Useless Thing

The dinner was harmonious and warm, filling Li Ye with a sense of comfort.

After dinner, Li Ye went to bed early. From his transmigration at midnight the previous night, his mind had been in a state of chaotic integration. Coupled with the physical weakness caused by a continuous high fever, he felt tired and sleepy.

After he fell asleep, his grandfather Li Zhongfa's expression turned grim, and he called Li Kaijian over.

"Go find out what the rumors at school are about, but don't draw too much attention."

Li Kaijian was already pondering the matter. He went to Li Dayong's house by bike and returned less than half an hour later, huffing and puffing.

"This is too much! They're actually labeling Xiao Ye as Huang Shiren. Damn it, I'll deal with that poor scholar tomorrow. No, I'll go tonight."

Li Kaijian had been discharged from the army for many years, but he still retained the fiery temper of a soldier. Upon hearing that his son had been wronged, he immediately started cursing and prepared to go to the Lu family to settle the score.

However, Li Zhongfa reprimanded him, "What nonsense are you talking? Do you think the child isn't already upset? Don't you understand that gossip only grows louder the more it's stirred up?"

Li Kaijian, uncharacteristically, argued back with his old father, "Dad, do you know Xiao Ye had a high fever for two days in the school dormitory, he almost... We can't just take this kind of humiliation."

"Hmph, it's time he suffered a little. We can protect him for a while, but not for his whole life,"

Li Zhongfa said, "Didn't you see how different Xiao Ye was today? Steel is forged through fire. Let Xiao Ye handle this matter himself from now on, and you shouldn't interfere."

Li Kaijian paced angrily for a few circles before resentfully saying, "I was blind back then. How could I not have seen that little girl was so heartless?"

"Heh~, she has the capital to be heartless."

Li Zhongfa chuckled and said in a low voice, "Do you know how quickly that young college student Liu, who was assigned to the county last year, was promoted? So, you can't look down on the Lu family in the future either. Don't make unnecessary enemies."

"."

Li Kaijian was stunned for a moment before slowly understanding.

With his straightforward personality, he wasn't as sensitive as Li Zhongfa, who had weathered many storms. He hadn't yet realized the value of a college student in this era.

Li Kaijian felt a lump in his throat and couldn't help but complain, "It's all Xiao Ye's fault for not being more capable. If he had also gotten into college, none of this trouble would have happened."

Li Zhongfa rolled his eyes and said with disdain, "With your rough nature, you can't even recognize 24 letters, and you still have the nerve to talk about Xiao Ye?"

Li Kaijian's eyes rolled back at his father's retort. He wanted to say there were 26 letters in the English alphabet, but he wisely swallowed his words.

If their father and son were to compare fists, they wouldn't back down from anyone, but when it came to comparing culture, they were equally matched.

"Splash~"

A pair of Warrior shoes stepped into a puddle after the rain. The murky water rejoiced, staining the originally white sneakers pitch black.

Lu Zixue numbly pulled out his leg and continued to trudge forward in the dark, one foot after the other.

His home was in Qianjin Village, Liuqiao Township, thirty li from the county's No. 1 Middle School. When he had a bicycle, it only took a little over an hour to get home.

Lu Zixue enjoyed the feeling of speeding down the road on his bike, not just because of the wind whistling past his ears, but also because of the envious glances from passersby.

Having just entered high school and already owning a bicycle, a Phoenix brand one at that, was incredibly cool.

But today, after Li Ye "snatched" the bicycle back, Lu Zixue realized how long this dirt road beneath his feet actually was, and how arduous walking could be.

In the late autumn season, it got dark very early. Lu Zixue walked for three hours, falling several times, before he finally saw the lights of Liuqiao Township.

Liuqiao Township was named after a stone bridge that spanned the Qingshui River. To cross the river west of Liuqiao Township and travel another four li would lead to Qianjin Village.

From a distance, Lu Zixue spotted a small figure sitting under the lamplight at the head of the bridge, huddled and gazing expectantly in the direction of the county town.

When the small figure saw Lu Zixue approaching step by step, it suddenly stood up and rushed to meet him in a panic.

Only then did Lu Zixue recognize that it was his sister, Lu Jingqi.

"Brother, why are you only getting back now... Where's your bicycle?"

"I..."

Looking at his sister, Lu Zixue couldn't answer and could only ask in return, "What are you doing here?"

