At 7:40 the next morning, Jiang Yubai entered the homeroom teacher Teacher Wu's office with his letter of self-criticism in hand.
Coincidentally, Wei Rongjie and Liu Xingjian had also arrived.
Jiang Yubai, Wei Rongjie, and Liu Xingjian stood in a row, honestly before their homeroom teacher.
Teacher Wu collected their three letters of self-criticism and read them on the spot. Her eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter, and her facial expression grew increasingly solemn.
Jiang Yubai felt somewhat nervous. Last night, he had personally copied the self-criticism by hand. He kept Lin Zhixia's original manuscript at home and submitted his own copied version to Teacher Wu.
Without a doubt, Lin Zhixia's writing style was quite distinctive. Her vocabulary was exceptionally rich, and her ability to craft sentences was truly remarkable.
In comparison, Jiang Yubai's Chinese language skills still had considerable room for improvement. Jiang Yubai suspected that Teacher Wu would discover that the self-criticism had actually been written by Lin Zhixia.
Having taught for many years, Teacher Wu possessed sharp discernment.
She was the homeroom teacher of the key class at the provincial capital experimental elementary school. Having taught numerous students, she was certainly well aware of elementary schoolers' little tricks.
Jiang Yubai began pondering how he could defend himself without implicating Lin Zhixia if Teacher Wu saw through the truth.
Before he could come up with a solution, Teacher Wu suddenly spoke: "Liu Xingjian, Wei Rongjie, did you two seriously write your self-criticism yesterday? Your 800-word self-criticisms keep repeating the same phrases over and over. What do you mean by this? Your attitude is very improper."
Liu Xingjian turned pale and seemed to want to speak but stopped himself.
Wei Rongjie stammered: "Teacher Wu... I, I couldn't write it..."
He sniffled and quietly wiped his running nose.
Jiang Yubai felt some sympathy for Wei Rongjie.
Just yesterday morning, Jiang Yubai himself had struggled painfully, repeatedly tormenting himself before managing to produce just 13 characters.
If not for Lin Zhixia's help, Jiang Yubai wouldn't have been able to produce an 800-word self-criticism even if he had stayed up all night.
Why was this?
Perhaps because, deep down, Jiang Yubai didn't truly believe he had committed some grave mistake. Drawing comics and playing games with the whole class wasn't some unforgivable crime. Lin Zhixia had even allowed the entire class to witness the world's wonders, the beauty of physics, the mysterious charm of astronomy, and the important significance of economic models.
Jiang Yubai nodded slightly. Yes, this self-criticism of his was merely bowing to circumstances. He still maintained a yearning for knowledge for "Exploring the Universe.""
"Jiang Yubai," Teacher Wu praised him at this moment, "your self-criticism is quite well-written. Teacher Wu can feel that you're genuinely remorseful, that you recognize your mistake, and that you've adopted the right attitude."
Teacher Wu handed Jiang Yubai's self-criticism to Liu Xingjian: "You should learn from Jiang Yubai's good quality of correcting mistakes once recognized. I criticize you for your own good. If I didn't care about you, that would be harming you. Liu Xingjian, Wei Rongjie, submit another 800-word self-criticism to me by 8 AM tomorrow morning. Adopt the right attitude, okay? Don't let me see repeated phrases, don't write the same sentence over and over ten times. That's a perfunctory teacher, and you won't have properly recognized your own shortcomings either."
Liu Xingjian and Wei Rongjie could only obediently agree.After leaving the office, Wei Rongjie quickly caught up with Jiang Yubai and asked, "Jiang Yubai, why is your self-criticism essay so well-written? You didn't drag other classmates into it or speak ill of anyone..."
Jiang Yubai replied, "A self-criticism essay is about reflecting on my own mistakes. I won't involve others."
"Jiang Yubai," Liu Xingjian suddenly called out to him, "Stop right there!"
Jiang Yubai dashed into the classroom. His sports jacket was slightly open, fluttering like a chivalrous hero as he ran. He tossed a remark at Liu Xingjian: "Why should I listen to you?"
Once again, Liu Xingjian was provoked by him.
Liu Xingjian had originally intended to condescend and personally ask for advice on how to write a good self-criticism essay—this was Jiang Yubai's one and only chance to win Liu Xingjian's favor.
