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Xia Libing was holding the pair of chopsticks, making the motions of picking up food, just as comfortably as expected.

Nana had praised multiple times in the group before how the pair of chopsticks that Xiang Kun had given her were so useful. She used to struggle with picking up food, especially when eating out with pointed chopsticks. But with the chopsticks that Xiang Kun had given her, picking up food became very smooth and stable.

Nana even said that this pair of chopsticks might be the reason she has gained five kilos in the past few months…

The pair of chopsticks that Xia Libing now held, although completely different from Nana’s, were visibly longer, even longer than ordinary chopsticks. The rear was square, gradually becoming round towards the front. Compared to the chopsticks that Xiang Kun gave Nana, these ones were much sharper at the ends. However, in Xia Libing’s hand, they were incredibly flexible, effortless, and fitting.

In Xia Libing’s view, using chopsticks to pick up food and eat is a “single-handed, high-frequency, effortful lever action”.

So, from the simple perspective of performing work, the lighter the material of the chopsticks and the closer the center of gravity is to the fulcrum, the better. Of course, there are many other factors to consider when using chopsticks in practice.

Although most people can use chopsticks, each person’s way of using them might not be the same. Parents generally don’t pay much attention to correcting this when their children are young, as long as they can pick up food. Just like writing with a pen or typing on a keyboard, there are various techniques. So, for different people, different hands, different postures, the adaptability of different chopsticks differs – though they can all pick up food.

For instance, Nana’s way of holding chopsticks is somewhat “unconventional”, similar to holding a pen. When trying to pick up food, the tips of the chopsticks often overlap. That’s why when the tips close, they can only just make contact. With pointed chopsticks, it’s hard to completely close the tips, making it harder to pick up food. That’s why the chopsticks Xiang Kun gave her were flat-ended. The length and balance were just perfect for her.

On the other hand, Xia Libing’s chopstick holding technique was more standard. The upper chopstick moves and opens. No matter whether it is open or closed when picking up food, there is always a little gap at the tail. So using pointed chopsticks feels very easy for her. Pointed chopsticks are not only lighter overall but also have a center of gravity closer to the fulcrum, making more intricate operations, such as removing fish bones, easier.

“How is it, do they feel good to use?” Xiang Kun chuckled as he watched Xia Libing fiddle with the chopsticks in her hand.

Xia Libing glanced at him and nodded, “Very good.”

She thought to herself: Obviously, when Xiang Kun gives chopsticks to different people, he “customizes” them according to their habits. However, judging from the feelings of using the chopsticks in her hand, the degree of this “customization” seems a bit too high.

The way one holds chopsticks indicates whether pointed or flat-ended ones are more suitable, which anyone can figure out with observant eyes. But in the case of the chopsticks that Xiang Kun gave her, even their length, balance, and thickness were very suitable, making the movements of opening, closing, and holding the chopsticks very effortless and smooth. This requires a lot of observation.

Xia Libing thought to herself: If she were to make the chopsticks, leaving aside the difficulty of making chopsticks, just the collection of data on chopstick-using habits would require a large observation sample and fine-tuning. The best way would be to have the user collaborate by using semi-finished products, providing feedback, and making multiple fine-tunings. Only then would it be possible to achieve such a high degree of fit.

However, Xiang Kun didn’t do this. Just a few days ago when he left Tongshi Town, he suddenly said he wanted to give her chopsticks, and now he had a finished product, which according to its details, seemed to be freshly made. And from his demeanor, he seemed very confident that these chopsticks would fit perfectly to her habits. Why could he be so sure without ever receiving feedback? Why was he so confident?

After toying with the chopsticks for a while, Xia Libing put them back in the box and placed the box into the backpack Xiang Kun used for her clothes.

She had some additional suspicions, which needed verification after she got back.

“Won’t you order something to drink?” Xia Libing asked as she glanced at the American coffee before herself.

“I just had dinner before coming here, so I’m full,” Xiang Kun replied.

Xia Libing didn’t ask him what he wanted to drink and instead suggested, “Let’s play a game.”

“A game?” Xiang Kun was trying to find an excuse for Xia Libing to put the chopsticks in her bedroom that night, as close to her bed as possible. Suddenly hearing this proposal, he was surprised, “What game?”

Xia Libing took out a one yuan coin from her pocket and said, “Let’s play a coin guessing game.”

