Beloved Husband

by Usui Takumii

not mine, A Wandering Potato. Total: 257 Chapters. Beware BL.

1. 00 to 10

Description :

Yan Jing Ze encountered an accident while escaping with his lover, was accidentally parasitized, and was involved in reincarnations.

He was lost in reincarnation and almost couldn't wake up, but if he doesn't wake up again, his dear will be doomed!

So at certain critical moments, the phoenix man who squeezed the bamboo horse, the scumbag who framed the learning God… they all became sober, no, they were "pierced".

Various scum gong began to spoil their beloved shou crazily.

Story of the amnesiac gong, Yan Jing Ze, transmigrating into multiple worlds as the scum gong of his beloved wife.

Tags – Genius Protagonist, Seme Protagonist, World Hopping, HE, Cultivation, Ancient Scholars, Weak to Strong, Power Couple, Zombies.

Chapter 1: Phoenix Man (1) *edited

The entire world was shrouded in darkness, but within this darkness, numerous light orbs floated.

These light orbs varied in size, all drifting slowly in one direction toward a deep vortex.

The army of light orbs rushed into the vortex without hesitation, except for two orbs that were different.

Among them were two orbs, one big and one small. The small orb was dim and clung to the big orb, which was exceptionally bright, the brightest in this dark world. Carrying the small orb, the big orb hopped and leaped, moving against the flow of the light orb army, distancing themselves from the vortex.

Suddenly, they encountered a distinct red orb in front of them, which charged straight at the big orb.

The impact of the collision turned the big orb partially red, preventing it from moving against the light orb army. Instead, it got carried along with the rest of the light orbs towards the vortex.

As they were about to be pulled into the vortex, the big orb jumped, and a crack appeared on its surface. From within, a pure white light mass squeezed out, wrapping around the small dim orb next to it. In the end, both the big and small orbs fell into the vortex together.

A University, located in Province Z, was the best university in that province and ranked among the top ten nationwide.

At some ordinary universities, many students would be unfocused during classes, sneakily using their phones and such, but at A University, such behavior was rare.

The majority of students at A University were diligent in their studies.

However, today, during a computer science class, one student was lying asleep in front of his computer.

"Yan Jingze, wake up." Someone pushed the sleeping male student.

"Huh?" The student called Yan Jingze abruptly lifted his head, revealing a handsome face.

"The class is over." The one who woke Yan Jingze said, while putting his phone back in his pocket. "I'm starving, let's hurry to the cafeteria."

Yan Jingze felt a bit dizzy and disoriented, and everything around him seemed unfamiliar.

Where was this? And who was he?

He rubbed his head with his hand, and a strong thought emerged in his mind — he had crossed over to another world.

But he couldn't recall who he was before crossing over, nor could he remember anything from his previous life. He didn't know who he was now and where he was.

Beside him, there was a skinny and bespectacled male student speaking to him, "Yan Jingze, you are always attentive in class. Why did you fall asleep today?"

Right, his name was Yan Jingze. The name was imprinted in his mind, and he assumed the original owner of this body was also called Yan Jingze.

Why did he… cross over?

Yan Jingze followed the skinny student as they walked ahead, feeling somewhat lost. Suddenly, he noticed someone.

The university was quite large and had beautiful scenery. People passing by were all well-dressed, but this person stood out from the crowd.

It was a boy of around sixteen or seventeen, carrying a plastic bag. His face was youthful, with a bit of baby fat, and he had a neat flat-top haircut. His skin was a little tanned, and he wore a clean but slightly too short black cotton jacket, revealing the worn-out sleeves of the sweater he had underneath.

Compared to the deliverymen who came to the school, he looked much poorer. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he wanted to hide himself, but he carefully scanned the surroundings as if looking for someone.

Yet, whenever someone noticed him and paid attention, he would shrink back like a startled little mouse.

This person was truly adorable!

How could there be someone this cute in the world!

Yan Jingze had been wondering why he had crossed over, but now he suddenly understood the reason.

He had come here to find his wife!

When Yan Jingze saw the boy, the boy also noticed him, and a shy smile appeared on his face. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Brother!"

Hearing this "brother," Yan Jingze's heart melted. He felt like the fog in front of him was lifted, and the whole world became clear as various memories flooded into his mind.

He had crossed over and now inhabited the body of a person with the same name, Yan Jingze.

The original owner of this body was born in a poor village. His father was disabled, and his mother was mute. He had two younger sisters and a younger brother, and the family struggled to meet even their basic needs.

But the original owner was smart from a young age. After going to school, he excelled in his studies and remained focused on learning. Eventually, he became the only student from their almost-closed-down junior high school to pass the county's best high school entrance exam.

However, he realized that he was too poor. His parents had to borrow money to pay for his school fees, and they couldn't even afford to provide him with enough to eat. He couldn't dress like his classmates, and even getting enough food was a challenge.

Compared to his peers, he felt like a dirty rat in a gutter.

All of this made him very uncomfortable, but it was during this time that he met someone — Jiang Pingxiu, who was from the same village but three years younger.

Jiang Pingxiu had lost his parents early in life and lived with his grandmother. Due to their difficult circumstances, he had to find ways to earn money to support himself from a young age. At just thirteen, he was already thinking about making a living.

During the eleven-day holiday after the start of high school, when the original owner returned to the village, Jiang Pingxiu secretly came over and gave him a new school bag, congratulating him on entering high school.

This gesture made the original owner start interacting with Jiang Pingxiu and occasionally talk about school and his difficult life there, being discriminated against due to poverty and not having enough to eat.

Jiang Pingxiu developed an inexplicable fondness for the original owner, and upon hearing about his struggles, he started giving him money and buying things for him. The original owner pretended to reject these offerings, and Jiang Pingxiu blushed, saying that the original owner could pay him back once he started working.

At the time, Jiang Pingxiu was just thirteen and couldn't find a proper job. However, he was different from the lazy people in the village. Since he was young, he had been hardworking, picking mushrooms and other things to earn money. As he grew older, he found ways to do some small handicrafts, like making hairpins, to earn money.

He would diligently work all day and didn't stop for a moment. Most of the money he earned went to the original owner.

With the support of someone three years younger, the original owner's life became not much worse than that of other students. He even managed to afford reference books. Coupled with his determination, he eventually achieved the highest score in the entire county and got admitted to a good university!

At this point, the original owner noticed that Jiang Pingxiu had developed abnormal feelings for him — Jiang Pingxiu liked him!

The original owner found it disgusting to be liked by someone who hadn't even completed junior high school, but he still needed money.

He got into university, and the county and school provided him with some money as a reward. However, it was not enough, especially since he had enrolled in the computer science department, and the school required students to have computers.

He simply couldn't afford a computer, and he didn't have a stable source of money for his university expenses.

Once again, he thought of Jiang Pingxiu. However, he couldn't rely on Jiang Pingxiu's small handicraft earnings to cover his university expenses. Moreover, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother was old, so he didn't want to work outside.

So, the original owner made a tough decision and directly confessed to Jiang Pingxiu, asking him to come with him to the big city.

Jiang Pingxiu was overjoyed after being confessed to. The original owner coaxed him with sweet words and persuaded him to come to the city with him to live together. Of course, the plan was for Jiang Pingxiu to work and support the original owner.

At that time, Jiang Pingxiu was already sixteen years old, with an ID card and a junior high school diploma. At least he was no longer a child laborer. After coming to the city with the original owner, he got a job at a car wash.

He earned three thousand yuan a month and kept only one thousand for himself, giving the other two thousand to the original owner.

The original owner thanked him verbally but felt disgusted inside. He even avoided Jiang Pingxiu and didn't want to see him.

To make matters worse, once when Jiang Pingxiu's boss went out for lunch and brought back some half-eaten roasted duck for him, Jiang Pingxiu treasured it like a baby and brought it to the school to give to the original owner. The original owner felt that Jiang Pingxiu was embarrassing him, so he pretended not to know him at school and scolded Jiang Pingxiu afterward, forbidding him from coming to see him and even calling him.

Even if Jiang Pingxiu apologized, it was useless.

After being reprimanded by the original owner, Jiang Pingxiu didn't disturb him for a long time. However, after more than twenty days had passed, he sent the original owner his monthly living expenses, and he called the original owner.

The original owner didn't pick up the call and didn't contact Jiang Pingxiu. This continued for another month, and on the day Jiang Pingxiu was supposed to send the living expenses to the original owner, the original owner didn't receive any money.

Furious, the original owner went to find Jiang Pingxiu at his workplace.

At that time, Jiang Pingxiu looked exhausted, and he pitifully explained that his grandmother was ill and needed money for treatment. He asked to delay giving the money to the original owner by two months. But the original owner didn't believe him. He thought Jiang Pingxiu was using money to threaten and force him.

He couldn't afford to have no money. With a cold heart, he slept with Jiang Pingxiu and coaxed him with sweet words, persuading him to continue giving him money.

Jiang Pingxiu was naive and, after being made ill by the original owner, he had a fever and could barely stand up. However, he changed jobs and worked two jobs to continue giving money to the original owner. As time went on, the money he gave to the original owner increased, and he would give him at least three thousand yuan per month, sometimes even buying gifts for him.

Meanwhile, the original owner used Jiang Pingxiu's money to pursue wealthy female classmates at school.

The original owner was very handsome, did well academically, and eventually succeeded in pursuing one of these girls!

The original owner was already in his fourth year of college and had a wealthy girlfriend who was supporting him. He felt that Jiang Pingxiu was no longer useful, so he unhesitatingly dumped him.

At that time, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother happened to fall ill. Jiang Pingxiu had been supporting the original owner and had no savings. He wanted to ask the working original owner for some money. However, the original owner not only refused to give him any money but also told his girlfriend that Jiang Pingxiu was a disgusting homos*xual who was pestering him.

His girlfriend was furious and had some people beat up Jiang Pingxiu, breaking his leg.

Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother couldn't afford treatment and eventually passed away.

Jiang Pingxiu had been working odd jobs since the age of thirteen or fourteen. His health was already extremely poor, and now with a broken leg, he couldn't work to earn money. He ended up dying on a winter night, but it's unclear whether it was due to freezing, illness, or starvation.

After finishing the memories of the original owner, Yan Jingze felt like slapping himself.

The original owner of this body was such a scumbag!

What kind of normal person could do such things!

Fortunately, he didn't transmigrate too late.

The current original owner was still in his first year of college. Although Jiang Pingxiu was already under great pressure, at least he hadn't experienced a total collapse of his life.

With these thoughts, Yan Jingze looked at the boy who called out "brother" to him. The boy was now anxiously pulling the sleeves of his worn-out sweater, trying to hide the frayed cuffs inside.

This boy was Jiang Pingxiu, and the current time was during the first semester of his freshman year.

On this particular morning, Jiang Pingxiu's boss at the car wash had given him a roasted duck that he had brought back from dinner the previous night. Believing it was a good thing, Jiang Pingxiu brought the roasted duck to the original owner's school, wanting to share it with him.

However, the original owner pretended not to know Jiang Pingxiu and even blamed him for embarrassing him.

Yan Jingze gritted his teeth. He had actually transmigrated into such a scumbag!

And Jiang Pingxiu, this boy, was too foolish, right? How could he like such a scumbag?

As Yan Jingze was receiving the memories, Jiang Pingxiu had already come up to him.

It was already December, and the weather was very cold. The boy's lips were slightly cracked, and his face was reddened by the cold. In his hand, he held a plastic bag, nervously looking at Yan Jingze. "Brother, Brother Jingze… I…"

Saying that, he lowered his head and anxiously rubbed the plastic bag with his thumb.

Yan Jingze glanced over and saw that Jiang Pingxiu had frostbite on his hands, and there were even hangnails around his nails.

These were the hands that had endured the wind and frost.

Yan Jingze felt his heart ache, wanting nothing more than to hold the boy in his arms.

"Yan Jingze, who is this?" At this moment, a young man with acne on his face came out of the classroom with Yan Jingze. His name was Huo Liang, Yan Jingze's dormitory roommate.

With the memories of the original owner, Yan Jingze now knew him and introduced, "This is my friend. His name is Jiang Pingxiu. Pingxiu, this is my classmate and dormitory mate, Huo Liang."

Jiang Pingxiu nervously greeted Huo Liang, "Hello…" Afterward, he looked back at Yan Jingze.

Yan Jingze's heart softened.

The dark-skinned boy pursed his lips, a bit embarrassed, but with a hint of undisguised joy. When he looked at Yan Jingze, it seemed like in his eyes and heart, there was only Yan Jingze.

This was definitely the future wife he was looking for!

His future wife, how could he be so adorable!

Yan Jingze held Jiang Pingxiu's hand. "Pingxiu, why did you come today?"

