Chapter 1

Ding ling ling!!

With a sharp bell signaling the end of class, the classroom of Class 37 at Qingyang No. 3 High School suddenly came to life, with a flurry of activity.

The teacher on the podium paid no attention to this, immediately stopping the mechanical lecture, closing the lesson plan, and turning to leave, as if they were from two different worlds, each minding their own business.

In any school, there is always such a class where the teachers are more eager for the class to end than the students.

The students here are either unlearned and rebellious, or have poor aptitude and cannot keep up with the lessons.

These are the leftover students after the top classes have picked the best.

The school specifically consolidates these underperforming students into one class, which neither disturbs the learning of other good students nor is difficult to manage, and also fills the school with a lively atmosphere, achieving three goals at once.

However, such a class makes life difficult for the teachers.

Teaching such students, a year goes by, and besides the fixed salary, bonuses for student advancement or teacher ratings are all just illusions.

Fortunately, the school provides additional financial compensation to the teachers of such classes, which is why these classes can continue to exist.

Jiang Le quietly closed his book and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Compared to his classmates who were completely uninterested in learning, he was better, listening attentively in class, taking good notes, and presenting a well-behaved student image.

However, he seemed to have a natural lack of talent for this formulaic learning. Since elementary school, no matter how hard he forced himself to study, the knowledge he learned today would be mostly forgotten by the next day. Over time, his learning progress fell behind others.

This state of affairs made Jiang Le very distressed. He felt as if there was a 360-degree automatic deletion function in his brain that started working whenever he fell asleep.

Such a state made Jiang Le extremely want to give up on studying.

But thinking of his sick mother's eager gaze, he felt a deep sorrow.

In this world, his only relative, and her only requirement for him, was to study well.

In her mind, only through studying could one achieve success.

...

Putting his books into his backpack, Jiang Le left his desk and quickly walked out of the classroom.

His shift started in half an hour, and he had to hurry, or he would be docked pay.

Coming from a single-parent family, his life was very tight. His family relied on his sick mother doing handicrafts to make a living and support his education, which put a lot of pressure on them. So, in his spare time from school, he also took on a part-time job to help support the family.

This part-time job didn't pay much, but it was the greatest contribution he could make to his family so far. Therefore, Jiang Le valued this hard-earned job very much.

Just as he stepped out of the school, a familiar figure approached. It was a slightly chubby boy with glasses, Yang Fan, his only friend at Qingyang No. 3 High School.

Yang Fan was a student in the top class. When Jiang Le had not yet been discovered to be falling behind in his studies, they were in the same class and became good friends because of their shared interest in calligraphy. Later, when Yang Fan found out about Jiang Le's situation, he tried to tutor him, but unfortunately, it didn't work out.

However, their friendship did not become distant because of the class separation; instead, it grew closer. When Yang Fan heard that Jiang Le had to work after school, he even offered to go to work with him, showing great loyalty.

Looking at Yang Fan, Jiang Le smiled slightly and said, "Let's go, if we're any slower, Old Jin will dock our pay."

Yang Fan hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, "Jiang Le, I might not be able to work with you."

Jiang Le's steps paused, and he asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Yang Fan smiled bitterly and said, "Now is the most critical time for senior year, and my family is very concerned about my studies. I've been coming home late recently, and they have started to suspect me. They asked the school teachers, and my lies were exposed. I had to tell the truth, and my father was very unhappy. He demanded that I quit my job and focus on my studies."

Jiang Le's expression softened, and he smiled, "That's the right thing to do. The college entrance exam is coming up, and this is the final sprint. You need to work hard. I've advised you before, but you didn't listen and insisted on working with me. Now that your father says this, I agree with him."

"But you..." Yang Fan looked troubled.

Jiang Le grabbed Yang Fan's shoulder and said seriously, "Yang Fan, as a brother, listen to me. Studying well is your current task. I can't do it anymore, otherwise, I would also work hard. Now, I don't ask for anything else, just hope you can take my dream to college with you."

Yang Fan grinned and nodded, "Okay, I will definitely get into a good university."

Jiang Le also smiled, "That's fine. You go back and study well. As for the job, you know, Old Jin's place is simple, and I can handle it alone."

Watching Yang Fan's departing back, Jiang Le's smile gradually faded, replaced by a look of melancholy.

Earlier, he had spoken a heartfelt truth.

If he could, he would also want to work hard and strive to get into a good university to make his mother proud.

Unfortunately...

Turning around with a gloomy expression, he walked alone down a street.

