"Boy?" Lin Zeqiu's voice suddenly rose. "Lin Zhixia! You are a girl, you can only play with girls! There are differences between men and women. Do I need to tell you this?"
Lin Zhixia didn't expect that her brother only cared about this.
It was something that could obviously be discussed peacefully, but he had to make a face and quarrel with her, and now he is shifting the conflict to Jiang Yubai!
Lin Zhixia picked up the little penguin plush toy and used Lin Zeqiu's words to defeat him: "Lin Zeqiu, I am a girl and you are a boy. There is a gender difference between you and me. I will not talk to you anymore."
Lin Zeqiu's anger reached its critical point: "I'm your brother! Where did that guy come from?"
"Don't bother me," Lin Zhixia raised her head, "He and I are still good friends in school. You and I are not siblings in school."
She hugged the little penguin tightly and turned to go to the living room.
Lin Zeqiu raised his left hand, reached over her shoulder, and grabbed the little penguin.
He held the stuffed toy high above his head. Lin Zhixia stood on tiptoe and stretched out her hand to reach it, but she couldn't reach it. Compared to her brother's height of 1.8 meters, Lin Zhixia was too short.
The little penguin was out of reach. Lin Zhixia clutched the corner of Lin Zeqiu's clothes angrily: "Give it back to me! Give it back to me! I have to hold it to sleep every noon and night! Hurry up! I'll give you four seconds to think about it!"
"You must promise me that you will find a girl to be your best friend, and I will return it to you. Otherwise, you will never see this penguin again." Lin Zeqiu put forward a very harsh condition.
He hopes Lin Zhixia can make the right choice.
He guessed that the boy's position in Lin Zhixia's heart was not as important as that of the penguin.
He didn't wait for Lin Zhixia's answer. Lin Zhixia was so angry that she slammed the door and walked out.
A moment later, she came running back with a basketball and a pair of scissors.
Lin Zhixia knelt on the ground and slowly put the basketball on her legs. She held the scissors in her hand, pointed the sharp tip of the knife at the ball, and said in an unyielding tone: "Lin Zeqiu, no one in this world can threaten me. I hate being threatened. If you don't return the little penguin to me, I will pierce your favorite basketball into pieces and turn it into a wasp's nest."
Lin Zeqiu's heart trembled when he heard this. He sat cross-legged, lowered his head, and returned the little penguin with both hands.
Lin Zhixia finally rescued her stuffed animal. But her resentment towards her brother deepened. In her opinion, her brother's series of behaviors were unreasonable. He was almost fourteen years old, why did he behave like a four-year-old child?
The brother touched Lin Zhixia's head with a little hesitation. His warm palm covered the top of Lin Zhixia's head, and his fingertips gently stroked her hair, as if he was smoothing the fur of a grumpy little animal.
Lin Zhixia gradually calmed down: "I'm hungry, I want to eat, my stomach is growling."
"Don't waste time, go eat," her brother led her out of the bedroom, "Mom made braised chicken legs."
"Braised chicken legs!" Lin Zhixia jumped towards the dining table.
On the table were three steaming dishes and a soup. Braised chicken legs, eggplants in sauce, cold cucumbers, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup. The food exuded an alluring aroma, and the haze around Lin Zhixia was swept away. She happily picked up the bowl, scooped up the chicken leg soup with a small spoon, and poured it on the white rice in the bowl.
Lin Zhixia took a bite of the chicken leg, savored it carefully, and after swallowing it, she said happily, "The braised chicken leg made by my mother is the most delicious."
She picked up two more pieces of eggplant, covered the rice, and continued to eat in small bites.
Lin Zeqiu suddenly said to her: "Lin Zhixia, boys and girls are different. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Why are you discussing this topic with me during lunch time?" Lin Zhixia shaved off the chicken leg meat with chopsticks and mixed it into the rice.
