Meng Yin encountered boiled fish with Sichuan pickles at the cafeteria for the first time, causing a slight curl at the corners of her eyes and a slight lift at the corners of her mouth. Xiuze also picked up a piece of fish. Indeed, it was the familiar taste of the cafeteria, unchanged and somewhat ordinary, making it seem as if he was dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
"Meng Yin, we've shared meals for so many years, how come I never knew you loved boiled fish with Sichuan pickles? Weren't tomatoes with eggs and braised pork with eggs your favourites?" He using his top-ranked liberal arts brain, recalled that during the third year of middle school, Yin never once ordered boiled fish with Sichuan pickles.
Yin scooped some soup to mix with rice and replied, "Xu Zhiyi knows." After speaking, he even raised his chin towards Zhiyi, saying, "Right?"
"Uh-huh," Zhiyi responded cooperatively.
This was one of the few things Yin shared with him related to the Third High School, she loved the boiled fish with Sichuan pickles at the Third High School cafeteria the most.
"There's a good related restaurant down the back street of the affiliated school," Zhiyi added.
"Bu'er?"
"You know?"
"I'm a regular there." Swallowing the mixed rice in her mouth, Yin added, "Their boiled fish with Sichuan pickles is the best."
It was a new restaurant that had opened the previous year. When Meng Yin passed by that street during the opening days, she inexplicably went in and ordered the signature fish dish and a bowl of rice. Since then, she has become a regular at that restaurant.
Zhiyi's Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "Next time, let's go to the affiliated school together." Xiuze, an insider watching Zhiyi's actions thought, "I'm really worrying too much for his bro."
Before leaving the cafeteria, Yin bought a piece of walnut cake at the counter, intending to snack on it in the afternoon when she felt peckish.
"What did you have for breakfast during monthly exams?" Zhiyi, a few steps behind in the race, casually asked.
"It was usually miscellaneous grain pancake and soy milk."
"What do you want to eat during the exam days? Do you want the Cifantuan from the affiliated school?" Zhiyi continued, "Do you?"
"Ah?" Yin reacted and nodded, "I do."
There was a breakfast shop at the entrance of the affiliated school that had been open for a long time, specializing in Cifantuan with a wide variety. During those three years at the affiliated school, whenever Yin carried breakfast to the classroom, it was always it.
"Bring it to you the day after tomorrow."
"Aren't you a boarder?"
"I stay at home during exam time."
Meng Yin: "..." Truly a young master.
Zhiyi's home, although not far from the affiliated school, is not in the same direction as the First High School.
This conversation between Zhiyin and Yin was accidentally heard by Xing Xiuze with keen ears. He was missing Cifantuan from the affiliated school and smoothly interjected, "Cifantuan of the monthly exam, don't leave me out, right?"
So, on the first morning of the monthly exams, Zhiyi brought a bag of Cifantuan into the classroom, and each member of the "eating group" got one. Xing Xiuzhe, who walked to Zhiyi's class seat in the morning, took out the individually wrapped portion, carried his books back to his own class, only to be stopped. "That's not yours."
Xing Xiuze: "???"
"Isn't the individually wrapped one for my convenience to take back to the classroom?"
"That's the black rice." Xiuze glanced at the remaining sticky rice balls; they were all made of white glutinous rice. He understood... indeed, brothers are not as considerate as women. Xiuzhe turned around and handed the bag to Yin, carrying the last rice ball back to his own classroom.
Black glutinous rice and regular glutinous rice, indistinguishable between you and me, the sticky sweetness between the teeth remained as always, revealing fillings of pickled vegetables, omelette, Chinese sausage, shredded pork, and crispy dough sticks.
Yin couldn't help but smile; it was her favourite combination.
At eleven o'clock, the morning exam ended. The "eating group" met in the cafeteria, no one discussed the completed exam papers, only where to relax over the weekend. Before Yin could voice her opinion, Xipei decided on the first group activity for the "eating group" - the Alice Exhibition.
The afternoon math test reflects the trend of increasingly challenging math exams in A City. Many didn't even have a chance to glance at the last two major questions.
Yin walked to the classroom with a heavy heart, carrying her exam tools. Suddenly, she bumped into someone. Stepping back, before she could apologize, she heard a voice saying, "What's wrong?"
It was Xu Zhiyi. His bright and dark pupils seemed to hold the pure and clean snow of Finland.
"Xu Zhiyi," Yin called his name with a hint of a nasal tone, unsure if she felt upset or wronged. "I didn't finish," she continued.
"First time?" Zhiyi asked.
Yin nodded. It was her first time not completing an exam.
Zhiyi wasn't surprised. Exams in the prestigious high schools in A City differed in difficulty from regular high schools, especially the renowned math section known for its challenging questions. Not completing the test was considered normal.
Zhiyi wasn't new to Yin's expression of self-blame and disappointment. In the ninth grade, during a history exam, Yin forgot to mark the answers to the multiple-choice questions on the answer sheet. Halfway through lunch, she suddenly remembered and her cheerful expression turned into the same desolate look. Before they could figure out what to do, Yin, wiping tears, asked Zhiyi, "What should I do? I forgot to mark the answer sheet. What should I do?"
