Zhang Liang’s expression told her everything. Lin Zhao Xi shook her head and said, “I didn’t cheat. You were the one that made the rules. This is a fair game.”
Zhang Liang clenched his fist, still unconvinced.
Lin Zhao Xi, still sitting at the table, looked at him and said, “You said I cheated because you thought that you are unbeatable, but you lost… and you are unable to believe it. You think you’re the smartest. You go to a good school, come from a good family, so you look down upon everyone else. In this world, there will always be people smarter than you and there will always be someone stronger than you. You should follow in the footsteps of those people. That is true happiness, it is way better than harassing the weak.”
By the time she finished speaking, all the people around were staring at her dumbfoundedly. The entire place was shrouded in silence.
She suddenly felt a little bad; this wisdom wasn’t something to be spoken by a child. It reminded her of the time when Old Lin taught her important wisdom under the stars.
Lin Zhao Xi could only hope that Old Lin wasn’t in the vicinity and didn’t hear her words. She looked around and saw Old Lin smoking a cigarette under a tree in the distance.
Crap, he is actually here! Embarrassed, she lowered her head and pretended as if nothing had happened.
It was Zhang Liang’s mother that swiftly broke the silence. She coldly said, “My son’s education is none of your business!” She grabbed her son and walked away.
Thank God, they’re leaving! Lin Zhao Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
But right at this moment, Hua Juan continued to stoke the fire and said, “Are you running away because you lost?”
Zhang Liang turned around and shouted, “What do you want from me?!”
“I want to settle the score,” Hua Juan said menacingly and grabbed Zhang Liang by his tie. “A few minutes ago, you called my friend a fat pig.”
Hold on, since when have you and Lu Zhi Zhao become friends?
***
The sun was blazing hot. Hua Juan was like a big brother protecting Lu Zhi Zhao, fiercely holding Zhang Liang in place.
“Isn’t he fat?”
“I dare you to say it one more time.”
“Fat~ Pig~”
The two children started a battle of curses, going back and forth at each other. The atmosphere intensified once again.
Lin Zhao Xi slammed the table, trying to get their attention and calm them down. Alas, it was too late. Hua Juan punched Zhang Liang right in the face. Zhang Liang’s mother was so shocked, she screamed and tried to hit Hua Juan with her purse and parasol. Lin Zhao Xi wanted to rush in and stop the two boys but wasn’t quick enough.
Suddenly, a high-pitched electronic sound blared, Lin Zhao Xi couldn’t help but cover her ears and close her eyes. It was only then she remembered, she had heard this sound before. She had heard it from a loudspeaker during the encounter with the Arithmetic King.
Old Lin!
She slowly opened her eyes and tried to locate the source of the sound. Sure enough, there was Old Lin wearing the park management uniform and holding the speaker, walking languidly towards them.
He didn’t know how to turn off the speaker completely and it started playing ‘Happy Birthday’. Old Lin gave up and just walked towards them, looking happy and carefree.
Both the kids were stunned by the uncle and looked at him in confusion.
Old Lin tossed the cigarette into a bunny-shaped trash can, looked at the 1:0 scribbled on the concrete, and demanded, “Who let you draw on park grounds?”
“They did it!” An Experimental School student didn’t waste a breath before pointing fingers at Lin Zhao Xi’s group.
“Oh ok, clean it up later then,” Old Lin said before turning around and starting to leave.
At this moment, the two boys started to shove each other. Hua Juan quickly delivered two kicks towards Zhang Liang.
“Still fighting?” Old Lin turned his head and called to the two boys just as Zhang Liang was about to land a punch on Hua Juan.
Lin Zhao Xi pointed at Zhang Liang and said, “Uncle Manager, he lost the game but instead of admitting defeat, he insulted us!”
Old Lin was stunned, he didn’t expect Lin Zhao Xi would be the first one to speak up. He quickly recovered and laughed. “So energetic! How about this uncle give you a maths problem to solve?”
