Lin Zhixia is the pride of the Earth Legion.

These words from Jiang Yubai echoed repeatedly in Lin Zhixia’s mind. The “Exploring the Universe” comic series that she and Jiang Yubai created together seemed to have merged with reality, infusing reality with a fantasy-like quality, while also providing her with strength from the virtual world.

After the elementary school classmates’ reunion ended, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai walked back to Class 17 in the third year of junior high school. They strolled along, stopping occasionally to admire the winter campus scenery—in the cold winter month, the vegetation had withered, with only a cluster of plum blossoms blooming in the severe cold, blossoming with both elegance and beauty.

A delicate plum fragrance lingered nearby, its scent refreshing to the heart. Lin Zhixia stood leisurely under the tree appreciating the plum blossoms when Jiang Yubai suddenly said, “I brought my digital camera today.”

Lin Zhixia reached out to him: “Quick, take out the camera, let’s take a photo together.”

Jiang Yubai hung one strap of his backpack on his left shoulder and reached into his bag with his right hand to take out his digital camera.

The digital camera had a touchscreen. Lin Zhixia pondered for a moment, adjusted the parameters for resolution, aperture, focus, and several other options, and immediately took a test photo. Her photo came out clear with excellent lighting effects, prompting Jiang Yubai to praise her involuntarily: “You… have a bit of talent for photography.”

“Not really,” Lin Zhixia laughed and said, “It’s because your digital camera is of good quality.”

Four senior students from the high school section walked over from a distance. Lin Zhixia stood in the middle of the path, planning to stop the seniors and find a kind-hearted person to help take a photo of her and Jiang Yubai.

The four seniors walked in pairs, and Lin Zhixia immediately recognized that the tallest among them was her brother, Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zeqiu was sixteen years old this year, with a height of 1.87 meters. He had long legs and walked with quick, urgent strides directly toward Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia had originally thought that after her various experiences, her mental fortitude had grown and her courage had increased greatly. However, when she spotted her brother, she didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately hid behind Jiang Yubai.

“My brother is coming,” Lin Zhixia warned.

Jiang Yubai properly adjusted his backpack and straightened his appearance, preparing himself: “I know.”

“My brother looks fierce,” Lin Zhixia commented.

Jiang Yubai held the digital camera tightly in his right hand: “Is he fierce every day?”

“Not really,” Lin Zhixia narrated honestly, “Brother can be quite gentle sometimes. One night, when I was studying at home with my brother, he even called me by my nickname.”

Jiang Yubai asked her: “What’s your nickname?”

“Xia Xia,” Lin Zhixia said proudly, “Lin Zhixia’s nickname is Xia Xia.”

Jiang Yubai tried calling her: “Xia Xia?”

Lin Zhixia responded very happily: “Xia Xia is here.” Then she asked, “Jiang Yubai, what’s your nickname?”

Jiang Yubai listed a detailed roster: “My uncle calls me Xiao Jiang, my father calls me by my full name. My mother used to call me Xiao Bai, now she also calls me by my full name.”

“Xiao Bai,” Lin Zhixia enunciated word by word.

Jiang Yubai turned his face away uncomfortably: “That’s a child’s nickname.”

Lin Zhixia nodded: “Okay! I won’t call you Xiao Bai anymore. I’ll just call you Jiang-Jiang-Jiang-Jiang Yubai… and also, Leader Jiang Yubai, Your Majesty Jiang Yubai, Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Yubai imitated Lin Zhixia’s wording, learning from her example: “Lin-Lin-Lin-Lin Zhixia, Captain Lin Zhixia, Queen Lin Zhixia, Teacher Lin…” His voice gradually became lower. The titles “Queen Lin Zhixia” and “Teacher Lin” made him feel somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. Especially as Lin Zeqiu was getting closer to him, he didn’t want Lin Zeqiu to hear his words clearly.

Just as he finished saying the three words “Teacher Lin,” Lin Zeqiu reached his side.

Lin Zeqiu’s gaze passed over Jiang Yubai and settled on Lin Zhixia: “You told Mom and Dad this morning that you were having lunch with classmates. Where are your classmates?”

