Chapter 7

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Chen Mo stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.

After school that day, Chen Mo was the first to rush out of the classroom. The chemistry teacher, who was teaching the last class, couldn't help but smile knowingly. He thought Chen Mo would, as usual, dash towards the stairs, but to his surprise, Chen Mo suddenly blocked his path and said, "Mr. Liu, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Half an hour later, Chen Mo walked out of the school's laboratory building, carrying several bottles and jars. His backpack was filled with advanced chemistry books he had borrowed from the chemistry teacher. The chemistry teacher scratched his head and wondered, "What great experiment is Chen Mo planning to do?"

Chen Mo was holding various chemical reagents, such as hydrochloric acid, which are highly corrosive. These items were strictly prohibited from being taken out of the laboratory, let alone given to students. To get these items from the chemistry teacher, Chen Mo told him that he needed them for a great experiment.

Seeing the stars in Chen Mo's eyes, the chemistry teacher hesitated for a moment but finally agreed to Chen Mo's request. In his eyes, Chen Mo had always been an excellent student, especially since he always scored full marks in chemistry exams. The chemistry teacher felt he shouldn't refuse such a reasonable request from such a student. After warning Chen Mo to be careful, the chemistry teacher handed over the chemical reagents listed on Chen Mo's list.

Watching Chen Mo's retreating back, the chemistry teacher couldn't help but feel that he might have done something great, but... was it really that great?

Half an hour later, Chen Mo returned home and went to the second-floor storage room with the chemical reagents. He carefully placed the reagents on the ground and looked at the many shiny metal components in two old basins, saying happily, "Now I can extract the silver from these crystal oscillator pins!"

It turned out that the "great experiment" Chen Mo had told the chemistry teacher about was to extract the silver from the electronic components he had separated! If the chemistry teacher knew the truth, he would be quite surprised.

Before starting, Chen Mo first flipped through the books he had borrowed from the chemistry teacher, muttering to himself. He didn't start working until the end, and the reason was...

The next afternoon after school, Chen Mo found the chemistry teacher again and made another request, "Mr. Liu, I've encountered a small obstacle in my experiment. Could you provide me with a bit more help?"

Chen Mo looked at the chemistry teacher with starry eyes. The chemistry teacher saw his thirst for knowledge and his noble pursuit of chemistry, so he smiled and nodded, "What kind of help can the teacher provide?"

Chen Mo gave a pure smile and handed the chemistry teacher a list. The chemistry teacher took it and read it, but his smile gradually froze. After a long pause, he said, "This... Chen Mo, you're not trying to move the school's laboratory to your home, are you??"

Chen Mo didn't say a word, just looked at the chemistry teacher with starry eyes. His expression was so sincere that the chemistry teacher nodded again after less than five seconds.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Mo walked out of the laboratory building, carrying several experimental instruments wrapped in cloth. The chemistry teacher, who followed him out, kept reminding him, "Chen Mo, these instruments are very expensive. Be very careful and don't damage them!"

Chen Mo nodded vigorously and said in a very serious tone, "Please rest assured, Mr. Liu, I will be very careful!"

After saying this, he was about to leave with the instruments, but the chemistry teacher felt it was inappropriate and quickly said, "You should climb over the wall to leave, or the security guard will see and I won't be able to explain."

Chen Mo turned and agreed, then walked towards the school wall.

The chemistry teacher watched his retreating back and couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "I'm doing a good deed, but why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong?"

The chemistry teacher shook his head slightly and thought, "Chen Mo's attitude towards experiments is really meticulous. I'm sure his experiment will succeed, and such a good student is indeed worth helping! But... I have to write another report. Yesterday, I wrote about the excessive use of experimental reagents, and today, how do I explain the disappearance of several chemical instruments? Hmm... I'll just write that the instruments were damaged and taken out for repair."

Chen Mo borrowed the experimental equipment from the teacher to ensure the highest precision in his extraction work. Although the amount of silver extracted might not be much, Chen Mo, adhering to the principle that "even a small amount of meat is still meat," was determined not to waste any silver in the process. To earn money for a computer, he was willing to go to great lengths. If his deception was discovered, his image in the teacher's eyes would plummet.

The silver extraction process went very smoothly. Chen Mo followed the strictest standards, and after a series of complex procedures, he spent over ten days and finally harvested nearly 100 grams of silver. However, based on the current market price of silver, Chen Mo only earned about 100 yuan.

When he returned the experimental equipment to the chemistry teacher, the teacher couldn't help but ask, "Chen Mo, how did your experiment go? Did it succeed?"

Chen Mo replied with a regretful tone, "It almost succeeded..."

Seeing Chen Mo's disappointed expression, the chemistry teacher encouraged him, "Having an idea is a good thing. Don't give up easily, okay?"

Chen Mo nodded vigorously and said, "Thank you for your encouragement, teacher. I will never give up easily!"

Chen Mo thought to himself, "Of course, I won't give up on buying a computer. Once I strip all the copper wires, I'll know how far I am from my goal. I hope the gap isn't too large."

With only less than two months left before the high school entrance exam, the school began to offer evening study sessions. This was only possible because Jiangkou Town was in a remote area; if it were in a city, evening study sessions would have started much earlier.

Chen Mo had to slow down his money-making efforts. It wasn't until a few days before the exam that he finally completed his work.

During this period, the students sitting next to Chen Mo all noticed a plastic smell coming from him, and even the teachers lecturing on the podium could smell it. It was clear how hard Chen Mo was working, as he basically worked until midnight every day.

Imagine the amount of electronic parts that could fill two rooms in Chen Mo's father's house. The copper wires on these parts were numerous and very fine, making it difficult to strip the copper cores. If Chen Mo didn't have such perseverance and determination, he would have given up on this tedious work long ago.

Three days after completing this work, the 1999 high school entrance exam at Jiangkou Middle School officially began. The exam required students to take it at a different school, and it lasted for two days.

That morning, all the third-year students lined up and, under the guidance of their teachers, walked to Shanfeng Middle School in the neighboring town. The third-year students from Shanfeng Middle School also walked to Jiangkou Middle School under their teachers' guidance. The two groups met halfway, and familiar teachers greeted each other, while the students curiously observed their peers from the other school.