Tan Ming hadn’t even made it home yet when his WeChat exploded.
The news about Tan Ming nearly collapsing from sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball at school had already spread among Du Feiyang and a few others. Their long-silent group chat was suddenly alive with activity.
Tan Ming, Du Feiyang, Hua Xu, Yu Qingyan, and Xu Qing had been close friends since middle school. However, after Tan Ming developed feelings for Lu Lingshan, his relationship with Hua Xu had become strained. Only Du Feiyang remained close to him.
The news of Tan Ming’s near-death experience had caused their previously quiet group chat to fill up with 999+ unread messages.
Yu Qingyan asked, “What happened to Tan Ming?”
Du Feiyang shared what he’d learned from Tan Ming’s mom, emphasizing the critical importance of the golden four minutes. He explained that after four minutes of cardiac arrest, brain tissue begins to suffer irreversible damage due to lack of oxygen.
Du Feiyang said, “So, the reason Mingming didn’t end up as the village idiot is all thanks to Xiu Xiu.”
The others were silent for a moment before responding in shock:
“Xiu Xiu is amazing!”
Yu Qingyan added, “And so is the class monitor.”
Xu Qing uncharacteristically chimed in, “Xiu Xiu happened to call me just in time.”
Tan Ming pulled out the crumpled 100-yuan bill from his wallet. He had gone to repay a debt, but in the end, Zhou Xiu’s father had given him money instead. Reflecting on it, he realized he hadn’t really been much help at all.
He frowned and typed into the chat, “So, how should I thank her? She doesn’t want money.”
Tan Ming was genuinely asking for advice.
Hua Xu replied, “Tan Ming, you’re like the solution set for 2X > 4.”
The solution being: infinity, starting from two.
Tan Ming: “…”
Even though he was a slacker, did she really have to insult him like that?
Hua Xu cut to the chase, “What does Xiu Xiu struggle with the most? Isn’t her biggest weakness her English? If her English were at our level, she’d be swimming in scholarship money.”
Tan Ming got it.
Zhou Xiu really did seem like someone who should be earning scholarships.
So, Tan Ming furrowed his brows and began pondering how to help improve her English. With Zhou Xiu’s family situation, hiring a tutor or studying abroad in an English-speaking environment wasn’t an option. After thinking for a long time without finding a solution, Tan Ming sought help from Xu Qing.
Xu Qing offered some simple advice.
Armed with Xu Qing’s pointers, Tan Ming quickly organized an English study group and added the others to it.
“You guys are in this too. Xiu Xiu helped you improve your math and science last semester.”
The group: “…”
It’s not like we said we wouldn’t help…
Tan Ming didn’t mention Zhou Xiu’s family circumstances but instead chose activities that were affordable and accessible. He scheduled a time when Zhou Xiu had her biology class and invited her to watch an English movie.
That evening, Zhou Xiu received a series of messages inviting her to watch a movie with the group. She frowned in confusion.
Zhou Xiu rarely watched movies. The only time she’d seen one was when her high school had organized a screening of a patriotic film. If she had free time to plan, watching a movie wouldn’t even cross her mind.
But then Zhou Xiu remembered a task her system had given her.
System: [Watch an English movie. Memorize key lines to a simple recall level and earn a 200 RMB reward.]
Though Zhou Xiu doubted she could do it, she was willing to challenge herself. She replied to Hua Xu, “Okay.”
On Monday, after finishing her biology class, Zhou Xiu packed up her books, ready to buy a movie ticket.
Xu Qing called out to her, “No need to buy one, Tan Ming already got them. Let’s grab a bite to eat first.”
Since senior students were still attending classes during the winter break, the school cafeteria remained open. Xu Qing and Zhou Xiu grabbed a simple meal.
Some of the other students from the biology class saw them and greeted them with friendly smiles.
After eating, Xu Qing and Zhou Xiu took the subway to the movie theatre.
When they arrived at the theatre, Hua Xu and Yu Qingyan were already sipping hot drinks in the lounge area.
The two girls were dressed to the nines, radiating an air of refined beauty that made the simple theatre feel like an upscale restaurant. Their sophisticated presence was intimidating enough to make people keep their distance.
Du Feiyang arrived a few minutes late and immediately noticed the bracelet on Tan Ming’s wrist. Turning his back to the group, he snickered.
He said, “Ming Ming’s mom is really worried about him now. She got him a bracelet to monitor his health, and he’s not allowed to stay up late or skip meals.”
