“You know what, with your looks, you actually match Meng Jiangnu pretty well,” Gao Youhui teased.

“Can you guys keep your voices down? Some of us are trying to study here.” Just as Jiang He was about to respond, an impatient voice suddenly came from nearby.

The two of them turned their eyes toward the man named Lu Mingfeng. His expression was exceptionally cold—it was obvious he was angry.

Jiang He glanced at him. Though a bit puzzled, he couldn’t help but think of the woman from earlier and muttered inwardly, No wonder they know each other—they really do act alike. He looked away, lowered his head, and started reading the book he had just picked up. From time to time, he took notes in the notebook beside him. Meanwhile, Gao Youhui kept his eyes fixed on what he was writing.

“You can speak the language of the Clock Kingdom?”

“Yeah!” Jiang He nodded.

“Then… could you do me a favor?” Gao Youhui’s face showed a somewhat anxious smile.

Jiang He looked up. “What kind of favor?”

“Let’s talk outside.” As he spoke, Gao Youhui grabbed Jiang He’s hand and led him out of the library, tossing fifty cents to the librarian on the way out.

“Wait here for a moment while I go say hello to someone.”

Jiang He had been pulled all the way to the entrance of a cultural center. At the door stood two soldiers in olive green Liberation Army uniforms. Gao Youhui said this to Jiang He before walking over to speak with the two guards at the entrance.

…

…

Jiang He responded with a nod, then lifted his head to take in the building in front of him. The place looked a lot like the repurposed Western-style mansions he had seen in his past life. In the courtyard stood a tall phoenix tree, and beneath it sat a stone table and stools—giving the scene a touch of poetic charm.

Before long, Gao Youhui returned to his side. “Come on, I’m taking you to meet someone.” Saying that, he once again took him by the hand and led him toward another building. After greeting a few familiar faces along the way, they headed to an office on the second floor.

“Professor!”

Inside the office sat an elderly man with graying hair and thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Judging by the thickness of the lenses, his eyesight must have been quite poor. Gao Youhui led Jiang He straight up to him.

“Professor, Professor, I’ve brought you an expert!”

“Gao Youhui, you’re a student—can’t you show some decorum?” The elderly man was so annoyed by Gao Youhui’s behavior that his mustache practically bristled, and he glared at him. But when he turned to Jiang He, his tone immediately softened. “Young comrade, I hope you weren’t startled? This child Youhui can be a bit reckless. If he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know—I’ll give him a good talking-to. May I ask your name?”

“Hello, my name is Jiang He. I’m a friend of Gao Youhui’s.” Jiang He responded seriously, showing no signs of being intimidated, and respectfully answered the professor’s question.

“Please, have a seat. Have some tea. No need to rush—let’s talk slowly.” The professor gestured toward the sofa, inviting Jiang He to sit down, while he himself took a seat on another sofa across from him.

“Thank you, but there’s really no need for the trouble.” Jiang He adjusted his clothes a bit before sitting across from the professor. Looking at the elderly man before him—clearly well into his fifties or older—he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

Just moments ago, he had caught a glimpse of Jiang He holding a foreign-language technical book, and translating it word by word. His notebook was filled with annotations—even difficult vocabulary was clearly noted and explained.

Noticing that Gao Youhui looked like he was itching to say something, the professor asked,

“Gao Youhui, why did you bring this young comrade here? What’s the matter?”

“Professor, didn’t you say you had a book from the Clock Kingdom that needed translating? I found someone who’s a real expert. I just saw him in the library reading a book from the Clock Kingdom and…” Gao Youhui glanced at Jiang He, then leaned in close to the professor and whispered,

“He translates better than you.”

“Ahem!”

The professor’s expression turned a bit awkward at that, and he shot a glare at Gao Youhui. Then, turning back to Jiang He, his tone softened again:

“Young comrade, would you mind letting me take a look at your notes? Of course, only if it’s convenient for you…”

“Excuse me…” Jiang He took out his notebook from the army-green satchel and handed it over to the elderly man with both hands.

