Chapter 4: A Child from a Poor Family Must Strive

Li Jixiang was secretly grumbling when she suddenly noticed the string of small pink numbers before her eyes flicker—they’d changed to 211. The number had gone up by one. Could it be that Teacher Zhang liked her? How absurd! She rubbed her hands together, feeling much more at ease. After all, being liked was better than being disliked, and seeing the number increase was far preferable to watching it dwindle.

“…I know your family’s situation is difficult, and the school has already waived Li Jixiang’s tuition this semester. I’m here today to remind you that Li Jixiang will be taking the entrance exams for middle school in three months. While our students usually all move on to junior high, the allocation of classes there is a serious matter. Let’s not talk about the honors classes—those are for the ones bound for university.

Let’s talk about the so-called ‘problem classes’—the seventh and eighth classes in junior high. You know better than I do what kind of students end up there. They’re all unruly troublemakers! If any of them manage to graduate, their ancestors must be watching over them. If Li Jixiang ends up in a class like that, it wouldn’t take a year before she ended up just like the rest. But with her current grades, if she really buckles down, she might just make it into an ordinary class.

Get into an ordinary class in junior high, and at least there’s hope for high school. Given your family’s circumstances, if she manages to graduate from high school, that’s already an achievement. She’ll have better prospects for marriage too, and her future in-laws won’t look down on her…”

“Good evening, Teacher Zhang! It’s late for you to be making home visits—thank you for your efforts.”

Li Jixiang couldn’t bear to listen any longer to Zhang Chunfen’s lengthy, nagging speech. She drew back the curtain and walked over with a smile at the corners of her eyes and brows.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. A teacher can’t be afraid of hard work. Li Jixiang, have you finished your homework today?”

The conversation had been interrupted so abruptly that Zhang Chunfen was momentarily caught off guard. She had shepherded four graduating classes through elementary school, always prioritizing her students’ futures. This cohort she’d guided since fourth grade, and only Li Jixiang had needed a tuition waiver every semester.

Li Jixiang came from a poor family, was reserved, rarely spoke to classmates, and never raised her hand in class. Still, she always completed her assignments on time and never disrupted the class. Lately, though, her behavior had been most “noteworthy,” and Zhang Chunfen had no choice but to pay attention to this lagging student, lest she drag down the whole class.

Reserved? Looking at the smile in Li Jixiang’s eyes and at her temples, Zhang Chunfen started to doubt her own assessment.

“I was just about to start my homework, but I heard you’d come, so I came out to greet you.”

“Hurry and get to your homework then!”

“No rush, I’ll sit with you for a while.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Li Jixiang studied Zhang Chunfen closely.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Zhang Chunfen’s skin was originally fair; it was only the lack of care over time that had left it with a sallow tint. Her jet-black hair was cut bluntly to the ears, exposing a sharply angled jaw. Coupled with her habit of wearing loose, high-collared, manly clothes, she did look rather masculine.

It reminded Li Jixiang of the “iron flower” career women she’d once managed—each one dressed in gray or black, and every bit as capable as two men put together. But they knew how to dress up! Even her own secretary, Miss Ye, was nearly forty but looked no older than twenty-something. If Zhang Chunfen changed to a more flattering haircut, dabbed a bit of makeup, and paired it with her upright posture and slender figure… she could be a seasoned beauty.

What a pity! If a woman doesn’t cherish her own beauty, who can she expect to notice it?

“Jixiang, you see how much your teacher cares about you. You must study hard and not disappoint her.”

At this, Zhang Chunfen laughed out loud.

“Granny Li, Jixiang is your hope. What can I hope for from her?”

“Yes, yes, it’s my fault for not being educated enough to choose my words. Jixiang is my hope. I only wish for her to make something of herself.”

Granny Li’s tone suddenly turned wistful.

“Teacher Zhang, let me make you a cup of tea.”

Li Jixiang had no desire to see her grandmother saddened. In this world, Granny Li was her only hope.

“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll just chat a bit more with your grandmother and then I’ll go.”

Zhang Chunfen stopped her, and Li Jixiang hadn’t really intended to make tea anyway. She hadn’t yet explored what this home contained—these past two days her only thought had been how to shake off the system and return to her life as a tycoon. For now, she could only go along with the system and wait for the right moment.

“Li Jixiang, it’s not easy for your grandmother to raise you alone. You must work hard!”

Zhang Chunfen spoke earnestly, her gaze roaming over the scant items in the glass display case, then up toward the shelves along the wall. On them were only a few stacks of pink, rough-edged toilet paper—the kind so coarse that even wiping one’s hands felt unpleasant. Zhang Chunfen couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“This little shop of yours needs to stock more goods. With so little for sale, who would come to buy anything?”

Zhang Chunfen addressed Granny Li directly.

Granny Li’s face flushed with embarrassment. She wanted nothing more than for the shop to flourish, but restocking required money, and she didn’t have enough capital. If she bought too little, the wholesaler wouldn’t give her the bulk price. If she bought cheap goods in bulk, she couldn’t carry them home. Back when her mute son was still alive, he had the strength to help her move goods, and the shop could just about scrape by.

She’d borrowed from every relative and neighbor to pay for her son’s treatment, but the mountain of debt couldn’t save his life. Her spirit was broken and her health, too. Now, preparing three meals a day for her granddaughter took all the energy she had. There was neither heart nor strength left for the shop. If not for the occasional neighbor buying needles and thread out of pity, the shop would have closed long ago.

In the past, the national highway brought traveling merchants and drivers who would stop to buy snacks and drinks. Now, she couldn’t even remember the last time a stranger had come through the door…

“I’m not good at business, but I’m learning little by little,” Granny Li said, twisting the corner of her garment, unable to meet Zhang Chunfen’s eyes.

“It’s hard no matter what you do—every trade has its secrets. Don’t worry too much. When Jixiang graduates from junior high, she’ll be able to help you here. Time will pass quickly. Who would have thought I’d be here in this town for twelve years already?”

Zhang Chunfen’s words made it clear she expected Li Jixiang to finish only junior high. Granny Li didn’t notice, but Li Jixiang bristled and was eager to see her out.

“It’s getting late, Teacher Zhang, and the roads around here aren’t easy to navigate. Let me walk you out.”

Zhang Chunfen had no intention of lingering. As homeroom teacher, she’d done everything she could for the worst student in her class. Her conscience was clear.

“Li Jixiang, as they say, hardship makes a child mature early. With your family’s struggles, I hope you can make an effort to achieve good grades and avoid being placed in a problem class. None of my graduates have ever ended up in a problem class, and I don’t want you to be the first. Do you understand?”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Zhang. I’ll definitely get into Class One of the first-year junior high and never let you down. I’m going back to study now.”

Li Jixiang finished and dashed back into the shop. Zhang Chunfen, gripping her bicycle’s handlebars, stood for a long time in a daze. When had she ever expected Li Jixiang to make it into the honors class?