My IQ has been increasing year by year.

2000, October.

Just after the Awakening of Insects, the morning air in the south still carries a damp chill.

Before dawn, the streetlights were dim and sleepy, and the occasional rustling sound of sanitation workers sweeping the streets could be heard.

"Huff... huff..."

Chen Zhuo felt as if someone had stuffed a handful of charcoal into his lungs, and every breath he took burned his throat.

He was wearing a dark blue school sports uniform, which his mother, Liu Xiuying, had specially bought for him a size too big. The cuffs were rolled up twice, making him look even thinner and smaller.

His steps were heavy, as if he were dragging two lead balls.

Sweat streamed down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging painfully, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand to wipe it away.

"Do you still have energy?"

A steady voice came from beside me.

Chen Jianguo, wearing a faded gray vest and a towel draped around his neck, ran briskly to the outside of Chen Zhuo.

"No...nothing..." Chen Zhuo gasped for breath, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum.

"If it's gone, just grit your teeth and bear it."

Chen Jianguo slowed down and gently pushed Chen Zhuo on the back, giving him just the right amount of forward momentum.

"This is nothing! We've just passed the Hongqi intersection, and there's still a kilometer to go before we get home."

Chen Zhuo looked up at the seemingly endless road ahead.

In the morning mist, the distant buildings were vaguely visible.

Five kilometers is really too far for a seven-year-old child.

If it were any other child, they would probably be sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum, demanding a hug.

Chen Zhuo also wanted to sit down.

But he glanced at his father beside him.

Chen Jianguo ran steadily, breathing evenly. His face, which usually had a few black marks from engine oil, was now glowing with a healthy red color from the exercise.

He would occasionally look back at the cars behind him, keeping Chen Zhuo firmly protected on the inside of the sidewalk.

"Dad." Chen Zhuo swallowed, his throat parched. "My legs hurt."

"It hurts when you first start training, but it gets better once you get used to it."

Chen Jianguo didn't stop; instead, he deliberately took two quicker steps forward.

"See that fried dough stick stall over there? It's right under that telephone pole."

Chen Zhuo squinted at him.

Under the dim light, a large wok was steaming, and the owner was using long chopsticks to turn the golden fried dough sticks. The unique aroma of oil wafted over on the breeze.

"Can you smell it?" Chen Jianguo turned around and grinned at his son. "It smells really good."

Chen Zhuo's stomach rumbled loudly, much to his dismay.

"When we get there, we'll each have a bowl of beef noodles, with an egg and extra meat."

Chen Jianguo threw out the bait.

"You can only eat there if you run there. If you can't run there, you go home and have porridge."

Chen Zhuo pursed his lips.

What's so great about porridge? It doesn't keep you full, and it's gone in a pee.

He wants to eat meat.

This most primal, most basic desire instantly overwhelmed the soreness in my legs.

"run!"

Chen Zhuo let out a low growl. Although his voice was still very immature, his steps were noticeably larger.

He stopped thinking about the distance and how much longer he had to run.

His eyes were fixed on the steaming breakfast stall in front of him, and on his father, who was wearing a vest and kept turning back to wait for him.

One step, two steps.

The shadows of the father and son were stretched long by the streetlights, sometimes overlapping and sometimes separating.

I passed by an acquaintance who was up early; he was an old man walking his bird.

"Hey, Jianguo, training with your son?"

"Yes, sir! This kid is weak, let's train him a bit, even a slow bird has to start flying early!"

Chen Jianguo responded with a strong voice, his face beaming with pride.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuo's lips curled up slightly.

Stupid birds fly first.

Good.

Since we fly slowly, we should get up earlier. Since we're physically weak, we should run a few more steps.

With her father leading the way, she wasn't afraid of getting lost.

at last.

The aroma of fried dough sticks and braised beef grew stronger and stronger, so strong it seemed to be able to lift a person off the ground.

"arrive!"

Chen Jianguo slapped Chen Zhuo on the shoulder. "Stop! Don't stop abruptly, take a few steps, and slow down!"

Chen Zhuo gasped for breath, his hands supporting his knees, feeling as if his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

The father and son stood in front of the noodle stall, panting heavily, their bodies steaming like two steamed buns just taken out of a steamer.

"Boss! Two bowls of beef noodles! Large bowls!"

Chen Jianguo proudly presented two crumpled banknotes.

"Add an extra portion of meat to this bowl for the child! And two more braised eggs!"

"Alright! Brother Jianguo is taking his son to exercise again!" The boss skillfully scooped out noodles, blanched vegetables, and poured soup.

Looking at the steaming bowl of noodles in front of him, covered with chunks of braised beef, Chen Zhuo suddenly felt that the five kilometers he had just walked didn't seem so deadly after all.

"eat!"

Chen Jianguo shoved a pair of chopsticks into his hands and then gave him a few pieces of meat from his own bowl.

"Eat more, you need to eat well to grow taller."

Chen Zhuo looked at the mountain of meat piled up in the bowl, then looked up at his father, who was slurping noodles and sweating profusely.

The morning light pierced through the thin mist, shining warmly on the father and son.

"dad."

"Hmm?" Chen Jianguo mumbled, his mouth full of noodles.

"It smells so good."

"Absolutely! Eat up!"

That morning, seven-year-old Chen Zhuo ate a whole bowl of beef noodles, even drinking the soup clean.