Sharing an apartment?

After the assessment, Teacher Liang had gained a preliminary understanding of the young Taoist transferring into his class.

Chen Shi'an had also gained a preliminary understanding of modern high school education.

Next came the standard enrollment procedures.

With Principal Lin taking the lead, all the paperwork went smoothly.

"Our school moves at a fairly demanding pace. You need to be in the classroom before six thirty in the morning for morning reading. Morning classes finish at noon, followed by a ninety-minute lunch break. Afternoon classes run until five ten. After that, you have free time to eat and do what you like. Evening self-study starts at six forty-five and lasts until nine forty-five."

"The school operates under a semi-closed management system. You can live on campus or commute, but you need to request permission before leaving during class hours. From the second year onward, regular classes run from Monday to Saturday, with Sundays off. You must wear your uniform on campus and keep your appearance neat. No dyed hair, perms, or long hair..."

Teacher Liang explained while Chen Shi'an listened attentively. These rules might already have been second nature to the other students, but everything was new to him.

"I'll take you to collect your textbooks, uniforms, and class schedule in a moment. Then there's your hair and that Taoist robe..."

"Oh, that's fine. If Shi'an isn't used to it, there's no harm in letting him keep his topknot and wear his robe. A Taoist ought to wear a topknot and Taoist robes, after all." Principal Lin waved a hand.

Teacher Liang's eyes widened. Who was it who loved standing along the school paths to catch students violating the appearance rules every day?!

Did this Shi'an kid catch you murdering someone? Why else would you indulge him like this?

It was Chen Shi'an who smoothed things over with a smile. "Teacher Liang is right. I'm a Taoist, but I'm also a student. I should follow the school rules while I'm here, and that includes keeping my appearance appropriate."

"Your classes don't officially start until tomorrow, so it's fine to be a little more relaxed today. Now, are you planning to board or commute?"

"Does boarding mean living at school?"

"Yes. We generally encourage students to live on campus. The dorms are quite nice, too: six-person rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms. Our class's dorm rooms are full, though. I'll see if I can coordinate with the dorm management office to find you a bed..."

"Could I commute? I've brought this fellow along, so living in a dorm might be inconvenient."

Chen Shi'an pointed at the fat cat in his bag.

"Commuting is fine, too," Principal Lin said. "Where do you plan to stay, Shi'an? You've only just arrived, so you probably haven't found anywhere nearby yet, have you?"

"I'd like to find a place nearby."

"How about this?" Principal Lin said. "I have an apartment nearby that I rent out. Three bedrooms and two living rooms. Two young women were living there before, but one moved out recently. If you don't mind, you could share it."

"I certainly don't mind. I'm just worried the young woman might."

"She probably won't."

Principal Lin smiled. "She's finding it a strain to live there on her own. Just a couple of days ago, she asked me to help find someone to share the apartment."

"We'd better ask her first."

"Of course."

Principal Lin picked up his phone, dialed a number, and briefly explained the situation.

A woman's voice came from the other end. "...Is it a girl?"

"He's a second-year student at our school. Don't worry, Li, he's a good kid with a good temperament. He does have a cat, though. Would you mind?"

"Hmm... That should be okay."

The young woman paused, then asked cautiously, "Uncle Lin, could I pay my rent a few days late? My salary hasn't come in yet, and I'm a little short on cash..."

"Of course, no problem. Starting next month, just pay me half as usual. I'll collect the rest from the young man."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Lin."

The call took place in the office, so Chen Shi'an heard the conversation, too. The young woman's voice sounded a little familiar, but with the distortion over the phone, he couldn't immediately remember where he had heard it.

"All settled, Shi'an. You can stay at my place for now."

"Sorry for the trouble, Principal Lin. How much is my share of the rent? I'll transfer it to you."

"Oh, we're practically family. No need to talk about that. Just make yourself at home."

"Then I couldn't possibly feel comfortable staying in your apartment."

"...You really are just like your master. Stubborn! Fine, discuss how to split the monthly rent with the young woman yourself later."

"That's only right."

Chen Shi'an understood boundaries very well. Principal Lin might be taking good care of him, but that was out of affection for his master. If he took it all for granted, people would inevitably grow tired of him.

"Go with Teacher Liang to collect your textbooks and uniforms first, Shi'an, then stop by the classroom and get settled. Come back later, and I'll take you over to the apartment. The young woman should be off work sometime after six."

"All right."

"Oh, and take this. It's my staff meal card. A fixed meal allowance gets credited to it every month, and I hardly ever use it. You might as well have it."

This time, Principal Lin gave Chen Shi'an no chance to refuse and shoved it into his pocket.

At school, a meal card was practically hard currency! Especially a staff meal card like this one, which could even be used at the teachers' cafeteria, where the food was better. It was a privilege the other students could only envy.

Leaving the cat in the principal's office to enjoy the air conditioning, Chen Shi'an followed Teacher Liang to the academic affairs office to collect his uniforms and textbooks.

He received four sets of uniforms in total: two summer sets and two winter sets, so he could rotate them through the wash.

He also came away with a huge pile of textbooks, including not only the ones he needed for his current second-year classes but the first-year books as well.

If the school had stocked middle school textbooks, Teacher Liang would have liked nothing better than to haul over all three years' worth for him, too.

The assessment had shown that, despite never attending school, Chen Shi'an had a solid foundation in elementary Chinese and math, though his English was abysmal. The main gaps began at the middle school level. By then, math was no longer just addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and subjects such as physics, chemistry, and biology had been added. These were the foundations Chen Shi'an lacked most.

"We've already reached the material for the second semester of the second year. Before long, we'll start covering the third-year material. The third year itself will be devoted entirely to reviewing everything."

"Your main problem right now is how much foundational material you've missed," Teacher Liang said as they walked. "The college entrance exam covers six subjects. Other students get headaches over being weak in just one, so being good at Chinese alone won't be enough, Shi'an. You're already in your second year. Next year's entrance exam will be here in the blink of an eye, and the class can't stop its progress for one student, so..."

He paused and looked at Chen Shi'an. "Shi'an, you have a very, very heavy workload ahead of you. You need to fill in those missing foundations as quickly as possible, then catch up with your classmates in as little time as you can..."

As he spoke, Teacher Liang began to lose confidence in his own words.

For any student, this would probably sound like a pipe dream. Could someone who had missed so many years of schooling really catch up in the final two years? He wasn't asking Chen Shi'an to live up to the title of "Star of Literary Eminence." If he could simply keep pace, even at the bottom of Class Five, and get into an ordinary undergraduate university, that would already be a blessing.

"As for middle school textbooks, I'll see if I can borrow some for you. You could also borrow them from your classmates."

"In short, I'll do everything I can to help fill in the gaps, but most of it will still depend on your own hard work. And it's not as though there's no chance. Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate!"

"Thank you for taking so much trouble, Teacher Liang."

Chen Shi'an smiled. "I may practice Taoism, but I don't believe in fate. Don't worry, Teacher Liang. I'll work hard."

As the young Taoist spoke, a drive to act-and an arrogance-so strong they were almost tangible spilled out from beneath his seemingly modest, composed demeanor.

Teacher Liang stood stunned for quite a while, unsure how to respond. In the end, he nodded.

"Class Five is on the second floor of the Knowledge and Practice Building. Let's head up."

"All right."

As the young Taoist entered the teaching building, the atmosphere began to buzz...