Volume 1: Elementary school 2004-2005 (8)
Lin Zhixia was right. Nie Tianqing was indeed planning to raid Group A’s base.
Group A had collected far more bubble balls than Group B. Nie Tianqing said to Ding Yan, “Group A has several times more bubble balls than us!”
However, Ding Yan simply replied, “I’m not going to Group A.”
Ding Yan and Gan Shuli had long abandoned the fight. They had returned to a peaceful life, bending down like hardworking farmers to collect the balls. If they managed to pick up more than one bubble ball at a time, Ding Yan’s face would light up with the joy of a good harvest.
Ding Yan was no longer the man who used to shout and fight. He seemed to have seen through the disputes in the world of jianghu. He swore never to be a robber or a highway thief again. Now, Ding Yan’s sweat was only for himself.
T/N jianghu (江湖)—a traditional term used in Chinese culture to refer to a world of outlaws, martial artists, and wanderers.
This left Nie Tianqing to fight alone.
Nie Tianqing quietly snuck into a pipe and moved toward the slide. He suddenly appeared in the castle with lightning speed, scaring Dong Sunqi, who had been guarding the base. Dong Sunqi shouted, “Who are you!”
Nie Tianqing responded, “I’m Nie Tianqing from Group B!”
Dong Sunqi spread his arms and resolutely stood in front of him, saying, “Nie Tianqing from Group B! I am Dong Sunqi from Group A! I warn you! If you want to steal the bubble balls, you’ll have to step over my body first!”
“We’re neighbours and good friends,” Nie Tianqing said, looking at him. “For just a few bubble balls, you…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yubai, standing at the bottom of the castle stairs, shouted up, “No! These aren’t just bubble balls! They represent the justice we must protect in our hearts!”
“Yes! Justice!” Dong Sunqi raised his arms and shouted.
Lin Zhixia, too, was waving the flag and shouting: “It is justice! We are fighting for justice, for the glory and dignity of Group A! For the long-term prosperity of Group A, so that Group A will never be invaded by Group B! At such a critical moment, we will not retreat or show cowardice in the face of Group B’s sneak attack! We will never give up an inch of our territory, nor will we ever be willing to be weak slaves! We are not fighting alone! Behind us, the bubble balls represent justice itself! Charge forward, my companions! The horn of victory will sound for the brave, and the sunlight of dawn will eventually shine in all directions!”
These stirring words made Dong Sunqi’s eyes fill with tears.
Nie Tianqing was startled and tried to get Dong Sunqi back on track: “Don’t get too carried away, we’re not filming a war movie here.”
“Ah!” Lin Zhixia exclaimed, “Nie Tianqing from Group B! He’s using a divide-and-conquer tactic on us!”
“How despicable!” Dong Sunqi shouted angrily, almost forgetting that it was he who had invited Nie Tianqing over as a guest today.
Lin Zhixia issued a command: “Squad Leader Dong, you go protect the bubble balls. I’ll take care of Nie Tianqing from Group B!”
But Dong Sunqi responded, “I’m the squad leader! The squad leader must be the last to leave!”
The chandelier cast a bright white light down on his head. He was slender, but his silhouette seemed towering.
At that moment, Jiang Yubai was reminded of the Dunkirk retreat by the British and French forces during WWII. The fierce German army bombarded them relentlessly, and the only hope for survival lay in the English Channel to the west.
Jiang Yubai raced up the stairs two at a time, leaping to the top of the castle: “Nie Tianqing! Come for me! Don’t hurt my companions!”
Nie Tianqing, also getting into character, said: “It’s too late, Jiang Yubai from Group A! You’re too late!”
Jiang Yubai trembled and took a step back: “Impossible!”
In fact, both Jiang Yubai and Nie Tianqing were shocked. Just as Jiang Yubai was coming up the stairs, Nie Tianqing had played a round of rock-paper-scissors with Lin Zhixia—and Lin Zhixia had lost.
Lin Zhixia had actually lost!
How could Lin Zhixia lose?
On the left side of the pipe slide, on the cushioned floor of the castle, Lin Zhixia stood still. She said, “Everyone, don’t be sad for me. My spirit is with you. In the face of a powerful enemy, we will never retreat.”
Dong Sunqi echoed her: “Never retreat!”
He extended his right hand toward Nie Tianqing: “Rock-paper-scissors!”
Dong Sunqi clenched his fist, while Nie Tianqing spread his five fingers.
Dong Sunqi lost! He stood there, stunned, then raised his voice to the sky in anguish: “Why! Why won’t the heavens give Group A a way out!”
His cry was so loud that it even reached the base of Group B.
Ding Yan and Gan Shuli leaned over the balcony railing. They watched, astonished, as Nie Tianqing first defeated Lin Zhixia and then Dong Sunqi. They couldn’t believe their eyes.
