Chapter 2 (3)

  Lin Yuxiang had no choice but to take another gamble. Fortunately, the previous pill had paved the way, expanding his esophagus, so this one only bounced off his stomach seven times before going down.

  Lin's father finally arrived home, his face exhausted. The exhaustion was determined by the nature of his work, as an editor, he was actually "off the air". A large pile of manuscripts in front of him, a considerable portion of which were nonsense. When encountering some nonsense, there was often no clue, and he had to carefully sort out and reorganize the paragraphs. This small-circulation newspaper that nobody reads still had to be forcibly subscribed to by the officials, who only cared about

  When going to the toilet, look and then use less toilet paper - anyway, it's just right that dogshit newspaper wipes dogshit ass, also a perfect match.

  These days, Lin's father was in a bad mood for another reason. The small newspaper had typos everywhere, due to the fact that there were too few people and too much work. Although the editors were all good at writing, it was like asking four monkeys to eat away four tons of peaches at once. Lin's father had reported this to the leader, who promised to select a few new students from the university to help out. However, those new students seemed to be like the reinforcements of the Kwantung Army - Lin's father waited until the flowers had wilted, but there was still no one in sight. He could only continue to urge the leader, who tapped his head and said "You see me? You see me?" Lin's father indeed saw him use his pen to knock on his own skull. Cultivated people are all like this - the ancient saying goes "A superior man uses his pen to kill people", which is exactly what it means. Scholars have soft hearts, so when Lin's father saw the leader of a department self-destructing, he quickly said that he understood him. The leader was satisfied with being understood and promised that personnel would arrive soon. However, that leader was a historian. Historians' promises about time are the most unreliable. They say "short period", but in their words, even 800-900 years is just a "historical moment". From this to that, the consequences can be imagined.

  The supporter was late, Lin's father was anxious. Today when he spoke to the leader, he retorted a few words. The leader educated him, opening his mouth as if he had lived for hundreds of years: "Young people like you are arrogant and lack talent, but according to dialectical materialism, this is an opportunity for you to show off your skills. Young people can't be proud just because they have some knowledge and can write a few small articles, complaining everywhere, making suggestions randomly. Aren't there enough examples of failure in history? You..." The tone was like that of Laozi's son.

  Lin's father felt wronged and scolded his son for not working hard when he got home. The old man vented his anger, the son lost face, Lin Yuxiang said: "I won't work hard anyway, I won't read anymore!" Frightened, his father hastily made amends, saying that his tone was too heavy.

  A dinner eaten with a heavy atmosphere, the whole family didn't speak, each person was focused on playing with something in their own bowl.

  At eight o'clock in the evening, Lin's mother burst into Yuxiang's room and snatched him away while he was reading comics.

  "He said with a sigh: 'How can you be so ill-mannered? You should knock on the door before entering.'"

  "I knocked on the door. I also know what you're hiding inside." Yan Lin's mother said with a smile.

  "Return my book, I borrowed it."

  "Let's talk about it after the exam! That book - " Mrs. Lin originally wanted to say "That book will be returned after the exam, so as not to affect that person", but maternal love is also selfish, she thought what if that student gets good grades, Yu Xiang will have to step down a rank. So she wished that the student would become addicted to reading idle books and said: "Return the book to its owner, from now on you are not allowed to borrow other people's things randomly, and you are also not allowed to read idle books."

  Lin Yuxiang quoted richly, borrowing others' words: "Well, mom, according to you, so-called 'regular books' are books that become useless after July, while so-called 'idle books' are books that will be useful for a lifetime."

  "Get out of my sight! From now on, you only need to read proper books and do proper exercises!" Mother Lin was about to exert her authority again.

  "Good——good, good, right book, ha——"

  "This lousy score of yours is the result of reading too many random books when you were a kid! You can't focus! What's the point of studying now? To have money and power? You didn't even attend a good school, where did you get the money from? Just wait until you grow up, you won't have any money, not even enough to play mahjong with others!" Lin's mother analyzed the situation from all angles, her argument was airtight.

  "You wanted to talk to me about this?" Yu Xiang said disappointedly.

  Lin's mother still had something to say, and it was too early to say goodbye. Instead of leaving, she said: "Is there anything else? These are enough for you to work hard! I'll discuss with your father to hire a tutor for you, and have them give you extra lessons!"

  Returned home and discussed with Lin's father about the supplementary lessons. Lin's mother firmly believed that after taking the intelligence-enhancing medicine she had bought, her son would definitely become smarter, and with the help of a tutor, he would surely get into a good school.

  Lin's father said that it's best to choose a teacher who is good at one subject, and have him tutor in all subjects. Firstly, it's more economical, secondly, it allows the child to have a sense of security. If there's only one home tutor, the student will focus on learning from that one teacher. Choosing a teacher is like choosing a spouse, having many doesn't necessarily mean better, you need to settle on one. Learn from that one teacher. Mao Zedong once said - "Defend one, defeat one!" He smiled smugly after finishing his speech.

