Chapter 1 Li Leshan Pro Max 512G

"For the youth, the three alleys, and the iron tower."

—

Jiang Yueming and Li Leshan have known each other for ten years.

Sometimes he felt that these ten years felt like a lifetime.

Jiang Yueming was born in 1994. In 2005, Jiang Yueming was eleven years old. Eleven years old is already an age when people are running around and jumping. Jiang Yueming was famous throughout the Third Alley, not because he was too outstanding or too likable, but because he was too mischievous.

Today, whose child got into a fight with him again; tomorrow, whose child was bullied by him again; yesterday, I saw Jiang Yueming taking so-and-so's child to play at the reservoir...

Anyway, whenever a child in the alley cries, it's probably because Jiang Yueming has gotten into trouble again.

The key issue is that no one can take care of him. Jiang Yueming's parents passed away a long time ago, and now he is being cared for by his mother's younger sister, his aunt. His aunt's name is Lin Cuiqin, and you can tell from her name that she is a gentle woman. She moved from the south to the north specifically to take care of Jiang Yueming's family; she is a southern girl as gentle as water.

She couldn't control Jiang Yueming; she doted on her sister's only child. Furthermore, Jiang Yueming always called him "Cuicui" without any respect, yet Lin Cuiqin never got angry about it, which shows how high Jiang Yueming's status was in the family.

Because of this, the neighbors were particularly sensitive about the name Jiang Yueming. He had been a troublemaker since he was a child, and no one dared to let their child play with him, as they would live in constant fear of him causing trouble. However, even though every adult spoke of Jiang Yueming with gritted teeth, quite a few children still followed him around.

Because Jiang Yueming is a righteous and exceptionally capable person. Kids these days admire people like Jiang Yueming. For some reason, he was always half a head taller than his peers, and his height increased year by year.

At an age when he couldn't even reach the second shelf of the refrigerator, Jiang Yueming could already open the first shelf.

Shengping is very hot in the summer. The weather is hot and humid, making people feel suffocated. Jiang Yueming always runs out to play wearing a vest and shorts, with an ice pop in his mouth, completely ignoring Lin Cuiqin calling him to come home early for dinner.

Jiang Yueming waved her small hand and, looking particularly cool, shouted without turning her head, "I know, Cuicui!"

Lin Cuiqin could only lean against the door and laugh helplessly. A little girl popped her head out from behind her and called out "Cuicui" along with Jiang Yueming. Lin Cuiqin rubbed her head and said, "Don't be like your brother Yueming, that boy is naughty."

The cicadas in the sycamore trees were chirping as if in a competition, each one louder than the last. Jiang Yueming sat on a stone bench in front of the convenience store, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan while complaining about why Han Jiang hadn't come yet. They had agreed to go fishing in the river together. Who knew he'd run off somewhere to have fun again.

Han Jiang and his family lived on the same street, and they had been friends since kindergarten, which was quite a few years ago. Although they were still children, they already knew the meaning of brotherhood. Now, Jiang Yueming could only wait patiently for Han Jiang, who might stand him up.

"Han Jiang—" Jiang Yueming shouted from afar, but after seeing Han Jiang and the girl behind him, she raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased: "Why did you bring her here?!"

This "uninvited guest" was Xu Qing. She was the only person Jiang Yueming feared in the entire alley. Judging by her attire—a white dress, two braids—she seemed harmless, but don't be fooled by appearances. She was ruthless; he'd suffered countless mishaps at her hands during the years they were classmates.

Han Jiang chuckled, "Xu Qing said she'd like to hang out with us. Let's bring her along."

“We’re going down to the river, not to a dance class.” Jiang Yueming looked at Xu Qing’s outfit. “If her mother comes along and hits us with a broom, we won’t even have time to run away.”

If Xu Qing were to come along, going to the river would have to be canceled. Originally, he wanted to go to the river to catch loaches and tadpoles today, but now he could only sit on the stone bench and watch the old men play chess, watching a group of old men playing chess until they were completely engrossed in it.

"You're late today, so you have to buy me two popsicles." Jiang Yueming fanned himself with his hand because of the heat.

Where did the palm-leaf fan go? That bastard Han Jiang took it and used it to fan Xu Qing.

"Guess where Han Jiang's money went?" Xu Qing suddenly asked, smiling as she looked at Jiang Yueming.

