At the entrance of the university known as Beijing University, also known as Yuanmingyuan Vocational and Technical College, Zhang Jue squatted on the ground, counting the shadows of leaves falling to the ground. Occasionally, passersby would glance at this overly exquisite and beautiful child with some confusion.
After a while, a tall senior student ran towards him, the back of his white T-shirt already soaked with sweat. Sweat flowed through his deep brows, and there was a drop of sweat hanging from the tip of his black eyelashes.
Zhang Jue handed him a handkerchief: “Come, wipe off the sweat. I didn’t expect it to be so hot in Beijing in September.”
“Thank you.”
Qin Xuejun wiped his face casually: “Sorry, a senior asked me to come here to pick something up, he’s a teacher here.”
Zhang Jue nodded without asking why a Shuimu person would come to Beijing University as a teacher.
Cooperation between Beijing University existed in the early years, and later it changed to Shuimu. Therefore, medical students from Beijing University were divided into Beijing University students and Beijing University – Shuimu students. Zhang Jue, a member of Haidian Agricultural University (China Agricultural University), , had heard about this.
There always seemed to be various entanglements between the top two universities.
Qin Xuejun held up a sunshade umbrella to block the sun, casting a shadow over the small figure next to him. Qin Xuejun wiped off some sweat.
Perhaps because his ancestors lived in high latitude areas, he always disliked the heat. Even in summer, he rarely played sports.
On the other hand, Zhang Jue remained cool and sweat-free, even in temperatures above 37 degrees. It was as if he brought the chill from the ice into his daily life. They chatted casually about the weather and feelings.
“It’s much hotter here than at Lake Placid. It must be because of the difference in latitude. Do you prefer living in a high or low latitude area?”
He instinctively replied: “I prefer high latitude, cooler, and there’s heating in winter anyway.”
Zhang Jue agreed: “Yes, we still need heating in winter. I’m fine; I usually stay on the ice. Brother Qin, isn’t it hot for you to go out and teach in this weather?”
Qin Xuejun smiled: “It’s okay. The classroom has air conditioning, and it’s cool when I go to the dissecting room.”
The child always made an effort to look up at him while speaking, providing timely feedback for each sentence, making it seem like he was listening attentively.
Talking about dissection, Zhang Jue became more enthusiastic: “So, Brother Qin, you also understand the leg structure of the human body, right?”
Qin Xuejun affirmed: “Yes, I plan to specialize in orthopedics in the future…”
Then his words opened up, and he talked extensively about the structure of the human legs.
They always interacted this way. When they first met, Zhang Jue would ask questions, chat about scenery, weather, and the experience of being tall. In the latter part, Qin Xuejun would dominate the conversation.
He knew he usually didn’t show much expression and rarely had intense emotional reactions to things. From childhood to adulthood, few people could get close to him; only his roommates and mentors could.
Zhang Jue wasn’t the chatty type, but he always made himself look cheerful. Interacting with Qin Xuejun felt comfortable, even though they didn’t meet often. The friendship between the two, with a 4-year age difference, was maintained quite well.
When they reached the seafood market, Qin Xuejun coughed and took out his wallet, shaking it: “Let’s start.”
Zhang Jue cheered, quickening his pace and running into the market gate, the crocodile keychain on his backpack swaying.
Steamed conch, hairy crabs, soft-shelled turtles, and salmon.
As one of the top ten seafood markets in the country, the variety and quality of seafood in the Beijing-Shenzhen Seafood Market were rich. Zhang Jue skillfully selected seafood, examining the eyes and gills of the fish. He chose salmon, then went on to buy shrimp, specifically selecting female shrimp with the word “king” on their abdomen for more meat.
The anglerfish here was very cheap, only 15 yuan per pound. Zhang Jue decisively bought one, selecting various ingredients. The most expensive thing he bought was 180 yuan worth of Chilean prawns.
After completing the shopping, Qin Xuejun led them to the processing area on the third floor.
Amidst the noise and people, Zhang Jue looked around and pulled out an MP3 player, putting in earplugs.
“Do you want to listen?” he asked.
Qin Xuejun nodded, sitting beside him. Due to the height difference, they tacitly leaned on the table. The headphone wire was just long enough, and Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita” entered their ears, as if taking everyone who heard the song to San Pedro.
Only then did Qin Xuejun notice a subtle dark shade under the boy’s eyes.
Although Zhang Jue had mentioned being forced to sleep on the plane by the coaches on the way, he couldn’t sleep at first due to not being tired. By the time he dozed off, the plane had already landed in Beijing.
So, the child didn’t look very energetic at the moment.
Qin Xuejun thought they shouldn’t have taken the bus; it would have been faster and more comfortable to take a taxi.