“Elementary school classmates’ lunch,” Jiang Yubai explained on Lin Zhixia’s behalf, “Our elementary school classmates are in the first year of junior high at Provincial No. 1 Middle School. The lunch just ended, and they’ve all returned to the first-year teaching building. Lin Zhixia and I are heading to the third-year teaching building.”

“Yes, yes, the facts are just as Jiang Yubai said!” Lin Zhixia chimed in righteously.

Clearly, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai were in the same camp, while Lin Zeqiu had become the outsider—this realization caused a momentary pause in Lin Zeqiu’s thinking, creating a brief blank in his mind.

How could this be?

Lin Zeqiu and Lin Zhixia were siblings bound by blood. For nearly everything related to his sister, Lin Zeqiu had done his best. For instance, he had broken through his own boundaries to acknowledge his sibling relationship with Lin Zhixia, after which his school life in the second and third years of junior high was shrouded in a dense, impenetrable gloom.

Now, Lin Zeqiu was enrolled in the best science preparatory class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School. The classmates in his class were basically all ranked within the top 200 in the city’s entrance examination. Lin Zeqiu carried a heavy academic burden every day and frequently heard his classmates discussing his sister, saying that his sister was a legendary figure in the junior high section.

There were also several classmates in his class who were half-skeptical about his sister’s achievements. Although Lin Zeqiu very much resented the three words “Lin Zhixia” appearing in his school life, he disliked even more anyone questioning Lin Zhixia’s academic abilities. He had argued with his classmates for a full ten minutes just to establish a positive image of Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia was unaware of her brother’s protection of her. Her mind was filled with her brother’s frequent saying “boys must play with boys, girls must play with girls.” Lin Zhixia had also discovered that even though her brother had entered high school, he still maintained his rigid and conservative style, insisting on maintaining clear boundaries with all girls.

Lin Zhixia tried to change her brother’s deeply ingrained stereotypes: “Brother, Jiang Yubai and I have established our high school academic plans. We’ve been constantly encouraging each other, striving toward a bright future.”

Lin Zeqiu simply said: “Come over here, stand by my side.”

Lin Zhixia grabbed Jiang Yubai’s digital camera and walked to her brother’s side with the camera: “Okay, brother, please help take a photo of Jiang Yubai and me, thank you, brother.”

Lin Zeqiu’s three classmates had also arrived nearby. When they heard Lin Zhixia call Lin Zeqiu “brother,” they asked curiously: “Is she your sister, Lin Zhixia?”

Lin Zeqiu acknowledged with a cold face: “Yes.”

The classmates all marveled at this. They examined Lin Zhixia with complex gazes. Lin Zeqiu turned his head and asked imperiously: “What are you three still looking at, haven’t you seen a junior student from the competition class before?”

One of Lin Zeqiu’s classmates replied awkwardly: “Why… why are you getting angry?”

Lin Zhixia suddenly had an idea: “Brother, come join us for a photo.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t voice any objection. Jiang Yubai found a not-so-conspicuous position under the plum blossom tree. He stood there with perfect posture, quietly. After a few more seconds, Jiang Yubai revealed to Lin Zeqiu: “I will be going to another city for high school soon.”

“That’s right,” Lin Zhixia said, “I’m going to be separated from my best friend.”

Lin Zeqiu looked at them, unmoved.

Lin Zhixia chattered on: “We’ve never taken a photo on campus before, brother.”

Without waiting for Lin Zeqiu’s agreement, Lin Zhixia directly handed the camera to one of Lin Zeqiu’s classmates: “Excuse me, may I trouble you to take a group photo for us? I’ve adjusted the parameters already, you just need to press the shutter.”

The senior student quickly agreed to Lin Zhixia’s request. He took the camera and stepped back a few paces: “Hey, this won’t work, you three need to stand closer together. You’re standing too far apart, the camera frame can’t fit you all in.”

Lin Zhixia was determined to get a group photo. She walked to a spot near Jiang Yubai, and Lin Zeqiu immediately rushed to her side. The distance between the three of them was greatly reduced.

Lin Zhixia stood in the central position. Jiang Yubai was on her left, and Lin Zeqiu was on her right. Her face was full of smiles, looking very happy.

