Volume 1: Elementary school 2004-2005 (6)
He led his classmates into the house.
Lin Zhixia was the first to sigh, “What a high ceiling.”
She looked up at the chandelier hanging above. The branches and leaves of the chandelier were bordered with gold wire, and the light bulbs were shaped like white jade, giving it a luxurious and elegant appearance.
With her hands behind her back, Lin Zhixia hesitated before stepping on a floor tile.
The floor tile seamlessly blended with the coffee table in the centre of the main hall. Both the tiles and the coffee table were made from white marble, cut from a single piece, with fine craftsmanship. The black sofas, placed quietly around the coffee table, were so clean they seemed to transcend the world.
Lin Zhixia couldn’t resist walking over to the coffee table. On it sat an enamel vase with a bunch of vibrant roses. She reached out and gently touched the rose petals.
“I have a rose garden at home,” Jiang Yubai said to Lin Zhixia. “If you like roses, feel free to pick a few.”
Lin Zhixia shook her head. “I’m not studying botany at the moment.”
Jiang Yubai slipped his left hand into his pocket and sighed to himself. Lin Zhixia truly was his rival.
In the southeast corner of the main hall, two housekeepers, about forty years old, were still cleaning. Dressed in matching uniforms, they were wiping a marble statue with soft cloth.
The statue was a three-metre-tall depiction of Plutos—the god of knowledge and wealth in Greek mythology—carved so lifelike it stood quietly by the staircase railing.
All the children were in awe.
Except for Jiang Yubai.
Growing up in such an environment, Jiang Yubai was long used to it. He led the five guests to the cinema in his home.
As the monitor of Class 4(1), Dong Sunqi considered himself well-informed. However, Jiang Yubai’s family background exceeded all his expectations. He exclaimed, “Jiang Yubai! You have a cinema in your house?”
Jiang Yubai didn’t respond.
Dong Sunqi grabbed Nie Tianqing’s hand. “Brother Nie, how much would it cost to build a house like this?”
Nie Tianqing replied, “A few hundred million.”
As he stepped into the cinema’s main entrance, he smiled. “Just this home cinema is larger than my entire house.”
Nie Tianqing was the only classmate in the group who still carried a school bag. He didn’t seem like a guest, but rather like a student. Compared to the other four classmates, Nie Tianqing was noticeably more reserved and stiff. He and Dong Sunqi sat on the cinema’s sofa, backs straight, waiting to watch the movie.
At that moment, Jiang Yubai opened the cool storage cabinet and brought out a glass bowl filled with plump, bright red strawberries. Holding the bowl carefully with both hands, he placed it in front of Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia, seated, looked up at him in a daze.
He casually said, “Don’t thank me. I happened to buy strawberries yesterday.”
Lin Zhixia picked up a strawberry, took a bite, and smiled. “So sweet.”
She asked, “Did you taste them too?”
Jiang Yubai froze for a moment, then answered, “I just bought them… I tasted one.”
“Thank you,” Lin Zhixia’s clear eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. “Thank you for knowing that I like strawberries, for specially preparing them for my arrival, and for tasting them in advance. After washing the strawberries, you even put them in the refrigerator. You really are my best friend.”
Jiang Yubai’s breathing stagnated.
Yes, Lin Zhixia is very smart, smarter than ordinary people. He had always known this.
The light and shadow on the big screen in front of him shifted, and familiar music reached his ears. The movie Jiang Yubai had prepared for everyone was “Doraemon: Nobita’s Cats and Dogs in Time and Space.”
The reason Jiang Yubai had chosen Doraemon from so many cartoon characters was because Lin Zhixia’s school bag and pencil case were both Doraemon-themed. To defeat your opponent, you must first understand them.
As the movie started, Jiang Yubai turned to look at Lin Zhixia. Sure enough, Lin Zhixia’s eyes were shining, completely absorbed in the film.
Jiang Yubai was relieved.
The opening song of “Doraemon” began playing, and Lin Zhixia quietly sang along: “こんな事いいな出たらいいな, あんな梦こんな梦…” She sang and laughed.
Sitting next to her, Gan Shuli asked, “Can you speak Japanese?”
Lin Zhixia replied, “日本語がもっとうまくなりたい.”
Gan Shuli was confused, “What does that mean?”
Lin Zhixia translated, “I hope my Japanese can get better.”
“How old were you when you started learning?”
“Last year.”
“How many foreign languages do you speak?”
“Four at the moment.”
Gan Shuli was very surprised, “You are so good!”
“No, I am not good at all, it is not worth mentioning,” Lin Zhixia insisted. “Foreign language is just a tool and a bridge. For example, the foundation of French theoretical mathematics is very strong. In order to understand French works and papers, some mathematicians learn French. Have you heard of natural language processing algorithms? That’s natural language processing. The most brilliant scientists in this field know several languages. I am striving to catch up with them. They master foreign languages to promote global development, reduce cultural barriers, and to make it so most people on Earth no longer have to struggle with foreign languages.”
Gan Shuli was skeptical: “You… are you studying at home?”
“Yes,” Lin Zhixia confessed honestly, “Self-study is the fastest way to learn.”