Lu Jingqi said, "Mother saw that it was getting dark and you still weren't back, thinking your bike might be broken, so she sent me out to meet you. Brother, where's your bicycle?"

Lu Jingqi's repeated questions about the bicycle ignited Lu Zixue's temper. He irritably retorted, "Mother sent you to meet me, so why are you sitting here? If I had died on the way, no one would have known, right?"

Lu Jingqi was stunned. After a long pause, she said aggrievedly, "It's dark, and I'm afraid to walk at night... I walked this far and got scared to go any further."

"Hmph, useless."

Lu Zixue turned and walked forward, leaving Lu Jingqi behind.

At this moment, he felt like everyone owed him. His poor parents, his timid sister, and his sister who only cared about herself and not the family – they all owed him.

Upon arriving home, Lu Zixue's father was grading homework, and his mother was sewing shoe soles. A meal had been left for Lu Zixue on the table.

Seeing Lu Zixue enter, his mother asked about the bicycle again.

Lu Zixue could no longer hold back his emotions and burst into tears of grievance.

After understanding the situation, Lu Zixue's father remained silent. His mother, feeling sorry for her son, tried to comfort him, "Alright, alright, stop crying. Your sister will buy you one later, we'll buy a new one."

"Buy a new one, yes, I'll write to my sister and ask her to buy me a new one."

With a sudden realization, Lu Zixue didn't even eat. He hastily took out paper and pen, pouring all his resentment onto the letter.

Li Zixue sealed the envelope, which contained stamps previously sent back by Lu Jingyao, and walked in the dark to Liuqiao Township that night to drop the letter into the mailbox outside the post office.

The next morning, the thin envelope was loaded onto a truck and traveled a long distance, heading north, finally arriving in the mailbox of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

The capital was already very cold in late autumn, and when the last autumn rain fell, the chilling cold finally ushered in the prelude to early winter.

The annoying wind blew through the dense rain, carrying a cool dampness, silently pushing open the window and blowing onto Lu Jingyao's face, wetting her eyelashes and ruffling her hair.

Lu Jingyao, who was holding a thick dictionary and studying, moved slightly. After finishing writing a word she was working on, she took a deep breath, letting the slight coolness seep into her chest.

She liked this faint coolness; it could make her tired mind clearer and improve her learning efficiency.

However, just as Lu Jingyao's spirits lifted, a soft voice came from the upper bunk of the dormitory's bunk bed: "Lu Jingyao, could you please close the window? Halfway is fine too, thank you."

Lu Jingyao quickly closed the window, blocking the damp cold of late autumn outside.

Her roommate on the upper bunk, Liu Muhan, was from the south and had just arrived in the capital, so she wasn't used to the northern climate. Lu Jingyao couldn't just think of herself and ignore others.

"I'm sorry, Muhan. Are you feeling better?"

"It's okay, it's okay," Liu Muhan poked her head out from the upper bunk and asked, "Jingyao, what book are you reading? You're so diligent!"

Lu Jingyao smiled silently and lowered her head, continuing to quietly recite words.

She had to be diligent!

Lu Jingyao had narrowly managed to get into Beijing Foreign Studies University and felt a bit smug about it. But after arriving in the capital, she realized what it meant to be surrounded by talent.

Every young person who got admitted here possessed talent and confidence far beyond their peers.

For example, Liu Muhan, who was currently curled up in her blanket, could read original foreign novels without a dictionary.

Lu Jingyao had secretly glanced at them a few times; the dense, tadpole-like characters made her feel a bit dizzy.

How could a girl who had finally leaped over the dragon gate, a self-reliant girl, be willing to fall behind others?

Lu Jingyao knew very well that her pretty face was just a heaven-sent bonus.

Self-reliance and diligence were her most precious assets, the only things that could allow her to break free from her cage and breathe freely.

"Lu Jingyao, there's a letter for you."

Two girls walked briskly into the dormitory. One of them held a letter and handed it to Lu Jingyao, who was sitting by the window reading.

Lu Jingyao took the envelope, thanked her roommates, and then opened it to read. Her roommates, like curious cats, peered over her shoulders.

Soon, Lu Jingyao's expression changed. Anger, confusion, and worry flickered across her beautiful face.

The two curious cats immediately found something interesting and extended their sharp claws.

Thanks to the book friend "Feng Wu Jiu Tian?" for the 10000 reward, thank you, brother!!!