Lin Zhixia's favorite place of entertainment in her life was the library.
She held a profound interest in every academic discipline. She once fantasized about living in a library, spending her days from dawn till dusk in the company of countless books.
Having lived in the provincial capital for many years, Jiang Yubai had never visited the provincial library.
On the first weekend of summer vacation, Jiang Yubai ventured into this unfamiliar territory. Standing directly in front of the provincial library building, he glanced down at his watch. When he looked up again, he heard Lin Zhixia's voice: "Jiang-Jiang-Jiang-Jiang Yubai, I'm here!"
He responded: "Good morning, Lin-Lin-Lin-Lin Zhixia."
The provincial library building stood six stories high, its interior housing a vast collection of books. Lin Zhixia clearly remembered where each category of books was located on which floor. She led Jiang Yubai up the stairs, weaving through row after row of bookshelves, effortlessly navigating to the "Chinese and World History Section."
Jiang Yubai casually picked up a book titled "Tang Dynasty Finance" from the shelf. He knew nothing about the Tang Dynasty's financial systems, and this book happened to touch upon his knowledge gap.
He told Lin Zhixia: "I plan to read 'Tang Dynasty Finance' today."
Lin Zhixia's gaze swept across the neatly arranged books: "Alright, I'd like to read about the cultural traditions and folk customs of the Sui and Tang periods as well."
All the bookshelves were made of cold-rolled steel, cool to the touch. Lin Zhixia rested her left hand on one steel shelf, stood on her tiptoes, and reached with her right hand for "Chinese Political History from the 6th to 9th Centuries" on the top shelf. Her fingertips brushed against the book's spine, just short of pulling it out completely.
Seeing her struggle, Jiang Yubai naturally came to her aid. Using his height advantage, his fingers reached over the back of her hand and easily retrieved "Chinese Political History from the 6th to 9th Centuries," which he then handed to her.
Lin Zhixia first said: "Thank you." Then, she directed him to fetch another book from the high shelf, "Daily Life in the Tang Dynasty: Clothing, Food, Housing, and Transportation," and led him to a nearby study room—a small, well-lit space containing only one table and two chairs, perfectly suited for the two of them to study together.
Lin Zhixia entered the room in high spirits, closed the door firmly, and placed both books on the table. She and Jiang Yubai sat facing each other, quietly opening their chosen books.
The early morning sunlight turned pale gold, gently falling across the pages. Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai read attentively, neither speaking a word.
From his book, Jiang Yubai learned about the Tang Dynasty's taxation and corvée system. The so-called "taxation and corvée" referred to taxes and forced labor. Unconsciously, he put himself in the shoes of the common people. Seeing the tax rates described in the book, Jiang Yubai slightly furrowed his brow—according to the text, if he were a poor commoner, he could have lived a peaceful life during the early and middle Tang periods. But by the late Tang era, he would inevitably be stripped bare by exploitation in the turbulent times, unable to buy salt for daily meals or iron knives for cooking.
Noticing his serious expression, Lin Zhixia couldn't help asking: "Jiang Yubai, do you like cookies?"
Lin Zhixia took out a lunch box from her backpack, filled with honey milk cookies. She opened the lid and generously shared the snacks with Jiang Yubai.She said, "Dad bought a new oven, and Mom made me some honey milk cookies... they were freshly baked this morning and especially delicious. Jiang Yubai, would you like to try one?"
Unable to decline Lin Zhixia's warm offer, Jiang Yubai did not refuse. He picked up a cookie, took a bite, and chewed slowly and silently—throughout the process, Lin Zhixia stared fixedly at him without blinking, making him almost too self-conscious to swallow the food in his mouth.
"How does it taste?" Lin Zhixia asked directly.
Jiang Yubai took a sip of water to moisten his throat and replied reservedly, "Not bad."
Lin Zhixia propped her cheek on one hand. "Jiang Yubai, the way you eat is quite unusual."
Jiang Yubai leaned back in his chair. "When you say 'unusual,' you mean..."
"You're different from all the classmates I know," Lin Zhixia said truthfully.
Jiang Yubai recalled Lin Zhixia's previous assessments of him. She had said more than once that he was the one and only Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zhixia was deeply grateful to Jiang Yubai. Whenever she hesitated or shrank back, he gave her endless courage and encouragement. In turn, Jiang Yubai received all kinds of praise from Lin Zhixia. As long as Lin Zhixia sat beside him in Class 17, he generally maintained a fairly good mood.
During elementary school, Jiang Yubai spent every day thinking about how to defeat Lin Zhixia. Later, he faced reality. He came to a profound realization—there was absolutely no way he could surpass Lin Zhixia academically, even if he hired a hundred private tutors. As Lin Zhixia's friend, he genuinely celebrated every one of her achievements.
