My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Early August in Zeyang City is the hottest time of the year.

At 2:30 pm, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The leaves on the roadside trees were all curled up at the edges, and the cicadas in the trees were chirping incessantly.

The noise was so loud it was annoying.

Chen Zhuo walked along the tree-lined path.

He was holding a bag containing several notebooks with somewhat worn covers.

He walked slowly along the trees, as if taking a stroll.

He paused when he reached the corner store.

I bought a 50-cent popsicle.

He took a bite of his popsicle and turned the corner.

The gate of the No. 1 Middle School of the city came into view.

Because it was summer vacation, the school gate was tightly closed, with only a small iron gate on the side remaining open.

The window of the guardhouse was open, and the sound of an old-fashioned fan whirring could be heard from inside.

Chen Zhuo stopped in his tracks.

He looked up and gazed directly above the school gate.

There was a banner hanging there.

Red background, yellow lettering.

The banner was newly hung up, and the red silk cloth reflected the sunlight.

Its size is ridiculously large, almost spanning the entire school gate.

It says:

"Warmest congratulations to Chen Zhuo, a student from Class 1, Grade 7 of our school, for winning the national junior high school mathematics and physics competitions! He has been admitted to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology's Junior Class without taking the entrance exam!" The words were written very full.

A breeze blew by, and the red silk cloth swayed slightly.

There was no gonging or drumming, no firecrackers, and no students wearing red scarves presenting flowers.

There was only this brand-new banner and the empty school gate.

Chen Zhuo looked at the banner and stuffed the remaining half of the popsicle into his mouth.

He casually tossed the wooden stick into the nearby trash can.

He walked to the window of the guardhouse.

Old Wang, the gatekeeper, was dozing off in his chair, while Shan Tianfang's storytelling was playing on the radio.

Chen Zhuo knocked on the windowpane.

"Uncle Wang."

Old Wang suddenly woke up with a start and opened his eyes.

Upon recognizing Chen Zhuo, he quickly stood up and turned the radio volume down.

"Chen Zhuo, are you here at the school on business?"

Old Wang asked with a smile, his gaze unconsciously glancing at the banner above his head.

"Okay, let's get the file from Teacher Zhao," Chen Zhuo said.

"Go in, the small door isn't locked," Old Wang pointed to the side.

Chen Zhuo pushed open the small iron door, which made a dry, scraping sound.

As you enter the campus, a wave of heat hits you.

The usually crowded and noisy playground is now deserted.

The basketball hoop stood alone in the sun, the white paint on the backboard glistening in the sunlight, and the weeds on both sides of the track had grown quite tall. Chen Zhuo walked along the cement path towards the teaching building.

It was so quiet that you could hear your own footsteps.

Occasionally a gust of wind blows by, stirring up a few fallen leaves from the ground.

He didn't go directly to the first-year office, but went to the science teaching and research group.

The entire third-floor corridor was deserted.

Walk to the door of the last office at the end of the corridor.

The door was ajar, and voices could be heard coming from inside.

Chen Zhuo reached out and pushed open the door.

The curtains in the office were half-drawn, blocking out the scorching sunlight outside.

The ceiling fan overhead was on its highest setting, spinning like a helicopter propeller and making a buzzing sound.

Two people were sitting behind the desk.

Old Zhao and Old Zhou.

Old Zhao was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt, with two buttons undone at the collar.

Old Zhou was wearing a faded white undershirt and holding a large palm-leaf fan.

The two men were smoking in front of a document on the table.

The smoke was blown around the room by the ceiling fan.

I heard the door open.

Old Zhao and Old Zhou both raised their heads at the same time.

"They're here."

Old Zhou put down the palm-leaf fan in his hand and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Teacher Zhao, Teacher Zhou."

Chen Zhuo went inside and gently closed the door.

Old Zhao stood up, walked to the water dispenser next to him, and took a disposable paper cup.

I poured myself a glass of cold water.

He walked back and placed it on the coffee table in front of Chen Zhuo.

"It's 38 degrees outside, did you walk over?" Old Zhou asked.

"We walked here slowly, it wasn't very hot."

Chen Zhuo picked up the paper cup and took a sip of water.

Old Zhao pointed to the chair next to him.

Chen Zhuo pulled out a chair, sat down, and placed the bag in his hand on his knees.