Jiang Pingxiu's hand was really cold, and his clothes probably didn't provide much warmth… The original owner was really a scumbag. Not only did he buy new clothes with Jiang Pingxiu's money, but he also threw away the old clothes he didn't want anymore, instead of giving them to Jiang Pingxiu to wear!

"I… I… brought… roasted duck." Jiang Pingxiu's voice was trembling, and he didn't dare to look up at Yan Jingze.

"Then let's go to the canteen. I'll buy some food, and we can eat together," Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu nodded dizzily, being led forward by Yan Jingze.

He felt like he was walking on cloud nine.

He had come to find Yan Jingze impulsively, but now he regretted it.

Yan Jingze had never liked him visiting him at school.

But he missed Yan Jingze, and since Yan Jingze started attending college, they hadn't seen each other much.

Moreover… the boss said the roasted duck was particularly delicious, and one was sold for a hundred yuan. He wanted Yan Jingze to taste it.

The university was so big, he didn't know where Yan Jingze's dormitory was, nor did he know where Yan Jingze usually attended classes. He could only wait near the canteen, and unexpectedly, he really saw Yan Jingze.

At first, Yan Jingze didn't say anything, and he was worried that Yan Jingze was angry. But unexpectedly… Yan Jingze took his hand!

Jiang Pingxiu's hand couldn't help but tremble, and his heart was pounding faster… He felt like he might faint at any moment.

**TN

Phoenix Man – a man who grew up in the countryside but later attended a famous university or found a decent job and eventually resided in economic-developed metropolitan cities.

Chapter 2 – Phoenix Man (2) *edited

A young man appeared on the campus of A University, looking as if he had come from a rural mountain valley.

People passing by cast curious glances at Jiang Pingxiu, who was being led by Yan Jingze.

Yan Jingze's roommate, Huo Liang, was especially curious as he scrutinized Jiang Pingxiu. "Yan Jingze, I've never heard of you having such a friend before!"

"Now you've heard of him," Yan Jingze replied.

Huo Liang smiled, "He looks so young!"

"Uh-huh," Yan Jingze also thought Jiang Pingxiu looked very young. Just thinking that the original owner of this body had exploited an underage child like this made Yan Jingze feel bitter. Moreover, the hand he was holding was trembling and rough, which only made him feel more pained.

Yan Jingze looked at Huo Liang, "Huo Liang, my friend is here, so I won't eat with you today."

"Alright then, see you later," Huo Liang smiled and headed to the canteen.

After Huo Liang left, Yan Jingze looked at Jiang Pingxiu, "Pingxiu, what do you like to eat?"

Jiang Pingxiu tightened his grip on the plastic bag containing the roasted duck and finally mustered up the courage, "Brother Jingze, I… I brought… brought something for you. I… I have to go now." He looked like this, walking with Brother Jingze would definitely embarrass Brother Jingze.

"You came all this way to see me, so stay and eat first," Yan Jingze said gently.

Jiang Pingxiu must not have eaten yet, coming all the way in this cold weather. Yan Jingze felt he should let Jiang Pingxiu have something warm to eat before leaving.

"I… I…" Jiang Pingxiu stammered, unable to speak.

By this time, Yan Jingze had already led him into the campus canteen.

A University had several canteens, all located close to each other, and they were all quite spacious, offering a variety of food items.

The one they usually went to was the largest canteen, Canteen No.1, and now Yan Jingze also brought Jiang Pingxiu to Canteen No.1.

White tiles covered the floor, and the walls were painted snowy white. In the middle were large wooden tables and chairs, making the whole canteen look clean and bright.

Jiang Pingxiu looked down at his shoes; these shoes were thrown away by a tenant who used to live in the same apartment as him. They originally belonged to a girl, and he felt they were still good to wear after cleaning them. They were his best shoes, but they were white with a pink tint, and the shoelaces were also pink, a little dirty too.

He felt embarrassed to step on such a clean floor.

"Have a seat here; I'll go get some food," Yan Jingze said to Jiang Pingxiu, asking him to sit at a table while he went to buy food with his meal card.

Yan Jingze took a food tray and ordered two portions of rice and two vegetable dishes.

The meals at A University were very affordable, and he initially wanted to buy more variety for Jiang Pingxiu to eat, but he thought that all the money he was spending now was hard-earned by Jiang Pingxiu. He didn't want to be too extravagant, so in the end, he only bought two of the cheapest vegetable dishes, each costing 1.5 yuan.

After placing the food in front of Jiang Pingxiu, Yan Jingze went back and got two bowls of free soup, along with two empty bowls.

While carrying the soup back, he noticed Jiang Pingxiu looking at him cautiously and then quickly lowering his head, seemingly embarrassed.

Yan Jingze sat next to him and asked with a smile, "Did you bring the roasted duck for me?"

Jiang Pingxiu nodded, lowering his head even further. The plastic bag with the roasted duck was placed on his lap, and he nervously fidgeted with it.

It was now December, and Jiang Pingxiu had been in this city since July, working at the car wash for over five months.

The car wash came with meals and accommodation, so for these five months, he had been living in a dirty shop and eating the simple meals cooked by the shop owner.

For him, this roasted duck he brought back was the best thing he could offer.

However, upon arriving at the school canteen, Jiang Pingxiu realized that the roasted duck he considered good might not be that special here.

The other students were holding stainless steel trays filled with steaming chicken legs and braised pork, and they could afford to eat well.

"Let's eat together," Yan Jingze said, taking the plastic bag and opening it.

Roasted duck was best when it was warm, but now it was the cold winter.

Jiang Pingxiu brought the roasted duck over, and the once-oily and fragrant roasted duck now looked excessively greasy.

Furthermore, someone had already eaten the roasted duck, and it was missing a leg. Anyone with discerning taste wouldn't even consider eating it.

"It's cold…" Jiang Pingxiu said with a hint of embarrassment.

"It's still duck meat!" Yan Jingze chuckled, dividing the rice into two bowls and then tearing off the remaining duck leg to give it to Jiang Pingxiu. "Eat quickly."

Yan Jingze then took a wing for himself and started eating.

Yan Jingze's actions seemed so natural that Jiang Pingxiu, who had been tense all this while, finally relaxed a bit.

He stole a cautious glance at Yan Jingze and pushed the bowl towards him. "You…eat the duck leg."

"I like eating wings," Yan Jingze smiled. "Don't you know? Wings are more expensive than legs."

Jiang Pingxiu seemed a bit stunned.

"Quick, eat it. Otherwise, the food will get cold," Yan Jingze said. He scooped some vegetables onto Jiang Pingxiu's plate while they were eating. As a young man, Jiang Pingxiu should eat more meat, but he also needed to have plenty of vegetables.

The two vegetable dishes Yan Jingze bought were stir-fried zucchini and carrot with cauliflower, both very common vegetables. Jiang Pingxiu pointed at the zucchini and asked, "Brother, what's this… I've never had it before."

"This is zucchini," Yan Jingze replied.

Jiang Pingxiu then pointed at the cauliflower and asked, "What about this… what's it called? I've eaten it before, but I don't know what it is."

"This is cauliflower," Yan Jingze answered again.

Jiang Pingxiu smiled a little, "It's delicious."

In truth, this boy had very well-proportioned features, but his hair was dry and yellow, his skin a bit dark, and his face full of broken capillaries. His clothes were also worn out and messy, making him far from good-looking.

However, Yan Jingze found him very good-looking.

Thinking like this, Yan Jingze wanted to slap himself again… but nevermind, the original owner was nowhere to be found, and now he was the one using this body, so he decided not to slap himself.

A meal at A University was quite substantial. Most boys ate one portion, while many girls had half a portion.

However, Jiang Pingxiu finished his portion in just a few bites, not saying anything, but Yan Jingze felt that he probably wasn't full.

Thankfully, there was still a whole roasted duck, with plenty of meat left.

"Have some more meat," Yan Jingze placed some roasted duck meat in Jiang Pingxiu's bowl and thought for a moment before adding, "Let me get you a bowl of congee."

"No, you don't have to…"

"Congee is free; it doesn't cost anything," Yan Jingze said. The congee cooked in the morning at A University would be reheated if there was any left by lunchtime and offered to students for free along with the soup.

Jiang Pingxiu was somewhat surprised, "It's free?"

"Yes, it's free," Yan Jingze replied. Eating at A University was really cheap, and students could apply for various subsidies, yet the original owner shamelessly exploited Jiang Pingxiu… it was truly disgusting.

Yan Jingze quickly got two bowls of porridge. He didn't eat any and gave them all to Jiang Pingxiu, who ended up eating both bowls. Even the entire roasted duck, Jiang Pingxiu ate much more than Yan Jingze did.

The growing child had a good appetite!

After Jiang Pingxiu finished eating, Yan Jingze said, "Pingxiu, come with me to my dormitory. I have something for you."

"Huh?" Jiang Pingxiu was taken aback, but Yan Jingze dragged him to his dormitory. However, Jiang Pingxiu refused to go upstairs. "I won't go, brother… I'll embarrass you."

Yan Jingze's eyes teared up a little, but he didn't insist. He asked Jiang Pingxiu to wait for a moment and then went upstairs to fetch the set of warm clothes and a long cotton coat that the original owner had just bought. He came back downstairs and gave them to Jiang Pingxiu.

"Brother, this is your clothes…"

"If I gave it to you, it's yours now," Yan Jingze handed the long cotton coat to Jiang Pingxiu and asked, "Where is the car wash shop where you work? I'll come find you in a couple of days on the weekend."

Jiang Pingxiu hesitated for a moment before telling Yan Jingze the address of the car wash shop.

Yan Jingze had an excellent memory, and after hearing it once, he remembered the address. He then patted Jiang Pingxiu's head and said, "Take your time on the way back."

"Okay," Jiang Pingxiu's face turned red, and he slowly walked forward. After walking a short distance, he couldn't help but turn back and found Yan Jingze still standing there, looking at him. When he turned back, Yan Jingze waved at him.

Jiang Pingxiu quickly turned back and continued walking. When he reached the corner, he couldn't help but turn back again.

Yan Jingze was still standing there.

His heart felt like it was filled with honey, sweet and flustered. On the way back, Jiang Pingxiu couldn't stop himself from smiling. As he walked, he almost started skipping.

Having eaten plenty of food and wearing thick cotton clothing, he felt quite warm but he didn't want to take off the clothes. They were Yan Jingze's clothes, the clothes given to him by Brother Jingze.

Even though the clothes were a bit big for him and didn't fit perfectly, Jiang Pingxiu wished he could keep wearing them forever and never take them off.

Chapter 3 – Phoenix Man (3) *edited

After Jiang Pingxiu left, Yan Jingze returned to his dormitory and sat on his seat, thinking about how to earn money. He possessed the memories of the original owner's first nineteen years, including the general outline of future events, but the specific details of what would happen were still unclear.

He had no recollection of his life before he crossed over, so now he was just an ordinary freshman who had come from a poor county. He found the academic subjects a bit challenging because he hadn't had much exposure to computers before entering university.

How could he earn money? Tutoring? Part-time jobs?

Regardless of the method, he couldn't rely on Jiang Pingxiu's support!

Yan Jingze knew that Jiang Pingxiu's job was very tough, washing cars for people in the freezing winter. He had even considered asking him not to work.

However, he had no income at the moment, so what right did he have to ask Jiang Pingxiu not to work?

Moreover, according to his memories, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother would break her leg while farming in less than a month…

While pondering about making money, Yan Jingze was asked by his roommate, Huo Liang, who had already returned to the dormitory, "Yan Jingze, where did that person who came to see you before come from? Why was he dressed like that?"

Yan Jingze's mood was extremely complicated.

Huo Liang continued, "You treat him pretty well, treating him to meals and giving him clothes."

"I borrowed money from him for my living expenses and tuition," Yan Jingze explained.

Huo Liang was taken aback.

Yan Jingze then asked, "Huo Liang, do you know how we can find part-time jobs? My family's financial situation isn't that good."

The original owner was indeed poor, but he had a strong sense of pride and didn't want others to know about his financial situation. After entering college, he didn't apply for any financial aid or scholarships and wasn't stingy with his spending. As a result, everyone thought he came from an ordinary working-class family.

Huo Liang was a bit puzzled but didn't dwell on it, "If you want to find a part-time job, you can do tutoring or become a part-time worker. You can check the school forum or use special apps to look for opportunities."

"Thank you," Yan Jingze replied and opened his phone to start searching for part-time job listings.

Huo Liang then asked, "Yan Jingze, are you really going to do a part-time job? We have quite a lot of classes, and there are activities on the weekends. Will the part-time job affect your studies?"

Yan Jingze looked at Huo Liang and said, "But if I don't do a part-time job, I won't have money for food."

During lunch break, Yan Jingze spent the time searching for various part-time job opportunities. Later, he attended classes with Huo Liang. They were majoring in computer science, and the first-year courses were numerous and dry, making it a bit difficult.

