What kind of twelfth birthday gift?
Jiang Yubai guessed, "Handicrafts."
Lin Zhixia nodded, "Jiang Yubai is so smart!"
She pulled an iron box from her backpack, which as usual had a red satin ribbon and a strawberry greeting card attached. Inside the box was a stack of wooden bookmarks she had made herself. On the front of each bookmark, she had drawn illustrations, while on the back she had written an original poem. Each poem began with "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yubai" and was signed "Lin Lin Lin Lin Zhixia."
Jiang Yubai counted the bookmarks—there were 31 in total.
The raw material for this batch of bookmarks was a thin mahogany board. With her Dad's help, Lin Zhixia had cut the board into 31 pieces, then painted, colored, inscribed, polished, and waxed them using lacquer painting techniques. Finally, she drilled a hole at the top of each and tied a beautiful tassel.
Lin Zhixia explained to Jiang Yubai, "Each bookmark has a number in the lower right corner, starting from 1 and ending at 31. Since there are at most 31 days in a month, these bookmarks can accompany you through every day of each month."
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia locked eyes for two seconds before he said, "Thank you."
Lin Zhixia bounced on the spot, "You're welcome."
Jiang Yubai unzipped his backpack, placed the iron box inside, and pulled out a plush toy puppy. He introduced it, "A Swiss Mountain Dog."
Lin Zhixia remembered that Jiang Yubai had told her he was going to Switzerland for vacation this summer. Every time he traveled, he brought back a locally themed gift. This time, he had chosen a plush toy of a Swiss Mountain Dog.
Lin Zhixia accepted the plush puppy with both hands, "I know, this breed is a specialty mountain dog from Switzerland... essentially, it's a local mixed-breed dog there, just like our native Chinese pastoral dogs."
Jiang Yubai asked her, "Do you like mixed-breed dogs?"
"Yes!" Lin Zhixia laughed, "I absolutely love them."
Just as Lin Zeqiu walked up behind his sister, he happened to hear her say: "I love them, absolutely love them."
Lin Zeqiu immediately sensed trouble.
He placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, "What are you talking about, Lin Zhixia?"
Lin Zhixia looked up at him, "Mixed-breed dogs."
Lin Zeqiu could hardly believe that his sister would dare to call him a "mixed-breed dog" in public.
Blood rushed to his head, making his face pale then flushed. Suppressing his rising anger, he said coldly, "I'm your full-blooded brother. If I'm a mixed-breed dog, then so are you."
Lin Zhixia looked confused, but Jiang Yubai stepped in to defend her, "Lin Zhixia and I were discussing Swiss Mountain Dogs. The Swiss Mountain Dog is a mixed-breed dog in Switzerland. You asked what she was talking about, and she simply answered your question. She didn't mean to insult you. Calm down."
Lin Zeqiu positioned himself directly in front of Lin Zhixia, standing extremely close to Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai didn't retreat a single step. He met Lin Zeqiu's scrutiny head-on and added, "You're Lin Zhixia's brother. You shouldn't lose your temper with her so easily."
"You're overstepping," Lin Zeqiu remarked.
Jiang Yubai formally introduced himself, "I am Lin Zhixia's best friend."
"That's right!" Lin Zhixia confirmed, "Brother, Jiang Yubai is my best friend."
As if to prove her point, Lin Zhixia darted over and hid behind Jiang Yubai.Lin Zeqiu's breath caught in his lungs. At the same time, he sensed something unusual—Jiang Yubai was protecting Lin Zhixia like a guardian. When speaking with her, he maintained proper boundaries and was polite, making him indeed easier to get along with than Lin Zeqiu.
Lin Zeqiu stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and walked toward the high school building without looking back.
Lin Zhixia called out, "Brother!"
He replied loudly, "Come with me!"
But Lin Zhixia said, "I need to go to the junior third-grade teaching building!"
On the first day of school, the campus was bustling with crowds of people coming and going. The autumn sky was vast and high, with white clouds stretching to the horizon. Lin Zhixia looked up and watched her brother gradually disappear into the distance.
She felt a bit puzzled. Her brother had always strongly opposed her interactions with Jiang Yubai, so why hadn't he seized the opportunity today to lecture her with a fresh round of ideological education?
"He's gone," Jiang Yubai suddenly remarked.
Lin Zhixia turned her head. "Let's go to the classroom, Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai walked with her. The two crossed a gravel path shaded by trees and chatted about their summer experiences. As Lin Zhixia listened to Jiang Yubai's travel stories, she recalled their last museum trip that had been cut short. She found it quite a pity and couldn't help secretly wondering when she might have another chance to go out with him again.
