The small cla.s.sroom was crowded with people. In the stagnant air, only the m.u.f.fled sound of chalk against the blackboard could be heard. Hu Yu wrote the last stoke. Lowering her hand, she looked at the black-haired heads bowed over the notebooks. She was gratified but also sad. 

She was helping Cla.s.s 5's students calculate their approximate score for the college entrance exam they just took. She taught them for three years, and this was probably their last lesson together. This was how these things went, though—no matter how reluctant she was, the young eagles would inevitably leave the nest one day.

The vice-princ.i.p.al and the teachers gathered in an office for a meeting. Their expressions were somber. After the college entrance examination finished, they finally received the test papers and realized how insufficient their preparations were, despite them being convinced otherwise. The difficulty of this year's exam was far beyond what they had expected.

No sound was heard except the rustling of papers, and no one spoke. Everyone prepared for the worst.

But the students in Cla.s.s 5 had no idea. Their grades had always been bad—for them, every test was difficult, so they took this as a matter of course. Before the exam, Hu Yu reminded them to memorize how they solved the major questions and write them down later, so almost everyone had a notebook with a bunch of messy notes. They chattered, discussing their answers, lamenting accompanied by the laughter of joy—

"I actually did this question correctly?!"

"Argh, this one's wrong after all!"

"You didn't write out all the solution steps, you'll definitely have points deducted. Teacher Hu! How many points will he have deducted?"

"Calculate faaaaaaa.s.ssttttterrrrr, dude."

"What is your total score?"

"I think only two hundred…"

"f.u.c.k, the full score is over seven hundred—you're really telling me you could only get two hundred?!"

Gao Sheng finished calculating. He was a little worried. Chinese was his weak point, so he deducted more points there. When he finally determined his total score, it seemed a little over four hundred. According to the previous years' minimum admission scores, never mind the key universities, even third-tier colleges were out of the question.

Maybe it was because of Lin Jingzhe's close attention to him, but Zhou Haitang unexpectedly did better than Gao Sheng. After taking a look at his friend's results, he squatted by Lin Jingzhe's desk and quietly waited for him to finish.

The rough calculation done, Lin Jingzhe looked at his total score. He hesitated for a moment, then began to calculate it again to a higher standard.

Gao Sheng was on pins and needles. As he waited for Lin Jingzhe's pen to finally stop moving, he nervously began to tap on the desk with his fingers: "What's your score what's your score what's your score…"

Silent, Lin Jingzhe stopped writing. "It seems… quite high."

Gao Sheng's eyes widened with surprise. Zhou Haitang jumped over his desk and ran over, and Deng Mai asked hurriedly, "Last year, Qunnan University's minimum admission score was six hundred and one—is yours over six hundred?"

Lin Jingzhe said slowly and solemnly, "It should be."

"OHHHHHH——————"

No matter how well they themselves did, all the Cla.s.s 5's students who heard Lin Jingzhe's words cheered. Gao Sheng excitedly fist-pumped: "Awesome!"

Lin Jingzhe didn't seem very excited or pleased, but in fact, he couldn't believe the score he just worked out.

He knew he was in an unusually good state during the exams, and that he had fully prepared for the difficulty of the questions. Even so, this result far surpa.s.sed his original prediction. 

Lin Jingzhe took the college application form and filled in several universities that he had originally considered. After a long silence, he raised his pen and, in the first column, wrote the name of the university which in his last life he didn't even dare dream of attending.

Gao Sheng felt he didn't do well in the exam, so he was a little discouraged. He wanted to chose a few random ones with a low admission score, to be sure he would get accepted. Lin Jingzhe, who already regained his usual calm, stopped him from being hasty and made him fill in Wutong University in Yan City.

Though not a key university, it still had some renown. It was also one of the first inst.i.tutions of higher education in China to set up computer major, and would later cultivate many big names of IT industry. In the future, at least in this department, it was no less prestigious than the top universities.

The computer major would become the most popular major in Wutong University, with the highest minimum admission score; countless students with excellent college entrance examination results would try to squeeze their heads in through the gap even if their skulls shattered. But at present, in 1990, when computers were not widespread yet, it was not so unattainable.

