After Guan Baiyu went to school in Changxi City, Shi Zhen became much busier.
He felt a little uncomfortable, mainly because he couldn't control his unease, but he forced himself to get used to it.
His immediate priority is to make more money.
Otherwise... to be honest, he didn't know what else he could do.
Guan Baiyu is already in high school and will soon be going to university. After he graduates, he should buy a house and get married.
You'll have to spend money everywhere then.
Since Zhao Meiyun broke her leg, Shi Zhen has had a poor appetite and can't eat much. He also has trouble sleeping and has lost weight.
Shi Xinghuo never paid attention to these minor details. He went out to work every day, but he ate well and slept well. After half a year away, he looked much more robust, but he was still very dark-skinned, after all, he had been tanned a lot.
When Zhao Qiujuan came to Shi Zhen's place to pick up a sweater, she noticed something: "Zhen, have you lost weight?"
"Really? I don't feel it myself." Shi Zhen smiled.
“Yes, your face has become so thin… You must eat well, your health is the most important thing.” Zhao Qiujuan said as she took a bowl from Shi Zhen’s cupboard and poured the pickled vegetables and braised pork she had brought into the bowl.
After Shi Zhen stopped eating at their place, they would bring him meat dishes every time they came to pick up his sweaters. Recently, his mother broke her leg and was recuperating in bed, so Shi Zhen cooked for her and brought him even more meat dishes.
Her mother was reluctant to spend money, and even if she bought meat, she wouldn't buy much. She would always add something else to cook with it, such as using potatoes to braise the meat. But she was different; her bowl of braised pork with pickled vegetables was full of meat!
Shi Zhen should eat more; he should gain weight!
"I ate well," Shi Zhen said with a smile.
Shi Zhen is so grown up... Zhao Qiujuan said a few words and then stopped. She put down the bamboo basket she was carrying, took out the embroidered sweaters inside, and took thirty sweaters from Shi Zhen. She carried them back home.
Her mother used to have to cook and so on, so even if she embroidered sweaters, she wouldn't do much. But recently, her mother has been staying in bed all day and has been able to embroider a lot.
She was too busy to embroider much.
After seeing Zhao Qiujuan off, Shi Zhen was too lazy to cook. He took out the leftover rice and ate some of the meat that Zhao Qiujuan had brought, and then started to do the accounting.
He earned a lot of money during the summer vacation, saving a total of six thousand yuan—he hadn't received the money for the second month's sweater embroidery yet.
Guan Baiyu spent about 1,500 yuan on tuition and other expenses for school. He paid over 1,000 yuan for Zhao Meiyun's broken leg, and 2,000 yuan for Shi Ting's temporary enrollment fee...
He currently has over a thousand yuan in savings.
Shi Zhen plans to save up 60,000 yuan, spend 50,000 yuan to buy a Changhe minivan, and if possible, buy a used tractor. Then, like in his previous life, he will start by building houses for rural people.
In terms of purchasing power, 50,000 yuan was extremely expensive to buy a minivan. But precisely because of this, very few people bought cars in that era, and cars were very useful; owning a car could make a lot of money.
In Guan Baiyu's village, someone borrowed money to buy a truck, worked hard for two years, and paid back the borrowed money.
His current savings are a bit small compared to 60,000, but if he saves diligently, he can still accumulate money.
After calculating the money, Shi Zhen was a little lost in thought.
Tomorrow is a short weekend, and he plans to go to Changxi City to visit Guan Baiyu and bring him some food.
At the No. 1 Middle School in the city, we attend different types of prayers, with the smaller prayers and the larger prayers alternating.
This is mainly because transportation is inconvenient now, and it is not convenient for everyone to go home, so the school simply lets the children go home once every two weeks.
During the weekday break, we have classes all day on Saturday and Sunday morning, but no classes on Sunday afternoon, so we can go out of the school gate to buy things or something.
If it's a long weekend, you can go home after class on Friday morning and come to school on Sunday evening.
Guan Baiyu reported for duty on Tuesday, and today is Saturday. This week is a short weekend, and Guan Baiyu only doesn't have class tomorrow afternoon. Shi Zhen wants to go to No. 1 Middle School to find him.
