The weather had been getting increasingly cold lately. Xu You grew up in the South, where winters were usually mild and humid. These days in Lin City, the temperature had plummeted near freezing, making it somewhat difficult for her to adjust.
It was especially easy to catch a cold during seasonal changes. Before leaving in the morning, Chen Xiuyun wrapped a wide green knitted scarf around her neck, instructing: “Just eat at the cafeteria for lunch. The weather forecast says there’ll be sleet today, be careful on the way.”
Xu You crouched at the entrance changing into her little boots, nodding obediently, “I know, Mom.”
Snow was rare in the South. In all of Xu You’s memories growing up, she had hardly ever seen scenes like those described in books – ‘snow bright, clouds thin, sunlight cold.’
Walking on the street, a thin layer of white snow already covered the roofs and ground. Her shoes made crisp crunching sounds with each step.
Xu You found it fascinating. Wearing fluffy gloves, she scooped up some snow, holding her umbrella while studying the shapes of snowflakes along the way.
As she walked, something felt vaguely strange, though she couldn’t quite place what.
Only upon reaching school did she notice red-vested students on duty at the gate.
The red vests were first-year student council members who monitored school discipline.
They held small notebooks, occasionally stopping passing students.
Xu You balanced her umbrella on her shoulder, took off one side of her backpack, and looked through her books for her school ID.
After searching for a while without finding it.
Finding her gloves cumbersome, she took them off and continued searching.
After turning everything upside down, still no sign of it.
Xu You thought for a moment, then inwardly groaned. She must have left her school ID in the classroom yesterday instead of putting it in her bag.
There were still about ten minutes before class.
She was afraid of getting her class points deducted if they recorded her name. So she could only hover in place, caught in a dilemma.
While she was fretting, a familiar teasing voice came from nearby:
“Well well, standing at the school gate all armed up, planning to blow up the school?”
Xu You suddenly looked up toward the source of the voice.
Xie Ci was walking toward her.
Two boys she didn’t recognize were with him.
“Xie Ci!”
Her eyes lit up. Finally seeing a classmate, she forgot everything else and ran forward two steps saying: “Can you help me with something?”
Xie Ci stepped back twice, hands in his pockets, looking down at her under the umbrella.
Not saying a word.
Xu You felt uncomfortable under his gaze and stepped back two steps, “What are you looking at…?”
“I’m saying…” he tilted his head, amused, “why are you bundled up like a bear?”
Xu You: …….
The two boys beside him burst out laughing.
Xie Ci gave them a cool look.
One boy jutted his chin, “Ci’s girlfriend?”
“Who else?”
The other one said: “Even carrying an umbrella, sister-in-law is pretty funny.”
Xie Ci laughed too, cursing: “Get lost.”
Xu You wore a hat and an enormous woolen scarf that covered half her face. Her black hair lay softly against her cheeks, leaving only a pair of dark sparkling eyes visible.
For just this bit of snow, she was carrying an umbrella – it really looked incredibly funny from afar.
“What’s wrong with me?” Xu You didn’t know what was happening. A weak voice emerged from behind the scarf as she glared at the person before her, somewhat dejected.
She didn’t realize that she looked just like a wronged kitten right now.
Silent before others, only daring to show temper to her owner, meowing and putting on an intimidating display with raised claws.
Xie Ci said with mock seriousness: “On your way here, did you see anyone else carrying an umbrella?”
Xu You froze for three seconds.
No wonder people had been staring at her all day…..
Xu You hurriedly closed her umbrella, feeling embarrassed, “Is this very strange….. I thought everyone would use umbrellas when it snows.”
Her earnest embarrassment was really quite cute, making people want to tease her more.
So Xie Ci’s original words changed as they reached his lips: “You look so weird, wifey, lucky you met me first or people would laugh at you when you get to school.”
“Can you stop with the random nicknames.”
Seeing time was running short, Xu You suddenly remembered she didn’t have her school ID, and said urgently: “Oh right, could you go to the classroom and bring me my school ID from my desk? I can’t get in right now, they’re taking names at the gate…..”
Hearing this, Xie Ci couldn’t help but laugh, “What do you need an ID for?”
He reached out slightly, hooked her neck, and whispered in her ear: “Call me gege and I’ll take you in.”
“Make it sweet,” he added after a pause.
By this time, few students remained at the school gate.
Xu You grew anxious, this person really was…..
She stepped back, swatting his arm with her umbrella, saying very seriously: “I’m not in the mood to joke with you, we’re going to be late, hurry up, hurry up, we’re really going to be late.”
Her tone was anxious, repeating twice.
Xie Ci finally stopped teasing her, turned to walk forward, throwing back the words, “Who’s joking with you.”
Xu You followed behind Xie Ci, guiltily lowering her head as she hurried past the school gate.
Whether it was because everyone at school knew him or not.