Lin Zeqiu slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, but worried that his smile would look stiff and not as good as Jiang Yubai’s. He had to admit that Jiang Yubai indeed looked quite handsome. Even though Lin Zeqiu never cared about a man’s appearance, he didn’t want to be outshined in a comparative photo.

Jiang Yubai didn’t think that much. He just maintained his appearance as always. He guessed that Lin Zhixia would carefully preserve this photo. So, he had to present his best self.

The classmate responsible for taking the photo squatted down, raised the digital camera, and called out loudly: “Give me a smile, say ‘cheese.’ I’ll count down again. One, two, three… cheese!”

Lin Zhixia was the most cooperative. She enthusiastically shouted: “Cheese!”

Jiang Yubai looked straight ahead. He only silently thought in his heart: Cheese.

And Lin Zeqiu remained as motionless as a wax figure.

The classmate took ten photos in succession before returning the digital camera to Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia examined the photos and exclaimed with surprise: “How beautiful!”

In the photo she saw, not only were Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai, and Lin Zeqiu present, but also a patch of withered yellow grass, showcasing the desolation and bleakness of winter. The full tree of red plum blossoms was vibrant and in full bloom, embodying the miraculous creation of nature. This wondrous scene contained a stark contrast of colors, temporarily making her forget about Jiang Yubai and Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zhixia turned around and looked at Jiang Yubai with anticipation: “When you get home, can you send the electronic version of the photo to my email?”

Jiang Yubai held the camera strap and said decisively: “I will develop the photo, frame it, and give it to you.”

Lin Zhixia was overjoyed: “Okay, okay, thank you, Jiang Yubai!”

Jiang Yubai nodded: “You’re welcome.”

Lin Zeqiu observed the interaction between the two, which seemed very polite. But he still felt uncomfortable. After all, he couldn’t keep an eye on Lin Zhixia all the time, and the moment he wasn’t paying attention, Lin Zhixia would be playing with Jiang Yubai. His only consolation was that Jiang Yubai was going to another city for high school. This meant that the friendship between Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia would come to an end, and Lin Zhixia would have to find a girl to be her best friend during high school—which was the proper trajectory for a high school girl.

*

Since the onset of winter this year, cold waves from Siberia had been continuously invading, bringing the harshest winter climate in a decade. The city’s high-rise buildings were all hidden in the enveloping cold air. Every morning, Mom would prepare Lin Zhixia’s gloves, scarf, earmuffs, and hat, fearing that her daughter might catch a cold on her way to and from school.

On the day the final exams ended, the lowest temperature was only minus seven degrees Celsius, and Lin Zhixia was bundled up like a rice dumpling. She and Jiang Yubai left the exam room together, walking slowly toward the school gate of Provincial No. 1 Middle School. Without any warning, Jiang Yubai took off his gloves. He opened his backpack, took out an exquisite box, and handed it to Lin Zhixia.

“What is it?” Lin Zhixia asked him.

He said: “A photo and a photo frame.”

Lin Zhixia was about to take off her gloves, but Jiang Yubai stopped her: “It’s cold, I’ll open it.”

Jiang Yubai unwrapped the gift box, and Lin Zhixia saw an exquisite photo frame made of huanghuali wood. In the photo, she stood with Jiang Yubai and Lin Zeqiu under a flourishing plum blossom tree, full of the vibrant energy of young people. Although Lin Zeqiu looked a bit stiff, the overall effect was excellent, and it was a photo very much worth treasuring.

A gust of howling wind blew past, making Jiang Yubai’s hands ice-cold.

Lin Zhixia quickly put the photo frame in her backpack: “Put your gloves back on quickly.” She added: “This photo frame will be displayed on my desk.”

“I have one too,” Jiang Yubai disclosed.

Lin Zhixia asked with surprise: “Does your photo include my brother?”

It doesn’t.

In the photo that Jiang Yubai kept, Lin Zeqiu had been mercilessly cropped out. Jiang Yubai felt no guilt about this. He had initially planned to give the cropped version to Lin Zhixia as well. But later, out of consideration for proper conduct, Jiang Yubai resisted the urge. He could even guess Lin Zhixia’s thoughts—Jiang Yubai was Lin Zhixia’s good friend of four years, while Lin Zeqiu was the brother she cared deeply about; both had special meaning to Lin Zhixia as witnesses to her growth.

