Educational qualifications

"Don't go working in the northern district anymore," Ji Sinan said, frowning when he saw that tear. "You've lost a lot of weight these past two months."

Two months ago, Ji Tan had met Huo Zhaixing at work, then gone with him to stay at the Huo family villa in Beichen District and never returned. His brother probably thought he had gone to the northern district for some grueling but well-paid work.

Ji Tan nodded in agreement and slurped up his noodles.

The eggs in the tomato and egg noodles had been scrambled first. Their parents always added lots of scallions when scrambling eggs. Ji Tan disliked the white parts, so he could only pick the eggs out. But his brother scrambled eggs with just the green leaves, without a single bit of scallion white, so he could eat big mouthfuls without worry.

"The clinic on the next street asked me to see patients there. I can earn money now... Slow down!" Seeing him eat too fast, Ji Sinan reached over and tugged Ji Tan's ear.

"Huh? Y-you can work as a doctor in your current condition?" The tug left Ji Tan momentarily stunned. He almost blurted out, "Didn't you study finance?" but hastily changed his words before they left his mouth.

He hadn't expected Ji Sinan to be a doctor in City A.

Who knew how long this guy had been here since crossing over? At least five or six years, surely? Ji Tan counted on his fingers. After all, an undergraduate medical degree alone took five years. With a master's and doctorate on top of that, it would take at least eight.

"Yes, my mental state is much better now. It's a small clinic, and the owner doesn't mind me tightening the screws seven times when I replace a patient's mechanical leg." Ji Sinan explained with a frown, then reached over and tugged Ji Tan's other ear. Only then did he smile in satisfaction.

Ji Tan: "..."

After finishing the noodles and drinking every last drop of broth in the bowl, Ji Tan rubbed his warm belly contentedly and volunteered to wash up.

"No!" Ji Sinan snatched the bowl away. Realizing his voice had grown too agitated, he took a couple of breaths to calm down and carefully explained, "I served the noodles in this bowl, so I have to be the one to wash it."

Ji Tan pressed his lips together and nodded. He could see that his brother was suffering terribly from this obsessive-compulsive disorder. As a doctor himself, his brother knew how serious his condition was and was already doing everything he could to restrain himself.

Ji Sinan sighed in relief and turned to wash the bowl, only to double back after two steps. He hesitated for a moment, then said, deeply embarrassed, "Tan, could you shed another tear into it?"

"Huh?"

Unable to cry anymore, Ji Tan could only force one eye wide open, staring until its rim turned red before he finally squeezed out a little tear.

Ji Sinan went off to wash the bowl, thoroughly satisfied. Rubbing his sore, stinging eye, Ji Tan rinsed himself off in the rudimentary shower, then hurriedly tossed his discarded hospital clothes out the door while his brother wasn't looking.

His body finally felt much more comfortable after the shower. Ji Tan began exploring the room, hoping to find the original owner's documents. Tomorrow, he would take his brother to see a doctor first, then find a proper job.

There were only 760,000 in his account, not enough to repay all the loan sharks, so he could only keep making monthly payments. His brother's treatment and medication would also cost money, and they needed to move as soon as possible. This neighborhood was filthy, chaotic, and run-down. Nobody had intervened even when the loan sharks came to their door and smashed things up. It was far too unsafe.

There was nothing valuable at home. All the important documents were kept in a drawer of the battered desk in the bedroom. Ji Tan opened the drawer and saw an eye!

"Hiss!" Ji Tan sucked in a cold breath, nearly crying out. On closer inspection, it wasn't a real eye, but a hand-drawn picture. The room was dimly lit, which was why he hadn't seen it clearly.

Ji Tan took out the sheet and held it under the yellowish light. It was an eye with no lashes or eyebrow, outlined in simple strokes, more like an idle doodle.

"Seriously, Ji Sinan, scribbling all over the place and leaving it lying around," Ji Tan grumbled. He put the drawing on the desk and continued searching for the documents.

Sure enough, the graduation certificates were in the drawer, carefully wrapped in a waterproof bag. The first was his brother's diploma, its velvet cover feeling quite luxurious:

[Xili University, department of medicine, doctorate, Ji Sinan]

"Hahaha, Ji Sinan, who never liked studying, came to City A and transformed into a doctor of medicine." Looking at his brother in doctoral robes on the diploma, Ji Tan couldn't help laughing at him.