Old Zhao pushed a large envelope from his desk toward Chen Zhuo.

The envelope was printed with red lettering.

"China University of Science and Technology".

"Your file retrieval letter."

Old Zhao's voice was very calm.

"The transfer letter from Huazhong University of Science and Technology arrived at the school yesterday afternoon. The principal signed it. I've already had the student records office retrieve your paper file and seal it." Old Zhao patted the envelope.

"Your junior high school records are all sealed inside. Don't open them on the way, or they'll be invalid. Take this and go directly to Huizhou to register." Chen Zhuo glanced at the envelope but didn't rush to take it.

"Thank you so much, Teacher Zhao. It's such a hot day, and you still made the trip to the school," Chen Zhuo said.

Old Zhao picked up Old Zhou's palm-leaf fan and fanned himself twice.

He laughed and cursed.

Don't give me that.

"To get this stupid paperwork done for you, I didn't even take a nap today. I rode this beat-up bicycle and worked up a full sweat the whole way," Old Zhao said, pointing at Chen Zhuo.

"You little rascal, you just left after the exam, leaving me and Lao Zhou to suffer in this furnace."

Old Zhou laughed as well.

He picked up his porcelain teacup and took a sip of the dark, strong tea.

"Be content," Old Zhou said, looking at Old Zhao.

"This is the transfer letter for the Huazhong University of Science and Technology's gifted youth program. You, Old Zhao, have been teaching all your life. Being able to personally handle this kind of procedure is something you can brag about until you retire." Old Zhao didn't refute.

He looked at the envelope on the table, his eyes revealing a complex emotion.

There was joy, pride, and a touch of inexplicable disappointment.

"Here you go."

Old Zhao pushed the envelope forward.

Chen Zhuo reached out and took the envelope.

Without opening it, I put it directly into the bag I was holding.

then.

Chen Zhuo opened the bag.

He took out a few notebooks with somewhat worn covers.

There are four books in total.

Two math books and two physics books.

Chen Zhuo placed the notebook on the desk and pushed it in front of Lao Zhao and Lao Zhou.

"What is this?" Old Zhao put down his palm-leaf fan and glanced at it.

"Notes," Chen Zhuo said.

Old Zhao was stunned for a moment.

"your?"

Chen Zhuo nodded.

"This is what I've been organizing over the past six months."

"Thoughts from junior high, high school, and competitions."

Chen Zhuo looked at them.

"I didn't write it in the order of the textbook. I wrote it according to the logical connection of question types and knowledge points. There are some problem-solving methods that I have summarized myself, as well as some traps that are easy to get into." Chen Zhuo leaned back in his chair.

"I'm going to Huizhou, so I won't need these things anymore. Please leave them to the two teachers."

Chen Zhuo pointed to those notebooks.

"When I mentor new students or potential competition participants in the future, if I find this useful, I'll show it to them."

"If you don't think it's useful, you can use it to prop up the corner of the table."

The office fell silent.

Old Zhao and Old Zhou exchanged a glance.

Old Zhao reached out and took the top math notebook.

Turn to the first page.

The handwriting is very clear, without any alterations.

There is no lengthy written explanation.

It was all lines of calculations, with auxiliary lines drawn with a ruler.

Old Zhao flipped through a few pages and raised an eyebrow.

That's too direct.

This is a dismantling from a superior position.

Take those complex, convoluted competition problems and break them down step by step, like disassembling a machine, using the most basic and essential mathematical logic. "This geometry problem..."

Old Zhao pointed to one of the pages.

"Didn't you use common trigonometric function transformations?"

Chen Zhuo glanced at it.

"No need. The core of that problem is the inscribed polygon of a circle. You can use Ptolemy's theorem to draw an auxiliary line directly, and you'll get the result in two steps. Using trigonometric functions is too complicated and you're likely to make mistakes in the calculation steps." Old Zhao looked at the simple auxiliary line.

After a moment of silence, he closed the notebook.

Old Zhou took the physics notebook below.

Turn it over.

I watched for a few minutes.

Old Zhou's reaction was even more direct than Old Zhao's.

He stood up directly from behind his desk and walked to the small blackboard on the side of the office.

Pick up a piece of chalk.

"Chen Zhuo." Old Zhou had his back to him.

