Chapter 20

Jian Li had indeed forgotten why she had fallen out with Xia Liu.

Children are always like this, one moment they’re fine with someone, and the next moment, they start having a falling out.

Especially during adolescence, sometimes a small misunderstanding between close friends can lead to a breakup.

It was the same in her previous life. The two of them suddenly stopped talking for reasons neither of them understood, and then, in the third year of middle school, the school suddenly announced a reshuffling of the classes. Jian Li and Xia Liu were placed in different classes.

By the time they finished middle school, Jian Li hadn’t made it into a prestigious local high school, while Xia Liu moved with her parents to another city.

They only reconnected after they started working.

Jian Li worked in Beijing, while Xia Liu was a primary school teacher in Tianjin.

Time hadn’t erased the friendship they had grown up with. Every weekend, Jian Li would visit Tianjin, spending time at Xia Liu’s small apartment, playing games, and ordering takeout…

When Jian Li saw Xia Liu, she felt a bit sad, thinking about how Xia Liu would have been so heartbroken if she had known about her sudden death in that world.

She wondered if Xia Liu would cry for her, just like Zhen Huan cried for Mei Zhuang.

—-

The teacher on the podium tapped the blackboard eraser on the desk: “Sit according to the previous semester’s seating arrangement. After sitting, we’ll take attendance.”

Jian Li grinned at Xia Liu.

Xia Liu: …She was angry but didn’t know exactly what she was angry about.

A girl sitting behind Jian Li poked her: “Jian Li, why are you sitting in Xia Liu’s spot? Your spot is here.”

She pointed to the seat next to her.

Jian Li realized her mistake, quickly stood up, and moved to the back.

Xia Liu was even angrier.

She was upset not only because Jian Li sat in the wrong spot but also because she had moved back.

Fortunately, Jian Li wasn’t oblivious to the atmosphere. After returning to her seat, she called out to Xia Liu.

“Xia Liu! Xia Liu!”

Xia Liu turned her head: “What?”

Jian Li said eagerly: “The teacher will change seats later, right? We’ll be sitting together again!”

Xia Liu didn’t respond.

Jian Li blinked her clear eyes: “You’re better at studying than me. Can you help me save a seat later?”

The class’s seating was arranged based on last semester’s exam results. All students stood at the door, and as their names were called, they went in one by one, with the best students choosing their seats first, and those with worse grades choosing later.

At the end, the teacher would make minor adjustments.

This seating arrangement generally changed twice a semester—once at the beginning of the term and once after the midterm exam.

Jian Li knew that her grades hadn’t been great last semester, so if she wanted to sit with Xia Liu, she needed Xia Liu to save her a seat.

Xia Liu: …I’m not saving a seat for you.

They had agreed that after breaking off their friendship, they wouldn’t talk again.

Jian Li wanted to say more, but the teacher’s gaze swept over, and she had to swallow her words.

After taking attendance, the homeroom teacher called everyone to the front to rearrange their seats.

One by one, the names were called, and Jian Li anxiously tiptoed to see if anyone would choose the seat next to Xia Liu.

By the time it was her turn, she was one of the last.

She rushed forward, plopped down beside Xia Liu, and beamed at her.

“We’re desk mates again. We can walk home together after school!”

Xia Liu unconsciously curved her lips.

Jian Li took the chance to chatter away about what she had done over the summer, and the two of them whispered to each other under the desk, getting a few glances from the teacher.

After the seating was sorted out, the teacher began collecting summer homework and distributing textbooks.

Jian Li flipped through the new textbooks in her hands, casually writing her name and class on them.

Xia Liu didn’t write on hers, planning to take it home for her dad to write on.

On the first day of school, the teacher didn’t say much useful—just reminded everyone who had forgotten their summer homework to bring it the next day, and for those who had tuition fees to pay, to do so quickly. She also announced a new course called “Information Technology.”

Xia Liu secretly asked Jian Li: “What’s Information Technology?”

Jian Li: “It’s about computers.”

Xia Liu immediately became excited: “Computers?!”

Oh my god, their school was going to have computer classes!

Xia Liu was thrilled, and soon the class began buzzing with discussion. The homeroom teacher stood on the podium with a stern face: “Quiet!”

“This Information Technology course will be taught in rotations, so don’t get too excited. Also, each student needs to bring fifty cents tomorrow to give to the class monitor. The school will provide shoe covers for everyone, and you’ll need to wear them when entering the computer room…”

Xia Liu excitedly discussed the computer class with the students at her desk.

“Last year, the top high school already had computer classes. My elementary school classmate went to a good school, and they’ve had it for a while.”

“I’ve never seen a computer before.”

“Great, I heard computers have chat rooms. We can sit together and chat on the computers.”

Jian Li: …

“Jian Li, why aren’t you saying anything? Have you seen a computer?”

Jian Li: …Not only have I seen one, but in my previous life, I spent half of my time in front of a computer.

She wasn’t excited because the school’s Information Technology course wasn’t what she had imagined.

—-

In her middle school at the cotton spinning factory, the “computer class” didn’t have rows of computers in a computer lab where everyone got their own station.