Lin Zeqiu held the rice bowl and said confidently: "Lin Zhixia! This morning I saw you and that boy walking very close in school, and there were no female classmates around. This is absolutely not okay. Middle school is different from elementary school, you must pay attention to the degree of communication. Don't think you are smart and can be fearless. You must not stay alone with male classmates or male teachers, there must be someone next to you. If a male teacher asks you to go to the office, you should check the time in advance, and there must be other teachers in the office - preferably female teachers. If a male teacher keeps you after class alone, or asks you to go to his house for extra lessons, you should ignore him, do you understand what I mean? Mom and Dad didn't tell you these, don't think I'm nagging."
Lin Zhixia thought: "Where did my brother know all this?"
"Don't worry about it," my brother frowned, "I won't hurt you anyway."
Lin Zhixia took a sip of tomato and egg soup, and her whole body was warm. After filling her stomach, her mentality became much calmer. Perhaps, humans are more irritable, impulsive and easily angered when they are hungry? She absent-mindedly explained: "Brother, I understand what you understand. When danger comes, no matter whether the opponent is a man or a woman, I have no advantage in strength. But I have always paid attention to self-protection. I will observe the expressions of my classmates and teachers, guess their psychological activities, and judge whether they have malicious intentions... This is it, brother! This morning, I felt that you were very malicious towards me."
Lin Zeqiu put down his chopsticks and looked away. He had no appetite when something was on his mind.
Lin Zhixia picked up a chicken drumstick for her brother: "My friend is a very good person. He and I skipped grades from the Experimental Primary School and came to the competition class... By the way, he and I were born in the same year, and our birthdays are only one month apart."
The elder brother paused for breath and asked, "Your friend is also ten years old this year?"
"Yes." Lin Zhixia nodded repeatedly.
My brother confirmed again and again: "He also got into the competition class?"
"Not only did he pass the exam," Lin Zhixia said with a hint of pride, "he is also ranked ninth in our class! Our class is full of talented people. Not only does we have the top warrior in the Normal School Attached to the Primary School, but we also have the runner-up in the primary school group of the fourth city-wide primary and secondary school student Go competition. Jiang Yubai is ranked ninth in our class, which is already very impressive!"
My brother's expression was unpredictable. He pretended to be calm, picked up the plate, and put a braised chicken leg into the bowl. He lowered his head in silence, and put the food into his mouth mechanically, not even noticing that there was a piece of ginger in his bowl.
Ginger is the ingredient that Lin Zeqiu hates the most. When he was five or six years old, he would jump up and yell when he saw ginger in the bowl.
Over the years, Lin Zeqiu was deeply tempered by life and grew up a lot. He could even tolerate ginger slices without changing his expression.
Lin Zhixia looked at her brother who was acting out of character and couldn't help thinking: My brother cares a lot about the competitive class. So, when he heard that Jiang Yubai had skipped two grades at the age of ten and successfully entered the competitive class of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, would he feel ashamed?
Lin Zhixia tried to comfort him: "Brother, you often get first place in the gifted class, which means you are relatively smart among ordinary people. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I met a female classmate from Class 18 today. Her name is Jin Baihui. I think Jin Baihui puts a lot of pressure on herself, and she is not happy in the competition class."
My brother still said nothing.
Lin Zhixia concentrated on eating.
After dinner, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, then lay down on the bed, covered with a soft quilt, holding the little penguin in her arms, ready to take a nap.
Her brother appeared at her door like a ghost. He pondered for a long time, prepared a draft in his mind, and then said to Lin Zhixia: "Lin Zhixia, I still mean what I said just now. You must find a few girls to be your best friends. You can't play with boys all day. Even if you are very young, your classmates and your classmates in the next class are two or three years older than you, and their ideas are definitely different from yours. How about this, you get rid of Jiang Yubai and spend a few days with other girls, how about that?"
"Don't disturb my nap." Lin Zhixia replied coldly.
Her brother walked into her room and pulled her pillow. She said angrily, "Lin Zeqiu! If you provoke me again, I will complain to my mother immediately!"
