Cat Shed
Before the morning mist dissipated, Xu Yang saw Lu Jinyu at the entrance of the playground.
Lu Jinyu was holding an old wooden board, with some sawdust on the collar of his school uniform, and a wet sycamore leaf fell on his hair, like a small green star.
"I borrowed the saw from Master Wang last night," Lu Jinyu said as he placed the planks on the ground, making a soft sound. "He said they were strong enough to build a cat shelter."
He bent down to take out tools from his schoolbag. The morning light shone through the mist onto the back of his hand, and he could see that the cut he made yesterday had formed a shallow scab. "It's just a little heavy. I went to the logistics office to move it at six this morning."
Xu Yang squatted down and touched the wooden board. The edges were smoothed by sandpaper and there were no burrs.
"Measure the dimensions first," he said, pulling out a tape measure from his pocket. It was the one he'd used to measure experimental data earlier, and the markings were already a little blurry. "The cat bed should be 30 centimeters wide, so the shed needs to be a circle larger than that."
When Lu Jinyu came closer, the mist from the ends of his hair touched Xu Yang's wrist, feeling cool.
"I drew a diagram on scratch paper last night," he said, pulling a piece of paper from his schoolbag. On it was a crooked drawing of a shed, with a kitten holding a wooden board in the corner. "Do you think this will work? Leave a small opening on the side so it won't get wet even if it rains."
Xu Yang stared at the drawing for two seconds, then tapped the "kitten's" paw with his fingertips. "We need to add a sloping roof here, otherwise rainwater will accumulate on it." He stretched the tape measure to both ends of the board. "If it's long enough, just saw it into two pieces for the sides."
While the two were squatting under the sycamore tree busying themselves, Fat Orange poked his head out of the cardboard box and carefully rubbed Lu Jinyu's trouser leg.
Lu Jinyu freed one hand to touch its head, and the sawdust stuck to the cat's fur looked like a handful of fine snow.
"Xu Xiaoyang is still sleeping," he glanced into the cardboard box, "He got caught in the rain yesterday, so he's a little wilted today."
Xu Yang was about to speak when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
I turned around and saw the monitor walking by with his homework book in his arms. He waved at them, "Lu Jinyu, Xu Yang, morning self-study is about to begin. The teacher said they'll be checking some history knowledge points today."
Lu Jinyu stood up suddenly and the wooden board almost hit his feet.
"It's over, it's over. I didn't even recite the Boxer Protocol yesterday," he said, stuffing his tools into his schoolbag. "Shall we build the cat shed this afternoon?"
Xu Yang put the tape measure into his pocket and glanced at the kitten in the cardboard box. "At noon, there are two hours at noon." He picked up a sycamore leaf from the ground and handed it to Lu Jinyu. "There are leaves in your hair."
Lu Jinyu reached out and touched the leaf, pinching it in his hand. He suddenly laughed: "Just like Xu Xiaoyang, always likes to get involved in messy things."
As he ran towards the teaching building, he turned back and waved, and the leaves swayed in his hands like small green flags.
As soon as the bell for morning self-study rang, Teacher Zeng walked in with the lesson plan.
She glanced at the whole class, and finally her eyes fell on Lu Jinyu: "Lu Jinyu, tell me the main content of the Treaty of Nanjing."
Lu Jinyu stood up suddenly, and his deskmate whispered to him: "Cede territory, pay compensation, trade, and agree on tariffs." He cleared his throat and said these points, but his voice was a little weak.
Teacher Zeng nodded and looked at Xu Yang: "Xu Yang, can you tell me more about the trading ports?"
Xu Yang stood up and spoke steadily: "Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai are known in history as the 'Five Ports of Trade'."
He paused and added, "These ports are distributed from south to north, which facilitated the expansion of the invasion scope of the great powers later."
Teacher Zeng nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, sit down.
Lu Jinyu, come to my office after class and I'll give you some refresher on the treaty."
