Just when everyone thought Yuan Su would spit out a “get lost,” the boy only clicked his tongue in annoyance. He sat up straight, irritably running a hand through his hair, then reached out to take her test paper and pen.
“Which part don’t you understand?”
“Here, I didn’t get the derivation logic…”
Yuan Su leaned in slightly, drawing closer.
A scent mixed with faint machine oil and crisp soap wafted over.
He sketched two analytical diagrams on the scratch paper, circling the key conditions with his pen tip, his voice low and clear: “Decompose the velocity—horizontal direction is uniform motion…”
Xu Suiran’s jaw nearly dropped.
Was this still Yuan Su?
Where did this warm-hearted, kind, gentle, and handsome guy come from?
Yuan Su didn’t approach the problem with as many formulaic preliminaries as a teacher would. Instead, he went straight to the core.
Occasionally, he would pause to ask, “Got it?” and, upon seeing Pu Yu shake her head, would explain it again in a different way.
Five minutes later.
“Got it?” He stopped writing and turned his head to look at her.
Pu Yu suddenly understood, her eyes sparkling as she nodded. “Use the kinetic energy theorem, then combine the equations?”
“Mhm.”
Yuan Su acknowledged with a hum, his pen tip moving without pause as he went straight to the second question. “This one’s a trap. Don’t get thrown off by the wire length—just calculate the effective length directly.”
The two major problems that had troubled Pu Yu for so long were broken down with perfect clarity.
“Anything else to ask?”
“N-no, that’s all.”
Yuan Su tossed the pen aside and slumped back onto the desk. “Don’t bother me anymore.”
Pu Yu watched as he closed his eyes again and whispered, “Thank you.”
No response.
But she noticed the side of his face resting on his arm.
His eyelashes trembled faintly.
After evening self-study ended, Pu Yu waited for Xu Suiran as usual to walk home together.
The streetlights in the alley cast a dim yellow glow, stretching the two girls’ shadows long.
“Oh my gosh, Xiao Yu, you’re so brave!” Xu Suiran linked arms with Pu Yu, her expression one of utter disbelief. “You actually dared to wake Yuan Su up while he was sleeping! You know, I was ready to help you collect… oh no, help you block the punches!”
Pu Yu felt a bit embarrassed. “I just didn’t understand those two problems.”
After venting, Xu Suiran then sighed in admiration. “But honestly, he’s really good at physics. No wonder he can keep that repair shop running.”
“Repair shop?” Pu Yu caught the keyword.
“Yeah.” Xu Suiran nodded, her tone turning somewhat wistful. “His dad sold off all their assets, or they were seized by creditors. Only that repair shop was registered under his mom’s name. His mom had a breakdown and ended up in the hospital. The creditors were afraid of causing a death, so they didn’t force the issue.”
“Later, Yuan Su took over the shop, working day and night to pay back the debts.”
“When he’s not in class, he’s definitely at the repair shop.”
Pu Yu thought of the faint scent of machine oil she’d smelled that afternoon.
And Yuan Su’s hands, with their distinct knuckles, covered in fine scars and grease stains.
“Did his dad owe a lot of money?” Pu Yu asked softly.
“A ton.” Xu Suiran sighed. “Many families in town lent money to his dad. My parents lent him eight thousand, and it still hasn’t been paid back.”
“At the time, his dad put on such a good act. Everyone thought he was an honest man…”
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at Xu Suiran’s family’s grain and oil shop.
The shop was already closed for the day, the rolling shutter pulled halfway down, warm yellow light spilling out from inside.
“I’m home, Xiaoyu. Remember to call me tomorrow morning for school!”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Pu Yu walked the rest of the way alone.
The alley was quiet, with only her footsteps and the occasional distant bark of a dog.
She looked up at the sky. There was no moon tonight, but the stars were bright.
When she got home, Grandma was busy at the sewing machine.
Seeing Pu Yu return, Li Suhua glanced up. “There are hot pancakes and noodle soup on the table. Eat and get to bed early.”
“Got it, thanks, Grandma.”
Pu Yu put down her backpack, ate her meal, and hurried back to her room to study.
The two problems Yuan Su had explained that afternoon had given her a lot of inspiration. She wanted to strike while the iron was hot and sort through similar types of questions.
Time passed bit by bit. When the clock hand pointed to half past ten,
the desk lamp on the table suddenly flickered violently twice.
Then, with a soft “pop,”
the surroundings plunged into darkness.
“Huh?”
Pu Yu was startled and quickly pressed the switch a few times. No response.
She checked the plug too. Everything seemed fine.
“Grandma, the desk lamp seems to be broken.”
Li Suhua didn’t stop her needlework, replying dismissively, “Try biting the batteries.”
Pu Yu held the lamp, turning it over and over, studying it for a long time.
Isn’t this one plugged in?
Where are the batteries?
Seeing Pu Yu fiddling for ages without fixing it, Li Suhua muttered under her breath about her being so clumsy, came over, and directly slapped the base of the lamp—pat pat pat.
The light came on for a second, then never lit up again.
“Well, it’s really broken this time.”
“Then… are there any other lights?”
The bedroom on the west side hadn’t been occupied for years, and its light had burned out years ago.
This little desk lamp was something Li Suhua had gotten from a scrap collector in exchange for waste cardboard boxes and aluminum cans, costing not a single cent—a free lamp.
Li Suhua thought for a moment, rummaged in a drawer, pulled out a flashlight, and handed it to her. “If you still need to do homework tonight, go find Yuan Su on Old Street to fix it. It’s not far.”
Pu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, holding the lamp. “Okay.”
Old Street was very close to Wind Chime Alley, just two alleys away.
This street was much quieter than the main street, with most shops closed.
From a distance, Pu Yu spotted one shop still lit up, with a simple wooden sign hanging above it that read “Appliance Repair.”
The shop was small, probably only about ten square meters.
It was piled high with various old appliances: TV casings, fan blades, tangled wires, and many parts Pu Yu couldn’t name.
Yuan Su was sitting at a somewhat cramped workbench.
He held a soldering iron, completely focused on working on a circuit board.
He had changed into a black work uniform, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The sleek muscles on his arms were taut, stained with a few streaks of black grease.
The cold white light fell on his profile, making his facial features appear even more defined.
“Um… Yuan Su…” Pu Yu stood at the doorway, calling softly.
Yuan Su paused his movements and looked up.
Just then, the flashlight in her hand disobediently wobbled.
The beam of light swept right across the boy’s lifted face.
Pu Yu clearly saw a flash of surprise in his dark eyes.
But the light went out too quickly.
The next second, a deeper gloom washed over, covering that trace.
“What is it?” His voice was hoarse, carrying impatience and wariness at being disturbed.
Pu Yu quickly turned off the flashlight and explained softly, “My desk lamp is broken. Grandma told me to come find you to fix it.”
Yuan Su set down the soldering iron and extended his hand toward her. “Hand it over.”
Pu Yu hurried in, holding the table lamp.
The shop was even more cramped than she had imagined.
She turned sideways, carefully avoiding the parts scattered on the floor.
Yuan Su took the lamp, gave it a quick glance, and skillfully unscrewed the base to inspect it.
His fingers were slender, with clearly defined knuckles.
The black grease stains on them contrasted sharply with his naturally pale skin.
Yuan Su picked up a multimeter from the shelf, tested the lamp, and said succinctly, “Aging wiring, poor contact in the socket.”
“Can it be fixed?” Pu Yu asked nervously.