Chapter Ten, Innocent Love

After finishing in the restroom, Zhu Sha walked out and saw Ma Xiaolong squatting by the sink, making a 'gurgling' sound. She stepped over and said, 'I want to brush my teeth too'

All the mistakes are mine; your only mistake is choosing such a poor classmate to help you with your studies

The memory of Zhu Sha is truly remarkable; as long as the content or formula has been mentioned, she can remember it almost perfectly after hearing or reciting it just once. However, do not pose a question like earlier, asking how many dumplings are left after eating all nine. Simply telling her it equals 0 is sufficient, and she will remember it.

I am a bit foolish, and I apologize for making you so anxious. Zhu Sha sincerely apologizes

Ma Xiaolong, unwilling to be outdone, pulled his foot back and stepped on hers, saying: "I will also give you a rub."

There is still a pile of cores left

Hearing the even breathing of Zhu Sha, Ma Xiaolong was suddenly overcome by drowsiness and fell asleep

... ...

Hehe. Zhu Sha's smile is as beautiful as a flower: "Please continue to pose questions!"

Hmm? Zhu Sha thought for a moment, hesitated for a while, and said softly: "1?"

"I am sorry, I was wrong." Ma Xiaolong immediately admitted his mistake

"9 minus 9 equals?" asked Ma Xiaolong casually

Oh, it is 0! Zhu Sha suddenly realized, nodding repeatedly, wrote this question in the homework notebook, and then deepened the memory

"Indeed, you should not have come out." Zhu Sha nodded, feeling gratified that he recognized his mistake

In the Westinghouse bed, Ma Xiaofeng slept in the middle, with Ma Xiaolong and Zhu Sha on either side of her. It was cold, and they had already covered themselves with a quilt. The current quilt was particularly heavy, completely different from the light and warm quilts of thirty years later

Uh... Ma Xiaolong tentatively suggested, "How about... you make do with mine?"

I have it myself. Zhu Sha took out a small half roll of toilet paper from the backpack, tore off some, and went to the yard to use the dry toilet with a flashlight in hand

Seeing that it was almost midnight, Ma Xiaolong let out a sigh: "It's about time, I will have a good sleep and perform well in the exam, my grades shouldn't be too bad."

Having grasped this point, the effectiveness of the guidance is greatly enhanced, and Zhu Sha has also learned more effortlessly

"No, Aunt is a bit thirsty, let her get up and have a glass of water." Liu Ying said with a smile, "Aren't you taking an exam tomorrow? Go to bed early, Aunt will call you when it gets light."

Ma Xiaolong went to the bedside to get the flashlight and casually asked, "Do you need paper?"

Seeing Ma Xiaolong's attitude so sincere, Zhu Sha squinted and smiled, saying: "I don't really understand math, so please don't make me think for myself. Just tell me the answer directly, okay? My memory is quite good."

... ...

Ma Xiaolong let out a sigh of relief and cautiously continued to pose questions, while also providing the answers.

The knowledge acquired in the first grade of elementary school after only two months is not extensive. A focused tutoring session of two to three hours would be sufficient. Once the correct tutoring methods are mastered, it is possible to cover all the key points of the subjects of Chinese, Mathematics, and Science in just one hour.

"Puh—" Spitting out the foam from his mouth, Ma Xiaolong said: "Just brush it! Glug glug..."

"Let's go together!" Ma Xiaolong pointed to the west room and said, "You go find a pair of slippers under the bed first."

Ma Xiaolong finally understands the feelings of those irritable parents in the videos from the previous life who help their children with homework, as this is a great sacrifice at the cost of shortening one's lifespan

It is my own cleverness, and I deserve it

Ma Xiaolong scratched his head, got up, and went into the room to pour water for washing his feet. Inside the room, there were two small wooden stools. He took off his socks and sat on the stool to soak his feet, feeling comfortable

A shortened lifespan is better than an early death

Ma Xiaolong carried a plastic cup filled with toothpaste and a toothbrush to the water basin outside to brush his teeth, neglecting to wash his face, fearing it would prevent him from falling asleep

Hmm. Zhu Sha burrowed into the quilt and responded.

After a moment, he looked up and asked: "So 8 minus 8 equals 0, 7 minus 7 also equals 0, and 6 minus 6 equals 0, right?"

In the darkness, Zhu Sha listened to the sound of Liu Ying washing socks in the outer room, closing her eyes... and fell asleep

Check the paper quantity, it is not a large size

Zhusha looked at him and said softly, "There is no other way, just use yours!"

