Chapter 017 Li Jing
In a blink of an eye, it has been five days since Yuan Ming started school. The results of the opening exam were posted on the white wall opposite the school gate.
Yuan Ming followed Liu Shaoxuan and others to the Honor Roll. The place was already crowded with people. Even if you stand on tiptoe, you can only see people's heads. Liu Shaoxuan relied on his thinness and said to them, "Wait for my good news." Then he flexibly squeezed into the crowd.
Li Jing was born in poverty and was very concerned about the number of funding each time. Unfortunately, he was too bulky and could only fall at the end of the crowd and look forward to it.
On the other hand, Yuan Ming and Zhao Yucheng seemed particularly calm.
Not only did they not squeeze in, they even took the initiative to step back when someone else came, and finally sat directly on the stone bench.
"Brother Yuan is so calm, it seems that he has already made up his mind?" Zhao Yucheng asked with a smile.
Yuan Ming did not deny: "Brother Zhao is the same?"
The two looked at each other and laughed.
Not long after, Liu Shaoxuan squeezed out again. It seemed that he had spent a lot of effort. Not only were his neat and new clothes wrinkled, but even the two strands of dragon whisker bangs on his forehead that often rose were wet with sweat and stuck to his face.
"How is it, Brother Liu?" Li Jing looked at him eagerly, hoping that he could say a number that would satisfy him.
Liu Shaoxuan took a deep breath and said quickly without keeping him in suspense: "Brother Yuan did the best and ranked first. Brother Zhao was three points behind and ranked second. Brother Li ranked ninth. I was not so good, ranked thirty-second."
Hearing this, Li Jing sat down heavily on the stone bench, clenching his fists tightly.
After all, Fangyuan School is not a charity. The number of students sponsored each year is very small. They must be both excellent in character and learning and poor in family. Therefore, although Zhao Yucheng has good grades, he is not within the scope of the sponsorship.
Despite this, Li Jing was still worried about himself. There were many poor students in the school, and the ninth place was indeed a bit dangerous.
Zhao Yucheng comforted him softly, "Brother Li, don't worry. The result is still unknown. Even if you really can't get the financial aid, we will help you."
Hearing this, Liu Shaoxuan quickly agreed, "Brother Zhao is right. If you have any difficulties, just tell me."
Li Jing thanked them for their kindness, and the corners of his mouth opened, but the smile did not reach his eyes. After that, he did not say a word on the way back to the classroom, obviously worried about the tuition.
Liu Shaoxuan and Zhao Yucheng did not notice his abnormality, only Yuan Ming frowned slightly. They had the same experience and troubles, and they could empathize the most.
After class, the teacher in charge of academic affairs came to the classroom and called out the names of five people, including Yuan Ming. Li Jing was not among them.
They followed the teacher and Li Jing's face turned pale in an instant.
Yuan Ming and several other classmates followed the teacher to the office, and indeed talked about this year's funding.
When they returned to the classroom, school had been over for a while, and Li Jing was the only one left in the classroom. He saw Yuan Ming coming in and asked anxiously: "Brother Yuan..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Yuan Ming gave him a positive answer: "Yes."
The rest of Li Jing's words were stuck in his throat. In fact, he already knew it, but he still held on to a glimmer of hope.
"I know, congratulations, Brother Yuan." Li Jing said in a low voice, put on his bookcase and left the classroom.
Yuan Ming looked in the direction he left and pursed his lips.
The next day, Li Jing was late for school. It was early autumn, and he could still feel the coolness when walking outside, but Li Jing's clothes were soaked with sweat.
For several days in a row, Li Jing behaved very abnormally. He was always very serious in class, afraid of missing a key point that the teacher said, but Yuan Ming often saw him dozing off, and sometimes he fell asleep directly on the table.
Liu Shaoxuan wondered, for the nth time, after waking up someone who had fallen asleep in class, "Has the teacher's teaching level really deteriorated? Even Brother Li felt so sleepy."
Li Jing smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's just that I didn't get enough rest last night. It has nothing to do with the teacher."
Zhao Yucheng said, "It takes time to study hard. Don't ruin your health. Besides, you don't have the energy to attend class. Isn't that a loss?"
Li Jing nodded, but he didn't know how much he had heard.
Yuan Ming found that he was not only lacking energy in class, but his lips also became extremely pale. He almost fainted several times when he stood up suddenly. It was clearly a symptom of malnutrition.
Guessing that Li Jing was probably struggling for tuition fees, Yuan Ming didn't say much, just reminded him to take good care of himself.
Everyone has his own destiny, and he himself is still a clay man, so naturally he would not dream of saving others.
After class that night, Yuan Ming was called to the office by the teacher to talk about participating in this year's imperial examination.
For the school, Yuan Ming was the most likely to pass the exam, but the imperial examination was a long-term process, and there was no way to stop once it started. Therefore, at this time every year, the teacher would communicate with the seedlings he had chosen several times, not to open a small stove, but to let them understand that the road ahead is long and arduous, and they must be prepared for the long term.
Yuan Ming was already very familiar with the imperial examination. After talking to him, the teacher was obviously very satisfied. He gave him a book and let him go back.
He left a little late, just in time for the barbecue chicken shop at the East City Pier to open. Thinking that Ji Qingyue seemed to love the barbecue chicken there very much, Yuan Ming took a detour and went to the pier. The
barbecue chicken shop was very popular, and a long line formed as soon as it opened.
Yuan Ming spent some time to buy one, and when he was about to leave, he saw a familiar person out of the corner of his eye - Li Jing.
It was early autumn, and Li Jing was only wearing a short shirt on his upper body, with his sturdy arms exposed. He was carrying two large sacks on his shoulders, and the excessive pressure made the muscles in his arms bulge.
Yuan Ming was stunned. Li Jing actually worked here.
After just a glance, he retracted his gaze. He had no intention of meeting Li Jing and just pretended that he had never seen him.
Who knew that in the short moment of daze, Li Jing had already seen him, and raised his hand to say hello to him.
The two came to the side of the dock and leaned against the stone pillar. On the vast river, they could see a very tall and large ship heading towards them, but it was still far away and they could only see a dot.
"Brother Yuan, it's filled with food, which is what I want to move. There are many coolies at the dock, and you can only earn ten cents for carrying a sack of food, and you have to rob to have a chance." Li Jing said, "My father did this before his waist was injured. He did this for most of his life, but he didn't even save enough money to build a small house, and he also suffered from a lot of diseases. That's why he tried his best to let me go to school, because he was afraid that I would follow his old path in the future."
Yuan Ming's eyes were empty as he looked at the ship coming from afar, and his heart was filled with ripples.
He used to be a selfish and dark person. If he knew about this in his previous life, he might have applauded silently in his heart and celebrated that he was not the worst person. But now, he actually felt a little sympathetic towards him.
Such a change seemed a bit abnormal, but also very normal.