  Lin's mother expressed her opposition, saying that if a teacher is proficient in three subjects, he is like a 3-in-1 shampoo on the market, with all functions but none of them done well.

  Lin's father said with a serious tone, "Since it's all about learning, of course, everything must be top-notch."

  At this point, the two people barely reached a consensus. The next step is to deal with specific contact issues. Teachers are not popular, but private tutors are in high demand, it can be seen that seeking knowledge is like dating, dragging on for decades is cheap, while one-on-one is precious. Precious things are naturally expensive, dozens of yuan per hour, basically the same price as prostitutes. Both make money, but teachers are much more ruthless than prostitutes. Prostitutes make money because they give pleasure to their clients; while teachers give pain to their students and still charge them, this is the greatness of private tutoring.

  Because of the greatness of home education, many insignificant people are attracted to join in, so good and bad are mixed together.

  Mr. Lin wanted to find a good one. The tutoring agency didn't have any good ones, only through friends' introductions. Mr. Lin had an acquaintance who specialized in organizing tutoring connections and made a small profit from them, but that small profit was enough to make him plump and white. He was tall, and others gave him the nickname "White Plump High". The popularity of White Plump High was also similar to that of cold drinks, especially popular near July when it's hot outside. Mr. Lin had a long-term vision, taking action early in the winter, searching for his friend's phone number for half a day. White Plump High had poor memory, but Mr. Lin remembered him, and he had already forgotten about Mr. Lin, only responding vaguely with "uh-huh". After Mr. Lin's patient reminder, White Plump High's memories finally resurfaced, and he enthusiastically boasted: "Who did I think it was! It turned out to be Mr. Lin. Honestly, the teachers here are all the best in the city, most students can get into key schools, if not, then at least district key schools. You send your kid over, and I guarantee they'll be taught well - every exam will be excellent!"

  Mr. Lin's face lit up with joy, and he agreed on the spot, setting a time to settle all accounts after completing all make-up classes. The first subject to be made up was chemistry, starting tomorrow from 6 pm to 9 pm at Boss Bar.

  The second day's class ended at 5:30, and the beautiful scenery on the bridge was gone. Yu Hui hurried home to eat dinner, then rode his bike to find Boss Bar. He searched all over the streets and alleys, but that Boss Bar didn't have the boss's usual habit of showing off, instead it was hiding like a thief.

  As the time approached six o'clock, Yuexiang had no choice but to go ask Hua Jiaolao, an old man who sold roasted flatbread on the street. The old man had lived in this town all his life and was very familiar with it. In his professional jargon, he knew the situation of this small town so well that it was "familiar to the point of being overcooked".

  It turned out that he also had a moment of confusion, and after recalling for a long time, he didn't know where the Boss Bar was. Yu Xiang had no choice but to call his father, Lin Father asked that friend, and after several rounds of inquiry, finally found out that "Boss Bar" was a new thing, located on Guigang Road, near the highway.

  The sky had darkened, and a premature star appeared in the blackness, making this night especially desolate. The cool wind brutally blew into every seam of Yu Xiang's clothes, and a package of cold air swirled around his body. After searching high and low, the "Old Boss Hotel" finally emerged in the dim light.

  A white and bright face replaced the function of a lamp. Yǔ Xiǎng sought brightness and went, and with Bái Pàng Gāo enthusiastically chatted: "You are——"

  "Are you Lin Yuxiang? Ah, good, good, you look clever. Study hard and you'll definitely get into a good school!"

  "Smell one one one one thank you——"

  "Alright, don't say anymore, go in, there are still classmates inside, maybe you know them!" Lin Yuxiang followed the order and entered the door. Inside was a chaotic scene, with a group of people drinking and playing dice at a table. The hostess covered her mouth and laughed loudly, the sound piercing through the air. Yuxiang couldn't help but think that he should have come here earlier to join in on the fun.

  "Easy does it, the students still have to make up for lost time!" A table of people were obviously close friends with Bai Hua Gao. They sacrificed their voices for the sake of the country's flowers. Bai Hua Gao led the way into a small room. Inside, there was a round table where three students and one teacher sat formally. The stubborn character was written all over his face, embedded in the wrinkles, truly old to the point of being immovable. The teacher said seriously: "Sit down. Now that everyone is here, let's begin."

  White and plump, tall and proud, he walked out with his head held high. He took a step back, realized he had forgotten something, pushed the door open again and said: "Classmates, let me introduce this chemistry teacher to you, he's very experienced, having participated in Shanghai's high school entrance exam paper preparation many times."

  So he should be very experienced with this kind of thing - like how scrolls come out - really!