Xiang Kun naturally recognized at first glance that the one yuan coin lying in her palm was the one he had given her a “super sensory contact” with and that she had taken a few days ago before she left for the moving train in Tongshi Town.

Coin guessing?

Isn’t this just handing off points?

When Old Xia asked for a coin in Tongshi Town, Xiang Kun knew that she must’ve noticed that there was something off with Nana’s “lucky coin”. So now, she was just trying to verify it directly?

“Sure, how do we play?” Xiang Kun laughed, “We can’t just play for nothing, there has to be some winnings to it.”

Xia Libing nodded, “Then, each lost round means you owe me a meal.”

“OK,” Xiang Kun laughed inwardly. He didn’t mind Xia Libing finding out something was off with the coin at all. On the contrary, he was rather looking forward to Xia Libing “discovering” something from the coin.

So, with this coin-guessing game, he was not planning on holding back.

Let Old Xia guess a few times, and she’ll owe him several meals – though he didn’t exactly like eating.

Xia Libing held the coin behind her back and switched it between hands, from right to left, then from left to right, before presenting him with two closed fists to guess which one held the coin.

Without any hesitation or apparent effort, Xiang Kun swiftly pointed to her right fist.

Xia Libing nodded and said very calmly, “I lost.” There wasn’t a single hint of surprise or regret as if she knew the outcome all along.

They went through four more rounds, and each time, Xiang Kun was able to guess correctly instantly.

What Xiang Kun found amusing was that starting from the third round, Xia Libing secretly switched the “super sensory contact” coin with a normal one – she hid the coin under her thigh and replaced it with a normal one.

Xia Libing’s movements were actually quite discreet and quick, but because Xiang Kun had a “super sensory contact” with the coin, he could sense its exact location almost immediately, thus knowing right away when she switched the coin.

Even without the benefit of “Super Sensory Contact,” Xiang Kun could easily guess which hand held the coin, based on his innate ability.

He could switch to infrared thermographic vision mode to observe. While thermography isn’t X-ray and can’t peer directly into the closed fist, the blood flow is minutely different in a fist that holds a coin as opposed to a fist that doesn’t. This difference presents itself in varying heat signatures. Once he has a preset target, he can quickly discern these differences, and make a judgement.

So just like guessing the hand that held the “Super Sensory Contact” coin, he didn’t hesitate or make a mistake.

After five rounds, Xia Libing stopped playing with Xiang Kun, putting the coins away, and saying, “I owe you five meals. Just let me know when you’re free, I’ll get the ingredients ready and you can come over to my place.”

Xiang Kun paused to inquire, “Um… when you say you will get the ingredients ready…who exactly is going to cook?”

“You,” Xia Libing replied, crisply and decisively, as if it were a matter of course.

“Hey, hang on…” Xiang Kun pointed at himself and then at Old Xia, forming five fingers with his hand, “It was me who won the five meals from you!”

Xia Libing nodded, “Yes, I’m treating you to dinner. I bought the ingredients and invited you to my place. If you don’t fancy eating raw, you can cook them. I have all the spices, oil and other condiments as well as pots and other kitchen utensils. I got everything ready when you came over last time. Of course, if there’s anything else you need, let me know in advance and I’ll get it for you. If you want to eat it raw, you can do that, too.”

Seeing Old Xia saying this as naturally and seriously as if he were saying something mundane, Xiang Kun couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “You’re not really Old Xia, are you? You’re Yang Lao San in disguise, right…”

Xia Libing widened his eyes and stared at him, an expression of “amazement” on his face, “How did you figure it out?”

Xiang Kun laughed, acknowledging Old Xia’s capital skills as a deadpan comedian. Like Yang Lao San, his cousin, Old Xia is generally aloof, but in his bones, the same comedic gene runs through. However, judging by the many pieces of sensory information monitored, Old Xia’s emotions haven’t fluctuated significantly from the start, at least biologically speaking – heartbeat, breathing, scent, microexpression – nothing seems out of the ordinary. This is consistent with his usual behaviour.

Comparatively, Xia Libing’s emotions only see significant changes during mealtimes.

“You’re… Kun, right?” At that moment, a woman in her forties sitting diagonally across them rose and walked over to him after observing him for a few glances and asked.