Back then, Ji Sinan had been so obsessed with writing novels that he neglected his studies and failed classes every year at university. Afraid of being scolded by their parents, he had put Ji Tan's high school down as the mailing address for his academic warning letters. Ji Tan had earned a hefty sum in hush money as a result.

Who would have thought that coming to City A would let him complete even the most difficult medical doctorate? It really was a place where dreams came true. City A was a grand stage-come if you dared. In a place where domineering CEOs roamed everywhere and tycoons were worth less than dogs, presumably everyone had a doctorate?

Ji Tan eagerly dug out his own diploma. After all, he, little Ji Tan, had been a top student in B University's Turing Class. If Xie Zhi hadn't begged him on his knees back then, he wouldn't have given that Xie fellow's startup a second glance.

With City A's degree inflation, he reckoned he had to be a professor.

Ji Tan opened his diploma, which looked even fancier than his brother's, and spotted the character for "Xi." The same university? He took a closer look:

[Xijia Technical Vocational School, culinary department, Ji Tan]

Ji Tan: "..."

No wonder the original owner's way of making quick money had been selling drinks at a KTV. He couldn't have found any other high-paying work with this. After all, seniority mattered for chefs too. A cook fresh out of vocational school could only work as a kitchen hand.

"Why?!" Ji Tan flung the diploma onto the desk, indignant.

That A Qiang was abusing his position to settle a personal score. He had done this on purpose, hadn't he!

He had really wanted to have a late-night chat with his brother after their long separation, but by the time Ji Sinan finished his complicated dishwashing ritual, it was already well past midnight. Exhausted after the day's exertions, Ji Tan fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, without even managing to say good night.

Early the next morning, Ji Tan decided to try making breakfast.

With these qualifications, finding a job in computer technology would probably be difficult. The family urgently needed money, too. If the original owner's skills were still there, he could work as a kitchen assistant for a few days first.

Holding a cleaver, Ji Tan made tentative motions over a potato, feeling very uncertain. After all, he had hardly ever cooked in his life and was a genuine kitchen menace. When his parents were home, they cooked. When they weren't, his brother cooked. He was a useless little thing whose only job was eating, and he was incredibly picky at that.

Pinning the ingredient to the cutting board, Chef Ji took a deep breath, raised his knife, and brought it down, ruthlessly attacking the innocent potato.

Chop, chop, chop! His slender, delicate hand wielded the enormous cleaver with ease. His muscles had their own memory. Without Ji Tan needing to think, they swiftly cut the potato into fine, even shreds.

Ji Tan grabbed a handful of the uniformly thin shreds, delighted. Wonderful-there was hope for a job.

Brimming with confidence, he scooped up the shredded potato and tossed it into the wok... Then what?

Ji Tan was stumped. No next step sprang into his mind. He closed his eyes, hoping his hands, with their muscle memory, would be sensible enough to cook on their own. When he opened his eyes again, his hands hadn't moved. The potatoes were still potatoes, and the wok was still a wok.

He gritted his teeth. Just do it!

Half an hour later, Ji Sinan sat on a little stool, looking at the pitch-black shreds on the plate, then at his expectant little brother. He raised both thumbs and said, "Great job stir-frying the wood ear mushrooms!"

Ji Tan said, "These are potatoes."

Ji Sinan: "..."

Potatoes fried into wood ear mushrooms were, naturally, inedible. Ji Tan took a bite himself and drank two glasses of water.

While his brother went to the kitchen to make breakfast again, Ji Tan carried the plate outside and tipped its contents out for the stray dog in the alley.

The woman across the hall came out to dump her trash. Seeing Ji Tan feeding the dog, she greeted him with a smile. "Young Ji, long time no see. I heard you went to work in Beichen District. With your cooking skills, you must earn plenty over there. Oh, stir-fried wood ear mushrooms for breakfast?"

Ji Tan smiled back. "Yes, I made too much."

The gray dog with a bald patch on its head lowered its head and sniffed, looked up at Ji Tan, then sniffed again. It walked away without eating.

The woman gave an awkward cough. "Oh dear, maybe it thought it was chocolate and didn't dare eat it."