out of step with the times
At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, before the sky was fully bright, a thin veil of morning mist spread across the playground, making the red brick teaching building appear hazy and quiet.
When Wen Sheng left, the dormitory was dimly lit, and her roommates were still huddled in their blankets having sweet dreams of the morning. She tiptoed to put on her shoes, opened the door a crack, and quietly slipped out.
She told herself this: This is a thirst for knowledge, not getting up early to keep an appointment, and certainly not secretly hoping to see him.
But she still picked out a dress last night.
During class, she almost always wears trousers, which is convenient, neat, and comfortable.
But last night before going to bed, she stood in front of the closet for a long time before finally taking out the light gray plaid skirt that was at the bottom of the closet. It was made for her by Ye Caifeng several years ago.
The fabric was a leftover piece of cotton cloth bought during the Chinese New Year. The color wasn't bright, the pattern wasn't new, and the cut wasn't exactly a good fit. At that time, she hadn't fully grown up yet, and the hem of her skirt kept slipping down. Ye Caifeng frowned and sighed, saying that she would buy her a ready-made one when she had money.
But even now, she hasn't bought a new one.
Wen Sheng originally thought the dress was no longer suitable, but when she tried it on last night, she found that it fit perfectly.
Not too long, not too short, just the right fit.
Xu Jianing didn't specify where they would meet, only saying "Saturday morning" before falling silent.
Wen Sheng carried the water bottle out the door, intending to fetch water first, but as she walked, she lost her footing.
There are three old locust trees on the campus of Cangzhong. One of them is the largest and the one furthest away from people. She once saw him reading there. Wen Sheng thought for a moment and decided to go to the old locust tree first and try her luck.
After reaching the teaching building, she walked along the familiar path. When she passed the playground, it was not yet fully light, and a thin mist covered the area. She could vaguely hear footsteps in the mist, indicating that someone was running.
Wen Sheng glanced at the playground. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and amidst the rising white vapor, a figure slowly emerged from the mist.
It's Xu Jianing.
She suddenly remembered that he had said he would go for a run in the morning.
It turns out he was telling the truth.
Xu Jianing also saw her. He didn't stop, but his gaze swept over her briefly, lingered on her for two seconds, and then looked away before continuing to run.
I didn't greet her, nor was I surprised to see her.
Wen Sheng stood still, suddenly feeling a little uneasy:
Is it today?
But when he saw her, he said nothing.
Did you not plan to take her? Or did you forget?
Wen Sheng stood there, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally walked towards the locust tree.
Since the appointment was for the morning, she decided to take a gamble. After all, he hadn't specified where it would be, and the initiative shouldn't be entirely in his hands.
The locust tree is behind the teaching building, far from the main road of the campus, and hardly anyone comes here usually.
Wen Sheng walked along the path, and as she walked, she couldn't help but start thinking:
He said "weekend," but could it be... that it's not today, but tomorrow?
Even today, he only said "morning" without specifying the exact time.
Is it too early for me to go now? Will I disturb his run? Or... is it that he never intended to come at all?
The more I think about it, the more confused I get. It's all his fault for speaking so vaguely, with the location and time being so ambiguous.
No, she's just passing by. Yes, she's just taking a look around and going for a walk.
Wen Sheng sighed in frustration, her fingers gripping the water bottle strap, the pressure involuntarily increasing slightly.
I should have known better than to wear a skirt; my legs would easily get dirty walking along this forest path.
She glanced down at her calves and, sure enough, there were several faint grass marks and some dust on them.
The old locust tree finally came into view. Wen Sheng slowed down and looked ahead. The thought that "it doesn't matter if it's not there" that she had been holding onto was now instantly shattered.
There was a person standing there.
But the morning mist had not completely dissipated, and the light was still hazy. Only a blurry figure could be vaguely seen, as if it were standing upright or leaning against a tree.
Wen Sheng stopped and stared at the mist, trying to make out the outline of the person.
Is it him?
Could it just be an early-rising student taking a break?
Could it be the head of student affairs?
