Wen Xi entered the Second High School, and Zhou Jingchen went to the First High School—almost an unspoken certainty.
But two days before the high school entrance exams, an unexpected event occurred—Zhou Jingchen caught a severe cold and was feverish and groggy.
He underperformed in the exams, scoring just below the cutoff for the First High School, and had no choice but to enter the Second High School alongside Wen Xi.
Others felt pity for the usually top-performing boy, but Wen Xi couldn’t hide her delight.
On the day the results were announced, seeing her name firmly on the admission list of the Second High School made the corners of her mouth lift;
And then seeing Zhou Jingchen’s score fall short of the First High School, meaning he would be her classmate, made her secretly giddy.
She teased him verbally:“Little dog, don’t be sad. Second High is good too! It’s closer to where we live, so getting to school will be easier.”
Her small delight was written all over her face. Zhou Jingchen, noticing the smile she couldn’t hide, showed a hint of light amusement in his eyes but maintained a deliberately serious expression as he nodded.
Life has a few key crossroads.
Birth is the first—it determines the starting point;The high school entrance exam is the second—it determines which track and teachers you get in high school;The college entrance exam is the third—the red seal on the diploma becomes a stepping stone into society;Later come marriage, career choices… every step affects the path ahead.
That summer, Zhou Jingchen simply chose what mattered more to his heart.
At Red Star Machinery Factory, the company was at a critical stage of market-oriented transformation.
Wen Zhiting was busy cutting costs and making business trips, determined to stabilize the old enterprise in the changing era.
Xiang Qin was always by his side, and the couple was busy all day, barely standing still.
After the high school entrance exams, Wen Xi and Zhou Jingchen officially bid farewell to middle school and entered a long, sweltering summer vacation.
After the start of minor heat (Xiaoshu), the sun blazed ever hotter. Even the ceiling fan spinning overhead couldn’t disperse the waves of heat filling the house.
Wen Zhiting and Xiang Qin went on another business trip, leaving the kids plenty of pocket money and instructing them to handle meals on their own.
Wen Xi, dressed in a light summer dress, curled up on the sofa watching TV. Across the street, Zhou Jingchen was carving wood by the window at his own house.
The rare leisure of vacation made even the air feel relaxed.
Suddenly, the loud cry of a street vendor came from outside:“Ice pops! Ice pops!”
Wen Xi’s eyes lit up. She bounced off the sofa, shuffled toward the gate in her sandals, waving at the vendor with a white foam cooler on a bike:“Uncle, I want ice pops!”
The vendor stopped. She dashed back inside, retrieved two beer bottles—back then, empty bottles could be exchanged for money or goods, enough to buy one standard ice pop each.
She ran back clutching the bottles and handed them to the vendor:“I want one Big Head and one Mung Bean ice pop.”
The Big Head ice cream was her favorite—round, with a chocolate crust on top and soft, creamy sweetness underneath.
The Mung Bean ice pop was refreshing and perfect for the heat, with a sandy texture of green beans, sweet but not cloying.
The vendor took the bottles, put them in his cloth bag, handed her the two ice pops, and continued along the alley shouting.
Wen Xi licked her Big Head ice cream and held the Mung Bean ice pop as she crossed the street.
Pushing open the slightly ajar door with her elbow, she saw Zhou Jingchen sitting by the window, carving something, wood shavings around him, a crutch leaned against his leg.
Hearing the movement, he calmly tucked the wood carving into a drawer.
“Here, this is for you.” Wen Xi handed him the Mung Bean ice pop.
Zhou Jingchen brushed off the wood shavings on his hands:“I’ll go wash my hands first.”
When he returned, Wen Xi was sitting on a nearby chair, swinging her legs lazily. Her upper lip was smeared with white cream, looking like a little mouse that had been caught eating.
“Hurry up and take it—it’s melting.” She held the ice pop toward him.
Zhou Jingchen reached for it, but she quickly withdrew, putting on a stern face:“Still haven’t said thank you yet?”
He paused, murmuring:“Thank you.”
“Thank you whom?” Wen Xi curved her lips, showing her two small, sharp teeth.
“Thank you, sister.” He knew she liked to get the upper hand verbally.