If Jiang Yubai had patiently tutored him and acted politely enough, Liu Xingjian would have forgiven Jiang Yubai and pardoned all the mistakes he had made before.
However, unfortunately, Jiang Yubai wasted this precious opportunity.
Liu Xingjian punched the classroom door and said gloomily, "Jiang Yubai! Just you wait!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire class involuntarily turned their eyes toward Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai completely ignored Liu Xingjian. He eagerly returned to his seat and shared the good news with Lin Zhixia: "Teacher Wu accepted the self-criticism. She didn't make me rewrite it."
Lin Zhixia remained unperturbed: "That's great."
Jiang Yubai opened his backpack and pulled out a copy of "Fourth Grade Mathematics, Volume 1" for the next class.
He pretended to be reading the content in the math book. After gathering his thoughts for a while, he maintained an upright posture and said sincerely and formally, "Lin Zhixia, thank you for your help."
"What did you say?" Lin Zhixia cupped one hand behind her ear. "I didn't hear you."
Jiang Yubai sneered, "If you didn't hear, then forget it."
Lin Zhixia mimicked his sneer: "Hahahaha, Jiang Yubai, are you shy?"
Jiang Yubai hadn't been shy originally, but after Lin Zhixia's question, he inexplicably felt a bit embarrassed. He shifted his posture, turning to face another direction, farther away from Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia called out to him: "Jiangjiangjiangjiang Yubai!"
Jiang Yubai immediately retorted: "Linlinlinlin Zhixia!"
Lin Zhixia made a surprised sound: "Huh? I thought you'd say 'psycho.'"
Jiang Yubai insisted, "Those three words are a bit offensive. The more you want me to say them, the less I will."
While the two of them were bickering, the voice of the academic director suddenly came through the school broadcast.
The academic director instructed the fourth-grade class presidents and vice presidents to immediately go to the printing room to collect important materials, and all homeroom teachers must coordinate their recent work.
The academic director announced over the broadcast: "Adhering to the principle of voluntariness, students of all classes, you must inform your parents and independently decide whether to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine."
Hepatitis B vaccine!
Upon hearing these four words, Lin Zhixia's face turned pale.
She was most afraid of injections!
The moment she saw a needle, fear would grip her. All truths of the Universe, the Nietzsche Hypothesis, Type II String Theory—everything would be tossed to the back of her mind. That sharp and pointed needle would become the entire world in her eyes—of course, that world was eerie, terrifying, and shrouded in darkness.
What about Jiang Yubai?
Was Jiang Yubai afraid of injections?
Lin Zhixia abruptly turned her head and stared at Jiang Yubai without a word.
Jiang Yubai, unnerved by her stare, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"Lin Zhixia's eyelashes fluttered twice. How could she tell Jiang Yubai how much she hated getting shots?
In the "Exploring the Universe" comic series, Jiang Yubai had portrayed Lin Zhixia as the "God of Truth, Chief Strategist, and Cosmic Navigator." These extraordinary titles had given her a slight sense of idol pressure. She was too embarrassed to admit that she would burst into tears at the sight of a needle.
As the Cosmic Navigator, Earth's Chief Strategist, and God of Truth of Orion Base, Lin Zhixia wasn't strong at all. A mere Hepatitis B vaccine was enough to make her feel threatened.
But if Jiang Yubai was also afraid of injections, Lin Zhixia could gain his empathy. She asked indirectly, "Jiang Yubai, did you hear the announcement just now?""
Jiang Yubai replied calmly, "I heard it."
"Do you have any thoughts?" Lin Zhixia cautiously probed.
"I have no thoughts," Jiang Yubai said as he uncapped his pen and began working on a math assignment from his tutor. "I got the Hepatitis B vaccine last year."
So, this time, Jiang Yubai didn't need to get vaccinated again?
Lin Zhixia envied him deeply.
She asked bluntly, "Did you cry when you got the shot?"
"Why would I cry?" Jiang Yubai was puzzled. "You just endure it for a moment, and it's over."
Lin Zhixia's questioning ended there. She had confirmed that Jiang Yubai didn't care about "getting shots" at all. She felt like a defeated soldier who had lost an ally, and she spent the rest of the day in a daze.
But she still held onto a glimmer of hope—the Hepatitis B vaccine wasn't free. Not only was it not free, it was somewhat expensive.
