What kind of gift is good for a twelfth birthday?
Jiang Yubai guessed: "Handicraft."
Lin Zhixia nodded: "Jiang Yubai is so smart!"
She pulled out a metal box from her schoolbag. As always, a red ribbon and a strawberry greeting card were attached to the box. The box contained a stack of wooden bookmarks she had made herself. She drew pictures on the front of all the bookmarks and wrote a poem on the back. The beginning of the poem was "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yu Bai" and the signature was "Lin Lin Lin Lin Zhi Xia".
Jiang Yubai saw the number of bookmarks clearly - there were 31 bookmarks in total.
The raw material for this batch of bookmarks is a thin piece of mahogany. With the help of her father, Lin Zhixia cut the wood into 31 pieces, painted, colored, and inscribed them in the same way as lacquer painting, and finally polished and waxed them, drilled a round hole at the top, and tied beautiful tassels on them.
Lin Zhixia told Jiang Yubai: "There is a number in the lower right corner of each bookmark, starting from 1 and ending at 31. There are at most 31 days in a month, and these bookmarks can accompany you every day of every month."
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia looked at each other for two seconds before saying, "Thank you."
Lin Zhixia jumped up on the spot: "You're welcome."
Jiang Yubai unzipped his schoolbag, put the iron box in, and took out a stuffed puppy. He introduced it as a "Swiss mountain dog."
Lin Zhixia remembered that Jiang Yubai had told her that he was going to Switzerland for vacation this summer. Every time he traveled, he would bring back a gift with local characteristics. For example, this time, he chose a Swiss mountain dog doll.
Lin Zhixia took the plush puppy in her hands and said, "I know this kind of dog is a mountain dog that is unique to Switzerland... In fact, it is a native dog of Switzerland, just like the Chinese rural dog here."
Jiang Yubai asked her: "Do you like native dogs?"
"I like it!" Lin Zhixia said with a smile, "I like it very much."
When Lin Zeqiu walked behind his sister, he just heard her say: I like it. I like it very much.
Lin Zeqiu immediately felt that something was wrong.
He raised a hand and placed it on his sister's shoulder: "What are you talking about, Lin Zhixia?"
Lin Zhixia looked up at him: "Country dog."
Lin Zeqiu simply couldn't believe that his sister had the guts to call him a country dog in public.
All the blood in his body rushed to his head, making his face pale and red. He suppressed his anger and said in a cold voice: "I am your biological brother from the same father and mother. I am a local dog, and you are also a local dog."
Lin Zhixia's eyes became confused, Jiang Yubai came to her rescue: "Lin Zhixia and I discussed the Swiss Mountain Dog. The Swiss Mountain Dog is a native dog of Switzerland. You just asked what Lin Zhixia was talking about, she just answered your question, she didn't mean to humiliate you, calm down."
Lin Zeqiu stood right in front of Lin Zhixia, very close to Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai did not take a step back. He faced Lin Zeqiu's scrutiny. He also said, "You are Lin Zhixia's brother, you shouldn't get angry with her casually."
"You're nosy." Lin Zeqiu commented.
Jiang Yubai introduced himself solemnly: "I am Lin Zhixia's best friend."
"Yes!" Lin Zhixia admitted, "Brother, Jiang Yubai is my best friend."
As if to prove that what she said was true, Lin Zhixia ran over and hid behind Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zeqiu's breath was choked in his lungs. At the same time, Lin Zeqiu noticed something - Jiang Yubai was protecting Lin Zhixia as a guardian. When talking to her, he was polite and well-mannered, and was indeed easier to get along with than Lin Zeqiu.
Lin Zeqiu put his hands in his coat pockets and walked towards the high school without looking back.
Lin Zhixia called him: "Brother!"
He answered loudly: "Come with me!"
Lin Zhixia said, "I want to go to the third grade teaching building!"
On the first day of school, the campus was packed with people. The autumn sky was vast and high, with snow-white clouds spreading to the horizon. Lin Zhixia raised her head and saw her brother gradually walking away.
She felt a little strange. Her brother had always been against her contact with Jiang Yubai, so why didn't he catch her and give her some new ideological education today?
"He went far away." Jiang Yubai suddenly said.
Lin Zhixia turned her head and said, "Let's go to the classroom, Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai walked with her. The two walked along a gravel road covered with trees and talked about their summer vacation experiences. Lin Zhixia listened to Jiang Yubai's travel stories and thought of the last museum trip that was forced to be terminated. She felt very sorry and couldn't help but secretly calculate when she would have the opportunity to go out with him again?
