Volume 1: Elementary school 2004-2005 (4)
Lin Zhixia’s family background was nothing like Jiang Yu Bai had imagined.
Jiang Yubai once thought that Lin Zhixia also lived in a mansion and had many tutors tutoring her every day. However, according to what Jiang Yubai saw with his own eyes, Lin Zhixia was born in an ordinary place. Her parents did not spoil her— her mother even refused when she asked for a strawberry-flavoured lollipop.
Jiang Yubai’s parents also restricted his snacks. Thinking of this, Jiang Yubai felt a kind of sympathy for Lin Zhixia.
The chef in Jiang Yubai’s family is good at making Chinese pastries. In recent days, the osmanthus trees in the garden have bloomed, and the chefs picked fresh flowers to make a basket of “crystal osmanthus cake” [1] . The main ingredients include North eastern Chinese special rice, Hainan coconut oil, and Gansu Tianshui honey. These pastries were fragrant, soft, smooth, and sticky without being greasy, truly worth trying.
[1] Here are pictures of crystal osmanthus cake:
That morning, before going to school, Jiang Yubai found a clean lunch box, secretly filled a dozen pieces of sweet-scented osmanthus cake, and brought it to school for Lin Zhixia to eat.
As soon as the morning reading class ended, Jiang Yubai placed the lunch box in front of Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia was confused: “What is this?”
“Osmanthus cake,” Jiang Yubai pretended to be indifferent, “it’s sweet.”
Lin Zhixia opened the lunch box, and the aroma suddenly filled the air. She had never seen such beautiful pastries and couldn’t help but ask: “Where did you buy them?”
“You can’t buy it on the market,” Jiang Yubai said honestly, “This is made by my chef…”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Bufeng, who was sitting in the row in front of him, suddenly turned his head, grabbed two pastries and stuffed them into his mouth. While Zhou Bufeng was taking advantage of the situation, he praised loudly: “Holy crap! This is so delicious… so delicious that I’m going to choke to death! Everyone, come and have a try… Brothers of Class 1, Grade 4!”
Zhou Bufeng’s deskmate is a girl named Gan Shuli. Gan Shuli has always been a quiet and introverted girl who doesn’t like to talk. She also used correction fluid to draw a “38th line” [2] on her desk to prevent Zhou Bufeng from contacting her. Normally, she would never listen to Zhou Bufeng talking to her.
[2] The term “三八线” (sān bā xiàn) which translates to “38th line” in english originates from the 38th parallel north, the historical boundary that separated North and South Korea after World War II, symbolising division. Over time, this term was adopted in Chinese colloquial language to refer to any boundary or dividing line, especially in a playful or humorous context. In an everyday use, particularly among students, “三八线” refers to an imaginary boundary line that people mentally establish or physically draw to divide personal space, such as on a shared desk. It symbolises a personal boundary that shouldn’t be crossed.
But now, several students came over from the class and wanted to taste the sweet-scented osmanthus cake brought by Jiang Yubai.
Gan Shuli hadn’t eaten breakfast today. Unable to resist, she reached out and grabbed a piece from the lunch box, responding to Zhou Bufeng’s call.
Seventeen pieces of sweet-scented osmanthus cake were divided among everyone in the blink of an eye.
Lin Zhixia didn’t get to taste a single bite.
Jiang Yu Bai was confused. He asked Lin Zhixia, “Why did you just watch them take it?”
Lin Zhixia said, “Zhou Bufeng touched it, so I didn’t want to eat it.”
Jiang Yu Bai asked again, “If I fought Zhou Bufeng, would the classmates tell the teacher?”