Seeing that he was determined to add this choice for himself, Gao Sheng didn't stop him, but he didn't have too much hope. After all, Wutong University was considered one of the better universities, and he would have to be very lucky to get in with his estimated score. As Gao Sheng watched Lin Jingzhe's serious expression as he wrote it down, he felt a bit funny and a bit moved. It wasn't that he was looking down on himself, but with his ability to study (or lack thereof), even his own mother dared not hold too much expectation. In this world, probably only Lin Jingzhe would not look down on it.

But Lin Jingzhe wasn't counting on luck—he had full confidence in this choice.

His advantage was the knowledge of the future. Maybe some details would change due to the b.u.t.terfly effect of his rebirth, but it was absolutely impossible for him to alter the general development even if he was reborn ten times.

These students had no idea, but he knew the unprecedented difficulty of this year's college entrance examination would have a great impact on the enrollment process.

Last year's minimum admission score at Wutong University might've been a little high for Gao Sheng, but what if the university lowered the point threshold?

So, after helping Gao Sheng fill out the college application form, Lin Jingzhe became unusually enthusiastic and advised other students in the cla.s.s to choose colleges with a higher minimum admission score than their estimates should allow.

After that, he suddenly noticed that at some point, Zhou Haitang had disappeared. 

It seemed after the teenager calculated his points, his mood was particularly low. With the lesson his past life taught him, Lin Jingzhe didn't dare ignore the slightest thing concerning his friends. He grabbed Deng Mai and Gao Sheng and searched for a long time, finally finding Zhou Haitang smoking by the uneven bars near the sports field.

Zhou Haitang squatted on the ground, leaning against the bars. He usually looked a bit simple-minded and silly but now, for the first time, there was a serious, pensive expression on his face.

Upon seeing Lin Jingzhe, who aggressively strode his way, he revealed an adult-like smile and said, "Jingzhe, I don't want to go… Ouch!"

Lin Jingzhe didn't bother to listen. He kicked his b.u.t.tocks, making him lose his balance, pulled the cigarette he got from who-knows-where from his mouth and raised a hand to beat him.

Zhou Haitang's faux-mature look disappeared in an instant. Not daring to fight back, he hunched his back and tried to dodge while begging for mercy.

"You f.u.c.king dare to smoke!" Lin Jingzhe smacked the back of his head for the last time. Scowling, he said, "Enough with this nonsense. Go back and fill in your college application form!"

Zhou Haitang maintained his defensive posture. Looking pained, he said, "Jingzhe, I really don't want to go to university."

"Give me a reason." Lin Jingzhe eyed him, expressionless. "If you can convince me, I will immediately get lost and let you do whatever you want."

"I never said I want you to get lost," Zhou Haitang refuted then smiled bitterly. "The other day, my mother went to borrow money for my tuition and living expenses from her family, but she came back empty-handed."

In the past, Zhou Haitang's family wasn't so badly off because both his parents were employed by Liyun thermos factory. As a double-income family, while they couldn't say they were rich, they certainly didn't have to worry about food and clothing. However, in the middle of last year, Zhou Haitang's mother was suddenly laid off.

The source of income was immediately cut in half. Their family's basic necessities, supporting their aged grandparents, and Zhou Haitang's tuition, all had to come from his father's monthly salary of two hundred yuan.

Zhou Haitang sighed. "Jingzhe, I'm not like you—even if I get into university, I definitely won't get a scholars.h.i.+p. If I really got into one, it would have to be in Yan City because I don't want to be separated from you and Gao Sheng. But if I went to Yan City, my parents wouldn't have been able to afford even the living expenses of a hundred yuan a month, not to mention the tuition of a few hundred yuan per semester. They could borrow money, but how would they pay it back? It takes at least four years to graduate."

Thinking of his mother's m.u.f.fled sobs the other night, Zhou Haitang decided he would go out to work to at least relieve some of the pressure on his parents.

He looked at Lin Jingzhe earnestly, his eyes filled with deep conviction. He thought Lin Jingzhe would surely understand his choice, but suddenly, another loud slap landed on the back of his head.

"What a load of c.r.a.p!" This group of brats really left Lin Jingzhe speechless. They thought they were mature and making grown-up choices, but in reality, they were beyond naive!