  The teacher remained expressionless, indicating that Bai Gao could leave, and continued to teach the lesson. As women get older, their voices become louder, while men's voices become softer; this chemistry teacher was old, with a voice as soft as the waist of a beautiful woman in Chu Ling Wang's Zhanghua Palace during the Spring and Autumn period.

  After a few more sentences, the tone became even more severe, and it had already become the delicate hand of a 19th-century Russian high-society beauty, a genuine "request for a scoop". The voice was weak and seemed like it could be blown away by a single puff of air. The four students were so scared that they didn't dare to breathe, stretching their heads to listen.

  After struggling for half a day, the students finally relaxed, and they were relieved with a sense of comfort - those who had ended their love affairs could console themselves by saying "I once loved", just like how one would say "I once attended" after class was over. Alas, it's all about having fate but no luck, having grievances but no way to express them, and these are all excuses.

  Four people started discussing in private, initially just using a tone similar to that of their chemistry teacher. Seeing the teacher had no reaction, they became bolder and more reckless, only regretting that they were constrained by traditional Chinese Confucian thinking, otherwise they would have set up a mahjong table.

  The teacher is still lecturing to himself. Yǔ Xiáng asked the robust boy next to him: "Hey, what's your name?"

  The young man's voice echoed through the mountains and rivers: "Liang Yangjun."

  "Daughter's Army?"

  "It's Liang - write it like this, look." Liang Yangjun scribbled on the snow-white draft paper.

  "No, it's 'zinc', right?" Yǔ Xiáng mistakenly said. It can be seen that chemistry is indeed closely related to daily life.

  Li Yangjun sarcastically said, "Hey, your language skills are not up to par, you can't even read this character correctly." In fact, having rare characters in one's name is also an advantage for that person. When others don't understand, he has the opportunity to patiently teach them. Lin Yuxiang was a direct victim of this, his face red and ears burning with embarrassment.

  Liáng Yàng Jūn biāo shàng pīn yīn, shuō: "zhè me nian, dǒng pò?"

  Translation:

  Liang Yang Jun marked the pinyin above and said: "Read it like this, understand?"

  "I... I just accidentally misread it for a moment." Lin Yuxiang said with an embarrassed smile.

  "Your language is very poor?" Liang Yangjun inferred.

  "What can I say!" Yu Xiang excitedly almost pounded the table, "My language score is the best in school -" He stopped and glanced at the school emblems on the other two people's chests, fortunately they were all from out of town and didn't know the details, so he said loudly, "It's one of the top two in school!"

  "Is it? I haven't heard of you; what's your name? Hmm—Lin Yuxiang's great name?"

  Lin Yuxiang was covered in cold sweat, blaming himself for forgetting to look at Liang Suojun's school badge, and secretly thinking that as soon as he entered the graduating class, new students emerged one after another like sprouts in spring.

  "You're probably just bragging!"

  "I'm not! I've just recently switched to science - look, isn't this supplementary chemistry? Alas! That teacher's level is really poor!"

  Li Yangjun fell for the trick and was tempted by the last sentence, turning to attack his chemistry teacher: "Yeah, my dad spent so much money to get someone to introduce this 'supplement expert', but it's useless. My dad has a lot of money, doesn't matter. If things don't go well, I might even have to repeat a grade this year!"

  Yu Xiang asked in surprise: "Still... keeping you is saying..."

  Liang Yangjun said with pride: "I was retained as a first-level candidate two years ago! Damn it, I didn't do well on the exam, what's the big deal?"

  "My dad has plenty of money anyway, what's the point of me studying? Studying is just for the sake of money, I've already achieved my goal, so why bother reading books?"

  Lin Yuxiang listened and couldn't help but want to introduce his own mother to Liang Yangjun, the two of them having a common language.

  Liàng Shuǎi Jūn said again: "As long as I graduate from junior high school, I can enter a key high school. It's not nonsense. If you give them 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, the principal and teachers will be so respectful - it's just short of lining up to welcome me, haha."

  Lin Yuxiang is accepting new ideas, listening with rapt attention.

  Li Yangjun said: "You think, what kind of -ism, what kind of thought, are all deceiving people, whoever has money is the real deal. If you have money, everything will be delivered to your doorstep, let alone girls, don't even get me started!"

  "Really? You have experience?" Lin Yuxiang cautiously interjected.

  "Nonsense! Nu, I'm telling you, my research on this thing is really deep! In terms of romance, no one in the whole town can compare to me. Ah, what's that word... 'rival'?"

  Lin Yuxiang seriously corrected: "It's comparable." He felt much more comfortable in his heart.

  "Who cares? In short, I'm number one!"

  "Really? Tell me more! I'm going to learn from you!"

