A Pressing Need

After Fu Junting finished speaking, the room fell silent.

He quickly added:

"Two hundred would work too. I made a little money selling discs myself, so I can buy two. Just give me another two hundred, and one will be enough."

Fu Junting grinned awkwardly.

Three energy crystal blocks were nothing compared to classmates who casually prepared a dozen or even twenty.

But Fu Junting knew his family's situation very well.

If he did not truly need it, he would never have asked.

Yao Jinying slowly set down her bowl and chopsticks, blinking.

"Oh... all right. This isn't something we can cut corners on. Four hundred it is. One more block means one more chance.

You don't have to get an outstanding score, but you must stay safe for Mom, understand?"

Yao Jinying took a deep breath, tucked her hair behind her ear, and opened the small hidden compartment in the wall as she continued nagging.

But a large hand pressed down on the back of Yao Jinying's hand.

"Mom."

Yao Jinying looked up and met Fu Junlin's eyes, which held an Intent as gentle as spring.

Fu Junlin patted his mother's hand reassuringly, then returned to his seat and gently placed a whole bundle and a thick roll of cash on the table.

Fu Junting's little mouth slowly formed an O, and his eyes widened like two bells.

Because every bill in that bundle was worth one hundred!

Yao Jinying, meanwhile, dropped to the floor with a thud.

"Fu Junlin! Wh... what is this?"

Yao Jinying stretched out a trembling hand, pointed at the money, and stared at Fu Junlin as she asked.

The moment Fu Junlin saw his mother's reaction, he knew she had not assumed the best.

Sure enough.

"Listen to me. You're in college now. You've got skills, you've got ability! But if you dare do anything evil, I'll never forgive you!

I sent you to school not for this!"

Yao Jinying panted heavily, fear and anger faintly showing in her eyes.

Fu Junlin did not immediately argue back. His eyes misted over as he continued smiling at his mother.

This was the greatest woman in his eyes.

In this slum district, where people could barely afford food, where anyone with even a little ability had to kill and rob, and where robbing the rich to help the poor was even considered honorable—

Holding on to kindness was harder than reaching the heavens.

"What are you smiling at?!"

Yao Jinying scolded irritably.

"Mom, do you really think your son is the sort who forgets his own name the moment he gains a little strength? I'm your son..."

Fu Junlin burst out laughing and asked Yao Jinying.

Fu Junting leaned in front of Fu Junlin, carefully examined every feature on his brother's face, then nodded seriously.

"Yeah!!"

Fu Junlin slapped a hand over his face and pushed him away.

"Then what happened?"

After thinking it over, Yao Jinying felt that she had indeed overthought things. She knew her son best, and she really had panicked just now.

Fu Junlin immediately explained the entire sequence of events exactly as they had happened, even telling his mother about the laboratory.

Yao Jinying was dumbfounded!

Her son had saved a factory?

He had only been home for a three-day school break, and he had casually saved a factory on the side?

"My brother! So freaking awesome!!!"

Fu Junting threw open his arms, tipped his head back, and shrieked until his voice cracked.

His voice buzzed through the cramped room.

At once, curses and the sound of people pounding on walls came from the neighbors next door, upstairs, and downstairs.

Smack!

Yao Jinying planted a heavy slap on the back of Fu Junting's head, nearly sending his face into the bowl before him.

"Keep your fucking voice down!"

Yao Jinying snarled under her breath.

As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed the money from the table, clutching it tightly in her hand.

Even with the money in her hands, she still felt like she was dreaming. She gripped it for a long time without letting go.

"Mom, can you let me hold it? I've never held this much money before."

Fu Junting swallowed and shamelessly begged.

"Get lost!"

Yao Jinying glared at him, then carefully hid the money in the little iron box.

She still hugged the iron box and refused to let go, as though she wished she could sew the money directly onto herself. Those who had never been poor would never understand.

"Bro, you saved a factory. Why didn't you ask for more? Just a little more."

Fu Junting held up his hand and gestured with the size of a pinky nail.

"Don't talk nonsense. Your brother did the right thing. Remember this: courting danger for wealth and exhausting yourself for power are not good things. Do you understand?"

Yao Jinying said solemnly to Fu Junting.

Fu Junting immediately sat properly and nodded, muttering, "Got it."

"Mom, once the laboratory is cleaned up, our whole family can move there. I went to see it—it's huge!"

Fu Junlin dropped his second bombshell.

"Yes!"

Fu Junting nearly jumped up in excitement.

"Yes my ass!"

Yao Jinying glared at him again, then repeatedly shook her head.

"No. Since it's where you do your experiments, you need to focus. Study hard, do your experiments properly. Mom lives just fine here, okay?

And you too. You're not allowed to keep going over there to disturb your brother."

"What do you mean, you live fine here, Mom? Don't you complain all the time that they're too noisy? And every time you come back, you have to climb that ridiculously high ladder. Every time, I worry myself sick.

That time you burned your hand and got scraped by that barb, you almost lost your grip and fell!"

Even though he knew his mother did not want him to say it, Fu Junting spoke anxiously.

Yao Jinying gave him frantic looks and glared at him, but it did no good.

How could Fu Junlin not understand what his mother was thinking? He had already prepared a solution.

"Mom, that laboratory is big enough to partition off two bedrooms. It even has a bathroom..."

Fu Junlin said confidently.

Sure enough, Yao Jinying's hand froze in midair just as she picked up her chopsticks.

A bathroom. Bathing...

For a woman, that was no less tempting than the jewelry and gems of high society.

Yao Jinying often went ten days or more without a bath, because water was expensive these days.

First, she could not bear to spend that much money. But without spending money, there was nowhere to bathe, and buying water to bring home was not worth it either.

After getting off work at the restaurant, she and several female coworkers would often pool their money to bribe a cook, borrow the kitchen, and lock the door.

They would bring their own towels and wipe down their bodies with water.

The more cautious ones even brought small curtains to keep the cooks from peeking at them.

"Then... then it won't disturb your experiments?"

Yao Jinying asked hesitantly.

"I'm not doing experiments all day. Besides, you don't play the piano or beat drums at home. How could you possibly interfere with me?"

Fu Junlin was completely speechless at his mother's reaction.

"Okay, then we're moving!"

Yao Jinying immediately grinned.

Fu Junting beside her smiled even more happily than she did.

That got Fu Junlin laughing too, and the whole family sat together, laughing foolishly without stopping.

"Hey, hey, quit sitting around laughing like idiots! What about the forty minutes of experience time you promised me?!"

At that moment, Dahei howled from inside Fu Junlin's head.

By then, they had finished eating. Fu Junlin set down his chopsticks.

"Mom, I'm going outside to exercise for a while."

"All right. Rest a bit before you start hopping around. No strenuous exercise right after eating!"

Yao Jinying reminded him.

"Got it."

Before the words had even faded, Fu Junlin had already climbed down the ladder.