Thinking of this, Wen Sheng pulled her skirt down a little. If she got caught wearing a skirt and left early, she'd probably have to write a self-criticism.
She was still hesitating whether to continue walking forward when the man seemed to sense her gaze and looked up in her direction.
In that one glance, the fog suddenly dissipated, and she finally saw the other person's face clearly.
It's Xu Jianing.
He stood under the tree, one hand resting on the locust tree, a thin layer of sweat still clinging to his body, his gray-white clothes hanging loosely on his shoulders, his whole body leaning back casually.
Wen Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. The little worry that had been hanging over her suddenly came to an end, but it also brought out a bit more panic.
She thought she had arrived early enough, but he was already there.
Weren't we just running on the track? How did we teleport here all of a sudden?
Wen Sheng pretended to be calm and walked forward, but her heart was pounding. But the other person quickly strode over to meet her, and before she could even speak, she heard him speak first.
Why so early?
"Didn't you say it was on a weekend morning?" Wen Sheng asked back.
Xu Jianing was taken aback, then realized what was happening, and her brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Sorry, I had Li Changshui tell you yesterday not to come too early." He pinched the bridge of his nose, somewhat helplessly. "Looks like he forgot."
Wen Sheng was taken aback by his sudden apology. She was about to say "It's okay" when he suddenly took a step closer, which interrupted her.
What happened to your leg?
She paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked down and saw that her calves were indeed covered with grass marks and a bit of dust, which she had gotten from walking through the grass.
"...It's nothing." Wen Sheng was a little embarrassed and subconsciously bent down to wipe it herself.
Before anyone could make a move, Xu Jianing had already pulled a neatly folded tissue from her pocket and squatted down.
"Don't move."
His fingers were long and slender; when he wiped the mud off with a tissue, his fingertips would accidentally brush against her skin.
"Weren't you just running?" Wen Sheng asked curiously.
“Yeah.” Xu Jianing casually tossed the paper into the trash can next to her, her voice slightly breathless. “There’s a small slope halfway around the playground, you can take a shortcut here. When I got there, you were standing on the other side of the road, lost in thought.”
Wen Sheng was taken aback: "You saw me a long time ago?"
"Hmm." Xu Jianing said, "You've been standing there for quite a while. I thought you weren't planning on coming over."
While I was hesitating and lingering by the playground, he had already taken a shortcut to get here.
"I was worried the head of the teaching department would come," Wen Sheng argued.
"Let's go." Xu Jianing chuckled softly, not exposing her, but simply turning her head slightly to signal her to follow.
"Where are you going?" Wen Sheng stopped where she was and didn't follow.
"canteen."
"Aren't you supposed to be learning something?" she asked, puzzled.
"You need to eat well before you have the energy to study," he said.
After speaking, Xu Jianing looked into Wen Sheng's eyes, as if to confirm whether she wanted to continue asking questions.
Wen Sheng, still carrying the water bottle, gave a soft "hmm" and quickly followed.
It was still early, and the cafeteria only had one window open. As soon as the pot lid was lifted, steam carrying the aroma of oil wafted out, and the mist instantly fogged up half of the glass.
"Two, please." Xu Jianing placed a 15-cent coin on the window.
The cook skillfully scooped up two pan-fried buns with a spatula, put them in a small paper bag, and handed them over.
"Here you go." Xu Jianing handed the paper bag to Wen Sheng. "You have to eat these pan-fried buns while they're hot."
Wen Sheng took it, then hesitated, "...Aren't you going to eat it?"
“Li Changshui owes me many breakfasts,” he said casually, his gaze falling on the paper bag in her hand. “Today, I’ll pay him back one.”
Wen Sheng took a bite; the outer skin was crispy, and the inside was filled with scalding hot soup, almost burning her tongue. She quickly puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, her eyebrows curving into a smile.
"tasty!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jianing smiled, glanced at the clock on the cafeteria wall, and then turned and walked out.
"Let's go to the real secret base."
"Don't we learn things after we finish eating?" Wen Sheng asked, her mouth still half full of buns.
"It won't take long." Xu Jianing handed over a piece of paper. "We can eat as we walk."