The opportunity will come soon.
A few days after school started, Teacher Zhang told the class that the Grade 9 competition class was going to organize an autumn outing, and the location would be chosen to be the largest amusement park in the city... As soon as Teacher Zhang finished speaking, the Grade 9 (17) class burst into loud cheers.
Duan Qiyan slammed the table and howled.
Lin Zhixia followed suit and slammed the table. She was very excited because she had never been to an amusement park. Whenever her parents took her out and asked her where she wanted to go, her first choice was always the provincial library or the university town.
Now, she can visit the city’s largest amusement park with all her classmates in Grade 9 (Class 17)!
What an exciting group activity this is!
After Lin Zhixia's unremitting efforts, she earned tens of thousands of yuan in scholarships, most of which she gave to her mother. She secretly hid about a thousand yuan to meet her daily expenses.
For this autumn outing, Lin Zhixia took out a huge sum of 200 yuan from her piggy bank. She carried a small basket and went shopping in her own supermarket, filling the basket with potato chips, oatmeal cookies, strawberry cake rolls, and Wangzai steamed buns. Then, she carried the basket to the cashier and asked her father to pay.
Dad asked in confusion and surprise: "Xia Xia, what are you doing?"
"Buying things." Lin Zhixia answered a little shyly.
Dad closed the newspaper and said, "Take it if you want, Xia Xia. Dad lets you take it."
Lin Zhixia shook her head: "I have money. I can afford it."
She put a hundred-dollar bill in front of her father.
Dad frowned slightly and raised the newspaper in his hand: "Where did you get the hundred dollars?"
"I secretly hid a little bit of the scholarship money from the Romania Masters," Lin Zhixia revealed to her father.
Dad took a breath and said, "Don't let your mother know."
"Yeah, Dad, don't tell Mom," Lin Zhixia nodded, "I try to save money because I don't want to ask Mom for money all the time."
Dad had almost no requirements for Lin Zhixia. In his opinion, his daughter's hiding money from her parents was also a sign of her intelligence. His daughter was incomparably smart, and no one could compare to her. What was wrong with saving a few hundred yuan? He agreed to help Lin Zhixia keep the secret.
Dad also praised Lin Zhixia, saying that she was cute, kind, wise, and caring for her parents. She was Dad's little angel, and Dad could not take the little angel's money.
Lin Zhixia was so delighted by her father's praise that she didn't insist on paying. She went home with the snacks.
The next morning, Lin Zhixia carried a schoolbag full of snacks and ran to school excitedly. Two school buses from the Provincial No. 1 Middle School took all the students in the third grade competition class to the provincial capital playground. On this sunny Thursday morning, the students in the competition class got permission from their teachers and were able to move freely in the playground.
Teacher Zhang held up the loudspeaker and said loudly: "All students in Class 17 and Class 18, please pay attention and do not leave the playground. Do you hear me? Do not leave the playground! If anyone encounters a problem or feels unwell, please come to the teacher immediately. You can find me or Teacher Wang! The autumn outing is an activity for everyone to relax. You must remember that your safety is the most important. Do not go to places with few people!"
The students in the competition class responded in unison.
As soon as Teacher Zhang said "disband", more than 70 students immediately rushed in all directions.
Lin Zhixia grabbed Jiang Yubai's backpack strap and said, "Let's go ride the roller coaster, Jiang Yubai!"
Shen Fuxuan followed behind Jiang Yubai and echoed, "Roller coasters are fun. Let's go ride the roller coaster first, and then go to the jumping tower!"
Jiang Yubai turned around and glanced at Shen Fuxuan. In Jiang Yubai's impression, Shen Fuxuan's physical fitness was not very good. After each 1,000-meter physical test, Shen Fuxuan would collapse to the ground like a piece of dough.
If that’s the case, why does Shen Fuxuan dare to ride a roller coaster and a jumping tower?
Jiang Yubai raised his head and looked at the roller coaster not far away.
The bus was full of adult tourists. They were screaming at the top of their lungs, with expressions of fear and panic on their faces, which made Jiang Yubai think involuntarily that if he showed a little bit of nervousness while riding in the bus, and his hair was blown into a mess by the strong wind, then his image in Lin Zhixia's mind... might be greatly reduced, and he would never allow such a thing to happen.
So he refused, saying, "I don't ride roller coasters."
This concise and powerful refusal encompassed many of his considerations.
