"Today is…" Simon checked his phone: December 6th, 2085, Thursday, the Great Snow solar term.
The first period in the morning was Chinese Language. The teacher spent half the class on dictation. The second period was Math, covering equations. He muddled through many problems, not really feeling anything.
At 9:30, the familiar "Athletes' March" blared again, and the energetic elementary school students ran out in a swarm to gather.
Simon was stopped at the door by the Class Teacher, who took him to the office for a talk.
He thought he hadn't done anything wrong, so he entered the office with a bit of righteous indignation, but as soon as he stepped in, he saw Su Xiangli standing by the English Teacher's desk. The young girl had her back to the door, and he could clearly see her hands behind her back, restlessly intertwining. Su Xiangli was wearing a white cotton maxi dress today, printed with many cartoon strawberries, and a gardenia-colored denim vest over it. Her hair was down, with a brownish-yellow little bear hair clip behind her left ear.
The Class Teacher pointed to the English Teacher, signaling Simon to go over, while she gracefully turned to manage the morning exercises.
There were only three people left in the office. Teacher Li was tapping and clicking on the computer screen, temporarily ignoring Su Xiangli. After Simon walked over, she turned and smiled at him.
Simon quietly asked, "Hello, Teacher. Is there something you called me for?"
Teacher Li stopped her work, gently pushed her feet on the floor, and her swivel chair moved back a bit, releasing her body from the confines of the desk. She faced the two of them, lowering her head slightly, her gaze very serious. She was slender, and when she became serious, it gave people the mistaken impression of anger.
"Simon, you are Su Xiangli's good friend. Do you know about her recent study situation?"
As soon as this question came out, Simon felt a bit deflated.
Of course, he knew Su Xiangli's English grades were slipping, not because she wasn't studying seriously, but because she disliked Teacher Li herself. She had intentionally answered questions incorrectly in the past few weekly tests.
"I know."
Teacher Li frowned, "Since you know, you should shoulder the responsibility of a classmate and a good friend!"
"… …" Simon remained silent. This was a common tactic among students; arguing with teachers was almost useless, and besides, the current problem wasn't Su Xiangli's academic performance.
Teacher Li sincerely advised the two children, "You must understand that whether in school or in society, everyone should have the enthusiasm to help each other. Without this spirit of unity, our country would not have reached where it is today. Among you students, you are both competitors and helpers. Simon, your grades are the best in the grade, and the teacher knows you are helpful, so you need to think of a good way to solve Su Xiangli's academic problems."
"Okay, Teacher Li." Simon's voice was low. He glanced at Su Xiangli out of the corner of his eye; she had her head down, but was secretly peeking at Simon and giggling.
The national anthem started playing outside; it was time for the flag-raising ceremony. Simon thought, "Hmm, salute." He turned his head and looked out the window. Yes, the bright red national flag was rising, in the east, like a sun.
Teacher Li sighed and turned back to her work, but she continued to ramble on for a couple more sentences, talking about study methods. This woman was a bit more long-winded than she appeared.
Simon finished watching the flag-raising ceremony and turned back. When Su Xiangli saw him looking back at her, she averted her gaze. The national anthem happened to stop abruptly at that moment, its lingering echoes reverberating through the spacious campus.
Simon smiled. Su Xiangli's evasive expression was like a dancing butterfly in a spring bush. He recalled that afternoon outing, lying in the tall grass, gazing at the clear blue sky.
Su Xiangli turned back again. She was always like this; her anger came and went even faster, one could even say she had a very good temper. All her annoyances were just pranks on herself and others, with immense joy hidden deep inside.
"Are you two listening?"
Su Xiangli nervously lowered her head, staring at her toes. Simon saw a section of white cotton pants peeking out from under her skirt, along with black leather shoes. She was dressed very fashionably today, a vest with a skirt, quite rebellious.
"Simon."
"Here."
Teacher Li eyed him suspiciously, "You were listening to what I said, weren't you? Although your English is very good, sometimes study methods are more important than talent."
"Okay." Simon showed a perfunctory smile.
Su Xiangli quietly moved closer to him, and her hand behind her back subtly poked Simon's left rib.
"Pfft!"
"Hm? What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I coughed, ahem!" Simon squinted at Su Xiangli, his gaze full of mischief. She immediately made a pleading expression.
Teacher Li, busy with her work, just sighed, "Children are hard to manage these days."
Simon responded, "Mm. Don't worry, Teacher, I will definitely 'help' Su Xiangli well." His tone was sincere and gentle, yet his hand was merciless, grabbing Su Xiangli's small hand and rubbing it hard. She almost cried out in pain.
Teacher Li suddenly stopped moving. The two children were too scared to move, watching as the teacher took a few fruit candies from her drawer and handed them over. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"I didn't call you here to punish you, especially you, Su Xiangli. People cannot stop learning; it's an eternal process, like eating and drinking…"
The loudspeaker outside suddenly blared loudly, "The Fourteenth Set of Broadcast Exercises, Full of Spirit, now beginning…"
Teacher Li asked the office smart system to close the window. After the soundproofing, the room became quiet again, and she continued to ramble, seemingly not planning to stop talking until the end of the break exercises.
Simon chose a grape-flavored candy, sweet and mellow. He sucked on it, hummed in agreement with the teacher's rambling, and released Su Xiangli's hand.
Su Xiangli got a cantaloupe-flavored one, fragrant and sweet like nectar. She quietly moved behind and to the side of Simon, using her finger to write and draw on his back.
Simon frowned, wondering what she was writing.
"[Lu… Zheng… Kang…]"
"Oh, alright, what now? By the way, you're making my back so itchy."
"[Idiot…]"
"Simon:??? (*￣︿￣)"
"[…Quick… Make… The… Teacher… Shut… Up…]"
"I wish I could."
Su Xiangli suddenly lost the interest in writing carefully and started drawing randomly.
Simon: "What is this again? Annoyed? Is it 'annoyed to death'? No, it seems like, oh, I haven't guessed it yet, don't be in a hurry to write."
He reached his hand behind him and gently grabbed Su Xiangli's hand, giving it a squeeze, signaling her to write properly, to write seriously.
Su Xiangli was annoyed, so she used both hands, poking furiously.
Teacher Li inadvertently turned her head and found her star student, Simon, using the knuckles of both index fingers to drill madly into the young girl's temples.
"Simon!!!"
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