The original owner came from a poor family and had little exposure to computers before, so he often found it hard to keep up in class. However, he was determined to change his life through education, so he listened attentively during lectures and managed to complete the assigned tasks.

But that was the extent of it.

However, when Yan Jingze listened to the lectures… he suddenly realized that he could quickly comprehend what the teachers were saying.

In fact, he could completely remember everything after hearing it once.

The teachers repeated their lectures to avoid students not understanding, but he didn't need to listen again.

Clearly, as a transmigrator, he had a "gold finger"!

But without his previous memories, the original owner had no other skills apart from his fast learning ability. Even though he could study quickly, it wouldn't immediately lead to earning a large sum of money. He could only start with a part-time job.

That evening, Yan Jingze went to the place for part-time job interviews.

While Yan Jingze spent the day thinking about earning money, Jiang Pingxiu had already returned to the car wash shop.

The shop where Jiang Pingxiu worked was quite large and not just for car washing; they also did car detailing and other services.

The shop was usually managed by the owner's wife, and aside from her, there were four employees. One of them was skilled in car repairs, and everyone called him Master Chen. He earned a monthly salary of eight thousand yuan. Another was the owner's wife's relative, earning six thousand yuan per month. The third employee had been working for some time and knew more than Jiang Pingxiu; they both mainly washed cars and earned a monthly salary of four thousand yuan. Jiang Pingxiu had the lowest salary, earning only three thousand yuan per month.

As a matter of fact, even with a low salary, most people of his age didn't have family responsibilities yet, and with free meals and accommodations provided by the shop, they could still live comfortably. As for the young man who earned four thousand yuan per month, he not only had enough money to buy cigarettes but also ordered takeout from time to time. He frequently bought clothes and even changed his phone every year.

But Jiang Pingxiu… they had never seen him spend money.

Not only that, Jiang Pingxiu was particularly easy to bully.

Apart from Master Chen, the other two employees initially loved pushing their work onto this boy who had just arrived from the countryside. Jiang Pingxiu never complained and did all the work, leaving them feeling a bit guilty. Even the shop owner and his wife had some sympathy for Jiang Pingxiu, which was why they gave him the packed roasted duck.

Yet, Jiang Pingxiu surprisingly couldn't bring himself to eat it.

Jiang Pingxiu had one day off each month, which he had never used before. But when he received the roasted duck, he decided to use his day off to visit his brother and give the roasted duck to him.

Everyone at the shop thought this kid's mind was a little off.

Normally, Jiang Pingxiu never spent a penny unnecessarily. When they asked him about the reason, they found out that he was saving the money to support his brother's living expenses and education. They were dumbfounded by his response.

They had heard of elder siblings helping their younger brothers and sisters when they started working, but they had never seen a younger sibling working to support their older brother's education.

Even if such a thing did happen, it wasn't the way Jiang Pingxiu did it!

Jiang Pingxiu earned three thousand yuan per month, and he gave two thousand to his brother, saving the remaining one thousand to contribute to his brother's future tuition fees…

He wasn't even of legal age yet!

His brother had the nerve to spend the money of an underage child!

Yesterday, the owner attended a dinner party and brought back several dishes in takeout containers. In addition to the roasted duck given to Jiang Pingxiu, there were a few more dishes for lunch. At the moment, the people at the car wash shop were eating together while the boss and his wife were out.

Master Chen said, "This boy, Xiao Jiang… he might come back crying after seeing his brother."

"Why?" Xiao Zhang, who was also a car washer like Jiang Pingxiu, asked. Xiao Zhang was twenty years old, four years older than Jiang Pingxiu. At first, he looked down on Jiang Pingxiu, who was poor and rustic, but later, Jiang Pingxiu helped him a lot with his work, and Xiao Zhang no longer had any ill feelings toward him.

Of course, he would still push his work onto Jiang Pingxiu.

"If you were studying in college, would you like it if your younger brother came to see you dressed like that?" Master Chen asked.

Without hesitation, Xiao Zhang replied, "No, I wouldn't." Even if he were studying at university or working here, if he had a younger brother like Jiang Pingxiu visiting him dressed like that, he would feel embarrassed.

Jiang Pingxiu's appearance was actually not bad, but his dressing style… too outdated and ugly!

"He even brought leftover roasted duck for his brother… He treats his brother like a treasure, but the other party might not feel the same way," Brother Wang, the relative of the shop owner, mocked.

Brother Wang was the shop owner's nephew, and although he worked at the shop, he didn't do much heavy or tiring work. He only helped out during busy times and occasionally assisted the shop owner with errands and purchases. Among the three of them, even though Master Chen had the highest income, he had a family to support and wasn't financially well-off. Although Master Chen could eat his fill every day, he could only spend a maximum of four thousand yuan each month, which couldn't be considered affluent. However, Brother Wang was different; not only did he have a salary, but his family also provided him with financial support. He had a house and a car and lived a carefree life.

He didn't like the meals the shop owner's wife prepared and would either eat at home or order takeout. Naturally, he had no interest in that roasted duck either.

Xiao Zhang said, "Xiao Jiang's brother must have tricked him! Brother Wang, remember when the shop owner's wife wasn't here that day, and she gave each of us fifty yuan to buy lunch for ourselves? Xiao Jiang only bought a five-yuan steamed bun and ate it for the whole day. He wouldn't even buy a sausage, saying he was afraid his brother might not have enough money for next year's tuition."

"What the hell, this fool is really asking to be ab*sed!" Brother Wang said with a sneer while crossing his legs and lighting a cigarette.

Master Chen also lit a cigarette for himself. "It's been a few months already, but every month, Xiao Jiang transfers his salary to his brother's account, and yet his brother has never come to visit him… tsk tsk."

"I'm telling you, he's just too naive!" Brother Wang concluded once again.

As they were talking, they saw Jiang Pingxiu hurrying over.

Jiang Pingxiu was wearing an oversized long coat and carrying a plastic bag. His face, already red from the cold, turned even redder.

Feeling everyone's gaze on him, he felt a bit uncomfortable and greeted, "Master Chen, Brother Wang, Xiao Zhang."

"Xiao Jiang, weren't you going to see your brother? Why did you buy new clothes?" Xiao Zhang asked.

"I… I didn't buy them. My brother gave them to me," Jiang Pingxiu's eyes gleamed, and he took out the thermal clothes he was holding, speaking without stuttering, "My brother gave them to me because he's afraid I'll feel cold."

This development was different from what they had expected! Unable to hold back, Brother Wang asked, "What about the roasted duck? Did he eat it?"

"Yeah," Jiang Pingxiu nodded, savoring the memory, "We ate it together, and it was delicious."

Brother Wang: "…"

Jiang Pingxiu continued, "My… my brother is so good to me. He took me out for dinner today and even gave me these clothes." He had originally wanted to mention the hand-holding incident with Yan Jingze, but he realized it wouldn't be appropriate to share that, so he changed to a different topic.

"All the money he spends comes from you, and the money he used to treat you to dinner also belongs to you," Brother Wang sneered.

Jiang Pingxiu looked displeased as he gazed at Brother Wang, "My brother… will make sure I live a good life in the future."

"Only you would believe that," Brother Wang retorted.

Jiang Pingxiu was just too naive!

As far as he knew, Jiang Pingxiu gave his brother two thousand yuan each month.

For an ordinary boy from an average family, receiving two thousand yuan as monthly living expenses from his parents wasn't considered much. Some families with money would give their children seven or eight thousand yuan or even tens of thousands each month without much concern.

However, Jiang Pingxiu barely made ends meet, dressed shabbily, and sent two thousand yuan to his brother each month, which was too much.

Who didn't know that the cafeteria at A University was particularly cheap for meals! Even if his brother saved some money and only spent a thousand yuan each month, he could still manage to get by.

At the very least, he should come and visit his younger brother. But Jiang Pingxiu had been working with them for five months, and they still hadn't met his brother.

"My brother will definitely make sure I have a good life. He… he said he will bring my grandmother to the city in the future," Jiang Pingxiu said earnestly while looking at Brother Wang.

Seeing Jiang Pingxiu's determined expression, Brother Wang began to doubt if he had misunderstood something.

Could Jiang Pingxiu's brother be a good person after all?

Chapter 4 – Phoenix Man (4) *edited

That evening, Yan Jingze managed to find a part-time job at an off-campus tutoring institution, teaching elementary school kids programming.

In recent years, computers had become popular, and Yan Jingze knew that learning computer skills could lead to big money. In big cities, it was even more common for parents to enroll their young children in programming classes.

At the tutoring institution, Yan Jingze was responsible for one-on-several programming teaching, guiding three to five children at a time, earning fifty yuan per hour.

He worked two hours on Monday and Wednesday evenings and four hours each on Saturday and Sunday, totaling twelve hours per week, earning six hundred yuan. Additionally, if he could bring in new students or have his current students renew their classes, he could get a twenty percent commission from that.

It was a pretty good part-time job, and Yan Jingze's status as a student at A University's computer science department played a role in securing it.

Although the original owner had only studied computer programming for a few months, Yan Jingze felt confident about handling this position, especially after looking through the teaching materials. Teaching kids was simple; he could understand it at a glance.

With the part-time job secured, Yan Jingze also started to improve his computer skills as much as possible.

Looking back a decade or so, anyone who studied computer science could find a decent job after graduation, but things had changed. Only those with excellent skills would have an easy time finding good jobs, and for those lacking in skills, it would be challenging to find a decent job after graduation.

Moreover, Yan Jingze wasn't content with just any good job. He had a partner, and he was determined to make money to ensure a good life for them.

Thus, Yan Jingze made up his mind to study hard.

Of course, before that, he wanted to visit Jiang Pingxiu.

The part-time job on weekends was from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. However, on this day, Yan Jingze set off early and first went to the supermarket.

He bought a big bag of snacks and then went to the wholesale clothing market, purchasing some men's clothing.

He had thought about buying clothes at the supermarket, but they were too expensive for him. He didn't have that much money.

When he arrived at the car wash, it was already noon, and Jiang Pingxiu was washing a car.

The place had automatic car washing equipment, but someone still had to clean the inside of the cars and wipe them dry. When Yan Jingze arrived, Jiang Pingxiu was busy with these tasks alongside another worker, Xiao Zhang.

In the middle of winter, the not-yet-adult teenager was dressed in a blue work uniform, tirelessly working without a moment's rest. His hands were red and swollen from the cold, icy water…

Yan Jingze couldn't help but feel uncomfortable witnessing this scene, but fortunately, the car was soon cleaned, and the car owner drove away.

Xiao Zhang went to smoke at the side, and Jiang Pingxiu placed the rag back into the bucket, preparing to wash again. Suddenly, there were two more hands in the bucket. When he looked up, he saw Yan Jingze, and he was completely taken aback.

Yan Jingze didn't pay attention to him and started washing the rag directly.

"Brother Jingze…" Jiang Pingxiu wanted to come over and take over.

"I'll wash it. You go wash your hands." Yan Jingze stopped Jiang Pingxiu.

"Brother…"

"Good boy, listen to me," Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu was amazed to hear his brother calling him "good boy"…

Feeling a bit dizzy, Jiang Pingxiu went to wash his hands as instructed.

Yan Jingze continued washing the rag and just finished when he noticed a middle-aged man in his forties looking at him with surprise. "Are you Jiang Pingxiu's brother?"

"Yes," Yan Jingze smiled at the man.

Master Chen looked at Yan Jingze, feeling somewhat astonished.

Jiang Pingxiu was good-looking, and he had mentioned that his brother was handsome too, so Master Chen had prepared himself to meet another handsome guy. However, he never expected Jiang Pingxiu's brother to be this good-looking.

Not only was he good-looking, but he also had an aura that made people believe he was a young master from some wealthy family, no matter where he stood.

Master Chen thought he shouldn't be holding a rag like that.

Wait a minute, could he be just as clueless as Jiang Pingxiu? How could someone with such a dignified appearance let his brother live in such a state? It didn't make sense.

Master Chen's brows furrowed slightly.

"In these past few months, thank you for taking care of Pingxiu," Yan Jingze sincerely said.

According to the original host's memories, Jiang Pingxiu's colleagues had treated him fairly well and had even lent him money. Unfortunately, later on, Jiang Pingxiu left the car wash because he needed more money for his grandmother's treatment and the expenses kept piling up.

The dissatisfaction that had just risen in Master Chen suddenly disappeared. "Cough, I didn't do much," he initially had a bad impression of Yan Jingze, but now, seeing him like this, he couldn't help but doubt if he had misunderstood this person.

At this moment, Jiang Pingxiu came out.

He had washed his hands, but there was still some stubborn black grease that wouldn't come off. He hid his hands behind his back and looked carefully at Yan Jingze, "Brother, why… why did you come to see me?"