The opportunity came soon enough.
A few days after school started, Teacher Zhang announced to the class that the junior third-grade Olympiad class would organize an autumn outing, with the location set at the city's largest amusement park... As soon as Teacher Zhang finished speaking, Class 3-17 erupted into loud cheers.
Duan Qiyan pounded the desk, howling with excitement.
Lin Zhixia followed suit, slapping her desk too. She was extremely excited because she had never been to an amusement park before. Whenever her parents took her out and asked where she wanted to go, her first choice was always the provincial library or the university district.
But now, she could visit the city's largest amusement park with all her classmates from Class 3-17!
What an exhilarating group activity this was!
Through relentless effort, Lin Zhixia had earned over ten thousand yuan in scholarships, most of which she handed over to her mom. She had secretly stashed away about a thousand yuan for her daily expenses.
For this autumn outing, Lin Zhixia decided to withdraw two hundred yuan from her little savings. She carried a small basket and went shopping in her family's supermarket, filling it with potato chips, oatmeal cookies, strawberry cake rolls, and Wangzai mini buns. Then, holding the basket, she walked to the checkout counter to pay her dad.
Dad asked, puzzled and surprised, "Xia Xia, what are you doing?"
"Buying things," Lin Zhixia replied somewhat shyly.
Dad folded his newspaper. "Take whatever you want, Xia Xia. Dad says it's okay."
Lin Zhixia shook her head. "I have money. I can pay for it."
She placed a one-hundred-yuan bill in front of her dad.
Dad frowned slightly, holding the newspaper upright. "Where did you get a hundred yuan?"
"I secretly kept a little from my Romania Masters competition scholarship," Lin Zhixia confessed.
Dad took a sharp breath. "Don't let your mom know."
"Mm-hmm, Dad, don't tell Mom," Lin Zhixia nodded. "I'm saving up because I don't want to keep asking Mom for money all the time."Dad had almost no demands for Lin Zhixia. In his eyes, his daughter hiding money from her parents was just another display of her intelligence. His daughter was incomparably smart, unmatched by anyone—what was wrong with saving up a hundred yuan or so? He agreed to keep Lin Zhixia's secret.
Dad even praised Lin Zhixia, saying she was adorable, kind, wise beyond her years, and thoughtful toward her parents. She was his little angel, and he couldn't possibly take his little angel's money.
Lin Zhixia was overjoyed by her dad's praise and didn't insist on paying. She carried the snacks home.
The next morning, Lin Zhixia slung a backpack full of snacks over her shoulders and hurried excitedly to school. Two buses from Provincial No. 1 High School transported all the students from the junior year Olympiad class to the provincial amusement park. On this sunny Thursday morning, with the teachers' permission, the Olympiad class students were allowed to roam freely in the amusement park.
Teacher Zhang raised a megaphone and announced loudly, "All students from classes 17 and 18, listen up! You are not allowed to leave the amusement park—do you hear me? No leaving the amusement park! If anyone has a problem or feels unwell, come find a teacher immediately—either me or Teacher Wang! This autumn outing is for you to relax, but you must remember: your safety is the most important thing. Don't go to sparsely populated areas!"
The Olympiad class students responded in unison.
As soon as Teacher Zhang said "dismissed," over seventy students scattered in all directions.
Lin Zhixia tugged on Jiang Yubai's backpack strap: "Let's go ride the roller coaster, Jiang Yubai!"
Shen Fuxuan, following behind Jiang Yubai, chimed in: "The roller coaster is fun! Let's do that first, then the drop tower!"
Jiang Yubai glanced back at Shen Fuxuan. In Jiang Yubai's memory, Shen Fuxuan wasn't particularly physically fit—after every thousand-meter run during PE tests, Shen Fuxuan would collapse limply on the ground like a flat pancake.
Given that, why did Shen Fuxuan dare to ride the roller coaster and even the drop tower?
Jiang Yubai lifted his head and gazed at the roller coaster in the distance.
It was filled with adult passengers. They were screaming at the top of their lungs, their faces etched with fear and panic. This made Jiang Yubai involuntarily ponder: if he were to show even a hint of nervousness during the ride, with his hair blown into disarray by the fierce wind, his image in Lin Zhixia's eyes... might suffer a significant blow. He absolutely could not allow that to happen.
So, he declined: "I'm not riding the roller coaster."
A concise and firm refusal, encapsulating his numerous considerations.
But Duan Qiyan ran over like a mad dog, enthusiastically calling out, "Hey, you guys, come ride the roller coaster with me?"