Zhou Haitang had idea what he wanted to give up with the decision he just made. Did he really think he was simply exchanging four years of college life for lightening of his parents' burden? He was gravely mistaken!

But it was useless to reason with a brat. Lin Jingzhe grabbed his collar and began to pull him toward the school. "Alright, stop with the bulls.h.i.+t. I will help you with tuition and living expenses—now hurry up and fill in the college application form!"

Zhou Haitang struggled to get free. "I don't want you to pay for me!"

Lin Jingzhe endured for a long time, but in the end, he didn't manage to hold back and kicked him again. "Shut up! Dream on, who is giving you money! I f.u.c.king mean I will help you earn it yourself!"

Earn it himself? Zhou Haitang was at a loss. As a high school student who just entered adulthood, how could he earn enough for four years of college tuition and living expenses? But Lin Jingzhe was very obviously mad, so he didn't dare continue provoking him. Thinking he would slowly convince his friend after he calmed down, he obediently returned to the cla.s.sroom.

Since he didn't mean to attend university, he hadn't done any research at all. As such, he could only take a joking att.i.tude and copy the ones on Gao Sheng's application form, appeasing Lin Jingzhe.

When Hu Yu collected the college application forms, she was shocked: Cla.s.s 5 was aiming much higher than she expected.

The other students were still fine—while unlikely to get into their first university they wrote down, the rest of their choices was rather reasonable. But…

She pulled out three forms, her expression a bit heavy. What was the major Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang chose? Computers

Well, the cutoff score for Wutong University last year was more than 470 points so it was doubtful they would get admitted anyway. However, Lin Jingzhe's choices…

Astonished, Hu Yu looked at "Yan University" in the first column. She paused for a few seconds to let her frantically beating heart calm down, then checked the rest. Lin Jingzhe had filled in four universities in total, all located in Yan City. The minimum admission score of the last one was still several points higher than that of Qunnan University last year!

She had been worried since Lin Jingzhe gave up Qunnan University's admission quota, he would be too bold with his choices. She felt a bitter taste in her mouth—now, her worry had indeed turned into reality.

How could she submit this form? It would only harm Lin Jingzhe!

How prestigious was Yan University? Lin Jingzhe chose the popular finance major. Last year, this major's cutoff score was twenty points higher than Qunnan University's!

She was a veteran high school teacher—no one knew better than her what twenty points represented in the college entrance examination. Ever since she started teaching in the small Liyun Town, rarely students from their school could get into Qunnan University relying only on their exam scores. Yan University, with the minimum admission score ten or twenty points higher, didn't even need to be mentioned.

Lin Jingzhe was confused by his unexpectedly good result on the second mock exam, but how could its difficulty be comparable with the difficulty of the college entrance examination? Moreover, she carefully a.n.a.lyzed Lin Jingzhe's grades—when he was still in Cla.s.s 1, his performance was a little inferior to that of Yu Zhiliang, the number one at that time. As a teacher, what worried Hu Yu were not the students who didn't like to study, but children like Lin Jingzhe who lost their usual rationality due to a one-time outstanding result.

She found Lin Jingzhe and tried to persuade him to change at least some of the universities he chose, but he firmly refused.

She was so worried that she didn't even ask her son why he filled in computer major on his form. She could only find Vice-Princ.i.p.al Qu Yuan and ask him to help her bring Lin Jingzhe to his senses.

But how could Qu Yuan dare? Although he was now in power as the acting princ.i.p.al, he witnessed first hand how much attention Du Kang paid to Lin Jingzhe during the inspection. Therefore, after Tao Fangzheng's fall, he was quite afraid of this formerly unremarkable student.

Several other third-year teachers also thought this college application form was unrealistic enough to be called a story of Arabian Nights!

However, they knew that kids this age were bound to be stubborn. The chemistry teacher persuaded, "How could he possibly get into Yan University? Just fill in Qunnan University, plus a few of the less demanding secondary choices. To enter Quannon University with Lin Jingzhe's score should be no problem, and even if he failed, he would have reasonable alternatives."

This proposal has been approved by many teachers: "That's right. When the results come out, he will definitely thank you. They are still children—sometimes we have to grab their hands and give them a pull to keep them from walking down the wrong road."