"I was too busy recently and couldn't keep up with school progress, so I didn't have the chance to come see you. Now that I have some free time, I came," Yan Jingze explained, "I brought you some food and clothes…"

"Brother, I don't need them. You… you should keep them for yourself."

"I have plenty of clothes. These are for you, and you must remember to wear them, okay?" Yan Jingze lowered his voice, "If you don't wear them, it means you don't like me, and I'll be upset."

Jiang Pingxiu blushed, "I like…"

"I know," Yan Jingze said, "You should dress a bit nicer, and I'll like you even more."

Jiang Pingxiu's face turned even redder.

Yan Jingze continued, "I also brought some snacks for you. Remember to eat them… I'll come again next week, and if you haven't finished the snacks by then, I won't come to see you anymore."

Eating too many snacks wasn't good for a child, but for someone like Jiang Pingxiu, who had never really had any snacks before, eating a little wouldn't be a problem.

Of course, Yan Jingze said this just because he was afraid that Jiang Pingxiu would be reluctant to eat them.

"I'll definitely finish them," Jiang Pingxiu replied without hesitation, almost wanting to jump for joy – Yan Jingze was coming to see him again next week!

Seeing Jiang Pingxiu like this, Yan Jingze really wanted to pat his head affectionately, but he didn't have time as he had to go to his part-time job. He could only say, "Pingxiu, I have something to do now. I'll come to see you next week."

Jiang Pingxiu nodded, eagerly watching Yan Jingze leave.

Yan Jingze walked briskly; he was eager to start earning money.

Jiang Pingxiu was only sixteen years old, and at his age, he should be studying at school.

On that day, Yan Jingze arrived at the tutoring center early and studied programming books. He continued learning throughout the following week.

Then he realized that his brain was indeed quite sharp. At least for the first-year courses, he quickly understood them all. He even managed to self-study the second and third-year courses with ease.

Moreover, he found an online forum where he could take up some programming jobs.

There were various tasks available there, some quite legitimate, where certain companies outsourced programming work, and others were less lawful, like creating cheats for games.

Yan Jingze avoided the illegal ones and accepted a few simple outsourcing projects.

As a newcomer, he could only get relatively mundane tasks, which were tedious and didn't pay much.

Yet, he still took them on, working diligently, and seeking help from others whenever he encountered difficulties.

Even if it took him a lot of time and effort, and he could only earn a few hundred yuan in the end, it was still money.

While Yan Jingze was busy with work, on the other side, Jiang Pingxiu had already changed into the brand-new clothes Yan Jingze had bought for him, a complete set.

He also tried some snacks he had never eaten before.

Jiang Pingxiu had been an orphan since he was little, and he was timid and introverted. He couldn't remember when the children in the village started bullying him, always taunting him for being effeminate. Whenever he managed to collect some pigweed, they would snatch it all away. If he carried a bucket of water home, someone would knock it over. Even while walking on the road, he would get pushed down.

Because of this, his courage dwindled, and he hardly dared to talk to anyone. Even when he did speak, he stammered a bit.

Perhaps the boldest thing he had ever done in his life was buying a backpack and giving it to Yan Jingze as a gift.

Yan Jingze had never bullied him; in fact, he had defended him from the bullies before! Moreover, Yan Jingze was so intelligent and good-looking, truly an unattainable existence for him… he always wanted to give Yan Jingze the best.

He knew that Yan Jingze didn't like him that much, but it was entirely reasonable. He wasn't likable anyway…

But now, Yan Jingze was holding his hand, buying him clothes, and snacks.

Could it be that Yan Jingze liked him a little bit?

After coming to the car wash, Jiang Pingxiu was hesitant to initiate conversations with others, but recently, he dared to.

During his free time, Jiang Pingxiu always moved closer to Xiao Zhang and said, "Brother Zhang, thermal clothes is so warm. I've never worn such warm clothes before."

A while later, he would go to Master Chen and say, "Uncle Chen, I had sausages today, and there were even corn kernels inside. They were so delicious."

He even found the courage to talk to Brother Wang, whom he had always been afraid of, "Brother Wang, my brother said he'll come to see me next week."

He repeated it several times, even if he had a piece of candy in his mouth, he would be happy for the whole afternoon.

Others: …The clothes and snacks that Yan Jingze brought him were really just ordinary!

Master Chen was helpless, "My son doesn't even like those snacks anymore, and he wouldn't wear such clothes even if you paid him. He's picky about brands when buying shoes!"

Brother Wang and Xiao Zhang nodded in agreement.

But seeing Jiang Pingxiu so happy, they didn't have the heart to dampen his spirits. Though they used to assign him tasks, they now felt reluctant to do so – the poor kid had been through a lot, and they didn't want to exploit him anymore!

However, as they stopped giving Jiang Pingxiu tasks, he became as energetic as if he had injected chicken blood. He volunteered to do the work, and his whole demeanor changed.

After his brother came to see him once, he seemed like a completely different person!

In the blink of an eye, a week passed, and Yan Jingze went to see Jiang Pingxiu again.

Dressed in clean new clothes, Jiang Pingxiu looked much better, and his eyes sparkled with more light.

This time, Yan Jingze brought him some toiletries, face cream, hand cream, and even a smartphone.

By now, almost everyone had a smartphone, but Jiang Pingxiu only had a second-hand, brick phone he bought for ten yuan.

For kids his age, using a brick phone was unheard of. Yan Jingze had wanted to buy him a smartphone earlier, but he didn't have the money then. Now that he had earned some money from his part-time job, he finally had some spare cash to buy Jiang Pingxiu a smartphone.

A smartphone that cost six hundred yuan might not appeal to many kids, but Jiang Pingxiu was extremely delighted and didn't dare to touch it at first.

That day, Yan Jingze arrived at the car wash early and spent the morning teaching Jiang Pingxiu how to use the phone. He also helped install various apps and added him as a friend.

Before leaving, he instructed, "I have classes most of the time, so I might not be able to answer calls. You can send me messages, and I'll check them after class."

Yan Jingze genuinely liked Jiang Pingxiu, but unfortunately, he was too poor and embarrassed to visit him often.

However, they could communicate more through their phones and get to know each other first.

After meeting Jiang Pingxiu, Yan Jingze returned and immersed himself in his work once again.

On the other side, Jiang Pingxiu excitedly approached Xiao Zhang, "Brother Zhang, my brother bought me a new phone!"

Xiao Zhang: …What's the big deal about a six-hundred-yuan phone! He uses one that costs several thousand!

Chapter 5 – Phoenix Man (5) *edited

Yan Jingze knew that, after the incident of sending the roast duck, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother would have trouble in about a month.

Following the original plot, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother would accidentally break her leg while working in the fields. In the freezing winter, she wouldn't be able to move, and it would take a long time before anyone found her.

Although she wasn't too old, just sixty years old, her life had been very difficult, and her health wasn't great. After breaking her leg, she also suffered from the cold, which made her fall ill. When Jiang Pingxiu received the news and called the original owner for help, the original owner hung up on him. He had to go back alone to take care of her, but he couldn't completely cure her.

Feeling worried about her, Jiang Pingxiu brought her to the city, rented a house, and spent all his money on her, thus failing to provide the original owner with the living expenses on time.

The original owner could have borrowed a few hundred yuan from classmates or found a part-time job to get by, but he couldn't bring himself to borrow money and feared that working part-time would affect his grades. In the end, he resorted to seducing Jiang Pingxiu and coaxing him to continue giving him money.

Consequently, that New Year, sixteen-year-old Jiang Pingxiu had to work tirelessly at a luxury hotel from morning till night, doing the work of two people to earn money. In the following years, he had no free time at all. He worked to support the original owner's education while also taking care of his grandmother, whose leg injury had never healed and left her with a permanent limp.

As a result of this incident, Grandma Jiang's health deteriorated… Just when the original owner had started working and decided to break away from Jiang Pingxiu, she also developed appendicitis.

Appendicitis was a common ailment, and a simple surgery could cure it. However, Grandma Jiang endured the pain and delayed seeking treatment until it became severe. The surgery required a substantial amount of money, which Jiang Pingxiu couldn't afford. Still, he had hope for the original owner and naively asked him for a loan.

The original owner was ruthless; he framed Jiang Pingxiu for harassment and encouraged his girlfriend to have people break Jiang Pingxiu's leg, effectively severing their ties.

In the end, both Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother didn't survive.

Yan Jingze took a deep breath and focused on his work in front of the computer.

The original host was a despicable person, and although he couldn't let these events unfold as they did, he couldn't change the past.

For now, he continued with his part-time job off-campus, as it provided a stable income. Additionally, he took on more online jobs, and as he gained experience, he started accepting more challenging tasks. Some of these tasks paid thousands of yuan upon completion.

Of course, it wasn't as simple as it sounded. In the second week since his arrival, Yan Jingze was only getting four to five hours of sleep per night.

Finally, he had six thousand yuan in his hands.

He took the time to find a place to rent. He rented a two-bedroom apartment in an old residential area near the school for 1,500 yuan per month, and he paid the rent upfront for the first month. He then took leave from school and boarded the train back home after finishing his part-time job on Wednesday night.

On Thursday afternoon, after a sleepless night, Yan Jingze finally returned to his hometown.

The original owner couldn't remember the exact date when Grandma Jiang broke her leg, so he tried to come back as soon as possible.

Upon arriving in the village, Yan Jingze's first action was to go to Jiang Pingxiu's home.

Grandma Jiang was doing well, agile and spirited. When she saw him, she wore a kind smile.

At this moment, Yan Jingze was the pride of this small mountain village, the most successful person from the village!

Everyone in the village, including the original owner's parents, liked the original owner very much at this time.

"Yan Da, weren't you studying in the city? Why did you come back?" Grandma Jiang was full of curiosity and said, "I'll make you some sugar water."

In the village, Yan Jingze was always called Yan Da, while Jiang Pingxiu had a different nickname.

Speaking of which, they were able to have such good names like "Yan Jingze" and "Jiang Pingxiu," thanks to a teacher who came to support the local education when they were young.

After that teacher arrived, he couldn't quite handle the extremely impoverished living conditions and the lack of meat in the diet here. He was always thinking about eating meat, so he developed a side job – giving people names.

As long as someone gave him an egg, he would come up with a beautiful name for their child. During those years, almost all the children in the nearby villages had names given by him.

He also broadened Yan Jingze's horizons, making him desire to go outside and live in the city from a young age.

"Grandma Jiang, Pingxiu asked me to come and pick you up," Yan Jingze said.

"Pingwa'er asked you to pick me up? What for?" Grandma Jiang was puzzled.

"He found a job in the city, rented a house, and wants you to live with him," Yan Jingze explained.

Grandma Jiang promptly refused without hesitation, "How can I live in the city? I've never been to the city in my whole life, and if I go, what about the land at home?"

Grandma Jiang was just an ordinary rural woman who had lived in the small mountain village for most of her life. The farthest she had been was to the nearby town, and she had never thought about going to the city.

Yan Jingze had already anticipated this response, "Grandma, Pingxiu is all alone in the city. No one cooks for him, and no one talks to him. He really misses you…"

Yan Jingze painted a very difficult picture of Jiang Pingxiu's current life, trying to persuade Grandma Jiang to leave with him.

In truth, it wasn't a good idea to ask an elderly person to leave their familiar surroundings and go to a completely unfamiliar place. But Grandma Jiang was old and unwell, and leaving her behind would be risky in case something unexpected happened to her, as per his memories.

Moreover, Yan Jingze had another idea – he wanted Jiang Pingxiu to stop working and continue his studies.

If Jiang Pingxiu went back to school, he could accompany Grandma Jiang, and she wouldn't feel too lonely.

After her husband's early passing, Grandma Jiang worked hard to raise her eldest son, and after her son and daughter-in-law passed away together, she was left with Jiang Pingxiu. People in the village regarded her as a bringer of death and were reluctant to associate with her. Her personality was introverted, just like Jiang Pingxiu's, so she had very few friends.

She didn't want to leave her familiar place, but when she heard that her grandson wanted her to go to the city, she eventually decided to go.

The old lady was easy to coax. Without even talking to Jiang Pingxiu, she decided to leave with Yan Jingze. Yan Jingze asked her to pack her things, while he himself returned home.

At the original owner's home, just like Jiang Pingxiu's home, they were poor and owed a lot of external debts.

For a disabled couple, it wasn't easy to support four children!

Speaking of which, it was fortunate that the original host had good grades, and everyone believed that he would have a bright future. That's why the creditors didn't come to collect debts, allowing their family to barely survive.

Everyone thought that once the original owner graduated from college and got a good job, he would be able to pay off the debts. After all, the debts weren't that much, only seven or eight thousand.