Ma Xiaolong rolled up the mathematics textbook and struck her forehead with it: "I call you 1! I call you 1! One without you is still 1? Today... today..."

Zhusha felt a bit embarrassed: "Aunt, did we disturb you?"

"No, no, no, you are not foolish; it is I who am unable to provide guidance, it is I who am inadequate." Ma Xiaolong quickly took the responsibility upon himself

Bang

"Alright." Ma Xiaolong quickly replied, "First, let's talk about the previous question, 9 minus 9 equals 0, having nothing is 0, and 0 means there is nothing."

Zhu Sha grasped the mathematics textbook that Ma Xiaolong had thrown down and said with a 'smile': 'Could you please be a little patient?'

After reciting the "Wealthy Woman's Heart-Calming Mantra" three times, I regained my spirits and said: "Let me rephrase that, you have 9 dumplings in your bowl, if you eat all 9, how many are left?"

Zhu Sha retaliated, and Ma Xiaolong countered again... The two were having a great time playing.

Zhusha has stopped causing trouble and is studying very diligently. It seems that Ma Xiaolong has discovered a method to assist her. With the launch of the new tutoring system, Zhusha's learning progress has rapidly improved, which has increasingly astonished Ma Xiaolong

Yes. Ma Xiaolong nodded repeatedly: "So how many are left if there is not a single one remaining?"

... ...

A night without conversation

Ma Xiaolong covered his face and said, "It is my fault; I should not have posed such a difficult question"

"Of course, there is nothing left after eating all 9 of them," said Zhu Sha.

Uh, let me rinse it a bit cleaner. He rinsed the toothbrush twice again and conveniently squeezed some toothpaste onto it: "Here you go."

Ma Xiaolong silently took 9 red dates from the fruit basket on the table, placed them on the table, and asked: "These are 9 dates, you have eaten them all, what is left?"

The lights are off, " said Ma Xiaolong, pulling on the rope.

Zhusha made a sound of acknowledgment, yawned, and said: "Where is the flashlight? I want to go to the restroom"

Zhu Sha was taken aback; she had never paid attention to equations where the minuend equals zero. After all, the problems assigned by the teacher were usually of the form 7 - 2 = ?, 4 - 3 = ?, where the final result was certainly between 1 and 9, and almost never equal to 0. It was quite normal for Zhu Sha, who was a poor student and rarely listened in class, to overlook this.

Seeing Ma Xiaolong's expression darken, Zhu Sha cautiously sought confirmation: "9 minus 9 equals ... 1?"

The light in the middle room turned on, and Liu Ying stepped out. Seeing the two of them, she smiled and said: "It's already late at night, finish washing up and go to bed early. Put your socks in the basin, and I will wash them for you."

Hmm. Zhu Sha went to the west room and found a pair of slippers under the bed. She tried them on; they were a bit small and belonged to Ma Xiaofeng.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Ma Xiaofeng had already fallen asleep in bed, while Ma Xiaolong and Zhu Sha were still engaged in a late-night battle.

Thank you. Zhu Sha squatted down, rinsed her mouth, and slowly inserted the toothbrush into her mouth

After a short while, Zhu Sha, who had finished brushing his teeth, walked in and saw him washing his feet. She said, "I also want to wash my feet"

Thank you, Aunt. Zhu Sha no longer played in the water, quickly washed his feet, and went to sleep in the west room with Ma Xiaolong

She put on her clothes in a makeshift manner, took the socks she had just removed, and walked over to sit opposite Ma Xiaolong. She placed her delicate, fair feet into the basin and casually stepped onto the top of his feet, rubbing them back and forth, saying: "Hehe, let me give your feet a little massage."

Ma Xiaolong does not possess the ability to read minds; if he were to know what she is thinking, he would surely be infuriated to the point of paralysis.

Liu Ying ruffled Ma Xiaolong's hair and gave him an approving look

How nice it would be to tell me the answer earlier, instead of making me think, it exhausts a person

Did not bring a toothbrush. Zhu Sha kicked away the small stones at his feet

With a click, the light goes out, and the room is plunged into darkness

Ma Xiaolong gave a thumbs up: "By drawing inferences from one instance, you are truly clever"

This is someone who cannot be offended, especially a wealthy woman, this is someone who cannot be offended, especially a wealthy woman, this is someone who cannot be offended, especially a wealthy woman