Seeing Zhang Yingxuan's face gradually flush, the righteous companion Su Xiangli decided to use a skill: Simon, fly here!
"Quick, sing!"
Simon shook his head; he didn't like doing repetitive things.
Su Xiangli pursed her lips, then stood up with a rustle, "Amen, in front of the grape vine…" She actually repeated it perfectly, the lyrics and tune completely accurate.
When she started singing, the other children followed along, clapping to the beat, but compared to when Simon led, the scene was much more chaotic. Zhang Yingxuan, on stage in a daze, suddenly lowered his head, hurried down, and retreated to a corner of the classroom.
Qiu Qiongzh uttered a confused "Ah," "Why isn't he coming over? His seat is here…"
Su Xiangli didn't finish singing, but she stopped. She turned to look at Zhang Yingxuan, who was lie on his desk, his head buried in his arms, his small suit trembling slightly.
Simon pulled Su Xiangli back to her seat. At this moment, the Class Teacher on stage completed Zhang Yingxuan's self-introduction for him, then called number 15 to the stage, sparing Zhang Yingxuan any further embarrassment. Simon got up, slipped out, and ran to sit in the seat next to Zhang Yingxuan.
Simon gently put his arm around the boy's shoulder, "Xuanxuan, you silly goose? Are you okay?"
Zhang Yingxuan turned his head slightly, his tear-streaked face directed at Simon. He stammered incoherently, "Am I… am I useless?"
Simon looked around. Besides a few teachers, no one was paying attention. So, he pulled a small handkerchief from his jacket pocket. The soft, plain square cloth was used to wipe Zhang Yingxuan's face and even blow his nose.
"It's okay, you did great. Anyway, they aren't listening. As long as a few of us know, it's fine." Simon clumsily comforted his little friend.
Number 16, Qiu Qiongzh, went on stage. Su Xiangli also came to Zhang Yingxuan's side, not speaking, just trying her best to show a worried expression, like a mother. The little girl didn't truly understand what 'caring' meant, she just hoped to do something to make Zhang Yingxuan the cheerful little suit-wearing handsome boy again.
Zhang Yingxuan pressed his hands to his face, unconsciously imitating his father. He had secretly seen his father more than once, sitting on the sofa, his face buried in his hands, his body hunched, silent, the projector's light illuminating his father's figure in the darkness. His blurred silhouette was like a solemn sculpture, or a tombstone.
But Zhang Yingxuan's hands were too small, only covering half his face, which looked a bit comical. Seeing him self-adjusting, Simon also relaxed.
When Zhang Yingxuan took his hands away, he was again that upright, little old-fashioned boy. Only his eyes were still a bit red, and his pupils were moist, like a clear lake shrouded in morning mist.
Su Xiangli's eyes widened. What kind of magic was this?
Qiu Qiongzh on stage spoke to herself, ignoring the noise of the children below, then left the stage without any fuss after she finished.
Classmate Qiu narrowed her eyes, her face upturned, showing no emotion. She walked all the way to her seat before realizing her friends had moved. She stood up in a hurry and ran to sit next to Simon.
Simon gave her a thumbs-up, "Nice!"
Qiu Qiongzh returned a thumbs-up, "Gracias!"
Simon was stunned. She could speak Spanish? And roll her R's?!
He was shocked!
…
The day's classes ended, and Simon was quite nostalgic for the afternoon tea. Though called afternoon tea, it was impossible for children to actually drink tea. They had high-calcium, low-fat pure milk, a 20-gram piece of tiramisu, two walnut shortbreads, and several milk-flavored teething sticks.
In an era of abundant production materials, thrift and frugality were still good social trends. Children could finish their meals, and each person's consumption was recorded and backed up. This allowed for needs-based supply, further reducing waste.
Simon was still the child who ate the most.
It's said that being able to eat a lot is a blessing, but the teachers were still concerned about Simon's weight. A life teacher repeatedly asked Simon if his stomach was full, which made Simon too embarrassed to continue eating.
The not-so-cute classmate Su Xiangli mercilessly mocked Simon as a glutton.
Simon's face flushed with anger, "How can you falsely accuse someone? Can growing up be called being a glutton? I just ate a little bit more, how did I become a glutton?" Then followed a series of difficult-to-understand words about nutrition and physiology, which made his friends burst into laughter, and the cafeteria was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
When leaving school, Simon, Su Xiangli, Qiu Qiongzh, and Zhang Yingxuan walked together. Simon led the way, Su Xiangli was on his right, Zhang Yingxuan was half a step behind on his left, and Qiu Qiongzh honestly followed behind, between Zhang Yingxuan and Simon.
Su Xiangli tugged at Simon's sleeve, "Do another performance."
Simon helplessly asked, "Which one?"
"That one."
Simon took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, "No."
"Come on, just one more!"
"…Alright, just once, okay?" Simon felt deeply humiliated, then dramatically shivered, "How can you falsely accuse someone? Can growing up be called being a glutton? I just ate 'a billion' little bit more…"
"Hahahahahahaha!!!" Little friend Su Xiangli laughed so hard that anyone within a ten-mile radius would need hearing aids for the rest of their lives.
Zhang Yingxuan looked amazed, "As expected of Simon. I just looked it up, and that quote was from Lu Xun."
Simon uttered an "Uh," "It can't be considered his exact words; I was imitating his way of speaking."
"Cool!" × 3
The little brothers were waiting at the entrance. Curiously, in the morning, the parents seemed reluctant to leave, but at dismissal time, most children were picked up by robots, which made some little ones feel quite wronged.
Zhang Yingxuan's family robot was black and red, with a middle-aged male voice, named Mr. Bai.
It was consistently prim and proper, even its expression was (′_ゝ`).
Qiu Qiongzh's family robot was blue and white, with a mechanical electronic voice, very punk-like. It was a rare HOME Type 5 beta version on the market. It was called TT-zai, a naming style no less unique than Baiyang Yangzhen.
The capsule train couldn't accommodate four children and four robots, so they, having agreed to go home together, decided to take the city monorail.
The nearest monorail station was at the edge of the school district, a half-hour walk away. So, they first took a bus. After booking at the station, a flying bus arrived within tens of seconds.
The city's public transportation was free, which Simon liked very much. Although taking the bus wasn't expensive before, putting coins in or scanning codes took some time, and a slow-moving group could be irritating, especially on rainy days, which could be quite depressing.
The front half of the carriage was for people to sit, and the back half was for robots to stand. The Route 2235 bus Simon was currently on could accommodate up to twenty people and forty robots.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival was on the 17th. Several older students on the bus were discussing holiday travel plans, while the adults mentioned the city-wide projection performance that would take place then.
Su Xiangli: "Simon, will you come find me on Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Simon lazily replied, "No."
"Hmph! Don't you want to eat mooncakes I made myself?"
Qiu Qiongzh quietly raised her hand, "Me, me…"
Simon: "Oh, do you really know how to make mooncakes? I doubt your culinary skills."
Su Xiangli sniffed, pulled out her phone gallery, and motioned for Simon to look closely.
In the picture, the light was clear, and on a white dining table rested a round black-glazed plum blossom plate. On the plate were stacked three white, glutinous ice-skin mooncakes with the character 'Fu' (fortune) embossed. Regardless of how they tasted, they looked truly beautiful.
"You made these? Okay, I accept your invitation!" Simon blurted out, almost drooling.
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