Hu Yu sat in her office and thought about this suggestion all afternoon. She struggled with herself, but in the end, she didn't do it.

No matter what, this was what Lin Jingzhe wanted. As a teacher, she could give advice but couldn't make the choice for him.

Even if he really failed to get in any of these universities, so what? He could take the exam again the next year. He was young and smart, and his future was boundless—a defeat at this point would be nothing more than a valuable life lesson.

With a deep sense of powerlessness and guilt, Hu Yu submitted Cla.s.s 5's college application forms.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Jingzhe went to Zhou Haitang's house. He felt he should tell Zhou Haitang's parents about their son's mentality and let them straighten him out. Though Zhou Haitang had filled in his college application form, there was still a long time until the college entrance exam's results would be known, and Lin Jingzhe was worried he would do something stupid. He knew his childhood friend—while kind-hearted and sincere, he was also extremely headstrong.

The thermos factory was a relatively large state-owned enterprise in Liyun Town. Zhou Haitang's family lived in the factory's dormitory—a building from the early eighties, shabby and gloomy. The Zhou family's life was clearly not well-off, but when she knew Lin Jingzhe was going to visit, Mother Zhou still specially got some meat from the butcher and went to the ice cream factory next to the thermos factory to buy a box of custard ice cream, despite it not being cheap.

"Eat it quickly, before Haitang comes home. Look at how skinny you are… The exam must've been tiring, right? Aunty bought pork leg bones with a lot of meat and is stewing for you." Thin and haggard, Mother Zhou sat on the opposite side of the table, kindly looking at Lin Jingzhe digging into the ice cream with a spoon. She sighed, "Haitang is so stupid; he was easily deceived since childhood. Lately, his grades got a lot worse, and he began to make noise about becoming a 'big brother' and earning a lot of money, even refusing to go to school. If you hadn't persuaded him, who knows how it would've ended. Aunty really doesn't know how to thank you…"

Her voice echoed in the dark corridor, accompanied by the savory fragrance of bone soup coming in through the half-open door which made Lin Jingzhe's mouth water. The deepest impression he had of Mother Zhou were her outstanding cooking skills—she was able to make the astringent, barely edible wild vegetables picked in the mountains into a legendary feast.

However, her fate had been miserable—in Lin Jingzhe's last life, she died earlier than Hu Yu.

While Zhou Haitang's family was not prosperous right now, things still weren't completely bad; though Mother Zhou was laid off last year, they still had a source of income in Father Zhou. But in a few years, after the reform of state-owned enterprises, he would also lose his job.

In the last life, after Father Zhou was laid off, he became a migrant worker and went to other provinces with Gao Sheng's father to work at various construction sites. However, after only a few years, there was a major accident at one site, the consequences of which were tragic: Gao Sheng's father died on the spot, and Zhou Haitang's father was seriously injured. While he kept his life, his right leg had to be amputated below the knee.

Poor Mother Zhou not only cried her eyes out over her husband's sufferings but also fretted about her son's chosen "career." Perhaps it was due to the excessive stress from all the worry, but within a few years, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died barely two months after the diagnosis.

Lin Jingzhe was in Yan City at the time, mired in all kinds of trouble; he hadn't been able to make it to her funeral. On the same day, Zhou Haitang called, crying himself hoa.r.s.e on the phone.

He suddenly returned to his senses and found his mouth was numb. He stopped mechanically spooning ice cream in and took a deep breath.

The bone soup must've been ready as Mother Zhou took two dish towels and, breathing heavily, brought the still bubbling earthenware pot from the coal stove in the corridor.

The soup was full of flavor: the rich aroma of meat blended with an intriguing mix of seasonings and the sugary smell of sweet corn. It was so unbelievably fragrant that Lin Jingzhe felt as if he was was invited to a royal banquet. The other dormitory inhabitants pretended to casually walk by, looking around and sniffing discreetly, trying to find the source of the heavenly smell.

A middle-aged women who pa.s.sed by three times couldn't help but stop and exclaim, "Aiya, Mother Zhou, just how do you cook this soup? You taught me how to season it, but mine never smells like this!"

As Lin Jingzhe listened to their small talk, he quietly took a sip of the soup, feeling the rich, spicy flavor burst in his mouth and throat.