Their gray and black eyes met, and Zhang Jue asked softly: “Brother Qin, when you mentioned dissection earlier, I wanted to ask you something. If someone signs up for body donation, will their organs be transplanted into someone else’s body before appearing on the dissecting table?”
Qin Xuejun replied: “Yes, some people, due to the goodwill left by the anatomy teacher before their death, regain the light of life. Many people continue their lives through this kindness. Actually, after death, floods can’t hinder anything. Many medical students have signed up for body donation.”
“I will sign up when I’m an adult.”
The boy revealed a clean and brisk smile: “Maybe a few decades later, we can meet again on the dissecting table. By then, I will surely be the one with the best-looking teeth among all the skulls.”
Saying that, he showed a set of neat and white teeth. This child indeed had a pretty good set of teeth.
Qin Xuejun also smiled, and it was the first time Zhang Jue noticed a dimple on his face—subtle, not very obvious, and barely visible when he smiled.
Continuing with Zhang Jue’s words, Qin Xuejun said: “Then, I will be the one with the deepest eye sockets. By the way, if I die with only minor tooth loss, and I should have four more teeth than usual.”
“Why?”
“My wisdom teeth are in a perfect position, so I didn’t extract them. It will be easy to recognize. If you can recognize me on the dissecting table, you can say hello.”
The two boys laughed spontaneously. Gradually, Zhang Jue closed his eyes.
He really struggled with jet lag. Going to the other half of the world for a competition, what bothered Zhang Jue the most wasn’t the turbulence and unfamiliar language environment, but his disrupted schedule.
So, with the jet lag debuff, Zhang Jue completed this part of the competition. While the stress wasn’t overwhelming, as an athlete, he keenly felt that he wasn’t as physically energetic as he was in China, especially during the free skate. Zhang Jue had to skate down with determination.
Even the most powerful heart couldn’t remain calm when the first jump went awry. However, as soon as Zhang Jue stepped onto the competition stage, he immediately entered the performance state, ensuring that no one could detect his anxiety.
This nap wasn’t long. After about fifteen minutes, Qin Xuejun shook him awake. The earphones had been removed, and the MP3 player was turned off, placed neatly by Zhang Jue’s side.
Zhang Jue sat up, sniffing the air: “Wow, this salt and pepper shrimp is amazing.”
Qin Xuejun patted his head: “There are also shrimp dumplings, very fresh. Come on, let’s eat.”
After saying that, Zhang Jue was handed a pair of chopsticks, already sterilized with hot water.
Both big guys had good appetites, and they ate quickly. There was a television in the restaurant replaying this year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Zhang Jue, being a person who would rush to the field with a ball right after skating, immediately turned his eyes at the sound of the whistle.
As they watched, the little boy’s chewing slowed down.
In his heart, he lamented: “Oh no! How could I forget about the World Cup! If I had played football betting in July, I could have bought a house in Beijing now. The property prices were much cheaper ten years ago!”
Unfortunately, at that time, Zhang Jue was still diligently practicing his jumps under the watchful eyes of the coaches, completely forgetting that the South African World Cup was in full swing. He hadn’t even listened to the theme song sung by Lang Jie!
I, Zhang Jue, feel unworthy as a football fan!
Just as the Chilean shrimp was brought over, Qin Xuejun picked up a shrimp and put it in Zhang Jue’s bowl, reminding him: “Little Yue, eat the shrimp, it’s not good when it gets cold.”
Zhang Jue came to his senses, showing a forced smile: “Right, eat the shrimp, eat the shrimp, I’ll eat it now!”
Without even peeling the shell, Zhang Jue bit down on half of the shrimp’s head.
Well, it seemed that fate had decided that he could only consider buying a house 16 years later.
Even though he missed a huge windfall, when it came time to pay the bill, Zhang Jue still insisted on paying his share.
After the kid had eaten and drunk his fill, his spirits immediately returned. He waved his hand and said: “Brother Qin, if you consider me a brother, don’t refuse to split the bill with me. We’re all poor students with not many coins in our pockets. I can’t let you pay all the time, otherwise, I won’t be able to go out with you in the future.”
Qin Xuejun hesitated.
Although he was just a student, Qin Xuejun had won a gold medal in the chemistry competition with the national team during high school. So, he had a freshman scholarship, a whole 40,000. The school distributed it over four years, in addition to the living expenses provided by his parents. Qin Xuejun, who didn’t have significant expenses, wasn’t actually poor.
On the other hand, Zhang Jue was a guy with 10,000 bitcoins saved at home. How could he allow his Brother Qin to bear all the expenses alone?
Just now, Zhang Jue ate more than he did.
Qin Xuejun could only smile and accept Zhang Jue’s offer. Then he took a taxi and sent the kid back to the hotel, watching him run inside the gate.

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