The old man accepted the notebook and was immediately surprised by the beautiful handwriting on the cover. He couldn’t help but praise, “I didn’t expect your handwriting to be so elegant. Have you studied calligraphy? It seems like you’ve put in a lot of effort.”

“Hehe! You’re too kind, sir. My former teacher once told me that handwriting reflects the person,” Jiang He replied modestly with a smile. The reason he had such excellent penmanship was thanks to learning from his history teacher in his past life. At the time, he had picked up calligraphy as a hobby, but over time it became a habit.

A look of gratification appeared on the old man’s face as well. “May I ask who your teacher was? Is there a chance I could meet them?”.

“My teacher has passed away, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you,” Jiang He replied with some difficulty. After all, by age, that teacher would only be in their early teens right now, and he wasn’t even sure if the world he had traveled to was the same one he came from.

“What a pity,” the old man said with a regretful shake of his head. “Comrade, I just glanced through your notebook, and I can tell your foreign language skills are excellent. Have you studied other languages as well?”

“Yes,” Jiang He nodded. “I’ve dabbled in Gentleman’s Language, Cherry Blossom Language, and Bear Language.”

“Then help me take a look at this book.” Upon hearing that, the old man stood up and brought over a black book from the right side of his desk.

“Eastern Europe and Central Asia Studies?” Jiang He flipped through just a few pages before realizing it was essentially a textbook. It must not have been easy for the old professor to get his hands on this book.

“That’s right. We do have someone here who understands a bit of the language from the Watch Country, but when it comes to more advanced vocabulary, their comprehension is lacking. I wonder if you’d be able to fully translate the contents of this book,” the old professor said with a warm smile. Based on Jiang He’s earlier performance, he was confident in the young man’s foreign language abilities. “Don’t worry, I won’t have you working for free. There are three books in total. If you can translate all of them properly, I’ll pay you 60 yuan per book—out of my own pocket.”

“Rest assured, I’ll translate every word accurately. May I ask how much time you can give me?” Jiang He wasn’t the type to offer help purely out of kindness. Though he admired the elderly man before him, he really needed the money.

“If you could hand them in by the end of this month, that would be ideal,” the professor said after thinking for a moment. “Do you think that’s enough time?”

“No problem. I’ll definitely have it all translated by the end of the month. I won’t delay your work,” Jiang He replied cheerfully and confidently.

“Good, then I’ll look forward to your good news,” the old man nodded.

Jiang He and Gao Youhui then left the professor’s office.

“Looks like I recommended the right person,” Gao Youhui said with a smile as they stepped out.

“Thank you. Once I finish translating this book and get paid, I’ll treat you to a proper meal,” Jiang He seriously responded, expressing his sincere gratitude. Without Gao Youhui’s help, it would’ve taken him a lot longer to come up with the 500 yuan he needed within three months.

“Then I’ll be waiting,” Gao Youhui grinned widely. “Since I’ve walked you this far, I won’t be escorting you back.”

“Thank you!” Jiang He watched his figure walk away, and suddenly felt the whole day had been surreal—just like that, 150 yuan was settled.

“Back already?” the old man sitting by the sofa in the office didn’t even lift an eyebrow as he sipped his tea.

“Are you keeping tabs on me now?” Gao Youhui slumped into the sofa without a care for his image.

The old man finally set his teacup down and asked, “You usually don’t go out of your way to help people. What made you suddenly lend a hand to someone you just met?”

“You could tell?” Gao Youhui immediately sat up straight when he heard the old man’s words. “Well, to be honest, I was just doing someone a favor—it was Lu Mingfeng. He asked me to help.”

“Mingfeng? That kid is usually so cold and distant. Why would he suddenly ask you to do someone a favor? There must be a reason behind it.”

As he was questioned, Gao Youhui instinctively rubbed his chin. “He didn’t explain—just asked me to help out. But now I’m curious myself. Why did that guy act the way he did back in the library?”