Before the dark period of his last life, he lived in Yan City with his father and had experienced the lifestyle of the rich. Following the second generation "young masters" to eat and drink, he visited all the famous private restaurants in the capital. A full course meal served there could reach the price of hundreds of thousands yuan, yet no chef could recreate Zhou Haitang's mother's taste.

He pushed the memories back, finished his bowl of soup, and told Mother Zhou the reason he came.

Mother Zhou was about to pour him a second serving. Her eyes instantly widened. "What did you say? Haitang didn't want to fill out his college application form?!"

"This d.a.m.n child!" She set the bowl on the table with a clatter. "I told him a hundred times to not worry about the money, this is for his parents to take care of, but this brat refuses to listen, it seems! Just wait for him to get home!"

After a fit of temper, her eyes reddened. "This is my fault. If I had not been laid off last year, he would not have thought so much. It's due to my incompetence."

"Don't say that," Lin Jingzhe comforted her. "I didn't mean for you to blame yourself. What I actually want to say is, we'll solve the problem of Zhou Haitang's tuition, but it will take some time—I hope you can keep an eye on him until then. I am afraid he will secretly run away to work at some construction site or such, and it will be troublesome if we lost contact with him."

"What can you kids do?" Mother Zhou smiled through her tears, not taking his words seriously. "I know, I will keep him honest. Anyway, there are still several months before college starts. I'll make sure he attends university even if I have to sell the last thing in this house."

Lin Jingzhe, who finally got the second bowl of soup, kept silent. He knew it was useless to say anything more. He suddenly claimed he had a way to get solve such a large problem—there was no way Mother Zhou would believe it just like that unless she was mentally r.e.t.a.r.ded.

Therefore, he didn't bother to explain, simply focused on drinking the soup. It was so delicious it would be a crime to let it get cold.

Filled with grat.i.tude, Mother Zhou scooped the largest pieces of meat into his bowl. "Thank you so much for everything, Jingzhe. Aunty thinks Haitang's greatest fortune in this life is that he could have a friend like you." 

Lin Jingzhe smiled at her. Suddenly, he asked, "Aunty, your cooking skills are so good—have you ever thought about opening a business?"

His question stunned Mother Zhou. Bewildered, she wanted to ask what he meant, but just as she opened her mouth, there was a rush of footsteps by the door, followed by Zhou Haitang's loud voice: "Mom, you bought meat?! Are we celebrating something? The downstairs is full of people standing still and drooling, I almost couldn't get through!"

The words barely fell when a young man came in, a basketball under his arm, his eyes instantly focusing on the earthenware pot like a homing laser. Then saw Lin Jingzhe.

Their eyes met. Zhou Haitang asked, puzzled, "Jingzhe, you're here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Lin Jingzhe didn't answer. He raised his chin toward the door and said calmly, "Go wash."

Zhou Haitang's head was full of questions, but he had already developed a habit of listening to Lin Jingzhe, so he immediately did an about-face and rushed to the bathroom in the corridor. Mother Zhou hurriedly found a change of clothes and a towel and chased after him.

In the bathroom, Zhou Haitang undressed, then poured basin of cold water on his head. He was so cold he hopped from foot to foot. Mother Zhou didn't leave; she said through the door, "Haitang, which university did you choose? Money is no longer a problem."

Zhou Haitang's voice was almost drowned out by the splash of water: "Ah?"

Mother Zhou's tone was relaxed: "I have an old friend. She heard you were going to university and this morning, she sent a thousand yuan. If you study well, I will give you a hundred and fifty yuan a month for living expenses!"

Just then, the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open, and Zhou Haitang's wet head popped out, neck stretched and eyes round, like a fawn reaching for food.

"You had such a rich friend, mom?!" He exclaimed.

Mother Zhou scowled at him. "When I was young, I had many friends!"

The heavy stone that had settled on Zhou Haitang's chest seemed to fall to the ground after learning the news. Chuckling, he said, "One hundred and fifty yuan is too much, I am sure that a hundred a month will be enough. Maybe we can even save some money."

Mother Zhou sighed, then smiled and rubbed her son's head.

