Today is Saturday, October 2, 2083, the twenty-first day of the eighth lunar month, not long after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The outdoor temperature is 21.5 degrees Celsius, cloudy turning clear, wind force three, southwest wind. If you wear a jacket without zipping it up, the breeze can make the hem flutter like a superhero's small cape, perfect for cool boys and girls to go for a walk.
Cool boy Simon took cool girl Su Xiangli to his Great-Grandfather's old haunt. As for the other classmate, Zhang Yingxuan, he was doing homework with classmate Zhou Ping.
This time was different from usual outings for children, because there were no robots following them, so Simon had to be responsible for safety issues and other chores—actually, it was nothing much, just carrying a bag with some wet wipes, snacks, and small medicines.
Su Xiangli had been a bit listless since leaving in the morning. Simon touched her forehead with his own and felt she had a slight fever. After giving her an antibiotic, she slept the entire train ride, waking up once only to eat.
Simon used a small spoon to feed Su Xiangli, her eyes still closed, but her mouth not idle.
"Mmm… bad guy, this isn't tasty," she murmured in a dreamlike voice, burrowing into the seat back, looking so comfortable she might snore any second. After one bite, she gently opened her mouth, signaling for another.
Simon felt a joyful sense of taking care of a junior, but outwardly he teased Su Xiangli, calling her a little pig, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. He said she was even more of a pig than a pig, eating while sleeping.
Su Xiangli then started to scold him, muttering, a smile playing on her lips. As she ate, grains of rice dribbled down, and Simon had to wipe them away little by little.
An old woman reading in the train took off her reading glasses, looked out the window, then at Simon and Su Xiangli, a look of bright cheerfulness on her face.
Simon turned to look at her, and the old woman smiled back at him, taking two milk candies from her handbag and handing them to him.
Su Xiangli was eating savory Muxu pork over rice when a short cylindrical milk candy suddenly appeared in her mouth. After the wrapper melted, the sweet, milky taste spread, and she suddenly laughed, opening her arms. "Simon, hug me."
"No," Simon flatly refused, planning to chat with the old woman for a while. Her elder's temperament was broad and warm, clearly someone with rich experience and extensive knowledge, capable of talking about anything.
Su Xiangli hummed, grabbed Simon's arm, and hugged it. "I'm going to sleep now."
Simon painfully closed his eyes. Having his arm used as a pillow was truly a torture experience; anyone who tried that position would know. In this state, he shouldn't chat with others; playing on his phone was more practical.
He opened an e-book to read, "Robinson Crusoe." This was the earliest farming novel he had read, and it was indeed very interesting, so much so that it made him fantasize about living alone in the deep mountains back then.
Of course, this fantasy never came true.
By the time the train arrived at the station, Simon could no longer feel his left arm.
Su Xiangli hugged the cardboard box, complaining that Simon lacked gentlemanly manners. "I'm a girl, and the machine is so heavy."
Simon moved his arm. "If not for you, how would this humble one have fallen to such a state! Once my arm isn't sore, I will definitely carry the heavy load for you!"
Su Xiangli's mood brightened. "It's a deal then. Once your arm isn't sore, you'll carry this yourself."
In fact, Great-Grandfather was waiting outside the station. The old man was still cool, standing ramrod straight, his gaze as cold as a thrown spear. No one dared to meet his eyes, fearing being pierced.
Su Xiangli hesitated, not wanting to get too close to Lu Xuefeng. The old man gave her a strained smile, took the cardboard box, and placed it in the pickup truck's bed. He returned to the two little kids holding hands, raising his hand slightly as if to caress them, but Su Xiangli flinched and dodged. Subconsciously, she thought this fierce-looking old man was going to hit her. So, Lu Xuefeng withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back.
Simon grinned broadly at his Great-Grandfather. "Great-Grandfather, I'm hungry!"
Lu Xuefeng was already familiar with him, so his expression became even colder, only saying, "Get in the car."
...
The National Day holiday ended.
Simon returned to school, once again confined to the small classroom.
Actually, for him, there was nothing wrong with the classroom. His classmates were lively, and the teachers were interesting. It was livelier than playing on his phone alone at home, but precisely because he couldn't play on his phone in the classroom, it made him feel particularly miserable.
There wasn't much free time during the school day, just twenty minutes during the morning exercises at 9:30. Simon would take advantage of this time every day to run to the library.
The librarians were an old couple who took turns working. The old man had a soft personality and his surname was Wen, while the old woman was the very sharp-tongued type, surnamed Qian. Simon, of course, preferred talking to the old man, but he always saved his good words for the old woman, coaxing her until she was happy, so she would bring Simon some snacks.
After half a semester, Simon had become quite familiar with both of them. It was then that he discovered the one who had always been deeply hidden was the old man.
He kept a collection of out-of-print paper books, including some Nobel Prize works from this century, many of which Simon could not access, and even Lu Jiande and his wife might not have the qualifications to purchase.
Simon couldn't take them out, so he could only come to the library to read them whenever he had free time each day.
Later, he discussed with his Class Teacher that the daily self-study class and the summer nap time could be freely allocated, giving him more time to spend in the library.
Time flew by, and Simon spent many happy hours in the library.
The peaceful and boring days were broken in his third year, though it wasn't really broken. In November 2085, Simon met a fellow book lover in the library, a first-grade little girl who didn't like to talk and was very polite. Simon's classes were different from hers, so he couldn't meet her every day.
Simon tried to talk to her several times, but she always responded with silence. It was Grandma Qian, the librarian, who found out about her. While chatting with Simon, she mentioned that this first grader also got in with a perfect score, just like Simon.
"Oh, excellent, genius beautiful girl, cool," Simon secretly grumbled.
Su Xiangli knew Simon liked to spend time in the library, so she also tried to ask her Class Teacher for leave, but it was, of course, rejected multiple times.
Simon mercilessly mocked her for this.
One day, the genius beautiful girl came to talk to Simon, wanting to ask if he had finished reading a Mo Yan novel he had borrowed.
"You understand Mo Yan?" Simon asked in surprise.
The genius girl honestly shook her head. "Teacher Mo Yan's articles are very interesting. I will read them repeatedly."
Her voice was not pleasant to listen to, thin and sharp, with short breaths, as if tiny needles were pricking the eardrum. No wonder she didn't like to talk. Simon first saw her a month ago, and they had met countless times since, but this was truly the first time they had spoken.
Once the conversation started, the two slowly became more familiar. The genius girl's name was Meng Qijun, which was a very nice name, and she was also very good-looking, with thick, dark long hair, fair skin, and a round, petite, oval face. Unfortunately, her voice was truly unpleasant, so it was always Simon who spoke, and she would silently agree, nodding or shaking her head. By the end of the day, she wouldn't say more than five sentences.
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