Tan Ming turned around with a blank expression, glaring at Du Feiyang.
Xu Qing went to buy four boxes of popcorn and sodas and handed them out to everyone. He told Zhou Xiu, “Watching English movies will help your language skills. Try to focus on the dialogue.”
Zhou Xiu nodded.
The group of four walked into the theatre, a striking bunch of attractive young people that turned heads as they passed by.
Zhou Xiu, however, was the only one still in her school uniform, with a backpack slung over her shoulder—she looked every bit the model student.
“Look, look over there! So many handsome guys and pretty girls,” a young woman whispered, nodding toward Xu Qing’s direction.
“And she’s still carrying a backpack. Ah, to be young again.”
“Are they bringing their younger sisters to the movies?”
“Stop deluding yourself. They’re clearly here with their girlfriends—”
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when they noticed someone else: at the single-entry ticket counter, a boy with movie-star looks quietly walked into the theatre.
How did they know it was a single-entry ticket? A girl had tried to chase after him to get his contact info but was stopped by the staff. She angrily pulled out her phone, “What do you mean I can’t get a ticket for this movie? I’ll buy a ticket right now!”
The staff member shook their head apologetically, “Sorry, this theatre has been booked out.”
Meanwhile, at another ticket counter, Tan Ming and Du Feiyang were holding popcorn and sodas as they led the way. Xu Qing followed with two boxes of popcorn, having skipped the soda.
Zhou Xiu didn’t particularly like popcorn or soda, so she didn’t take the snacks Xu Qing offered.
Xu Qing ended up carrying both boxes by himself.
Halfway through the movie, Du Feiyang and Tan Ming received an urgent message about an impromptu basketball practice. They had planned to watch movies with Zhou Xiu all afternoon, but now they had to leave.
Yu Qingyan also had something urgent to deal with. She leaned in and whispered, “Sorry, Hua Xu, Xiu Xiu, I have to go. I can’t stay for the next showing.”
Hua Xu whispered back, “It’s okay. We’ve watched enough for today. We can come back another time.”
In the dark theatre, Yu Qingyan noticed Zhou Xiu silently mouthing the dialogue as she leaned closer to her.
Zhou Xiu wasn’t just watching the movie—she was memorizing the lines.
While everyone else was engrossed in the movie, either tense or happy, Zhou Xiu was diligently memorizing the dialogue. She didn’t seem to care much about the plot because she was too busy reciting the lines.
Yu Qingyan: “…”
After watching most of the movie, Zhou Xiu’s head started to ache. She felt her mind going fuzzy as she mixed up the lines. She stepped out of the theatre and walked outside, trying to recall the lines she had memorized. She pulled out a pen and asked the system:
[Is twenty core lines enough?]
Zhou Xiu wasn’t quite sure what counted as a “core line,” so she wanted to clarify with the system before writing them down. It was only 200 yuan, but what if they required her to write two hundred lines? Zhou Xiu knew she couldn’t do that, not in a million years.
System: […]
Fine, whatever you say.
[“Frozen 2” core lines: Memorize 20 lines to a basic recall level for a 200 RMB reward.]
Zhou Xiu’s pen moved swiftly as she jotted down the lines.
She recited them as she wrote, starting with the simpler lines.
When she finally got to the tenth line, she got stuck.
“Now I know you’re true—”
She stumbled, trying to remember, “Now I know you’re my true north cause…cause…”
Zhou Xiu couldn’t help but rub her temples. Why was English so hard?
Even when she tried to memorize by rote, she still got it wrong.
Give her a string of numbers, and she could force herself to memorize it through sheer will, but English? It was impossible.
Just then, a soft male voice continued the line: “Cause I am lost in the woods. Up is down, day is night, when you’re not there.”
The voice was quiet, with a pure intonation that sounded almost like the original movie but with a personal touch, deep and magnetic.
His voice was so light that it felt like it could be carried away by the breeze.
Zhou Xiu quickly memorized the line and jotted it down. As she finished writing the last word, the system chimed in.
System: [Ding! “Frozen 2” core lines memorized to a basic recall level. 200 RMB rewarded.]
Zhou Xiu turned around and saw that it was Xi Shaoyuan.
Xi Shaoyuan glanced at her, said nothing, and quietly left the theatre.
“Now I know you’re my true north cause I am lost in the woods. Up is down, day is night, when you’re not there…”
Lost in the forest, I realized you are my guiding star, leading me in the right direction. When you’re not around, everything feels upside down, day and night blend together.
