It's Enough If I Have It

Li Juan didn't sleep well last night.

In the middle of the night, her older brother suddenly returned, and then Grandpa called him and Father over. They chatted for a long time in hushed tones.

She didn't know what trouble her brother had gotten into, but her father, Li Kaijian, came back with a grim expression.

After a poor night's sleep, she overslept in the morning, as expected.

As soon as Li Juan opened her eyes, she saw that the sky outside was already bright. She quickly got up and put on her clothes.

She and her mother had to cook for the whole family. If a 14-year-old girl just waited around to be fed all day, people would laugh her to death.

She put on her padded jacket and padded pants, then picked up her beloved sheepskin boots and started to put them on.

But as soon as she got one on, she saw a pair of small, stylish, black, high-top leather boots appear before her eyes.

Li Juan, still bent over in the posture of putting on her boots, held it for a full five seconds before looking up at her younger sister, Li Ying, meeting her triumphant gaze.

"Aren't they nice?"

11-year-old Li Ying strutted in front of Li Juan like a little rooster, turning in circles. The size 33 leather boots made a "tap, tap, tap" sound as they hit the ground.

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

Li Ying tilted her little head up proudly and said, "Mom gave them to me. They're from the provincial capital, and they're lined with cotton. Aren't they nicer than yours?"

Li Juan found this familiar. Just over ten days ago, she had shown off in front of her sister the same way.

Mom is so biased. I've been cooking, washing, and taking care of the kids since I was little, while my little sister just knows how to eat. She just cried a little, and Mom bought her a pair of shoes from the provincial capital?

Li Juan was full of indignation. She put on her shoes and ran out of the room, barging into the kitchen to confront Han Chunmei.

"Mom, Mom..."

As soon as Li Juan entered the kitchen, she saw Han Chunmei wearing a pair of brand new, shiny black leather boots on her feet.

All the words she had planned to say caught in her throat. She had indeed worked more than Li Ying since she was young, and she should have received better treatment, but could she compare that to Han Chunmei?

Ever since she could remember, her mother had never gotten up after daylight.

Li Juan's mouth felt a little bitter. The more she had shown off a few days ago, the more wronged she felt now.

The three of them—mother and daughters—were the only ones with sheepskin boots. She hadn't kept a low profile but had flaunted them instead.

And now, after her mother whispered in her father's ear, he bought new shoes for them, even nicer than hers.

Seeing Li Juan enter, Han Chunmei chided her, "You're up so late today? Don't you want to eat? Go work the bellows."

Li Juan lowered her head and obediently went to work the bellows. After holding back for a long time, she asked timidly, "Mom, did Dad buy new leather boots for you and Xiao Ying?"

Han Chunmei, busy cooking, replied casually, "He wouldn't spend that money. Your brother asked someone to buy them from the provincial capital. He bought a pair for everyone in the family.

I put your pair in the cupboard. You don't need to wear them this year. Who wears two pairs of shoes in one year? Save them for next year. Oh, where are you going?"

"..."

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

She dashed into the room and opened the cupboard door, where she saw the pair of brand new, shiny black leather boots.

Li Juan's eyebrows instantly curved into crescent moons, and she was filled with joy.

Does it matter if I wear them or not? As long as I have them, that's enough.

After Li Ye returned to school, his days became full and busy.

During class, Li Ye would spend some time listening to the lectures. After all, times were different, and the requirements for exams might also vary.

Then, he would activate the "biological hard drive" in his mind, transferring and integrating knowledge related to the college entrance examination from his past life, and casually creating some practice questions for Wen Leyu.

During self-study periods, Li Ye would seize the time to write "Latent." He was getting smoother with each passing day and was nearing the latter half of the novel.

But as Li Ye became busy, he naturally "neglected" some other people.

"Li Ye, I just can't figure out these two problems. Can you explain them to me properly?"

"Sorry! I'm a bit busy here. Try to figure it out yourself first. If you really can't, go ask Teacher Hu."

"Teacher Hu is not available lately. Can you explain them to me?"

"Teacher Hu isn't available, so why do you think I am?"

"..."

During the time he was writing the novel, Li Ye also naturally stopped "voluntarily tutoring" his classmates.

He was too busy with his own affairs to bother with others.

However, after refusing his classmates' requests multiple times, rumors began to spread again in Retake Class One that "Li Ye isn't studying properly and is writing love letters in class."

A group of people, led by Li Dayong, Hu Man, and Fu Yingjie, were furious and loudly condemned the "ungrateful wretches."

But this action had no effect. Instead, the rumors grew stronger, even developing into a version that "Li Ye is dating in class," which also implicated Wen Leyu.

Wen Leyu was not one to be trifled with either and immediately took action.

Previously, after completing the practice tests Li Ye gave her, she would take them home at night for Teacher Ke to reference when creating her own exams. Now, she stopped doing that altogether. After finishing them, she would tear them up, destroying the evidence.

Within a very short time, the number of practice papers for Retake Class One not only drastically decreased, but the question types also gradually lost their novelty.

With this change, some people felt Li Ye was even less useful, because the question types on the papers Teacher Ke created were all familiar to them; with a bit of effort, they could figure them out.

Li Ye, nothing special.

This was, after all, a college entrance exam retake class. If this were a major martial arts sect, it might even be a situation of "the student surpassing the master."

The "top students," led by Xia Yue and Jin Shengli, became active again, successfully winning over many students who had been thoroughly scolded by Hu Man and Li Dayong.

Li Dayong was very anxious. He felt this was a sign of "evil forces" rising from the ashes, but after several fruitless discussions with Li Ye, he could only sigh in helplessness.

He didn't know that Li Ye had agreed to help Teacher Ke create the exam questions precisely because he was waiting for this moment. Who was a scheming ungrateful wretch and who was a trustworthy and loyal friend would reveal themselves.

The rumors in the class finally alerted the teachers. Because Wen Leyu was involved, everyone discreetly informed Teacher Ke, asking her to first understand the situation.

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

"What did you say? Li Ye wasn't writing love letters, but a novel?"

"Yes, I'm his proofreader, and it will be finished in a few more days."

"Proofreader? You..."

Teacher Ke was a bit speechless. She had initially asked Li Ye and Wen Leyu to help and learn from each other to improve Wen Leyu's habit of not interacting with others.

But for the two of them to "write a novel" together?

Wasn't this just messing around?

However, Teacher Ke didn't immediately object, as Wen Leyu had changed significantly during this period.

Seeing her daughter's eyes become more lively day by day, no longer the dead, indifferent look from before, Teacher Ke was immensely pleased.

So, Teacher Ke didn't question Wen Leyu further. Instead, after Wen Leyu fell asleep, she quietly opened her schoolbag.

It was unclear from which day Wen Leyu had stopped letting Teacher Ke touch her schoolbag. Teacher Ke had respected her daughter's privacy, but today, she still had to act like a "little thief."

A thick stack of manuscripts was taken out, making Teacher Ke's expression turn serious.

She was a highly educated person of this era and naturally knew that writing such a thick manuscript required a tremendous amount of effort. Regardless of whether it was good or bad, it deserved respect and admiration.

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

Even if Li Ye had novel insights into physics and chemistry, there were countless geniuses across the country. The college entrance exam was a brutal battlefield every year; how could he take it so lightly?

It seems I need to help this child, Li Ye. Getting sidetracked at this point could ruin his entire life.

Teacher Ke frowned and turned to the first page of the manuscript, starting to read with a critical mindset.

Then, as expected, she became engrossed.