On Jiang Yubai’s father’s desk, there was also a family portrait. That photo included Jiang Yubai’s parents, Jiang Yubai’s uncle, and Jiang Yubai himself. Clearly, Lin Zhixia, like all ordinary people, valued both family and friendship.

Even so, Jiang Yubai still honestly said: “Lin Zeqiu is not in my photo.”

Lin Zhixia showed understanding: “Hmm, that’s what I expected.”

She also said: “Actually, that day, I imagined that my parents had also come to school. Dad, Mom, brother, and you and me, the five of us taking a photo together. You are all very important people to me. When I feel scared and nervous, you all help me. You are all my driving force to move forward.”

“Helping you is what I should do,” Jiang Yubai humbly stated, “My father says that true friends naturally help each other.”

“Yes, yes!” Lin Zhixia agreed enthusiastically.

Today was the last day of the first semester of junior high school third year, and the school gate of Provincial No. 1 Middle School was just ahead. It seemed that passing through that gate would lead into the long winter vacation and the lively Spring Festival. Only now did Lin Zhixia speak up: “I have another piece of good news to tell you. The paper I co-authored with two doctoral sisters will be submitted this month. Teacher Shen said that with luck, it might be approved soon… then my first paper will be published, and I’m the first author.”

Jiang Yubai had known Lin Zhixia for four years and considered himself accustomed to major events. However, when he heard that Lin Zhixia’s first paper, with her as the first author, was about to be published, he was still greatly shocked.

He asked: “Do you have time to write papers?”

He suspected that over the past year, Lin Zhixia had been living a very difficult life.

Lin Zhixia described in detail: “I’ve been with the doctoral sisters for over three years, and they’ve taught me a lot. I started writing in January last year, revised it several times in between, and Teacher Shen also helped me review the manuscript.”

Jiang Yubai pondered: “What is your research direction?”

Lin Zhixia told the truth: “My research direction is the mixed parameterization analysis of the ocean general circulation model in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea.”

“What?” Jiang Yubai asked again.

Lin Zhixia looked at him: “Actually, I think that in some research fields, very impressive, ahead-of-its-time innovative papers generally don’t have very long titles. My kind of paper with a long string of a title suggests that the work only includes a small improvement.”

Jiang Yubai was concerned about her: “Is this research direction something you like?”

Lin Zhixia nodded: “Teacher Shen taught me hands-on how to express the ideas in my head more systematically. Do you remember Niu Siyuan? He’s Teacher Shen’s student. After reading Niu Siyuan’s paper, I got the inspiration for my first paper. I told Teacher Shen about my ideas. Teacher Shen gave me the first batch of raw data. Then, she helped me collect data several more times and encouraged me to start the topic…

Speaking of which, I actually dragged on for a full three years before completing this paper.”

“You shouldn’t have procrastination,” Jiang Yubai commented.

Lin Zhixia immediately reflected on herself: “Hmm, I don’t like procrastinating. But sometimes, I’m afraid to take the first step.”

She and Jiang Yubai walked out of the school gate together as fine, scattered snowflakes fell on her face. She suddenly remembered the experience of attending training together with Jiang Yubai during the winter break of their first year of junior high. She remembered that on that snowy night with dim streetlights, she and Jiang Yubai shouted to each other across a road: See you tomorrow!

See you tomorrow.

What hopeful three words.

She began to miss the winter training of their first year of junior high.

Jiang Yubai kept a slight distance from her and said to her quite formally: “You’ve grown a lot, Lin Zhixia. You’re braver and stronger than when you were a child.”

Lin Zhixia repeated to herself: “Very brave, very strong.”

“Yes,” Jiang Yubai echoed, “You will become better and better.”

Lin Zhixia immediately said: “Jiang Yubai will also become better and better, that’s a fact and also my hope.”

She took the first step forward, stepping onto the crosswalk: “See you next semester, Jiang Yubai!”

The green light was counting down, and Jiang Yubai waved to her: “See you next semester, Lin Zhixia.”

Lin Zhixia laughed and ran toward the bus stop as usual. Her junior high school third year winter vacation had begun.