Early Sunday morning, Shi Zhen went to the market to buy some chicken drumsticks, took them home to braise, and packed them in a bag.
After the driver who delivered the sweater arrived, Shi Zhen asked him to wait for him for a while and give him a ride to Changxi City.
The driver had previously received 100 yuan from Shi Zhen, and upon hearing this request, he agreed without hesitation and even helped Shi Zhen carry the sweater.
Shi Zhen handed out sweaters to the women in the village who were waiting to receive them, and then told his neighbors that he was going out for a while and would probably be back around four or five o'clock.
After explaining everything, he took a truck to Changxi City.
The driver even kindly took Shi Zhen to the entrance of the No. 1 Middle School.
At this moment, the morning classes at the No. 1 Middle School in the city have not yet ended.
Shi Zhen registered at the school gate, saying he was there to deliver vegetables to his younger brother, and was let in—there are quite a few people who deliver vegetables to the school during the week, and students can even go outside the school gate to buy things.
If Shi Zhen had arrived later, he wouldn't have needed to register.
After Shi Zhen went inside, he was afraid of disturbing the students' studies, so he did not go upstairs but waited outside the teaching building.
Guan Baiyu entered high school and remained in Class 1. He actively participated in various activities these past few days and was elected vice class monitor. He is very popular in the class.
He is usually very attentive in class and never gets distracted, but today was a little different.
During the last class this morning, he not only secretly packed his schoolbag, but also kept looking out the window.
Fortunately, everyone was like that, and he blended into the crowd without standing out.
"I didn't expect you to daydream too!" Guan Baiyu's deskmate pushed a note to Guan Baiyu.
Guan Baiyu glanced at it and smiled.
His deskmate this time was a local from Changxi City; one of his parents was a civil servant, and the other was a teacher.
His family is quite well-off; they have a TV, a telephone, a refrigerator, and a washing machine. He also learned to play the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) in elementary school, can roller skate, and has participated in many activities.
When he first talked to Guan Baiyu about the popular TV series that aired during the summer vacation, Guan Baiyu didn't understand at all. But this person didn't look down on Guan Baiyu and even invited Guan Baiyu to his house this week.
Guan Baiyu refused. He even went to the teacher and said that he wanted to go home to get some things and might be a little late for evening self-study.
Many students forgot to bring their things at the beginning of the semester, and the teacher readily agreed to help them.
Guan Baiyu hadn't actually forgotten anything; he just wanted to go back and see Shi Zhen.
I wonder how his brother has been doing while he's not home.
Even though he hadn't seen his brother for only a few days, he missed him terribly.
As soon as the bell rang, Guan Baiyu grabbed his schoolbag and rushed downstairs.
He didn't have many books in his schoolbag, but he did have two apples that Liang Qinxuan had given him, which he planned to take home for Shi Zhen to eat.
Fearing he wouldn't have enough time and wouldn't be able to get a ride in a luxury car, Guan Baiyu didn't plan to go back to his dormitory. He rushed towards the school gate as soon as he went downstairs.
Then... he saw Shi Zhen.
Shi Zhen always makes a point of dressing nicely when he comes to Guan Baiyu's school, and today was no exception. He wore a black T-shirt and black pants.
This summer, he mostly stayed at home collecting and distributing sweaters. When he went out to sell cold drinks, it was only at night. He didn't get much sun exposure, so he became a bit fairer. Paired with this all-black outfit, he looked tall and handsome.
Guan Baiyu was stunned for a moment.
"How come you ran so fast?" Shi Zhen asked.
Guan Baiyu didn't know why, but his face felt a little hot, and he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why have you lost weight?"
"It's only been a few days, how could I have lost weight? It's just that I'm wearing all black today, which makes me look thinner," Shi Zhen said.
Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen with some suspicion, only to see the muscles on Shi Zhen's arm... Guan Baiyu said, "Brother, you can't be too sloppy with the food while I'm not home."
His brother is the kind of person who will do everything he can to make the people around him live a good life, but doesn't care what he eats or wears.
Take this outfit for example, it's the only decent thing his brother owns. Basically, whenever something happens, his brother wears this outfit.
"I'm eating well every day," Shi Zhen said. "I braised a pot of chicken drumsticks this morning and brought some for you."
