My IQ has been increasing year by year.

The City God Temple in Shanghai.

The sky remained dark, with thick clouds overhead.

The sweltering heat of the plum rain season is like an airtight net, covering the entire ancient street.

There are a lot of people.

Most of them were tourists from other places, holding various small flags or wearing the same red hats worn by travel agencies.

People were packed together, shoulder to shoulder.

Coach Xu walked at the front, holding a folding umbrella in his hand, which he would occasionally raise as a landmark.

Zhang Bai and Li Nanbai followed behind.

The two junior high school students were completely relieved of the pressure of the national finals exam, and their youthful nature was fully unleashed.

Li Nanbai held a string of candied hawthorns he had just bought, craning his neck to look at the dough figurine stall next to him as he took a bite.

Zhang Bai stared at the antique-style buildings with upturned eaves, occasionally stopping to glance at the peep show on the street.

They hadn't gone two steps when the crowd swept them off course.

Zhou Kai followed behind the coach.

His backpack was slung over his back, with two unopened bottles of mineral water stuffed in the side mesh pocket.

He was also carrying a plastic bag containing popsicles that several people had just bought.

As the oldest male in the team, he naturally took over the physical tasks such as carrying things.

Chen Zhuo walked beside Zhou Kai, holding a single-page Shanghai tourist map he had bought at a newsstand.

After glancing at the map, Chen Zhuo raised his head.

Li Nanbai, who was ahead, was about to go into an alley that sold silk.

"Li Nanbai, you've gone astray."

Chen Zhuo shouted, his voice not loud, but just loud enough to penetrate the surrounding noise.

He pointed to the right.

"Nanxiang Steamed Bun Shop is over the Nine-Bend Bridge, follow the coach's umbrella."

Li Nanbai turned around, scratched his hair somewhat embarrassedly, and quickly pulled Zhang Bai back to rejoin the group.

Chen Zhuo folded the map and stuffed it into his pocket.

A few steps ahead.

Lin Yi and Mo Xiaoyu walked side by side.

Two girls stopped in front of a shop selling used books and old posters, pointing at a yellowed calendar poster in the glass window and whispering to each other. Mo Xiaoyu's ponytail swayed gently behind her head, and finally, a smile like that of a middle school girl appeared on her face.

The queue outside the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Shop stretched for more than ten meters.

Coach Xu told everyone to wait under the tree next to them while he went to line up.

Zhou Kai unzipped his backpack and took out two bottles of water.

He handed it to Zhang Bai and Li Nanbai, who were covered in sweat.

"Drink some water; it's easy to get heatstroke in this weather."

Zhang Bai took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

"There are just too many people in Shanghai. It's even more crowded than the market in my hometown of Hunyuan during the Spring Festival."

Zhou Kai couldn't help but roll his eyes.

After waiting in line for almost half an hour, Coach Xu returned with several disposable cardboard boxes.

The box contained freshly steamed xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

Steaming hot, you can see the broth sloshing around inside through the thin dough.

Everyone gathered around and each received a box.

I took disposable chopsticks.

Li Nanbai was already hungry, so he picked up a steamed bun and was about to stuff it into his mouth.

"Don't bite it directly."

Chen Zhuo, holding chopsticks, offered a reminder from the side.

"Take a small bite first, otherwise it will burn your mouth."

Li Nanbai stopped what he was doing and, as Chen Zhuo had instructed, carefully bit a small hole in the dough.

"tasty!"

A few people stood on the street, eating their steamed buns in the sweltering air, their foreheads covered in sweat.

July 4th.

Coach Xu spent the whole day taking them for a stroll along the Bund.

While you're at it, buy some local specialties or souvenirs.

Chen Zhuo stopped in front of a stall selling wood carvings and miscellaneous goods.

My gaze swept over a row of wooden combs in the corner of the stall.

He picked up a dark, crescent-shaped wooden comb.

The wood is very hard, with clear grain and smooth edges. When you get close, you can smell a faint, plant-like wood scent.

The simplest style, without any extra carvings.

"Boss, how much is this?" Chen Zhuo asked.

"Fifteen yuan, genuine green sandalwood, the more you use it, the shinier it becomes."

The boss, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, casually replied.

Chen Zhuo raised an eyebrow.

Two pieces.

The boss's eyes widened in surprise.

"Two pieces? Should I just give them to you? I wouldn't even be able to get two pieces back."

Chen Zhuo shook his head.

"Just two pieces. If it's okay, I'll take them; if not, forget it."