Wen Sheng kept taking small bites of the pan-fried bun in her hand, eating as she followed him outside.
Where are you taking me?
The teaching building wasn't open yet, so Xu Jianing didn't head towards the main entrance. Instead, she led Wen Sheng around to a side path at the back. That area was usually quiet, with only the teaching affairs office or logistics staff occasionally patrolling there.
"Are you sure you can get in?" Wen Sheng asked in a low voice.
Xu Jianing walked to the corner of the back door of the first-floor office, squatted down, and took out a key from under the old wooden cabinet against the wall: "Old Xue's spare key. He forgets to lock it every week."
Wen Sheng followed closely behind, her heart still pounding: "Does what we're doing... count as trespassing in the teachers' office?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to learn real skills?" Xu Jianing casually closed the door. "This is where I learned them."
"You sit in this chair."
Xu Jianing walked around to Xue Pingsheng's desk, opened the drawer, took out a piece of white paper, and handed it and a pen to her.
"Come on, give me a question."
"Huh?" Wen Sheng took the paper and pen, looking confused. "Shouldn't we do the problems first?"
"What kind of questions?" Xu Jianing leaned against the edge of the desk, one hand propped on the table, his posture casual. "Doing questions is the least efficient way. If you want to grasp the essence of a question, you have to think from the perspective of the question setter first."
Wen Sheng sat in the chair, looked up at him, her eyes full of confusion, "But I'm not a teacher."
“The seat you are sitting in now is the position of the math group leader.” Xu Jianing tapped the old red tabletop lightly with his finger. “From now on, you are a teacher.”
Wen Sheng blinked: "And what about you?"
"student."
“Student,” he answered crisply, pulling up a chair and leaning back lazily. “Come on, teacher, give me, the examinee, a question.”
Wen Sheng frowned and thought for a moment, then tentatively wrote down half of the question, asking tentatively, "Will this work?"
"Are you familiar with this question?" Xu Jianing looked down and asked.
"Hmm... I talked to my classmates about the problem-solving approach before, and I remember the general idea."
“Try a question you think you know well,” Xu Jianing said, turning to the side and resting his elbow on the edge of the table, his gaze fixed on her paper. “Think about it from the beginning, create the question stem, set the conditions, and set the traps. The smoother you can create the question, the more solid your grasp of it is; if you stop, it means that’s a point you’re not familiar with.”
Wen Sheng switched to a problem she was usually quite good at, wrote a few lines carefully, and then stopped.
"What's wrong?" Xu Jianing asked.
“I…” Wen Sheng stared at the question she had written, “I suddenly don’t know how to set the conditions.”
Xu Jianing had anticipated this, and calmly pointed out: "Because you are recalling the answers to questions you did before."
He was too direct, and Wen Sheng retorted, "Doesn't that also mean I remember the solution?"
"Remembering the answer and truly mastering it are two different things."
As he spoke, he took her paper and quickly added several conditions, setting traps step by step, and even marking key points.
“Look,” Xu Jianing pushed the paper back, “the trap isn’t in the formula, it’s in the conditions. Miss a single word, and the whole result changes.”
Wen Sheng looked at the question, then looked up again, and couldn't help but laugh: "Are you insulting yourself?"
"Hmm." Xu Jianing leaned back in his chair. "This shows that the questions I set were of a high standard."
Wen Sheng was amused and smiled, then looked at the question again. Sure enough, the difficulty had increased considerably.
"Is this the real thing you were talking about?" she asked.
"Well, it was a learning method I came up with by chance. When I was in the first year of high school, Lao Xue always asked me to help him with his questions."
"Then why did you avoid him last time? You said you didn't want to set questions."
Xu Jianing recalled the scene that day and said thoughtfully, "That day... something else happened."
"What is it?" Wen Sheng asked curiously.
"Out of step with the times."
Wen Sheng was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
“If I say it now, it might not be studying anymore.” Xu Jianing turned his head, his gaze falling on her face. “It would be distraction.”
"Keep asking questions, Professor Wen, don't stop."
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