A pulley system was drawn on the blackboard, with a spring and a block hanging below it.

"The force analysis model you wrote on here."

Old Zhou drew a force direction diagram with an arrow on the pulley.

"If, under extreme conditions, the deformation of the spring exceeds its elastic limit, then the momentum conservation equation you listed later will no longer hold true, right?" Old Zhou turned his head and looked at Chen Zhuo.

This isn't a test for him.

This was a question that Mr. Zhou, as a physics teacher, subconsciously asked after seeing a completely new way of solving the problem.

Chen Zhuo remained seated in his chair.

He looked at the diagram on the blackboard.

"The equation is invalid."

Chen Zhuo said.

"But this model does not require conservation of momentum."

Chen Zhuo stood up.

Walk to the blackboard.

He took the chalk from Lao Zhou.

He drew a dashed coordinate axis next to the object.

"Exceeding the elastic limit falls into the category of inelastic collisions, where energy is lost."

The chalk tapped on the blackboard, making a crisp tapping sound.

"Use the concepts of calculus directly to divide this deformation process into infinitely small segments."

Chen Zhuo wrote an integral symbol on the blackboard.

"By integrating the work done by the forces, we can find its final stopping position."

Chen Zhuo finished writing the last step.

Throw the chalk into the chalk box.

He patted the chalk dust off his hands.

He turned around and looked at Lao Zhou.

"In the models in this notebook, I relaxed the boundary conditions so that students won't panic when they encounter variations of the problem."

Chen Zhuo walked back to the chair.

Old Zhou stood in front of the blackboard.

He stared at the concise result derived using calculus for a long time.

Then he walked back to his desk.

Close that physics notebook.

I gently patted the cover twice with my hand.

"nice one."

Old Zhou's voice was somewhat low.

"It's a bit of a waste of talent to show this to junior high school students."

Old Zhou looked at Chen Zhuo.

"Hey kid, what's wrong with your brain?"

Chen Zhuo took a sip of water from the paper cup.

"Just read more books."

Chen Zhuo said.

Old Zhao carefully put away the two math notebooks, opened the drawer, and put them inside.

Old Zhou also put away his physics notes.

They didn't say thank you.

Saying thank you for notes of this caliber is too inadequate.

This is a kind of inheritance.

Chen Zhuo left all his thoughts about this small town and his junior high school years in this stuffy office.

The important business is done.

Chen Zhuo did not immediately stand up and leave.

He sat in the chair and reached out to touch his nose.

He glanced at the two teachers opposite him, his eyes darting away slightly.

I'm a little embarrassed.

"actually."

Chen Zhuo spoke, his voice a little softer than before.

"I brought my notes today because I wanted to ask the two teachers a favor."

Old Zhao had just closed the drawer when he heard this and stopped.

Old Zhou, also holding his teacup, turned to look at him.

"What's the matter?" Old Zhao picked up the palm-leaf fan. "Tell me, you think you can ask us for a favor?"

Chen Zhuo tapped his knee lightly with his fingers twice.

"My best friend, Zhang Qiang."

Chen Zhuo said the name.

He scored 82 on his math exam for the entrance exam to junior high school.

"His dad paid the school selection fee, and next month when school starts, he'll probably find someone to get him into Class 1 of the first year of junior high."

"He's slow-witted."

Chen Zhuo looked at Lao Zhao and spoke the truth.

"Sometimes, even if I explain a problem three times, he still might not be able to figure it out."

"I went to Huizhou, so I can't explain the problems to him anymore."

Chen Zhuo paused for a moment, looking somewhat uncharacteristically awkward.

But he still said what followed.

"If he were assigned to one of your classes, he would fail the exams or be unable to learn the material."

Chen Zhuo looked at the two teachers.

"You two can scold him if you want, and make him stand as punishment if you need to."

"Just... don't think he's stupid."

"Don't leave him in the last row and ignore him."

Old Zhao looked at Chen Zhuo.

Looking at the drawer he had just closed, inside lay the two manuals that could elevate the competition results of the city's No. 1 High School to a whole new level. Old Zhao suddenly laughed in exasperation.

He picked up the palm-leaf fan in his hand and, across the desk, tapped Chen Zhuo's shoulder lightly with the handle.

"You little brat."

Old Zhao chuckled and cursed, but his eyes were full of emotion.