The chandelier, shaped like the sun and the moon, hung in the middle, and Nie Tianqing’s gaze passed over it. He looked at Ding Yan from afar and shouted, “I’ve defeated Group A!”
“You’re wrong,” Jiang Yubai responded, “Group A still has me.”
He walked toward Nie Tianqing. Jiang Yubai was 9 years old this year, while Nie Tianqing was 13.
Nie Tianqing was a few centimetres taller than Jiang Yubai, forcing Jiang Yubai to look up at him—a feeling he didn’t like. Jiang Yubai made up his mind that he would grow taller and become as tall as his father one day.
“Make your move,” Nie Tianqing said.
Jiang Yubai gestured, and Nie Tianqing accepted the challenge. In this round, Jiang Yubai threw scissors, and Nie Tianqing threw paper.
“We won!” Lin Zhixia clapped her hands. “Justice is the ultimate reward, and unity is our medal!”
Nie Tianqing glanced at her. “What kinds of books do you usually read?”
Lin Zhixia shot back, “Which subject?”
Nie Tianqing hesitated. “Chinese?”
Lin Zhixia pressed on, “Literature or linguistics?”
“You’re only 9 years old,” Nie Tianqing frowned, “You seem 9, but also not like a 9-year-old.”
Lin Zhixia responded lazily, “You’re 13. Do you seem 13 every day? What’s a 13-year-old supposed to be like, and who defines it? Do you really have to follow that?”
Nie Tianqing was silent.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the main gate of the amusement park, followed by the ringing of a doorbell. Jiang Yubai immediately called out, “Come in.”
The gate opened wide.
The housekeeper walked in, accompanied by two staff members in uniform. They were pushing a stainless steel dining cart filled with snacks, fruit, bread, and hot drinks.
Jiang Yubai tidied his clothes and led his classmates toward the door. He said, “When I get tired of playing here, my mom sends food for us.”
Lin Zhixia beamed, “Strawberries!”
She took a sip of hot milk and ate a strawberry.
Everyone gathered around the dining cart and sat on the ground, suddenly realising how quickly time had flown by.
The battle between Group A and Group B that afternoon had drained the energy of all the students. Ding Yan gobbled down a ham sandwich, drank a glass of juice, and lay down contentedly on the floor.
“The sun is setting,” Nie Tianqing said as he looked out the window. “It’s time to go home.”
Jiang Yubai had initially planned to play the piano for Lin Zhixia and show her his garden and private museum, but it was clear that there wasn’t enough time now.
On second thought, it might be better that they didn’t go. Jiang Yubai sometimes got lost in his own garden. If he got lost with Lin Zhixia, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Realising this, Jiang Yubai walked to the door and, in a polite tone, said, “I’ll have the driver take you home. When you arrive, give me a call, or a text will do.”
Ding Yan pointed at Jiang Yubai and remarked, “Jiang Yubai, you’re completely different now than you were just a moment ago.”
Lin Zhixia asked him, “Why is Jiang Yubai different?”
Ding Yan held his head with both hands and rested it on the soft carpet. He didn’t know how to describe it, so he said, “It’s a feeling. Jiang Yubai is different in front of adults.”
Before the classmates left, Jiang Yubai also gave everyone a handbag. “There are gifts inside,” Jiang Yubai said.
Dong Sunqi opened the bag on the spot and saw a set of compasses and a pen. He immediately hugged Jiang Yubai: “Thank you, buddy! You are so polite! It just so happens that my compass is broken.” The other people all had the same gifts.
But Lin Zhixia’s gift was different. Lin Zhixia felt that her bag was very heavy, and it was definitely not just a pen and a set of compasses. She stood in front of the marble steps and looked at Jiang Yubai for a moment. The sunset sank, and the afterglow dyed the lawn red. Jiang Yubai waved at her: “See you tomorrow.” Lin Zhixia nodded and said, “See you tomorrow.”
Near the evening, Lin Zhixia went home. She got out of a black Porsche and ran into the Ancheng community. She could smell the aroma of food and hear the sound of the spatula stirring in the pot. The lights were on in every house. She hugged the handbag given by Jiang Yubai tightly, wondering what he had given her.
“Lin Zhixia!” Dad’s voice suddenly came to her ears. Lin Zhixia stood at the door of her supermarket and shouted, “Dad.” There were still customers in the supermarket. Dad couldn’t get angry in front of outsiders, so he called Lin Zhixia into the inner room. Lin Zhixia glanced and saw her mother sitting next to the cash register, with a gloomy face and also very angry.
In the living room of the Lin family—if this small area can be called a living room—Lin Zhixia’s father sat on a plastic chair. Her brother stood aside with his arms folded. A one-metre-long incandescent lamp hung on the wall, shining brightly on Dad’s head. Dad asked, “Where did you go today?”