"Going to mom to complain" is a great idea that always works.
Lin Zeqiu immediately returned to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling quite sleepy and tired. Why did he have to worry about so many things all day long? The dishes from lunch today had not been cleared away or washed clean. He fell on the bed exhausted, his mind full of messy thoughts. He was too lazy to think about the problem, so he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep unknowingly.
He had a fragmented dream.
The light and shadows in the dream were intertwined, and a boy in school uniform was educating him in a loud voice: "Lin Zeqiu, your sister is so young and her words are very annoying. You can trick her away with a strawberry candy. What if someone in school bullies her? The competition class is no big deal. Her elementary school classmates can skip grades and get in."
He also heard his mother shouting in his ear: "Wake up! Get up! Lin Zeqiu!"
He was frightened and suddenly opened his eyes.
The sunlight leaking in through the window was strong. His mother stood by his bed and told him, "Lin Zeqiu, your class teacher and your sister's class teacher called me. They asked me why you two didn't come to class this afternoon. Your father and I were just checking the goods. Several customers ordered seven boxes of beer. Your father was delivering the goods. I was too busy in the store and just found out that you and your sister overslept. Take your sister to school."
Lin Zeqiu suddenly woke up, picked up his schoolbag with one hand, and ran straight to Lin Zhixia's bedroom. He pushed open the door and looked inside - sure enough, Lin Zhixia was still sleeping. She was lying on her side on the bed, unconscious.
Generally speaking, if Lin Zhixia has a big emotional fluctuation when she is awake, she will sleep particularly soundly at noon and at night. Lin Zeqiu knows his sister's living habits very well, but he didn't expect that he would oversleep at noon today.
He slammed the wall hard: "Hey, get up, Lin Zhixia! Lin Zhixia!"
Lin Zhixia opened her eyes dazedly: "What are you doing?"
"It's three o'clock in the afternoon." Lin Zeqiu reminded her.
Lin Zhixia asked in surprise: "Why didn't Mom come to wake me up?"
Lin Zeqiu explained: "You and I go to the same school, and Mom tacitly agreed that I would take you with me when I go out."
Mom stood at Lin Zhixia's door and said, "Xia Xia, next time before you go to bed, set an alarm."
"No need," Lin Zeqiu said casually, "I don't take a nap. I'll call her."
Lin Zhixia hates the sound of the alarm clock. Lin Zeqiu never takes a nap. He is used to taking time to memorize texts and English words at noon. He is a role model for many students in the provincial No. 1 High School's gifted class. Since entering junior high school, he has never been late or left early.
Today, he broke his own record.
After Lin Zhixia finished packing, Lin Zeqiu led her out of the house.
She followed her brother and ran to the bus stop. Her brother had long legs and took two steps ahead of her. He ran much faster than her, but he often stopped to wait for her.
She suddenly remembered that when she was little, her parents took her and her brother back to their hometown. Behind the house in her hometown, there was a large and dense bamboo forest. Because bamboo shoots and meat were delicious, Lin Zhixia would go to pick some bamboo shoots when she had nothing to do. Her brother always followed her with a wooden bucket. No matter where she ran to, she could see Lin Zeqiu as soon as she turned around.
She remembered Lin Zeqiu's eyes that always looked after her.
Family love is really complicated, Lin Zhixia sighed silently. There are moments that make her feel at ease, and there are also moments that make her sad.
At 3:20 pm, Lin Zeqiu and Lin Zhixia arrived at the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. The guard checked their campus cards and let them in.
It was break time, the campus was noisy and bustling, and Lin Zeqiu and Lin Zhixia were carrying their schoolbags, walking towards the teaching building one after the other. They were obviously two late students.
Lin Zhixia followed her brother's footsteps closely, and suddenly someone in front shouted, "Lin Zeqiu! Lin Zeqiu, you are late? Who is the girl next to you?"
Lin Zeqiu is a student in the second grade (fourth grade) of junior high school.