When Lu Jinyu sat down, he stuck out his tongue and passed a note to Xu Yang: "Luckily, you're my deskmate, otherwise I would definitely be kept after class today."
Xu Yang lowered his head to look at the note and wrote a line on the paper with the tip of his pen: "After we finish setting up the cat shed at noon, I will help you memorize the contract."
When she handed the note back, her fingertips accidentally touched Lu Jinyu's fingers. The other person shrank as if he was burned, and the tip of his ear turned a little red.
During the break, Lu Jinyu was called to the office by Teacher Zeng. Xu Yang stood in the queue, looking towards the office, the sun shining on his school uniform, making him feel warm.
The boy with glasses came over and said, "Do you think Lu Jinyu will be scolded by Teacher Zeng? He only got 58 points in history last time."
Xu Yang shook his head: "Teacher Li just wants to help him improve his knowledge." He looked towards the sycamore tree in the corner of the playground. The cardboard box was wrapped in the morning mist, and he could vaguely see Fatty Orange's tail shaking.
When Lu Jinyu came out of the office, he had a history exercise book in his hand.
"Teacher Li told me to do five exercises every day," he said, walking over to Xu Yang, a little helpless. "He also said that if I fail again, I won't be allowed to participate in the physics competition selection next month."
Xu Yang took the workbook and flipped through it. There were key points circled in red by Teacher Li. "These questions are not difficult. I'll help you do them at noon."
He paused and continued, "Actually, there are patterns when it comes to treaties. For example, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed during the First Opium War, and the Treaty of Beijing was signed during the Second. Since the dates correspond to the wars, it's not easy to confuse them."
Lu Jinyu's eyes lit up. "Really? Then teach me at noon and I'll treat you to ice cream." He patted Xu Yang's shoulder. "It's the one in front of the school. It has chocolate flavor and is super delicious."
After school at noon, the two went to the playground first. Lu Jinyu borrowed a saw and nails from the logistics office, and Xu Yang took a tape measure to measure the size.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Sweat dripped down Lu Jinyu's forehead as he sawed a plank. Xu Yang handed him a tissue, but when he took it, his fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand and he quickly pulled it back.
"Do you think Xu Xiaoyang will like the cat shelter we built?" Lu Jinyu asked as he hammered nails. "He always likes to hide in the corner. If the shelter is too bright, will he be afraid to go in?"
Xu Yang, who was squatting beside him handing him nails, looked up when he heard this and said, "We can put some blackout paper on the side of the shed. The lab has some leftovers. I'll go get them this afternoon."
He looked at Lu Jinyu as he hammered the nail seriously. His profile was particularly clear in the sunlight, and the mole behind his ear looked like a tiny ink dot. "Be careful when you hammer the nail, don't hit your hand."
Lu Jinyu said "hmm" and was about to hammer it down when he suddenly cried "ouch" and his finger was hit by the hammer.
Xu Yang quickly grabbed his hand and looked at it. The knuckles were red, not bleeding, but a little swollen.
"I told you to be careful," he said, pulling out a mint-flavored Band-Aid with a little bear printed on it from his schoolbag. "Put it on first, and don't let it get wet."
Lu Jinyu watched Xu Yang putting a Band-Aid on him, his fingertips curled up slightly and his heart beat a little faster.
"It doesn't hurt, actually," he whispered, "just a little numb."
Xu Yang didn't say anything, but just put the Band-Aid on a little tighter.
The two continued to build the cat shed. Lu Jinyu's movements were much slower because his hand was rubbed, so Xu Yang helped him pass tools and hold the wooden boards. By the time the cat shed was built, it was almost time for afternoon class.
"Look, it's not bad, right?" Lu Jinyu stood up, patted the sawdust on his hands, and looked at the cat shed with a smile in his eyes. "It's much better than the picture I drew."
Xu Yang nodded and carried the kitten in the cardboard box into the cat shed. Xu Xiaoyang huddled in Xu Yang's arms, eyes half open, looking a little listless.