Two years of junior high life had tempered Duan Qiyan, making him completely forget his former title as "the primary school's First God of War." He was no longer that aloof, unique, and self-reliant First God of War; he had thoroughly integrated into the group. Nowadays, he even needed companions for trips to the boys' restroom between classes, let alone for riding a roller coaster.
He wrapped an arm around Jiang Yubai's shoulder expectantly: "Jiang Yubai, let's go together, shall we?"Jiang Yubai was about to flatly refuse when he saw Lin Zhixia and Shen Fuxuan had already bought their tickets and were heading toward the roller coaster entrance. His competitive spirit instantly ignited, blazing like a wildfire. Unwilling to fall behind, he changed his attitude and said, "Sure."
Duan Qiyan asked again, "Hey, Jiang Yubai, are you scared of riding roller coasters?"
Jiang Yubai scoffed, "I wish I could ride one every day."
"Let's go!" Duan Qiyan shouted excitedly.
Jiang Yubai caught up to Lin Zhixia's train. Before lining up to check tickets, he asked her, "Are you afraid of heights?"
Lin Zhixia shook her head. Then, she asked him in return, "Guess, when riding a roller coaster, is the front row more thrilling or the back row?"
Jiang Yubai answered without hesitation, "The front row."
Lin Zhixia pointed to the back seats, "I read an article where simulation results showed that the back row is more thrilling than the front, mainly at the highest point and during the descent. The vertical acceleration in the back row provides a greater thrill, while the front row feels more uncomfortable during the ascent...[1]... Jiang Yubai, let's sit in the first row!"
Each row had only two seats.
Jiang Yubai agreed. He slowly settled into his seat, fastened the safety harness, and locked the safety buckle. Shen Fuxuan and Duan Qiyan sat right behind him. Before the roller coaster started, Duan Qiyan asked, "Will you guys scream?"
Lin Zhixia answered honestly, "I've never ridden one before, so I really want to try. I don't know if I'll scream or not."
As soon as Lin Zhixia finished speaking, the roller coaster started. They slowly climbed along the track, rising higher and higher until they reached the peak, then suddenly plunged downward. The intense weightlessness from the rapid speed made Jiang Yubai feel as if he were traveling through the Universe. He heard Shen Fuxuan's heart-wrenching screams, and even Duan Qiyan was saying, "I don't want to do this anymore, let me off, where are the staff..."
Jiang Yubai turned his head to look at Lin Zhixia. She had her eyes closed, gritted her teeth, and was curled up in her seat. She regretted it just as much as Duan Qiyan, but she didn't voice her thoughts like he did.
Strong wind rushed into Jiang Yubai's collar, tousling his hair. He shouted, "Don't be afraid!"
Lin Zhixia opened her eyes as the air whipped past her ears and replied, "Jiang Yubai! Are you talking to me?"
As the roller coaster slowly climbed toward another peak, Jiang Yubai tried his best to encourage her, "Lin Zhixia, don't be afraid, you're experiencing vertical acceleration..."
"I'm not afraid!" Lin Zhixia tried hard to convince herself, "I'm not afraid at all!"
Finally, after enduring until the last moment, the roller coaster returned to the starting point. A gentle breeze brushed Lin Zhixia's cheeks. Her face was pale, her legs weak, and she stepped out of her seat unsteadily. When she descended the steps, Jiang Yubai reached out to support her. He looked completely unfazed. Lin Zhixia's heart swelled with admiration.
Duan Qiyan, having recovered, stood near a bench stretching his limbs.
Lin Zhixia looked around and asked, "I see the amusement park's little shop. Do any of you want something to drink?"
"I'll go buy drinks," Jiang Yubai suggested, "You sit here, I'll be back soon."
With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed toward the shop.Two girls from Class Eighteen ran up to him, falling into step beside him as they walked. He glanced sideways at them. He had some impression of his Class Eighteen classmates, but he wasn't familiar with them. He didn't quite understand why these two female classmates were following him—probably not to rob him, he thought. In broad daylight, and as fellow students from the Olympiad class, they wouldn't resort to robbery.
Just as Jiang Yubai was speculating about their motives, one of the girls from Class Eighteen suddenly urged, "Lu Wei, hurry up and take out the letter..."
The other girl, her face flushed crimson with a mixture of shyness and nervousness, handed Jiang Yubai a pink envelope.
Jiang Yubai opened the envelope right in front of them, then froze in place. He saw the letter read: Jiang Yubai from Class Seventeen, I'm Lu Wei from Class Eighteen. Let's be friends. What's your phone number?
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