But the original owner was truly selfish and self-serving.

He had always known how to please his parents and compete for attention from his siblings. Once he started studying, he used the excuse of focusing on his studies and never did any farm work again.

His good academic performance led his family to support him, but he didn't appreciate it and always felt that his family was holding him back.

After chasing after the wealthy girl and getting a good job, he completely cut off contact with his family.

Later, when his parents fell ill, his siblings couldn't even find him… The fate of this family was slightly better than Jiang Pingxiu's, but not by much.

Of course, the original owner's terrible actions led to an unfavorable outcome for him as well.

The original owner could notice Jiang Pingxiu's feelings for him and even sleep with him because they were of the same kind – he also liked men.

He pursued the wealthy girl for money, and when he was with her, he was a perfect boyfriend, completely doting on her.

But once he married the wealthy girl and had a child, he couldn't help but be interested in younger men, eventually having an affair.

However, the wealthy girl was not to be trifled with, and she didn't act like the original owner thought she would. She didn't just blindly support him after they got married and had a child — the wealthy girl who broke Jiang Pingxiu's leg was a ruthless character.

In the end, the original owner left with nothing, disabled and abandoned by his child. He ended up living a destitute life and died alone, which could be considered a result of his own doing.

But now that Yan Jingze has transmigrated here, things will definitely be different.

Yan Jingze entered his home and met his parents.

This disabled couple's clothing and appearance were even more rustic than Jiang Pingxiu's.

Once again, Yan Jingze deeply realized that he needed to make money.

"Yan Da, why did you come back?" Father Yan looked puzzled at Yan Jingze.

"I came to help Jiang Pingxiu pick up his grandmother," Yan Jingze said, "He gave me some money to come."

"He's picking up his grandmother? Why?" Father Yan was just as confused as Grandma Jiang.

"He's afraid something will happen to his grandmother if she stays alone," Yan Jingze explained and took out one thousand yuan and gave it to Father Yan, saying it was payment from Jiang Pingxiu.

"Pingwa'er has money to spare!" Father Yan's hands trembled when he saw the ten one-hundred-yuan bills. He had never really seen much money before.

Seeing him like this, Yan Jingze felt a bit uncomfortable.

When the original owner was living a carefree life outside, he never thought about his family…

"He's willing to work and can earn a decent amount of money… Dad, take this money and use it to buy the livestock from the Jiang family and then lease their land. Grandma Jiang probably won't come back," Yan Jingze suggested to his father. If there was more land and livestock at home, they could live a better life, and Grandma Jiang would have some money in her hands.

Father Yan listened to his eldest son and agreed without hesitation, then asked, "Since Pingwa'er can earn money outside, I'm sure your younger sister can too… Can you take Damei to the city to earn money?"

Yan Jingze had two younger sisters and one younger brother. The eldest daughter was three years younger than him, just turned sixteen, and was still in the second year of high school. His second younger sister was five years younger than him, fourteen years old, and in the sixth grade. The youngest brother was eight years younger than him, only eleven years old and in the third grade.

In fact, when the original owner just entered college, he had considered marrying off Damei and using the dowry to pay for his own education.

However, although Father Yan and Mother Yan were somewhat biased towards male children, they weren't crazy enough to marry off a girl who was not even sixteen years old and hadn't finished junior high school. In addition, Damei was strong-willed and spirited, and the original owner was afraid of causing trouble, so he abandoned the idea.

"Dad, let's talk about this after the New Year. I can't even find a place for Damei to live right now," Yan Jingze said.

Father Yan felt that Yan Jingze made sense and agreed directly, "There are many things to do during the New Year. We really can't do without Damei. Let's talk about it after the New Year." Father Yan was a simple man with a lame leg, and Mother Yan was mute. Their eldest daughter handled all the big and small matters in the family.

Yan Jingze didn't stay long at home. After he had Grandma Jiang sell the livestock to his father, he left the village without even eating dinner, taking Grandma Jiang with him.

When Damei returned home with her younger siblings after walking two hours on the mountain road, he was long gone.

Hearing this, Damei was shocked, "He actually gave money to our family!?"

Even if Jiang Pingxiu gave his brother money to run errands, based on what she knew about her brother, her brother wouldn't give money to their family!

"Your brother giving money to the family is not a big deal. He's doing well, and he doesn't ask for money from the family even in college," Father Yan said. He had always felt that his eldest son was promising since he didn't ask for money from the family even when he was studying.

Well, if his son really needed money, he didn't have any to give.

Hearing her father's words, Yan Damei curled her lips.

She admitted that her brother was outstanding, but she had never liked her brother.

Since childhood, no matter how busy their family was, her brother would never work in the fields, and he didn't even have time to care for her siblings. He made her do all the work.

As for studying… Her grades weren't bad either, but with so much work to do at home, and she couldn't ignore the family matters like her brother did when living in school, she gradually fell behind.

She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to attend high school.

Yan Damei's eyes welled up a bit, but she gritted her teeth, picked up the basket, and went out again.

She was going to gather pigweed and then come back to cook it and feed the pigs.

Chapter 6 – Phoenix Man (6) *edited

When Yan Damei sneaked out in the dark, Yan Jingze settled down with Grandma Jiang in a small inn in the county town. The next day, he took Grandma Jiang to the city and boarded the high-speed train.

He took very good care of Grandma Jiang – she was completely unguarded, listening to whatever he said, making her easy to take care of.

After a whole day on the train, they arrived in the city where A University was located on Friday night.

The six-hour high-speed train journey was quite exhausting, but everything around them was new and exciting to Grandma Jiang – she had never seen any of it before. So, she was full of excitement and enthusiasm.

Yan Jingze accompanied her to the rented apartment and then went to a nearby shop to buy two bowls of spicy hotpot, commonly known as "mala tang," to bring back.

The people from his village loved spicy food, and when he went to pick up Grandma Jiang before, he noticed she had leftover spicy pepper potato. So, he thought she might like mala tang.

As for the health concerns of eating such food… occasionally indulging wouldn't hurt.

As expected, Grandma Jiang loved the mala tang and couldn't stop praising it, saying it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.

After finishing the meal with Grandma Jiang, it was already 9 p.m. Yan Jingze rode his recently purchased second-hand bicycle and hurried to Jiang Pingxiu's car wash shop.

During these days, he had been chatting with Jiang Pingxiu on his phone.

Jiang Pingxiu always replied to his messages promptly, and the chat page would often show "typing" when Jiang Pingxiu was composing a message. However, Jiang Pingxiu rarely took the initiative to start a conversation…

This made Yan Jingze feel a little uneasy.

This kid was just too cautious!

Blame it all on the original owner being such a scum!

On Friday night, the car wash business was quite busy; many people would wash their cars on this day to prepare for weekend outings or dates.

Jiang Pingxiu was busy non-stop, but he felt extremely happy inside – tomorrow would be Saturday, and Yan Jingze would come to see him!

It had been a whole week since he last saw Yan Jingze, and he really missed him.

Finally finishing washing a car, Jiang Pingxiu checked his phone, finding no unread messages, feeling a bit disappointed.

Yan Jingze must be very busy… but since Yan Jingze said he would come to see him tomorrow, then he would wait.

He also had some good news to tell Yan Jingze.

It had gotten colder, and car washing was a tough job in such weather. The boss's wife raised his salary by 500 yuan, so next month he could give more money to Yan Jingze. This way, Yan Jingze wouldn't have to worry about running out of money after buying so many things for him.

Putting the phone back into his pocket, Jiang Pingxiu secretly glanced at his own reflection through the car's rearview mirror.

In the past week, he had been using the shampoo and face cream that Yan Jingze had bought for him, and both products worked well. Now his hair was no longer stiff and rough from using soap, and the small cracks on his face had improved significantly. He felt like he had become more attractive.

'Brother Jing Ze… will he like it?'

"Jiang Pingxiu, are you checking yourself out in the mirror?" Xiao Zhang asked, surprised by Jiang Pingxiu's actions.

"I… " Jiang Pingxiu felt a bit embarrassed and blushed.

"It's about time you started caring about your looks!" Xiao Zhang said, "Let me tell you, men need to groom themselves too. Good looks help in finding a partner! If you could look like your brother, you'd have a bunch of girls chasing after you without even trying."

Talking about Jiang Pingxiu's brother, envy appeared on Xiao Zhang's face. Although he had some grievances against Jiang Pingxiu's brother, he couldn't help but admit that he was very handsome.

Not only was he good-looking, but he was also an outstanding student at A University. His future would undoubtedly be completely different from theirs.

Thinking this, Xiao Zhang continued, "Jiang Pingxiu, your brother won't have to worry about anything in the future. With his qualities, he will definitely find a woman who has her own house. That would be great!"

The heat in Jiang Pingxiu's face subsided, and after a while, he nodded, "Yeah."

Jiang Pingxiu didn't want to hear Xiao Zhang talk about these things, so he went to the other side of the car to continue washing it. He worked diligently, not needing Xiao Zhang's help, and quickly cleaned the car.

Once the owner was satisfied and drove away, Jiang Pingxiu was about to find something else to do when Xiao Zhang suddenly exclaimed, "Jiang Pingxiu, is that your brother?"

Jiang Pingxiu looked up and indeed saw a man walking towards them, casting a long shadow under the streetlamp. The light illuminated his face, making him look exceptionally gentle.

It was Yan Jingze!

Jiang Pingxiu had known from a young age that Yan Jingze was very good-looking.

While others in the village were dirty and messy, Yan Jingze was different. He never had snot hanging from his nose, his clothes were always clean, and his skin was even fairer than the prettiest girls in the village.

Yan Jingze was so unique.

He had admired Yan Jingze since he was little, and as he grew older, he developed feelings for him. However, he never thought of being with Yan Jingze. Initially, he just wanted to give Yan Jingze a schoolbag because he couldn't believe that someone in high school didn't even have one.

Yan Jingze accepted the schoolbag and was willing to talk to him, which made him extremely happy.

Later, when he found out that Yan Jingze was not living well, he started making money for him.

Someone like Yan Jingze shouldn't struggle even to afford meals.

From that time until now, three years had passed in the blink of an eye.

In those previous three years, Yan Jingze treated him as an ordinary friend, but as long as Yan Jingze was willing to talk to him, he felt content.

However, recently…

Recently, Yan Jingze had been exceptionally good to him, and he even felt like it was unreal.

Yan Jingze had become even more handsome, and Jiang Pingxiu couldn't take his eyes off him.

Jiang Pingxiu stared at Yan Jingze with wide eyes.

"Pingxiu." Yan Jingze also spotted Jiang Pingxiu and flashed a smile.

"Brother Jingze." Jiang Pingxiu suddenly snapped back to reality, "You… why are you here?"

"To pick you up. Pingxiu, I rented a place. Why don't you stay with me tonight?" Yan Jingze suggested. The car wash shop closed at ten o'clock in the evening and opened at nine in the morning. The place Yan Jingze rented was a twenty-minute bike ride from the car wash shop, so it would still allow Jiang Pingxiu to commute to work.

Actually, Yan Jingze wanted Jiang Pingxiu to quit his job, but he didn't have enough money at the moment, so he had to take it slow.

"You rented a place? Do you have enough money?" Jiang Pingxiu asked anxiously. He had been working at the car wash shop and never thought about moving because he had free food and accommodation here. Renting a place in the city was expensive; even the worst places would cost five to six hundred per month. Working at a place with free meals and lodging could save at least a thousand each month!

Now Yan Jingze wanted to rent a place… It would cost so much money.

"I found a part-time job; it's enough," Yan Jingze reassured.

"You need to study; how can you work?" Jiang Pingxiu retorted without thinking.

"The part-time job doesn't require much effort," Yan Jingze laughed and changed the topic, "Are you about to finish work?"

"Twenty more minutes," Jiang Pingxiu checked the time.

"I'll wait for you," Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu nodded and turned to bring a chair for Yan Jingze.

Yan Jingze sat down, and they chatted for a while, also exchanging a few words with Xiao Zhang. At this time of night, only Xiao Zhang and Jiang Pingxiu were at the shop.

After a while, it was time to clock out.

Jiang Pingxiu used to live in a small partition on the second floor of the car wash shop. Now that he was leaving, he went upstairs to pack his belongings and put them in a plastic bag, carrying it in his hand.

When Jiang Pingxiu came downstairs, Yan Jingze was already sitting on the bike, waiting for him. Yan Jingze had bought this second-hand bicycle before going to pick up Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother. Since his part-time job was a bit far from school, he thought it would be convenient to get around on a bike. Considering he might need to carry Jiang Pingxiu sometimes, he specifically bought a bicycle with a seat at the back.

Right now, he stood on one leg and said to Jiang Pingxiu, "Pingxiu, get on!"