The class monitor and vice monitor had gone to the printing room to collect the Hepatitis B vaccine pamphlets. These pamphlets were distributed to every student by the monitor. The pamphlet clearly stated in black and white: Our school has partnered with a provincial tertiary hospital to ensure the safety, reliability, effectiveness, and stability of the Hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccine costs 72 yuan per person, with each dose priced at 24 yuan...
Reading this, a sudden idea flashed through Lin Zhixia's mind.
Yes, she knew that the Hepatitis B vaccine required at least three doses.
One dose cost 24 yuan, three doses would be 72 yuan.
Indeed, 3 times 24 equals 72.
However, last time when there was a 76 yuan fee for the autumn outing, Mom had been very reluctant to pay.
This time, for the 72 yuan Hepatitis B vaccine, Mom would definitely be unwilling to accept it!
If Mom didn't give the money, Lin Zhixia wouldn't have to get the shot!
That evening, the sunset illuminated the earth, and the cold wind of late autumn carried a chill.
Lin Zhixia rushed through the door with her backpack, confidently handed the "Hepatitis B Vaccine Pamphlet" to her mother.
She behaved especially well and quiet, waiting for her mother to say: Xia Xia, we don't have the money. Can we skip this 72 yuan vaccine?
Then she could happily reply: Okay, Mom. Xia Xia doesn't want to get the shot.
However, however, things didn't go as planned.
After carefully reading the "Hepatitis B Vaccine Pamphlet," Mom called for Lin Zhixia's Dad.
After discussing for a while, Dad suggested: "Xia Xia received the Hepatitis B vaccine when she was born. Now that she's 9 years old, the pamphlet says antibody levels gradually decrease over time. Should we have her get vaccinated again?"Mom readily agreed, "Alright, let her get it at school. We can trust the doctors from a top-tier hospital. Next year for Chinese New Year, we still need to bring Xia Xia back to our hometown. Not many elderly folks in the rural areas are particular about hygiene, and with so many relatives coming and going, we should make some preparations in advance."
"It's been a year since we last returned home," Dad sighed. "My parents mentioned on the phone that they want to see Qiuqiu and Xia Xia..."
Mom sneered coldly, "Enough. Your mother's favoritism isn't a new thing—her eyes are only for her grandson, where does her granddaughter fit in?"
"In front of the child," Dad pointed at Lin Zhixia, "don't talk to me like that."
Mom opened the money box, took out 72 yuan, and handed it to Lin Zhixia. She coaxed her, "Xia Xia, you're nine years old now, a little adult. You can't be afraid of injections anymore. Getting vaccinated is a good thing—you probably understand more about it than I do, so I won't say much else."
Lin Zhixia looked dazed. Silently, she accepted the 72 yuan and walked slowly to her bedroom.
She recalled her childhood experiences with injections, as if reliving those moments all over again. She wrapped the 72 yuan in a handkerchief, tied a knot, and then tucked the handkerchief into her backpack.
The night sky was vast, the evening breeze gentle, and the faint moonlight streamed through the glass window, yet it was completely overshadowed by the bright indoor lights.
Lin Zhixia held her rice bowl, sitting quietly at a round table as she ate her dinner.
On TV, "Big Pinwheel" was playing, and tonight's episode featured the animated version of "Journey to the West." Sun Wukong, gripping his Golden-Hooped Rod, leaped into the air and swung it down with a mighty blow, shattering the White Bone Spirit into dust—how impressive!
Lin Zeqiu cheered, "Well done!"
He turned to his sister, "Lin Zhixia, what's wrong with you? You look so listless while eating."
Mom placed a chicken wing in Lin Zhixia's bowl, "Xia Xia, what are you thinking about?"
Lin Zhixia nibbled on the chicken wing but didn't respond.
Tonight's chicken wings were braised to perfection by Mom—tender, fragrant, and cooked just right. As she ate, Lin Zhixia pondered how many more good days like this she could enjoy before getting her Hepatitis B vaccine.
Her sister's unusual behavior caught Lin Zeqiu's attention.
Lin Zeqiu set down his bowl, leaned closer to Lin Zhixia's ear, and shouted, "Hey! Lin Zhixia!"
Lin Zhixia was scared out of her wits.
Mom scolded angrily, "Lin Zeqiu, what's wrong with you, frightening your sister like that! You're her brother—you should act like one!"