Xiang Kun turned towards the woman with an expression of surprise, appearing to notice her for the first time, and then turned it into a delighted one: “Ah! Sister-in-law, what a coincidence!”

This middle-aged lady was the wife of his father’s cousin’s son, his cousin’s wife, who had been in the café for a while now.

In fact, as soon as Sister-in-law had entered, Xiang Kun noticed her. But given his own drastic changes, even his own mother didn’t recognize him at first sight. He figured Sister-in-law wouldn’t be able to recognize him either. Thus, he didn’t intend to go say hello proactively.

Unexpectedly, Sister-in-law recognized him?

“When I dined with your Auntie a while ago, she told me about your new ‘personalized’ look, a shaven head. I noticed your head as soon as I walked in and was reminded of what your Auntie mentioned. I thought you should be back for the Lunar New Year, and the more I looked at you, the more familiar you seemed, and it turns out it was really you!” Sister-in-law said as she glanced between Xiang Kun and Xia Libing, her eyes squinted, seemingly trying to conceal her burning gossip curiosity.

“Yes, I only arrived in Citong in the afternoon. Sister-in-law, did you come here to have a drink with friends?” Xiang Kun looked friendly as he responded, he then smiled and nodded towards the three middle-aged ladies over at Sister-in-law’s table, all looking this way with expressions that screamed ‘gossip’.

“Yes, we are a few old classmates and sisters catching up, what a coincidence! This beautiful young lady is really stunning, is she…?” Sister-in-law then turned her gaze onto Xia Libing, questioning.

Xiang Kun pointed to the backpack that was currently at Xia Libing’s feet, “This is the sister of my friend who is working in Citong, I am helping my friend deliver something to her on this trip back.”

“Oh, so she’s your friend’s sister. You should definitely take care of her. You guys chat, you guys chat! You guys should only need to go back to work after the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, right? Remember to make time to visit us after the new year, you haven’t visited us in a long while, right? Your two nephews have been anticipating your red packet!” After saying a few sentences, Sister-in-law left to join her friends at their table, occasionally sending over an expression of “Keep it up”, “I’m watching you,” and “Hehe.”

Looking a bit helpless, Xiang Kun checked his phone and said to Xia Libing, “It’s getting late, I’ll walk you home. Any plans for tomorrow evening? Are you going over to your Third Uncle and Third Aunt’s place?”

Xia Libing picked up her backpack given to her by Xiang Kun and stood up, returning, “On duty.”

“A night shift?” Xiang Kun asked.

“A night shift,” Xia Libing affirmed.

“Alright, then tomorrow evening I’ll get you some late-night snacks?” Xiang Kun suggested.

“Okay,” Xia Libing nodded in agreement.

The two left the café, Xiang Kun, who was supposed to see Xia Libing home, glanced at her and bade her farewell, then proceeded to walk in the opposite direction.

Xia Libing’s face remained unchanged as she bid farewell and continued to walk towards her apartment complex, she didn’t question Xiang Kun or show any signs of surprise.

The apartment complex where she lived wasn’t far from the café, a 15-minute walk was all it took and no cab was necessary. She walked at a steady pace, backpack in tow.

Not long into her walk, she checked her phone and saw a message sent by Xiang Kun: “Someone is following you. Don’t look back, keep walking home. Let me see what he’s up to.”

Xia Libing’s expression remained calm. After replying with an OK emoticon, she continued her unhurried journey home.

In the nearby vicinity, the young man who had been playing with his phone in the corner of the café lifted his head up to watch Xiang Kun’s backside disappear around the corner of the street, then started walking in the direction Xia Libing had taken, all the while texting on his phone.

However, what he didn’t know was that Xiang Kun, who had just reached the corner, paused for a moment. Using the reflection from car windows, he confirmed that the man wasn’t looking in his direction. He then turned back around.

Before coming to this place and entering the café, Xiang Kun had noticed this young man who was seemingly playing with his phone in the cold, huddled outside.

He noticed that the young man, although seemed to be playing with his phone, was actually concentrating towards the cafe. But at that time, he didn’t know that the young man was paying attention to Old Xia, so he didn’t pay too much attention. However, when he and Old Xia came out, Xiang Kun saw the man quickly glanced over and locked his gaze on them, his body slightly tense. He immediately realized—this person waiting outside the café was keeping an eye on Old Xia.