretly looked out. She found that Jiang Yubai and Ding Yan were still standing on the steps outside the supermarket.
She waved to 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.
Several more customers came into the supermarket. These customers were all residents of the community and acquaintances of Lin Zhixia’s parents.Lin Zhixia’s mother left her brother and the four relatives standing there as she attended to the customers. Only after greeting the customers did she say, “Brother, I go out at four in the morning to get supplies, and I still have to take care of the kids and run the business. If you bring people here, I won’t be able to look after them, right?”
Her uncle took a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the glass cabinet, but didn’t pay. He tore open the cigarette box, lit the cigarette, exhaled a string of thin white smoke, and put his left hand into his pocket.
One of the relatives asked, “Where will we stay? Give us a definite answer. We’re all from the same village, trying to make it in the city. If you can help, great; if not, then that’s that.”
The other relatives echoed this sentiment.
Her uncle waived his right hand dismissively and said, “Let’s go. Don’t worry, I’ll make arrangements.”
The relatives praised him for his generosity, saying it was no wonder he could stay in the big city as a lawyer.
Lin Zhixia watched her uncle walk away. She leaned against the door, sighing.
*****
As dusk fell and the city lights began to glow, it was nearly 5:30 when Lin Zhixia’s brother came home.
He was already a first-year middle school student, dressed in a school uniform. He stood over 1.8 meters tall, much taller than Lin Zhixia. Lin Zhixia liked his name—Lin Zeqiu. The name “Zeqiu” seemed to evoke an image of nourishing all things in the autumn, carrying a certain poetic meaning. [2]
[2]
林 (Lín) means “forest” or “woods,” and it’s often used as a surname in Chinese.
泽 (Zé) means “to benefit,” “to enrich,” or “to nourish.” It carries the idea of providing life-sustaining resources, much like how rain nourishes the earth.
秋 (Qiū) means “autumn,” which in Chinese culture often symbolises maturity, harvest, and a time of plenty.
So his name has a sense of enrichment and growth during the autumn season, which is a time of harvest and fulfilment.
As for Lin Zeqiu himself…
Lin Zhixia didn’t have a good relationship with him.
Lin Zeqiu rode his bicycle back home. He carried the bicycle into the supermarket and locked it in the warehouse at the back. His mom was still watching the store, and his dad had prepared the meal and called his son and daughter to come eat.
The food was placed on a round table with only three chairs around it. There were four people in the family, but one person had to go out to watch the store.
The living room was small, with only a sofa, a round table, and a TV standing on a wooden cabinet. The TV was a 28-inch colour TV, the front and the sides were the same width, and the antenna for receiving the signal was stretched very long.
Lin Zhixia held the remote control, switched to CCTV-1, and waited contentedly for the show “Big Windmill” to start.
Soon, music came from the TV. Lin Zhixia stood up and sang along to the “Big Windmill” theme song: “The big windmill is turning, the scenery here is so beautiful, the sky is beautiful, the ground is beautiful… and there are a group of happy friends!”
Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath: “It’s so noisy! Lin Zhixia! Can you eat quietly? If not, get out.”
Their father tapped Lin Zeqiu on the head with his chopsticks and said, “How are you talking to your sister? Is this how a brother behaves, acting so fierce? 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 apologised to his sister word by word with gritted teeth.
Lin Zhixia smiled and said, “It’s okay! Don’t be mad, brother!” Then she added, “Given your moral standards, managing to say the words ‘I’m sorry’ is the best you can do in life!”
Their father slammed his chopsticks on the table. “Lin Zhixia!”
He scolded her, “Lin Zhixia! How can you say something so mean to your brother? Are you really your parents’ daughter? What kind of girl talks like that, not willing to take even the smallest loss?”
“Why should I suffer a loss!” Lin Zhixia scolded, “I’m not a fool! Lin Zeqiu is a fool!”
Lin Zeqiu slammed the bowl and said: “I won’t eat anymore!”
“Lin Zeqiu! Who are you trying to scare?” Dad was furious, “I’ll starve you for three days, and you’ll eat even toads! If you get angry with me now, when your mother comes, no one can save you!”
When “Mom” was mentioned, Lin Zeqiu became a bit fearful. He reluctantly regained his composure, picked up some spinach from the plate, and placed it on the rice in his bowl.
Lin Zeqiu lowered his head to eat. His nose was high and straight, his eyes deep-set—though he was only twelve years old, it was clear that he would grow into a handsome man.
Looking at Lin Zhixia again, she also had extremely delicate facial features, a perfect beauty. In another ten years, she would definitely be a very beautiful girl.
God gave the Lin family such a pair of precious children. Both children inherited the excellent genes of the Lin family. Their academic performance was very good – especially Lin Zhixia, who could no longer be described by a simple word “good”…
Lin Zhixia’s father suddenly wondered if he was asking too much of life. Was he a little too unsatisfied? Was he too strict with the children? His anger gradually subsided. He shone like a loving 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.
Lin Zeqiu also said: “Okay.”
Their father was very satisfied. He picked up his bowl again and asked with concern, “Zhixia, did you learn anything new at school today?”
“Yes,” Lin Zhixia finished chewing and narrating while watching cartoons, “Today at school, I was thinking about the quantum Monte Carlo method. The traditional Monte Carlo algorithm consumes a lot of computational power when calculating the probability distributions of bosons and fermions, and the quantum Monte Carlo can’t perform integration. Do you know about the Bose-Einstein condensate? What I mean is that when particles are divided into bosons and fermions, boson atoms exhibit gaseous and superfluid states when near absolute zero…”
“Please, just stop talking,” 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. If you keep this up, you will have no friends in school.”
“I didn’t tell anyone else,” Lin Zhixia defended, “I only told my deskmate in school.”
“You have a deskmate?” Dad and brother asked in unison. The brother looked incredulous, and the father looked overjoyed.
When Lin Zhixia first started elementary school, she would often say “strange things” to her then-desk mate, making both boys and girls cry. When the class teacher asked Lin Zhixia’s former deskmates what she had said to them, none of the children could clearly explain.
In fact, they all exhibited the same symptoms—dull eyes, absent-mindedness, stuttering speech, and the random blurting out of terms like “galactic collapse,” “id, ego, and superego,” “de Broglie hypothesis,” and other confusing phrases.
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 criticise you, the teacher hopes that you can keep improving and bring positive effects to your classmates, okay?”
So, starting from the second grade of elementary school, Lin Zhixia had no deskmate.
She learned to behave like a normal person in the class.
But now, Jiang Yubai has become her new deskmate.
Lin Zhixia happily told her father and brother: “My new deskmate, his name is Jiang Yubai, he is very nice! Jiang Yubai is my good friend. He likes to listen to me talk about physics, and asks me to repeat it to him every day.”
Lin Zeqiu questioned: “Does he understand what you say?”
Lin Zhixia was absolutely certain: “He doesn’t understand a single word.”
“And he still asks you to talk about physics,” Lin Zeqiu remarked, “At such a young age, he’s really tough on himself.”
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