Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 296 Let’s Play a Game (1/2)

Chapter 296: Chapter 296 Let’s Play a Game

Translator: 549690339

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.