Chapter 6
That year, Lin Ting was studying at Tianjin University, a national key 211 university, formerly the National Textile Research Institute. Therefore, the university's Clothing and Textile Department was ranked first in the country, and Lin Ting was a third-year student majoring in Clothing Design and Engineering within that department. This department differed from purely design-oriented art schools; it included many engineering disciplines such as ergonomics, pattern making, and draping. This meant that graduates of this major could not only design clothing but also independently create patterns and produce garments, making them highly sought after in fashion groups.
Because she comes from a single-parent family, Lin Ting applied for a student loan as soon as she entered university to alleviate the family's financial burden. While others relaxed their studies during university, she maintained the diligent and hardworking attitude she had in high school, earning scholarships every semester for her excellent grades. She also worked part-time off-campus, doing all the common student jobs she could find, such as tutoring, working at a bubble tea shop, and distributing flyers. Her days were always packed, often leaving her exhausted.
During her junior year summer vacation, she applied to stay on campus to work on her graduation project. Her graduation project required designing and producing a series of themed clothing, which was not an easy task. In order to obtain the title of the most outstanding graduate and to leave school early for an internship, she applied to stay. At the same time, she also wanted to find a simple summer tutoring job to earn some extra money. So what would be considered simple? Tutoring elementary school students would be considered relatively easy.
That day, Lin Ting received a call from a graduate student in the same major. The student said that a high school senior had dropped out of school almost a year ago and wanted to find a tutor to help him catch up on his studies during the summer vacation so he could prepare for the college entrance examination next year. The specific reasons for dropping out of school were not yet clear, but the student said that his family was anxious and they were willing to hire a responsible tutor at a high salary.
Everyone knows that there's only one year left before the college entrance exam, and to throw a tantrum and drop out of school clearly shows that he's not cut out for studying. It would be a waste of his energy and effort, so Lin Ting immediately refused.
"Think about it again. The salary offered is 100 yuan per hour, which is currently the highest hourly wage for tutors. If we weren't close and I didn't know you wanted to find a tutoring job to earn some living expenses, I wouldn't have introduced this job to you."
Zhao Ting, a first-year graduate student majoring in Fashion Design and Engineering at Tianjin University, is from a poor family like Lin Ting and often works part-time off-campus to earn living expenses. The two met at a promotional event and later frequently shared opportunities to make money. In addition, they understood each other's financial difficulties and felt sympathy for each other, which deepened their friendship.
"Senior, why didn't you keep such a good opportunity for yourself?" Lin Ting asked, puzzled.
Zhao Ting sighed, "I want to go too, but there's nothing I can do. My mentor and a fashion group have started a new project together, and I've been appointed as the project leader. I'm running between the school and the company every day, and I just don't have the energy."
Lin thought for a moment, but still hesitated. "But I want to use these two months to finish my graduation project, so I'd like to find a tutor for elementary school students so I don't have to spend too much time preparing lessons."
Zhao Ting advised her, "I know your design skills. Your graduation project won't take up too much of your energy. You can't earn such a high hourly wage for tutoring elementary school students. You'll be doing an internship in the second half of the year. If your internship is far from the school and doesn't provide food and accommodation, you'll have to rent a place yourself, which can be quite expensive. Why don't you take this opportunity to save up the money for rent?"
Lin Ting fell silent. What her senior said made sense. Companies are capitalists. Interns are just cheap but useful laborers. Before a formal contract is signed, their wages are just a drop in the bucket and can't even cover basic living expenses.
"They've arranged to meet tomorrow at 2 PM. Get ready and dress a little more formally."
"Okay, thank you, senior."
The next day, Lin Ting wore a light pink cotton blazer, which she had specially bought at a clothing store for her part-time job interview. The style was simple, but the quality was excellent. She also tied her shoulder-length hair into a fishtail braid and applied very light makeup. She had never cared much about her appearance, but she had the advantage of being young and naturally fair-skinned, which was something many girls envied about Lin Ting. They could apply several layers of foundation and still not be as fair-skinned as Lin Ting. As the saying goes, fair skin covers a hundred flaws, and with just a little styling, she looked fresh and elegant.