There were only three computers in total!

The so-called “computer class” was just a formality.

Everyone wore shoe covers and lined up in three rows, taking turns to familiarize themselves with turning the computers on and off, and then tapping on the keyboards.

Some classes are so crowded that it’s impossible to finish all the rounds in one period.

Later on, computer classes became almost nonexistent, with only a few lessons at the beginning of each semester in the computer room. After that, it was treated just like PE, becoming the teachers’ reserved time for their own use, with no one really caring about it.

However, Jian Li didn’t feel disappointed. She just went along with others’ excitement and kept flipping through her textbook.

The school had issued several books, and she flipped through them one by one. The textbooks, which had seemed boring to her as a child, now felt quite interesting.

The homeroom teacher, named Fang, was a middle-aged woman in her forties who taught Chinese to four classes.

Seeing that all the matters for the day had been covered, Fang decided that the students probably wouldn’t listen if she went on any longer, so she directly announced the end of the class.

“Write a 500-word essay on ‘My Dream,’ and hand it in to the class representative next week.”

It was a tradition for Teacher Fang to ask the students to write about their dreams at the beginning of each semester, and then return the essays to them at the end of the term.

Jian Li was interrupted in her thoughts about the textbook and started seriously considering how to write her essay.

After school, she walked home with Xia Liu. They stopped by the small shop across the school and bought an ice pop.

Jian Li asked Xia Liu how she planned to write the essay.

Xia Liu said, “My dream? To go to college.”

With nearly twenty years of reform and opening up, everyone knew the benefits of a good education. People encouraged their children to go to college, and for some, it was even about getting into prestigious schools like Qinghua or Beida.

Jian Li bit the popsicle stick and asked, “What about after you finish college?”

Xia Liu replied, “Who knows, probably just wait for the job assignment.”

Jian Li said, “Didn’t you know that they stopped assigning jobs a couple of years ago?”

Since last year, some universities had stopped offering job placements. By the time she and Xia Liu graduated, it would be an era of free employment choices.

Xia Liu, feeling a headache, responded, “Well, we’ll see. One step at a time.”

Jian Li tentatively asked, “Do you… want to become a teacher?”

Xia Liu replied, “Not really. I get a headache just hearing kids calling. This past summer, I went to my aunt’s house, and just helping the kids with their homework made me cry three times! My aunt says in her past life, she must have been a butcher, so in this life, she’s teaching. But I definitely don’t want to be a teacher.”

Jian Li was speechless.

It seemed that people’s dreams and reality were often quite far apart.

—-

After the school year started, Wang Mengmei’s stall wasn’t as busy during lunch and dinner times.

With Qian Ping’s help, she had it much easier.

However, after the argument between her and her sister on the phone, Wang Menglan was unwilling to come and take Qian Ping back.

In the end, it was Qian Ping’s father, Qian Jinlai, who came to pick her up.

Carrying two bags of fruit, Qian Jinlai found the staff quarters and first saw Jian Feng.

After some pleasantries, Qian Jinlai said apologetically, “Ping Ping has caused you trouble while staying at your house. I’m here to take her back.”

No matter how his wife and sister-in-law quarreled, his own child couldn’t stay with others for too long.

Since Wang Menglan couldn’t bring herself to face it, she sent her husband to bring their daughter home.

Jian Feng cautiously asked what Qian Jinlai planned to do with Qian Ping after taking her back.

Qian Jinlai took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, “It depends on her mom. The trip to America is off, and the thousands spent on it can’t be refunded. I think her mom has given up on that idea… If things don’t work out, she’ll probably help us at the construction site—cooking, accounting, or just lending a hand to her mom.”

Qian Jinlai revealed some dissatisfaction with his wife in his words.

Ever since Qian Ping refused to go to America, Wang Menglan had been trying to get the money back from the people involved, but those folks had gone back on their word. Wang Menglan was furious and was now thinking of how to reclaim the money.

But the woman had left, and it was uncertain whether she would return.

Once she left, gossip began spreading in the town.

People said they had heard the couple arguing late at night—she accused him of being useless, and he said she was making dirty money outside.

In short, their marriage was essentially falling apart.

When Wang Menglan went to ask for the money, the woman’s family just shrugged and denied owing anything.

Qian Jinlai was burning with anger.

The two thousand yuan wasn’t a small amount, and even if he was wealthy, he couldn’t let it go just like that.

It felt like throwing money into the water with no return.

It made him feel bitter.

When Jian Feng heard that Qian Jinlai was planning to take Qian Ping to work at the construction site, his frown deepened.

Qian Ping had been in school for many years and was a delicate girl. What were her parents thinking, bringing her to the construction site?

“Brother-in-law, didn’t you ask Ping Ping what her plans are? It seems like she still wants to study.”

When Qian Ping came, half of her bag was filled with textbooks.

Jian Li secretly told him that she had seen Qian Ping sneaking in late at night.

“Brother-in-law, what I mean is, since the child is here in the city, and you’re not short on money, why not enroll her in a prep class? She’s already come this far, and it would be a shame not to at least try for college.”