Chapter 6: Leave It to Old Bao!

Page (1/3)

Yu Xiaoli initially didn’t believe there would be a beauty just after turning right. After all, the kid had been dizzy for a while and suddenly seemed to have gained a slight knack for humor. But after riding a few hundred meters, she really did see a familiar figure walking through the dusty industrial zone, holding a book in her hand.

Her waist-length ponytail was neatly combed, with only the tips slightly loose. A pair of faded pencil-cut jeans outlined slender legs. The girl had an overall lean appearance, yet her height probably reached about 172 centimeters, making her look somewhat malnourished.

A single punch from her could make someone cry for a long time.

Yu Xiaoli called out, “Lu... Lu Wei, right? Are you heading to the factory from here? Where’s your home?”

Lu Wei turned her head and politely bowed. “Teacher Yu, my home is in Sunmazhuang.”

Yu Xiaoli was momentarily confused. “Sunmazhuang? That’s several kilometers away, isn’t it? You walk here?”

Administratively, that area was classified as a “town.” Although it had been connected to Dongyang County for nearly a decade, there was still a considerable distance between them.

Was she stubborn about her shoes?

Lu Wei pressed her lips together and instinctively hid the book, whispering, “There’s a bus for part of the way. I leave early and just read on the way.”

Yu Xiaoli seemed to realize she didn’t know much about her “apprentice” and asked curiously, “Why don’t you stay in the dormitory?”

No matter how rundown the wool spinning factory was, worker dormitories existed—though conditions were like those before liberation, with an entire company’s worth of people cramped into one dorm.

But at least it was manageable; otherwise, who would come to work?

Lu Wei shook her head. “My family situation is special...”

Since it involved family matters, Yu Xiaoli didn’t pry further. This girl had only been her apprentice for a few days and wasn’t well known to her.

Besides, she didn’t think the girl would stick around for long.

Because she was too beautiful.

As someone seasoned in old factories, Yu Xiaoli knew there were many beauties among the factory girls. Poor academic performance had nothing to do with appearance—in fact, in such a small county town, the two were often inversely related. Many vocational and technical school graduates were directly sent to factories.

However, pretty girls usually couldn’t last long, whether because they found other opportunities or simply couldn’t endure the hardship. Beautiful girls always had an escape route.

After working sixteen hours a day on an assembly line, you’d realize that sitting in a karaoke bar in a big city isn’t so bad.

Both are physical and mental torment, but the latter at least affords the latest Nokia phone.

Of course, some were luckier and married rich men—wasn’t that better?

Zhai Da slowed down, apparently playing the role of a tool for sending his mother to work, but in reality, he was pondering the question from yesterday.

Why did this high-end factory girl seem so familiar?

When had he ever seen her before? It couldn’t have been after he started working in his previous life, could it?

Lu Wei... that name was completely unfamiliar.

Yesterday, she wore more clothes, so he hadn’t noticed, but today, in short sleeves, Zhai Da guessed this girl, standing about 1.7 meters tall, probably didn’t even weigh 90 jin (about 45 kg).

There were plenty of poor people these days.

Page (2/3)

Malnourished ones were indeed rare.

He took his own breakfast from his bike’s handlebars, clenched it in his fist, and handed it over.

The white steamed bun was still warm, condensation forming on the bag, dangling in front of Lu Wei.

An enticing aroma wafted to her nose.

She raised her eyes but stepped back, her large eyes full of confusion and caution.

She seemed afraid Zhai Da would punch her.

Zhai Da said, “Have some.”

Lu Wei didn’t speak; she obviously wasn’t used to receiving random kindness.

“I’m afraid you’ll faint by the equipment and get pricked. My mom would be responsible,” he added.

Lu Wei: ...

Yu Xiaoli pinched Zhai Da’s lower back and scolded, “You silly kid, what nonsense are you talking? Alright, you head back. It’s only a few hundred meters left. I’ll walk with Little Lu.”