To appear more knowledgeable, she wore large black-rimmed glasses, which made her look much more mature, but also instantly diminished her good looks.
The agreed meeting place was a Chinese teahouse not far from the school, which was quite famous in the area, and Lin Ting found it quickly.
"Hello! Do you have an appointment?" A waiter dressed in traditional Chinese tea attire came forward to greet you.
"Yes, there is, the Water Pavilion."
"Okay, please follow me."
Passing through the teahouse's front hall and a path paved with bluestone, you'll see a pavilion sitting in the center of a pond, surrounded by swirling mist, perfectly matching its name, "Shuishangxuan" (Water Pavilion).
Upon entering, a fresh and elegant tea setting greeted us, accompanied by the fragrant aroma of tea. A dignified and graceful woman stood up in response, a gentle smile on her face, and asked in a warm tone, "Are you Teacher Lin?"
Lin Ting took off her shoes, walked to the opposite side of the tea table, and bowed first. "Hello! I am Lin Ting. May I ask how I should address you?"
"Please sit down. My surname is Chen, and my given name is Lan. You can call me Aunt Chen or Mama Chen." She then offered a cup of tea. "This is oolong peach tea. It's sweet, and you girls will like it."
"Thank you, Aunt Chen." Lin Ting sat down, took the teacup, and took a sip. It was indeed fragrant and sweet.
“Teacher Lin, let me get straight to the point. My son has been out of school since October last year. He was supposed to take the college entrance exam this year, but he gave up because he stayed at home and didn’t go to class. We talked to him a while ago and we agreed that he would go back to school in September to repeat his senior year. He has been resting for almost a year and has fallen behind in his studies. So we want to find a tutor to help him catch up on the missed lessons during the summer vacation. You can name your price. We only have one requirement for the tutor: that he can be understanding.”
He doesn't play by the rules. Normally, people would ask for patience or immediately ask, "What were your college entrance exam scores?" or "Which subject were you best at in school?" He actually mentioned tolerance, which confirms my suspicion that he has a strange temper and is difficult to deal with.
"Auntie, you mean tolerance? I don't quite understand." Lin asked cautiously.
A long sigh came from the other end of the line. "My son has never been very close to us since he was little. His father and I were busy with our careers and neglected to take care of him. We often argued over the smallest things. This time, he dropped out of school partly because he injured his foot, and partly because he wanted to take the entrance exam for acting school. This is completely contrary to the family's expectations for him, and we could never agree to him going down this path. In addition, he resented that we couldn't be there for him when he was little and that we left him in the care of the housekeeper. After the talks completely broke down, he gave up his studies and stayed home all day."
Wait, isn't this just like the spoiled prince character in those wealthy family novels who doesn't know the hardships of life and thinks the whole world has wronged him?
It turns out that these kinds of romanticized stories about wealthy families can be quite realistic.
"Auntie, what do you need me to do?" Lin Ting was a little uneasy. What could a tutor do besides helping with homework? She couldn't possibly be a family mediator on her own, and she didn't want to get involved in this mess.
"Don't be nervous. Your most important job here is to tutor him in his studies. Also, I hope you can communicate with him more. You are about the same age, so you can have a more harmonious conversation. Let him open up and stop getting stuck on his own thoughts."
"This... do you overestimate my emotional intelligence or underestimate your son's temper?" Lin Ting thought to herself. She was a rather aloof person who did things her own way and didn't want to meddle in other people's business. Communication was such a time-consuming and laborious thing, and it would be so embarrassing if they ended up arguing over a disagreement.
“Auntie, tutoring is my duty, and I will definitely do my best. But this is a knot in his heart, and you are the one who can untie it. I can’t take on this responsibility, or you can.”