“Good boy.” She ruffled his hair before finally handing over the ice pop.
Zhou Jingchen tore off the wrapper but hadn’t yet bitten, when Wen Xi leaned down and took a big bite herself.
The cream on her lips rubbed onto the dark green ice pop, the white spot standing out.
He didn’t mind and bit into it. The sweet cream blended with the light, refreshing mung bean flavor on his tongue—it was delicious.
The air was heavy with heat, cicadas chirping loudly in the yard.
Wen Xi glanced at the pieces of wood on his desk and licked her ice cream, asking:“What are you carving?”
“Just carving for fun,” Zhou Jingchen replied.
“Oh… later come to my place and we can watch TV together.”
“Okay.”
The TV was airing the Saturday prime-time show Variety Panorama, with live sketches and comedic performances. Wen Xi was obsessed with the sketch segment, chatting excitedly as she watched.
“Hahaha, this is so funny! Who does things like this!”“Look, look! That actress is my favorite!”“Pfft, the acting is no good, I could do better.”
Her chatter was louder than the cicadas outside, yet Zhou Jingchen didn’t mind.
Suddenly, the TV switched to a song performed by Song Zuying—“Spicy Girl”—and Wen Xi immediately ran into the bedroom, fetching a pair of red handkerchiefs for dancing.
She stood in front of Zhou Jingchen, excited:“I can dance! I can dance! The teacher taught me this dance before.”
As the music surged, she raised the red handkerchiefs, wearing her summer dress, and danced.
Her movements were professional, arms fluttering like butterfly wings.
Her waist swayed lightly to the rhythm, feet hopping and spinning, skirt fluttering in little arcs.
Her ponytail swung gracefully, her wide smile revealing two small, sharp teeth.
“Spicy girl, spicy, spicy girl…” The lively music matched her energetic performance.
At the end, she turned her back to Zhou Jingchen and playfully wiggled her hips, looking cute and proud.
The skirt, not very long, flew up with her exaggerated movements, showing a peek of pink fabric underneath.
Zhou Jingchen quietly turned his head, fingers curling instinctively, gripping his crutch.
Wen Xi turned around, lifting her chin and raising an eyebrow:“Good, right? This song is popular. The teacher only taught it two or three times, and I remembered everything!”
In the summer heat, she danced with abandon. Her little face was flushed with sweat, red like ripe crabapple blossoms.
Zhou Jingchen’s ears turned red. He nodded:“Yeah, it’s good. Very impressive.”
“Call me Princess!”
“The princess is amazing!”
Hearing this, she beamed proudly.
In the afternoon, the two felt bored at home and decided to go to the factory to visit Grandpa Zhou.
In summer, Red Star Machinery Factory’s boiler room still needed to operate. Its function wasn’t just for winter heating, but also for electricity generation and energy supply.
Grandpa Zhou’s main job was adding coal, removing ash, and cleaning the furnace. The rest of the time, he stayed in the lounge, occasionally checking the boiler.
Wen Xi and Zhou Jingchen first bought three ice creams from the factory store before heading to the boiler room.
A few veteran workers were in the lounge. Seeing Wen Xi, they smiled and greeted her—she had often come with Zhou Jingchen when she was little, and the elderly staff all doted on her.
Wen Xi put on her portable tape player, playing “Spicy Girl” again, and danced once more in front of everyone.
Grandpa Zhou laughed heartily:“Our little Xi Que will definitely become a dancer in the future!”
Wen Xi was thrilled. She loved dancing and the feeling of being praised and adored.
Academically, she could never surpass Zhou Jingchen, but dancing gave her a sense of confidence.
In the evening, Grandpa Zhou rode his bike, escorting the two children back to the residential compound. Along the way, Wen Xi insisted on buying another ice cream for Zhou Jingchen.
With their parents away, she indulged herself, eating three ice creams in one day. Zhou Jingchen worried she might get a stomachache from too many cold treats, but after a couple of warnings, she stubbornly ignored him.
When Uncle Zhou and Aunt Xiang were away, Zhou Jingchen would stay over at Wen Xi’s house at night to keep her company.
This seemingly ordinary day, filled with cicadas and evening breeze, was about to end…
But—
The day changed forever when Wen Xi had her first menstrual period.