Shi Zhen had thought about making a pot of braised chicken legs for Guan Baiyu, but Guan Baiyu now has seven roommates... Since he brought food from home to school, he would have to share it. In addition to what Guan Baiyu would eat himself, he would need to buy at least ten chicken legs, which was a bit too much. So he simply made chicken drumsticks instead.
Guan Baiyu saw the bag Shi Zhen was carrying and was in a particularly good mood: "Brother, did you come all this way to see me?"
"What else would we be here for?" Shi Zhen laughed.
Guan Baiyu was overjoyed, and he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
He couldn't sleep for the past few days because he was thinking about Shi Zhen, but now that he saw Shi Zhen, he immediately felt like he was fully revitalized.
"Guan Baiyu, who is this?" Guan Baiyu's classmate came downstairs and asked as soon as he saw Guan Baiyu.
“This is my brother!” Guan Baiyu introduced.
Guan Baiyu was born in 1979, and his classmates were about the same age.
Some of them are only children, but many also have older brothers and sisters; some even have five or six older brothers and sisters in total.
Guan Baiyu said Shi Zhen was his brother, and everyone assumed he was his biological brother. They greeted him and went to the cafeteria.
The school cafeteria is cheap, so even if they want to go out, they will eat there first.
Guan Baiyu also planned to take Shi Zhen to the cafeteria for a meal: "Brother, let's go to the cafeteria for a meal. The food at our school is delicious and cheap."
“Okay.” Shi Zhen agreed, but he was skeptical of what Guan Baiyu said.
The food in the school cafeteria is cheap, that's for sure, but as for the taste... Guan Baiyu only thinks that because he hasn't eaten anything particularly delicious.
Guan Baiyu was about to leave with Shi Zhen when he was called back: "Guan Baiyu!"
This time, it was Liang Qinxuan who stopped Guan Baiyu. He had shaved his head, making the pimples on his forehead even more noticeable: "Guan Baiyu, let me treat you to dinner!"
Liang Qinxuan now considers Guan Baiyu a friend.
He talked to Guan Baiyu that day, and when he got home he started throwing things around and forcing his father to transfer Chen Shaojin to another class.
It is said that if Chen Shaojin does not transfer to another class, he will not go to school.
His father has recently become obsessed, wanting to divorce his mother and protect Chen Shaojin's mother. He thought his father wouldn't agree to this request, but to his surprise, his father agreed.
Chen Shaojin has now transferred to another class.
At the time, Liang Qinxuan was thinking that if Chen Shaojin was transferred to the experimental class by his father, it would be a good deal for Chen Shaojin. However, his father did not do that. Chen Shaojin was transferred to another ordinary class, and an outstanding student from that ordinary class was transferred to their class.
Liang Qinxuan felt completely refreshed at that moment.
After this incident, the students in the class stopped looking at him strangely; they just... felt a little sorry for him.
When his father and Chen Shaojin's mother were together, no one at school knew about it at first, but Chen Shaojin mentioned it at school, and then it spread.
In recent years, with the emergence of a large number of nouveau riche in Changxi City, it has become increasingly common for wealthy men to divorce their original wives and marry young and beautiful women.
When faced with such a situation, most people sympathize with the original spouse.
Chen Shaojin previously positioned herself as a victim, and people believed her, but she should think more carefully afterward...
Even if it really was Liang Qinxuan's father who took the initiative, it takes two to tango, and Chen Shaojin's mother would definitely be happy to accept it.
Moreover, Liang Qinxuan's father is so rich, Chen Shaojin's mother might even be the one who took the initiative.
As a result, people actually felt a bit sorry for Liang Qinxuan.
Then, Liang Qinxuan shaved his head to show his determination to study hard... Of course, this didn't work out, and he didn't do anything else.
There's a huge commotion at his house.
Liang Qinxuan didn't want his parents to divorce, and neither did his mother, but his father was determined...
"No, my brother is here, I'm taking him to the cafeteria for lunch," Guan Baiyu said.
Shi Zhen was a little surprised to see Liang Qinxuan greet Guan Baiyu, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled at Liang Qinxuan and said, "Hello, I'm Xiaoyu's brother. Are you Xiaoyu's classmate?"
