On Monday morning, Zixi stood at the door of classroom A-307, carrying a heavy atlas of interstellar paleontology, while her dog cautiously peeked inside.
The classroom was already full of people, all wearing the same senior uniforms, their academic badges gleaming on their chests.
They whispered among themselves in twos and threes, the air filled with the calm and composed aura characteristic of the elderly.
Zi Xi looked down and checked the timetable on the computer again. Had she gone to the wrong place?
Just as she was hesitating whether to go back out and double-check, Professor Li's loud voice seemed to be amplified, penetrating the automatic door and coming out from inside.
"Zi Xi! Come in quickly!"
He was wearing a suit today, which was unusual for him. His dark gray suit was impeccably ironed, if you ignored the tie covered with cartoon dinosaur patterns and the obviously handmade clay cup in his hand.
"Everyone!"
"Let me introduce you to Luo Zixi, our only freshman in the Archaeology Department this year! Your only junior female student this year!"
Professor Li slammed his hand on the podium, causing a few drops of the fruit-flavored nutritional supplement in his cup to spill out. He also deliberately dragged out his words when introducing Zi Xi.
A murmur of discussion immediately filled the classroom.
"Is this the genius the professor was talking about in class yesterday?"
Shh! She's coming in!
Zi Xi, carrying her books, slowly walked towards the only empty seat, the very center of the first row, the terrifying seat where, according to legend, you would die if you couldn't answer the questions.
As soon as I sat down, the holographic projection lit up, and the ruins of an ancient city buried under volcanic ash appeared in the air.
"Today we'll talk about ancient ruins."
"But before we begin, Luo, could you tell me what's in this mural?"
Professor Li looked smugly at the students below the stage.
In an instant, more than twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on Zi Xi's back.
"This is a brick oven with a dome! Volcanic rock is used for insulation, and the flue is designed to rise in a spiral shape on the side."
"This spot isn't damaged; it's a vent for observing the cooking temperature. People used to judge the doneness of pastries in ancient times by the color of the steam!"
Zi Xi stood up and stared at the semi-circular brick oven in the projection. She pointed to a small hole in the oven wall and even described its structure.
Quite excellent, Professor Li was very satisfied.
The classroom was deathly silent.
Professor Li's smile was unusually distorted, his mouth almost stretching to his ears. He suddenly pulled up another set of images: "And what about these? What tools are they?"
"Ancient pastry cutter!"
"The wavy lines on the cutting edge are not for decoration; they are to increase the friction on the cutting surface, making the bread's cross-section fluffier!"
"And this is an early type of rolling table. The grooves are for collecting flour, and the beveled edges are for easy pouring!"
Without hesitation, Zi Xi pointed to a grooved stone slab next to her.
Snap!
A heavy thud came from the back row. A senior student's nutrient solution had fallen to the ground, and he was staring with his mouth agape, looking as if he had seen an alien creature.
"Students!"
"This is our newest student in the archaeology department! Luo will be the lecturer for the next class on the history of ancient Earth's evolution!"
Professor Li loosened the dinosaur tie and clenched his fist in rare excitement.
"ah?"
Zi Xi almost slipped off the chair as soon as she sat down.
"Next, let's look here..."
Professor Li cunningly changed the subject, making Zixi tacitly accept the role of lecturer.
The bell had just rung when Zixi was frantically stuffing the things on her desk into her bag when her personal computer suddenly lit up.
The message was sent by He Lanyuan.
Helan: [Are you free today? I've come to the main planet, how about we go for a barbecue by the river in the suburbs?]
Zi Xi's eyes widened, and she almost dropped the water glass on the ground.
He Lan Yuan invited her to a barbecue in the suburbs?
Didn't he just go back to the border?
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