I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 108. Silent Understanding

Today was the day Xu Qingfan and his classmates were going to participate in the city's math Olympiad. After he and Xia Xiaoxiao took the first school bus back to their classroom early, they found that Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were already sitting in their seats waiting for them.

"Give me five, Qingfan!" Lin Wanning stood up happily when he saw Xu Qingfan come in, and stretched out his hands to give him a high five.

"Why are you up so early today? Give me five!" Xu Qingfan reached out and gave Lin Wanning a high five, then gave Zhang Yiyi a high five as well.

"Go, brother!" Zhang Yiyi said to Xu Qingfan, cutely pressing her little fist against her face.

"Give Xia Xiao a high five too!" Seeing that Xia Xiaoxiao sat back down in her seat without saying hello, Lin Wanning turned to the little girl and said.

"Mmm-hmm." Xia Xiaoxiao nodded perfunctorily and touched her palm with hers.

"Ningning high-fived the four-leaf clover when she left this morning. The four-leaf clover will bless Qingfan and Xiaoxiao to get full marks on their exams!" Lin Wanning said proudly, waving her hand.

After Lin Wanning brought the four-leaf clover he dug up under the banyan tree home last time, he specially set aside a piece of land to protect it, worried that the little plant would be damaged by heavy rain. He even coaxed Lin Qiaoshan to build him a transparent rain shelter.

Xia Xiaoxiao envied the four-leaf clover for a long time after learning about it, but when she went to look for it again, she could no longer find a three-leaf clover with four leaves, and now that place had returned to being a bare patch.

"Thank you, Ningning!" Xu Qingfan said with a smile, patting her head.

"Hurry up and pack your things. The teacher said we need to assemble before 7:30. Wan Ning, can you hand in my homework for me?" Xia Xiaoxiao took out all the things she didn't need from her schoolbag and handed the homework that was due today to Lin Wan Ning.

"No problem, Ningning has it covered!" Lin Wanning patted her chest and took Xia Xiaoxiao's homework.

"Goodbye Ningning, goodbye Yiyi!" Xu Qingfan packed the pencil case and exam admission ticket into his schoolbag, then patted the two little girls on the head to say goodbye.

"Keep it up!" Zhang Yiyi encouraged him, clenching her little pink fist.

"Waaaa~ Ningning wants to go out and play too!" Lin Wanning suddenly felt a little reluctant because she wouldn't be able to see Xu Qingfan for almost a day.

"One punch and I'll take down all the whiny girls! I'll be back this afternoon. Pay attention in class and don't slack off while I'm gone. Let's go!" Xu Qingfan slung his backpack over his shoulder and pulled Xia Xiaoxiao out the door.

"Brother Qingfan, remember to bring Ningning a gift!" Lin Wanning leaned against the window and called out to Xu Qingfan as he walked away.

"Okay, okay." Xu Qingfan waved his hand without turning around.

"Do you think we can pass the exam this time? If we pass, we'll go to Beijing to participate in the National Mathematical Olympiad," Xia Xiaoxiao asked nervously as they went down the stairs.

She was still worried about not passing the exam because her score in the district math Olympiad last semester was eight or nine points lower than Xu Qingfan's. However, the math Olympiad only considers rankings, not scores, and the top ten all receive first prize. Xia Xiaoxiao ranked ninth in the district, while Xu Qingfan ranked first, which is why both of them were able to participate in the city-level competition with first prize.

"Relax. We were only in first grade when we participated in the competition last time. It's normal that we couldn't beat those second graders. Now we're in second grade, and we're crushing them!" Xu Qingfan patted her shoulder to comfort her.

The competition that Xu Qingfan and his classmates participated in this time is called the "Spring Festival Cup". In elementary school, two adjacent grades take the exam together. The preliminary round was originally scheduled for November or December, but it was canceled last year due to the pandemic. Therefore, the competition time was brought forward this year.

Xu Qingfan had little impression of this competition in his previous life. The national math Olympiad he remembered most clearly was the Hua Luogeng Cup.

It's understandable that he didn't remember it, because this competition, which was hosted by the Beijing Education Bureau, was suspended in 11 due to cheating issues.

The competition was originally set up simply to facilitate giving favors, since having a national honor makes it easier to apply for junior high, high school, or even university.

Students like them, who come from all over the country to take the exams, are just there to make up the numbers, unless they're exceptionally gifted like Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan's words of comfort worked, and Xia Xiaoxiao nodded firmly: "We're going to the capital together for the finals!" "Okay!"

The two walked hand in hand downstairs, and when they arrived at the square in front of the school gate, the teacher in charge was already waving and waiting for them.

After Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao finished signing in, they boarded the bus. Wu Lingyu was sitting alone in a seat in the middle of the carriage. When she saw Xu Qingfan get on the bus, the little girl's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded excitedly to him.

"This is so annoying! I was supposed to take the exam for the lower grades, but now I'm taking it with fourth-grade students. How am I supposed to beat them?!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to stay in school."

Inside the carriage, the third-year students were whispering among themselves.

"Xu Qingfan, you're so happy! You were already number one when you took the test with us, and now you've gotten it with the help of a second-year student!" As soon as Xu Qingfan got on the bus, everyone turned the bus around.

"If Brother Fan goes to Yanjing for the finals, remember to bring us back some local specialties!"

Because the two grades were taking tutoring classes together, everyone was quite familiar with each other. Students who did well in elementary school at this time were often more outgoing, a group of people in the carriage joked with Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan waved his hand awkwardly, "We'll talk about it after I pass the exam, we'll talk about it after I pass the exam!"

Xia Xiaoxiao pouted, glanced at the few empty seats left on the bus, and sat down behind Wu Lingyu.

Xu Qingfan glanced at Wu Lingyu, then at Xia Xiaoxiao, and finally sat down next to Xia Xiaoxiao.

As Xu Qingfan walked past her, Wu Lingyu was so nervous that she forgot to breathe. After sitting down, the little girl's bright eyes suddenly dimmed.

[They came together.] Wu Lingyu comforted herself.

Actually, Xu Qingfan didn't think too much about it. Xia Xiaoxiao sat on the outside and Wu Lingyu sat on the inside. He couldn't stand the smell in the car since he was a child. He had to open the window to let in fresh air when he rode in a car. If he encountered a fully enclosed long-distance bus or tour bus, riding in it would be like dying.

It's unclear whether Xia Xiaoxiao knew about his habit or if he simply preferred sitting on the outside, but it seems that ever since he could remember, the two of them have maintained this silent understanding every time they ride in a car.

"Are there any questions you don't understand?" Xu Qingfan asked, patting Wu Lingyu's head as he sat down.

"I know them all!" The little girl composed herself, turned around, and said.

"Keep it up!" Xu Qingfan smiled at her.

"Mmm!" Looking at the smile on Xu Qingfan's face, Wu Lingyu suddenly felt that the world was full of color again. She mustered up her courage and said to Xu Qingfan, "You too!"

"Mm." Xu Qingfan nodded with a smile.

Wu Lingyu turned her head back, her right hand tightly gripping the school badge on her school uniform jacket, because that was where her heart was.

He opened the window, and outside was a blue sky with white clouds. "The weather is so nice today," Xu Qingfan murmured to himself.

Thank you to Brother Kuyefeng for the 500 Qidian Coins.

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(End of this chapter)