In name only: In the name of Zhao Mengsheng's son!

"Damn, what does 'shorts guy' even mean? That sounds awful!"

Before Zhao Zhongxin transmigrated, his hometown called underwear "shorts," so to Zhao Zhongxin, this "shorts guy" was just "underwear guy."

Qi Tongwei was alright; white socks didn't have much of a connotation these days. But Zhao Zhongxin knew all about it—the "Chengdu White Socks Man"! Thinking of this, Zhao Zhongxin suddenly felt more comfortable with the nickname!

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhongxin's knowledge of Ming Dynasty history and Qi Tongwei's intensive study of Ming Dynasty history earned them high regard from their teacher, Gao Yuliang. In addition, their excellent academic performance and attitude led Gao Yuliang to invite them to his home for dinner!

Qi Tongwei was in a bit of a dilemma because he didn't have much money. It wouldn't be appropriate for the teacher to invite him to dinner without bringing something in return!

He glanced at Zhao Zhongxin, gritted his teeth, and spoke.

"Brother Xin, can you lend me some money?"

Zhao Zhongxin spoke without hesitation!

"Sure, how many do you want?"

"Fifty or a hundred, I guess. It's my first time visiting Teacher Gao's house, I should bring a gift. It wouldn't be appropriate to go empty-handed!"

Qi Tongwei said somewhat awkwardly that it was indeed difficult to ask for money, but Zhao Zhongxin suddenly laughed!

"Hahaha!"

"What are you laughing at, Brother Xin? Did I say something wrong?"

Qi Tongwei asked!

"Brother, you're being too one-sided. Who is Professor Gao? He's a scholar! You bring in a gift worth a little over a hundred yuan, what are you trying to do?"

Zhao Zhongxin stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and continued speaking.

"Professor Gao's interest in Ming Dynasty history suggests he's a conservative person. And do you think Professor Gao is greedy for money and gifts?"

Gao Yuliang only coveted power!

"It doesn't look like it. Teacher Gao's attire and appearance seem very low-key!"

Qi Tongwei thought for a moment and then said directly!

"You've been reading quite a bit about the history of the Ming Dynasty lately. What kind of gifts did scholars in ancient times like the most?"

Zhao Zhongxin said with a smile!

"Huzhou brushes and Xuan paper? Those things are expensive, and you can't buy them here!"

Qi Tongwei clearly didn't get Zhao Zhongxin's point! Zhao Zhongxin shook his head!

"We are students, and Teacher Gao is the teacher. What was the tuition fee for Confucius's disciples?"

"Cured pork and celery? Tuition fee?"

Qi Tongwei was pleasantly surprised. He felt that Zhao Zhongxin was absolutely right, and he was speechless.

At this moment, Zhao Zhongxin took out twenty yuan, handed it to Qi Tongwei, and said with a smile!

"Lend me ten yuan, and give me another ten yuan to prepare a set as well. Buy a complete set, including cured pork, celery, lotus seeds, red beans, red dates, and longan!"

Zhao Zhongxin explained the six rites of tuition clearly, and this was not just something he said casually. Dried meat: represents the students' gratitude to the teachers, symbolizing the remembrance and repayment of the teachers' kindness.

Celery symbolizes "diligence leads to mastery," expressing students' pursuit of diligent study.

Lotus seeds: to express gratitude for the teacher's painstaking guidance.

Red dates symbolize "early success in high school" and express the hope for academic achievement.

Red beans symbolize "great ambitions" and express beautiful aspirations for the future.

Longan symbolizes "enlightenment and intellectual development," praising the teacher's wisdom and virtue.

These things must be complete; Gao Yuliang definitely has a taste for them!

"Alright, but you don't need to lend me ten yuan. I still have ten yuan. I'll buy your things while I'm at it! You know what I mean, Xin-ge, it's really great to have you!"

Qi Tongwei laughed, and Zhao Zhongxin shuddered when he saw that smile and remembered his nickname "White Socks Brother"!

"Don't smile at me like that! From today onwards, I'll sleep on the top bunk, and you'll sleep on the bottom bunk!"

"what?"

Qi Tongwei was completely dumbfounded!

The next day, at 10 a.m., Zhao Zhongxin and Qi Tongwei carried the six gifts and went to Gao Yuliang's residence at the school!

At Gao Yuliang's level, it wasn't just cadre dormitories anymore; it was a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment!

"Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!"

Zhao Zhongxin knocked on the door, and Gao Yuliang's wife, Wu Huifen, opened it!

"You must be Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qi, right? I'm Wu Huifen, your teacher Gao's wife, and I'm a history professor!"

Wu Huifen glanced at the things the two had brought, and her eyes lit up considerably. She naturally knew that these were the six gifts for a child's education. It seemed that there was a reason why her husband, Lao Gao, had taken a liking to these two children!

"Hello, Professor Wu! This is a small gift to express my gratitude to Professor Gao for his teaching!"

Zhao Zhongxin said with a smile, and Qi Tongwei handed over the items!

"Okay, okay, come in quickly! Your teacher, Mr. Gao, will definitely be happy to see this!"

As Wu Huifen led the two inside, Zhao Zhongxin heard those classic words as soon as they entered!

"Did you add sugar?"

Gao Yuliang said with great dissatisfaction!

"They only added a little xylitol!"

Wu Huifen said!

"I told you, no sugar, no sugar! Oh, Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qi are here, sit down, sit down!"

Gao Yuliang was about to say something when he saw Zhao Zhongxin and Qi Tongwei arrive. He smiled, and then his eyes lit up when he saw the cured meat and celery his wife was carrying!

"Your teacher, Ms. Gao, has high blood sugar. I forgot again. Let me get you a new bowl! Have you two had breakfast yet? I'll get you a bowl too!"

Wu Huifen said with a smile. Qi Tongwei was about to say no, but Zhao Zhongxin responded with a smile.

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Wu!"

They hadn't eaten breakfast; they had just finished a weighted cross-country run, taken a shower, and then came over!

After breakfast, Gao Yuliang introduced the two of them to Wu Huifen. When Wu Huifen heard Gao Yuliang say that Zhao Zhongxin liked to study the history of the Ming Dynasty, her eyes lit up. She was an expert on the history of the Ming Dynasty, and she and Gao Yuliang had come together because of the history of the Ming Dynasty!

During lunch, Gao Yuliang's daughter, Gao Fangfang, also returned!

Zhao Zhongxin glanced at her. Gao Fangfang was just a little girl in a school uniform with large glasses frames. She was probably very nearsighted, so he couldn't see what she looked like!

He timidly called Zhao Zhongxin and Qi Tongwei "brother"!

Time flies, and soon it was August 1989 (two years later). Qi Tongwei was successfully elected to the student union and served as its chairman. This was mainly because Zhao Zhongxin was not interested in doing these things; otherwise, Gao Yuliang would have preferred him!

Zhao Zhongxin wasn't at school. Qi Tongwei, as the student council president, was already taking care of the new students' arrival! That's why Zhao Zhongxin didn't want to go to the student council—he was lazy, and besides, at school, Qi Tongwei would drag him off-road every day!

When Zhao Zhongxin returned to school, he found that Qi Tongwei was already followed by two younger brothers!

"Brother Xin, you're back? This is Chen Yang's younger brother, Chen Hai, and this is Monkey. This is Hou Liangping; they're both new juniors. Call them Brother Xin!"

When Qi Tongwei saw Zhao Zhongxin greet him, he asked his younger brother to greet him, but Zhao Zhongxin waved his hand.

"How arrogant of you, Tongwei!"