Lin Zhao Xi reckoned that Old Lin said these words because he thought the children would refuse. However, probably because of the game Lin Zhao Xi and Zhang Liang were playing, both groups had become interested in mathematics. They were looking at Old Lin, waiting for him to give out a question.
Old Lin paused and looked around at the children. An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Uncle, what maths questions?” Lin Zhao Xi’s class leader, Lu Zhi Zhao, eagerly asked
“What’s the topic, Uncle?”
“Tsk, he’s lying!” an Experimental School student yelled at Old Lin. “He probably doesn’t know any maths!”
This was the first time that someone said that Old Lin didn’t know any maths. He was thrilled and basking in the moment, which was very weird.
After a while, Old Lin responded, “Do you think these two are smart?” He was looking at Lin Zhao Xi and Zhang Liang.
“Yes!”
“Smart my a*s.”
Old Lin took two steps forward and sat down beside Lin Zhao Xi. He placed eighty-five stones on the table, picked out nine stones, and said, “It’s just the rapid calculation (question) for basic subtraction, multiplication, and division. Have you heard of the Bash Game?”
The majority of the children shook their heads.
“What the hell are they teaching you in these primary schools?!” Old Lin sighed. “The boy over there that was leaving, come and sit here.” He pointed at the spot where Zhang Liang sat.
Lin Zhao Xi felt something amiss. She looked around and finally saw who Old Lin was talking to. Beside the rest area was a boy wearing sportswear with his back to everyone. He was walking towards the carousel.
It was Pei Zhi.
“Pei Zhi, the bluffing uncle is calling you to come here!” Hua Juan yelled.
Pei Zhi continued to walk away, pretending he didn’t hear anything.
“If you don’t come here, our group leader won’t confirm that you finished the Young Eagle Community Service!” Hua Juan yelled.
Pei Zhi did a whole 180, walked back, and obediently took a seat. His head was slightly lowered, hair veiling his eyes, he looked plain and simple.
“I’m telling you that my friend here is very smart!” Hua Juan bragged.
I’m telling you, my dad is also very smart.
Lin Zhao Xi wanted to say it out loud, but she just sat quietly and looked at the table and tried to hide her excitement.
“To put it simply, this two-player game is called the combo game. It has two simple characteristics: first, it needs two players; second, it is a turn-based game,” Old Lin explained. He then asked Pei Zhi to pick up a stone wanting to give a demo.
Pei Zhi, as per his instruction, picked up one stone from the table. He didn’t display any reaction, he just sat there and followed Old Lin’s orders like a machine. Unlike Zhang Liang, he(PZ) was far less noticeable.
After Old Lin finished his demonstration, he started talking about the simple principles of this game albeit with a reluctant tone. The children started to lose their respect for Old Lin.
“Does anybody know, with this many stones, if I make the first move, what’s the maximum number of stones I must take?”
“Four!” one kid shouted.
“No, it’s three!” another kid countered.
“Can you make up your mind?” Old Lin asked.
“It’s three, I’m sure of it!” The child walked up to the table and nudged Old Lin so he would move. To prove his theory, he sat where Old Lin was and began playing against the child opposite him.
Old Lin tried to pull a prank. He sneakily snuck a stone into their pile. However, the child discovered his mischief and reprimanded him.
“I’m just checking if you’re focusing or not, no need to get so worked up.”
Old Lin was just too nasty. While pranking the child playing the game, he also gave out some maths questions for the spectators to solve. The two school groups were competing to see who could solve the most questions. Their faces were red and sweaty, but they were determined to outshine the other group.
Somehow, the atmosphere became calm and friendly again, even the parents brought their children to listen to Old Lin’s maths trivia. Soon, a large crowd surrounded the group. Lin Zhao Xi took two steps back, she offered her seat to a random child and walked to the edge of the crowd, and stood under a tree nearby.
It was only then that she remembered something important. Where did Zhang Liang go?
Zhang Liang hadn’t left yet. He and his mother were talking to two other students, probably inviting them to join the Young Eagle Community Service Group. Those around had forgotten about the fight because of all the little kids surrounding Old Lin.
