My IQ has been increasing year by year.

August 30th.

There's only one day left before I leave Zeyang.

The morning sun had only been out for a short time when it turned the cement pavement of the residential compound white.

Chen Jianguo went to the factory early in the morning to hand over the last bit of work and get his leave application approved.

Liu Xiuying also went out to the South Gate Vegetable Market.

She said she wanted to buy the freshest beef shank, braise it when she got back, and take it with her to eat on the road tomorrow.

Chen Zhuo was left alone at home.

The ceiling fan was on inside, spinning loudly.

Chen Zhuo, wearing a tank top and shorts, sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a game controller for his Little Tyrant learning machine.

On the TV screen, two pixelated figures are playing Contra.

He played very casually, able to remember the enemy's troop deployment points without even looking at the screen, purely to pass the time.

There was a knock on the door.

Chen Zhuo pressed the pause button on the handle and went to open the door.

Zhang Qiang was standing outside the door.

She was wearing a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt, knee-length shorts, and sandals.

He was also carrying a plastic bag containing several steaming popsicles.

"Brother Zhuo." Zhang Qiang grinned.

"Come in." Chen Zhuo opened the door for him.

Zhang Qiang changed into slippers and walked into the living room with practiced ease.

He placed the plastic bag on the coffee table, took out a popsicle and handed it to Chen Zhuo, then peeled one for himself and took a big, eager bite. "It's so hot today. I'm covered in sweat from walking here to my house."

Zhang Qiang slurped up the ice water and mumbled incoherently.

Chen Zhuo took the popsicle, tore open the wrapper, and took a bite.

"Why did you come all this way today?" Chen Zhuo sat back down on the sofa.

"You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

Zhang Qiang sat down on the single sofa next to him and glanced at the TV screen.

"You haven't passed this level yet? I'll play a couple of rounds with you."

Chen Zhuo threw the other handle over.

Zhang Qiang caught it and pressed the start button.

The game on the screen continues.

The two people sat side by side, staring at the TV screen, their thumbs rapidly pressing the buttons.

The sound effects from the game console echoed in the living room.

Zhang Qiang's gaming skills were inferior to Chen Zhuo's; after only a few levels, his little blue character had lost all his lives.

"Lend me your life." Zhang Qiang bumped Chen Zhuo's shoulder.

Chen Zhuo pressed a button and sacrificed one of his lives.

After playing for a while, Zhang Qiang put down the controller and leaned back on the sofa.

"This is boring. I've beaten this game so many times."

He turned his head and looked at Chen Zhuo.

"Brother Zhuo, is Huizhou fun?"

Chen Zhuo kept looking at the TV screen, his hands still moving.

"I don't know, I've never been there."

Zhang Qiang scratched his head.

"I heard that people there eat rice every day, but not steamed buns or noodles. Will you be able to get used to it?"

"You get used to being hungry," Chen Zhuo said calmly.

The little red figure on the screen leaped and dodged a volley of bullets.

Zhang Qiang sighed.

"The No. 1 Middle School in the city is also starting school the day after tomorrow, and they said they will have military training a week in advance."

Zhang Qiang was somewhat worried.

"In this sweltering heat, standing at attention on the parade ground, wouldn't people get sunburned and their skin peel off?"

Chen Zhuo pressed the pause button and put down the controller.

He turned to look at Zhang Qiang.

"During military training, during breaks we would rush to grab a spot under the shade of a tree, bringing a large water bottle with some salt in it."

Zhang Qiang nodded seriously and kept these words in mind.

In the eyes of this chubby boy, Chen Zhuo's words were more effective than those of his parents.

The two moved from the living room to Chen Zhuo's small bedroom.

The bedroom contains a single bed, an old desk, and a wooden wardrobe.

The table was very clean.

Zhang Qiang walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

He opened the drawer, pulled out a somewhat worn Dragon Ball comic book, and skillfully flipped to the middle page to read it. Chen Zhuo sat on the edge of the bed.

He pulled a cardboard box out from under the bed.

It was filled with his draft notebooks and other drafts from the past few years, as well as some miscellaneous test papers.

Chen Zhuo took the contents out of the box and sorted them out by category.

Most of them are competition problems that cannot be bought on the market, as well as various problem-solving ideas and models that he summarized himself.

"Do you still want these things?" Zhang Qiang looked up from the comic book and asked, pointing to the pile of notebooks.

"I won't take it, it's too heavy," Chen Zhuo said.

He picked out several thick books whose covers read "Basic Junior High School Mathematics and Physics Force Analysis".

I took an old newspaper, wrapped these books together, and secured them with two layers of transparent tape.

Chen Zhuo handed the paper package to Zhang Qiang.

"Take these books."

Zhang Qiang paused for a moment, then took it.

The paper package was quite heavy.

"What's in here?"

"I've compiled the basic knowledge points for junior high school, as well as some frequently tested question types."

Chen Zhuo looked at him.

"When you get to junior high, Class 1 should be led by Teacher Zhao. Study hard with Teacher Zhao and don't just go to the arcade all day. If you encounter a problem that you really can't solve, flip through these notebooks and don't just copy the answers from the back." Zhang Qiang held the paper bag, feeling that his hands were a little hot.

He didn't say any words of thanks, he just nodded heavily.

"I understand, Brother Zhuo."

Zhang Qiang carefully placed the paper package aside.

He looked at Chen Zhuo, hesitated for a long time, and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Brother Zhuo, if anyone bullies you when you go to Huizhou, just call home."

Zhang Qiang patted his chest.

"Although I'm not as good as you in academics, I'm bigger than you. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll take the train to get reinforcements and beat them up."

Hearing this statement, which was full of adolescent angst and江湖气 (a kind of chivalrous spirit), Chen Zhuo couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Solve your two linear equations clearly first," Chen Zhuo said.

"Also, don't let your dad buy you so many walnuts anymore; eating too many will cause internal heat."

Zhang Qiang smiled sheepishly.

Around 4 PM, Zhang Qiang was going home for dinner.

Chen Zhuo escorted him downstairs.

"Alright, don't bother seeing me off. You're leaving tomorrow morning, so I won't come. I can't get up too early." Zhang Qiang waved his hand.

"Okay, let's go back."

Chen Zhuo stood at the entrance of the building.

Zhang Qiang, carrying the old newspaper package, turned and walked out of the residential area.

After taking a few steps, he turned back.

"Brother Zhuo, remember to come back during your vacation!" Zhang Qiang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Chen Zhuo nodded.

Watching Zhang Qiang's chubby figure disappear around the corner, Chen Zhuo turned and went upstairs.