Jiang Yu Bai struggled to suppress his anger. He threw the lunch box into the trash can, sat back down, and wiped Lin Zhixia’s desk with a tissue. At this moment, Zhou Bufeng turned around and mocked him, “Jiang Yu Bai, you’re Lin Zhixia’s little follower, haha.” [3]
[3] “林知夏的跟屁虫” (Lín Zhīxià de gēnpìchóng), which means “Lin Zhixia’s little follower” or “Lin Zhixia’s tag-along.” This phrase is meant to mock Jiang Yu Bai for following Lin Zhixia closely, almost like a shadow.
Jiang Yu Bai remained silent.
Zhou Bufeng pushed Jiang Yu Bai’s pencil case and teased, “Little Jiang follower, little Jiang follower, hehe.”
Jiang Yu Bai adjusted his breathing. His cheeks slightly reddened, and his expression became cold and serious.
Zhou Bufeng noticed the unusual atmosphere and couldn’t help but provoke him with his mouth: “You are the deskmate of a freak, you weirdo! Haha.”
Jiang Yu Bai was deeply offended by others using the term “freak” to describe Lin Zhixia. He grabbed Zhou Bufeng by the collar and lifted him out of his seat. Pencils, erasers, pencil cases, and correction tape scattered all over the floor, and the nearby desks and chairs were left askew. Zhou Bufeng’s expression darkened, and he forcefully pulled Jiang Yu Bai’s wrist backward, grunting in anger, “What the hell are you doing!”
Jiang Yu Bai twisted his hand forward and managed to shake off Zhou Bufeng. In the aisle formed by the desks, Jiang Yu Bai took a step back, then suddenly raised his leg, his knee nearly colliding with Zhou Bufeng’s abdomen.
Zhou Bufeng immediately collapsed to avoid the blow, but his left leg was stomped on by Jiang Yu Bai.
Just at that moment, the maths teacher entered the classroom.
The maths teacher’s surname was Qian, and she was in her early forties. She was a certified “senior primary school teacher.” Ms. Qian always wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, observing all her students through the reflective lenses.
Ms. Qian usually spoke in a gentle voice, but today, as soon as she entered, she sternly reprimanded, “Who’s fighting in the corner? You are fourth-grade students! Not little kids! How can you still be fighting? Get out of my classroom and go to the homeroom teacher’s office! You can only come back when the homeroom teacher lets you. If anyone dares to fight again, don’t come back into my classroom—just stand in the hallway! Let the entire grade see! Who else dares to fight?”
After she finished speaking, Zhou Bufeng quickly ran out of the classroom.
Jiang Yu Bai remained standing in place.
He had never been scolded by a teacher before. He couldn’t react right away.
In the spacious and tidy classroom, Ms. Qian put down her ruler and compass, placed both hands on the podium, and criticised with clear intent, “There are some students, and to save your face, I won’t name names. But you know who you are… Let me tell you, don’t think that just because your family has money and some influence, you can act like a tyrant in our school! Before you become a student, you need to learn how to be a proper person! I don’t care if you came back from Singapore or Papua New Guinea—if you use violence in the classroom, if you start fights, you’re in the wrong! Do you understand? You’re only a few years old, and you think the only way to solve problems is with your fists? Haven’t you studied maths? Don’t you know how to think logically? Don’t fight in a place of learning! I’m warning you! If I see it, I’ll criticise you every time! It won’t do you any good to complain to the principal about me! I’ve been teaching for over twenty years, and I don’t teach students who only know how to fight!”
Ms Qian’s last words were striking.
Jiang Yubai’s face burned with embarrassment, as if he had been slapped. The phrase “Don’t fight in a place of learning” made him feel extremely ashamed.
Without a word, he walked out of the classroom and headed towards the homeroom teacher’s office.
Lin Zhixia stared blankly at his retreating figure.
That class felt excruciatingly long.
When the bell finally rang, Lin Zhixia was the first to rush out of the classroom. She saw Jiang Yubai and Zhou Bufeng both standing in the hallway as punishment, with a distance of about four metres between them.
“Jiang Yubai?” Lin Zhixia called out to him.
But he didn’t respond.
Lin Zhixia softly said, “Little Jiang CEO.”
