Returning to '97, creating a new life

I stood at the front of the classroom for two more periods, listening to the lessons.

They definitely wouldn't listen to being called to school by their parents. During the second break and between exercises, the homeroom teacher, Ms. Lü, gave Xu Kai and Wang Lei another verbal sparring session.

Unless it's something really serious, Ms. Lü wouldn't actually look up the student's home or parents' work phone number in the file to make a call. Besides, since they're already in the final year of junior high, their attitudes are basically set, and they're more tolerant of students who don't study in the back row.

Don't disrupt class or cause trouble at school. For minor mistakes, focus on education and admonishment. Don't expect to change them. Just prevent small mistakes from escalating into big ones. For students of this age, true moral education is no longer something that teachers can lead.

As a minor punishment, Xu Kai and his companion returned to their seats for the third period in the morning.

Zhang Chunlei brought his lunch to school and ate it at noon. Huang Lili ate at her maternal grandmother's house, which was closer to the college. Xu Kai went home alone. He had some leftover shredded potatoes. His mother had fried some eggs in the morning. He no longer craved the taste and only cared about filling his stomach. He found that after eating, the pain that would occasionally occur would lessen.

He took out the money he had saved from the small iron box. In the past two years, the New Year's money from relatives and elders, except for the tuition and book fees at the start of the school year, was all given to Xu Kai after negotiating with his mother. In return, he no longer asked his mother for pocket money on weekdays.

Two hundred and thirty-five.

I put on a jacket, took off my school uniform jacket and stuffed it into my old, discarded schoolbag. I left home with the schoolbag, walked, took the No. 1 bus, and got off near the small commodity wholesale market.

Despite his good height and build, even without the disguise of a school uniform, and despite his confident demeanor, Xu Kai still couldn't completely hide his youthful innocence at this moment. Fortunately, it did enhance his "age perception" to some extent.

After asking several stalls, it became clear that the stall owners were all trying to make a little extra money, and their persuasive sales pitches were getting more and more sophisticated.

"Many students come here to pick up goods to sell at school. Let me tell you, these, these, these are all very popular. Don't worry about the price, Auntie won't rip you off. We'll keep in touch."

"Young man, here's a dollar and fifty cents for this. Take it home and easily sell it for three dollars. How about that? Pretty cheap, right? And this, a bundle of hair ties is six mao (0.6 yuan). You can sell it for a dollar and fifty cents, double your profit..."

Xu Kai didn't argue, nor would he try to find loopholes in the other person's words to refute or expose them. There was no need for that. His status, time, energy, and capital dictated his current choices, so he would do his best and be a small fish that freeloads. He shouldn't fantasize about becoming an industry tycoon or overturning the established rules of the industry; that would be foolish.

With his discerning eye, he didn't focus on the wholesale market first. Instead, he spent over an hour browsing various stalls, buying different styles of hair clips. He then chose a more honest stall and bought some lip balm, colorless nail polish, and hair ties wholesale. These were things that girls who were starting to appreciate beauty would be able to buy without being forbidden by their teachers or parents at this age.

Even good students don't have a weakness for beauty. It's not colored nail polish, it's not lipstick, and it's not any prohibited jewelry. In Xu Kai's target audience, these well-behaved and honest students are more likely to become customers than those rebellious female students.

As for boys...

Those guys are impossible to squeeze a drop out of. If they manage to get any money, they either sneak around smoking or go to arcades, billiard halls, or computer rooms. Many of them even have to borrow a ballpoint pen from someone else. They'll ask the housekeeper for two dollars to buy a pen, and then throw it into the arcade to get ten game tokens.

I checked the time; it was 1:50.

Xu Kai stuffed the purchased goods into his backpack in batches, placing the hair clips, which were most susceptible to damage from squeezing and collision, on top. He had a dozen or so yuan left in his pocket, but instead of buying himself a bottle of water, he drank several large mouthfuls of cold water from the tap outside the restroom in a corner of the mall. He was a little uncomfortable with the slight metallic taste in the water, but he endured it.

Back home, he changed into his school uniform jacket, stuffed his old schoolbag under his bed, and returned to school after the third period in the afternoon. He had planned to wait outside the back gate of the school until the end of the third period to sneak into the classroom, but remembering that he had been caught by Teacher Lü for skipping a class yesterday, Xu Kai jumped over the low wall next to the back gate and went straight to the third floor of the main teaching building, to the Chinese language teaching and research group office. Looking through the open door, he saw the figure of the homeroom teacher and knocked on the door.

Lü Yan stood up, frowning, about to speak angrily.

"Ms. Lü, could we come out and have a chat for a bit?"

The completely different way of speaking to her students made Lü Yan postpone her emotional outburst and get up to walk out.

Xu Kai turned and walked away first, leading the other person to the stairwell on the side of the building. This not only provided a relatively quiet corner for their conversation, but also used the short distance of a dozen meters to calm the homeroom teacher's anger, effectively buffering her and repeatedly making her give up or postpone her subconscious act of directly erupting.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lü, I skipped class again."

