Chapter 8

“Bai Yuqiao, 100 points.”

January 18, 2003.

This was the first final exam after Bai Kou entered first grade, Yang Wanxi advanced to fifth grade, and Bai Yuqiao transferred to Heyan First Primary School.

That morning, each grade announced final exam results and handed out test papers. In the afternoon, winter break officially began.

On the top floor of the five-story concrete building, in Class 6-1, Bai Yuqiao walked to the podium amid her classmates’ admiring gazes, nodded slightly to the teacher, and took the test paper with both hands.

Directly below on the same spot, in Class 5-1, Yang Wanxi also retrieved her 98-point math paper from the podium. An MP99 Badminton Racket stood by her desk—a New Year’s gift from Li Mengjun not long ago. After school that day, she had planned to head to the city sports center with classmates to play badminton.

As for their pitiful Bai Kou.

Her deskmate Lu Tongtong covered her mouth in fear. “Kou Kou, what are you going to do? You just barely passed math. Aunt Bai is definitely going to scold you.”

“Mm…”

Bai Kou was utterly dejected. This was mostly because she had a high fever of 38 degrees on the day of the math exam—her whole head felt groggy and dazed. She could barely recognize the addition and subtraction symbols; it was at the level where she blankly wondered, “Who are you guys?”

Though she knew her mom wouldn’t scold her, she couldn’t avoid being teased. Ever since starting elementary school, Bai Kou’s self-esteem had grown exponentially. Just thinking about her mom holding this test paper and holding back laughter made her so depressed she didn’t want to go home.

Especially since she would run into her two big sisters after school.

98 points—bam, right in the face.

100 points—an even more direct blow.

Bai Kou was wrapped in a thick sense of shame. On the way home, she hung her head in defeat.

Bai Yuqiao looked worriedly at Bai Kou’s profile and reached out to help carry her backpack, but Bai Kou refused.

“Just leave her alone.” Yang Wanxi, who had said she was going to play badminton, met up with them and saw Bai Kou looking like a frostbitten eggplant. She immediately turned to her classmates and said she wasn’t going, then accompanied Bai Kou home. “Bai Kou, don’t you know? She cries as soon as anyone shows concern. Let her calm down on her own.”

Bai Yuqiao nodded at Yang Wanxi’s words and withdrew her hand for the time being.

But her gaze remained fixed on Bai Kou’s lowered head.

Back at the red brick house, Bai Kou suddenly changed her tune and insisted she absolutely would not go home with Bai Yuqiao. She tightly grabbed Yang Wanxi’s hand.

“Sister, you go home first. I’m going to Little Xi Sister’s house to watch a movie.”

That winter break, little Bai Kou steeled her resolve despite her young age and pestered Bai Xiaochu to enroll her in a math tutoring class.

Bai Xiaochu found it utterly baffling. She thought, You’re only in first grade—what tutoring class do you need?

But she really couldn’t withstand Bai Kou’s insistence, so she asked around and barely found a beginner Olympiad math class for first and second graders, then tossed Bai Kou in.

Originally, she hadn’t thought Bai Kou could stick with it for long—probably just a day or two before getting tired.

Who would have thought Bai Kou would become the only kid in the class with perfect attendance, rain or shine? In the end, when the tutoring class exam results came out, Bai Kou scored double perfects on the daily quizzes and the final test.

It was also that day when the guilt Bai Kou felt toward Bai Xiaochu and Bai Yuqiao finally faded.

She ran home joyfully all the way and burst straight into Bai Yuqiao’s room, shouting, “Sister sister sister! I got 100 points today!”

The commotion drew over Yang Wanxi, who had been studying movie posters next door.

The two sisters sat on the edge of the bed, heads together as they examined Bai Kou’s test paper.

For a fifth-grader and a sixth-grader, even so-called Olympiad math was just simple first-grade level stuff.

As they looked it over, Bai Kou stood before them with hands forming a heart shape. She asked, “Sisters, Little Xi Sister, am I a genius? Should I go to Tsinghua or Peking University in the future? Such a tough choice.”

“…”

Yang Wanxi gave the narcissistic kid a speechless glance, let go of the test paper with her left hand, and flopped backward onto Bai Yuqiao’s bed without a word. She thought such simple questions weren’t worth bragging about.

Bai Yuqiao refolded the test paper neatly, smiled, and handed it back to Bai Kou before standing up as if to get something from the desk.

The genius who got no praise was unhappy.

She glanced at Yang Wanxi lying on the bed with eyes closed, breathing slowly. Then she looked at Bai Yuqiao’s back as she went off to do who-knows-what.

