All I Need Is to Have Them

Li Juan had not slept well the night before.

In the middle of the night, her older brother had suddenly returned. Then Grandpa had called him and their father over, and the three of them had muttered away for a long while.

She had no idea what trouble her brother had gotten into, but when her father, Li Kaijian, came back, his expression had been grim.

After sleeping badly that night, she naturally woke up late the next morning.

When Li Juan opened her eyes and saw that the sky outside the window was already bright, she hurriedly scrambled up and got dressed.

She and Mother had to cook for the whole family. If a fourteen-year-old girl still sat around all day waiting to be fed, she would be laughed to death.

After putting on her padded jacket and padded trousers, Li Juan picked up her beloved suede cowhide shoes and started pulling them on.

But she had barely gotten one shoe on when she saw a pair of black, dainty, stylish high-top leather-lined boots in front of her.

Li Juan stayed bent over in the pose of putting on her shoe for a full five seconds before looking up at her younger sister, Li Ying, and meeting her smug gaze.

"Pretty, aren't they?"

Eleven-year-old Li Ying strutted in circles before Li Juan like a little rooster showing off. Her size thirty-three leather boots clicked against the floor.

Li Juan asked stiffly, "Where did you get leather shoes?"

Li Ying lifted her little head high and said proudly, "Mother gave them to me. They're from the provincial capital, lined with cotton. Aren't they prettier than yours?"

Those words sounded awfully familiar to Li Juan. Just over ten days ago, she had been showing off to her sister in exactly the same way.

Mother was playing favorites. I've been cooking, washing clothes, and looking after children since I was little, while Little Sister only knows how to eat. She only cried her eyes out a little, and Mother bought her provincial-capital shoes?

Li Juan was filled with indignation. She pulled on her shoes and ran out of the room, charging into the kitchen to settle accounts with Han Chunmei.

"Mother, Mother!"

The moment Li Juan entered the kitchen, she saw that Han Chunmei was also wearing a pair of brand-new, gleaming black leather boots.

All the words in her stomach vanished. She really had done more work than Li Ying since childhood and really deserved better treatment—but could she compare herself to Han Chunmei?

Ever since Li Juan could remember, Mother had never gotten out of bed after dawn.

Bitterness filled Li Juan's mouth. The more proudly she had strutted about a few days ago, the more wronged she felt now.

The three of them had all had only suede cowhide shoes. Instead of keeping a low profile, she had flaunted them high and mighty.

Well, this was just perfect. Old mother had blown pillow talk into Father's ear, and her stepfather had brought home new shoes, even better than hers.

When Han Chunmei saw Li Juan come in, she scolded, "Why are you up so late today? Don't want to eat? Get over there and work the bellows."

Li Juan lowered her head and silently went over to work the bellows. After holding it in for a long while, she finally asked timidly, "Mother, Father bought new leather boots for you and Ying?"

Han Chunmei was busy cooking and answered casually, "How could he bear to spend that kind of money? Your brother had someone buy them from the provincial capital. Everyone in the family got a pair.

"I put yours in the cupboard. Don't wear them this year. Who wears two pairs of shoes in one year? Save them for next year—hey, where are you going?"

"..."

Li Juan had already dropped the bellows and sprinted out of the kitchen.

She darted into the room, opened the cupboard door, and saw the pair of jet-black, gleaming new leather boots.

Li Juan's brows curved into crescent moons in an instant, and she beamed with delight.

What did it matter whether she wore them or not? As long as she had them, that was enough.

After Li Ye returned to school, he began living a full and busy life.

During class, Li Ye spent some time listening to the lectures. After all, the times were different, and the examination requirements might differ as well.

Then he would activate the Biological Hard Drive in his mind, bring over and integrate knowledge related to the college entrance examination from his previous life, and casually set some practice questions for Wen Leyu.

During self-study periods, Li Ye seized the time to write Latent. Over the past few days, his writing had become smoother and smoother, and he was already nearing the latter half of the novel.

But as Li Ye became busy, he naturally ended up "neglecting" certain other people.

"Li Ye, I can't solve these two questions no matter what. Explain them to me properly, will you?"