He couldn't help but say, "Compared to me, you are even more extraordinary."
He lowered his head to read but continued describing, "Captain Lin Zhixia's radiance illuminates many dark planets."
Lin Zhixia's eyes lit up. Happily, she chanted, "Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai responded calmly, "I'm here."
Lin Zhixia called him again, "Jiang Yubai?"
Jiang Yubai met her gaze. She called out three times in a row: "Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai." It was as if his name were a precious gift, and she had to repeatedly emphasize its importance.
Jiang Yubai stopped her, "No need to repeat it. I heard you."
Lin Zhixia straightened up. "Don't find me noisy. I'm calling your name a few more times now to remember your reaction. When you go to Beijing, I'll retrieve these memories... and recall them once every day, as if I see you every day."
Jiang Yubai suddenly felt a twinge of regret. His earlier demeanor had been too reserved and restrained. He should have responded to Lin Zhixia with a bright smile, leaving her with a positive and optimistic impression.
So he said, "Call me one more time."
Lin Zhixia shook her head. "No."
Rejected by her, Jiang Yubai wasn't discouraged. He proactively called out her nickname, "Xia Xia."
Lin Zhixia froze for a few seconds.
Jiang Yubai mimicked her earlier behavior, repeating incessantly, "Xia Xia, Xia Xia, Xia Xia."
For some reason, Lin Zhixia suddenly felt nervous. Why was she nervous? Her heartbeat was slightly faster than usual. She picked up a honey milk cookie, eating it while thinking that perhaps it was because she had just read about the dietary culture of ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty, which stirred a longing in her heart—a longing for the various delicacies of that era, thus accelerating her heartbeat.
She nodded, quite satisfied with her own explanation.Then, she said, "You're the first person besides my family to call me by my nickname continuously."
Jiang Yubai calmly accepted this honor.
At that moment, Lin Zhixia stood up and dragged her chair closer to Jiang Yubai. She sat side by side with him, just like when they shared a desk in Class 17 of ninth grade. Her history book pressed tightly against his volumes, and he could glimpse the contents of her book just by turning his head.
Lin Zhixia became immersed in it. Soon, she flipped to the hairpins and jewelry of Tang Dynasty women, marveling at the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans. Her gaze swept over the illustrations in the book like a scanner, not missing a single detail.
Lin Zhixia sighed, "The Tang Dynasty gold buyao hairpins are so delicate, and the court ladies' hairstyles are quite distinctive." Then she added, "When we performed the play in eighth grade, I wore hairpins too. But my costume wasn't retro enough - it didn't fully capture the characteristics of the Qing Dynasty."
Jiang Yubai remembered the first semester of eighth grade, when their entire class worked together to rehearse a play called "Transformation."
In the play, Lin Zhixia portrayed a wealthy young lady from the late Qing Dynasty, while Jiang Yubai played a male student from a modern school. His character advised Lin Zhixia to return home early to fulfill traditional women's duties, warning her not to aspire to compete with men in the academic world. Then, according to the script, Lin Zhixia scattered her manuscripts across the floor, pulled out her hairpin and threw it to the ground, finally shouting: "Though born a woman, I harbor swan's ambitions, steadily soaring ten thousand miles on the wind."
"Though born a woman, I harbor swan's ambitions, steadily soaring ten thousand miles on the wind."
Jiang Yubai was deeply impressed by this line. The first seven characters - "Though born a woman, I harbor swan's ambitions" - were Lin Zhixia's improvisation, while "steadily soaring ten thousand miles on the wind" came from a poem by Song Dynasty scholar Yao Mian.
Jiang Yubai believed Lin Zhixia's line held certain commemorative significance.
Lin Zhixia's birthday was on September 24th. Since Jiang Yubai had to leave for Beijing at the end of August, he could only prepare a birthday gift for her in advance.
Throughout the summer vacation, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia frequently met at the provincial library.
Initially, they often read books about history, politics, and finance together. Later, when the high school entrance exam results were released, Lin Zhixia unsurprisingly became the top scorer in the city. When Jiang Yubai congratulated her on achieving such a high score, Lin Zhixia remarkably said with casual ease that she had been distracted while writing the Chinese essay and hadn't performed at her best.
From that day on, Jiang Yubai abandoned his leisure reading of history, politics, and finance.
Jiang Yubai began preparing for A-levels and IELTS.
"A-levels" are the British university entrance exams. Jiang Yubai spent a month previewing some high school mathematics content in advance. As for "IELTS," it refers to the International English Language Testing System, specifically divided into four components: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Since Jiang Yubai wanted to study undergraduate at Cambridge University, he naturally needed to achieve excellent scores.
