"Aunt Xuan, should we turn off the water heater?" Chen Bing asked as she dried her hair as she came out of the bathroom.

"No need, no need, you can just leave it there." After saying this to Chen Bing from a distance, Yun Xuan lowered her head and gently patted her daughter's head, saying to her tenderly, "Why don't you go take a hot bath too?"

Shang Yunmiao agreed and ran to her bedroom to find some clothes to change into. Although she still needed her mother's help to take a bath, she could easily find her own clothes, something she was about to do as a primary school student.

After Shang Yunmiao left, Yunxuan smiled and waved to Chen Bing, then led him aside to blow-dry his hair. Boys usually don't blow-dry their hair after showering at home, though some mothers aren't fully aware of this.

Like Yunxuan, who always blow-dries her daughter's hair after bathing her, she naturally applied this experience to Chen Bing.

Not wanting to offend anyone, Chen Bing remained silent and obediently waited for Yun Xuan to finish drying her hair, and then sincerely thanked her afterward.

After finishing all that, Shang Yunmiao came out of the bedroom. Holding her clothes, she stood obediently beside her mother, waiting for her to take her to take a bath.

After putting down the hairdryer, Yunxuan first went to the kitchen to serve Chen Bing a bowl of sweet ginger water and then handed him the TV remote control from the coffee table before leading her daughter into the bathroom.

Watching the mother and daughter walk away, Chen Bing felt slightly dazed.

Memories of his past life intertwined with the present scene, giving him a very unreal feeling.

He never imagined that one day he would be sitting on Yunxuan's sofa, drinking ginger water that his teacher had made for him, while watching her take her daughter into the bathroom.

Such a lifelike scene actually feels somewhat... well... how should I put it, a bit out of place?

Chen Bing shook her head, banishing the strange thoughts from her mind, and then lowered her head to gently sip the ginger water in her bowl.

It's delicious, with a sweet taste and a subtle turmeric-like spiciness. The tea rolls down my esophagus and into my stomach, bringing a feeling of warmth and comfort.

At the same time, this familiar smell also evoked memories related to Chen Bing.

With this scent in mind, Chen Bing recalled a day when she was the class representative for Chinese in her third year of junior high school.

...

"Achoo!" During the third period in the afternoon, Chen Bing sneezed slightly.

"You have a cold?" My deskmate put down the ancient poem he was reading and turned his head to ask in a low voice.

Chen Bing nodded, then reached into her pocket to grab a tissue to blow her nose. However, her pocket, which had been full of tissues all day, was now completely empty.

Do you have any toilet paper? Can I borrow two sheets?

Chen Bing nudged the arm of the person next to her, wanting to ask him for two bills.

"These are the only two I have left. They're the ones I had left over from pooping. If you don't mind, you can take them."

Chen Bing silently withdrew her hand, preparing to use water to wipe it off in the restroom after class.

Just as he was thinking this, Ms. Yunxuan, the teacher on the podium, walked over to Chen Bing while everyone was reading ancient poems.

"After class, come with me to the office to count a set of papers," Yunxuan said to Chen Bing in a low voice, leaning slightly forward.

Chen Bing rarely did this kind of work because Teacher Yunxuan was always quite diligent. Usually, if there were any printed test papers or materials, she would count them in advance and then bring them over during class. If the timing wasn't quite right, she would still make a special trip during the break between classes.

Being her class representative is a very easy job; basically, all I do is collect and deliver homework.

At the time, Chen Bing was suffering from a cold and didn't think much about it; she just nodded subconsciously in agreement.

After the bell rang, he got up and followed Yunxuan out of the classroom.

"Do you have a cold?" Yunxuan suddenly asked Chen Bing with a smile on the way.

"A little," Chen Bing sniffed and replied in a rather deep voice.

After listening, Yunxuan didn't say anything, she just nodded and turned her head back.

After entering the office, Chen Bing hadn't even seen where the test papers were before Yun Xuan beckoned her to the desk.

She first took out a paper cup from the drawer, and then opened her thermos and poured some pale yellow tea.

"Here, this is ginger water I made at home. It's easy to catch a cold this time of year, so drink more of it and go back after class."

Chen Bing took the paper cup in a daze, and then saw Yun Xuan take out a roll of toilet paper from the drawer.

"Are you out of toilet paper? I saw you looked uncomfortable during class, here, take this."

After taking the toilet paper again, Chen Bing sat down in a daze and took a sip of the ginger water in the paper cup.

It was sweet, with a subtle turmeric-like spiciness. It wasn't particularly delicious, but as the tea rolled down my throat, it brought a warm feeling, just like the warmth Chen Bing felt in her heart at that moment.

...

As Chen Bing reminisced about his junior high school days, he sipped the ginger water in his hand until the sound of pattering rain outside the window brought his attention back from the flow of time.

I got up and went to the window. Through the window, I could see that dark clouds had rolled in again, covering the area. Heavy rain, accompanied by lightning, raged across the sky.

The room darkened as the dark clouds returned. Chen Bing first went back to the living room to turn on the lights before returning to the window to continue watching.

I just finished a hot shower and am comfortably staying indoors. Outside, a fierce storm is raging. It's afternoon, and I don't have anything urgent to do these next couple of days...

All of this combined brought Chen Bing a feeling that could be summed up in two words—comfort and ease.

"It's such a beautiful time of year. If only I could bring the copy of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' that I'm currently reading at home." Thinking this, Chen Bing suddenly realized that Yun Xuan was her Chinese teacher. She must have that book, right?

Thinking of this, Chen Bing got up and went to the bathroom door. She was about to ask a question when she suddenly felt embarrassed.

No, the mother and daughter are taking a bath inside. What are you trying to do, Chen Bing?

After leaving the door dejectedly, Chen Bing plopped down on the sofa, intending to watch some TV to pass the time. Just then, he suddenly noticed a hardcover copy of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Yes, I didn't mistype; it's *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. Otherwise, did you think it was just a coincidence that it was *Dream of the Red Chamber*?

One Hundred Years of Solitude is also fine; it's on my list of "100 Must-Read Literary Masterpieces in the Next Ten Years."