Zhang Liang’s expression told her everything. Lin Zhao Xi shook her head and said, “I didn’t cheat. You were the one that made the rules. This is a fair game.”
Zhang Liang clenched his fist, still unconvinced.
Lin Zhao Xi, still sitting at the table, looked at him and said, “You said I cheated because you thought that you are unbeatable, but you lost… and you are unable to believe it. You think you’re the smartest. You go to a good school, come from a good family, so you look down upon everyone else. In this world, there will always be people smarter than you and there will always be someone stronger than you. You should follow in the footsteps of those people. That is true happiness, it is way better than harassing the weak.”
By the time she finished speaking, all the people around were staring at her dumbfoundedly. The entire place was shrouded in silence.
She suddenly felt a little bad; this wisdom wasn’t something to be spoken by a child. It reminded her of the time when Old Lin taught her important wisdom under the stars.
Lin Zhao Xi could only hope that Old Lin wasn’t in the vicinity and didn’t hear her words. She looked around and saw Old Lin smoking a cigarette under a tree in the distance.
Crap, he is actually here! Embarrassed, she lowered her head and pretended as if nothing had happened.
It was Zhang Liang’s mother that swiftly broke the silence. She coldly said, “My son’s education is none of your business!” She grabbed her son and walked away.
Thank God, they’re leaving! Lin Zhao Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
But right at this moment, Hua Juan continued to stoke the fire and said, “Are you running away because you lost?”
Zhang Liang turned around and shouted, “What do you want from me?!”
“I want to settle the score,” Hua Juan said menacingly and grabbed Zhang Liang by his tie. “A few minutes ago, you called my friend a fat pig.”
Hold on, since when have you and Lu Zhi Zhao become friends?
***
The sun was blazing hot. Hua Juan was like a big brother protecting Lu Zhi Zhao, fiercely holding Zhang Liang in place.
“Isn’t he fat?”
“I dare you to say it one more time.”
“Fat~ Pig~”
The two children started a battle of curses, going back and forth at each other. The atmosphere intensified once again.
Lin Zhao Xi slammed the table, trying to get their attention and calm them down. Alas, it was too late. Hua Juan punched Zhang Liang right in the face. Zhang Liang’s mother was so shocked, she screamed and tried to hit Hua Juan with her purse and parasol. Lin Zhao Xi wanted to rush in and stop the two boys but wasn’t quick enough.
Suddenly, a high-pitched electronic sound blared, Lin Zhao Xi couldn’t help but cover her ears and close her eyes. It was only then she remembered, she had heard this sound before. She had heard it from a loudspeaker during the encounter with the Arithmetic King.
Old Lin!
She slowly opened her eyes and tried to locate the source of the sound. Sure enough, there was Old Lin wearing the park management uniform and holding the speaker, walking languidly towards them.
He didn’t know how to turn off the speaker completely and it started playing ‘Happy Birthday’. Old Lin gave up and just walked towards them, looking happy and carefree.
Both the kids were stunned by the uncle and looked at him in confusion.
Old Lin tossed the cigarette into a bunny-shaped trash can, looked at the 1:0 scribbled on the concrete, and demanded, “Who let you draw on park grounds?”
“They did it!” An Experimental School student didn’t waste a breath before pointing fingers at Lin Zhao Xi’s group.
“Oh ok, clean it up later then,” Old Lin said before turning around and starting to leave.
At this moment, the two boys started to shove each other. Hua Juan quickly delivered two kicks towards Zhang Liang.
“Still fighting?” Old Lin turned his head and called to the two boys just as Zhang Liang was about to land a punch on Hua Juan.
Lin Zhao Xi pointed at Zhang Liang and said, “Uncle Manager, he lost the game but instead of admitting defeat, he insulted us!”
Old Lin was stunned, he didn’t expect Lin Zhao Xi would be the first one to speak up. He quickly recovered and laughed. “So energetic! How about this uncle give you a maths problem to solve?”