Admitting mistakes first is not the best approach, but since many students in school adopt a "never admit" mentality, teachers' acceptance and favorability towards those who admit mistakes first will be greatly increased.

"Tell me, what happened?" Teacher Lü asked coldly, without exploding.

Xu Kai smiled and said, "It's like this, Teacher Lü. Actually, I don't want to continue my studies. My mom doesn't agree, but given my family's financial situation, paying the tuition to become a self-funded high school student is impossible. If I don't have good grades and a promising future, vocational school or technical school will be my choice. As you probably know, factories have started recruiting from technical schools instead of directly hiring graduates, and vocational school graduates aren't guaranteed jobs anymore. I'm thinking of not continuing my studies; it's a waste of time and money. My family doesn't have that kind of money for me to waste. It's better to enter the workforce early, even if it's just as an apprenticeship, learning to repair cars or appliances, or learning to cook. Having a skill will ensure I can make a living no matter how society changes in the future..."

Lü Yan's expression softened considerably. She re-examined the student in front of her and realized that she seemed to have never truly understood him. As for what he had said to her, Lü Yan believed that none of her students could have said such a thing.

"What does this have to do with you skipping school?"

Xu Kai waved his hand: "My mom won't let me drop out of school. She's still hoping I can get into high school. I don't want to disappoint her, so I'll have to finish junior high. But actually, teacher, you know I can't sit still. Don't worry, I promise I won't disrupt the class. If I do something, you can punish or scold me in front of the whole class, just don't call my parents, okay? I'm not cut out for studying. Instead of spending the next six months studying hard as you told me to try and get into high school, I think I'd rather try to develop my strengths and see if I can discover my talent and get accepted by a high school as a sports specialist."

"Daydreaming." Although Lü Yan snorted coldly, showing her disagreement with Xu Kai's statement, she secretly approved of his choice. Not to mention other classes, in her class alone, since the second year of junior high, seven or eight students have chosen to drop out of school, which is what is now called not studying anymore. When they graduate, the school will issue them a junior high school diploma, but they have long since left the school.

Once her emotions had calmed down, her professional ethics as a teacher remained intact, and Lü Yan began her patient and encouraging teaching approach. Xu Kai listened attentively and nodded frequently.

"Your thinking is wrong. If you can learn, you should try to learn as much as possible, even if it's just vocational school. A vocational school diploma is better than a junior high school diploma, and it'll be easier to find a job. I know it's not easy for your mother to raise you alone, but you're still young. The only thing a student should do is study. You want to reduce the burden on your family, but that's not what you should be thinking about right now..."

"Uh-huh."

"Yes, Teacher Lü, you're right."

"Okay, Ms. Lü, I understand."

For a full twenty minutes, Xu Kai provided Lü Yan with ample emotional support, neither arguing back, but bowing his head slightly, nodding frequently, and echoing her words.

"Alright, go back to self-study. You'll have my class during evening self-study, and you'll have to give a public apology. Next week, our class's outdoor cleaning duty is cleaning the men's restrooms, and you'll be there with us."

Xu Kai portrays himself as an obedient boy who, after a small opening is made, deliberately stands up straight and salutes upon hearing the punishment, saying, "I guarantee to complete the mission."

Lü Yan laughed in exasperation, raising her hand to pat Xu Kai's right upper arm: "Put in some effort, study hard, don't think that far ahead. Vocational school is a good option, don't disappoint your mother. Also, for sports specialties, you have to win a prize at least in the district to have a chance of being specially recruited. Don't be too ambitious."

As a teacher, she had to say that.

From the bottom of her heart, she felt that the student was right. For students from vocational schools or technical colleges who came from poor families, it would be better to learn a proper trade.

Evening self-study.

Standing with his hands behind his back in front of the blackboard, Xu Kai showed no resistance. Facing the teasing and expectant gazes of his classmates, he calmly stated, "It was my fault for not asking the teacher for leave to skip class this afternoon. I violated the school rules and let the teacher down..."

Five minutes later.

"Here, I sincerely apologize to Teacher Lü and deeply reflect on my actions. I also want to apologize to all the students present, because my actions have delayed your precious evening self-study time, and I hope you can forgive me..."

Two minutes later.

Lü Yan kicked Xu Kai in the butt, suppressing a laugh of anger: "Go back to class, you're wasting my time."

The whole class burst into laughter, finding it hilarious, even funnier than a stand-up comedy routine. Xu Kai was amazing; he even managed to make a apology into something special.

The world of young people is filled with the unique flavor of youth, which is intoxicating.

Xu Kai showed no stage fright whatsoever and even received a few cheers. He then clasped his hands in greeting to everyone before being greeted by the teachers' unique skills.

Whoosh!

A piece of chalk flew towards him, and Xu Kai dodged it.

"Are you going to go or not? If not, get out." Lü Yan's face darkened.