Simon fiddled with his phone as if it were a brick; the Youth Mode truly was too effective a thing.
During break time, students gathered in twos and threes to play games, with only a few remaining in their seats. The environment was extremely noisy. They wanted to whisper, but couldn't appear too intimate, so they could only wait for the lull in student cheers—playing clapping games, or folding paper, etc. Elementary school students always found new joys and always cheered over small things.
"I say, how about we go look for a song together this weekend?"
"It's quite far."
"I checked, if we leave at 6 AM, we can be back by 3 PM."
"But we'll have to stay at that store for a while, let's say an hour."
"Then it's 4 PM, oh, and lunch..."
Simon squinted. The classroom lights were natural but, all in all, not very bright; they were just not dim, allowing people to read without straining their eyes. Class Teacher had boasted that the school's lighting system cost tens of millions, talking about less blue light, eye protection, and all sorts of exaggerated claims, more enthusiastic than a talk show host. But Class Teacher did seem to have been an amateur crosstalk performer for a while. Not to compare with professionals, but she could spout nonsense and trickery on all four subjects at will.
Class Teacher's loud, folk-song-like shouts seemed to echo in his ears again as Simon gazed at Su Xiangli in the faint light. The little girl's mouth exhaled the scent of fermented wheat and grease. What could her breakfast have been? Noodles, or steamed buns? Of course, siu mai and dumplings were also possible, or even mantou with pork cracklings. He tried to smell again, but Su Xiangli had closed her mouth.
Simon realized he had been staring at her lips for too long. It seemed he wouldn't guess her breakfast. What a pity.
"Is there something on my mouth?"
"No, what did you have for breakfast?"
"A meat bun and a bowl of seaweed soup."
"Oh, seaweed too. Did it have dried shrimp skin?"
"No, I don't like dried shrimp skin."
"No wonder, how can seaweed soup not have dried shrimp skin? It has no soul!"
"What soul? You're lying again."
Simon chuckled, "I don't lie to people, only to pigs."
"You're the pig!"
"So quick to admit I was talking about you?"
Su Xiangli was furious, she turned her head away, no longer looking at Simon.
Counting the days, it would be National Day in another week. Simon still remembered the National Day of '79, the 130th anniversary of the founding of the nation. Time really flew by. In history, 130 years could outlast a dozen short-lived dynasties. The parade back then was very lively, with cheers all over the internet, which foreigners could easily describe as arrogant. Of course, every National Day parade was very arrogant, but it was exceptionally arrogant once every ten years.
"Where are we going to play for National Day?" Su Xiangli was angry for a while, then calmed down, turning her head back, but still pouting to show "I'm not happy."
Just as Simon was about to speak, the class bell rang, ding-ding-ding-ding-ling—a very simple bell sound, so much so that it wasn't particularly liked, but not annoying either.
No talking in class, that was the rule, but few children could actually follow it.
Teacher Li entered the room, wearing white canvas shoes, walking silently. She was a young and beautiful female English teacher named Li, tall, fair-skinned, and slender. She looked like a literature club president in a shirt, and like Lin Daiyu in Hanfu. All in all, she was a gentle and graceful girl.
Simon cupped his face, a little wistful. In his previous life, he had a girlfriend, a cool girl. They dated for six years, then she said she was tired and left without any hesitation. Oh, sometimes he still thought of her. Simon thought that if he were to find a partner in this life, he'd look for someone quiet and gentle, so she wouldn't run away, suitable for spending life together.
Su Xiangli poked Simon's ribs with her finger. He was startled and almost jumped up, "You poked me again!"
"I was asking you something!" Su Xiangli was very angry and planned to play a trick on Simon, but hadn't yet decided how.
Simon was lazy, "I plan to stay home." He still cupped his face, looking at Teacher Li. The kind older sister's English sounded very pleasant, her accent very pure, giving him the feeling of lying in a recliner, sipping tea, and listening to an English broadcast on the radio.
After class, Su Xiangli went to the small shop. It sold snacks, drinks, and small toys. Since phones couldn't be used, all students here used their campus cards. Su Xiangli rummaged through half a shelf and found a plastic snake and two plastic spiders, all for pranks.
Su Xiangli was secretly delighted, thinking that this time she would definitely scare that arrogant Simon so much he'd jump to the ceiling. He had personally said he was afraid of spiders.
Hehe, I'll put the snake in his drawer first, and while he's playing with the snake, I'll suddenly throw the spiders at his face. That'll definitely scare him silly... Little Su Xiangli grew more and more pleased with the thought, and couldn't help but laugh while waiting in line.
"Su Xiangli, what did you buy?" Zhang Yingxuan suddenly spoke behind her.
"Ah! You, you scared me to death! Eek, you're here too? Did that bad guy Simon come?"
"He should still be in the classroom," Zhang Yingxuan said, a little wooden and dazed, clearly not having slept well last night.
"Why do you have a pair of hands on your stomach?" Su Xiangli asked in surprise.
Zhang Yingxuan still had a pair of hands wrapped around his stomach. Zhou Ping poked his head out from behind Zhang Yingxuan, "They're my hands! What are you doing, Su Su, Classmate Su?"
"Oh, it's Thick Lips." Su Xiangli had given almost everyone she met more than one nickname. Zhou Ping's code name on her side was Thick Lips. And Zhou Ping was not to be outdone, giving her the nickname Su Su, Classmate Su in return.
Zhou Ping was still holding Zhang Yingxuan, "I'm not Thick Lips. Oh, you're buying toys. Are you planning to scare Classmate Simon?"
"Don't tell anyone! Got it?" Su Xiangli threatened.
"Let me play with the spiders for a bit."
"No." Su Xiangli scanned her campus card at the cashier, paid, and then ran off.
Zhou Ping asked Zhang Yingxuan, "Do you think she's just planning to prank Classmate Simon?"
"They've always been like this."
"Oh, you guys came from the same kindergarten."
Meanwhile, Su Xiangli repeatedly confirmed her battle plan. She felt a nervous thrill, like she was conspiring, looking left and right, shifty-eyed like a cat stealing fish.
Simon was flipping through a book in the classroom, reading a classic called "How the Steel Was Tempered," for the red spirit lives on forever. He knew the plot of this book well. This was actually the third time he had read it. In his previous life, he read it twice in elementary school, and in this life, he had read half of it. Although his age was similar, with more experience, reading the book again had a different flavor.
He borrowed this book from the small library in the comprehensive building. Besides study-related books, there were only a sparse two or three bookshelves of classics. Few people went there. Children preferred to play games, and fifth and sixth graders secretly brought e-readers or physical books, of course not proper books, but novels.
"Cough cough, Simon—"
Simon turned around, and a snake flew towards him.
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