Lin Zhao Xi reckoned that Old Lin said these words because he thought the children would refuse. However, probably because of the game Lin Zhao Xi and Zhang Liang were playing, both groups had become interested in mathematics. They were looking at Old Lin, waiting for him to give out a question.
Old Lin paused and looked around at the children. An awkward silence hung in the air.
“Uncle, what maths questions?” Lin Zhao Xi’s class leader, Lu Zhi Zhao, eagerly asked
“What’s the topic, Uncle?”
“Tsk, he’s lying!” an Experimental School student yelled at Old Lin. “He probably doesn’t know any maths!”
This was the first time that someone said that Old Lin didn’t know any maths. He was thrilled and basking in the moment, which was very weird.
After a while, Old Lin responded, “Do you think these two are smart?” He was looking at Lin Zhao Xi and Zhang Liang.
“Yes!”
“Smart my a*s.”
Old Lin took two steps forward and sat down beside Lin Zhao Xi. He placed eighty-five stones on the table, picked out nine stones, and said, “It’s just the rapid calculation (question) for basic subtraction, multiplication, and division. Have you heard of the Bash Game?”
The majority of the children shook their heads.
“What the hell are they teaching you in these primary schools?!” Old Lin sighed. “The boy over there that was leaving, come and sit here.” He pointed at the spot where Zhang Liang sat.
Lin Zhao Xi felt something amiss. She looked around and finally saw who Old Lin was talking to. Beside the rest area was a boy wearing sportswear with his back to everyone. He was walking towards the carousel.
It was Pei Zhi.
“Pei Zhi, the bluffing uncle is calling you to come here!” Hua Juan yelled.
Pei Zhi continued to walk away, pretending he didn’t hear anything.
“If you don’t come here, our group leader won’t confirm that you finished the Young Eagle Community Service!” Hua Juan yelled.
Pei Zhi did a whole 180, walked back, and obediently took a seat. His head was slightly lowered, hair veiling his eyes, he looked plain and simple.
“I’m telling you that my friend here is very smart!” Hua Juan bragged.
I’m telling you, my dad is also very smart.
Lin Zhao Xi wanted to say it out loud, but she just sat quietly and looked at the table and tried to hide her excitement.
“To put it simply, this two-player game is called the combo game. It has two simple characteristics: first, it needs two players; second, it is a turn-based game,” Old Lin explained. He then asked Pei Zhi to pick up a stone wanting to give a demo.
Pei Zhi, as per his instruction, picked up one stone from the table. He didn’t display any reaction, he just sat there and followed Old Lin’s orders like a machine. Unlike Zhang Liang, he(PZ) was far less noticeable.
After Old Lin finished his demonstration, he started talking about the simple principles of this game albeit with a reluctant tone. The children started to lose their respect for Old Lin.
“Does anybody know, with this many stones, if I make the first move, what’s the maximum number of stones I must take?”
“Four!” one kid shouted.
“No, it’s three!” another kid countered.
“Can you make up your mind?” Old Lin asked.
“It’s three, I’m sure of it!” The child walked up to the table and nudged Old Lin so he would move. To prove his theory, he sat where Old Lin was and began playing against the child opposite him.
Old Lin tried to pull a prank. He sneakily snuck a stone into their pile. However, the child discovered his mischief and reprimanded him.
“I’m just checking if you’re focusing or not, no need to get so worked up.”
Old Lin was just too nasty. While pranking the child playing the game, he also gave out some maths questions for the spectators to solve. The two school groups were competing to see who could solve the most questions. Their faces were red and sweaty, but they were determined to outshine the other group.
Somehow, the atmosphere became calm and friendly again, even the parents brought their children to listen to Old Lin’s maths trivia. Soon, a large crowd surrounded the group. Lin Zhao Xi took two steps back, she offered her seat to a random child and walked to the edge of the crowd, and stood under a tree nearby.
It was only then that she remembered something important. Where did Zhang Liang go?
Zhang Liang hadn’t left yet. He and his mother were talking to two other students, probably inviting them to join the Young Eagle Community Service Group. Those around had forgotten about the fight because of all the little kids surrounding Old Lin.
