Cheng Xing poured himself a cup of hot water. By the time it cooled and he finished drinking, Jiang Luxi had already laid out the questions.
"Try solving these first," Jiang Luxi said, turning to face him.
"Okay." Cheng Xing nodded, pulled out a chair, and picked up the test papers she'd prepared.
They were all equations, and he worked through them quickly. In less than ten minutes, he was done.
"I'm finished," Cheng Xing announced, standing up and handing the papers back to her.
Jiang Luxi took them, her eyes narrowing slightly as she began grading. To her surprise, every answer was correct.
She'd covered almost the entire fifth-grade curriculum on equations that morning, going at a fast pace to see where Cheng Xing might stumble. Her plan was to find the gaps in his understanding and reinforce those areas. It was a common teaching strategy: drill exercises to identify weak points and address them.
But she hadn't expected this. Elementary math wasn't exactly hard, but she'd been unsure if Cheng Xing was paying full attention. He sat at a distance, and though she'd asked after each topic whether he understood, his simple "Yes" replies hadn't been particularly reassuring.
"So? Any mistakes?" Cheng Xing asked, breaking her thoughts.
"No," Jiang Luxi admitted, shaking her head.
Cheng Xing grinned. "Looks like math isn't that hard after all."
He'd been anxious, afraid that even with a fresh start, he might still dislike the subject. Yet now, it was clear his past failure stemmed from a lack of effort. He had done well in Chinese because he enjoyed it, but his neglect of math in primary school had left him hopelessly behind.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Jiang Luxi warned. "This is just elementary stuff. Middle school math won't be this easy." Her tone hinted at doubt. "Temporary enthusiasm won't last," she added skeptically.
"We'll see," Cheng Xing said with a confident smile.
He glanced at his watch—it was almost noon. "Let's grab lunch."
He handed Jiang Luxi an umbrella from the stand near the door, and she accepted it silently, stepping outside.
Cheng Xing tidied up a bit before leaving, making sure to take out the trash. He dropped it in a nearby bin and headed toward a small dining area filled with restaurants.
In Ancheng, McDonald's and KFC had recently opened their first branches. Strangely enough, the two rival chains often ended up near each other in any city, vying for prime locations in high-traffic areas. In 2010, their presence was a novelty, and dining there carried a certain status. Despite meals costing dozens of yuan, customers kept coming. It wasn't until years later that their dominance in China faded.
Cheng Xing soon spotted Jiang Luxi standing in front of a bun shop.
"Boss, how much for the buns?" she asked.
"One yuan fifty for meat, one yuan for vegetarian," replied a young man, probably a school dropout.
"So expensive?" Jiang Luxi looked stunned.
"We're part of a nationwide chain—Barbie Bun Shop. The rent here is high, so our prices are too," the young man explained, his tone softening when he noticed how pretty Jiang Luxi was.
"Want two?" he asked with a grin.
"No, it's too expensive," Jiang Luxi declined.
At her school gate, buns were much cheaper—three for one yuan, and bigger too. Here, one bun for 1.50 yuan felt outrageous. Even beef noodles at her school cost just three yuan.
"How about this," the young man continued, "tell me which school you're from, and I'll treat you to two buns myself." He smiled, flipping his long bangs in what he thought was a cool move. His rebellious look had earned him attention from girls at school, so he added, "I know people at nearby high schools. Give me your name, and I'll make sure you're looked after."
Jiang Luxi's expression turned cold. "No, thanks." She walked away, umbrella in hand, checking other restaurants.
Unfortunately, everything was overpriced.
She had only two yuan—enough for three buns, which she'd planned to cover both breakfast and lunch. But the morning rain had forced her to skip breakfast, and now she was stuck. Back home, a bowl of noodles or dumplings cost just two yuan, while the local specialty, bean noodle soup, was also affordable. Here, though, even that cost three yuan.
Returning to the school cafeteria wasn't an option either. It would take over an hour to go, eat, and return.
Deciding to skip lunch, she resolved to drink more water and wait until dinner.
Just then, she felt someone watching her. She turned and saw Cheng Xing standing in front of her, holding his umbrella.
"Already eaten?" he asked.
"Yeah," Jiang Luxi lied, her voice steady.
Cheng Xing didn't respond. He just stared at her, his gaze steady.
Unable to handle the scrutiny, Jiang Luxi shifted her gaze, looking away.