Jiang Yueming felt uneasy at the man's smile. This little girl was a real smiling tiger. Where else could she have gone? She must have been used to buy you something.

"The stationery store near the school gate sells red bow hair clips for two yuan each. I bought two for Xu Qing," Han Jiang said with considerable pride.

Jiang Yueming listened from the side, exasperated, his brows furrowed deeply. Seeing his good friend's pathetic state, he rolled his eyes. Game cards at the stationery store near the school gate were two cents each; why didn't Han Jiang buy him two? Four yuan could buy 20 cards. Thinking about this made him even more uncomfortable.

"I knew it! That big red bow on your head looks like a pendant."

"What would it hurt if you said a few nice words?" Xu Qing said angrily, turning her face away.

Jiang Yueming sat on the stone bench, surrounded by the summer cicadas' chirping and Han Jiang's comforting voice. She thought to herself, "I really want to go fishing in the Lijiang River."

The Lijiang River is the largest river in the city. As for why it is called "Jiang" (江), there are many different explanations, none of which are accurate. Jiang Yueming just calls it whatever he likes. "Jiang" sounds more impressive than "He" (河), just like the name Hanjiang (韩江). Doesn't the name Hanjiang sound much better than Hanhe (韩河)?

At this moment, Han Jiang was only focused on comforting Xu Qing and was unaware that Jiang Yueming had changed his name in her mind.

"Hey Yueming, do you know Li Leshan?" Han Jiang asked.

“Who? Li…Leshan?” Jiang Yueming searched his mind for the name. “I don’t know Li Leshan, I only know Leshan Square.”

Leshan Square is the largest square in the vicinity. Cui Cui always takes him and his sister to the vegetable market in the center of the square to buy vegetables, which are cheaper than those in the supermarket.

"You don't know him?" Han Jiang wondered.

"Is he some famous person?" Jiang Yueming was even more puzzled than him. So this Leshan is that famous? Was he, Jiang Yueming, out of touch?

"That one, at the west end of the alley... the mute," Han Jiang said in a low voice.

"Oh..." Jiang Yueming knew as soon as he finished speaking.

Jiang Yueming didn't know the name Li Leshan. But she knew the name "mute" immediately.

In the third alley, the most famous kids were Jiang Yueming and Li Leshan. However, almost no one called him Li Leshan; they mostly called him "the mute." In a place like this, gossip spread like wildfire, several times faster than Yin Guiying yelling at people. Yin Guiying was his homeroom teacher. Although Jiang Yueming had never met her, he had heard of her.

"He can talk now?" Jiang Yueming didn't know why Han Jiang brought him up.

"No! It's just that I saw Wang Hao bullying him a while ago, Wang Hao..." Han Jiang said carefully, as if afraid of being overheard, "...that one."

"I know, how could I not know Wang Hao?" Jiang Yueming wasn't as careful as him; he would recognize Wang Hao even if he were ashes.

Jiang Yueming was just being a troublemaker, but he wasn't a bad person. Wang Hao, on the other hand, was a really wicked person. Taking advantage of his age and size, he had bullied many children in the alley, but they didn't dare tell their parents, otherwise they would be targeted even more.

However, Jiang Yueming was not afraid of him, and he did not do anything bad to Jiang Yueming, because he knew what kind of person Jiang Yueming was, that she would fight back, and that she could fight back. In other words, Wang Hao was the kind of person who would pick on the weak.

Perhaps it was Han Jiang's mention of this that left an impression on Jiang Yueming. Every time she walked home from school, Jiang Yueming became more cautious.

Wang Hao was a sixth-grade student, only a year older than Jiang Yueming. That guy with the perpetually crooked collar was notorious for extorting "protection money" and stealing snacks. Jiang Yueming sometimes thought he was incredibly childish, even more so than his little sister. He was such a grown man, yet he still resorted to bullying. Jiang Yueming looked down on Wang Hao, truly despising him, thinking that bullying the weak was a sign of weakness and a lack of ambition.

Anyway, because of Han Jiang's words, by some twist of fate, the name Li Leshan was etched into his mind. Until the moment he saw that face that always appeared on the school's honor roll match the name that had been deliberately scratched, Jiang Yueming froze on the spot.

