"Men, cry, cry, crying is not a sin, even the strongest have the right to be weary...""Because of love, so love, tenderness cannot be arranged, joy passes so quickly, don't wait until we hurt each other..."
On the street, the songs of Hua Zai and the Green Giant intertwined. As the two hottest songs of the millennium, they were played on loop countless times almost every day.
Zhao Wanqiu tilted her head slightly, studying Fang Yi carefully, and said earnestly, "Brother Yi, I think you're a bit strange today!"
"What's strange about me?" Fang Yi replied nonchalantly, a smile playing on his lips, as he admired the people and sights of the old street.
In two years, Experimental First High School would be expanded, and this old street along with it would be demolished. At this moment, memories and reality interwove, giving him a sense of temporal disorientation.
"I can't quite say it, it just feels a little weird." Zhao Wanqiu frowned, then reached out and punched Shen Hao in the arm. "Haozi, what do you think?"
"He is a bit strange, he's been smiling non-stop!" Shen Hao said, then changed his tone, his expression expectant, "Brother Yi, what are you treating us to?"
Hearing this, Zhao Wanqiu couldn't help but retort, "Idiot! All you know is eating!"
"Here! Eat this!" Fang Yi gestured with his chin towards a small, humble eatery across the street.
"Fried noodles!" Shen Hao muttered, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Fang Yi ignored him and walked into the small eatery on his own. The fried noodles here were exceptionally delicious, with a unique charred aroma. When the demolition happened two years later, this eatery would disappear completely, and it would be impossible to find this taste again.
"Boss, three plates of fried noodles!" Fang Yi ordered, then found an empty table and sat down.
Soon, three fragrant plates of fried noodles were brought to their table by the boss. Fang Yi took a deep breath, broke apart his disposable chopsticks, and took a bite. It was still that same, wonderfully fragrant taste!
Though Shen Hao had looked displeased just moments ago, once the fried noodles were in front of him, he ate faster than anyone. He quickly finished his fried noodles, drained the small bowl of seaweed soup, and wiped his mouth. Seeing that Fang Yi and Zhao Wanqiu were still eating leisurely, he pulled a two-yuan ghost story book from his school uniform pocket and began to read it with relish.
Fang Yi glanced over, noticing it was one of those two-yuan ghost story books. These books were of extremely poor quality, with grayish-white paper and a pungent smell. The content was a hodgepodge of supernatural tales and strange occurrences, perfect for passing fragmented time in an era without mobile phones. Fang Yi had bought a few himself in his previous life.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in Fang Yi's mind. He asked, "Haozi, are there many people in school who read ghost stories?"
"Quite a lot, people ask to borrow books from me almost every day!" Shen Hao replied, his eyes still glued to the book.
Fang Yi continued, "Does Uncle Shen read them?"
Though Shen Hao found it a bit strange, he answered truthfully, "My dad occasionally reads them too!"
Perfect! His first pot of gold was figured out. With his thoughts clear, even the fried noodles on his plate seemed to taste better.
After finishing the fried noodles and seaweed soup, Fang Yi stood up and patted his pockets. Hmm, no money? But he wasn't flustered. He tilted his chin at Zhao Wanqiu, raising an eyebrow, "Brother Qiu, pay up!"
"Didn't you say you were treating us?" Zhao Wanqiu, who was slowly sipping her seaweed soup, froze, her face a question mark.
"That's right!" Fang Yi nodded, saying earnestly, "I'm treating, you're paying. Nothing wrong with that!"
Zhao Wanqiu pouted, then got up and settled the bill. Three bowls of fried noodles totaled four yuan and fifty cents; a large, generous portion for a good price.
Putting away the change, Zhao Wanqiu walked out, counting on her slender fingers. "Counting today's four yuan fifty, Brother Yi, you owe me 48 yuan now. When are you going to pay me back?"
"Why should we be so clear between brothers!" Fang Yi looped an arm around her shoulder, laughing.
Zhao Wanqiu immediately protested, "Even real brothers should settle accounts clearly!"
"Alright then, lend me another 52, just to make it a round number!"
Zhao Wanqiu: ???Shen Hao: ???
…
In the end, Zhao Wanqiu still lent him two yuan, making it a round number. Two yuan was just enough to buy four popsicles.
Zhao Wanqiu bit into her popsicle, then glanced at the extra popsicle in Fang Yi's hand, and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you buy four?"
"Doesn't flirting with girls require an investment?" Fang Yi raised an eyebrow.
Flirting with girls? Zhao Wanqiu looked at him puzzled. Brother Yi was so strange today; several new terms she'd never heard before had popped out of his mouth. Especially that gentle 'long time no see' and that indescribable look when school first let out, which made her entire body tingle. However, apart from being slightly odd, Brother Yi was still Brother Yi.
…
This summer of the millennium seemed hotter than previous years. It wasn't even July, and the temperature had already broken 38 degrees Celsius.
The trio had only gone out for lunch, but by the time they returned to the classroom, their school uniform t-shirts were already soaked with sweat.
At this time, many people were already seated in the classroom. With only eighteen days left until the college entrance exam, whether they wanted to make a final sprint or just cram, they had to utilize every possible moment. Some closed their eyes, reciting English words, some buried their heads in practice problems, some checked for mistakes on their test papers… This fervent atmosphere instantly infected Fang Yi.
Before this, Fang Yi had always felt a sense of unreality about his rebirth, as if he were watching a movie or playing a game. It wasn't until this moment that he truly integrated into this era!
"Why are you just standing there?" Zhao Wanqiu said, then walked straight back to her seat, pulled out a test paper, and started doing problems while still biting her popsicle.
After all, this was Experimental First High School; the academic atmosphere was very strict, and students were highly self-motivated. Moreover, her grades had always been in the upper-middle range in class. According to Lao Qin's estimate for her, even if she couldn't get into a 985 university, a 211 was definitely achievable. However, in his previous life, Zhao Wanqiu's college entrance exam results were not ideal, and she ultimately only got into a second-tier university.
…
Scanning the classroom, Fang Yi quickly found the back in the second row.
The class monitor of Class Three, Grade Twelve, and the goddess in the hearts of many throughout Experimental First High School – Han Ning.
During school, especially in junior and senior high, girls attracted boys primarily in two ways: academic performance and appearance. When a girl possessed both, she was undoubtedly the goddess of the school.
Han Ning was exactly like this. Her grades had never fallen out of the top three in the grade. Her personality was gentle and quiet, and her delicate, pure features, coupled with smooth, long black hair, made her a true heartbreaker for young men. Most importantly, this girl also had a great figure; at 1.68 meters tall, she could even make the rather plain school uniform look fashionable.
In contrast, while Brother Qiu (Zhao Wanqiu) was also very pretty, her figure was far inferior, appearing somewhat thin and bony. The difference between them was like that between Xiong Da and Baldy Qiang. Furthermore, Brother Qiu's tomboyish style was not very popular in this era.