Jiang Yubai, leaning on the stainless steel railing, replied, “Don’t call me Little Jiang CEO.”
“What are you thinking about?” Lin Zhixia asked as she stood beside him.
“I know Zhou Bufeng can’t beat me,” Jiang Yubai admitted calmly. “I wanted to hit him until he cried.”
Hearing Jiang Yubai’s words, Zhou Bufeng jumped and ran even farther away. More and more students were starting to fill the hallway, their shoes squeaking against the plastic floor with a series of “squeaking” sounds.
Jiang Yubai turned around, looking at the growing crowd of students, and changed his tone: “But I didn’t learn martial arts to beat up my classmates.”
“It’s great that you think that way,” Lin Zhixia responded. “When you lifted your leg to strike Zhou Bufeng, I expected your momentum to be strong, and that’s no joke. It scared me too.”
Jiang Yubai asked, curious but unashamed, “What is momentum?”
“A vector that describes the cumulative effect of force over time,” Lin Zhixia explained succinctly.
Jiang Yubai stood up straight, nodding frequently.
“Did you understand?” Lin Zhixia asked, knowing the answer.
“No,” Jiang Yubai replied honestly.
Lin Zhixia was not discouraged and patiently explained, “Life is like a k-means clustering algorithm. At first, we all randomly choose reference points, not knowing where we stand. As the data we collect changes, our reference points start to update as well. When we stand at different reference points and observe the same things, we arrive at different conclusions. People are constantly growing, constantly adjusting their reference points… Just like how, before this class, you thought there was nothing wrong with boys fighting. But after this class, you might think twice before getting into a fight.”
Jiang Yubai met her gaze. “k-means clustering algorithm. Thanks, I’ve learned something.”
Lin Zhixia smiled sweetly. “Maths can bring happiness and also make us reflect on life.”
As the class’s Chinese language representative, Lin Zhixia had to go to the teacher’s office during the break to collect a stack of homework books. She happily walked to the office door. The door was half open, and she could hear the homeroom teacher’s voice from inside.
The homeroom teacher was laughing as she said, “Ms. Qian, don’t be too upset. Jiang Yubai’s father is one of our province’s top taxpayers. Their group contributes a lot to the GDP every year and even attracts foreign investment. The principal told me that Jiang Yubai’s family has connections at the top in Beijing. Don’t hold it against him; he’s still a child, and he’s usually very polite.”
Ms. Qian replied, “It’s not about holding it against him. When I walked into the classroom, I saw him knock Zhou Bufeng down and step on his leg… Isn’t that bullying a classmate?”
“Well, Zhou Bufeng is always causing trouble in our class,” the homeroom teacher defended Jiang Yubai. “Zhou Bufeng’s parents work in Shanghai. He’s being raised by his grandparents, and it’s not the first time he’s stolen something.”
Ms. Qian was a bit surprised. “He steals things?”
The homeroom teacher described, “Last year, your office was across the hall, so you weren’t with me. Back then, our classmates came to complain to me, but you didn’t hear. Zhou Bufeng stole the class monitor’s pocket money and Ganshuli’s pen… He can’t control himself. I’ve talked to him, advised him, but it’s no use.”
Ms. Qian sighed, “Kids these days, it’s really something.”
The homeroom teacher added, “Jiang Yubai is better. He’s well-mannered.”
The way the homeroom teacher defended one student led Lin Zhixia to summarise it as “Schrödinger’s defence.”
The so-called “Schrödinger’s state” is also borrowed from quantum mechanics, referring to a state that is both true and false, both this and that.
Lin Zhixia fell into her own thoughts.
When she returned to her seat, Lin Zhixia called out, “Jiang Yubai.”
“What’s the matter?” Jiang Yubai responded.