Lin Zhixia answered obediently, “I went to my classmate’s house. I said hello to you.”
“Lin Zhixia, don’t lie to me,” her brother said. “This afternoon, someone came to our house and told Dad that you got into someone else’s car at the gate of the community? Do you know how dangerous this is? Do you have a brain, Lin Zhixia?”
Lin Zhixia immediately defended herself, “That was my classmate’s car. I confirmed it again and again. Lin Zeqiu, don’t scold me for being brainless; I will be angry!”
Lin Zeqiu slammed the table, furious. “You are still right? You are my sister; what’s wrong with me saying a few words to you? You are only 9 years old; do you think you can go wherever you want when you are 29? You just have no brain!”
“You can go to other people’s homes to play; why can’t I?” Lin Zhixia questioned angrily. “I have never been to kindergarten and I don’t have any friends. I finally went to elementary school, but no one wanted to be my deskmate. Now I have a deskmate and friends; can’t I go to my friend’s house as a guest?”
Lin Zhixia did not go to kindergarten. She grew up under the care of her father, mother, and brother. The nearest kindergarten charges a high fee. In addition, kindergarten teachers may not be able to take care of every child. Therefore, Lin Zhixia never went to school until she was six years old. She stayed at home all the time. She learned things quickly.
The Lin family’s supermarket has a bookcase that recycles second-hand books and resells them to other customers. Lin Zhixia’s enlightenment was all found on the bookcase. She was not even as tall as the cabinet, but she learned to move the bench by herself, stand on the bench, and pick things from the cabinet. She read ten lines at a glance and never forgets what she saw. She is like a hard sponge, and the knowledge in the outside world is all rain and dew. She tried her best to absorb it, but it still didn’t quench her thirst. She has already read the tutoring materials left by college entrance examination students repeatedly. Today, even the mathematics and physics textbooks for undergraduates can’t make her have doubts.
She is keen to stay in the library. She also uses her father’s library card to borrow books from the provincial library regularly, reaching the upper limit of the number of books to be borrowed each time.
Her parents had long discovered that Lin Zhixia was different but didn’t know how to guide her. Lin Zhixia’s father even went to look up the family tree— their Lin family’s ancestors for 18 generations were farmers who worked hard in the fields. Let alone geniuses, even a scholar had never appeared. Lin Zhixia’s birth was an unexpected surprise and was also considered the smoke of the ancestral tomb.
Dad said to his daughter in a gentle voice: “Xia Xia, you don’t know how anxious your parents and brother were this afternoon. Your mother and I thought you went to Gan Shuli’s house. We called Gan Shuli’s mother and found out that you went to Jiang…”
“Jiang Yubai,” Lin Zeqiu reminded.
Dad continued: “Yes, you went to Jiang Yubai’s house. Dad didn’t say he wouldn’t let you play with boys. You have to know that this world is very dangerous, cruel, and unsafe, especially for a little girl like you who has been very beautiful since childhood…”
“I know.” Lin Zhixia interrupted her father coldly. She said, “I understand what you mean. I also know biology and criminal psychology. If you want me to develop in one direction, you have to give me some freedom. This is called the strategy of a greedy algorithm.”
Dad sighed, “You know so much, but do you understand the pity of parents in the world?”
Lin Zeqiu was still cursing, “She knows nothing! She thinks she is very smart and fearless! I just read in the newspaper yesterday that a girl was put in a sack, thrown into a car, and sold to the mountains and forests to be a child bride for an old man. She was rescued ten years later!”
After saying that, Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath: “This afternoon, I was scared to death because of Lin Zhixia’s incident.”
Lin Zhixia asked back, “Then why can you go to other people’s homes to play, but I can’t?”
Lin Zeqiu was so angry that he was about to explode: “I am a boy, you are a girl. Why can’t you? There are so many bad people in this world! Why don’t you understand what I mean?”
Lin Zhixia leaned against the wall with one hand and stood on tiptoe, trying to reach her brother’s height. She looked up at Lin Zeqiu and told him, “Brother, you are so naive. Boys won’t ever meet bad people? You are the one who really knows nothing.”
She ran into her bedroom with a handbag and closed the door with a “bang.” She threw the handbag on the ground, and two glass lunch boxes rolled out of the bag.
Lin Zhixia squatted beside the lunch boxes, looking at one filled with strawberries and the other with osmanthus cake that she didn’t taste last time. She continued to empty her handbag and found a finely crafted wooden box. When she opened it, she saw a dark blue fountain pen lying in the pure black velvet.
Lin Zhixia paused and immediately dialled Jiang Yubai’s mobile number using the landline in her room. She was going to thank him and then think about how to “reciprocate” between classmates and friends.
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