Dinner was served on a long table in the lobby on the first floor. Shao Dong took out a large red plastic bag from a wicker basket, inside which was a bowl of steamed buns.

The menu wasn't extensive, but the portions were enormous, consisting entirely of rustic stews served in large bowls.

He wiped his hands and divided the food into several portions so that everyone could get some: "These are all chickens raised on our own farm, and the vegetables are all freshly picked from the garden. Please have a taste."

There were already seven or eight people sitting at the table. Qi Yin, who usually crossed his arms, changed his posture, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted a piece of chicken.

Then he let out a surprised "Mmm!" and put his arm around Shao Dong like two good brothers. "You have to raise them yourself to eat well. It must be hard to make these, brother. Come sit down and let's eat together."

Two other people at the table chimed in, "Yes, let's sit down and eat together, and chat."

"You didn't even have time to eat after picking us up, did you? Please sit down. We're all very polite, so please don't stand on ceremony."

The players' overly friendly manner made Shao Dong blush with embarrassment.

At this time, the other players who had left the courtyard also returned to the small building.

As darkness deepened outside, before gaining a proper understanding of the current instance, it was best to be cautious on the first night and not stray too far.

A group of people sat on both sides of the long table. Including Shao Dong, there were ten people in total. Only the two seats at the very edge of the table were left.

Shi Jinzhe helped Shehe downstairs, holding her hand with one hand and supporting her from behind with the other. Shehe still couldn't use her legs to exert force and needed to use her legs to walk.

Qi Yin glanced at Shi Jin's hand resting on Shehe's waist, his palm loosely clenched into a fist, more like supporting him than helping him up.

One hand was clasped tightly, while the other maintained a gentlemanly gesture. It seemed intimate, but it was actually stiff. The man's body was tense, while the woman, who had difficulty moving, looked more relaxed.

Qi Yin looked away, not daring to look any longer. He remembered that when they were in the car, the woman seemed to be able to see him through the ribbon.

He pressed Shao Dong down, and the two sat down with their arms around each other's shoulders, starting to extract information: "Brother Shao, tell us about the situation in the village. We're here to solve your problems. There isn't even a decent road in this village. If we don't understand the situation, we won't be able to sleep tonight."

Sherman: "Yes, Mr. Shao, please tell us about the situation. We feel bad that we stewed our own chicken and want to help as soon as possible."

The two of them sang in unison, which moved Shao Dong deeply.

"I had this idea ten years ago, when I had only graduated a few years ago. In the city, girls in their twenties could still study and take the postgraduate entrance exam. But in our small mountain village, girls in their twenties already had two or three children."

I thought, what's the use of just having children? They have to be useful, otherwise they'll just be trapped in this poor, remote mountain area generation after generation. I've seen the outside world and I've seen mountain girls change their lives by going to university, so I want them to be able to go to school too.

Shi Jinzhe scrutinized Shao Dong. He spoke sincerely, but occasionally his brows would furrow slightly, revealing a hint of distress.

Shao Dong said in a deep voice, his determination evident in his tone, "Even if we can't change things, we should at least give them a chance to see the world and choose their own lives."

Choose the first occurrence of the keyword.

Apart from the three newcomers and Xu Jialu, who had only completed the dungeon twice, everyone else present had four or five runs of experience.

Impoverished mountain areas, education assistance, girls—these words together evoke the strongest impression of male chauvinism.

In some people's eyes, children are also a source of labor, especially girls. Before marriage, they have to work for their families. After marriage, they receive a dowry and belong to someone else's family. Whether they give birth or do hard labor, they are no longer under their own family's control.

Because of ignorance and the mental shackles passed down through generations, they submit to a predetermined fate and passively choose their lives.

For families like this, the effort and reward of reading are not proportional.

Upon reflection, Shao Dong's predicament likely stems from this issue: just because someone provides the opportunity to study doesn't mean these children can complete their education according to the established procedures.

Qi Yin tapped the bottom of his cup on the table, making a crisp "ding".

"Brother Shao, you have a great sense of righteousness. I will offer you a toast with water instead of wine."

On the other side of the table, Sherman also picked up a glass of water: "Big brother, it must be very difficult for you to do all this by yourself. Did you go around seeking sponsorships for the education fund?"

"Yes, for the first three years I relied on running around to support as many people as I could, on a small scale. In the fourth year, local news reported on my story, and this charity heard about it and took the initiative to contact me."

Shi Jinzhe asked, "Was this building funded by a charity? How much do you know about their legal representative or organizer?"

After asking the question, he added, "This is my first time volunteering. I'm full of enthusiasm, but when I got here, I realized I had no experience and didn't know anything."

"It's alright, it's alright. They paid for the house, and I hired someone to build it. The organizer is a pretty big online platform. I checked their official website, and it seems quite reliable. At least the money was really given to me."

"Then do you have their annual..."

Before he could finish his question, Shao Dong's phone rang. He answered it, and a young girl's voice came through, sounding like she was crying. The two of them chattered away in a dialect that no one could understand.

After hanging up the phone, Shao Dong smiled apologetically at everyone, "A student of mine has a family emergency, and I have to go and take care of it."

He stood up and said, "Take your time eating. You don't need to clean up after you're done. Just leave it on the table. I'll come back tomorrow." He waved his hand twice and hurriedly left, only to trip over the threshold without warning and almost fall.

Shi Jinzhe, who was at the very edge, heard him mutter to himself, "Really, I forgot there's a threshold here again."

The questions I wanted to ask remained unasked; time has run out, and I can only wait until tomorrow.

He recalled several charity projects he had handled in the past, and even if he kept a close eye on them, the money could still be skimmed off layer by layer.

If a non-profit organization wants to maintain its credibility, it will make its financial expenditures transparent every year. Just because money is in hand doesn't mean it's doing something worthwhile.

The charity learned about Shaodong's work from the news, and the target of their aid was girls in remote mountain villages who couldn't afford to go to school.

The donated money should have been used for teaching resources or support for rural education, but judging from this incongruous two-story building, it's hard to say whether the funds were used for their intended purpose.

There are few signs that this house has ever been lived in. Shao Dong is not familiar with this place, so it wasn't built for him.

Instead of repairing the most frequently used roads in the small mountain village, they built a house that no one uses. Even if someone is taking kickbacks, they should take the money for building the house, not the money for repairing the road.

If no one takes kickbacks, then it's because they specifically wanted to build a house here.

After much contemplation, I wondered, what is this house intended for?