"Sorry! I'm a little busy here. Think them over yourself first. If you really can't figure them out, go ask Teacher Hu."

"Li Ye, Teacher Hu hasn't had much time lately. Explain them to me, okay?"

"Teacher Hu doesn't have time, so why do you think I do?"

"..."

While writing the novel, Li Ye naturally stopped "voluntarily explaining questions" to his classmates.

He could barely keep up with his own business. How could he have time to worry about others?

But after repeatedly refusing his classmates' requests for help, rumors began circulating in Retake Class One again that "Li Ye isn't studying properly and writes love letters during class."

Li Dayong, Hu Man, Fu Yingjie, and several others were furious. They fiercely denounced several "ungrateful wolves."

But not only did it have no effect, the rumors instead grew more and more rampant. There was even a version claiming that "Li Ye dates during class," dragging Wen Leyu into it as well.

Wen Leyu was no pushover either, and she acted immediately.

Previously, after finishing the papers Li Ye gave her, she would take them home at night for Teacher Ke to use as references when setting questions. Now, she simply stopped taking them home. Once she finished them, she tore them up and destroyed the evidence.

As a result, in a very short time, the number of practice papers in Retake Class One plummeted, and the question types gradually lost their novelty as well.

With that, certain people became even more convinced that Li Ye was nothing special. The question types on Teacher Ke's papers all seemed familiar to them; with a little effort, they could puzzle them out.

Li Ye was nothing more than that.

This was only a college entrance examination retake class. If it had been a major martial sect, they might well have staged a performance of "the student learns the craft, then beats the master."

The "top students" led by Xia Yue and Jin Shengli became active once again, successfully drawing over many students whom Hu Man and Li Dayong had cursed until they were drenched in blood.

Li Dayong was extremely anxious. He felt this was a sign that the evil forces were rising from the ashes, but after getting nowhere in several conversations with Li Ye, he could only sigh helplessly.

What he did not know was that when Li Ye had agreed to help Teacher Ke set questions, he had been waiting for precisely this moment. Those who were scheming, ungrateful wolves and those who were trustworthy, righteous friends would all surface on their own.

The rumors in class finally alerted the teachers. Since Wen Leyu was involved, everyone could only discreetly inform Teacher Ke and let her first understand the situation.

But after Teacher Ke questioned Wen Leyu, she could hardly believe her ears.

"What did you say? Li Ye isn't writing love letters; he's writing a novel?"

"Yes. I'm his proofreader. In a few more days, it'll be completely finished."

"Proofreader? You..."

Teacher Ke was at a loss for words. Back then, she had told Li Ye and Wen Leyu to help each other and learn from each other in order to improve Wen Leyu's habit of not liking to communicate with others.

But the two of you children were writing a novel together?

Wasn't this nonsense?

However, Teacher Ke did not object right away. After all, Wen Leyu had changed enormously during this period.

Watching her daughter's eyes grow livelier by the day, no longer carrying their former deathly stillness and coldness, Teacher Ke felt incomparably delighted.

So Teacher Ke did not question Wen Leyu further. Instead, she waited until Wen Leyu had fallen sound asleep before quietly opening her schoolbag.

At some point, Wen Leyu had stopped letting Teacher Ke touch her schoolbag. Teacher Ke had respected her daughter's privacy, but today, she still had to play the role of a "little thief."

When she took out the thick stack of manuscript pages, Teacher Ke's expression turned serious.

She was a highly educated person of this era. Of course she knew that producing such a thick manuscript required an immense investment of energy. Regardless of whether it was good or bad, it deserved respect and admiration.

But Li Ye was now a high school student preparing for the exams! At a time like this, instead of actively preparing, he was wasting so much energy on writing a novel?

Even if Li Ye's understanding of mathematics, physics, and chemistry was highly original, there were countless talented young people across the country. Every year's college entrance examination was a brutal battlefield. How could he take it so lightly?

It seemed I needed to give this child Li Ye a pull. If he had strayed onto the wrong path now, it could delay his entire life.

Teacher Ke frowned, separated the first page of manuscript paper, and began reading with a critical mindset.

Then, just as expected, she fell right into it.