…
Zhou Xiu received her reward and waited outside the theatre for the others to finish watching the movie.
Hua Xu, Tan Ming, Du Feiyang, and Xu Qing walked out of the theatre together and found Zhou Xiu sitting at a table outside, furiously scribbling movie lines on a piece of paper.
Hua Xu was stunned: “…”
This girl is way too diligent. How does she do it? Does she survive on a diet of pure adorableness?
Damn it, Hua Xu walked over and playfully ruffled Zhou Xiu’s hair, messing up her hairstyle.
Xu Qing took the draft paper from Zhou Xiu and glanced over it. “Being able to memorize this much in such a short time is pretty impressive, honestly. Just go over it again later to solidify it.”
He pulled out a pen and quickly made some corrections, “Here and here—these have grammar mistakes.”
As the moviegoers exited the theatre, their admiration for the handsome guys and pretty girls turned into confusion: “…”
Tan Ming, Du Feiyang, and Hua Xu stood there, equally speechless: “…”
Maybe we won’t invite the class monitor to movies next time…
…
As the end of the year approached.
Zhou Cheng was busier than ever with the noodle stand, and he and his wife often made mistakes when counting money.
If Zhou Xiu weren’t there to correct them, they would’ve lost a lot of money.
Running a small business like this didn’t yield high profits to begin with, and every mistake would mean lost income. But with their limited education, such errors were hard to avoid.
So Zhou Xiu decided to teach her father some quick calculation tricks. She had Zhou Cheng memorize the prices of the most common combinations, like noodles plus an egg, noodles plus shredded chicken, noodles plus an egg and a chicken wing, or noodles plus shredded chicken and soy milk…all arranged by frequency.
Whenever a customer ordered one of these combinations, Zhou Cheng would only need to calculate the additional items.
Zhou Xiu also suggested that her father adjust the prices to more convenient numbers for easier calculations. But Zhou Cheng just shook his head, overwhelmed, “No, no, I can’t do that. I don’t get it.”
“Xiu’er, I can’t remember all that.”
Zhou Xiu sighed and wrote down a few common combinations with the prices clearly marked. “Then how about we make a sign with some set meals? They’ll be cheaper by fifty cents or a yuan if the customer buys the set. People will definitely choose the set meals.”
Zhou Cheng loved the idea; it was simple and straightforward. He nodded enthusiastically, “That’s a good idea, that’s a great idea!”
With that problem solved, their efficiency significantly improved. Zhou Cheng was thrilled, working from dawn until dusk, standing by the noodle stand for over ten hours a day.
Zhou Xiu saw this and couldn’t help but urge him, “Don’t push yourself so hard, Dad. What’s more important, your legs or the money?”
Zhou Cheng scratched his head sheepishly, “I didn’t expect selling food here to be so profitable.”
Back in the village, Zhou Cheng already felt honoured to be able to cook for people’s wedding banquets. He considered himself useless, unable to even farm properly, causing his wife and daughter to go hungry and cold.
Cooking at wedding banquets would earn him fifty or a hundred yuan each time. If the host was generous, he might get two hundred. While these opportunities weren’t frequent, they were considered good in a place where the average yearly income was only around three thousand yuan.
Now, the income from running a small food stand was beyond Zhou Cheng’s wildest dreams. He realized he could actually support his family with his cooking skills. If he worked hard enough, he could even afford to send Xiu’er to school.
Liu Mei was flipping through a calendar and asked Zhou Cheng, “It’s almost the New Year. When should we buy tickets to go back home?”
Zhou Xiu paused, her hand frozen mid-motion as she drank water. She gripped the cup tightly.
Zhou Xiu had no intention of returning to that detestable “home.” To her, that place wasn’t home at all.
Zhou Cheng was counting money when he suddenly froze. He mumbled casually, “We’re too busy with the business. We won’t go back this year.”
Zhou Cheng’s enthusiasm for counting money seemed to vanish.
If Old Lady Zhou wanted to sell him, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t complain. But when she tried to sell his most beloved daughter to cover her nephew’s dowry, Zhou Cheng couldn’t bring himself to go home for New Year’s.
Liu Mei whispered to Zhou Xiu, “Your dad’s upset with your grandma for trying to sell you off for dowry money.”
She was upset too.
“Let’s just tell your grandma that we’re too busy this year and can’t make it back.”
Zhou Cheng continued counting money, not even responding.
