The breakfast delivery arrived quickly, but the cake, which had to be made to order, took about two hours to arrive.
After the time-lapse exercise, I ate breakfast and reviewed the problems I had worked on the night before. Seeing that it was getting late, I tidied up and went to get the cake.
She didn't order a large cake, just a small 6-inch one. But that size was perfect for celebrating a small birthday.
Fang Ning didn't have a cell phone, so it wasn't convenient to contact him. However, he had mentioned before that he would be studying in his dorm today, so Shi Jing went directly to the boys' dormitory floor and knocked on his room door.
There was a rustling sound coming from the room. After a while, Fang Ning opened the door and looked at Shi Jing with a surprised expression.
"Time-Time Mirror?"
"Happy birthday, Fang Ning!" Shi Jing said, bringing the cake to her.
Fang Ning looked at the cake in front of her in surprise, then glanced at Shi Jing.
Shi Jing smiled and said, "Sorry, I saw it was your birthday last time, and I suddenly remembered it today, so I bought a cake."
"Thank you, I... I didn't expect that." Fang Ning looked at the cake in front of her, her eyes slightly red.
As an orphan, he had suffered enough, and it had been many years since anyone had prepared a cake for him.
Shi Jing was unaware of his feelings, but since it was her day off and she had nothing else to do, she invited him, "Let's have lunch together?"
"Okay." Fang Ning did not refuse.
He went back and closed the test book he was working on, straightened the chair, grabbed his coat, and then closed the door before going downstairs with Shi Jing.
They ate lunch in the cafeteria. They arrived early, and since it was a day off, the cafeteria was almost empty. Shi Jing placed the cake on the table, and the two of them ordered a few dishes before sitting down to eat together.
After dinner, open the cake and light the candles.
"Make a wish," Shi Jing suggested.
Fang Ning nodded, closed her eyes, and made a wish.
After making her wish, Fang Ning looked at Shi Jing earnestly and thanked him, "Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad you don't find me abrupt."
She bought the cake impulsively, but Fang Ning didn't seem to mind. Thank goodness.
Ever since Shi Jing saw Fang Ning's household registration page, some ideas had been forming in her mind. She's currently involved in some donations, educational aid, and other charitable work. She hadn't realized before that orphanages were also a possible avenue, but seeing it now brought it to mind. However, she'd been focused on her studies and hadn't asked about it until today.
If she were to donate, the welfare home where Fang Ning works would definitely be her first choice, but she didn't know anything about it. Unlike donating money directly to a charity, if she were to donate herself, she would need to know about the recipient. Asking Fang Ning would be the easiest way to do this, but she wondered if Fang Ning would mind.
Fang Ning doesn't like to talk because of his physical condition, but he is actually very good at reading people's expressions. He quickly realized that Shi Jing had something to say, but for some reason, he didn't say anything.
"Shi-Shi Jing, is there something you want to say?" he asked haltingly.
When asked, Shi Jing didn't hide anything and tentatively said, "Fang Ning, I saw your household registration page, so I have some questions I want to ask you."
Knowing that the child had a habit of not refusing people, he added, "Of course, if you mind, then stop me."
Fang Ning naturally knew that Shi Jing had already seen it last time, so she remained silent, her eyes filled with doubt.
Shi Jing stopped hiding her intentions and asked directly, "Was the orphanage you were in good to you?"
Fang Ning was taken aback for a moment, but he assumed Shi Jing was simply curious about his living environment and didn't think much of it. Shi Jing's question wasn't malicious; although direct, it didn't offend him. He thought for a moment and nodded.
"Grandma Dean is very, very good, and the aunties are very good too." Fang Ning smiled slightly as she spoke of these people, showing that she genuinely thought they were very kind.
Seeing this, Shi Jing was quite satisfied. If the administrators cared for the children, then the donation wouldn't have been in vain. Of course, she also planned to visit the orphanage after her summer vacation.
"That's good."
How many children are there in your orphanage right now?
Fang Ning didn't quite understand why Shi Jing was asking this, but it wasn't a secret, so he honestly replied, "There are... there are one hundred and one hundred and twelve now."
Are they all in school?
"No, no, I'm too young to go to school."
Shi Jing suddenly realized that he had asked a stupid question. Of these more than one hundred children, there must be some older and some younger. The younger ones were naturally not old enough to go to school yet.
So she changed her question: "How many are currently in school?"
"Four, forty-seven."
She did the math, and the percentage wasn't high, but it wasn't low either.
Fang Ning grew increasingly curious about her question and couldn't help but ask, "Shi...Shi Jing..."
"Hmm?" Shi Jing looked over when she heard Fang Ning call her.
"Why...why are you asking these questions?"
Shi Jing answered truthfully: "I would like to know about your situation, and if it is appropriate, I would like to donate some money."
Fang Ning was slightly shocked by this, but did not say anything to refuse.
"Don't mind me, I just saw it that day, so I wanted to learn more about it from you."
"No, I don't!" Fang Ning didn't seem to mind at all.
After a while, she said again, "Thank you, thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness!"
The 6-inch cake wasn't big, but the two of them didn't finish it. Fang Ning carefully packed up the rest of the cake, preparing to take it back.
Shi Jing checked the time; it was almost midnight. They had spent quite a bit of time eating and chatting. Fang Ning still needed to study, so Shi Jing didn't disturb him further. The two said goodbye downstairs at the dormitory.
Next came the final round of the International Mathematical Olympiad, which was also divided into two days, with three major problems each day.
Even until the end of the competition, everyone maintained a high level of enthusiasm and energy.
Shi Jing has always been quite good at math olympiads; although not outstanding, she still got first place in the national competition. Her senior from the same school is slightly weaker in math olympiads, only getting second place.
The teacher who came to pick them up couldn't stop smiling when she learned about their grades.
When Shi Jing saw his appearance, she was reminded of the banner that had been displayed at the school gate when she returned from the last physics competition.
She and her senior exchanged a glance, and immediately had a bad feeling.
This time, the teacher was not the one who had taken them to the exam before. They were in a good mood the whole way, showing no signs of fatigue from a day's journey, and were full of energy.
Shi Jing and her senior had to chat with the teacher about the fun things that happened at summer camp for a while. Later, they mentioned they were thirsty, so Shi Jing used that as an excuse to slip away to the food truck to buy water and find some peace and quiet. Fortunately, the teacher also got tired in the second half and fell into a deep sleep leaning back in her chair. Both she and her senior breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but laugh when they saw each other escaping unscathed.
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