Chapter 9#

Two days later, school started. No matter how bad his parents’ expressions were, they couldn’t keep him locked up forever. Chen Yuanming returned to his life of commuting between home and school. However, when he sat in his new seat with his schoolbag on his back, he didn’t feel complacent, but a deeper sense of incongruity.

More than a year of group exclusion and self-isolation had caused his image in the class to hit rock bottom. Ma Zhiqiang didn’t come to trouble him anymore, but the fearful look on this kid’s face when he faced Chen Yuanming, as if he wanted to say something but stopped, really made other students in the class have rich associations. Coupled with the head teacher’s continued targeted fault-finding and endless homework exercises in the third year of junior high, his campus life could ultimately only be described as boring.

Of course, if he managed the interpersonal relationships among his classmates with care, he might be able to improve his current situation, but Chen Yuanming was not in the mood. Even if he could pretend to be obedient and cute in front of Liu Yun and Sun Lang, he couldn’t really integrate into the lives of these 14 or 15-year-old children. The childishness and innocence that should be present at this age had long been erased by another memory. The games, topics, and ignorant feelings they were interested in were too distant for Chen Yuanming. Unknowingly, he no longer doubted the things in his memory, but was assimilated and swallowed by that memory, transforming into another soul.

This change was silent, but sensitive middle school students still sensed something wrong by intuition. Facing Chen Yuanming’s increasingly eccentric behavior, they adopted the most direct method. Chen Yuanming’s surroundings became more and more deserted, like a weirdo who had mistakenly intruded into the class, excluded by his classmates to a safe distance.

Chen Yuanming didn’t care about such an attitude. His gaze only lingered on the hands of those little girls for a few days, coldly observing the half-finger gloves grow from a few pairs to a dozen, and finally spread to the entire school. In less than a month, this kind of woolen glove became a new trend, but those made by Liu Yun were less than a handful.

He was right again.

However, this accurate prediction didn’t bring him much joy. In these days, Chen Yuanming gradually developed a habit. In addition to the daily schoolwork that needed to be completed, he had a draft book bound with waste paper on hand. The back of the book was filled with rows of plans. From food, small commodities, stamp collecting to scrap iron ingots from steel mills, partnering to resell materials, investing in gambling game halls, etc., he listed all the profit-making means he could think of, but each one ended with a huge black X.

Capital, time, connections, partners… All possible profitable industries required some degree of investment, but apart from that memory, he had no advantage. His family, his social situation, and his own age limit meant dead ends everywhere. It was impossible to achieve any success in such an environment.

Chen Yuanming’s gaze fell on the end of the paper again, where there was a date, a key turning point that could change anyone’s life, so close at hand, yet so far away.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuanming closed the notebook and walked out of the classroom amidst the bell signaling the end of evening self-study. It had been a month and a half since school started, and the school had already conducted two mock exams. Now he was fully confident of getting into the top three in the school and successfully advancing to the city’s No. 1 High School, but so what? In his heart, unwillingness and hesitation were tearing at him. He still couldn’t give up those coveted opportunities. Maybe these should be put aside until after getting into high school. No. 1 High School was a boarding school. With sufficient freedom, he could try to do some real money-making business. It was just waiting for another 3 months.

Holding various chaotic thoughts, he stepped onto the path home. It was already the end of April. When school was over, it was near dusk. The children running on the road were all in a hurry, anxious to go home for a hot dinner. In comparison, Chen Yuanming’s pace seemed too slow, so when he approached the staff dormitory building, there were few people around him. At this moment, at the end of the road, a familiar figure came into view.

“Uncle.”

Chen Yuanming was stunned and walked up quickly. The man standing by the doorway was his uncle Wang Tao. His mother’s family was relatively simple, with only three siblings. His eldest aunt followed the army in Gansu, and his uncle was the third child. He was currently working in the tractor factory and had mixed into the junior management level. He was also their only relative in L City now. After his father fell out with those aunts in the countryside because of his grandmother’s medical expenses, only his uncle still had some contact with the family.

“Doudou.” Wang Tao also saw Chen Yuanming and showed a slightly bitter smile. “School’s out? How are your grades now?”

“Not bad.” Chen Yuanming keenly noticed that the other party was not in a good mood. He hesitated for a moment, “My mom should be home. Come sit at home for a while, she…”

“It’s okay, I just came down from your house.” Wang Tao interrupted Chen Yuanming and waved his hand, “It’s getting late, I should go back too. Study hard, don’t make your mom worry too much.”

After saying something confusing, Wang Tao got on his bicycle and left along the bumpy path. Looking at the other’s back, Chen Yuanming was stunned for a while before walking upstairs.

Only Wang Juan was at home. It was late at night and the fire hadn’t been lit yet. She was sitting blankly by the bed, looking down at her fingers. Hearing the door open, she stood up with a start.