On New Year’s Eve, Zhou Cheng bought lots of fruits and vegetables. He carried two chickens in one hand and two ducks in the other. Liu Mei hauled bags of pork, and they even splurged on some shrimp and crab as a special treat.
The New Year’s Eve dinner was a feast.
Zhou Cheng spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen, slaughtering chickens and ducks, cleaning crabs, and boiling shrimp.
Liu Mei and Zhou Xiu busily cleaned the house, tearing down the old Spring Festival couplets and decorations from the previous year. Zhou Cheng suddenly remembered something and called out to his wife, “Watch the stove for me. I’m going to buy some drinks.”
Zhou Xiu loved coconut juice.
But in previous years, they hadn’t even been allowed to sit at the table for New Year’s dinner, and there was never any coconut juice for her.
Zhou Cheng ran through several streets and finally found the coconut juice at a big supermarket. He was sweating as he brought it back home. On the way, Zhou Cheng spotted a familiar figure—Xi Shaoyuan.
He called out, “Young Master Xi.”
Xi Shaoyuan turned around, almost unconsciously.
Zhou Cheng asked, “Why aren’t you going home for dinner? It’s New Year’s.”
Xi Shaoyuan replied, “We don’t really celebrate. I just dropped my mother off at the airport.”
Zhou Cheng was taken aback and suddenly felt sorry for him. He said, “Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner? We’ve got plenty of food!”
Xi Shaoyuan didn’t say anything, neither agreeing nor refusing. Zhou Cheng simply pulled him along, bringing him back to the house.
Zhou Xiu and Liu Mei were setting the table, arranging the dishes and bowls.
When they saw the person Zhou Cheng had brought home, they froze for a moment.
Zhou Cheng grinned sheepishly and said, “Young Master Xi’s mom isn’t home, so let’s celebrate together this year.”
Zhou Cheng had cooked up a storm. In the village, he had cooked many wedding banquets, and every year the New Year’s Eve dinner at their home was his responsibility. But he had never cooked a meal solely for his wife and daughter before.
This time, the table was filled with an impressive spread: beer-marinated duck with lemon, shredded chicken with sesame oil, spicy stir-fried crab, boiled shrimp, a pot of fragrant black chicken soup with goji berries, sweet and sour ribs, and vibrant red braised pork belly.
It was a feast for the senses—beautifully presented and mouth-wateringly delicious. The aroma wafted out of the house, tempting even the neighbours to come over for a taste.
The shredded chicken was tender, with the chicken skin oily but not greasy.
The crab was stir-fried to perfection, the beer-marinated duck rich with a malty aroma, and the braised pork belly was succulent. A sip of chicken soup after eating the pork was pure bliss.
Zhou Cheng poured himself some baijiu and, almost instinctively treating Xi Shaoyuan like an adult, poured him half a bowl of the liquor as well.
Liu Mei scolded him, “Young Master Xi is still a child, just like Xiu’er. What are you doing pouring him baijiu?”
Zhou Cheng quickly poured out some coconut juice instead and handed the half-bowl of baijiu back to himself, chuckling, “Hehe, I guess I got a little too excited.”
Xi Shaoyuan said, “It’s fine.”
He downed the baijiu in one go.
Zhou Xiu’s parents ate quickly, as did Zhou Xiu. Even though it was the most important meal of the year, they finished in just an hour.
After finishing the baijiu, Xi Shaoyuan nibbled on a few dishes, his face flushed as he leaned back on the couch, seemingly asleep.
After clearing the table and washing the dishes, Zhou Xiu noticed that Xi Shaoyuan hadn’t moved. He was sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep. The couch was barely wide enough for one person, and his legs dangled off the edge.
With his warm and spacious mansion, why would he come to squeeze into this tiny, cramped place?
Zhou Xiu gently shook Xi Shaoyuan awake. He mumbled, “Xiu’er, don’t mess around.”
Xiu’er, don’t mess around.
Zhou Xiu froze on the spot.
The name “Xiu’er” was only used by her parents and a few close elders back in the village. Her classmates, aware of the deeper meaning behind the name, rarely called her that.
Zhou Xiu pressed her lips together, her gaze cool as she looked at the sleeping Xi Shaoyuan.
After a long while, she finally pushed him awake, “Go home and sleep in your own bed.”
Xi Shaoyuan opened his eyes, his gaze clouded with a sleepy haze. His eyes, with a tear mole at the corner, sparkled as he slowly regained focus.
He stood up, “Okay.”
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