"Yes!" Liang Qinxuan replied, then looked at Shi Zhen with some curiosity: "So you're Guan Baiyu's older brother who dotes on him so much!"
Liang Qinxuan and Guan Baiyu are not in the same grade, so they haven't spent much time together these days. They just eat lunch together every day and chat occasionally.
Whenever Guan Baiyu talks about himself, he boasts about his brother... Liang Qinxuan has long been curious about Guan Baiyu's brother!
Upon seeing him, his immediate thought was... Guan Baiyu's brother is so tall!
Liang Qinxuan said, "I don't want to go home for dinner, how about I treat you guys at the cafeteria!"
Guan Baiyu was unwilling; he wanted to be alone with Shi Zhen, but Shi Zhen agreed: "You're still a student, so it's not appropriate for you to treat us. I'll treat you."
Guan Baiyu's expression remained unchanged, but he suddenly felt a bit displeased with Liang Qinxuan.
His brother seems to pay special attention to Liang Qinxuan!
He was deeply unhappy that his brother was paying attention to other people.
Although he thought this way, Guan Baiyu did not refuse, and said, "Brother, you don't have meal tickets, how can you treat us? Let me treat you!"
Guan Baiyu smiled and led Shi Zhen to the cafeteria, and then went to buy groceries... Following Liang Qinxuan's habit, he bought all three different meat dishes sold in the cafeteria today, and also bought two vegetable dishes, bringing a total of five dishes to the table.
The rice at school comes in squares, costing one cent per piece. Most people eat one piece, but many girls only need half a piece, while some with big appetites eat two pieces.
Guan Baiyu had enough rice for himself with one cent, but he bought two cents' worth for Shi Zhen.
The abundance of food exceeded Shi Zhen's expectations, but he didn't say anything, after all, the food here was really cheap.
Guan Baiyu glanced at Shi Zhen and was relieved to see that Shi Zhen was not unhappy.
He bought so many groceries partly because... he had already eaten at Liang Qinxuan's place several times, and partly because he wanted to give Shi Zhen something nice to eat.
The three of them started eating and chatting, and Shi Zhen subtly asked Liang Qinxuan some questions.
However, he didn't want to ask too many questions, so he didn't know much.
However, it's certain that Liang Qinxuan and Guan Baiyu have a good relationship... Shi Zhen pondered that there were some things he could ask Guan Baiyu.
Thinking this, Shi Zhen even took out the braised chicken wings he had brought and gave them to Liang Qinxuan to eat.
Liang Qinxuan ate with great satisfaction: "This tastes much better than the school cafeteria food!"
Liang Qinxuan left after finishing his meal. He wasn't familiar with Shi Zhen, and they eventually ran out of things to say to each other.
After watching Liang Qinxuan leave, Shi Zhen asked Guan Baiyu, "Xiaoyu, how did you meet him?"
Guan Baiyu recounted how they met.
Shi Zhen didn't expect such a coincidence to happen... He wanted to help Liang Qinxuan, so he immediately said, "Xiaoyu, something happened to his family, so he's probably feeling a bit down. You should spend more time with him and try to comfort him."
"Hmm," Guan Baiyu replied with a smile, but he was even more unhappy inside.
Why is his brother so focused on Liang Qinxuan?! He's starting to dislike Liang Qinxuan altogether!
Seeing this, Shi Zhen felt much more at ease.
The Liang Qinxuan he knew was a vegetarian and felt disgusted at the sight of meat, but just now, he only ate meat.
And Liang Qinxuan's condition at that time was actually similar to his... I don't know what Liang Qinxuan encountered.
Regardless of the circumstances, with Bai Yu around, Liang Qinxuan should feel much better.
Shi Zhen still had a lot of faith in Guan Baiyu.
While Shi Zhen was talking to Guan Baiyu in Changxi City, at the Anshan Town bus station, a young man dressed in tattered clothes got off a bus.
As soon as he got out of the car, he saw a driver washing dishes at a water tap next to him.
He stared at it for a while, then grabbed his cup and rushed over to get some water to drink. After drinking two cups, he took out some fried rice noodles, put them in the cup, added some water, stirred it, and drank it slowly.
Good heavens, he couldn't find a place to get water before, and he couldn't bear to buy water to drink, so he was going to die of thirst!
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