Still, Yu Xiaoli took the breakfast despite Lu Wei’s refusal, directly pressing it into her hand.

They weren’t very close before, but after a few days, Yu Xiaoli thought the kid had decent character, and since he was about the same age as her son, she felt a bit more affectionate.

Of course, it was also possible that after seriously considering what Zhai Da said, she decided this malnourished girl should eat more.

“Ride slowly on the road!”

Zhai Da waved and turned to leave.

Once out of Yu Xiaoli’s sight, he pedaled hard!

He was listening to his mother.

Just sometimes, he was a bit hard of hearing.

Still, he obeyed traffic safety—he had seen a car accident before and remembered it for life.

When a person is reduced to flesh, they’re worthless.

So if you ride recklessly, your loved ones will cry.

Yu Xiaoli and Lu Wei walked side by side. The young girl kept her head down, easily seeing her own toes.

Yu Xiaoli said, “Little Lu, don’t take it to heart. My son’s just a bit... humorous.”

Especially these past two days, his humor had gone overboard.

Lu Wei felt the warmth of the steamed bun and soy milk in her palm. “It’s okay, Teacher Yu. Thank you for the breakfast.”

“No need to thank me. Thank my son next time.”

Lu Wei nodded, keeping that in mind.

Only... the other party seemed not to remember her.

Page (3/3)

———

Zhai Da rode his sturdy classic twenty-eight-inch bike quickly back to the county city center.

This bike was built for safety, not speed—it was tiring to pedal standing up.

He instinctively touched the folded “jester love letter” in his pocket. Yesterday, he had found a small pouch to use as a talisman holder, folding it neatly for easy carrying.

Today, he had a clear mission.

To find “equipment.”

The system revealed little information on its own; most rules required personal exploration. For example, he had never imagined that a living thing like an old elm tree could become equipment, nor that equipment could have purely negative effects!

Today he planned to go to the old goods market in Dongyang County—more precisely, the Old Red Flag Mall, which was the most prosperous place in Dongyang thirty years ago but now housed mostly auto repair and decoration shops.

There was a small cluster of about three to five “antique shops,” or “secondhand general stores,” as they were better called.

From blue-and-white porcelain made during the Qianlong era of the Ming Dynasty, to old stamps, ration coupons, and even old books—everything was there.

He believed this was the most likely place to find “special items,” so he had to go today.

Otherwise, once he returned to school tomorrow, as a senior high student working like a horse, he wouldn’t have the time to wander around.

Though finding “special items” was uncertain, he hoped to acquire something to help with his studies.

After all, his grades in his previous life were already terrible. Now, after being reborn, he was probably doomed to fail even more.

Last night, he skimmed through textbooks and saw a bleak future.

He barely recognized terms like “塞硬” or “口塞硬,” and had completely forgotten the right-hand piston principle. His English likely consisted only of “banana” and “elephant” sounds.

English had always been his weak spot; years after graduating, he still couldn’t spell the word “beach” correctly.

The only subject he could catch up on was Chinese. He had some foundation from his previous career in copywriting, but that was time-consuming and required memorizing countless texts again.

So the most reasonable approach wasn’t to blindly push forward but to get the system’s support focused on learning!

The Red Flag Mall was about a kilometer from the wool spinning factory. After a few minutes’ ride, Zhai Da passed a series of labor protection stores, Michelin three-star tire shops, and a foot massage place that never opened during the day, arriving at the innermost, least visited area.

Three secondhand general stores were located there. The place was extremely obscure; if not for having taken a shortcut through Red Flag Mall during elementary school to save ten minutes, this local boy would never have come here in his whole life.

He privately thought the owners here were less in business and more just “surviving.” They lived inside, cooked outside with a pot, made a little profit when customers came, and watched TV when none did.

The first shop was called “Treasure Trove Pavilion,” a grand name, though the faded Hello Kitty in the window seemed out of place.

Zhai Da wasn’t picky; he entered and looked around.

Whether real or fake, the feeling was right.

Everything was old junk—truly ancient!