Bai Kou got mad and stomped her foot hard, like a rabbit kicking at its cage door. “Hmph! I’m not talking to you guys anymore!”

With that, she stomped off in her slippers.

Bai Yuqiao heard and hurriedly turned around. She held paper and pen in her hand, wanting to explain an even simpler method to Bai Kou.

Yang Wanxi, lying on the bed, twisted her head to look in the direction Bai Kou had disappeared and let out a long “Sigh——”: “Bai Doudou really is such a kid.”

【You, too, are a kid.】Bai Yuqiao propped herself up and slowly gestured in front of Yang Wanxi.

“I’m not.” Yang Wanxi made a big “X” in front of herself. “Because in just one more year, I’ll be a middle schooler.”

Unknowingly, Bai Kou’s little black mushroom head had grown past her shoulders. Today, she wore a white thick-knit sweater and a fine-fleece gray beret, looking at first glance just like a sesame-flavored soup dumpling.

Bai Xiaochu came through the door carrying a bag of vegetables. She saw the little dumpling puffing her cheeks in anger and thought, “What’s with this kid now?”

The door slammed shut with a “bang.” Then she spotted Bai Yuqiao and Yang Wanxi emerging neatly from the room, and it all clicked—this was Bai Kou getting mad at her sisters all on her own again.

“Yuqiao, Little Xi, Bai Kou—go wash your hands. I bought apples for you.”

Bai Kou jumped right up but didn’t answer her mom. Instead—

“Hmph!” This loud one was aimed at Yang Wanxi.

“hmph…” This quiet one was at Bai Yuqiao.

Then, she handed the test paper to Bai Xiaochu and said coldly, “Mom, I got 100 points today. Now I’m going downstairs to play with Tongtong.”

Bai Xiaochu dazedly took it with an “oh” and watched as Bai Kou skirted around her. The little shorty went out the door all by herself.

Only then did she dare to ask, “What’s Bai Kou mad about today?”

Yang Wanxi: “She asked us whether she should go to Tsinghua or Peking University, Aunt Bai. Isn’t that question a bit too far off?”

Bai Yuqiao gestured: 【We didn’t praise her.】

Bai Xiaochu: “…” She laughed. “Alright then, you two wash up first and eat some apples.”

Downstairs.

Bai Kou didn’t go find Tongtong or anyone. She squatted alone under a tree, hands frozen stiff as she poked at the dirt nonstop with a twig.

Every now and then, she still glanced back toward the stairwell entrance, hoping someone would come down to find her. Then she’d act super cool, extremely cool, and let everyone know Bai Kou wasn’t to be messed with!

Snap.

The twig broke.

And still, no one came!

Bai Kou stared in shock at the broken twig.

Upstairs at the window, Bai Xiaochu stood in the middle, with Bai Yuqiao and Yang Wanxi on either side of her.

She crossed her arms smugly. “See? I guessed right. Bai Kou didn’t go anywhere—she’s just waiting for you to apologize and scam some goodies out of you.”

Robot dogs, Rika dolls, Barbie playhouses, spinning fishing games… so many things. Bai Xiaochu had learned from a hundred setbacks to gain this one bit of wisdom.

She added, “Don’t worry. I bet in half an hour max, she’ll feel cold and come scampering back up.”

With that, Bai Xiaochu patted one side and rubbed the other before heading inside for a nap.

Though Bai Xiaochu had explained it clearly enough, the two sisters still lingered at the window, looking down. Seeing Bai Kou huddled in a squat, so tiny, made their hearts ache.

A rare troubled look appeared on Yang Wanxi’s face. She turned and said, “I’m going home to grab something.”

In the drawer to the right of the desk in her room sat a white oval machine, like an egg.

This was the Tamagotchi that Yang Yingyun and Li Mengjun had given her together on her first day of first grade.

Not just the machine—it also held the electronic little pet she had diligently raised for nearly five years.

“…” She clutched the treasure to her chest and whispered softly, “Sorry, you guys have to keep growing up with Bai Kou now.”

Bai Yuqiao also went back to her room for something: a box of unopened colorful Rabbit Erasers.

She had saved up all the pocket money Bai Xiaochu gave her these past months to buy the birthday gift she had just given Bai Kou not long ago, as well as this box of deluxe erasers.

Originally, she had planned to give it to her little sister as a back-to-school gift in a bit…

Now, she’d have to figure something else out later.

Bai Yuqiao took a deep breath, closed the drawer, and left the room with the box of erasers.