Before Lin could finish listening, Chen Lan interjected, "Don't feel pressured. Actually, the psychologist suggested we find a tutor for my son. He's reluctant to confide in his family, so perhaps finding someone of similar age who he doesn't know well would help him lower his guard. That's why we're looking for a tutor. You can try it out first, and if you don't think it's suitable, you can always let us know. I know my son quite well. Although he can be a bit temperamental at times, he's a very warm-hearted person. Moreover, his family has always placed great emphasis on his etiquette and moral education, and he's very polite, especially respectful towards girls."
Is this psychologist a self-taught individual? He wouldn't confide in someone he knows, but he can open up to a complete stranger? Is this some kind of joke? The more I listen, the less believable it seems. Forget it, I'd better not take this job.
Lin Ting pondered for a moment, preparing to refuse.
"How about an hourly wage of 100 yuan, and the daily tutoring time can be two hours or one hour, depending on your availability."
100 per hour, 200 for two hours, 6,000 for a month if you work full-time, and over 10,000 in a summer vacation, enough to cover a year's living expenses. Moreover, 100 yuan per hour was the highest hourly wage for tutors at the time, less than half of the normal rate.
I'm definitely tempted, but I'm also conflicted. It's a hot potato, but also a potato that's gleaming with gold. How could I not want to take a bite?
Chen Lan noticed Lin Ting's hesitation and knew she needed to give her a push. So she leaned over, patted Lin Ting's hand, and looked at her with trust in her eyes. "Teacher Lin, please take good care of her from now on. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. As long as you can keep up with the school's pace in your studies, that's fine. The main thing is that I hope you can communicate with him more and not always be confined to your own thinking. You can contact me anytime if you have any questions later."
"I'd rather bow down for a meager living than not taste this golden sweet potato myself. If it's really hard to eat, we'll see later," Lin Ting nodded in agreement.
The next day, Lin Ting found the community—Xiangyi Zijunfu—based on the address given by Chen's mother. It was a modern Chinese-style community with an antique charm.
This is a high-end residential community. It doesn't seem to be very large, with only eight high-rise residential buildings. However, in the heart of the community, there is a small area of low-density villas. These are not townhouses or stacked villas, but detached houses with their own yards. They are proper villas with fountains, gardens, or private swimming pools, and they occupy a considerable area.
Security in this community is quite strict. You have to register your ID card to enter through the main gate. In the central villa area, the security guards even need to communicate with the owners by phone to confirm that there are visitors before letting you in. Alternatively, the owners have to inform the security guards in advance what time their guests will be visiting.
Lin Ting belonged to the latter group. She stood in front of the security booth at the pedestrian entrance of the villa area. The security guard verified her information and only allowed her to enter after confirming that everything was correct.
"I'll take a close-up photo of you so the property management can register it for facial recognition access control. After that, you can just scan your face to come in. The homeowner has given me instructions."
"OK."
After collecting the information, Lin asked the gatekeeper for the exact location of the villa before entering the villa area.
As the security guard watched Lin Ting's retreating figure, he said to another security guard in the booth, "That girl is quite fair-skinned and has a clean and pretty face. But why is she wearing such big black-rimmed glasses? If we hadn't asked her to take them off when we were recording her face, we wouldn't have noticed. Her beauty is being hidden. Don't girls her age all care about their appearance? Wearing contact lenses or getting vision correction surgery would be a good idea."
"Look how simply she's dressed. Her jeans are faded from washing. You can tell she's not a girl who cares much about dressing up."
That's true, if they're tutoring, their families probably aren't well-off.
Lin Ting was wearing a plain white T-shirt, light blue cropped jeans, and white sneakers. It was indeed a very ordinary outfit, but she was tall and slender, and from a distance, she looked graceful and elegant. She walked slowly and occasionally admired the surrounding environment.
Indeed, the villa area was far superior to the surrounding high-rise residential areas—beautiful, quiet, and excessively green. There was even a sizable artificial lake, and in the height of summer, many water lilies were in bloom, their fragrance carried on the gentle breeze. Rows of uniquely designed three-story villas surrounded the lake, their dappled shade created by the lush greenery. It was hard to imagine that such a tranquil haven existed in the bustling, expensive city center. Even at 3 pm on a summer afternoon, walking along the tree-lined paths didn't feel so hot.