Jiang Pingxiu's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't know whether to sit sideways or what. Upon hearing Yan Jingze's words, he awkwardly sat on the rear seat of the bike, spreading his legs apart.

"Hold on to me, let's go," Yan Jingze said, and he started pedaling the bike.

Carrying the person he liked on a bike ride back home was a romantic scene that Yan Jingze had imagined before, but now that he was actually doing it…

He suddenly realized that his physical stamina was struggling to keep up.

Curse the original owner for only focusing on studying and neglecting physical exercise!

As they rode along, Yan Jingze was already panting.

Jiang Pingxiu placed his hands on Yan Jingze's waist.

Yan Jingze asked him to hold on tight, but he didn't dare to do so. Instead, he placed his hands hesitantly on Yan Jingze's waist. Even though it was just this, he was already very happy, secretly smiling and gently resting his face on Yan Jingze's clothes.

It was winter, and Yan Jingze was wearing thick clothes. With him leaning against Yan Jingze, would Yan Jingze notice?

Thinking this way, Jiang Pingxiu lightly kissed Yan Jingze's clothes.

After the kiss, Jiang Pingxiu realized that Yan Jingze was already starting to pant, "Brother Jingze… I can walk, I…"

"It's alright. You just sit tight; I need the exercise! Hoo…" Yan Jingze said, panting.

Listening to Yan Jingze's heavy breathing, Jiang Pingxiu felt a bit restless, but Yan Jingze said he needed the exercise… so he could only continue sitting.

The journey that usually took twenty minutes, Yan Jingze ended up taking half an hour.

Finally, they arrived home. Yan Jingze opened the door while moving the bike inside and said to Jiang Pingxiu, "Come in quickly."

Yan Jingze had rented an old, run-down apartment that used to be a textile factory's dormitory long ago. It had two south-facing bedrooms, a small north-facing dining room, a north-facing kitchen, and a windowless bathroom.

This kind of place wasn't really good, and Jiang Pingxiu might be a little disgusted by the smell and moldy walls of the bathroom. However, as soon as Jiang Pingxiu stepped in, he said, "This place is great."

An elderly couple used to live in this house, but they had to move out to help take care of their daughter's child, so they rented the place to Yan Jingze. The house was fully furnished and well-maintained, indeed much better than the shabby cottage Jiang Pingxiu lived in the village and the tiny compartment he had at the car wash shop.

"If you like it, that's good. I don't have much money now, so I can only afford to rent a place like this. In the future, we can live in one room, and the other room can be for your grandmother," Yan Jingze suggested.

Jiang Pingxiu was taken aback, "My grandmother?"

"Yes, she's inside; she's probably asleep now," Yan Jingze smiled.

After they had the spicy hotpot together, Yan Jingze had asked Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother to rest and turned on the air conditioning for her.

At that time, Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother was waiting for Jiang Pingxiu to come back, but now there was no sound in the room, so she should be asleep.

Yan Jingze calmly said this, but Jiang Pingxiu was stunned. He repeated, "My grandmother?"

"Yes," Yan Jingze nodded and opened the door to Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother's room.

The two south-facing bedrooms were about the same size and layout, each with a bed, a bookshelf, a TV stand, and a television.

Right now, the room had warm air blowing from the air conditioner, and the old lady was already sound asleep on the bed.

Jiang Pingxiu stood at the door, looking inside for a long time before closing the door and looking at Yan Jingze.

Yan Jingze said somewhat boastfully, "I went back a few days ago and brought your grandmother here."

Jiang Pingxiu opened his mouth but ended up smiling dryly, "Brother Jingze, doesn't that cost a lot of money? I still have some; I can give it to you…"

"I told you already, I found a part-time job. I can make a few thousand a week now. I have money," Yan Jingze said. He might not be making that much money yet as online jobs were unpredictable, but if he needed more money, he could take on additional tutoring jobs and make around one or two thousand a week.

He could also sign up with certain platforms to give online lectures… There were many ways to make money if one had talent.

The original owner might not have had a good personality, but his academic performance was quite remarkable. Even without prior knowledge of computers, he managed to keep up with the school's pace, and according to the original history, he would stand out in class after six months. By his sophomore year, he would be well-known in the department.

If it weren't for this, the wealthy girl wouldn't have liked him either.

Now it's him, he believed his learning ability was even stronger than the original owner's!

Yan Jingze was a little proud, Jiang Pingxiu said: "Brother Jingze…you are rich…are you going to separate from me?"

Chapter 7 – Phoenix Man (7) *edited

Although half a year ago, Yan Jingze confessed his feelings to Jiang Pingxiu, Jiang Pingxiu didn't really believe that Yan Jingze truly liked him. He thought that Yan Jingze's confession was probably just a way to get money from him.

Of course, he didn't mind at all, since he genuinely liked Yan Jingze a lot.

Yan Jingze had told him many sweet words before, such as wanting to live with him in a big city and even saying he would bring his grandmother along. Jiang Pingxiu would always repeat these words in his mind to boost his confidence, but deep down, he was never sure.

Yan Jingze had never held his hand before, and he didn't act like he liked him.

But as long as Yan Jingze was willing to coax him, that was already enough. He had never been likable since childhood, being a effeminate man who liked men. No one would ever like him.

However, recently, Yan Jingze changed.

Yan Jingze held his hand, bought him things, and took care of him.

He felt like Yan Jingze was like a different person.

But it was indeed still Yan Jingze, and he couldn't be mistaken about that.

Why did Yan Jingze suddenly treat him so well?

Yan Jingze even brought his grandmother over and rented a house for him…

He actually wanted to leave that village too, considering that he and his grandmother were always b*llied there. Could it be that Yan Jingze knew about this and that's why he was doing all this? Was he trying to separate from him?

He had given Yan Jingze a lot of money before. Was Yan Jingze trying to repay him?

Jiang Pingxiu felt like his heart was hanging in mid-air, and he was trembling all over.

Fortunately, this awkward moment didn't last long. After he asked, Yan Jingze almost immediately said, "Why would I not want you? I love you the most, you are my treasure."

Yan Jingze did have some objections to becoming a scum person, but after falling in love at first sight with Jiang Pingxiu, he didn't mind anymore.

Jiang Pingxiu was so adorable!

Seeing Jiang Pingxiu looking at him with eager eyes and trembling, Yan Jingze embraced him and said, "We've agreed to be together for a lifetime. I never tell lies."

Jiang Pingxiu was confused. They had never actually agreed to be together for a lifetime… Yan Jingze had never said such words before!

But "a lifetime"… that phrase sounded so nice!

Jiang Pingxiu stopped trembling. After Yan Jingze hugged him, he felt that this person was really thin.

Not just thin, he also looked very young. Even if someone said he was only fourteen or fifteen years old, others might believe it.

From now on, he would definitely take good care of this child, make him gain a bit of weight, and ensure he continued his education…

The original owner had initially taken some time to understand Jiang Pingxiu in order to win him over.

Children in the countryside usually started school later, but Jiang Pingxiu had started early. His grandmother couldn't read, and there were no adult men in the house, which led to many hardships. She particularly hoped that her grandson could study well.

Jiang Pingxiu's performance in school was considered good.

Most rural children couldn't sit still and refused to pay attention in class. Teachers had a hard time controlling them and often ended up ignoring them, focusing on teaching instead.

In such a situation, the grades of students with poor self-discipline were even worse, but Jiang Pingxiu always listened attentively, and his grades were actually quite good.

Unfortunately, because he received praise from the teachers, his classmates intensified their b*llying towards him.

When he entered junior high school, he became even thinner and smaller, and he was b*llied even more. In their junior high school, no student managed to get into a high school. At most, one or two students were sent to a regular high school in the county. Jiang Pingxiu was definitely not in line for that, and even if he were, he couldn't afford it. So, he simply stopped going to school.

Yan Jingze even felt that Jiang Pingxiu's support for the original owner's education might be because the original owner was continuing his dream.

Overall, Jiang Pingxiu did have a natural talent for studying, and he was still quite young… He had to keep going to school!

Thinking this, Yan Jingze pinched Jiang Pingxiu's arm and then his hand.

His arms were too thin, and his hands were too rough. He needed proper care.

To raise a child, one needed money. He must work hard and earn money!

Jiang Pingxiu didn't know what Yan Jingze was thinking. He was held by Yan Jingze, who was constantly pinching his hands. Jiang Pingxiu's whole body felt like it was on fire!

Why was Yan Jingze… acting like this?

And also, were his hands a bit ugly?

Yan Jingze held him for a while before letting go, saying, "Alright, let's go take a shower and then go to bed early."

Jiang Pingxiu nodded.

Yan Jingze added, "By the way, tonight we'll sleep together, and from now on, we'll sleep together."

Sleep together? Jiang Pingxiu was taken aback. Yan Jingze gave him a push, and he suddenly jumped up and rushed into the bathroom.

While Jiang Pingxiu was taking a shower, Yan Jingze went to prepare the bed.

They had only two bedrooms, and the living room was too small. It could barely fit a dining table. So, he and Jiang Pingxiu would share a bed.

But the blankets would still be separate.

Jiang Pingxiu was too young. At least for the next two years, he wouldn't do anything intimate.

Speaking of which, the original owner actually went after such a young child. Truly despicable!

Yan Jingze often criticized the original owner!

When Jiang Pingxiu was packing up at the car wash, he forgot to pack the blankets. But Yan Jingze had prepared them. He brought all his blankets from school and bought new ones.

Now, on the queen-sized bed, he had spread out two sets of bedding. By the time he finished, Jiang Pingxiu had also finished his shower and came out.

"Blow-dry your hair. I'm going to take a shower," Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu nodded. Seeing the two sets of bedding on the bed, he felt a little disappointed.

But he quickly cheered up. Yan Jingze didn't mind him, and being able to share a bed was already good enough. Why was he overthinking things!

This time, he had brought his own toiletries and face cream. He took them out and carefully applied the cream and hand lotion to himself before blow-drying his hair.

He had never thought about skincare before, but now… Yan Jingze probably hoped he would look better?

Thus, when Yan Jingze lay down to sleep, he smelled the scent of face cream coming from the person beside him…

After making a trip back to his hometown, Yan Jingze was actually quite tired. Ultimately, he fell asleep quickly amidst this scent.

As for Jiang Pingxiu, he only let out a sigh of relief and dared to move after Yan Jingze fell asleep.

As long as he thought about Yan Jingze sleeping next to him, his heartbeat got faster and faster. He couldn't sleep at all, and he was also afraid he wouldn't be able to wake up tomorrow…

He set a vibrating alarm on his phone and placed it under the blankets, ensuring it wouldn't wake Yan Jingze but would wake him up. Only then did Jiang Pingxiu feel a bit more at ease.

Yan Jingze wasn't the type to sleep in. He usually woke up around seven in the morning.

When he used to sleep in the dormitory, getting up early was considered unusual.

However, when he woke up today, there was no one beside him. When he went outside, he saw Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother talking in hushed voices, "Pingwa, that high-speed train is so long. It's beautiful inside too. I thought there were no toilets there at first and was worried. Luckily, Yan Da asked me if I needed to use the toilet."

"So there are toilets on the high-speed train! I didn't know that! I was too afraid to go then," Jiang Pingxiu said.

"The air conditioning here is really nice, it's so warm."

"Grandma, even the flush toilets are amazing!"

"The kitchen stuff, I don't know how to use them. I don't know how to cook for you."

"I don't know either…"

"Eating a scallion costs money in the city. Money is really not easy to come by."

"Yeah, I bought a steamed bun before and it cost one yuan!"

….

As they conversed, marveling all the while, Yan Jingze listened with sheer delight. Additionally, he noticed that there were already some steamed buns on the table.

"You bought steamed buns," Yan Jingze inquired.

Jiang Pingxiu suddenly stood up, "Yes, I bought some steamed buns… They've cooled down a bit. I'll steam them."

Yan Jingze said, "The kitchen has a microwave. I can heat them up."

Yan Jingze heated the steamed buns and then added, "Pingxiu, in the next couple of days, I'll teach you how to ride a bicycle and then buy one for you. So that you can come and sleep here after work."

Jiang Pingxiu got off work quite late, so having him stay over was a bit troublesome, but Yan Jingze still wanted him to.

This way, it would be easier for them to bond and also allow Jiang Pingxiu to spend time with his grandmother.

"Yeah!" Jiang Pingxiu nodded.

With this decision made, Yan Jingze spent time talking to Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother, explaining how to use various things in the house. He also turned on the TV in Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother's room for her to watch.

Although Jiang Pingxiu's grandmother couldn't understand Mandarin and didn't fully comprehend the TV, she was content to watch.

In the blink of an eye, it was already 8 o'clock. Jiang Pingxiu said, "I need to go to work."

"I'll accompany you," Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu wanted to decline, but Yan Jingze insisted on escorting him to the car wash.

