Chapter 1, John
Liang Xi poured water, tore off a piece of note paper, folded it diagonally to create a crease, then opened the cabinet to take out several medicine bottles. He poured a few capsules and tablets onto the note paper. Holding the note paper in his left hand and the water in his right, he extended the note paper and said: "Take your medicine"
John struck a pose: "Begin."
Mary laughed heartily and patted Liang on the shoulder, as she is a cheerful person
Liang Xi took out his phone to start the timer: "Say 'start' when you are ready"
Liang Xi: "Alright! You understand Chinese"
Liang Xidao: "One stroke kills Xiao Huang"
John expressed his enthusiasm: "Bring it on"
Liang Xidao: "To accommodate your rusty brain, I will speak a little slower. The question is: If I, Xiaohua, and Xiaoming each have two apples, how many apples do we have in total"
Liang Xi looked towards the living room, where Old John was idly spending his life on the sofa with a cup of tea and a newspaper. Mary glanced at the living room, feeling somewhat helpless. Liang Xi said: "The older a man gets, the more he resembles a child. Leave it to me, by the way, please bring me a clean pry bar."
... ...
John looked at the newspaper, unfazed: "This medication will make me drowsy and unable to concentrate on my thoughts"
John immediately waved his hand and said: "Language trap, it doesn't count, it doesn't count"
Liang Xi started the timer on his phone, reached out to remove the capsule, and poured out the powder. He took the nail puller that Mary handed over and crushed the powder, then folded a note and sent it towards John's mouth. John wanted to resist, but any resistance would prove that he could not maintain his posture. Liang Xi merely crushed the tablets and opened the capsule, without touching John.
However, if there is no resistance, the powder will be poured into the mouth. What should be done? Whether one moves or not, medication must be taken.
Liang Xi shook his head: "No, there is only one chance with the knife"
John felt deeply bored and picked up his glasses to continue reading the newspaper: "Six."
Liang Xi: "You are already 68 years old, your mind has become muddled, taking medication will benefit your thinking"
John turned to look at Mary: "Mary cannot touch me either"
Liang Xidao: "In order to prove that your mind is clear right now, I will give you a Chinese question, a very simple math problem. If you can answer it, it indicates that your mind is clear. If you cannot answer it, it means you need to take medication"
Liang Xidao: "Do you think taking medicine is not good?"
John: "What if it is a person?"
John did not lift his head: "Hmm"
Liang Xi placed the pills and water down and sat across from John: "John, we need to discuss the issue of the medication."
John: "Okay"
John: "You pose the question first"
Liang Xi nodded: "Yes"
John was very careful and asked: "Four people share three watermelons"
Liang Xidao: "Error"
The powder can only cause severe coughing and will not lead to asphyxiation
John: "It makes it difficult for me to think"
A click of the shutter captured Liang Xi, dressed in a bachelor's gown and wearing a doctor's degree cap, on a mobile phone. Liang Xi leaned over to pick up the phone and examined the picture for a moment, exclaiming to the blonde girl who took the photo: "Every time I see my own picture, I fear I might fall in love with myself. How can a person be so handsome even in a graduation photo?" The restaurant thief from over a decade ago, Liang Xi, has now completed his university studies and graduated successfully
John: "A knife cannot turn; it must conform to the principles of physics"
John Dao: "Impossible." What is the answer?
Liang Xi nodded: "Yes"
Liang Xi nodded: "Alright, with Mary as a witness. The next question: In front of me, Xiaohua, Xiaoming, and Xiaohuang, there is a watermelon knife and three watermelons of exactly the same size. How can we use one cut to evenly divide the watermelons"
John still refuses to comply: "Rephrase the question, in English. The traps in Chinese are simply too numerous."
Liang Xi expressed dissatisfaction: "At such an old age, do you have no shame?"
Liang Xi cracked his fingers: "Jia has two, I have two, Xiao Hua has two, Xiao Ming has two, in total there are eight."
Liang Xi nodded: "Of course"
John: "My major in college is Chinese."
Liang Xi hung up the phone and looked at the blonde girl: "Lucy, I have to go now, let's keep in touch, congratulations on your graduation"
The blonde girl said in disbelief: "Your narcissism has reached a new height"
Liang Xi looked at the photo and asked dismissively, "What? Do you want to invite your classmates to a party?"
The blonde girl glanced at Liang Xi and whispered, "Hey! My family is not home tonight"
John spat blood and pointed at the door: "Get out of here."
Liang Xi nodded: "Of course"
John put down the newspaper and took off his glasses: "How shall we discuss this?"
In the midst of John's struggle with his thoughts, Liang swiftly made a mark at the fold of the sticky note, causing the powdered medicine at the fold to accurately fly into John's mouth. John's tongue was immobilized, resulting in a large amount of saliva accumulating in his mouth. As the powder came into contact with the saliva, it instantly adhered and dissolved. A bitter taste transmitted from the root of his tongue to his brain, and John wanted to spit out the powder. Liang, quick-witted and agile, blocked his mouth with one hand while raising a glass of water with the other. John gave up resisting, took the water, and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, which finally alleviated the strange taste of the capsule powder.
Liang Xi released the elderly woman and reminded her, "Mary, we just had dinner together last weekend. You are going to make John jealous like this"
Mary placed the tea and snacks on the coffee table in front of Liang Xi, leaning against a side table while watching the two of them
The blonde girl kicked Liang Xi and was about to say something when Liang Xi's phone rang. Liang Xi gestured for her to wait a moment and answered the call: "Mary... okay, I'll go take care of him right away"
Liang Xi: "No more shirking responsibility."
John was taken aback: "Why?"
John warned, "You are not allowed to touch me"
Liang Xi: "My surname is Jia, and my given name is Ru, Jia as in Jia Baoyu, you know from Dream of the Red Chamber."
Liang Xi entered the living room: "Hi, John"
Liang Xi is not satisfied: "Even your personality has become irritable, it's time to take your medication, John. How about this, I will give you one last question."
What is the reason
John pondered for a moment and said, "I need two cuts." One cut yields six portions, and two cuts yield twelve portions, which can be evenly distributed among four people
Liang Xi returned a smile
John: "No, my mind is clear, and I am very alert right now"
John: "Yes"
Liang Xi! Lucy called out, and seeing that Liang Xi did not hear her, she said helplessly: I mean, I can drive you.
Liang Xi got out of the car, closed the door, patted the window sill of the driver's seat, and said goodbye to Lucy before turning to enter a house by the roadside. An elderly woman, who was trimming dead branches and leaves in the front yard's flowerbed, put down her gardening tools and stepped forward to embrace Liang Xi: "Liang Xi, I am so happy to see you."
John declared resolutely: "I stake my reputation as a rose detective."
Liang Xifeng generally returned to Lucy's side, pulling a wildflower with his left hand and presenting it to her: "You are the most beautiful in the world"
Liang Xidao: "I have seen a test in a scientific magazine. The mind controls a person's emotions and bodily nerves. You say your mind is fine, so let's conduct a test. First, follow my instructions: open your mouth wide and breathe through it, keep your tongue still, and spread your hands shoulder-width apart. Here comes the key point: in this position, raise your two thumbs and keep them vertical. Stop! If you can hold this position for 30 seconds without moving, I will conclude that you do not need medication." Here comes the key point: in this position, raise your two thumbs and keep them vertical. Stop! If you can hold this position for 30 seconds without moving, I will conclude that you do not need medication.