At this time, Jiang Yubai had already sat back in his seat. He turned his attention to the screen and watched with relish.
But Ding Yan whispered in his ear: “Jiang Yubai, did you only bring strawberries to Lin Zhixia?”
Jiang Yubai said: “There are other fruits in the cabinet. If you want to eat, go and get them yourself.”
Ding Yan was shocked: “You are so good to Lin Zhixia… you personally gave her fruits, do you really want to defeat her?”
“Shh,” Jiang Yubai raised his index finger and put it against his lips, “No noise is allowed when watching a movie.”
Ding Yan warned him: “Jiang Yubai, don’t forget your original intention of fighting.”
Jiang Yubai stretched: “I haven’t forgotten my original intention. I also want to protect something.”
Ding Yan asked: “What is it?”
Jiang Yubai couldn’t answer. He leaned back and lay on the soft and spacious seat. In the closed and dim screening room, only the screen emitted a gentle light.
Jiang Yubai knew that Doraemon and Nobita in the movie would definitely win in the end, and Fat Tiger would sway back and forth on the boundary between justice and evil. Shizuka would stand up for others, and no matter how timid Suneo was, he would have a brave side. After several years, the current audience would grow up, but the cartoon characters of that time would remain in that time.
He couldn’t help but recall a question Lin Zhixia had once asked him.
She had asked: “Do you think consciousness and time can measure this world?”
Can consciousness?
Can time?
What standards should be used to measure this world?
Jiang Yubai fell into deep thought. He even felt that at this moment, Lin Zhixia might have a feeling that was connected to his—this was the “quantum entanglement” that Lin Zhixia often talked about.
He turned around and looked at Lin Zhixia again.
Lin Zhixia hugged Gan Shuli’s shoulders excitedly: “Kitten… Shizuka picked up a kitten.”
Gan Shuli said: “The cat is so cute.”
Lin Zhixia said: “Raise it! Nobita raises a cat.”
Jiang Yubai was slightly surprised that Lin Zhixia now looked like a fourth-grade girl. He turned his eyes and continued watching the movie.
The movie made time pass quickly.
After the screening, Jiang Yubai sincerely invited all his classmates to have lunch at his home.
Jiang Yubai’s home had several restaurants. One of the restaurants was located in the rose garden. The whole building was hexagonal, with all six walls being floor-to-ceiling windows. The ground was covered with light brown wooden flooring, and the decorations were mostly based on the theme of “plant flower satin.”
All the tableware on the rectangular dining table and the cushions of the 17 chairs beside it were composed of the same pattern—dark green branches and leaves as the base, with madder roses as embellishments.
“Wow,” Ding Yan exclaimed, “It’s just like a European palace.”
He pulled the chair away and was about to sit down when he caught a glimpse of Jiang Yubai’s mother.
Jiang Yubai’s mother was at home today, so she was also one of the hosts.
Ding Yan stood up in a hurry and shouted, “Hello, sister!”
Jiang Yubai introduced, “This is my mother.”
Ding Yan was surprised: “So, so young.” He wanted to ask in his heart: Are they biological children?
Upon closer observation, Jiang Yubai and his mother did look a bit alike, or maybe they were just both exceptionally good-looking.
The classmates sat down one after another, and Jiang Yubai’s mother took the main seat. The housekeeper placed several menus printed on letterhead in front of the guests.
Ding Yan, Gan Shuli, Dong Sunqi, and the others began to feel uneasy. They had never seen such a grand setting. Only Lin Zhixia picked up the letterhead and read happily: “Matsutake and wild vegetable soup, beef salad, fish maw and flounder, mango sago… So rich! Thank you for the hospitality.”
Jiang Yubai’s mother asked her: “Are you Jiang Yubai’s deskmate?”
“Yes!” Lin Zhixia described, “We all sit very close to Jiang Yubai.”
Mom smiled and said, “That’s great, there are friends all around. What games do you like to play at school?”
Before Lin Zhixia could speak, Jiang Yubai answered, “It’s the same as what I played in Singapore, no different. We play chess, military flags…”
Lin Zhixia hesitated.
As far as she knew, Jiang Yubai never played chess games at school. He preferred to run to the playground during class breaks, hanging on the horizontal and parallel bars like a fool. Why was he setting up this persona in front of his mom?
In any case, no one exposed Jiang Yubai at the table.
Everyone ate quietly.
First, they were still young and inexperienced, with not much to say. Second, the meal was really impressive, and once they picked up their chopsticks, they couldn’t bear to put them down.
Jiang Yubai’s mom was very good at dealing with children. She chatted with them and made sure to take care of everyone. However, while she was talking to Nie Tianqing, his spoon fell into the soup bowl. Hot soup splashed and spilled on the table.
“Be careful while eating, don’t burn yourself,” Jiang Yubai’s mom reminded.
The housekeeper brought a new set of tableware for Nie Tianqing.
Nie Tianqing thanked him repeatedly and continued to eat with his head down.
After dinner, though Jiang Yubai hesitated a little, he still led the classmates into his entertainment room.
As the double doors swung open, everyone’s eyes lit up.
