Chapter 80

（Thank you to the book friends "☆づ惜ぉ尐夜", "嗯哼哼哼", and "Admter" for your generous support! I bow! It's the weekend, I hope everyone has a good time. Also, I'm rolling on the ground begging for support, please have pity on me and support this book!）

The climax of the farewell ceremony was the last segment—out of generosity, the school spent a large sum of money to create a gold-embossed certificate specifically for Chen Mo, which the principal then presented to him in front of all the graduating students.

Although it was called a certificate, it was more like a diploma, adorned with golden, glittering words: "Pride of Heaven," "Always First," "Never Second," "Climb Higher."

To be honest, Chen Mo wasn't particularly interested in the words of praise and encouragement, but the gold on it made him very happy. As soon as the principal handed him the certificate, he secretly used his fingernails to scratch the gold letters a few times.

After confirming it was real gold, he grinned and expressed his gratitude for the school's cultivation and the teachers' education. At the same time, Chen Mo greatly praised the school leadership for their excellent management and urged the students to always remember Jiangkou Middle School, their alma mater, and to contribute to its development in the future if they became successful.

Chen Mo's acceptance speech was very moving, stirring the emotions of the school leaders, teachers, and students. When the farewell ceremony ended, Chen Mo immediately tucked the gold-embossed certificate into his chest. After a brief, polite chat with the school leaders and the teachers who had taught him, he left the campus.

In the following days, Chen Mo did the following:

First, he pried off all the gold letters from the certificate and hammered them into a lump. Then he took the gold and the silver he had refined but not yet sold to a jewelry store.

After a tough negotiation, Chen Mo exchanged the gold and silver for a pair of gold earrings, two gold rings, and two silver bracelets.

He gave the gold rings to his parents, saying that since they had nothing when they got married, these could be considered the wedding rings he was giving them as a son.

He gave the gold earrings and silver bracelets to his mother. In the countryside, women often wore such jewelry, not only as a symbol of wealth but also as a way to show off. The vanity of country people was strong, and Chen Mo felt that his mother, who had no jewelry, looked too shabby. Even though she was very frugal, he, as a son, should show his filial piety.

When he gave these items to his parents, they were both happy and worried. They were happy to have jewelry and could show off to their neighbors, but they were worried about where Chen Mo had gotten these things.

After explaining the situation, Chen Mo dispelled his parents' concerns. Seeing how they cherished the jewelry, Chen Mo felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Next, Chen Mo went to see Old Chen. After more than two months, Old Chen was still very spirited. When he saw Chen Mo, he immediately handed over the money from selling the TV.

To thank Old Chen for helping sell the TV, Chen Mo took out 100 yuan and gave it to him, saying it was for buying alcohol.

After some hesitation, Old Chen finally accepted the 100 yuan. At noon, the old and young man had a meal together, which had a bit of a farewell banquet feel to it.

Old Chen knew that Chen Mo was going to high school and wouldn't have much opportunity to visit him often. Feeling depressed, he drank a bit too much. By the time Chen Mo helped him into the house to rest, Old Chen was already very drunk.

Chen Mo took care of Old Chen until he sobered up, then said goodbye. Before he left, Old Chen regained his usual cheerful smile and repeatedly urged Chen Mo to study hard, though the loneliness in his smile was obvious to anyone.

Although Chen Mo had no blood relation to Old Chen, in Old Chen's eyes, Chen Mo was like his own grandson. His daughters were busy with work and had no time to visit him, so after Chen Mo left, Old Chen would truly be alone. It was unclear how he would spend his days from then on.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the fifth day that the homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, delivered the acceptance letter for the gifted class to Chen Mo. Chen Mo saw that the enrollment date was September 20th, and he thought to himself: The date is so late, others are almost a month into school, and we're just starting. The gifted class is indeed different.

In the following days, Chen Mo helped his parents at home. Every morning, he would go out to sea to fish with his parents, and in the evening, he would return home with them. The three of them spent their days together, and life was very warm and pleasant.

It wasn't until September 19th that Chen Mo packed his things to go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Chen Sanjin took a day off from fishing and saw Chen Mo off to the bus to the county town. The couple wiped away their tears as they returned home.

Through the bus window, Chen Mo saw his parents' slightly hunched backs, and tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

He wasn't a particularly emotional person, nor was he a weak one, but the sudden feeling of sadness and reluctance made him emotional. When he could no longer see his parents, Chen Mo wiped away his tears and turned his gaze, sighing in his heart: In the future, I should still come home often, and not be like Old Chen's children who don't know filial piety!

Three hours later, the bus stopped in the county town. Chen Mo got off with his luggage and walked toward Tian Tian's villa. Part of his clothes and bedding were already in Tian Tian's villa, so he didn't bring much this time, only filling half a suitcase.

As Chen Mo was walking toward the villa with his suitcase, he saw a woman hanging clothes on the balcony of the second floor, while another woman in a wheelchair was helping to hang the clothes on the rack.

Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. He looked at the road in the neighborhood, confirming that he hadn't taken the wrong path, then he looked at the number on the villa. He hesitated, "I didn't make a mistake... Where did these two women come from?"

Chen Mo and Tian Tian would chat about family matters when they weren't in class. From Tian Tian, he learned about her family situation. According to Tian Tian, she was an only child, and both her parents were only children. Her closest relatives were distant, and she had never mentioned having any relatives around her age. Could these two women be her colleagues or classmates?

Chen Mo shook his head slightly. Tian Tian clearly knew he was living there and wouldn't let classmates or colleagues move in, as that would be awkward. What would it mean for a man to live in a villa and then have two women move in?

Chen Mo was puzzled. His gaze remained fixed on the two women on the balcony. Although he could see from a distance that they were beautiful, he didn't think about that aspect at all. Instead, he tried hard to figure out who they were.

The neighborhood was almost empty, and the midday sun was scorching. Even if there were people, they would mostly stay indoors. Chen Mo, wearing a very simple T-shirt and long pants and carrying a red and white striped suitcase, looked very shabby. The two women on the balcony quickly noticed him.