Duan Qiyan came over like a mad dog and greeted them enthusiastically: "Hey, you guys, come ride the roller coaster with me?"
After two years of hardship in junior high school, Duan Qiyan completely forgot his past as the "No. 1 Warrior of the Normal School Elementary School". He was no longer the aloof, unique, and self-reliant No. 1 Warrior. He had completely integrated into the group and would even look for someone to go to the men's restroom after class, let alone ride a roller coaster.
He hugged Jiang Yubai's shoulders expectantly: "Jiang Yubai, let's go play together?"
Jiang Yubai was about to refuse outright, but he saw Lin Zhixia and Shen Fuxuan had already bought their tickets and were walking towards the roller coaster ticket gate. Jiang Yubai's desire to win was immediately ignited, burning like a raging fire. He was unwilling to fall behind, so he changed his attitude and said, "Okay."
Duan Qiyan asked again: "Hey, Jiang Yubai, are you afraid of riding a roller coaster?"
Jiang Yubai sneered: "I wish I could sit here every day."
"Let's go!" Duan Qiyan shouted excitedly.
Jiang Yubai rushed onto the same train as Lin Zhixia. Before queuing up to check his ticket, he asked Lin Zhixia, "Are you afraid of heights?"
Lin Zhixia shook her head. Then, she asked him back, "Guess, when riding a roller coaster, is it more exciting in the front row or in the back row?"
Jiang Yubai said without hesitation: "Front row."
Lin Zhixia pointed to the back row of seats and said, "I read an article. The simulation results showed that the back row is more dangerous than the front row. This is especially true at the highest point and on downhill sections. The vertical acceleration in the back row is more stimulating. The front row will feel more uncomfortable on uphill sections. [1]... Jiang Yubai, let's sit in the first row!"
There are only two seats in each row.
Jiang Yubai agreed to her. He slowly sat in the seat, fastened his protective gear, and locked his seat. Shen Fuxuan and Duan Qiyan sat behind him. Before the roller coaster started, Duan Qiyan asked, "Will you scream?"
Lin Zhixia said honestly: "I have never played it before, so I really want to try it. I don't know if I will scream."
After Lin Zhixia finished speaking, the roller coaster started. They slowly climbed up the track, rising higher and higher until they reached the top, where they suddenly dived down. The strong sense of weightlessness brought by the extreme speed made Jiang Yubai feel like he was traveling in the universe. He heard Shen Fuxuan's heartbreaking screams, and even Duan Qiyan was saying, "I don't want to play anymore, let me go, where are the staff..."
Jiang Yubai tilted his head to look at Lin Zhixia, who closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and shrank in her seat. She felt as regretful as Duan Qiyan, but she didn't say it out loud like Duan Qiyan did.
The strong wind blew into Jiang Yubai's collar and messed up his hair. He shouted, "Don't be afraid!"
Lin Zhixia opened her eyes, the air brushed past her ears, and she replied, "Jiang Yubai! Are you talking to me?"
The roller coaster slowly rushed to another peak. Jiang Yubai tried every way to encourage her: "Lin Zhixia, don't be afraid, you have experienced vertical acceleration..."
"I'm not afraid!" Lin Zhixia tried hard to convince herself, "I'm not afraid at all!"
After finally making it to the last moment, the roller coaster finally returned to the starting point. The breeze blew on Lin Zhixia's cheeks. She turned pale, her legs softened, and she walked out of the seat step by step. When she stepped down the stairs, Jiang Yubai reached out to help her. He looked like nothing had happened. Lin Zhixia's heart was filled with admiration.
After Duan Qiyan recovered from the shock, he stood near a bench and stretched his limbs.
Lin Zhixia looked around and asked, "I saw a small shop in the amusement park. Do you want to drink anything?"
"I'll go buy some drinks," Jiang Yubai suggested. "You sit here. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he walked towards the store with his schoolbag on his back.
Two girls from Class 18 ran towards him and followed him closely. He glanced at them from the side. He had some impression of the students from Class 18, but he was not familiar with them. He did not understand why the two girls followed him - they were not going to rob him. It was in broad daylight and they were alumni of the competition class. They would not do anything like robbery.
Jiang Yubai was guessing their motives when a girl from Class 18 suddenly urged, "Lu Wei, take out the letter quickly..."
Another girl, blushing and shy, handed a pink envelope to Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai opened the envelope in front of them, and then he froze in place. He saw the words on the letter: Jiang Yubai from Class 17, I am Lu Wei from Class 18, let's be friends, what's your cell phone number?
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