Doing It Over Again

After the commission was deducted by the trading company, he actually received around 300,000 yuan. Concerned about a child carrying so much cash alone, the trading company specially arranged for someone to take him to the bank and help him set up a savings account through their connections. So he stayed another night in Furong City and bought a bus ticket back to Peng County early the next morning.

By the time the bus arrived in Peng County, it was around four in the afternoon. With several hundred yuan in cash, his household registration book, and two bankbooks in his possession, he didn't dare wander around on the streets and went straight home.

Shortly after returning home, Shen Shao saw his uncle and aunt hurriedly entering his house, sighing in relief when they found him safe at home. His uncle, smoking cheap cigarettes that cost fifty cents a pack, spoke in a heavy tone, "Xiao Shao, your father is worthless. If you ever face any hardships, just tell your uncle. I may not be capable of much, but I won't let you go cold or hungry. You're still young - how can you not continue your education?"

Shen Shao was stunned at first, then realized that since he had left home for two or three days without a word, his uncle's family must have thought he went looking for his father. Feeling guilty about this, but unable to tell them about selling the antique, he could only lower his head and say, "I'm sorry, Uncle. I'll definitely tell you next time I go out."

Liu Shulian, seeing Shen Shao's demeanor, tugged at her husband's sleeve to stop him from saying more, then approached Shen Shao and said, "Have you eaten lunch? Come to auntie's house, I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

Having only eaten breakfast before rushing home, and nothing since getting on the bus, Shen Shao did feel hungry when his aunt asked, so he nodded shyly.

"Then let's go to our house," Liu Shulian felt relieved, seeing from his behavior that he probably hadn't found his irresponsible father. "The admission test results should be out soon, right? School's about to start."

"The results come out tomorrow. If I'm admitted, I can go register," Shen Shao followed his aunt out, locked the door, and walked behind her, honestly answering her questions about school. Looking back, he saw his uncle silently following them, reminding him of how in his previous life, his uncle had been the same way - a man of few words, but who had taken good care of him during his two years in junior high.

His uncle's house was very close to his, less than three minutes' walk away. When Shen Shao entered, his uncle's two children, Shen Yuan and Shen Hong, were at home. Seeing him come in, they ignored him and continued watching "Journey to the West" on TV.

Shen Shao glanced at the television, a semi-old black and white set with snow-like static on the screen. Though the image wasn't very clear, the two sisters were watching with great interest.

"You can't watch it," said Shen Hong, who was only a few months younger than Shen Shao. "This is our TV." She had heard from others that since Shen Shao's parents didn't care for him, he would end up eating their food and using their money.

Shen Shao wouldn't argue with a child not yet eleven years old, so he simply looked away when she made a fuss. When his aunt finished making the noodles, he just focused on eating.

"Mom, why did you fry an egg for him?!" Shen Hong exclaimed when she saw the fried egg in Shen Shao's bowl. "You gave him the egg instead of me, are you trying to make him your son?!"

Her aunt was extremely embarrassed by her second daughter's outburst and said sternly, "What are you making such a fuss about?"

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"You just want a son! Everyone says you and dad look down on me and sister for being girls, and you want to adopt Shen Shao as your son. You're discriminating against girls!" Shen Hong's voice grew even louder after Liu Shulian's scolding. "You're just playing favorites!"

Liu Shulian couldn't bring herself to hit her daughter but found her words offensive. These days, they had been showing extra care to Shen Shao because he had no parents, but somehow others had been spreading malicious gossip to her daughter. She wondered what kind of hearts these people had, causing problems between the younger generation.

"Aunt, I'm finished eating," Shen Shao put down his chopsticks and stood up. "I have some things to do at home, so I'll head back now."

Liu Shulian saw that Shen Shao hadn't even had time to drink the soup, having hurriedly swallowed such a large bowl of noodles. Feeling both concerned and helpless, she could only walk him to the door: "Your cousin is thoughtless, I'll definitely talk to her. Don't take it to heart, and don't keep things to yourself in the future."

Shen Shao smiled and nodded: "I understand. Thank you, Aunt." After saying this, he smiled at the two sisters in the house before leaving his aunt's home.

Shen Jianjun had heard Shen Hong's words clearly from the next room. After Shen Shao left, he came out, looked at the bowl still containing soup, and stared at his two daughters with a stern face while lighting a cigarette, remaining silent.

Liu Shulian turned to see this scene and opened her mouth but couldn't find words to say. After a long silence, she collected the noodle bowl and walked to the kitchen.

They all felt sorry for little Shao, but people's hearts naturally favor their own children. They still cared most about their own kids.

Back at his house, Shen Shao sat for half an hour until his stomach felt better, as he had eaten too quickly earlier.