No wonder everyone in the city knows that those who live in Xiangyi Zijun Mansion are either rich or noble, and those who live in the central villa area are extremely rare.
The villa area is divided into three sections: A, B, and C. There aren't many, and with the detailed signage, Lin Ting quickly found building A3. It wasn't much different from the other villas; white stucco walls combined with black roof tiles and large floor-to-ceiling windows created a blend of classic and modern styles. What set it apart was that this villa clearly occupied the largest area, with its arched iron gate and stone lions on either side adding to its grandeur.
The small building has its own garden. As you walk in, you can hear the sound of the fountain. The south-facing windows face the artificial lake, where several swans are leisurely swimming, like large white lotus flowers floating on the water. Near the lake, there are also several pairs of mandarin ducks playing in the water.
High-end residential areas are truly different. Ordinary residential areas might at most have a few koi carp roaming in the water to add some human touches to the landscape. Here, rare aquatic animals like swans and mandarin ducks can be raised freely, and they grow up to look like they're not neglected at all—they're large and have glossy feathers.
Watching them play carefree, Lin Ting suddenly had a mischievous thought pop into his head. He picked up a small stone from the roadside and hurled it across the lake, breaking their affectionate pairing. The stones scattered in all directions. He then threw several more stones into the lake, creating beautiful ripples that spread outwards in concentric circles.
She was born in a small town in southern China, where a long river runs through the entire town. When she was little, she and her friends often played skipping stones on the riverbank. When she was naughty, she loved to chase after the wild ducks on the river. The splashing water would often wet the neighbors who were washing vegetables or clothes on the riverbank, but they would never say a word of complaint. They would just frown and say in a slightly serious tone, "Don't be naughty." The children would then make funny faces at the adults, wiggle their bottoms, and giggle.
Childhood was wonderful; carefree and without worries, I never wanted to grow up.
With a "meow," a little orange cat emerged from the roadside bushes.
"Where did this cat come from?" Lin Ting was pleasantly surprised and leaned forward to take a closer look. It was chubby with a round head, pink ears standing up high, round eyes shining green, and fluffy orange and white stripes on its body.
"You're so cute!" Lin Ting tried to touch its whiskers and found that it didn't reject her, it just meowed once. So she boldly walked over, squatted down and hugged it in her arms, and stroked its chubby little belly. "Heh, you've taken such good care of it."
Lin Ting looked around and found no one else. "Where's your owner? Did you run away by yourself? Or are you just a stray cat?"
After asking the question, Lin Ting was speechless. It would be a pipe dream if the dog could answer his question. After thinking about it, he guessed that the latter was more likely. It is said that rich people love to keep pets and take good care of them. They would not neglect to let the dog sneak out to "sunbathe" on a hot day.
Lin Ting put it on the ground, took out a water cup from her bag, poured water onto the lid, and brought it to the cat's mouth. "Are you thirsty? Have some water."
The little orange cat immediately licked it with its tongue and drank the water in big gulps.
"You trust me so much, aren't you afraid I'll feed you something you can't drink? Don't you know you can't be too careful?"
The kitten looked up at Lin Ting, as if it could understand what she was saying, and then continued to drink.
"You're quite perceptive, aren't you? You could understand what I just said?" Lin Ting put the cup lid on the ground, took out a small piece of bread from her bag, tore it into small squares, and placed them in front of the cat.
"I'll share my snacks with you." After seeing the food, the little orange cat turned to eat the bread.
Lin Ting used the remaining water in the cup to wash the lid, then put it back in her bag. She would need to disinfect it properly when she got back to her dorm.
Then he squatted down and patted the little orange cat's head. "You're so good! I like you a lot, but cats aren't allowed in the dorms, so I can't take you with me. I'll give you some food next time we meet." He stood up and said "bye-bye" to the kitten. Then he strode towards Building A3.
Unbeknownst to Lin, everything she had just done was being watched by a boy standing behind a window in Building A3.
"How boring is it to wave goodbye to a cat? It seems I'm not the only one in the world who's bored. What a strange world."
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