The winter vacation lasted one month, and Lin Zhixia planned to focus her main energy on her paper. Her first paper was about the practical application and localized improvement of the ocean general circulation model. To process the vast and tedious data, Lin Zhixia employed a computer cluster and also tried Google’s newly published preduce framework. The framework’s basic concept was very simple and easy to operate, and it also gave Lin Zhixia inspiration to improve preduce. Besides this, she also wanted to enhance her understanding of quantum field theory and her thoughts on the boundaries of two-dimensional Riemannian manifolds, but due to a lack of affirmation and recommendation from relevant professional professors, she didn’t rashly start writing.

Dad and Mom clearly noticed Lin Zhixia’s changes.

This winter vacation, Lin Zhixia was quieter and more reserved than in previous years. When she heard that Dad and Mom wanted to take her and Lin Zeqiu back to their hometown, she calmly declared: “I’m not going. You and brother go back to the hometown, I’ll stay at home alone for seven days.”

In previous years’ Spring Festivals, Lin Zhixia didn’t want to go back to her hometown. But she was clingy. She would definitely follow behind Dad and Mom. As long as Dad and Mom decided to go to the countryside for the New Year, Lin Zhixia could only obey her parents’ wishes.

However, in this winter vacation of the third year of junior high, Lin Zhixia suddenly became independent. She said: “I’m almost thirteen years old. I can take care of myself.”

Dad asked in shock: “Does Xia Xia know how to cook? What does Xia Xia plan to eat when alone at home?”

Lin Zhixia thought for a moment before saying: “I can eat instant noodles, mineral water, and braised chicken wings. I’ll also eat oranges to supplement vitamin C, preventing myself from getting scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency.”

Mom criticized her: “It’s almost the New Year, don’t talk about diseases and such things.”

“Mm-hmm.” Lin Zhixia nodded. She appeared very obedient.

But on the issue of “returning to the hometown,” Lin Zhixia was especially stubborn, not giving an inch. Especially when she heard that her uncle and aunt were also going to the countryside for the New Year this year, she expressed even more aversion: “Grandpa and Grandma don’t like me, and you know what Uncle and Aunt are like. These relatives have no familial affection for me, so why should I try to please them?”

Dad called her: “Xia Xia…”

Lin Zhixia immediately responded: “Xia Xia said she’s not going, and that means she’s not going.”

“I won’t go back either,” Lin Zeqiu suddenly spoke up.

Just like Lin Zhixia, Lin Zeqiu strongly disliked Uncle’s family. Especially that cousin from Uncle’s family, who always showed off in front of him; there were several times when he couldn’t help but want to pick up his cousin and give him a beating.

The conditions at Grandpa’s house and Maternal Grandpa’s house weren’t good, and they weren’t very particular about bathing or using the toilet. While at Grandpa’s house, whenever Lin Zhixia went to the bathroom, Lin Zeqiu would stand outside to guard the door for her. The bathroom door lock at Grandpa’s house was broken—Grandpa and Grandma always refused to fix it, thinking it unnecessary to spend money on repairing the toilet. Lin Zhixia would use a chair and several wooden blocks to create a so-called “jack” to prop against the door. But Lin Zeqiu was still not at ease because there were many guests at Grandpa’s house… In short, Lin Zeqiu didn’t adapt to everything in the rural hometown. He strongly requested to stay at home with Lin Zhixia.

He said: “Lin Zhixia doesn’t know how to cook, but I do. I can even prepare a New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Lin Zhixia clapped her hands happily: “That’s great, brother, we don’t have to eat instant noodles!”

“I won’t let you eat instant noodles during the Spring Festival,” Lin Zeqiu said firmly.

Lin Zhixia immediately started ordering dishes: “Then we’ll eat braised crucian carp, yellow bean stew with pig’s trotters, stir-fried beef with green peppers, cold tomato salad… okay, brother?”

Lin Zeqiu sat on the sofa. Lin Zhixia came to his side and whispered: “Brother, I secretly saved two thousand yuan in scholarship money, enough for us to use during the Spring Festival.

You can buy whatever you want, you like beef… I want to buy the best beef in the supermarket for brother!”

Lin Zeqiu was stunned.

He placed both hands on his knees, slightly clutching the fabric of his pants, as a wave of warmth suddenly surged from the bottom of his heart. Although he felt he had invested one hundred percent of his affection in Lin Zhixia, while Lin Zhixia only returned about forty percent when she was happy… but, in any case, he appreciated Lin Zhixia’s good intentions.