"Hey kid, two dollars won't do, two dollars definitely won't do, ten dollars, I'll give you a discount of ten dollars."

"Never mind then, I don't want it."

Chen Zhuo put down the comb, turned around, and prepared to leave without a second thought.

I turned around and started counting silently in my mind.

"Hey kid, five yuan, take the five yuan, I'll pretend I'm not making any money off you."

Chen Zhuo turned around and looked at the boss's expression of reluctantly parting with something, suppressing his inner complaints.

"make a deal."

The price was about what Chen Zhuo had expected, although he thought he could probably lower it by another 50 cents or a dollar if he bargained a bit more.

But there's no need for that; as long as it meets your expectations, that's fine.

He put the comb into a plastic bag.

My dear mother, Ms. Liu Xiuying, had a plastic comb with two broken teeth, which she couldn't bear to throw away. This one is perfect to take back with her.

Walk forward along the stalls.

He stopped in front of another glass display case selling small hardware and general merchandise.

Several rows of lighters were placed under the glass.

Chen Zhuo's gaze did not fall on those fancy electronic lighters.

He pointed to a kerosene lighter with a brass casing in the corner.

It's not a famous brand, just an old-fashioned domestic windproof fan with a slightly matte brass finish on the casing.

The salesperson took it out and handed it to him.

The metal casing felt heavy in my hand.

Chen Zhuo gripped the edge of the lid with his thumb.

With a click.

A crisp metallic clang rang out, and the lid popped open.

He turned the grinding wheel inside; the damping was excellent, and the flint produced a trail of sparks.

The windproof cover is thick, and the movement is perfectly sealed.

It's perfect for my father, Comrade Chen Jianguo.

"How much is this?"

"Ten yuan."

The salesperson pointed to the price tag below, leaving little room for negotiation.

Chen Zhuo paid for the lighter, and the salesperson handed it to him in a small metal box.

Turning around, Zhang Bai and Li Nanbai were walking back, carrying several bags of White Rabbit milk candy and spiced beans.

Chen Zhuo walked to a stall selling children's toys next to him.

Several poorly packaged four-wheel drive vehicles were hanging on it.

He didn't buy a whole car; Zhang Qiang probably wouldn't even look at these cheap, low-quality goods.

His gaze fell on a small, transparent plastic box next to him.

Inside was a set of modified metal gears and two high-speed motors with purple copper coils.

Although the workmanship is rough, the copper wire is wrapped very tightly.

He bought the little box for eight dollars.

If I give this to Zhang Qiang, he'll probably be happy for days.

evening.

The Bund.

The wind blowing from the Huangpu River carried away the daytime heat.

On the opposite bank in Lujiazui, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower was lit up with a purplish-red light.

The Jin Mao Tower soars into the clouds.

On the river, several tourist boats, illuminated with colorful lights, slowly passed by, emitting low whistles.

The riverside viewing area was teeming with tourists.

Zhang Bai and Li Nanbai leaned on the railing, pointing at the tourist boats with colorful lights on the river, arguing about which routes they were going.

Mo Xiaoyu pointed to several high-rise buildings under construction on the opposite bank of the river and whispered something to Lin Yi. Lin Yi nodded occasionally and took a bite of his popsicle. Chen Zhuo stood next to Zhou Kai with his hands in his pockets, the river breeze blowing his short hair across his forehead.

Coach Xu glanced at a street photographer holding a sign not far away.

The sign said "Ready to go, ten yuan a piece."

"Come on, everyone, come here."

Coach Xu waved and called everyone together.

"The exams are over, and we've had our fun. Let's take a picture to remember this day."

The photographer walked over with a somewhat bulky Polaroid camera.

He directed everyone to stand in front of the railing.

Behind them is the wide Huangpu River and the flashing neon lights on the opposite bank.

Coach Xu stood in the middle.

Zhou Kai was the tallest and stood to the left of the coach.

Chen Zhuo stood to the right of the coach.

Zhang Bai and Li Nanbai squeezed next to Zhou Kai. The two of them stood up straight, their faces beaming with excitement, because they were finally going to take a picture.

Mo Xiaoyu pulled Lin Yi to stand next to Chen Zhuo.

A river breeze blows.

"Look at the camera and smile!"

The photographer shouted.

Crack.

A white flash of light illuminated the riverbank on a summer night.

A few minutes later.

Coach Xu held the photo, the edges of which were still slightly warm.

The image freezes.

Six teenagers with different expressions, and a coach holding a thermos.

The background is a blurred river and the night view of Shanghai.

This is a negative from the summer of 2002.