Chapter 19: Yan Buxu's Provocation

In the blink of an eye, autumn gave way to winter, and the semester was already halfway through. The previous week, the factory elementary school had just completed its mid-term exams.

Fang Mingyuan looked out the window at the leaves that had clearly turned yellow, pondering whether his uncle's breakfast stall should be moved indoors. The winters in Qinxixi Province were quite cold, and the bone-chilling wind was even more terrifying. Even if one wore a thick cotton coat, staying outside for too long would turn a person into a popsicle. Moreover, if the steaming buns were not well-insulated, they would quickly turn cold and unsellable. However, renting a dedicated room for this purpose would be wasteful. There were several restaurants at the factory gate; he wondered if he could negotiate with them to rent their premises in the morning. The buns business of the Fang family was now thriving and had gained a good reputation within the factory. The old man from the Fang family had hired two housewives from the factory to help with making and steaming the buns, and they were all busy every day. Despite the busyness, everyone was living a fulfilling and happy life. With fuller wallets, their living conditions had significantly improved, and the food standards had certainly risen. Over the past few months, Fang Mingyuan had grown another five centimeters.

The small lending library he had created had officially registered under his uncle Fang Bin's name at the town's industrial and commercial office. It was no longer in the small coal shed of the Fang family but had moved to a separate house in the residential area. The number of people who had obtained library cards here had exceeded five hundred. Although this was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the nearly ten thousand employees of the Qinxixi Pressing Equipment Factory, over 1,500 yuan in deposits had firmly landed in the hands of the Fang family. In 1983, 1,500 yuan was a huge sum that could drive ordinary workers mad in Hai Zhuang Town. Moreover, this small lending library brought in several dozen yuan in income for the Fang family each month. Although it was not as profitable as the buns business, it was more relaxed and peaceful. A pot of tea and a book, living a peaceful day. Even the old man and the old lady of the Fang family could handle it easily. This naturally caught the attention of others and became the best proof of Fang Mingyuan's wisdom. According to Zhao Ya, similar rental bookstores had already appeared in the residential area on the other side of the town.

At the same time, good news came from Zhou Yuanchao. In the stamp trading market of Fengyuan, the capital city of the province, the value of the Monkey Stamps had quietly risen. The value of a single Monkey Stamp had now reached 50 cents, and the value of a block of four or a full sheet was even higher. In just a few months, the value of the Monkey Stamps in Fang Mingyuan's possession had increased sixfold, and there was still an upward trend. Zhou Yuanchao was endlessly amazed at Fang Mingyuan's foresight. Influenced by Fang Mingyuan, he had also bought several dozen yuan worth of Monkey Stamps and had made a small fortune. However, Fang Mingyuan clearly told him that the value of the Monkey Stamps was far from its peak. If Zhou Yuanchao was willing to sell, he was willing to buy them at 80 cents each. Hearing this, Zhou Yuanchao, who was not a fool, understood that Fang Mingyuan was hinting that the value of a Monkey Stamp would rise to at least 80 cents, so he was unwilling to sell.

Now, Fang Mingyuan still set aside part of his money each month to send to his second uncle in Fengyuan to buy Monkey Stamps. Although the price had risen to 50 cents, the acquisition cost was much higher than a few months ago, but compared to the price of Monkey Stamps in the future, this additional cost was negligible. With the income and deposits from the rental bookstore, Fang Mingyuan now had a more comfortable financial situation. However, without good investment channels, he could only keep the money in hand.

"Maybe buying some commemorative items from the * period would also be a good idea," Fang Mingyuan thought, resting his chin in his hands, somewhat uncertain. Making money was definitely possible; these items were an important part of the collectibles market in the future, but the return on investment... he had no impression of it. With limited funds, he had to ensure that every penny was spent wisely.

"Ring..." With the clear sound of the class bell, Yan Dongyu, with a sullen face, stepped into the classroom. The students, who were still whispering, immediately sat up straight and put their hands behind their backs.

Yan Dongyu placed the test papers on the podium and looked around coldly, saying, "The results of this mid-term exam are out, and I am very dissatisfied!" The temperature in the classroom seemed to drop a few degrees instantly. The children knew that Yan Buxu was about to lose his temper. At such times, there would always be a few unlucky ones who would either be sent to stand in the corridor or have their parents called in. And the parents who were called in would certainly be scolded by Yan Buxu, and the children would face even greater trouble when they returned home. The last time, Guo Bin's father had beaten him so badly that his buttocks were swollen for a week. On the first day, he couldn't sit down to listen to the class, and he had to bring a thick cushion to class every day after that.

"Come down, I'll read out the scores. Those whose names are called come up to get their papers!"

"Zhao Ya, 97 points!" A low murmur of surprise rippled through the classroom. Everyone looked at Fang Mingyuan with uncertainty. Over the past few months, everyone knew that Yan Dongyu always read out the scores from highest to lowest, and the top position had been occupied by Fang Mingyuan for a long time. Fang Mingyuan was also surprised. When Zhao Ya went to get her paper from Yan Dongyu, her face was full of disbelief.

"Liu Yong, 94 points!" Fang Mingyuan was even more puzzled. If Liu Yong, who had copied part of his paper, could rank second, how could he have scored lower? The students in the classroom were also surprised. Even Liu Yong himself was wide-eyed and took a while to realize he needed to go up to get his paper.

"Zhou Yuanhong, 92 points!" Yan Dongyu continued to read out the scores with a blank expression.

"Liu Xinghua, 91 points!"

...

"Fang Mingyuan, 75 points!" It wasn't until the tenth or so name that Yan Dongyu coldly called out Fang Mingyuan's name. Fang Mingyuan frowned. If he had been careless and written the wrong answers, it was possible, but to lose so many points, he found it hard to believe. After getting his paper back, he returned to his seat and carefully examined it. The first part was fine, but the last 25 points of the answers were all marked zero by Yan Dongyu. He casually took Zhao Ya's paper and found that his answers were not wrong. The only difference was that he had not written as detailed steps as Zhao Ya, listing each step, but had directly filled in the answers. Fang Mingyuan understood; it seemed that Yan Dongyu had given him zero points for this reason.

"Wang Bing, 48 points!" Yan Dongyu finally finished reading out the scores. He looked up and saw the surprised faces of the students in the classroom, feeling a sense of satisfaction. After several months of strict management, the classroom discipline of these students had improved significantly. In such a situation, no one was whispering.

"The results of this exam are very poor! This is only the second grade, and you give me such a report? Do you feel ashamed of the hard work I've put into teaching you for these past few months?" Yan Dongyu scolded sternly. "In the four classes of the entire grade, we only ranked second, and the top student was taken by a student from Class Three. Don't you feel ashamed?" His gaze fell on Fang Mingyuan's face, but he saw only indifference, with no trace of fear. Instead, there was a hint of amusement as he coldly looked back at him.

For a moment, Yan Dongyu had the illusion that he was not facing a second-grader but an adult of similar age. Everything he did seemed like a meaningless farce in the eyes of this boy...