Late 2081, specifically Friday, December 26th.
The Jiangnan region experienced an unexpected heavy snowfall, with the meteorological station reporting it was due to an abnormally strengthened Siberian cold wave, but no one cared about cold waves; the snow was real.
Mid-lesson at the kindergarten, a thin layer of snow accumulated on the window sill, and a boy yelled, "Snow!"
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, the whole class erupted, and cheers came from the adjacent classroom too, like a chain reaction, the entire school became boisterous; the children abruptly broke free from the restraints of their seats.
Simon watched them jump up from their spots, as if he heard a "boing."
Teacher Zhou, who was teaching arithmetic, was quite helpless; she smiled and shook her head at the podium, then couldn't resist running to the window herself to look at the snow.
Simon didn't follow; he considered himself a mature old man and couldn't be so childish.
Su Xiangli: "Simon, let's go have a snowball fight!"
"No."
"Oh, you can't, the great 'Boiled' said that not having a snowball fight when there's snow is a blasphemy against winter, and the 'Boiled' will punish you~"
Simon covered his face; after several months, our little Su Xiangli remembered that she was actually a follower of the flying spaghetti monster.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster Church (FSM for short) was founded in 2005, and its central dogma holds that an invisible and imperceptible "Flying Spaghetti Monster" created the entire universe "after a severe binge drinking session."
This Flying Spaghetti Monster, also known as "Boiled" (RAmen), is most widely depicted as a twisted mass of noodles with two tentacle-like crab eyes and two delicious, giant meatballs embedded within the noodle mass, the three combined forming a "complex carbohydrate organism."
It is speculated that it was alcohol poisoning that caused the flying spaghetti monster to create a flawed Earth.
All evidence supporting evolution was placed by the noodle god.
He tests the devotion of his followers by making things appear older.
When scientists use scientific methods like radiometric dating to determine the age of things, the flying spaghetti monster "alters the measurements with his noodle-like divine appendages" to make the results appear older.
In the belief system of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Church, pirates are "absolute manifestations of divinity," and global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are caused by the decrease in the number of pirates.
Most importantly, every Friday is a holy day and a day of rest, and followers can use this as a basis to request the day off from their employers.
Judging from these absurd names and the meme-filled doctrines, this is clearly a satirical religion, used to refute theology.
Simon glanced sideways at little Su Xiangli, "If you believe in 'Boiled' so much, then today is Friday, why aren't you resting at home?"
Su Xiangli:!!! (⊙?⊙)
Seeing her deep in thought, Simon sighed and turned to look out the window.
Current windows are coated with hydrophobic materials, preventing water vapor from lingering, and they have automatic temperature control, so even if it's twenty or thirty degrees below zero outside, they feel warm to the touch, which leads to a very serious consequence—the glass doesn't fog up.
What's the happiest thing about school in winter?
Of course, it's hiding in a warm room and writing on a foggy glass.
But to talk about writing, that was a skill from elementary school; in kindergarten, scribbling was the most normal thing.
However, happiness was all in the past, and now he had nothing left.
There was really nothing much to say about such a winter.
Simon looked melancholically at the crowded window sill, feeling that nothing could make him happy anymore; he was the most profound and charming little handsome… "Ow—!!!"
Zhang Yingxuan shoved a handful of snow down Simon's back collar, watching his friend jump around like a kicked stray cat, and laughed heartily without being considerate.
Simon shivered, shook the snow out from the hem of his shirt, then glared at Zhang Yingxuan, and immediately sat back down, turning his head to look at the window sill.
I am very melancholic: Look at those vulgar little idiots, their unworldly appearance is truly shameful.
It's just a snow scene, isn't it?
Not to mention the southern snow is all show, even the snow scenes in the north are nothing extraordinary.
If you really want to appreciate snow, you should appreciate it in poetry; ancient and modern people alike always talk about snow.
Let me think, "A plum branch in the corner of the wall, blooming alone in the cold.
Far off, I know it's not snow…" Wait, this is about plum blossoms, uh, let me think again, "Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of trees and ten thousand pear blossoms bloom."
Right, this one is about snow… "Ow—!!!"
Qiu Qiongzh shoved a handful of snow down her friend's back collar, watching him scamper around like a rat with its backside on fire, and chuckled heartily without being considerate.
Simon glared at the two, "Can't you be a little more composed like me?"
Zhang Yingxuan pondered, "I was wrong, I apologize."
He then bowed deeply.
Simon, on the contrary, panicked, "It's nothing, it's nothing, rise, my dear minister!"
Qiu Qiongzh also pondered, "I know, you mean you've gotten fatter, so you're sad."
Zhang Yingxuan: So that's it!
Simon was furious, "Who's fat? This is all muscle, okay!"
Su Xiangli leaned over, "What are you all discussing?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Simon waved his hand.
Zhang Yingxuan: "Bad-bad said he got fat."
Qiu Qiongzh: "Mhm.
Got fat."
Su Xiangli scrutinized Simon with a suspicious and cautious gaze.
A sharp-eyed girl like her could easily give people a knife-like cold sensation.
Simon felt the snow mark on his back melting, wet and cold, his clothes sticking to his spine, clammy and uncomfortable.
"Su Su…"
"Oh!"
She exclaimed, walking to Simon's side, and pinched his upper arm with her two small white hands, "You really did get fat!"
"This is muscle."
"Then why is it so soft?"
Simon: (*￣︿￣) "This is called elasticity; this kind of muscle is the best…" What followed was a bunch of incomprehensible talk about human anatomy and physiology.
His friends burst into laughter, and a joyful atmosphere filled the classroom and beyond.
Qiu Qiongzh raised her hand.
"This student, please speak."
"Winter break is coming soon."
"Oh, right!"
It was truly a word that awakened everyone from their daze.
Winter break, hmm, the first winter break of his life, the sad and precious rotation leave between semesters, a simple life where he could stay home.
The most comfortable thing was that kindergarten had no winter or summer homework.
However, for children nowadays, whether it's a holiday or not, it's just the difference between studying at home and studying at school.
Schools close, but online classes never close; some online learning platforms even have the slogan "Three hundred sixty-five days a year, learning for a whole year.
A massive course material library, allowing you to learn new things every day."
What a demonic slogan!
Su Xiangli: "Where are you planning to go for the holiday?"
Zhang Yingxuan: "Some European country, I guess."
Qiu Qiongzh: "I don't know, maybe to the south.
To warm up."
Simon: "Uh, I'll have to ask my mom."
…
After school, Simon sent an email to Ms. Sun Hui.
He had expected to spend the New Year at home without incident, but his mother replied, "Go to Great-Grandfather's house."
Great-Grandfather?
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