Happy Little Vacation

A new week.

The bad news was that they had to attend classes for seven days straight this week. Because the Dragon Boat Festival fell on next Wednesday, the schedule had been adjusted for the holiday break.

Originally, the classroom was filled with wails of despair.

The good news was that the final exams were scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, and one of the testing centers was right here at Guangba.

Therefore, the G1 and G2 students of Guangba would get a two-day break.

Although they had to return for a day of classes on Sunday, to the students, it was no big deal.

Once they did the math, the wails instantly turned into irrepressible snickers of joy.

That meant going to school for four days, getting two days off, going for one more day, and then getting another three days off.

"Man..."

Fang Jun mumbled around the lollipop in his mouth, his eyes already looking toward the bright future.

"This is way too much free time. We've got to plan this out perfectly."

His desk-mate beside him didn't even lift his head, his hands typing furiously at something inside his desk cubby.

"I don't care, nobody stop me, I'm going to play League of Heroes for five days and five nights straight."

"Then I have to go back to watch the dragon boats. My uncle and his team started training a month ago. This year, we absolutely have to crush the arrogance of those surnamed Jian."

The one speaking was Hao Qiang. Class Eight had many locals, and their passion for the Dragon Boat Festival races was carved into their bones.

He and Jian Lihao were a typical example of being from the same village but having different surnames.

One belonged to the Hao family ancestral hall, the other to the Jian family ancestral hall. Not to say they had long-standing grudges, but every year they had to compete fiercely in the dragon boat races.

This wasn't just a tradition; it was what the tenants jokingly called the Landlord War, and it concerned the face and honor of an entire surname for the whole year.

But at least this tradition had always been maintained.

Hearing this, Fang Jun curled his lips disdainfully. "You watch it every year, what's so good about it? It's not like they let me on. If I could get on the boat, I'd be worth two of them alone."

As soon as the words left his mouth, An Yuexin fired a sarcastic shot at him.

"Keep bragging. If Lin Mo went up, wouldn't he be worth three?"

An Yuexin killed the conversation with one sentence, and conveniently exposed Fang Jun's true colors. "It's not that he doesn't want to watch. It's mainly because the boat of those surnamed Fang has been dead last for several years in a row. There's really nothing to see, and going would just be embarrassing."

"You!"

Fang Jun was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His defenses instantly crumbled, and the lollipop in his mouth shattered with a crunch.

His face flushed red, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal, because what An Yuexin said was the truth.

The whole circle of people couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Right at that moment, his gaze swept over the corner, like a drowning man grasping at the last life-saving straw.

Fang Jun rushed to the front row of the classroom in two or three steps, a flattering smile piling onto his face.

"Old Mo, Brother Mo! Are you interested in experiencing rowing a dragon boat? I'll take you to have some fun, it's absolutely thrilling!"

Lin Mo was looking out the window. Hearing the voice, he lazily raised his head, his eyes calm and rippleless.

He looked at the expectant Fang Jun and faintly spat out two words.

"Forget it."

Fang Jun's smile froze on his face.

Only then did Lin Mo continue speaking, his tone as flat as if he were stating a physics formula.

"Dragon boat racing is a team sport. The core is rhythmic synchronization. No matter how fast I row alone, I will only disrupt everyone else's paddling frequency and destroy the entire boat's kinetic energy output. The result would be the boat moving even slower."

He paused and added a conclusion.

"That's negative optimization. Just adding to the chaos."

Hearing this, Fang Jun also felt it made a lot of sense. He had just been grasping at straws in his desperation.

He sheepishly withdrew his hand, scratched his head, and changed his approach.

"Alright, but you at least have to give me face and come eat the dragon boat feast, right? The dragon boat feast at our place is top-notch! It's a deal then, whoever doesn't come is a puppy!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go, I'll go."

Before Fang Jun had time to rejoice, Chu Miaomiao, who had been listening with pricked ears nearby, couldn't hold back anymore. She leaned in with sparkling eyes, looking pointedly at Lin Mo.

"Can I go too?"

Fang Jun instinctively replied, "Of course you can, the more the merrier! But... I guess when the time comes, you'll have to hang out with Xie Yuling. Her family's ancestral hall also has a dragon boat feast, so you can just crash hers."

As soon as these words came out, the radiance on Chu Miaomiao's face dimmed at a visible rate.

Her small mouth pouted slightly; in her heart, she only wanted to follow Lin Mo.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward for a moment.

Jiang Yunlu, who was next to them, didn't think that much. She wasn't very interested in the food, but was instead quite curious about the race itself.

She gently tugged at the hem of Lin Mo's shirt.

"Um, I've never seen a dragon boat race in person before... When the time comes, could we go watch the race together?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it successfully broke the deadlock.

Lin Mo's gaze swept over the disappointed Chu Miaomiao, and then looked at Jiang Yunlu, whose eyes held a look of inquiry.

"Then let's watch it together, and go eat the dragon boat feast together."

He lifted his chin slightly in Fang Jun's direction. "Let him arrange it."

"No problem!" Fang Jun instantly revived with full health, patting his chest and taking on the whole responsibility. "Leave the perfect viewing spot to me! As for the meal, I'll just ask my dad to set up an extra table."

Chu Miaomiao's eyes lit up again, and she secretly clenched her fists.

That's great!

--System: I'm going to play cards too--

On the final exam days, the students of Guangba naturally enjoyed a refreshing two-day break.

Furthermore, with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the air was filled with a damp, hot festive atmosphere.

Just as Lin Mo stepped into the stairwell, he bumped into Zheng Yuan, who was carrying a reusable shopping bag, getting ready to go out.

"Auntie Zheng, are you going grocery shopping?"

Zheng Yuan stopped with a chuckle, looking Lin Mo up and down.

"Yes, I'm going to buy ingredients for making zongzi. What kind of filling do you want to eat? I'll buy some for you."

Hearing this, Lin Mo turned around and followed Zheng Yuan downstairs.

"Then let's go buy them together. I also want to add some different ingredients to them."

Zheng Yuan saw that he wanted to tag along and naturally didn't refuse. The two walked down the stairs one after the other, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty stairwell.

"You originally came up to look for Yuling, right?"

"Yeah, she said she didn't understand some physics questions. It's fine, I can teach her after we come back from shopping."

Zheng Yuan looked at the back of Lin Mo's head, feeling a wave of warmth in her heart. She couldn't help but sigh, "You're such a good kid, truly beyond reproach."

Lin Mo just waved his hand, wearing a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face.

Facing these elders who were genuinely good to him, Lin Mo still acted rather shyly; only this way did he fit the feeling of a young teenager.

The two soon arrived at the wet market.

The morning market was bustling with noise. The damp floor reflected the lights, and the air was a mix of the freshness of vegetables, the raw smell of meat, and the spicy aroma of cooked food, forming a symphony unique to the marketplace.

"Lao Li, is the pork belly I wanted ready?" Zheng Yuan shouted familiarly at a butcher stall owner.

Boss Li of the meat shop immediately pulled out a large bag of pork belly from the freezer behind him.

"Of course it's ready. I even went to other stalls to get some more for you. Pork belly with a bit more fat, right? You buy meat from me every year to make zongzi, how could I forget you?"

"Good, I'll bring a few over for you to enjoy when the time comes."