A gentle summer breeze was blowing.
The blackboard is covered with white chalk writing, and the figure on the podium keeps changing.
Returning to the classroom suddenly made Zhou Chen feel quite out of sorts, as if everything was a dream. He even thought that his rebirth was also a dream, and that once he woke up, he would return to that failed life.
Fortunately,
Zhou Chen pinched his arm hard, and the pain told him that what he was seeing was real.
He focused his attention and listened intently to the teacher's explanation, but unfortunately, it was impossible to recover all the knowledge he had neglected for three years at once.
Even though he stayed up all night reviewing, he still only skimmed through the material.
I still have no clue when faced with some problems.
But Zhou Chen has an advantage that his peers don't have: he has an extremely stable mindset.
Perhaps it's because he's seen and experienced so much that his mindset is exceptionally mature; while others exude youthful naiveté, you can't see it in him.
Zhou Chen gives off a mature vibe, and his homeroom teacher, Ms. Wu, also says he's much more mature than the average student.
"How did you feel after a day of classes? Have you rediscovered the energy you had when you were in school?"
Inside the office, Teacher Wu asked Zhou Chen with a concerned expression.
Zhou Chen shook his head with a wry smile, "I'm trying to adapt because I've forgotten too many things, and some parts have been changed, but I think it won't be long."
Seeing that Zhou Chen, though frustrated, remained confident, Teacher Wu nodded secretly, feeling much relieved. He patted Zhou Chen on the shoulder and smiled:
"It's okay. It's only your first day back, so it's perfectly normal that you're not quite in the zone yet. Learning is something that takes time to develop. With your intelligence and your previous foundation, you'll definitely adapt quickly. I believe in you."
Zhou Chen also believes this; if he didn't have this confidence, he wouldn't have come back to study at all.
"By the way, Xiao Chen, this is your school uniform. It fits your size. Wear it to school tomorrow."
suddenly,
Ms. Wu took out a brand new school uniform from under her desk.
"Teacher Wu, how much is this school uniform? I'll pay you for it."
"Don't worry about the money. This school uniform is too big for other people, but it fits you perfectly. It would be a waste to leave it there. Just don't mind it."
Teacher Wu said with a smile.
Zhou Chen knew that Teacher Wu must have wanted him to accept it without feeling guilty, so she made up this reason in order not to hurt his self-esteem.
School uniforms are custom-made according to the students' height and weight, so how could there be any extra? The reason for saying this is simply to give him a reasonable excuse.
Zhou Chen was touched. Teacher Wu knew that his family was not well-off, so she indirectly saved him money for school uniforms.
Considering his feelings and upholding his dignity, the best way to repay Teacher Wu is to study hard and get into a good university.
"Thank you, Teacher Wu."
Zhou Chen did not refuse. Wearing construction site clothes to class was indeed inappropriate for a student. It was too conspicuous and would attract attention no matter where he appeared on campus.
The teacher and student chatted for a while longer before Zhou Chen said goodbye to Teacher Wu.
As Zhou Chen was preparing to ride his bicycle to the construction site, he saw his second sister, Zhou Na, and several other girls chatting and laughing at the school gate.
With just one glance, Zhou Chen looked away, got on his bicycle and left, without any intention of speaking to Zhou Na.
"Zhou Na, what are you looking at? Do you know that person?"
A girl noticed Zhou Na staring blankly at the receding figure, so she suddenly patted her and asked.
Zhou Na was stunned for a moment, and was about to blurt out that it was her brother, but she swallowed the words back.
At this time,
Another girl laughed and said, "He's just a migrant worker, probably here to work at our school. How could Zhou Na possibly know him?"
"Yes, I thought it was someone Zhou Na knew."
When Zhou Na heard her classmates say that Zhou Chen was a migrant worker, she felt a little uncomfortable, but more than that, she felt ashamed.
However, she did not refute it because she did not want people to know about her relationship with Zhou Chen.
Even if Zhou Chen comes back to school now.
When she first saw Zhou Chen come out of the school, she was actually worried that Zhou Chen might come over and say hello to her.
That way, her classmates would all know that she has an older brother who works on a construction site, which is not a scene she wants to see. So, at the first moment, she tried to avoid Zhou Chen's gaze and did not want Zhou Chen to find out.
Fortunately, Zhou Chen didn't notice her.
Zhou Chen had no idea what Zhou Na was thinking; of course, even if he did, he wouldn't be surprised.
The construction site canteen has just opened for lunch.
As soon as Zhou Chen arrived at the canteen, he saw Sister Li Juan busy at work, with her coworkers lining up in a long queue.
Master Xu Laoqi was also helping out.
Seeing this, Zhou Chen quickly stepped forward and snatched the cooking spoon from Xu Laoqi's hand, saying, "Master, I can do it. You go and eat first."
"Haha, alright, it's perfect that you're here. I'll take a break."
Xu Laoqi spoke casually, then went to the dining table next to him and enjoyed a hearty meal with the workers.
Half an hour later,
Almost all the workers finished eating and went back to rest, while Li Juan was busy washing dishes and plates.
After giving Li Juan some instructions, Zhou Chen went to the accountant's office.
After a while,
As Zhou Chen stepped out of the office, he looked at the money in his hand and felt an indescribable joy.
After deducting the daily cost of contracting the canteen and the cost of purchasing vegetables, including the wages paid to Li Juan, his net profit was as high as three hundred yuan.
In other words, he only needs to get up early to prepare the ingredients and arrange the dishes, and he can earn nearly 10,000 yuan a month.
This is no small sum. Keep in mind that in 2000, the average wage was only eight or nine hundred yuan, and in some underdeveloped areas, it was even lower.
Even construction workers who do manual labor only earn thirty yuan a day, with a monthly salary of nearly a thousand yuan.
He contracted the canteen, and his monthly income was almost equivalent to a worker's annual income.
It's impossible not to be excited.
“Sister Juan can’t handle it all by herself. We can’t let Master work too hard. Master is already tired enough. It would be best to hire another person so that I can have an easier time.”
Zhou Chen is not greedy. He can earn more, but he doesn't want to do so by exploiting others.
After cleaning up the cafeteria with Li Juan and returning to the neighborhood, Zhou Chen gave Li Juan his wages for the day and suggested that she find someone of good character to work in the cafeteria with her, for whom he was willing to pay the same wage.
Li Juan said no problem, as she happens to have a relative who is looking for a job.
After parting ways with Li Juan, Zhou Chen turned and went home, but just as he opened the door...
I was stunned for a moment.
The house is a mess, with obvious signs of being ransacked. Has it been broken into?
Zhou Chen frowned and immediately planned to call the police.
Just then, a neighbor passed by and said that Zhou Ling had come back in the morning and left carrying a box.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen realized that a thief had broken into his own house.
It seems that the door lock needs to be replaced.
...
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