Gourd plants have separate male and female flowers. Li Xiang took a look and saw they were about a fifty-fifty split. They probably wouldn’t bear fruit until September or October. A wall covered in little gourds would be a beautiful sight.

Young gourds could be stir-fried and eaten. Their texture was similar to that of a bottle gourd—crisp, sweet, and tasty—though some could have a bitter taste.

The bitterness likely came from cucurbitacin, which is somewhat toxic. You could tell if one was edible by touching it to your tongue while cutting it. A mild bitterness was fine and posed no threat, but it was best to avoid eating any that were excessively bitter.

Although it was the rainy season in Sichuan Province, with continuous overcast and wet weather, it didn’t rain every day. On one overcast day, Li Xiang drove his SUV to an educational outreach event organized by the county’s political consultative conference.

He and two other committee members, assisted by a few staff members, were giving a presentation in a residential complex. To his surprise, some of the attendees were his fans. They came over to ask for his autograph and a photo, much to the envy of the other two members.

After all, they were all committee members, but Li Xiang was simply more popular.

As Li Xiang was heading back after finishing his duties, he considered that Jiang Cai’Er’s school break should be starting any day now. On a whim, he drove toward her high school. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Well, what a coincidence. In the distance, he spotted Jiang Cai’Er pulling a suitcase, waiting for the bus by the side of the road with her classmates.

The bus between the city and countryside passed right by her school, so Jiang Cai’Er usually caught it right at the gate. She didn’t have her phone, so she had no way to contact Li Xiang.

Watching Jiang Cai’Er’s slender, graceful figure from afar, Li Xiang grew thoughtful. ’Maybe this isn’t a coincidence.’ He’d had a strong premonition before he even left, and it had grown stronger the closer he got to the school.

’Perhaps it’s a form of intuition that comes with a higher Realm. Masters often have such instincts.’

’Of course, it’s also because my connection with Jiang Cai’Er runs so deep. Our fates in this life are already intertwined.’

"Cai’Er, get in!" Li Xiang pulled the SUV over, rolled down the window, and waved to Jiang Cai’Er on the curb.

"Ah! Brother, what are you doing here?" Jiang Cai’Er was delighted. She immediately dragged her suitcase over, expertly popped the trunk, and tossed it inside.

"Hey Cai’Er, do you think we could get a ride with you?" two of her classmates asked as they came over.

Jiang Cai’Er turned to Li Xiang in the front seat. "Brother, is that okay?"

Li Xiang, of course, didn’t mind. "Hop in!" he said cheerfully.

The three of them put their luggage away and got into the car. Jiang Cai’Er took the passenger seat while her two classmates sat in the back. The other students watched them with envy.

"You guys are on summer vacation, right? Why so little luggage?" Li Xiang asked.

"Ugh, don’t even talk about it," one of the girls in the back complained. "We only get a few days off before we have to go back for supplemental classes!"

Li Xiang nodded. He’d almost forgotten about that. "Well, supplemental classes aren’t so bad. You’re about to be seniors, so it’s time for the final sprint!"

The girl replied, "We’ve been sprinting since we were freshmen. After two years of it, I’m starting to run out of steam."

The other girl added, "Cai’Er’s the really amazing one. We never see her struggling. She always takes first place in the entire school, in every single subject, without even breaking a sweat."

Jiang Cai’Er and Li Xiang exchanged a smile. She thought to herself, ’How could you possibly know? My brother and I are both Extraordinary Beings, and I’m an Intelligent Type. With a Memory Palace and a Quantum Computer, studying is naturally stress-free for me.’

Cai’Er felt that her brother was the one who had guided her. ’Without Li Xiang, I’d probably be suffering just like them right now.’

"Brother Li Xiang, if I don’t get into college, can I come work for you after I graduate?" asked the girl who was feeling so burnt out. She had visited Li Family Village to see the giant pandas before and thought the work environment was great. The employees there were mostly high school graduates, so she figured she could handle the job, she just didn’t know if they were hiring.

Li Xiang glanced back at the girl. She was pleasant-looking. He smiled and said, "Of course you can. But I still hope you’ll give it your all for one more year. What if you get in?"

’The Apocalypse is coming, and there’s no telling if this girl will even survive... but what if she does? Highly educated people will be precious. Humanity’s legacy must be passed on, which makes knowledge vital. Education cannot be allowed to fall by the wayside.’

"I hope you’re right. Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

As he drove, Li Xiang chatted with them. Apart from Jiang Cai’Er, the other two were clearly under a lot of pressure, their faces etched with weariness. They were mentally and physically exhausted.

After Li Xiang’s encouragement, they seemed to regain some of their confidence and weren’t so resistant to the idea of supplemental classes anymore.

Supplemental classes were, of course, a necessity. Even during the years of compulsory education, when such classes were officially disallowed, many parents would still arrange for their children to attend small, private tutoring sessions. Some school teachers would also "secretly" organize extra classes for a fee. In a country as hyper-competitive as China, this was all perfectly normal.

Some parents were particularly nasty; they would insist on the extra classes but then report the teacher to the authorities as soon as their child graduated.

However, Jiang Cai’Er and her friends were in high school and about to enter their senior year. They were past the age of compulsory education and no longer subject to the same regulations as "minors." So, this time, the school was openly offering free supplemental classes. No fees would be charged, and participation was voluntary.

It was "voluntary" in name only. Barring special circumstances, no student would pass up the opportunity, nor would the teachers allow them to. Even though Jiang Cai’Er was "leagues ahead" of everyone, if she tried to get special treatment by not attending, her teacher would "nag her to death" and might even pay a visit to her home.