"I'll get some blackout paper and some cat food this afternoon," he said, putting Xu Xiaoyang into the cat shed. "It should be warm enough here."
As the two of them ran towards the teaching building, Lu Jinyu suddenly said, "By the way, I haven't treated you to ice cream yet. How about going tomorrow at noon?"
Xu Yang turned around and glanced at him. The sunlight fell on his face, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "Okay."
In the afternoon physics class, Teacher Zeng talked about electric field strength.
Lu Jinyu listened very carefully, occasionally drawing force analysis diagrams on draft paper. When he encountered something he didn't understand, he would nudge Xu Yang with his elbow and ask questions in a low voice.
Xu Yang would write the key points on a piece of paper and hand it to him, and sometimes he would draw a simple diagram on draft paper to help him understand.
After the bell rang, Teacher Zeng came over and looked at Lu Jinyu's notebook. "Not bad, you listened very carefully today and took good notes." She then looked at Xu Yang and said, "Xu Yang, thank you for helping Lu Jinyu. It's great that you two can learn from each other."
Lu Jinyu scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Xu Yang is a good teacher. He explains the questions much more clearly than I can read the book myself."
Teacher Li smiled and said, "Then keep up the good work and prepare well for the physics competition selection next month."
After school, Xu Yang went to the lab to get some blackout paper. Lu Jinyu was waiting for him outside, holding a plastic bag filled with cat food.
"I just bought some at the supermarket," he handed the plastic bag to Xu Yang, "There are chicken flavors and fish flavors. I wonder which one Xu Xiaoyang likes."
Xu Yang took the plastic bag and looked at it: "Try both. It might like both."
The two walked to the sycamore tree in the playground. Xu Yang put blackout paper on the side of the cat shed, while Lu Jinyu poured cat food into a plate and placed it at the door of the cat shed. Fat Orange smelled the fragrance and immediately ran over and started eating the cat food.
Xu Xiaoyang also poked his head out of the cat shed, walked carefully to the plate, and started eating with Fat Orange.
"Look, they like it very much," Lu Jinyu squatted beside, watching the kittens eat, his eyes full of tenderness, "When they grow up a little bit, we will find a good family to adopt them and give them a home."
Xu Yang nodded and squatted beside him: "Well, we will go and send them off together when the time comes."
The sky gradually darkened, and the sycamore leaves swayed gently in the evening breeze.
The two of them sat under the sycamore tree, watching the kitten eat, and occasionally chatting about interesting things at school, future plans, and preparations for the physics competition.
"Xu Yang, which university do you want to apply to in the future?" Lu Jinyu suddenly asked in a low voice.
Xu Yang looked up at the sky. Stars were beginning to appear. "I want to apply to the Physics Department of Peking University. I heard the labs there are very good and they can do a lot of interesting experiments."
Lu Jinyu smiled and said, "That's great. Peking University's Physics Department is very strong. As for me, I want to apply to Tsinghua University's Computer Science Department. I like programming and want to create software that can make life more convenient."
He paused, then added, "But no matter where we get admitted, we must keep in touch and not forget each other."
Xu Yang turned his head and looked into Lu Jinyu's eyes, which were shining with the light of stars: "Well, I won't forget it."
The two sat for a while until it was completely dark, then they packed up and prepared to go home. On the way home, Lu Jinyu suddenly took out a candy from his pocket and handed it to Xu Yang: "Here, my mom just sent it to me today, it's strawberry flavored, try it."
Xu Yang took the candy, peeled off the wrapper, and put it in his mouth. The sweetness slowly melted on his tongue, carrying the fragrance of strawberries.
"It's delicious," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice.
Lu Jinyu looked at him and smiled: "As long as it tastes good, I have a lot here. I'll give you one every day from now on."
The lights at the school gate were on, and the warm yellow light reflected on the two of them.