So this Li Leshan is the one who's always been ranked first in his grade on the school's honor roll, and also first in Chinese, math, and English.

Furthermore, Jiang Yueming stared at Li Leshan's photo for a long time, wondering how he could be so handsome. Like the actor who played the young male lead in the martial arts films that the convenience store owner always loved to watch—sigh, even more handsome than that.

Boys at this age already understand what's handsome and what's not. Even though they all have noses, eyes, and mouths, they're still different. Take Wang Hao, with his shifty-eyed look, for example; he's not handsome at all, not even average—he's incredibly ugly. But this boy in front of me, with his expressionless face, although his features are still somewhat immature, is different from everyone else. In today's terms, his face would be like a high-spec Pro Max 512GB.

In short, Li Leshan's handsome face was imprinted in Jiang Yueming's mind. So, when this face actually appeared in front of Jiang Yueming, he was completely dumbfounded.

According to Han Jiang, did he hit his head on a speed bump, or something else? Jiang Yueming thought it was more exaggerated than that. If Han Jiang had taken a proper look at Li Leshan, he probably would have hit his head on a speed bump too.

That day, Jiang Yueming took a shortcut, passing through the narrow alley behind the teaching building filled with discarded desks and chairs, hurrying to the arcade at the end of the street to find Han Jiang. The alley was unusually quiet, with only the intermittent opening theme of the "News Broadcast" drifting from the distant residential compound and the pungent smell of stir-fried chili peppers.

Just as he was about to reach the end of the alley, he suddenly stopped.

It's Li Leshan.

He was wearing a faded blue and white school uniform, his back as thin as a sheet of paper. He was looking down, intently and meticulously tidying up the books and test papers scattered on the floor. The dusty footprints on the test papers were quite noticeable, as were the abrasions on Li Leshan's arms.

All of this was devoid of angry accusations or aggrieved sobs; instead, a heavy, silent forbearance permeated the sweltering air.

He had seen or experienced this scene before. An indescribable emotion surged to Jiang Yueming's throat, making his heart clench. He didn't know how long he had been standing there until Li Leshan seemed to notice, his tidying up paused slightly, but he didn't turn around.

Jiang Yueming took a deep breath, the pungent smell of chili and dust filling his nostrils. He took a few steps forward, his deliberately heavy footsteps standing out clearly in the quiet alley.

Finally, his shadow covered the messy ground in front of Li Leshan.

The squatting boy stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then slowly raised his head.

The last rays of the setting sun fell directly on his face, revealing a straight nose, tightly pursed lips, and a small mole on his left cheek. That face, which always appeared at the top of the school's honor roll and was maliciously scribbled on with a ballpoint pen, now carried a hint of barely perceptible vigilance and weariness, vividly present before my eyes.

"Which class are you in?" Jiang Yueming asked dryly.

Hearing the sound, Li Leshan looked up at Jiang Yueming, then lowered his head and continued to organize the test papers.

Not receiving a reply, Jiang Yueming asked again, "Are you in Class One?"

After all, given Li Leshan's incredibly impressive grades, he was most likely in the top class.

Li Leshan still didn't answer, but Jiang Yueming managed to catch a glimpse of his test paper. Fortunately, Li Leshan's handwriting was neat, and he could clearly see the name and class on it.

"Li Leshan," Jiang Yueming said, for the first time in her life she felt so compelled to care about someone, "wait for me after school tomorrow."

A note from the author:

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Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution and the bombs! >3<

Hello everyone! Today, July 15th, 2025, I'm officially starting a new story. It tells the story of two children, Li Leshan and Jiang Yueming, who accompany each other and grow up together. The story spans four stages: elementary school, middle school, high school, and adulthood.

A slow-burn, micro-group portrait, hoping to capture the slow pace of life in this fast-paced era. I hope all you ladies can be patient; let's take it slow together. [pat on the head]

Feel free to add this to your favorites, and please feel free to urge me to update! Most importantly, I welcome your interaction! Please don't let me build up my content too much, okay? [pleading emoji] I update super fast; I'm just happy if you come to read my posts. [pleading emoji]

My next book, "The Prime of Life," features a handsome, strong, and tragically rebellious protagonist (uke) and a slightly mischievous young master (seme). It's about dreams and love. Feel free to add it to your favorites if you're interested! [Let me check it out]