Thinking about checking his results and registering tomorrow reminded him of the experimental middle school's poor dormitory conditions. Because the experimental middle school had very few students from rural households, the dormitory building had actually been converted from former teachers' offices. Boys lived on the fourth floor, girls on the fifth floor, separated by an iron gate. Each floor had only three rooms, with more than ten people cramped into each small room, making it very crowded.

Due to the cramped quarters and large number of residents, the boarding students often got into conflicts or stayed up late chatting. Many good students gradually lost their focus on studies, causing their grades to decline rapidly.

In his previous life, he had lived in the dormitory, but this time he didn't want to squeeze into those shabby quarters again.

In his previous life, after becoming a chef, he had studied in his spare time and even enrolled in an online training program, finally managing to obtain an adult education college degree. Now that he had the opportunity to study properly, what reason did he have not to cherish it?

Having decided to rent a place to live, Shen Shao got ready for bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day, so it was better to rest early.

Early on August 27th, many students and parents gathered around the experimental middle school's bulletin board to wait for the admission results. With only eighty spots available, who wouldn't want their child to get into the good class?

When the results were posted, some people were happy, others disappointed, and then some began complaining about how difficult the math questions were, saying the last two problems even required junior high school knowledge to solve.

"The test was so hard, yet someone got a perfect score. Whose child is so capable?"

"Who is Shen Shao? He got 100 in math and 96 in Chinese, ranking first."

The parents asked around, but when no one claimed this child as their own, they left the bulletin board after some envious comments. Those with connections went to pull strings to try to get their children into the experimental class; those with money prepared to donate to the school's construction fund to secure a spot for their children.

As for Shen Shao, who was on these parents' minds, he hadn't come to school. Knowing there would be crowds checking the results in the morning, he chose not to join the rush and instead went looking for an apartment. He finally found a two-bedroom apartment with a living room and bathroom near the school. The landlords were a kind elderly retired couple who were in a hurry to leave Peng County to live with their son in the city, so they offered a very reasonable rent.

Shen Shao inspected the apartment - the doors and windows were sturdy with security bars installed, and all utilities and furniture were complete, so he happily signed a three-year lease with the landlords, making both parties satisfied.

After paying a year's rent and receiving the keys from the landlords, Shen Shao went to buy daily necessities and several sets of seasonal new clothes.

While he wasn't particularly concerned about appearance, he knew that children at this age often judge by looks. Wearing too shabby clothes could lead to contempt and exclusion from other children. Not wanting to cause trouble over such minor issues, he decided it was better to dress well.

Most children in their early teens are still innocent, but it is precisely this innocence, unaware of good and evil, that can easily hurt others. Perhaps for them, it's just a few playful remarks made in their youth, but for those who are hurt, it could cast a shadow over their entire life. Some rural children who come to study in the city end up hanging out with street thugs later on, simply because of the contemptuous looks from some children, developing a mindset that if they follow these "big brothers," other students will fear them and they'll gain face. Gradually, this vanity ruins their youth and may even affect their entire life.

In his previous life, Shen Shao was also a country bumpkin mocked by his peers and classmates. However, these taunts only made him study harder, maintaining his position among the top ten in his class, and even ranking in the top twenty of the county in the high school entrance examination. But he was too poor then - so poor that he couldn't even attend a high school that waived tuition fees, because even without tuition, he couldn't afford the dormitory fees or living expenses. In the end, he had to reluctantly drop out of school.

Even now, when thinking back to that time, Shen Shao could still clearly feel the unwillingness he felt then, which made him treasure this chance at a second life even more.

After cooking and eating lunch in his rented room, Shen Shao took a nap before heading to the Experimental Middle School. The sun was still fierce at three in the afternoon. He saw some students going to register, walking leisurely ahead with sun umbrellas, while their parents followed behind carrying things - some with textbooks, others with beverages.

Finding the public notice board, he discovered he had ranked first and was assigned to Experimental Class One. He immediately went to look for the new student registration point.

Perhaps because it was afternoon, there weren't many parents and students at the registration point. Shen Shao found the registration desk for Experimental Class One and saw that Teacher Li, who had supervised his exam on the 22nd, was in charge: "Hello, teacher. I'm here to register."

Li Lu had some impression of Shen Shao, and seeing that he was assigned to his class, asked in a gentle tone: "What's your name? Did you bring your photos and household registration book?"

"Yes, I did," Shen Shao handed his household registration book and photos to Li Lu, "My name is Shen Shao."

The first place in this admission exam? Li Lu immediately felt more favorably toward Shen Shao. However, upon opening the household registration book and seeing the red "deceased" stamp on the household head's page, he was stunned. Flipping through it further and seeing only Shen Shao's name, he asked: "Who from your family came with you to register?" For such a young child who had lost his mother, Li Lu wondered how his father treated him. The household registration book felt heavy in his hands, and his tone grew even gentler when asking questions.

Shen Shao replied in a flat tone: "My father ran off with another woman. Before he left, he already said he wouldn't take care of me anymore, so I came to register by myself."