The spacious room was covered with a soft dark blue carpet, and the walls were adorned with murals of spaceships. The four chandeliers on the ceiling were spherical, representing the sun, moon, Venus, and Mars.
There were fortresses, slides, suspended tunnels, a bubble ball pool, plastic castles, and indoor zip lines everywhere—this was practically a “Star Wars” themed amusement park!
“Oh my God!” Ding Yan exclaimed, “This could be opened to the public as an amusement park! Tickets would be 10 yuan each. Jiang Yubai, you’d make a fortune!”
Dong Sunqi added, “Jiang Yubai, the ‘Children’s Paradise’ in the Walmart on Nandong Street isn’t even half as fun as your house!”
Jiang Yubai calmly closed the door. At first, he felt a little embarrassed. When he was six years old, he moved to Singapore and was most reluctant to leave this amusement park that had accompanied him throughout his childhood.
Now that he was nine, he wanted to play with his classmates. Would that make him seem childish?
Before he could speak, Lin Zhixia dived into the bubble ball pool.
She giggled and threw out many bubble balls. She also said, “There are six of us in total! Let’s divide into two groups! Group A and Group B!”
Everyone, including Nie Tianqing, responded happily.
Lin Zhixia had initially thought that 13-year-old Nie Tianqing would be unwilling to play games with a group of children like them. But then she reconsidered, realising that 13 years old is still very young, and 13 years old is also a child. Besides, what boy doesn’t like Star Wars?
Lin Zhixia formulated the game rules: “Okay! I declare! Group A’s base is in the castle, and Group B’s base is in the fortress! At the start, Group A has 40 red bubble balls, and Group B has 40 green bubble balls. We will place the bubble balls in the centre of our bases. Then, members of Group A and Group B must sneak into the other group’s base and steal their bubble balls. You can steal a maximum of two at a time. For your own group’s bubble balls, you can also carry a maximum of two at a time.”
“Under what circumstances is it considered a loss?” Jiang Yubai asked.
Lin Zhixia continued to explain, “When two players from opposing groups meet, they must play rock-paper-scissors. The loser will be frozen immediately. The frozen player must stay in place and wait for three minutes before moving. The game will last for three hours. After that, we’ll count the number of bubble balls in the central area of Group A and Group B’s bases. Each ball is worth one point, and the group with the higher score wins.”
Jiang Yubai added, “If someone falls into the bubble ball pool halfway…”
“Then they’ll also be frozen,” Lin Zhixia quickly responded.
Jiang Yubai was eager to start, “Okay! Let’s get going!”
The six people present drew lots to form two groups—Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai, and Dong Sunqi became Group A, while Gan Shuli, Ding Yan, and Nie Tianqing formed Group B.
Lin Zhixia set up the central areas for both Group A and Group B, with the rule that the bubble balls had to be placed in the central area to count for points.
Then, Lin Zhixia shouted, “Game start!” Everyone scattered in all directions.
Jiang Yubai was ready to showcase his skills. He started from the castle, passed through the tunnel, sneaked into the fortress, and stole two bubble balls, placing them in his pants pocket. Ding Yan immediately chased after him like crazy.
Jiang Yubai was agile. He grabbed a ring with one hand and zipped down to the ground.
Ding Yan ran after him, yelling, “Jiang Yubai, don’t run! Give me the ball! Give me the ball!”
Jiang Yubai retorted, “Not only will I not give it back, but I’m also going to steal all your balls.”
Ding Yan was furious but helpless, as he got lost in the tunnel.
Jiang Yubai eagerly ran back to his group’s central area. He placed the two stolen bubble balls into the scoring zone, thinking to himself, “This is too easy.”
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai was careless and lost his footing. After turning around and taking just a few steps, he fell into the bubble ball pool. He had to freeze himself for three minutes.
At this moment, Nie Tianqing passed by a slide and suddenly descended from above.
Nie Tianqing took only two balls at a time, but he scattered all the bubble balls from Jiang Yubai’s group throughout various areas of the castle.
In other words, Nie Tianqing had dispersed the bubble balls that were originally concentrated together.
Jiang Yubai was shocked. He called out to Dong Sunqi, who was deep in enemy territory. Enraged, Dong Sunqi followed Nie Tianqing’s example and scattered all the enemy’s bubble balls.
Both battlefields descended into chaos.
Jiang Yubai called over Lin Zhixia: “Use your IQ of 174 to come up with a solution.”
“What solution?” Lin Zhixia asked in confusion.
Jiang Yubai pointed to the chaotic interior of the castle: “The bubble balls are scattered everywhere. There’s still over two hours left before the game ends. Don’t you want to win?”
“I’m not afraid of losing,” Lin Zhixia replied, “The game is about having fun, I never care about winning or losing. But this time, since you want to win, I want to win too. Now, let’s use the Dijkstra and Floyd shortest path algorithms… We’ll definitely be faster than them.”
Jiang Yubai hesitated: “But I don’t have a pen or draft paper.”
“You have me,” Lin Zhixia looked steadily into his eyes, “I can do mental arithmetic really fast! Trust me!”
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