He and Lin Zhixia enthusiastically discussed the menu for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Their father was stunned for a moment before reacting: “Qiu Qiu, Xia Xia, Dad and Mom haven’t agreed to let you stay at home alone yet. You didn’t go back to the hometown last year, you didn’t go back the year before last, you can’t not show up this year.”

No one listened to Dad’s words.

Dad helplessly looked toward Mom.

Mom was knitting a sweater. The fireplace in the living room burned bright red, filling the place with warmth, and Mom’s fingers moved swiftly with the needles and thread. She stated: “We haven’t gone back for three years, the villagers will gossip. It’s hard for our parents to hear such talk, I still need to go back once.”

Dad said: “Alright, I’ll go back with you.”

But Mom said: “You stay here to take care of Qiu Qiu and Xia Xia. During the New Year, how can the house be without adults? Thieves have been increasing lately, we run a small shop and live on the first floor, with lights on, it’s too attractive to thieves.”

Lin Zhixia belatedly called out: “Mom…”

Lin Zeqiu was very worried that Lin Zhixia, this mom-clinging sprite, couldn’t be separated from Mom.

His worry was indeed correct.

Lin Zhixia quickly changed sides: “Mom, Mom, let me go back with you.” She stood in front of Mom, gently lifting a corner of the sweater: “Mom, won’t you be unhappy going back to the hometown alone? Uncle and Aunt aren’t good to you. Once, when you were talking to Uncle, I heard… Uncle blamed you for not giving him enough money when he was doing his master’s degree…”

“There’s such a thing?” Lin Zeqiu furrowed his brow tightly, “How can anyone eat at the same table with such garbage?”

Dad said gently: “Lin Zeqiu, don’t say anymore, don’t make your mom unhappy.”

Lin Zeqiu immediately retorted: “Can’t I say a few words? Is it against the law?”

Lin Zhixia tried hard to defend her brother: “Uncle dares to say such things to Mom because no one guides him, no one admonishes him. He grew up in an environment where all family resources were tilted toward him, and when relatives don’t go along with his wishes, he flies into a rage. He’s a person who harms others for his own benefit, while also being someone who can bend and stretch. My brother is absolutely right. Dad, you can’t criticize brother for telling the truth. Dad, seeking truth and being practical is one of our school mottos. Revealing the truth has risks, but it’s also commendable.”

Lin Zhixia was eloquent.

After listening to his daughter’s words, Dad temporarily lost his language function and couldn’t refute her at all.

Lin Zhixia turned around and high-fived her brother.

Dad still hadn’t figured out why his two children, who argued daily, had suddenly unified their front.

Mom skillfully sewed the sweater. She lifted the entire sweater, looked at it several times, and then said: “Xia Xia, come try on this sweater in a bit. If you don’t like the collar, Mom can still alter it for you.”

“Okay,” Lin Zhixia tugged at Mom’s sleeve, her voice soft and sweet, “Mom is so good.”

Mom also said: “Xia Xia, if you don’t want to go to the hometown, don’t go in the future. Mom will stay for a few days and then come back, you don’t need to come with me. It’s too much trouble for Mom to bring you along on the journey.”

Lin Zhixia could only agree.

This Spring Festival, she spent it very quietly.

The Spring Festival lasted seven days, and Lin Zhixia was always bent over studying. She would also take time to inspect Lin Zeqiu and guide his winter vacation homework. Lin Zeqiu appeared reluctant on the surface but had actually prepared a seat for her with a soft cushion.

Dad hadn’t opened the shop for business for three consecutive days. He suddenly had a lot of free time. He either watched television in the living room or called his wife, urging her to come home early.

After a few more days, Mom finally returned home, travel-worn. Lin Zhixia had been waiting at the door early and ran toward Mom from afar, saying as she ran: “Mom, Mom, I missed you so much.”

Lin Zeqiu was much more reserved than his sister. He only helped Mom with her luggage and listened to Mom talk about how crowded the Spring Festival trains were, how the instant noodles and boxed meals on the way had increased in price, and how Mom had traveled all night without eating, but she had brought some snacks for her daughter and son from the hometown, reportedly high-end special fruit preserves brought by some grand-uncle’s daughter from Beijing.