Lu Jinyu and Xu Yang were strolling on their way home, chatting idly along the way.
After sending Xu Yang home, Lu Jinyu waved and said, "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Xu Yang also waved and turned to go home.
After returning home and washing up, Xu Yang lay on the bed, touched the uneaten candy in his pocket, with a smile on his lips.
He felt warm in his heart when he recalled the scenes of building a cat shed, feeding kittens and chatting with Lu Jinyu today.
It turns out that in youth, there are not only endless questions to do and endless exams to take, but also such warm moments, like toffee, sweet in the heart, lingering for a long time.
The next day at noon, Lu Jinyu really treated Xu Yang to ice cream.
The two sat in a small shop in front of the school, watching the people passing by, eating ice cream and chatting.
The sunlight shines on them through the glass windows, warm and cozy, like a beautiful painting.
"Xu Yang, look," Lu Jinyu suddenly pointed out the window, "there's a stall selling cotton candy over there, shall we go buy one?"
Xu Yang looked in the direction he pointed and saw an old man pushing a cotton candy machine, making cotton candy. "Okay," he nodded.
The two walked to the cotton candy machine. Lu Jinyu bought a pink cotton candy and handed it to Xu Yang: "You eat it first. This one is big. We can eat it together."
Xu Yang took the marshmallow and took a bite. It was sweet and soft, like a cloud. "It's delicious," he said.
Lu Jinyu looked at him, smiled, and took a bite as well: "Yeah, when I was a kid I loved eating marshmallows the most. Every time I saw someone selling marshmallows, I would ask my mom to buy one."
The two of them walked slowly back to school, the sun shining on them and the sweet aroma of the marshmallows filling the air, like the beautiful days of their youth, warm and sweet.
Back in the classroom, Lu Jinyu took out his history exercise book and started doing the exercises.
Xu Yang sat next to him, took out his own exercise book, and occasionally helped him answer some questions he didn't understand.
Lu Jinyu worked very seriously. Whenever he encountered something he didn't know, he would take the initiative to ask Xu Yang, and he was no longer lazy like before.
"Xu Yang, look at this question," Lu Jinyu pointed at one. "What's the difference between the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the Boxer Protocol? I always get them mixed up."
Xu Yang took the exercise book and looked at the questions: "The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed after the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Its main contents included ceding territory, paying indemnities, opening up trade, and allowing Japan to open factories in treaty ports. It greatly deepened China's semi-colonial status. The Boxer Protocol was signed after the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China. Its main contents included paying indemnities, demarcating embassy boundaries, demolishing Dagu Fort, and strictly prohibiting people from participating in anti-imperialist activities. It completely reduced China to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society."
He paused and added, "You can make a table showing the time, war, content, and impact of these two treaties. That way, it won't be easy to confuse them."
Lu Jinyu nodded: "Okay, I'll make a table tonight, it should be easier to remember."
During the afternoon self-study class, both of them were studying diligently. Lu Jinyu was memorizing historical facts, while Xu Yang was working on physics competition questions.
The classroom was quiet, with only the sound of pens scratching across paper and the occasional rustle of pages turning. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a golden glow on their exercise books.
After school, Lu Jinyu said to Xu Yang, "Xu Yang, thank you for helping me with the questions today. I feel like my grasp of historical knowledge is much better than before."
Xu Yang smiled and said, "You're welcome. We're deskmates, so it's only natural for us to help each other." He paused, then added, "Tomorrow we'll continue to memorize the knowledge points together, and we'll try to help you pass the next history exam."
Lu Jinyu nodded: "Okay, let's work hard together."
The two walked out of the classroom together, the setting sun fell on them, stretching their shadows very long.
The sycamore leaves swayed gently in the evening breeze, as if cheering them on.
The days of youth are like this, moving forward slowly with learning and companionship day by day, with the sweetness of toffee, the fragrance of sycamore leaves, and the company of each other, warm and beautiful.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
