Back then, after submitting her resignation report and receiving her withheld wages, she had nearly 5,000 yuan.
She deposited the money into her bank card and returned to the middle school she had attended. Classes were in session, so she went to her homeroom teacher Teacher Yang’s home and waited by his doorstep until he returned after school.
Teacher Yang was pleasantly surprised to see her: “Where have you been this semester? Why did you suddenly stop attending school? I went to your home to look for you, and they said you had gone out to work. You’re only in your teens—how could you go out to work? Your grades are good. If you continue studying, you can definitely get into high school. Getting a job after graduating from university is much better than working after only finishing middle school.”
“Can I still come back to study now?”
“Will the school still take me?” Fifteen-year-old Jiang Xue asked cautiously, slightly tilting her head. Her thin back was straight, her eyes slightly moist, filled with uncertainty and anticipation for the answer.
“It’s not too late. Yes, they will. I’ll help you.” With those words, “I’ll help you,” she finally let go of her anxiety and broke down in tears.
Teacher Yang’s wife also returned from work and found her crying. She comforted her gently. Even now, Jiang Xue still remembered how fragrant and warm her embrace felt.
By the way, Teacher Yang—he’s still alive now!!
Since she had been reborn, could she prevent Teacher Yang from meeting with an accident again?
Tomorrow, she would go see him. Thinking about her experiences from her past life, she gradually grew drowsy, but then suddenly remembered a small incident from that life.
She got up again, tiptoed out, and walked to the old house next door—the room where her grandparents used to live.
After her grandfather passed away, her grandmother had moved to her uncle’s house.
Her grandmother’s belongings had all been moved away, leaving only her grandfather’s things.
Relying on vague memories, she rummaged through a pile of books under the bed and finally found the money her grandfather had hidden inside a copy of Jin Yong’s The Book and the Sword.
Her grandfather had flipped through this book many times during his lifetime and often read martial arts novels to the children when they were young.
Back then, she lived alone at home. Her parents had taken her younger siblings to the county town, but she insisted on staying behind to study. She ate and lived in her own home but slept at her uncle’s house with her grandmother at night.
In her past life, after her grandfather passed away, these books were originally going to be sold, but she kept them. While flipping through them, she discovered the money.
It wasn’t a large sum—only 1,200 yuan.
This money was likely given to him by his children for cigarettes and alcohol, something even her grandmother didn’t know about.
Later, as her grandfather’s mind grew increasingly confused until his death, he probably forgot about the money himself.
This money had played a significant role for her back then, making her third year of middle school less financially strained and giving her some confidence.
Early the next morning, Jiang Xue was awakened by noise from outside.
Jiang Lu from the neighboring bed had already gotten up and left. Jiang Xue also stepped out of the room. At that moment, Jiang’s mother was tying Jiang Lu’s hair. Unlike Jiang Xue’s usual single ponytail, Jiang Lu’s hair was styled in two pigtails, tied section by section with colorful hairbands and adorned with hair clips.
To be honest, it looked really tacky and childish.
It was a wonder she used to envy and feel jealous about it as a child.
When Jiang’s mother saw Jiang Xue come out, she had been chatting and laughing with her younger daughter, but the next second, her face immediately turned stern. She fell silent, exuding a low-pressure atmosphere as if afraid others wouldn’t know she was angry.
If this were the Jiang Xue from her past life, she would have started feeling anxious and uneasy, then tried to do things to please her.
And now, she walked into the kitchen with the same expressionless face. The meal was already prepared—warm leftover steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and plain rice porridge. She picked up a bun, added some pickled vegetables, and stood by the stove, quickly finishing the bun.
Returning to her room, she took her ID card and the money from last night, then rode her old bicycle toward town.
Speaking of this bicycle—in their area, attending middle school required going to town, and the village was five kilometers away. Since they had to return home for lunch, that meant four trips a day, making a bicycle essential.
So every child starting middle school would get their own bicycle that year.
Jiang Xue didn’t have one. She had picked up the one Jiang Xian had discarded.
It had already been ridden for three years. Neither of Jiang Xian’s younger brothers wanted it, but for Jiang Xue, it was the best option available.
A worn-out, secondhand bicycle with a host of problems.
Back then, her grandfather was still alive. During the summer after she graduated from elementary school, he helped her replace the tires, tighten the chain, and install a new basket. Even so, the bicycle was hard to pedal, the seat was uncomfortable, and it often broke down.
In the few months since Jiang’s father and mother had returned, Jiang Xue had asked them for money to repair the bicycle and was scolded for not taking care of it, for being wasteful. When they bought a new bicycle for Jiang Chao, they told Jiang Lu, "Mom will ride with you." But for Jiang Xue, it was simply, "She has one."
"She’s too rough on the bicycle. It breaks down every other day. Just make do with this old one." As a young girl, she didn’t understand and thought it might be her own fault, reflecting on herself.
She let out a bitter laugh and continued pedaling the bicycle with effort.
After Jiang Xue left, Jiang Haiyang came out of the bathroom and walked over to his wife, asking their younger daughter, "Has your sister gotten up yet? She took medicine yesterday, and her fever went down. I don’t know if it’ll come back today. Go call your sister to get up and have breakfast."
"Why bother calling? Your precious daughter has already eaten and pushed her bicycle out," Jiang’s mother said with a hint of disdain.
"Where did she go?" Jiang’s father asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? Oh, by the way, call your sister later and tell her your daughter isn’t going," Jiang’s mother said to him.
"So you’ve finally come around and decided not to let the eldest go out to work."
"Hah, your daughter has grown a temper now. She even dares to kill chickens. How could I possibly decide for her? I’m afraid she’ll resent me if she goes out, after raising her all these years only to benefit someone else’s family. Anyway, let’s stick to what we agreed on before. Go discuss it with your mother and ask her to take care of her for another year. If your mother refuses, I’ll take the two younger kids to the county town for school, and you can stay home farming and keep an eye on your eldest daughter."
"I always knew you had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. I’ll go talk to my mom after breakfast. Don’t be angry anymore—why get upset with a child?" He was genuinely relieved that his wife had relented.
But thinking about his mother, he grew worried again.
His younger brother, Jiang He, had gotten married last year and had a son this year.
His mother claimed she wouldn’t take care of any more children, but she wasn’t so old that she couldn’t work. She was still managing the household and farm chores. She had turned down looking after the children of his older brother’s family, pouring all her energy into caring for his younger brother’s child.
"I've already helped you raise children for so many years. I don't know how many more years I have left, but while I can still move, I must help your younger brother for a few years. I have to be fair to all my children. As for why I can't take care of them all together—with so many children and your father gone—I simply don't have the energy. I still want to live a few more years." The words had reached this point. Jiang Haiyang, always filial, couldn't continue to pressure his mother.
His wife would go first with the children, but they would need to rent a house. The plan to open a shop couldn't be carried out, as his wife alone couldn't manage it while also caring for their two children. So, her saying he should stay at home was just an angry remark, not to be taken seriously.
He decided to continue persuading his mother in the afternoon or go discuss it with his elder brother's family. If his mother really agreed to take care of Jiang Xue, he couldn't just dump his own two boys on her like before. Thinking of all this, Jiang Haiyang let out a deep sigh.