Right there in that study room, Lin Zhixia seriously began practicing English speaking with Jiang Yubai. Lin Zhixia played the role of the IELTS speaking examiner, while Jiang Yubai was the student she was interviewing.
Lin Zhixia found past IELTS exam questions, selected several, and had Jiang Yubai answer them - soon, she discovered the delight of this game.She demanded Jiang Yubai answer the following questions in English: "One: Describe your best friend. Two: The most touching thing you've encountered at school. Three: The most beautiful gift you've received from a friend. Four: Your experience dining with your best friend..."
Jiang Yubai questioned her in Chinese: "Are you abusing your power for personal gain?"
Lin Zhixia's eyes were clear and innocent: "Not at all. I'm helping you review for the IELTS exam. I'm your speaking test examiner, Miss Lin. Please call me sslin."
Jiang Yubai refused to cooperate.
Lin Zhixia said meticulously: "youshouldalwaysfollowtherulesieltstest."
Lin Zhixia reminded him to follow the IELTS exam rules. She was still eagerly waiting for his answers. Having no other choice, Jiang Yubai could only elaborate on all the topics she had just listed.
He spoke English for about ten minutes like a chatterbox. Throughout this time, Lin Zhixia never interrupted him. She listened to every word he said, her gaze fixed intently on him.
When he stopped, she said delightedly: "Hahahahaha, Jiang Yubai, I've memorized every word you said."
"I know," Jiang Yubai nodded, "you won't forget me."
Lin Zhixia tilted her head: "Of course not."
This day was August 29, 2008, also the day of their temporary separation. Early tomorrow morning, Jiang Yubai would take a flight to Beijing, while Lin Zhixia would remain in the provincial capital.
The wall clock showed it was 3:40 PM - they only had twenty minutes left together. At 4:00 PM, Jiang Yubai's family driver would come to pick him up.
Jiang Yubai took out a wooden box and handed it to Lin Zhixia. He said: "Happy thirteenth birthday, Lin Zhixia."
The box was carved with four characters: "Lofty Aspirations." When Lin Zhixia lifted the lid, she saw an exquisitely crafted buyao hairpin. This antique-style hair accessory revealed its dazzling beauty under the light.
Lin Zhixia immediately became as happy as a Tang dynasty maiden: "Wow, I never expected you'd give me something like this. I really like it, thank you, Jiang Yubai."
After speaking, she took out a glass jar from her schoolbag. Spreading her fingers, she held the jar and gently pushed it toward Jiang Yubai: "This contains three hundred sixty-five paper cranes, all folded by my own hands. Each paper crane has a poem written on it. If you unfold one paper crane each day, it's like receiving a poem written just for you every day. By the time you've unfolded all the paper cranes, I'll be going to Beijing for university."
Jiang Yubai solemnly accepted her gift: "I'll keep it in the same place as the bookmark."
"Okay," Lin Zhixia said with a smile, "Happy thirteenth birthday, Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai returned her smile.
Soon after, Jiang Yubai's driver called to urge him to come downstairs. After gathering his things, he walked out of the provincial library building with Lin Zhixia. The afternoon sun was still bright, casting golden rays that outlined him with a golden edge. He stood sideways in front of a car, hesitating for a full minute without getting in, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Lin Zhixia.Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai stood about a meter apart. Facing the sun, she cast a long, slanting shadow behind her. With laughter sparkling in her eyes, she said to him energetically, "Jiang Yubai, you must bravely move forward. I will too—I'll also keep advancing. Let's cheer each other on!"
Jiang Yubai couldn't detect even a trace of sorrow on her face. He thought to himself, she truly was an optimistic and cheerful girl. Reassured, he bid her farewell: "I'm leaving for now. Keep it up, Lin Zhixia."
He stepped into the car and closed the door firmly.
Throughout the four years from elementary to middle school, whenever Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai parted, her favorite words to him were: "See you tomorrow!"
And he would always respond in kind.
But this time, his tomorrow lay somewhere far away.
Tears welled up in Lin Zhixia's eyes, yet she still believed she wouldn't cry. Until drop by drop, they began to fall, forcing her to struggle to keep her voice steady: "Alright, goodbye!"
Jiang Yubai also said, "Goodbye."
As the car slowly moved forward, Jiang Yubai turned back to look for Lin Zhixia. She remained motionless in place, and as the vehicle picked up speed, she gradually became obscured by the roadside trees.
Jiang Yubai didn't possess Lin Zhixia's memory, but he would forever remember the summer shade and street scenes from that year.
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