The duty students indeed didn’t dare stop them.
After passing through the gate, Xu You turned a corner past the fountain. Then she broke into a run, sprinting toward the teaching building.
Xie Ci was left far behind, not even having time to call out before she had run away.
Halfway through the morning, the snow outside fell heavier.
Looking into the distance, everything had turned white.
The teaching building had heating, making the classroom warm and cozy, with condensation forming on the windows.
The long break was forty minutes, and since the next class was PE, many students had gone downstairs for snowball fights.
Xu You had napped on her desk for a while, and when she woke up and rubbed her eyes, she found everyone around her gone.
Zheng Xiaolin had a bad cold and wasn’t feeling well. She sat at her desk doing homework, not going down either.
Seeing Xu You awake, Zheng Xiaolin said to her, “You slept for so long, it’s almost time for the next class.”
Xu You took out the test papers and correction notebook from the last class. She yawned, opening the notebook, “It’s too cold outside, I feel like I’m going to hibernate, turn into a little animal and curl up…”
“Pfft.”
Zheng Xiaolin laughed, “How can you be so cute, sometimes giving me that deadpan humor feeling….”
The more time she spent with Xu You, the more she discovered this girl had a kind of serious adorableness.
Sometimes she would suddenly say something that would make people laugh uncontrollably.
“Why don’t you use air conditioning in winter?” Xu You chatted with Zheng Xiaolin while copying questions, “I find it so strange, and these radiator things… they’re really amazing..”
“You don’t have them there?” Zheng Xiaolin was looking at a magazine in her hands, turning her head to ask: “You don’t have heating in winter where you’re from?”
Xu You shook her head, “Before when I heard people talk about heating, I always thought they meant air conditioning…..”
“Pfft….”
“Then when I came here, I learned that heating uses hot water and can warm the whole building.”
They chatted about various things for a while.
“Oh right!” Zheng Xiaolin remembered something, “I heard the student list for Class 0 in our grade is out…”
“You must be on it.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you fill out a form before, asking about your preferences?” Zheng Xiaolin asked.
Xu You nodded.
“Then that’s it, you’ll definitely be in Class 0.”
With the December monthly exam results out, following First High’s usual practice, the key science class students were basically settled. This class was calculated based on students’ average grade rankings from September to December.
The school was particularly ceremonious this year, even inviting a Taoist priest to perform divination, who after much calculation determined that this year’s science rocket class would be numbered zero.
People had been secretly complaining about this for who knows how long.
Xu You’s December monthly exam results were still among the top in the grade, and if she chose science, she would undoubtedly enter the rocket class.
Zheng Xiaolin mused to herself: “Ah…. won’t be able to see you anymore, you’re the most thorough and patient top student I’ve ever met…”
She coughed twice as she spoke.
“Can’t go on, my throat hurts so much, I need to ask the teacher for leave….” Zheng Xiaolin packed up her books.
Xu You looked up at her, “Want me to go to the infirmary with you?”
Zheng Xiaolin waved her hand: “No need, I’m fine, just want to go back and rest.”
Only two or three people remained in the classroom. Xu You didn’t have many wrong answers on her test, and after correcting them, she found similar problems in the reference materials and practiced a few more.
The more she wrote, the more her palms sweated. The classroom was too hot, and Xu You was wearing a thick down jacket with two sweaters underneath because she was afraid of the cold. At this point, she was really suffocating.
It was amazing to be sweating in the dead of winter….
She didn’t dare take off her coat for fear of catching cold, so she just opened the zipper.
As she wrote, she gradually stopped, turning her head to look at the window.
Xu You took off her scarf and leaned on the windowsill, opening a small gap.
Cool air seeped in, refreshing in her lungs.
She touched a bit of snow from the windowsill with her fingertip, brought it to her nose to smell, then looked at it on her fingertip. She entertained herself like this, thoroughly enjoying it.
After playing for who knows how long, suddenly laughter rang out.
Xu You was confused, first looking up and back.
Xie Ci sat on a desk, legs stretched out, having watched for who knows how long.
His coat was thrown aside, wearing just a gray low-neck sweater. The line from his chin to his collarbone was sharp and clear.
Her face was very red from the heat. Looking at him, they quietly gazed at each other for a moment.
Xie Ci smiled and asked: “Never played with snow before?”
Xu You shook her head, walking around him back to her seat.
Reaching her desk, she paused.
A miniature snowman stood on her desk.
Shaped like a gourd, with two small twigs for limbs, a crude smile drawn on its face.
Xu You looked at this ugly little snowman for several seconds.
“Did you make this?” she turned her head to ask Xie Ci.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he reached out and, catching her off guard, placed his hand on her warm neck.
The sudden contact of cold and hot.
Xie Ci’s fingertips were like ice.
He said lazily: “Who else? My hands are about to freeze to death.”
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