The classroom of Grade 2 (4) faces south and is located on the first floor of Building A, close to the entrance of the junior high school of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. Lin Zeqiu's classmates stood in the corridor, looking eagerly, their attention focused on Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia asked in a low voice: "Lin Zeqiu, are you going to say that I am your junior schoolmate again?"
Lin Zeqiu is stationed here.
After pausing for two seconds, he stepped onto the stairs, his back determined.
Lin Zhixia couldn't see his expression.
He faced the many students in the second grade (fourth grade) class, his figure was as tall and straight as a thriving poplar tree. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and never took them out, which made him look more imposing.
He formally introduced her: "This girl is my sister. She is a freshman in the first-year competition class this year."
A burst of booing broke out among the students in Grade 2 (Class 4).
Lin Zhixia didn't understand the underlying meaning of that voice. She stood at the door of the second grade (fourth) class and said to herself: "My name is Lin Zhixia, and my brother's name is Lin Zeqiu. Xia Tian and Qiu Qiu sound like brother and sister. Our parents specially gave us these names."
Lin Zeqiu waved his hand at her: "Go to your classroom quickly."
Lin Zhixia happily agreed: "After school, I'll come find you and go home together."
As soon as she took a step forward, she heard a classmate behind her ask, "Lin Zeqiu, your sister was able to get into the competition class, why couldn't you?"
Lin Zeqiu did not reply. He had known that this day would come. He had experienced it countless times in his imagination and nightmares, and had prepared foolproof countermeasures.
Lin Zeqiu glanced to the side, curled his lips and smiled, and said to the classmate: "What the hell are you talking about? Everyone has their own destiny."
Unexpectedly, the classmate insisted: "I'm not talking nonsense, Lin Zeqiu, are you still planning to take the exam for the fourth time?" He laughed and said in a teasing tone: "Lin Zeqiu, you have come to this day! You are not even as good as your sister..."
Lin Zhixia turned around suddenly.
She responded seriously: "Even if my brother failed the exam four times, it is proof of his hard work. He keeps moving towards his goal. There is nothing funny about it. Have you never failed? Can you succeed in everything you do the first time? Is your real life exactly the same as your imagination?"
The student stood there in a daze.
Lin Zhixia took a long nap today and was not fully awake yet. She was organizing her words. She wanted to make that classmate cry at the door of the Grade 2 (4) class. This was also one of her abilities.
But her brother patted her shoulder and said, "Okay, go ahead. Class is almost time."
Lin Zhixia nodded.
She ran to the first grade teaching building.
The bell for class rang suddenly, echoing throughout the campus. The sound was a burst of light piano music, and she seemed to be running on the swirling notes.
At the beginning of the school year, Lin Zhixia's only worry was that "her brother might break off relations with her."
It only took her half a day to successfully solve her problem.
She believes that at least half of the credit belongs to Jiang Yubai.
In response, Jiang Yubai humbly said: "You guys communicated well, it has nothing to do with me."
"No, it has something to do with you!" Lin Zhixia insisted, "You helped me find a breakthrough, thank you! Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai said modestly, "You're welcome." He turned the page of the notebook in his hand - this was a birthday gift from Lin Zhixia to him.
When he first received the gift, he thought the notebook was extremely precious... or rather, it was more than just a notebook, it was more like a handwritten book.
After reading for several days, Jiang Yubai gradually discovered how much effort Lin Zhixia put into the book. The book covers hundreds of types of questions and contains all kinds of exquisite and mysterious problem-solving techniques. When Lin Zhixia wrote, she seemed to have sorted out her thoughts. She would write some trivial thoughts on the sidebar.
Jiang Yubai often used pencil to leave comments for her.
Lin Zhixia simply took out a new notebook, named it "Communication and Insights in Study and Life", and signed it: Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai - this became a diary for the two of them to record together.
Compared to the gift Lin Zhixia gave Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai didn't seem to give back enough. He decided to make up for it on September 24, 2005 - which happened to be Lin Zhixia's tenth birthday.
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