  Li Yang often uses these words to shock people, but unfortunately, the number of people who are shocked is very small. In the past, every time he mentioned it, others would disdainfully say: "This won't be on the exam, what's the use of studying it?" So every time he wanted to ask someone to take him as a teacher. This time, his trick had an effect, and he hastily said: "In short, women like Li Yang the most." Li Yang continued to talk, "I'm telling you, your main thing is writing love letters. Women like that stuff the most, especially the first one, it's the most important!"

  "Really?"

  "Nonsense, of course it is. You'd better be careful what Tang poems and Song lyrics you imitate, women love that stuff!" Liang Shijun said with a straight face.

  "Hmm, how should I write it?"

  "Let me tell you, actually women first like men with talent. When a man has talent, he can boast about it and have the capital to do so. Then, as things develop, when the two people get close enough for the man to call her 'baby', she keeps the 'bao' (treasure) and gives him the 'bei' (jade), which is his talent. She then loves wealth." He was also surprised by what he had just said. The "Shuowen Jiezi" in front of Liang Yangjun was truly embarrassing. Although he was good at explaining characters, he didn't answer Lin Yuxiang's question. Liang Yangjun, who wasn't even a teacher, had already picked up the bad habit of most teachers.

  Lin Yuxiang was so impressed that he forgot what he had asked and directly praised: "That makes sense!"

  Li Yangjun then thought of it and said, "Ah, you asked me how to write earlier, right? This is too simple. I'll tell you, the most important thing is to show off your literary talent, use more phrases like 'spring flowers, autumn moon, wind, flowers, snow, and moon', write something romantic, and people will naturally like it!"

  After finishing the theoretical course, Liang Yangjun opened his notebook and showed off his poetic thoughts. The pages were filled with love poems.

  In the midst of ancient and modern collaboration, beauty shines through:

  "MybVV: Beautiful woman rolling up the pearl screen, sitting quietly with a calm brow.

  I gaze at you in awe, seeing an extraordinary beauty.

  In the midst of love and hatred, my heart remains unchanged forever,

  Even if the oceans change and the mountains shift, I'll chase after you to the edge of the world.

  I don't care about yesterday, nor do I care about tomorrow.

  Casting aside all worldly things, I only think of you."

  Yu Xiang thought this poem was much better than his elder brother's "Retreating Thoughts of Red Beans", it was easy to understand, and he flattered: "This poem is great! It's so popular!"

  "What's this! This is outdated, the best poems are those that are ambiguous and unclear, do you know? Liang Yangjun's views are basically the same as Yu Xiang's older brother, it can be seen that Yu Xiang's older brother has lived in vain for four years."

  "So, it was like this! Who taught you that? You must have someone you respect?"

  "Who do I worship? Me - I only worship me." Liang Peijun was furious and couldn't help but shout "Down with idols" behind Nietzsche, his voice rising an octave as he said: "I don't need anyone to admire, I have money.

  The voice was too loud, and the chemistry teacher was embarrassed by his own words. He finally spoke louder: "Classmates, don't make noise!"

  The sentence fell from the sky, frightening the surroundings into silence. Then he lowered his head and continued to talk about chemistry in a low voice. Four students listened slightly seriously, and it was clear that this chemistry teacher must have been a literary person, speaking with a waste of words, like the bombs dropped by Austria, many but not one hit the vital point, listening to him talking about "Mendeleev's method of studying chemistry", endless and boring, sweeping away the interest of the four people, who then chatted among themselves.

  Li Yangjun asked again: "Brother Lin, don't you have one of those too?"

  "Nothing, nothing," Lin Yuxiang said, intending to pique Liang Lujun's curiosity and prompt her to ask more questions, so he could have the satisfaction of sharing his concerns. But his tone was too convincingly dismissive, and Liang Lujun waved her hand, saying, "Forget it, I won't ask you anymore."

  "Actually... I've had enough too!" Yuxiang said.

  Liang Ningjun said proudly: "You, I see you're so shy, this is a pity for you! Let me choose for you."

  Yu Xiang thought that Liang Yangjun was indeed a trustworthy person, so he personally came to send him off. He should have been grateful, but since there was already another candidate in mind and they were switching midway, people would inevitably feel guilty. With a painful decline, he said: "No need, no need."

  Liang Lüjun heard this and secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking that Lin Yuxiang was lucky to have refused, otherwise he would have suffered. The words that came out also released the heavy burden, and lightly floated in the small room like a distant expeditionary army: "Good! Choose for yourself!"

  The chemistry teacher discarded Mendeleev's periodic table, glared at it, and then picked it up again with a reluctant expression.

  By nine o'clock, the four of them had said all they needed to say and were drowsy. The chemistry teacher completed his task, rolled up his book and clapped it into his briefcase, then walked away without looking back. Bai Gao came in and asked, "How was the effect?"

  "Good——" The four of them chimed in unison.

  "It's fine, all the teachers I've hired are top-notch. This Friday, we'll have another English lesson with a graduate student from a university who has passed the English level 8 exam."