Lin Zhixia moved aside the stationery and books on her desk and earnestly confided to Jiang Yubai, “You’re the only one in class who is willing to listen to me talk about maths and physics, even though you never understand what I’m saying…”
Jiang Yubai always put on a serious attitude, listening to Lin Zhixia’s various thoughts, but it seemed she had long known that he didn’t really understand. He sat up straight, his whole body stiff, and pale as he argued, “I will gradually understand.”
But Lin Zhixia said, “By then, I’ll have graduated from elementary school! We might never see each other again.”
The maths notebook was almost worn out from Jiang Yubai flipping through it. He held a Parker pen [4] and cautiously responded, “Never see each other again?”
[4] A Parker pen is a high-quality, well-known brand of pens. It’s often associated with elegance and reliability, and people use it for important tasks like writing letters or signing documents.
“That’s right,” Lin Zhixia said sincerely. “Since we’re desk mates now, I want to formally invite you to be my human observation subject. I’ve always wanted to understand how ordinary people think. For example, when you see a problem related to Hilbert space, what’s your first reaction? Do you get a headache? Do you feel intimidated? Hahahahahaha.”
A few minutes ago, Jiang Yubai had been deeply moved by Lin Zhixia’s comforting words. Now, he just wanted to punch himself awake and take a good look at Lin Zhixia! She was still the same as ever!
Jiang Yubai calmly asked, “Why did you choose me as your human observation subject?”
Lin Zhixia was particularly honest: “I heard from the class teacher that your family is a major taxpayer in our province, contributing a lot to the GDP each year. Your family even has foreign-funded enterprises. Your knowledge must be broader than others’. Studying you is like studying many people at once.”
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Yubai reluctantly agreed: “Alright.”
“Thank you!” Lin Zhixia beamed with joy.
She whispered, “Jiang Yubai, you really are a good friend.”
Jiang Yubai didn’t respond.
After this class, Ding Yan came to play with Jiang Yubai.
The light from the window shone on the pages, and Ding Yan clearly saw Lin Zhixia writing the words “A Preliminary Study on the Thinking Patterns of Ordinary Humans” on a piece of scratch paper.
Then, Lin Zhixia started a new line and wrote “Abstract,” followed by two colons.
Lin Zhixia solemnly recorded: “This paper explores the thinking patterns and cognitive limitations of ordinary humans by observing the author’s desk mate—Jiang Yubai…”
Ding Yan was taken aback.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and called Jiang Yubai out of the classroom.
As soon as they stepped outside, Ding Yan asked, “Jiang Yubai, can you tolerate this? Why don’t you ask Mr. Wu to change your seat?”
Jiang Yubai shook his head. “I have a battle plan. I’ll let her taste a bit of sweetness first, so she lets her guard down.”
Ding Yan didn’t quite get it. “You want to be nice to her?”
“No!” Jiang Yubai denied, “I see her as a rival.”
Ding Yan looked puzzled. “You think you can compete with her? I heard that she only needs to look at something once to memorise it. It takes me thirty minutes to memorise a text, and she only needs three seconds.”
She memorises a text in three seconds.
Yes, the opponent was very strong.
Jiang Yubai slightly clenched his fist. He wouldn’t give up. He would prove himself in front of Ding Yan and Lin Zhixia, far surpassing Lin Zhixia, leaving her far behind, and reclaiming the dignity she had crushed.
He said, “Lin Zhixia’s birthday is coming up.”
Ding Yan looked nervous. “What are you going to do?”
Jiang Yubai stood behind a pillar, the crisscrossing light casting shadows on his face, leaving it half in light and half in darkness.
He was like the most handsome robber in the Hong Kong movie “Young and Dangerous”, carrying a burden that does not belong to his age: “I will give her a gift.”
Ding Yan shuddered.
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Sorry for not uploading this novel and the other novels for almost two weeks 😭😭 I was and still overwhelmed of my two week finals that are next week! 😖😭 Then I was sick! (still am) 😭
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(づ˶•༝•˶)づ𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒
