On weekends, the Xinhua Bookstore was bustling with people. Most of them are parents bringing their children to buy extracurricular books. Some kids found a step to sit on, forming small groups as they flipped through picture albums.
The Xinhua Bookstore staff never rushed these little readers, allowing them to read as they pleased. In a time when several town and city libraries were yet to be established, the Xinhua Bookstore served and acted as the public library.
Guo Jingyu listened to him and saw that there were art books beside him. He took out two books and looked at them. They were sketch books. The pages were all examples. The style was particularly obvious. He knew at a glance that they were the kind used for exam preparation.
As Li Tongzhou compared a few books, Guo Jingyu smiled, “Any book will do. I’ve got a weak foundation, so I’ll just learn slowly.”
Li Tongzhou thought for a moment, then pulled out one book, saying, “Let’s go with this one. I’ll help you with the exercises.”
Guo Jingyu followed his lead and noticed some art books nearby. He grabbed two sketchbooks and looked at them. As he flipped through the pages, he saw numerous examples with a distinct exam-oriented style.
Li Tongzhou asked, “When do you plan to apply for the art class?”
Guo Jingyu considered for a moment, “Maybe in the second half of the year. I’ll study some more regular courses and build a solid foundation.”
Li Tongzhou didn’t quite understand these matters and was slightly puzzled, “I heard from the teacher that there’s a group going out for a sketching study trip in two months. Aren’t you going with them?”
“Not going.” Guo Jingyu knew about that, it was a foundational class starting with simple exercises like plaster statues, a stage he had long surpassed. He picked up two sketchbooks, holding them together, and half-jokingly said to Li Tongzhou, “Hey, if I leave, will you miss me?”
“Go where?”
“For training, of course. It’ll be several months.”
“I think so.”
Li Tongzhou spoke casually, his expression still did not change.
Guo Jingyu was thick-skinned and pressed on, “How much do you think about it?”
Li Tongzhou half-lowered his eyes while selecting exercise books, replied, “Probably every day.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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During lunchtime, they didn’t go far and settled for KFC nearby.
Now that Guo Jingyu had money in his pocket, he went all out, ordering a bit of everything. Li Tongzhou stood beside him, holding the tray. As the items piled up, Li Tongzhou couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Jingyu, can you really eat all of this?”
“We’ve been reading here for a while, spending the whole afternoon. We can finish the food,” Guo Jingyu declared.
Guo Jingyu spent the entire afternoon with Li Tongzhou, eating hamburgers, sipping ice-cold cola, reading books, and then playing a round of Chinese chess together. It was a joyful time, almost like living the life of immortals.
The fries and New Orleans-style grilled wings they bought were, as Guo Jingyu had predicted, consumed within the afternoon.
Guo Jingyu ate well. He was so happy he sat back on the couch, squinting and humming happily.
In the quiet afternoon, there were no customers in the store. They spread out their books and snacks, occupying two small tables. Li Tongzhou was diligently writing on a freshly cleared table, while Guo Jingyu, lying on the table, playfully reached out to disturb his writing. Li Tongzhou caught hold of his fingers, laughing to himself.
“Li Tongzhou…”
“Li Tongzhou?”
Two voices almost chimed in simultaneously, and Guo Jingyu squinted as he looked up.
The approaching boy was around their age, carrying a single-person meal. Spotting Li Tongzhou, he looked pleasantly surprised and walked over, saying with a smile, “It really is you, isn’t it? I’m Song Zhuoran. You remember me, right?”
Li Tongzhou observed him for a moment, nodding, “I remember. Provincial Chemistry Competition.”
“Yeah, yeah! Last time we went together, if it weren’t for you, our little team would have been in big trouble. That bonus in the final experiment saved us!” The boy named Song Zhuoran was excited, eager to join them at the same table. Unfortunately, there was no room at their table, so he settled for the next one, pulling his chair closer and started talking with Li Tongzhou. “Did you buy reference books? What kind of problems are you working on? Let me take a look. Oh, you’re making your own error log? Is that what your teacher emphasized?”
Li Tongzhou remained silent and reserved, unfazed by the overly familiar guy. His responses were limited to nods or shakes of the head, rarely exceeding a single word.
Song Zhuoran seemed used to his attitude, showing no sign of offense and maintaining his cheerful demeanor. “By the way, how did you end up in Class 7 this time?”
“Class 7 is fine.”