"Are you trying to bribe us with these notes? Such valuable stuff, just to pay your friend's deposit?"

Chen Zhuo rubbed his shoulder.

No rebuttal.

That's considered an implicit agreement.

Old Zhou took a big gulp of tea.

Don't worry.

Old Zhou put down his teacup and looked at Chen Zhuo.

"As long as your friend gets into No. 1 High School, I'll personally supervise his physics studies."

"As long as he's willing to learn, I'll explain a problem ten times and cram it into his head."

Old Zhao also picked up the pen on the table and capped it.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I will also be teaching this year's first-year junior high class, and Zhang Qiang will just be assigned to class one."

Old Zhao stopped smiling and his tone became very sincere.

"As long as he doesn't give up, I won't abandon him. You can rest assured."

Chen Zhuo heard this.

His shoulders relaxed slightly, and his slight embarrassment dissipated.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhao and Teacher Zhou."

"Alright."

Old Zhao glanced at the clock on the wall.

It's almost four o'clock.

"The formalities are complete, I've received the items, and we've agreed to the request you made."

Old Zhao stood up and walked up to Chen Zhuo.

He looked at this student who had only been taught for a year but had achieved the top score in two subjects nationwide.

Chen Zhuo also stood up.

Old Zhao reached out and patted Chen Zhuo on the shoulder twice.

The force was quite strong.

"Let's go to Huizhou."

Old Zhao looked at him, and the serious expression he usually wore in class was completely gone.

"Stop bullying weaker students in a middle school setting."

Old Zhao laughed and cursed.

"Go to USTC and wreak havoc on those university professors."

Old Zhou stood up as well.

Holding a teacup.

"What you're saying, Lao Zhao? USTC is full of experts. Who's going to harm whom is still uncertain."

Old Zhou looked at Chen Zhuo.

"Once you get there, don't just focus on reading. Go play ball or go for a run more often."

Old Zhou pointed at Chen Zhuo.

"Look how thin you are. You're a physicist; you can't stay up all night if you're not healthy."

Chen Zhuo looked at the two teachers.

He nodded.

"I've got it."

Chen Zhuo picked up the bag on the table, which contained his file transfer letter and notification letter.

"Teacher Zhao, Teacher Zhou."

Chen Zhuo looked at them.

"Then I'm leaving."

"Let's go." Old Zhao waved his hand.

"Drive carefully, don't get heatstroke," Old Zhou said.

Chen Zhuo turned around.

I walked to the office door.

Open the door.

The heatwave and the sound of cicadas outside rushed in instantly.

Chen Zhuo walked out.

I went downstairs along the corridor.

Old Zhao and Old Zhou were standing in the office.

I listened to the footsteps in the corridor gradually fading away.

Until you can't hear anymore.

Old Zhao picked up the palm-leaf fan on the table and fanned himself vigorously twice.

"That kid," Old Zhao said.

Old Zhou held up his teacup and took a sip of water.

"Zeyang City can't keep him."

Old Zhou looked at the slightly ajar door.

"I expect to see his name in the newspapers again in the future."

Old Zhao walked to his desk and opened the drawer.

Looking at those two notebooks.

"Call a few students from the eighth-grade math Olympiad class over tomorrow," Old Zhao said.

"These notes can't just sit there; we need to use them to teach them a lesson."

"OK."

Old Zhou nodded.

Chen Zhuo walked on the cement road on campus.

The sun was setting a little further west, but it was still very strong.

He walked to the school gate, where the small iron gate was still open.

Old Wang was in the guardhouse, wearing his reading glasses and reading a newspaper.

Chen Zhuo walked out and stood on the side of the road.

He turned around.

I glanced at the gate of the No. 1 Middle School.

The door was closed tightly.

Directly above, the brand-new red banner still hangs in the sun.

"Warmest congratulations to Chen Zhuo, a student in Class 1, Grade 7 of our school..."

The wind blew by.

The red silk cloth fluttered slightly, making a soft sound.

Chen Zhuo withdrew his gaze.

Following the tree, I slowly walked towards the Sunshine Family Compound.

His steps were slow, still leisurely.

Behind me, the cicadas' cries continued to be heart-wrenching.

In this extremely quiet summer.

Chen Zhuo's junior high school years came to a complete end on this empty street.