Chapter 18

Early in the morning, Liu Meng came to the business hall again, where the clerk had just opened the door.

When Liu Meng entered, she was still on the phone, her tone full of anger, and she shouted fiercely, "You scumbag, you spent my money and didn't pay it back. What kind of man are you? You cheated on me and still think you're right? Let me tell you, we're done."

The clerk hung up the phone and saw Liu Meng standing there, naturally not in a good mood.

"Do you have any new numbers?" Liu Meng asked.

The clerk looked at the young man standing in front of her with displeasure. She remembered him from yesterday when he came to apply for a number but didn't go through with it after looking around. She had seen many such people, who were unwilling to spend extra money but still wanted a good number.

"No!" she said bluntly.

Liu Meng habitually touched his chin and smiled slyly, saying, "Little girl, it's just a breakup. If you can't find a two-legged toad, there are plenty of two-legged men on the street. In this area, especially, there's no need to rush. It's not good to get too worked up."

"What are you talking about? Get lost."

Liu Meng ran away after saying that. You shouldn't provoke a woman who has just broken up; she's like a hungry wolf or a lioness. You need to stay far away to avoid getting hurt.

Not long after Liu Meng left, Dongdong came in, staring at his phone and laughing, and took out 10 yuan, saying, "Recharge my phone."

The young clerk was already in a bad mood. This "ten-yuan-a-day" guy was back again. She immediately said angrily, "Are you a man? Recharging 10 yuan every day, you don't find it annoying, but I do. Go buy a phone card and recharge it yourself."

Dongdong was stunned. Recharging the phone was such a big deal? His phone was about to be cut off, and he couldn't afford to lose the text messages. He got anxious and took out another 10 yuan, saying carefully, "Then recharge 20 yuan. A phone card costs at least 31 yuan, and I really don't have that much money."

The clerk took the money reluctantly and recharged his phone for him.

...

The first weekend after the start of the semester arrived quietly. The top students, who were excited, finally had a chance to relax.

Top students would never study during their free time; only the underachievers would do that.

Older brother Deng Jinyao took Dongdong to the internet cafe to play "StarCraft" and "CS," insisting on dragging Liu Meng along, but Liu Meng didn't go.

He planned to tutor in the evening and contacted Aunt Sun. The treatment changed immediately; there was no car to pick him up, and he was told to go over after dinner at 7 PM.

He had planned to get a free meal, but now he couldn't.

"Damn, you just want to use me as free labor, thinking I'm an easy target because I'm from a poor background. I'll make your whole family regret it tonight," Liu Meng touched his chin, pondered for a moment, and made up his mind.

After a long and arduous journey, Liu Meng changed two buses and arrived at Aunt Sun's house. The little fat boy was still on the toilet, and he had been there for half an hour.

Finally, the fat father got so angry that he was about to rush into the bathroom, but the little fat boy miraculously came out.

"Kids who squat for so long are very likely to get hemorrhoids, and it can also affect the development of the adrenal gland. When they grow up, they will have a hard time finding a girlfriend," Liu Meng said seriously.

Aunt Sun and the little fat boy's grandmother gave him such a terrifying look that it almost killed him.

He thought to himself, "They are too indulgent with their child."

The little fat boy didn't like studying. Liu Meng taught him the most effective learning methods and the most important knowledge points, but the little fat boy perfectly demonstrated what it means to let things go in one ear and out the other. Liu Meng felt like he was talking to a cow.

"Kids like you, I can't teach," Liu Meng got angry, stood up, and was about to leave.

"Aunt Sun, settle the tutoring fees for the two sessions. I can't teach your child," Liu Meng said as he left the room, seeing Aunt Sun and the little fat boy's grandmother chatting in the living room.

"What fees? This was a trial session. You taught poorly, and my child didn't understand. I didn't even complain about you wasting Xiao Yang's precious time. How can you have the nerve to ask for tutoring fees? Humph," Aunt Sun immediately showed her true colors. There was no point in arguing with a student.

"Trial sessions should be paid for, right?" Liu Meng replied calmly.

"Trial sessions are free!" Aunt Sun said bluntly.

"Boy, you shouldn't be like this. You ate so many dumplings at our place last time, and we didn't charge you. You can't teach our child well, and your ability is indeed questionable, just like those high-scoring but low-ability students in the newspaper," the little fat boy's grandmother said sarcastically.

The little fat boy's father came out, his upper body exposed, and his fat jiggling as he spoke, "What the hell, what money? F*cking bastard."