The shop hadn't opened yet, so Yan Jingze stayed by his side to teach Jiang Pingxiu how to ride a bicycle.

Learning to ride a bicycle was quite straightforward for adults who weren't afraid of falling, and Jiang Pingxiu wasn't.

He hadn't ridden a bicycle before, but after this brief lesson, he picked it up right away.

Once he had grasped the skill, Yan Jingze rode his bicycle away.

By this time, the car wash staff had already arrived for work.

As Brother Wang yawned and approached, he saw Yan Jingze leaving and was taken aback, "Is your brother here this early today, Pingxiu?"

"It's not that his brother came early today. It's just that he didn't stay here last night. His brother took him away last night," Xiao Zhang explained.

"Took him away? Where did they go?" Brother Wang was somewhat surprised.

"My brother… my brother rented a house, and we're going to live together!" Jiang Pingxiu's eyes sparkled. "Brother Wang, my brother brought my grandmother too. We're all going to live together!"

"Isn't your grandmother his grandmother?" Brother Wang yawned again.

"He's not my real brother. I just call him that," Jiang Pingxiu clarified. He had long known that these people misunderstood Yan Jingze to be his actual sibling. He hadn't bothered to explain before, but suddenly he felt like explaining now.

"He's not your real brother, but you still supported his education?" Brother Wang was speechless.

Xiao Zhang and Master Chen were similarly rendered speechless. Jiang Pingxiu had been giving money to his "brother," and they had all thought it was his actual brother. Didn't that suggest something more?

"My brother has found a part-time job now. I don't need to support him anymore," Jiang Pingxiu said. "He's been very good to me. He rented a house and brought my grandmother over."

"Did he pay you back?" Xiao Zhang asked.

Jiang Pingxiu pondered for a moment and said, "He did… He didn't have money before, so he borrowed from me. But now that he's renting a house, he's covering the expenses himself. He won't let me contribute." In truth, Yan Jingze hadn't repaid the money, but Jiang Pingxiu didn't want to hear others speak ill of Yan Jingze.

"He's treating you really well," Xiao Zhang said.

"Yeah!" Jiang Pingxiu nodded. "Brother Zhang, the house my brother rented is great. It has two rooms. My grandmother lives in one, and my brother and I live in the other…" Jiang Pingxiu couldn't help but smile as he spoke.

Xiao Zhang said, "Your brother, on the other hand, lives at school, and you live at the shop. Think about how much money you could save! Renting a place is so expensive nowadays. Instead of giving money to the landlord, it's better to spend it on yourselves."

"You only know how to spend money… It's nice of him to bring his grandma closer and take care of her," Master Chen said.

Xiao Zhang always adhered to the principle of "spend, consume, and be happy." He would spend all his monthly salary as soon as he got it and couldn't save any money. Master Chen, on the other hand, valued his family. He gave most of his earnings to his family. Even if he didn't spend money on himself, he wouldn't mistreat his family.

At this moment, Master Chen said to Jiang Pingxiu, "Your brother is treating you quite well. Now focus on earning money and saving up. It'll be easier to find a partner in the future."

"Yeah, when the time comes, I'll introduce you to someone!" Brother Wang added.

Jiang Pingxiu blushed, "No need to introduce."

"Don't be shy! But it's really too early for you to find a partner. It's like young love!" Brother Wang said.

Jiang Pingxiu blushed even more, but he didn't say anything more.

In reality, he already had a partner! Unfortunately, he couldn't tell anyone!

Chapter 8 – Phoenix Man (8) *edited

Leaving the car wash, Yan Jingze first went to buy some essential household items and then went to the school.

It was Saturday today, but the university canteen still served meals. The food there was particularly cheap.

Yan Jingze bought six chicken legs and six pork chops, along with a few vegetables and two portions of rice, packed them up, and brought them home.

At lunch, he and Grandma Jiang each had a chicken leg and a pork chop. They also finished the vegetables and rice, eating until they were comfortably full. After finishing, he went out to buy some rice, noodles, and vegetables.

He decided that in the future, he would buy meat dishes from the school and cook rice and vegetables at home to save money and maintain health.

Regarding this, other than thinking that the food was too good, Grandma Jiang had no other objections.

This old lady had always been disliked in the village due to her being a death bringer, so she didn't really find anything bad in the city. She didn't mind staying at home alone, though it felt a bit constricted. She refrained from touching many things in the house.

But she learned to use the television in her room. Although she couldn't understand Mandarin, she enjoyed watching TV, even the commercials.

Yan Jingze pondered that he could find a way to connect the television to the internet. This way, he could let Grandma Jiang watch some funny cartoons, like "Unlucky Bear," which she could understand even without knowing Mandarin.

In the afternoon, Yan Jingze went to the tutoring center for class. After finishing the class, he returned home to have a meal with Grandma Jiang, then went back to the tutoring center.

Around 9 in the evening, he rode his bicycle again to pick up Jiang Pingxiu.

This time, he didn't carry Jiang Pingxiu on the bike. On the way back, he let Jiang Pingxiu ride the bike while he followed behind. The twenty-minute journey turned into forty minutes, with Jiang Pingxiu being fine, but Yan Jingze ended up sweating profusely.

After all that, he was hungry.

Fortunately, he wanted to fatten up Jiang Pingxiu a bit, so he cooked congee intentionally. Yan Jingze and Jiang Pingxiu had the congee together, along with the remaining chicken legs, before they took a shower and went to bed.

Before sleeping, Yan Jingze also took away Jiang Pingxiu's phone and turned off the alarm clock.

Early the next morning, Yan Jingze stir-fried the leftover rice into fried rice with eggs. He reheated the leftover chicken legs and pork chops and cooked some vegetables. He made sure Jiang Pingxiu had a hearty meal before sending him off to work. In the evening, he went to pick him up again.

During this time, Yan Jingze also bought a second-hand bicycle.

Starting from Monday, he would need to attend classes at school. He wouldn't have time to send Jiang Pingxiu in the morning, so Jiang Pingxiu would have to ride the bike to work.

But in the evening, he could still go and pick Jiang Pingxiu up. On the way back home together on the bicycle, they could talk.

Yan Jingze's life became stable, and time passed from early December to the end of December.

The end of December brought Christmas, followed closely by New Year's Day. Additionally, the semester was coming to an end, and A University organized various activities.

Yan Jingze didn't participate in any of them. On Christmas day, he prepared some food as a gift for Jiang Pingxiu.

After all, he was too busy… he was constantly occupied with earning money.

Yan Jingze thought that in his original world, he must have been a very intelligent person, maybe even a programmer, because he quickly grasped knowledge about computer programming.

It was precisely due to this that he received a long-term and stable job offer in early January – to work for a small foreign company.

This job was relatively intricate and had a certain level of difficulty, but the income was quite good. He could earn 3,000 US dollars a month, which was more than 10,000 RMB!

Yan Jingze took the job seriously, and he didn't neglect his work at the tutoring center either.

Although teaching children programming was a bit troublesome, it wasn't physically demanding. He could even take the opportunity to rest a bit.

Busy as he was, Yan Jingze didn't realize it, but he had been neglecting his classmates at school. Even Huo Liang, who had a good relationship with him, wondered, "Yan Jingze, what have you been up to lately? You disappear right after class and don't even come back to the dormitory."

"I found some part-time jobs and have to figure out a way to earn money," Yan Jingze said.

"Why are you in such a hurry to make money when you haven't graduated from college? Our most important task is to excel in our studies," Huo Liang couldn't help but say.

The academic workload at A University wasn't light. If Yan Jingze focused on part-time work and neglected his studies, it would likely be counterproductive.

Yan Jingze actually knew this point. Fortunately, he was quite sharp: "I don't have a choice. I can't just go hungry! But don't worry, I'll definitely attend every class."

Many classes required attendance, and it was helpful to be present in case he had questions about his part-time work. He could always ask the teacher during class, which was beneficial.

Huo Liang heard Yan Jingze's response and suggested, "The school has financial aid for students in need. Would you like to apply for it?"

After some consideration, Yan Jingze declined. The financial aid for students in need wasn't substantial enough to improve their living conditions. Moreover, he was currently renting an apartment off-campus. If he accepted the aid, how could he explain that a "financially needy" student was living off-campus?

Yan Jingze had lost some weight due to being too busy, and the excess fat around his waist had disappeared. On the other hand, Jiang Pingxiu had gained weight and appeared to have grown taller!

Speaking of which, although the car wash provided accommodation, there weren't many meat dishes available. Moreover, no one cooked in the mornings. The owner simply left some boxes of instant noodles for people to eat as they pleased.

At that time, even though Jiang Pingxiu could eat his fill, he didn't have the best diet.

Now, things were different.

Every night, Yan Jingze made sure Jiang Pingxiu had a late-night snack. Breakfast was also quite substantial. As a result, Jiang Pingxiu gained a lot of weight and looked much healthier.

Not only that, the person who used to keep to himself and work without speaking much was now always chatting with others.

"Brother Zhang, my brother makes late-night snacks for me every night!"

"Brother Wang, the braised chicken legs in A University's cafeteria are so delicious!"

"Master Chen, my brother comes to pick me up every night!"

…

He used to stutter a bit when talking, but now he didn't even stutter anymore!

Furthermore, whenever he had free time, he would stick close to Master Chen and learn his skills.

In addition to car washing, their shop also provided automotive detailing services, which was the most profitable aspect. Master Chen's skill in repairing cars was the reason for his high salary and regular nine-to-five work schedule. Jiang Pingxiu wanted to learn Master Chen's skills so he could earn more money in the future.

In the blink of an eye, winter vacation arrived.

Most of A University's students went home, but Yan Jingze didn't. He even took on more work from the tutoring center – he still needed money!

However, he didn't have to rush to attend school anymore, which made things a bit easier. He had more time to spend with Grandma Jiang.

Grandma Jiang was an easygoing elderly lady, and she genuinely believed that Yan Jingze was omnipotent. She was compliant with whatever Yan Jingze said.

In front of Jiang Pingxiu, she occasionally complained a bit, feeling that the food was too good, and eating so well every day might displease the heavens. But in front of Yan Jingze…

Yan Jingze gave her as much food as he wanted, and she obediently finished everything she was given. At most, she'd eat less rice if there were too many vegetables. After being taken care of like this for over a month, the previously thin old lady became as plump as Jiang Pingxiu.

Yan Jingze observed the changes in these two people by his side and was quite satisfied.

He liked his current life.

Jiang Pingxiu liked his current life even more.

He even felt that his recent days were like a dream!

His grandmother had come to be with him, Yan Jingze lived with him… and Yan Jingze was treating him exceptionally well!

All of this made him uneasy, but he couldn't bear to let it go.

This day happened to be a rare day off for Jiang Pingxiu.

Recently, he hadn't been having breakfast at the car wash shop. The instant noodles at the shop were almost gone. Xiao Zhang handed him a few packs to take home. That afternoon, Jiang Pingxiu cooked instant noodles and had them with his grandmother.

"These instant noodles are really delicious! There's so much flavor!" Grandma Jiang exclaimed as she ate, "When you were a child, the instant noodles I bought for you had just one seasoning packet."

Jiang Pingxiu nodded in agreement, "Yes, they are really tasty, Grandma. Instant noodles come in many different flavors!"

Grandma Jiang continued, "I've been living quite well lately… I even get to eat meat and eggs in every meal. In the past, I never thought life could be this good!"

In terms of food, Jiang Pingxiu wasn't as sentimental as Grandma Jiang. He knew that city people ate meat in every meal.

However, he was just as amazed as Grandma Jiang that such good things could happen to him. Throughout his life, he had always been b*llied and disliked, but now, Yan Jingze liked him.

He finally had a home he liked!

Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother enjoyed their instant noodles and soup. They ate contentedly. Just as they were eating, Yan Jingze returned.

Seeing Yan Jingze, Jiang Pingxiu felt a bit guilty and wanted to hide the bowl he was holding.

He had previously asked Yan Jingze not to prepare breakfast or late-night snacks for him. He said he could just eat instant noodles at the shop. But Yan Jingze hadn't agreed and even said that instant noodles were junk food and he shouldn't eat them too much.

Now, he was secretly eating instant noodles without Yan Jingze knowing, which…

Yan Jingze indeed didn't want Jiang Pingxiu to eat junk food like instant noodles. However, when he saw Jiang Pingxiu eating, he wasn't angry.

Especially when Grandma Jiang was there saying, "Xiao Yan, you're back? These instant noodles are so delicious, do you want some?"

"Grandma, I'm good," Yan Jingze smiled and then took the meat and vegetables he had just bought into the kitchen.

The school cafeteria was closed, so from now on, they would have to cook their own meals.

In addition, Yan Jingze had something else to discuss with Jiang Pingxiu.