Mom opened her suitcase while talking: “That grand-uncle’s daughter used to work with me in the fields. She was bitten by a snake, and I carried her on my back to the village health clinic. She always says I saved her life. These past two years, she’s been doing business in Beijing and has earned some money…”

The newly installed light bulb in the living room cast a slightly yellowish warm light, and Mom sat in this light, taking out an elegantly packaged paper box and carefully breaking the seal.

Lin Zhixia smelled a fresh and familiar fragrance.

Soon, Lin Zhixia was stunned. Because she saw strawberry preserves—such a wonderful thing existed in the world!

As soon as Mom lifted the plastic wrap, Lin Zhixia couldn’t help but lean over. Mom fed her a piece of the preserves and asked: “Does it taste good, Xia Xia?”

Lin Zhixia nodded: “Very, very delicious!”

Truly worthy of being high-end special fruit preserves from Beijing.

Then, she suddenly remembered that Mom had traveled all night without eating. Throughout the journey, no matter how hungry Mom was, she didn’t open and eat that box of strawberry preserves.

The strawberries suddenly didn’t taste as sweet, and Lin Zhixia’s heart felt a bit sour. She leaned close to Mom’s embrace and said softly: “Mom… my Mom is the best Mom.”

Mom stroked her head and said: “Mom’s Xia Xia is also the best Xia Xia.”

*

This winter vacation was also the best winter vacation.

Shortly after the start of the second semester of junior high school third year, Lin Zhixia’s paper was approved. Her article was published in the “Journal of Physical Oceanography,” which was the first formal paper she had published in her life.

Jiang Yubai printed out Lin Zhixia’s article, bound it into a booklet, and read it carefully during the morning reading class.

Jiang Yubai believed that his English was quite good. However, reading Lin Zhixia’s article presented him with a great challenge. He struggled to read a series of descriptions in the paper, and the back-and-forth mathematical transformations made his temples throb.

Previously, Lin Zhixia had claimed she only made a “small improvement,” and Jiang Yubai had thought her paper would be simple and easy to understand. He really hadn’t expected that Lin Zhixia’s “small improvement” would be like this.

The last attachment to the paper came with a seven-page boundary proof, all written by Lin Zhixia. Jiang Yubai was simply unwilling to admit that he was also a student in the mathematics competition class. He felt like he was reading a book without words, forcing himself to finish all of Lin Zhixia’s derivation processes.

To make matters worse, Lin Zhixia was waiting for his evaluation.

Jiang Yubai was clearly not a reviewer for the “Journal of Physical Oceanography,” yet he seemed to be playing a role more important than a reviewer.

Jiang Yubai covered the first page of the paper with a draft paper, covering the abstract that he could barely understand half of. Then, he sincerely congratulated Lin Zhixia: “I’ve read your first paper, the mathematical theory is solid, the computer processing flow is clear…”

“Clear and easy to understand?” Lin Zhixia asked with particular anticipation.

Jiang Yubai couldn’t lie. He described it euphemistically: “Clear, obvious.”

“Obvious?” Lin Zhixia carefully weighed Jiang Yubai’s choice of words. After quite a while, she suddenly realized: “Do you mean I wrote too complexly? Actually, these things are not difficult for those who understand, and impossible for those who don’t.”

Jiang Yubai nodded and wrote on the first page of the printed paper: Captain Lin Zhixia’s first successfully captured planet.

Lin Zhixia immediately became excited: “I will capture more planets in the future, all kinds of planets!”

“I know.” Jiang Yubai signed “Earth Legion” on the printout.

Looking at this stack of paper, he said softly: “I believe in you.”

“Mm!” Lin Zhixia responded.

This paper didn’t change Lin Zhixia’s life. She remained as low-profile as before, still declining all media interviews, and not even offering any explanations. Because her explanations might also appear in newspapers.

Some students from Class 17 of the third year were even blocked by newspaper reporters at the gate of Provincial No. 1 Middle School. The reporters asked them about Lin Zhixia’s character and behavior, but they all maintained a unified stance, following the three principles of “not clear, don’t know, not certain.”