Jiang Le worked on Qingyang's famous antique street. When he first chose this place, it was because of a childhood fantasy of finding a bargain. If he could find one, his family's life would change dramatically.

Unfortunately, after working here for two months, he had been too busy to even properly explore the area, let alone find a bargain.

Jiang Le worked at a small antique shop called Old Jin's Antique Shop. The owner was a lonely old man in his seventies, whose real name was unknown, and most people just called him Old Jin.

On this antique street, Old Jin's shop was very small, with a dilapidated storefront and very few antiques, none of which were particularly valuable. People looking to buy antiques generally wouldn't even glance at this place, thinking that a small shop couldn't have any treasures.

Indeed, since Jiang Le started working there, he hadn't seen a single antique sold, making him feel guilty about his meager salary.

Rushing to the shop, he checked the time, and it was just right, which made him smile.

His part-time job mainly involved cleaning, dusting antiques and shelves, and he earned 300 yuan a month.

Old Jin had a peculiar temper and didn't like people being late. Being late once would cost 10 yuan.

If he was late every day, he would end up working for free.

Finding a part-time job as a middle school student was not easy, especially a relatively easy one. Jiang Le cherished his current job.

Looking around, he didn't see Old Jin, who must have gone out for a walk. Jiang Le didn't waste time, put his backpack down, and started his daily routine.

Cleaning, dusting, and organizing.

Although the shop was always clean and no one visited, Jiang Le still did his job diligently.

He was a responsible person. Since he was getting paid, he should put in the effort.

These tasks took about half an hour to complete.

Jiang Le's part-time job was for two hours a day, and he still had an hour and a half left.

As usual, Jiang Le found a seat and prepared to take out his books to study.

Although it had proven to be counterproductive, he was not ready to give up.

For his mother, he would persist until the end.

Just as he was about to start studying, he heard the sound of a porcelain breaking. He was slightly stunned and turned to look behind him.

Behind him was the back door of the antique shop.

Could it be that some valuable porcelain was knocked over by a rat or something? That would be a significant loss. Jiang Le felt very distressed, even though it wasn't his, he still felt the pain. It's all money!!

But looking at the back door, Jiang Le remembered a problem.

The antique shop was small, but he didn't know what was behind the back door.

When he first applied for the job, Old Jin had sternly warned him that his work area was the front of the shop, and the back door was off-limits. If he opened the back door, he would lose his monthly salary and have to pay 300 yuan.

For Jiang Le, 300 yuan was a huge sum, so he always warned himself not to touch the back door, even unintentionally.

However, today felt different. Clearly, something had broken inside, and Old Jin wasn't there. If he came back and thought Jiang Le had gone in and knocked it over, what would happen?

If that were the case, it would be bad. Breaking an antique porcelain would cost more than 300 yuan, and he couldn't afford to pay even if he sold himself.

Jiang Le couldn't help but look grim.

Why did he have to encounter such bad luck?

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Le gritted his teeth and stood up.

Avoiding it wouldn't work. He had already given Old Jin his address when he applied for the job. He could run away, but the shop couldn't.

So, he had to go in.

Catching the rat or whatever small animal, even if it seemed childish, he had to try. As long as he was honest, it would be fine.

Putting his books down, Jiang Le picked up a feather duster and quietly pushed open the back door.

The next moment, a quiet little courtyard appeared before him.

The courtyard was not large, with green grass and a path of broken stones. In the middle stood a short, thick willow tree, its green branches swaying in the wind.

Under the tree was an ancient stone table and bench, creating a very poetic atmosphere.

Jiang Le couldn't help but be stunned.

Behind the dilapidated antique shop, there was such an elegant courtyard. It was truly unexpected.

However, such a courtyard didn't seem to have anything worth hiding. Why did Old Jin say it was off-limits?

Jiang Le couldn't help but feel curious. After thinking for a moment, he stepped into the courtyard, walked over the broken stones, and approached the door of the house in the courtyard.

The courtyard had only one room, with green bricks and small tiles, and green moss on the walls, indicating it had been built a long time ago.

The door was half-open, with a faint, flickering light inside, seemingly from a candle.

Jiang Le was startled.

The light indicated someone was inside. Could it be Old Jin?

The old man was so old; something might have happened to him.

Jiang Le was worried.

Although Old Jin had a peculiar temper, he had taken Jiang Le in when others refused, which made Jiang Le very grateful.

Besides, after being together for so long, even if they didn't get along well, some feelings had developed.

Jiang Le quickly pushed open the door and found a figure lying on the ground. Who else could it be but Old Jin?