"Don't think that just because you're many and loud, you have the right," Liu Meng stood there, his thin body, and said calmly.

The three people facing him were all bigger than him, even Aunt Sun and the little fat boy's grandmother looked bigger. He stood like a blade of grass in front of fierce beasts, unmoved by the storm.

He ignored the fat father's waving fists.

He ignored the saliva flying from Aunt Sun and the little fat boy's grandmother.

His firm and powerful demeanor made the three people opposite him feel a bit uneasy, thinking that he was not an ordinary teenager and could not be bullied easily.

"Aunt Sun, I have been doing my best to teach the little fat boy. You know what your child is like better than I do. I may come from a poor background, but I got into the university through my own efforts. I'm poor, with no money or power, but you shouldn't forget that I'm young and my future is limitless. Don't underestimate a poor youth."

Liu Meng looked at the family and found it somewhat amusing. Just because they had some social status, did they think they could bully others? A person can be poor, but their spirit should not be.

"You little brat, are you asking for a beating? Don't talk about useless things. I don't have money. The meal you had last time counts as the trial session fee. Get lost, brat!" the fat father threatened.

Liu Meng glanced at the fat father waving his big fists. He was just a simple-minded brute. Liu Meng's lips curled slightly, revealing a small dimple, and he said calmly, "Aunt Sun, if you don't pay, I'll have to ask Director Wang."

The mention of Director Wang made Aunt Sun visibly flustered. The fat father reacted quickly, shouting, "What, Director Wang? What Director Wang? Is it that bastard Wang Changping? You promised me you wouldn't have anything to do with him. Damn, I'll beat you, you shameless bitch."

If it weren't for the little fat boy's grandmother holding him back, the fat father would have attacked. Aunt Sun, looking very embarrassed, gave Liu Meng 50 yuan and hurriedly asked him to leave.

Liu Meng smiled faintly, didn't stay, and left immediately.

He didn't expect that one sentence to have such a big impact. He had only suspected it before.

As he left the building, a cool breeze blew. The city was already quite cool, even a bit chilly. At the intersection, he saw a ragged beggar lying there, wrapped in a tattered coat, with a broken bowl in front of him.

Liu Meng bent down and carefully placed the 50 yuan in the bowl, saying, "You look strong and young. If possible, try to do something else for a living."

After doing this, the bus arrived, and Liu Meng got on, feeling a sense of satisfaction. He suddenly remembered a small story he had read before.

A poor family, the mother struggled to raise five children. A young child asked the mother, "Why is our family so poor?" The mother, holding the child, said seriously, "Child, our family is poor because your father never thought about changing and never thought about becoming rich one day."

Being poor is not scary; what is truly scary is a poor heart. Realizing this, Liu Meng felt that it was ridiculous to think he was inferior because he was a poor student and to complain about his parents. A strong heart can ignore everything.

Liu Bang, a minor official, became the founder of the Han Dynasty; Zhu Yuanzhang, a poor farmer for eight generations, established the Ming Dynasty; and I, Liu Meng, will one day build my entertainment empire and business empire.

At this moment, Liu Meng was full of ambition.

Xiaomi, the beggar, had a good sleep. He used to work in a factory, earning about 1,000 yuan a month after working hard. Later, a fellow townsman advised him, and he became one of the many beggars. He found that he earned about the same as working in the factory, but being a beggar meant just lying and sleeping, living a carefree life.

When someone spoke to him, he rarely opened his eyes. Usually, people who gave alms were very arrogant, throwing coins from a distance, which clattered into the bowl. Xiaomi despised these people, thinking that just because they had a bit of money, they thought they were better and could look down on others.

This person was really strange. Xiaomi saw that there were 50 yuan in the bowl, carefully pressed down with coins. The most he had ever received was 5 yuan, and now he received 50 yuan.

He felt a surge of joy, as this was more than a day's income.

After the brief joy, Xiaomi felt a bit ashamed, remembering the person's soft words, "You look strong and young. If possible, try to do something else for a living."

For the first time, he felt ashamed of his behavior because of someone else's words.

Looking at the towering buildings, Xiaomi took off his tattered clothes and said to himself, "Since I am strong and young, why not try something else?"

From then on, the city had one less beggar named Xiaomi and one more garbage collector.

Years later, Xiaomi settled in the city, married a beautiful wife, and had a child. Whenever he saw someone begging, he would tell his son the story of the 50 yuan that changed his life.