The two sat together, Lin Feng's new laptop open before them.
"Where do we start?" Lin Feng asked.
"Depends," Zhang Wei said. "Let's see, have you written any code before?"
"Yeah, I tried to learn from watching MeTube before, so I remember a few things." He paused. "Well, more like a line or two."
"Okay, why don't you show me what you remember."
Lin Feng opened the notes app and began typing.
std::cout << "Hello world" std::endl;
He looked up from his laptop to Zhang Wei.
"How is it?" he asked.
Zhang Wei had a shocked expression.
Lin Feng grinned proudly. Did he shock him too much?
"Just tell me," he said, puffing out his chest. "Am I a heavenly genius?"
"No, the code is trash."
Zhang Wei shut him down instantly.
Lin Feng's head drooped in embarrassment.
"That aside," Zhang Wei continued, "your typing..."
It was then that Lin Feng realized - his typing was indeed quite fast for someone who might have just bought their first laptop. It had reached this level from filling out hundreds of job applications and always updating his resume.
"I used to take computer classes," he clarified quickly.
Zhang Wei nodded, accepting the explanation. "Anyway, that's a good thing."
"Hey, let's get back on track," Lin Feng said, eager to change the subject. "Why did you say my code was trash?"
Zhang Wei looked at the screen.
"Well, ignoring the fact that you wrote C++ code in a markdown file on a new laptop with no compiler whatsoever..." He pointed at the line. "You used cout without including iostream and also forgot your second stream insertion operator."
Lin Feng stared blankly.
"Umm, what now?"
Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Never mind. Why don't we learn the basics first with an interpreted language." He reached over and began typing. "I'll guide you through the Python installation, and we can start from there."
…
A few minutes later, after setting up everything, Zhang Wei began teaching.
"How good is your memory?" he asked.
Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Fairly good."
He reasoned that while he had forgotten some stuff, it was mostly due to passage of time. And after returning to the past, he felt his quick memory was returning. He guessed this was because his body was much younger now. Well, he used to be a top scholar back in the day.
Zhang Wei nodded approvingly. "That's great. That's mostly what you'll need for now."
He pulled up a blank file.
"At this level, you just need to know the keywords. As long as you know the keywords and what they do, you should be able to write code." He gestured as he explained. "Think of it like learning a different language. You're basically translating your ideas into a set of keywords that the computer understands and executes."
The lesson continued from there - variables, data types, basic operations. Zhang Wei explained each concept patiently, and Lin Feng absorbed it as best he could.
…
About an hour later, the door opened.
Li Jun walked in and noticed the two of them huddled around the laptop, completely engrossed.
"What are you two doing?" he asked.
Zhang Wei raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for him to be quiet.
Li Jun walked over curiously. The two of them watched as Lin Feng typed:
name = "Lin Feng"
age = 20
print(name + " is " + str(age) + " years old")
He ran the code.
The console printed: Lin Feng is 20 years old
"I did it!" Lin Feng jumped up in excitement.
"Yay," Zhang Wei said, clapping softly.
"Oh, you're back," Lin Feng finally noticed Li Jun standing there.
"Yeah, what are you guys doing?" Li Jun asked.
"Learning programming," Lin Feng said. He adjusted his nonexistent glasses with a serious expression. "The tech industry is booming, one should keep up with the times."
Li Jun's eyes widened with interest.
"Can I learn too?" he asked eagerly.
He turned to Zhang Wei with a pleading expression.
"No can do," Lin Feng said, stepping between them. "This teacher here is already booked."
"Hmph." Li Jun scoffed. "I'll pay twice the price."
Lin Feng staggered backward dramatically.
"What?! He pulled out the legendary forbidden young master move!"
He fell to his knees in despair.
Zhang Wei cleared his throat.
"Ahem. I am a man with morals, so I cannot accept this arrangement."
Lin Feng looked up with bright, hopeful eyes. "Teacher..."
Li Jun reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of cash.
Lin Feng scoffed confidently. "Heh. There's no way the teacher would fall for…"
Suddenly, Zhang Wei was on one knee, hands clasped together reverently.
"My apologies. I was unfamiliar with your game."
"NANI?!"
At that moment, the door opened.
Chen Ming stood at the entrance, taking in the bizarre scene before him - Lin Feng on his knees in despair, Zhang Wei kneeling before Li Jun like a loyal subject, cash being waved around.
"Ah," the three of them noticed him simultaneously.
Chen Ming blinked.
"Hmm, yeah. I have the wrong room."
He closed the door.
…
A few minutes later, the four roommates studied in silence.
Lin Feng typed away at his laptop, practicing what he had learned. In the end, he had agreed to learn alongside Li Jun under Zhang Wei's tutelage.
He didn't mind the arrangement. Having a classmate to exchange ideas with was a good thing.
Besides, Zhang Wei would be earning even more money now. Li Jun had refused to accept lessons alongside him for free and insisted on matching his sixty yuan per hour - meaning Zhang Wei now earned one hundred and twenty yuan for each teaching session.
It was a win-win.
With this arrangement, Lin Feng could finally relax and not worry about Zhang Wei. As for the other comrades, he didn't worry too much about them. Chen Ming could take care of himself. And Li Jun…well, he was Li Jun.
He studied in the dorm for a few more minutes before finally deciding that it was about time for his teaching job and left.