NOVPUB"So annoying, these questions aren’t meant for humans!"
"Damn, I didn’t even finish half of it. I couldn’t understand anything; I’m speechless!"
"..."
Xu Qingfan and his two friends had the examination room furthest away, and hence they were the last ones to return to the starting point. When the three of them came back, the third graders were already there, complaining in frustration.
"How did you guys do?" The team leader teacher asked in surprise when he saw Xu Qingfan and his friends return.
"Brother Biao, get ready for three tickets to Yanjing. It was even easier than the district competition!" Xu Qingfan said coolly, with one hand in his pocket.
The teacher who taught them math Olympiad for the second and third grades was named Wang Wenbiao. He was quite approachable, so the students liked to call him Brother Biao.
"Awesome!"
"So lucky, I want to do the lower grades’ exam paper too!"
"Can’t you aim a little higher and beat those fourth graders?" Wang Wenbiao said irritably to the student who had just spoken, then he laughed and said to Xu Qingfan and the others, "Then I’ll be waiting for the good news from the education bureau!"
"Brother Biao, what are we going to do now?"
"Brother Biao, where are we going to eat? I’m so hungry!"
Once everyone was gathered, the students chattered nonstop around Wang Wenbiao.
"Line up, everyone. The school had already booked a restaurant for us. Now let’s take the subway to have our meal!" Wang Wenbiao said, using a megaphone to address everyone.
"Yay!"
"Xu Qingfan, do you know what the subway looks like?" The three of them walked at the front of the group, arriving at Shi Pai Bridge subway station. Xia Xiaoxiao looked around curiously like an inquisitive child.
"Just like this, kinda like a train."
"Then why is it built underground? Why not build it above the ground like a train?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked further.
"Stupid! Because building it underground doesn’t affect traffic. Building it above would be too crowded, plus the house prices here are ridiculously expensive. The government doesn’t have that much money to compensate for demolitions." Xu Qingfan flicked Xia Xiaoxiao on the head with his hand.
"How expensive can houses be!" Xia Xiaoxiao was somewhat skeptical.
"Look!" Xu Qingfan pointed to an advertisement inside the subway station, "One-stop transport, convenient and worry-free, selling price starts at 6999 yuan/per square meter."
"That’s not expensive. Xu Qingfan, you’re trying to trick people again. How can 6999 for a room be expensive!" Xia Xiaoxiao, who hadn’t learned about area units yet, blurted out the moment she saw the advertisement.
"Pfft~" Fortunately, Xu Qingfan was still short, only spraying spit on the legs of the Brother Biao in front of him, "This symbol is called a square meter, and this advertisement means, a small square that’s one meter long and one meter wide is being sold for 6999 yuan!" He gestured a 1m×1m square with his legs.
"Isn’t that robbery!" Xia Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her mouth hanging wide open.
"Haha! Well said, kiddo. It’s nothing but robbery. Just two years ago, it was selling for 3999. Now it’s doubled in price. I bet the housing prices are bound to fall eventually!"
Xu Qingfan glanced sideways at a passerby who interjected—a man in his fifties, fanning himself with a real estate brochure and wearing flip-flops, clad in the classic white vest of an elderly man.
"Uncle, did your house just get demolished?" Xu Qingfan asked curiously.
"Hey~ not yet, not yet. There’s a rumor that they’re going to build the Asian Games Village, and my house is right in the Lie De area!" The uncle’s face was split with a grin.
Xu Qingfan:...
[Damn, I’ve run into a future millionaire.]
Hong Kong had only been successful in its bid for the Asian Games the year before, and this uncle was already hearing about demolition news. Xu Qingfan silently gave a thumbs up to the information network of the uncle’s village.
Catching the rush hour, the subway station was now packed with people, and to make matters worse, the line Xu Qingfan and his group needed to take was the dreaded Line 3.
"Stay here and don’t wander off. I’m going to buy the tickets!" Wang Wenbiao looked at the crowded ticketing area helplessly and held his forehead. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
"Brother Biao, hurry up!"
"Teacher, I need to use the bathroom!"
"Hold it in, remember not to run around. Xu Qingfan, help me keep an eye on them!" Wang Wenbiao said before plunging into the crowd without looking back.
Xu Qingfan shrugged helplessly, "Don’t wander off, everyone. I’ve heard that there are traffickers in subway stations who kidnap kids and take them to remote cities. They maim your hands and feet so you can beg on the streets!"
"Holy shit!"
"I saw a beggar eyeing me several times when I just entered the subway!"
"Damn, that’s scary!"
"Brother Fan, you’d better tell me you’re lying!"
"Why would I lie to you? Haven’t you ever seen begging kids with disabilities about our age? Those children were all trafficked, exploited for people’s sympathy to make money!" Xu Qingfan said with a serious expression.
"Damn! I really saw one on the street before, and I even gave him fifty cents!"
"I’ve seen one too, with a broken leg, scooting around on a skateboard!"
Xu Qingfan’s words truly quietened the group of elementary school students; no one thought about wandering around anymore, and they all began to share their own incredible experiences in animated discussions.
"It’s dangerous out there!" Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu were scared by what Xu Qingfan had just said, and the two little girls unconsciously moved closer to him.
A few minutes later, Wang Wenbiao returned, distributing the newly purchased sensing plates, "Don’t lose the things in your hands. You need them to exit the station later. If you lose them, you can’t get out, got it?"
Xu Qingfan played with the sensing plate in his hands, about the size of a coin, with the words Hong Kong Subway carved onto the green plastic ring.
Xu Qingfan still remembered that the green tickets were two yuan; he hadn’t bought a ticket again after the introduction of travel QR codes in his previous life.
"Follow me into the station!"
For many classmates, it was their first time taking the subway, and they mimicked Wang Wenbiao’s actions by placing the sensing plates onto the screen.