Among them, Shen Fuxuan’s rhetoric was the most outstanding.

Shen Fuxuan was very good at cracking jokes and diverting topics in other directions. For example, when a reporter from a newspaper keen on digging up scoops asked Shen Fuxuan in detail about how Lin Zhixia studied at school, whether she received external help, and whether her paper was ghostwritten, Shen Fuxuan began discussing the differences between quality education and exam-oriented education with the reporter, and even chatted about the provincial capital’s history and educational background. In the end, the reporter found him too verbose and actively gave up the interview.

Shen Fuxuan came to Lin Zhixia to claim credit: “Those adults are so boring. I helped you block the reporter from ‘Evening Mirror News.’ I’ve read that newspaper, it reports on entertainment stars’ private lives and some boring urban rumors every day.”

“Then why do you read this newspaper?” Lin Zhixia’s focus was surprisingly on this point.

Originally articulate, Shen Fuxuan suddenly stammered: “I, I…” He came up with an excuse: “Curiosity.”

Lin Zhixia laughed “Haha.” Then, she politely asked Shen Fuxuan how he had been doing recently and whether his preparations for the high school entrance physical education exam were going smoothly.

When it came to the physical education exam, Shen Fuxuan deflated like a punctured balloon. He and Jiang Yubai had trained intensively for half a year. Jiang Yubai’s pull-ups had already reached the “excellent” standard, while Shen Fuxuan was still struggling at the passing line.

Only at this point did Shen Fuxuan realize that Jiang Yubai had studied martial arts since childhood, and his physical fitness was more than just a little better than his own.

Shen Fuxuan had already won a first-prize award in the junior high school league, securing a spot in the school’s high school competition class. But he still pursued high scores in the high school entrance examination and wanted to challenge for the city’s top scholar—it was a symbol of glory, just like the Spanish who desperately expanded their territories in the Age of Discovery, always needing to show some real gold and silver to demonstrate their strength.

Like many classmates in Class 17 of the third year, he studied day after day for the high school entrance examination.

June gradually approached, and there wasn’t much sadness about separation in the class. The vast majority of classmates could advance to the high school section of Provincial No. 1 Middle School, and even if not in the competition class, everyone could still meet frequently. This calm and comfortable atmosphere continued until the day the high school entrance examination ended.

On the day the high school entrance examination ended, Jiang Yubai finally revealed to several classmates from Class 17 of the third year that next semester, he would be going to an international high school in Beijing. He would spend his entire high school years in Beijing, then go abroad for undergraduate studies, and finally return to the provincial capital to work.

Jiang Yubai’s life planning was very clear.

Duan Qiyan, however, was dumbfounded. He stood blankly outside the examination venue, listened to Jiang Yubai’s words, and could hardly believe it: “You’re going to Beijing?”

The mid-June wind was stuffy, bringing not a hint of coolness but rather forcing in a few degrees of heat. Sweat appeared on Duan Qiyan’s forehead. He wiped his forehead and asked again: “Jiang Yubai, you’re going to Beijing?”

Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia walked one after another toward the outside of the exam venue: “Yes.”

Duan Qiyan shouted loudly: “Lin Zhixia, you’re just letting him leave like this?”

Lin Zhixia didn’t respond. She had been distracted in the high school entrance examination venue; both her Chinese composition and history papers were written absentmindedly. As for Jiang Yubai… the date of separation was getting closer, and Lin Zhixia deliberately avoided thinking about daily life without Jiang Yubai.

She vaguely answered Duan Qiyan: “Everyone has their own choices. You’ll understand sooner or later, Duan Qiyan.”

Lin Zhixia’s sudden maturity and steadiness made Duan Qiyan freeze in place involuntarily.

Their exam location was a high school in the city center. That high school also had several decades of history, with a high and dilapidated gate and rusty iron rings on the door.

Lin Zhixia reached out and knocked on the door ring. As usual, she said goodbye to many classmates, smiling and saying: “See you next semester!”

When it came to Jiang Yubai, Lin Zhixia actually said: “See you tomorrow.”

Jiang Yubai also answered: “See you tomorrow.”

Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai had already agreed that every Saturday and Sunday of this summer vacation, they would meet at the Provincial Library to spend the last long vacation before high school began together.