Lin Zeqiu buried his head in his rice bowl. After gulping down two mouthfuls, he muttered, "I noticed she's always spacing out..."
Lin Zhixia denied it firmly, "I'm not spacing out!" Clutching her chopsticks, she poked at the rice in her bowl, "I was just thinking about the vaccine."
"You're nine years old and still afraid of injections?" Her brother didn't hesitate to tease her mercilessly, "Girls are so delicate. When I was seven and got into a fight, my knee split open, and I didn't make a sound."
Lin Zhixia scoffed, "When you were seven, you wet the bed once."
She described the incident in detail, "Mom and Dad took us back to our hometown, and you were too scared to use the rural toilet. You were afraid there might be bugs in the outhouse. Boys are so brave... like how brave you were, panicking at the sight of a single bug."Lin Zeqiu, struck where it hurt, retorted fiercely, "Were you any better when you were seven? You were afraid of the dark, ghosts, and aliens abducting you. You constantly demanded Mom come to your bedroom to coax you to sleep. I've never met a girl more cowardly and timid than you!"
"So what!" Lin Zhixia's face flushed and paled alternately. "Mom likes me, Mom is willing to coax me! Brother always argues with me, so Mom definitely won't coax you!"
Lin Zeqiu slammed his bowl onto the table. "Do you think everyone is like you? I don't care for it!"
Lin Zhixia studied his expression. "No, I can tell you're envious of me."
Mom gently patted Lin Zhixia's shoulder. "Xia Xia, that's enough now. Eat quietly. The food is getting cold."
Then, Mom turned to warn her brother, "Lin Zeqiu, don't stir up trouble at the dinner table. Let your sister finish her meal. She's only nine this year, and you're three years older than her. Can't you give in to her a little? You have to compete with her over everything! Your sister is so young and thin—how can she grow properly if she doesn't eat well?"
Lin Zeqiu grunted gloomily in response.
The indoor light cast over him, his slightly messy short hair obscuring the emotions at his brows and eyes. He maintained restrained silence, eating without making a sound.
Lin Zhixia stared at his profile. After a moment, she secretly picked up the largest chicken wing and placed it in Lin Zeqiu's bowl, even drizzling some sauce over it with a spoon.
He started making sarcastic remarks again, "Who wants your chicken wing?"
Mom glared at him, and he dryly corrected himself, "It's... delicious."
After dinner, Lin Zeqiu washed dishes in the kitchen while Lin Zhixia read in her bedroom.
On Lin Zhixia's desk lay a book titled "Computer System Architecture." She had borrowed it from the provincial library—a newly published book from 2003 that was particularly popular and in high demand, with many people waiting in line for it.
Lin Zhixia had been waiting patiently, and finally, two days ago, it was her turn. The librarian had called the Lin household to notify her, and she went to the provincial library that very day to bring the book home.
Last night, she managed to read most of it, and by this morning, she had basically finished the entire book.
The book primarily described computer system architecture. Lin Zhixia had been delving deeply into this field recently. She longed to create PCB components herself, design circuits, operate FPGA electronic boards, and personally build a computer's CPU.
Her ideas were wonderful, but reality was unyielding. To achieve this goal, first, she needed money. Second, she should have a workspace. Neither of these was easy to accomplish at home.
For the time being, Lin Zhixia forgot about the Hepatitis B vaccine.
In the kitchen, Lin Zeqiu finished washing the last bowl and wiped the droplets of water with a clean towel. After tidying the cabinets and dish racks, he finally had time to complete today's homework.
Passing by Lin Zhixia's room, Lin Zeqiu saw her sitting dazedly at her desk, seemingly racking her brains over something important.
He lightly knocked on her door and called out, "Lin Zhixia."
Lin Zhixia answered irritably, "What do you want?"
Lin Zeqiu stepped into his sister's bedroom. "Are you still thinking about that vaccine?"The less he mentioned it, the better. But his words immediately stirred Lin Zhixia's worries.
"I don't care..." Lin Zhixia tried hard to convince herself, "I don't care at all."
Mid-sentence, she left her desk, found a stuffed toy penguin, and hugged it tightly against her chest.
Her entire face buried in the penguin's gray fur, reminding Lin Zeqiu of their mother's words—Your sister is only nine this year, can't you give in to her a little?
Yes.