“You’re back.” A smile immediately appeared on her face, but because it was too stiff, it didn’t look much like a smile. Wang Juan lowered her eyes to hide it, “Mom got off work late today, I’ll go cook right away. Your dad is still working overtime at the factory, just the two of us…”

“Mom, I saw Uncle downstairs…” Chen Yuanming said softly, “Is there something wrong at home…”

“What nonsense are you talking about.” Wang Juan patted Chen Yuanming’s arm gently, “Your uncle just came to discuss something with me. You’re just a child, don’t worry so much, just study hard.”

Saying that, she pushed the door open and went out to start the fire for cooking, as if nothing had happened. However, Chen Yuanming couldn’t ignore her red eyes. Standing there for a while, he put down his schoolbag and sat by the bed.

Actually, in his impression, Chen Yuanming didn’t know much about the family situation when he was 15 or 16. He only remembered that when he was about to graduate from elementary school, his grandmother suddenly fell seriously ill. In order to treat her illness, they borrowed a large amount of foreign debt, amounting to several thousand yuan, but in the end, she couldn’t be saved. The family changed from an enviable dual-income family to a completely impoverished household. Relatives and friends were borrowed from all over. Although people were kind at that time, after all, no one was rich. The relationship became stiff after repeated debt collection.

In order to pay off the debt, his parents focused on work and had no time or interest in disciplining their children. He was the first generation of only children, with no siblings around, and was bullied at school. He felt painful for a long time due to his family’s ignorance and misunderstanding. Unknowingly, this family became shapeless, indifferent and alienated. In his previous life, he had never heard about the family situation from his parents, nor had he ever truly received their attention. Until 1994, when his mother was involved in a theft case in the factory and was laid off directly, he couldn’t hold back and went north to work…

However, in his previous life, the relationship between his family and his uncle’s family was indeed not very good. His uncle and aunt basically didn’t visit his home, as if there was some serious conflict. But what exactly caused the bad blood between the two families?

Eating, reviewing lessons, chatting, washing up… until bedtime, Chen Yuanming couldn’t get a word out of his mother. Looking at his mother who was still quietly mending clothes on the side, he sighed softly and turned to sleep.

He slept until midnight. When he was awakened by the tragic scene in his dream again, Chen Yuanming chose to lie quietly on the bed to catch his breath as usual. After panting lightly for a few breaths, he suddenly heard a faint conversation.

It was already early morning, long past the time to get off the night shift. Chen Yuanming turned his head calmly and eavesdropped on the whispers coming from the opposite side.

“…How about squeezing out some money to take there first?” A female voice said, very weak and a little uneasy.

“Where is the money coming from?” Another voice replied wearily, “Just paid back Liangzi five hundred yuan. We have to save even more on living expenses for these two months.”

“But Little Brother said Yuanyuan really can’t delay anymore. If it weren’t for treating your mother back then…” There was a crying tone in the voice, “Those sisters of yours, can’t you ask them to contribute a little? Isn’t that their mother?!”

“Keep it down.” A long silence, “Lingling’s son just started high school this year, her family is really… You know about Lili and her man, how can I ask?”

“If you can’t ask, can I ask? If it weren’t for Xiaotao helping our family back then, how could we have survived. Now Yuanyuan’s leg has been injured for so long. If it’s not treated, it will really leave a lasting ailment. How can I face the couple?”

“…I’ll switch to two shifts next month, and there will be overtime pay. Plus the little tuition fee saved…”

“Tuition fee can’t be touched! I heard people say that Doudou’s grades can definitely get into No. 1 High School. You know the tuition fee of No. 1 High School. What if it’s not enough?!”

“Isn’t there still two or three months!” The voice was slightly louder, bringing out some stubbornness, “Wait another two months, we can always turn it around…”

“Chen Jianhua! That’s your son! If he can’t go to high school, do you want him to be a worker like you for the rest of his life?”

“Do I not want him to go to high school and take the university entrance exam?! Tell me what other way is there? Have you asked how much the university tuition is? Now your brother is still chasing for money, what do you want me to do?”

“Go tell Lili! She should have paid back then. Lingling at least paid a little. How can she, as the eldest sister…”

“You go if you want!”

“Fine! I’ll go, even if I lose face! Don’t hold me back anymore. Not to mention one or two thousand, there should be seven or eight hundred!”

“She can hardly survive. If she gets divorced and leaves with nothing, what can she give you? How can you even open your mouth!”

“Chen Jianhua!”

Listening for too long, Chen Yuanming couldn’t help moving his neck. The buckwheat husk pillow made a slight rustling sound. The two voices beside him disappeared instantly. Chen Yuanming gently turned half of his body and faced the window. After a long time, a faint voice came from behind.

“Anyway, my son has to go to university. My Doudou is so smart, much more promising than you!”

The whispers slowly died down and finally turned into silence. Chen Yuanming’s eyes were wide open, staring blankly out the window. The curtains were still so thin that they couldn’t block the bright moonlight at all. In that dazzling light, he couldn’t close his eyes for a long time.