Liyun Town was nested within the mountains. While in a straight line distance Qunnan City wasn't far, to get there, one had to pa.s.s through a winding mountain road. Even the buses going out of town were scarce, let alone the ones to the provincial capital.

Gao Sheng and Deng Mai were out like a light the moment they took their seats; Zhou Haitang took care of the luggage for all three of them. Lin Jingzhe sat by the window, silently watching the scenery pa.s.s by as the bus jolted on the b.u.mpy road.

Months after his rebirth, he finally took his first step out of Liyun Town.

Zhou Haitang groped for the bottle of water in his bag. He offered it to him and asked, yawning, "Why did you suddenly want to go to the provincial capital?"

They left without telling their families, only saying they would stay in a cla.s.smate's house for two days. If they told their families they were actually going to Qunnan City, their parents would have never agreed.

Lin Jingzhe touched the window with the tips of his fingers. Not turning his head, he accepted the water, but only held the bottle in his hand, apparently not going to drink it.

In the wind blowing in through the gaps in the windows, his voice sounded ethereal but was very clear: "You didn't want to go?"

"No, I did." Zhou Haitang was long used to the way Lin Jingzhe rarely answered others' questions. He grinned and said excitedly, "I've never been to the provincial capital. Gao Sheng and Deng Mai say it's much more impressive than Liyun, full of high-rise buildings."

Lin Jingzhe smiled and looked back at him. "You like high-rise buildings?"

Zhou Haitang nodded shyly. "Yes, I really like them."

"Then I will let you see as many as you want." Lin Jingzhe looked out of the window again, his eyes calm and unfathomable like a deep, still lake.

The bus drove for three hours, during which Gao Sheng and Deng Mai each vomited once. After they got off, Lin Jingzhe didn't let them rest but immediately pulled the three to another bus.

It was going to Shen City. Liyun Town had no direct connection to there—one had to transfer in Qunnan City.

Gao Sheng and Deng Mai both lost it: "Oh my G.o.d, just where are we going?"

Lin Jingzhe gave them the motion sickness pills and bread he just bought at the bus station. He commanded, voice brooking no arguments, "Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up, eat it."

This bus was air-conditioned and the interior was filled with pleasantly cool air; Zhou Haitang raised a hand to touch the air vent. Slowly, the bus left the station and headed into the city.

Zhou Haitang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Cars formed a never-ending stream on the road, and the style of pedestrians' clothes didn't resemble that of Liyun Town's inhabitants. Young people wearing white Nike shoes whistled by on sleek bicycles, completely different from the old-fas.h.i.+oned 28s. The high-rise buildings on both sides of the streets were very high, much higher than the newest, most modern buildings in Liyun Town.

As a genuine country b.u.mpkin, he couldn't hide his excitement at all. He keep pestering Lin Jingzhe: "Look! Look at that building!"

"f.u.c.k, that car is so cool!"

"There's a woman driving?"

"Wow, what a nice house, this is a hotel?"

He pulled Lin Jingzhe's sleeve and pointed to the side of the road: "Hey, look at that house!"

Lin Jingzhe followed his finger to see a building about ten stories high. It was rather unconventional, wider at the ground floor and narrowing at the top, like a trapezoid. In the era still dominated by the standard, same-structured constructions, it was considered modern and avant-garde.

It was an office building. In front of it, there stood a huge signboard displaying the names of all enterprises having their offices inside.

Lin Jingzhe's eyes swept across the three conspicuous words at the very top: Qiqing Real Estate.

As Zhou Haitang marvelled at the building's unique shape, he slowly closed his eyes. "I'm going to sleep for a bit."

The last part of this chapter was a bit confusing until I did more reading and took a look at the map.

The action of EoR takes place in an alternate world, not quite the same as ours but with similar geography. The fictional Qunnan Province is almost certainly modeled after Guandong Province. The boys traveled to Qunnan City (Guangzhou), the provincial capital, then took another bus to Shen City (Shenzhen). It seems this bus pa.s.sed through Qunnan City first since we know Qiqing Real Estate (belonging to Lin Jingzhe's mother and her husband) is located in the provincial capital.

Translators: Eques, Teo

Editor: Bet

I'm sorry for missing the update last week ? (work reasons; I'm not going to rant here but argh ?).