Although Lin Zhixia had excellent memory, strong comprehension, and high intelligence, she was still only nine years old. She was still afraid of the dark, ghosts, aliens, strangers, and going to the hospital for shots.
Lin Zeqiu sat on a chair and said to her, "Hey, Lin Zhixia."
Lin Zhixia looked up at him: "Are you trying to scare me again?"
"Why do you always think so poorly of me?" Lin Zeqiu said impatiently. "Listen, when you get a shot, don't stare at the needle like a dumb goose. Can't you just close your eyes?"
Lin Zeqiu recalled the past: "Two years ago, when you were seven, Mom and Dad took you to the hospital for a shot, and I was there too. The nurse held your hand, but you kept staring at the needle, crying and sniffling nonstop. Who gets a shot while staring so intently at the nurse?"
Lin Zhixia felt utterly wronged: "I..."
She couldn't form a complete sentence.
"Take deep breaths," Lin Zeqiu instructed her. "Before the shot, take deep breaths, close your eyes, and trust the nurse. It's over in less than a minute—is it worth worrying about until now? Don't waste your precious time on such meaningless things."
Lin Zhixia clutched the Little Penguin's wings: "Brother."
Her brother's tone was gentle, but his words were rough: "Spit it out."
Lin Zhixia asked him: "Brother, are you comforting me? Thank you, Brother! When you feel scared, I'll help you too. For example... next time you see a bug, I'll come and squash it for you."
Lin Zeqiu neither admitted nor denied it. He stood up and left Lin Zhixia's room.
"You're ignoring me again," Lin Zhixia accused.
Lin Zeqiu stood at her doorway and said, "Come on, I have homework. There's a math test and an English test to finish tonight. I'm not like you—I can't solve a problem in one second. Stay put, don't bother me, and don't pester me."
"I don't want to talk to you anyway," Lin Zhixia declared.
"That's great," Lin Zeqiu replied. "I have nothing to say to you either."
With that, Lin Zeqiu walked back to his own bedroom. He turned on the desk lamp, dumped his homework out of his backpack, and arranged the books one by one on the desk.
The desk lamp cast a soft yellow glow, creating a warm atmosphere.
Lin Zeqiu pulled open the curtains. The night blurred the lights of countless households, and a few lonely stars were faintly visible in the night sky. He dragged out a chair, sat down casually, picked up a black pen, and focused on his math homework.
Today's math homework was a test paper.
Lin Zeqiu spent forty minutes working on it until he reached the last problem, where his thoughts suddenly hit a roadblock.
The last problem was an extra credit question, very flexible in style. Lin Zeqiu suspected it went beyond the middle school math curriculum.
He racked his brains for twenty minutes before remembering he still had English homework to complete. If he spent too much time on math, he would have to stay up very late tonight.But he was the class math representative.
Early tomorrow morning, the homeroom teacher, who was also their math teacher, would have the students exchange test papers to grade each other's scores. The teacher would explain the solutions while going over the correct answers.
Giving up on the bonus question was an option. However, Lin Zeqiu's pride as the math representative would suffer.
He let out a soft sigh.
From outside the bedroom door, Lin Zhixia's voice drifted in: "Brother."
Lin Zeqiu whipped his head around: "What are you doing?"
Lin Zhixia pattered into his room: "Twenty minutes ago, I came out to get water and saw you spacing out. Twenty minutes later, you're still spacing out... Why, Brother?"
"No reason," Lin Zeqiu covered his test paper, "Stop talking nonsense and mind your own business."
Lin Zhixia brought over a chair and placed it beside his seat. She unceremoniously sat down at the desk, trying to peek at Lin Zeqiu's math test paper.
Lin Zeqiu was adamant, refusing to let go even if it killed him. Lin Zhixia pried his fingers apart and read the question through the gaps between them.
Without even seeing the complete problem statement, she had already guessed the examiner's intention.
She earnestly reminded him: "This problem can be proven using mathematical induction. After all, middle school math isn't that difficult - induction should be sufficient. You need to transform this proposition into... for every element in the positive integer set n from the problem, there exists a corresponding ordered real number array a. When n is less than 2, the condition obviously holds. When n is greater than or equal to 2, the newly added array data c should be..."
Lin Zhixia wrote out a simple and understandable equation.
Lin Zeqiu grasped the flash of inspiration that appeared in his mind. Under his younger sister's guidance, he spent four minutes and successfully completed this bonus problem.
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