“Hey, that’s not right. Although they’re both on the fast track, the teachers in Class 1 are even better. The top science student in the last citywide exam came from their class! A few of us got placed in Class 1, and we were wondering why we didn’t see you around.” Song Zhuoran joked with him, “Come on, spill it. What perks did the Class 7 teacher promise you that made you choose Class 7?”
“Nothing.”
Guo Jingyu perked up his ears, finding this situation a bit strange. As far as he remembered, Li Tongzhou had been recruited by the Class 1 teacher a long time ago. It didn’t make sense for him to end up in Class 7. He looked up at Li Tongzhou, but Li Tongzhou handed him an exercise book, whispering, “These are organized. Start with these questions. I’ll explain if you don’t understand.”
Guo Jingyu continued to observe him, and Li Tongzhou misunderstood. He closed the tutoring book in front of him, turned to another subject, and said, “Start working on your own. I can’t show you the answers.”
Guo Jingyu: “…”
Guo Jingyu rubbed his nose, obediently burying his head in the exercises.
Sitting nearby, Song Zhuoran’s gaze flickered back and forth between them. He had never seen Li Tongzhou talk so much, almost like he was coaxing the other to study. It was somewhat surprising. Finally, his gaze settled on Guo Jingyu for a while before he tried asking, “Is this classmate also participating in the provincial team competition, or is it the math competition?”
Before Guo Jingyu could speak, Li Tongzhou said, “He’s not participating in any competitions. He came out with me.”
Song Zhuoran even became more curious and wanted to chat with Guo Jingyu, but Li Tongzhou stood in the way, saying coldly, “Don’t disturb his studies.”
Song Zhuoran sat there awkwardly, feeling reluctant and embarrassed to ask any more questions.
Guo Jingyu was far from being studious material. After writing for a short while, he couldn’t resist daydreaming. Li Tongzhou, keeping a poker face, discreetly nudged his knee under the table. Every time Guo Jingyu got distracted, Li Tongzhou would give a subtle reminder. After a few times, Guo Jingyu blushed and glared at him, “I’m not writing anymore.”
Li Tongzhou said, “Then listen to an English listening exercise. I brought a CD player.”
Guo Jingyu: “…”
Guo Jingyu was forced into studying. Then he found listening to English much more comfortable than solving problems. With a hint of comparison, he pulled out a pair of earphones from Li Tongzhou’s backpack, plugged them into his ears, and began to listen. He purposefully kept the volume low, ready to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two.
Song Zhuoran was completely oblivious to the concept of not disturbing a date, and chatted excitedly with Li Tongzhou. Perhaps realizing he had spoken too much, Li Tongzhou finally reciprocated with a courteous question, “Did you get a kid’s meal?”
Following his gaze, Song Zhuoran nodded, “Yeah, the chicken leg here is especially delicious!”
Guo Jingyu glanced over as well, thinking that this classmate Song was quite cunning, actually eating a kid’s meal to be cute.
Li Tongzhou asked, “Do you want the toy too?”
Song Zhuoran exclaimed, “Huh? Oh, I don’t want this toy. You… want it?”
Li Tongzhou nodded.
Song Zhuoran hesitated for a moment, quickly taking the small toy out of the meal and handing it to him. He asked in a low voice, “Uh, do you collect these toys?”
Li Tongzhou shook his head, “Jingyu likes it.”
Guo Jingyu, who was secretly adjusting his earphones to eavesdrop, froze. He doesn’t like it?
Li Tongzhou opened the bag containing the small toy, wiped it with a tissue again, and placed it on Guo Jingyu’s side, saying, “He bought two today, and with this one, it completes a set.”
Guo Jingyu: “…”
He was just trying to meet the minimum order.
In the era when there were no electronic coupons in KFC, he finally found a hand-torn coupon. He was not willing to waste, and bought two kid’s meal without paying attention, but collected a set of toys for himself.
Song Zhuoran swallowed his saliva, feeling that Li Tongzhou’s actions of wiping the small toy were oddly familiar. After thinking for a while, he finally recalled that his elder brother would also wipe the LEGO bricks for their younger sibling with the same care and attention. The look in their eyes was full of indulgence, as if their own little ones were the best in the world.
***
The author has something to say:
Dedicating a song to the class president and top student of Class 1, Song Zhuoran: Little friend, do you have many questions?
K: ASDFHJKL (˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)
Thank you for the chapte! I have been wating for these like my life depends on it 🤣
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No worries! Updates will be on time from now on (๑>•̀๑) ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
Thank you so much! 😊🥰