In the bustling cafeteria, he calmed Yin down, encouraged her to eat a few more bites, and then took her to the grading room to explain the situation to their teacher. The history teacher at that time, surnamed Shi, appreciated Yin's good grades and saw the distressed girl with red eyes and hoarse voice, and softened his stance. She directly corrected the multiple-choice questions on her paper and marked a score on the answer sheet.
"It's quite a coincidence, it's also the first time I didn't finish a math paper,"
Yin expressed surprise, feeling like Zhiyi might be lying to her, asked, "How could you not finish it?"
In Yin's perception, Xu Zhiyi was like a clear moon without a filter, intelligent and hardworking, humble yet broad-minded, he had always been good at math, not just boasting, having been in the math Olympiad class since childhood, winning many competitions awards, and earning praise from many math Olympiad teachers. With his abilities, it was unreasonable for him not to complete the test.
"I'm not a genius, I also get stuck on problems," Zhiyi replied naturally as if it was just a common thing.
Yin, although finding the reasoning sound, still couldn't believe it would happen to Zhiyi. "Xu Zhiyi," Yin still had some doubts, "how could I surpass you if you didn't finish it..." Without realizing it himself, Yin's tone was gentle and slightly coquettish when he said this. "Did I ever deceive you?" Zhiyi lowered his warm gaze, and with a somewhat apologetic tone, said, "Even if I didn't finish it, I could probably still get first place to bring some glory to the class."
"Getting first place and bringing glory to the class," she had said at the beginning of the semester from the podium, unsure if Zhiyi had kept it in mind or, as usual, had made a mental note of it.
Yin's face lost its disappointment and frustration, replaced by the familiar magical aura of Zhiyi, "Then how did you end up third before?"
"You have to let others have a chance to sit in the first place," Zhiyi replied.
Yin pouted, then sighed, "Xu Zhiyi, I'd rather see you carrying yourself with that demeanour for now."
Zhiyi maintained his cool demeanour, smiling, "Then you try to aim for second place, also bringing some pride to our class."
"You have quite a high opinion of me." Yin deeply felt Zhiyi was joking with her, but the panic that overflowed from her heart after leaving the exam room had disappeared.
"Dream it possible, remember?" his expression changed, seriousness shining in his bright black eyes.
Following Zhiyi's words, Yin blurted out, "Dream it possible, then why did you give up on the competition?" Asking earnestly and seriously.
There was no competition class at the Third High School, and in the past two years as not classmates, they had never touched on this topic. If it wasn't for Xiuze mentioning it some time ago, she wouldn't have known Zhiyi had already given up on math competitions.
Giving up competitions at this stage meant giving up the chance for direct admission, a fact he understood better than her.
Zhiyi was taken aback, never expecting Yin to suddenly ask this, "Curious about it?" he said, taking the pen pouch nestled in Yin's chest, "Let's go eat first."
Zhiyi and Yin took the subway back together. They were on the same line, with Yin getting off three stops before Zhiyi.
On the subway, they chatted casually. "Zhiyi," Yin suddenly realized, "your way to the affiliated school and to FHS are not in the same direction..."
"Your reflex is quite something," his eyes reflected in the window, with a hint of a smile hidden, "It's not far, occasionally going to buy breakfast, it feels quite good."
Yin remembered the times at the affiliated school, when everyone sneaked in a Cifantuan at the school gate, enjoying it there was no teacher around during the morning reading.
"It's been a long time since graduated," Yin sighed.
Zhiyi continued, "Next time, let's go to that restaurant next to the affiliated school for boiled fish with Sichuan pickles."
Meng Yin chuckled, "Are you picking a fight with boiled fish with Sichuan pickles?"
Zhiyi raised his eyebrows slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
Along the topic of boiled fish with Sichuan pickles, Zhiyi called out to Yin, saying, "Let's make a trade."
"A trade?" Yin was unsure what he was getting at.
"You want to know why I gave up the competition, right?" Zhiyi said, "After the monthly exam, exchange something from your time at the Third High School, how about that?" Despite the nearly 20 cm height difference between them, even sitting down, his gaze still met Yin's head, clear and calm but with a hint of fascination.
Yin didn't turn her head to look at Zhiyi, but at the mention of "the Third High School," her tone suddenly changed, "Haven't we always agreed not to discuss matters outside of our studies, and just focus on studying?"
"I haven't agreed," Zhiyii's gaze did not leave her head, "I also want to know what your days at the Third High School were like."
Yin gripped her palm. Indeed, Xu Zhiyi had never assumed not to discuss school matters, because once she casually complained about not wanting to talk about school, they never shared again.
"I'm just kidding with you," Zhiyi leaned back, curved into a playful smile.
As the station announcement sounded, Yin prepared to get off, then turned to Xu Yi and said, "Xu Zhiyi, after the monthly exam, tell me about your experience in the math competition, and then I'll consider whether to tell you mine." This was her decision and courage.
When the subway gates closed again, the word "okay" slipped out from Zhiyi's teeth.
He took out his earphones, opened a red app, and shared a piece of instrumental music with Yin - "Between World".
After editing for three stops, he only sent out one sentence: "Recently, a song I really like."
I want to tell you, that even if there is dense fog, we can still find our way; even if darkness is lonely and terrifying, dawn will eventually come.