After lunch, when Grandma Jiang went to sleep, Yan Jingze called Jiang Pingxiu into the room, "Pingxiu, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Jiang Pingxiu asked.

"After the New Year, would you consider quitting your job at the car wash shop and continuing your studies?" Yan Jingze asked.

"Studying?" Jiang Pingxiu was puzzled.

"Yes, going back to school. You're still young, and it would be good for you to study," Yan Jingze said.

"But what about money? I need to earn money…" Jiang Pingxiu was suddenly a bit flustered.

"I can earn money," Yan Jingze showed his phone to Jiang Pingxiu, "Look, now I can earn over ten thousand a month. I can support you." He had gained confidence after receiving his own salary, allowing him to bring up this topic with Jiang Pingxiu.

"But… but…" Jiang Pingxiu didn't know what to say. His mind was flooded with thoughts.

Of course, he wanted to study. How badly he wanted to study!

But he simply didn't have the money to do it right now.

Living in the city with his grandmother required money for everything – food, drink, clothing, and shelter.

Yan Jingze was earning a lot of money now and could indeed support him, but he felt that he couldn't use Yan Jingze's money.

"How can I use your money?" Jiang Pingxiu said.

"If I can use your money, why can't you use mine?" Yan Jingze countered.

Jiang Pingxiu fell silent for a moment.

When he gave Yan Jingze money, he felt satisfied that Yan Jingze needed him. But if he used Yan Jingze's money, would Yan Jingze dislike him? Would he be unwanted in the future?

He wanted to be with Yan Jingze, wanted to be with him forever.

Yan Jingze continued, "We were poor before, that's why we couldn't afford to let you study. But it's different now. We have money, and you must go to school."

Seeing Jiang Pingxiu still hesitating, Yan Jingze ruffled his hair, "Think about it. When I graduate from university in the future and work in a big company, sitting in an office, what should I tell people when they ask me what my partner does? Should I tell them you wash cars?"

That wouldn't do; it would be too embarrassing for him to say that. However… would Yan Jingze be willing to be with him forever?

Jiang Pingxiu had never been confident. He had always believed that he and Yan Jingze would eventually separate. But now… was Yan Jingze really willing to be with him forever?

Jiang Pingxiu stared at Yan Jingze without blinking.

Yan Jingze couldn't hold back and kissed his forehead, "Pingxiu, I believe that as long as you study hard, you'll definitely get into a university!"

Jiang Pingxiu froze completely – Yan Jingze had actually kissed him!

Yan Jingze didn't care how complicated Jiang Pingxiu's mood was. He took Jiang Pingxiu to the bedside and placed his junior high school textbooks in Jiang Pingxiu's hands, "Starting today, whenever you have time, read these books. I'll try to figure out a way for you to attend a senior high school in the next semester."

Jiang Pingxiu had just graduated from junior high school half a year ago. He could go sort things out, restore Jiang Pingxiu's school record, and find a private high school with lenient enrollment requirements for students who didn't make it to regular high schools. If that wasn't possible, a vocational school was an option too – many vocational schools now offered the possibility of advancing to higher education and even pursuing master's degrees later on.

As long as he was willing to study, there was always a way.

And studying a few more years in school was definitely better than engaging in manual labor at such a young age!

"I didn't study well in junior high, I might not understand these books." Jiang Pingxiu felt anxious.

"If you don't understand, you can ask me," Yan Jingze said. "You should quit your job by the end of the year and spend the next six months at home reviewing."

"Brother Jingze, can I really go to high school?" Jiang Pingxiu looked at Yan Jingze. Almost all the students from their previous junior high school stopped studying after junior high. High school seemed distant to them.

"You can!" Yan Jingze said, "If you can't go to high school, you can go to vocational school. As long as you work hard, you will definitely be able to go to university in the future."

Yan Jingze sounded so confident, as if sending Jiang Pingxiu to school was an incredibly simple matter.

Jiang Pingxiu looked at him and suddenly felt a surge of courage.

He was going to study, he was going to show Yan Jingze that he was amazing.

"Brother, I will definitely work hard and find a way to get into university." Jiang Pingxiu's face was serious, his eyes shining with determination.

Chapter 9 – Phoenix Man (9) *edited

"I believe you." Upon hearing Jiang Pingxiu's words, Yan Jingze said firmly, leaning in to give Jiang Pingxiu another kiss – this version of Jiang Pingxiu was truly adorable.

Jiang Pingxiu's face instantly turned red. He instinctively wanted to shy away, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Seeing his reaction, Yan Jingze laughed and ruffled his hair. He went on to share his plans for the near future.

This time, he wasn't planning to go back home for Chinese New Year, but after the Spring Festival, he would make a trip back to give some money to his parents and arrange for his younger siblings' education.

As someone who had transmigrated, he didn't have deep emotional ties to the original owner's parents and family. Nevertheless, he preferred spending Chinese New Year with Jiang Pingxiu, even if he wouldn't completely ignore his own family like the original owner had.

Regardless of whether it was for his younger siblings or for Jiang Pingxiu, education was a transformative opportunity for them… He had to ensure that they all pursued education.

Shocked by Yan Jingze's plans, Jiang Pingxiu looked at him in amazement.

He had actually thought about Chinese New Year plans for a while.

He didn't want to return to his village for the holiday. He still remembered how their neighbors claimed their land while plowing, accusing his grandmother of theft. He also remembered instances of people blocking their door, accusing his grandmother of stealing their belongings. Moreover, he recalled how people around his age in the village used to b*lly him.

But he had always assumed that Yan Jingze would go back for Chinese New Year.

Their current life was too blissful. Just the thought of being separated from Yan Jingze, of having to spend Chinese New Year alone with his grandmother as they used to, made him feel uncomfortable. He decided not to bring up the topic of Yan Jingze's Chinese New Year plans. However… Yan Jingze wasn't going back?

Jiang Pingxiu's voice quivered a little, "You… Are you going to spend Chinese New Year with me?"

"You're my wife, who else would I spend Chinese New Year with if not you?" Yan Jingze laughed.

Jiang Pingxiu's face turned red again, and his heart raced faster and faster.

He felt that today was the happiest day of his life.

The next day, when Jiang Pingxiu went to the shop, he brought along his Grade 7 Chinese textbook.

He hadn't really attended junior high, so he could barely understand the math and English textbooks. But he thought he could study Chinese on his own, starting by reading the lessons and trying to memorize the texts.

Mornings at the shop were usually slow, and Jiang Pingxiu wanted to read. He also felt a little embarrassed… as he hesitated, he thought of Yan Jingze.

After all, Yan Jingze was a university student. If he only had a junior high school education, could he even be on the same level as Yan Jingze?

And… there were so many good-looking and knowledgeable people in college. What if Yan Jingze fell for someone else?

In the past, Jiang Pingxiu had prepared himself for the possibility that Yan Jingze might not want him, that Yan Jingze might abandon him. If Yan Jingze wanted to break up with him, he would leave immediately.

But things were different now.

Now, he didn't want to let go of Yan Jingze at all.

Just the thought of Yan Jingze wanting to break up with him now…

Just thinking about it made Jiang Pingxiu feel miserable; his eyes started to turn red.

He couldn't be without Yan Jingze.

He wanted to become someone worthy of Yan Jingze.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Pingxiu immediately took out the Grade 7 Chinese textbook.

"Pingxiu, what are you looking at?" Xiao Zhang was the first to notice Jiang Pingxiu reading and walked over to him. He pulled the book from Jiang Pingxiu's hands and glanced at the cover. "Grade 7 Chinese? Why are you reading a Grade 7 Chinese textbook?"

"My brother… he asked me to continue studying," Jiang Pingxiu said, pulling the book back from Xiao Zhang's grasp with force.

"Studying? Can you even understand it?" Xiao Zhang said, "And how much money and time does studying require? It's better to earn money like we've been doing for the past seven or eight years… Some people who graduate from college still earn only three to four thousand a month. What's the point of not studying? We would have earned around two hundred thousand in these seven years."

Xiao Zhang's words were spoken quite loudly, capturing the attention of Brother Wang and Master Chen.

Brother Wang laughed heartily, "Pingxiu, you want to study? Good luck! Go on to college in the future and become a university student!"

However, Master Chen shot Xiao Zhang a stern look, "Xiao Zhang, what nonsense are you talking? Education is always good! Even if college graduates only earn three to four thousand, they have social benefits and work in offices with weekends off… Do we have that?"

Xiao Zhang was a bit defiant, "Some business owners only graduated from elementary school, but even college graduates work for them!"

"Those business owners are from a time when everyone was poor and didn't have the conditions for education. If they were born now, with parents urging them to study, could they not get into college?" Master Chen said, then turned to Jiang Pingxiu, "Xiao Jiang, if you want to study, study diligently. At your age, it's the right time to go to school. Even if you don't go to college, learning some skills is good. We need certifications for auto repair."

Jiang Pingxiu nodded earnestly, "Yeah!" He was determined to study hard and get into college!

He started reading even more seriously, picking up the book whenever he had free time.

However, studying secretly during work made him feel embarrassed, so he continued to work as usual, sometimes even more, and in between tasks, he would glance at the classical poems written on scraps of paper and try to memorize them.

But this approach wasn't very effective. He needed to study seriously… He had to focus on his studies, just as Yan Jingze had advised.

At noon, when the shop owner's wife came by, Jiang Pingxiu took a deep breath, went to find her, and hesitatingly explained that he wanted to resign.

Initially, the shop owner's wife intended to persuade Jiang Pingxiu to stay. However, when she heard that he wanted to study, she stopped trying to persuade him to stay. Instead, she asked him to work until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and then they would hire a new employee after that.

The number of car wash customers was relatively high during the Lunar New Year, and the prices for car wash services even increased. So, even during the New Year, the shop owner's wife didn't want to close down the business.

Jiang Pingxiu agreed.

Yan Jingze only learned about this on the evening of that day, and he smiled but didn't object.

That car wash shop made people work thirteen hours a day. Even when the employees were eating, they had to start working immediately if a customer came in for a car wash. Despite the long hours, the income wasn't high. With an additional five hundred yuan per month, the wage would only amount to three thousand five hundred yuan. In his eyes, it wasn't a great job, especially considering there was no formal contract involved. In fact, it wouldn't matter if Jiang Pingxiu left the job directly.

However, Jiang Pingxiu really liked that shop. So, when he talked about resigning, he felt somewhat guilty towards the owners.

Given the circumstances, it was fine for him to continue working until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Yan Jingze's hometown didn't have telephone access, but there was a phone in the village.

Before the New Year, Yan Jingze had made a call, saying that he would work during the winter break and that he wouldn't be able to return immediately due to expensive travel tickets. He expected to come back around the eighth day of the first lunar month.

Then, he started teaching children at the tutoring center and did online work from home, maintaining a continuous stream of earnings.

That year, New Year's Eve fell on February 11th.

The tutoring center closed a few days before the New Year. Once it was closed, Yan Jingze focused on various online tasks he had taken on.

Many people wanted to rest during the New Year period, so there were plenty of tasks available online. This allowed him to earn quite a bit, but he found himself sitting in front of the computer so much that his back would ache.

Yan Jingze was busy, and when he worked, Grandma Jiang would turn the TV's volume to the lowest setting.

This elderly lady couldn't quite understand how Yan Jingze could earn money by typing on a computer, but she still thought Yan Jingze was very powerful and greatly admired him.

When he took a break, she would immediately prepare an egg soup for him to nourish him.

With added brown sugar, the steaming egg drop soup was always consumed entirely by Yan Jingze.

Although egg drop soup with brown sugar was a staple postpartum meal in their hometown, adding sugar was beneficial for those who engaged in mental labor.

This was Grandma Jiang's care.

On New Year's Eve, the car wash shop only operated in the morning. As the time seemed about right, Yan Jingze rode his bike out and picked up Jiang Pingxiu, bringing him back home.

The shop distributed some New Year's goods to the employees: a bag of red dates, a bag of sunflower seeds, a bag of peanuts, and a bottle of cooking oil. These items weren't particularly valuable, but it was the first time Jiang Pingxiu had received New Year's gifts from someone else, so he was especially happy.

He placed the gifts in the front basket of his bicycle and followed Yan Jingze back home. On the way, he didn't forget to recite his lessons.

The elementary school teacher from the remote village taught Mandarin with a non-standard accent, mixing up retroflex and alveolar consonants. Yan Jingze corrected Jiang Pingxiu when he heard mistakes.

Originally, the original owner also spoke non-standard Mandarin, but he had started correcting it in high school and had improved. Now he could even teach others.

The streets were quiet on New Year's Eve. They rode slowly along the non-motorized lane, conversing as they went. They didn't feel the cold.

When they arrived home, they saw Grandma Jiang making dumplings.

The white dumpling wrappers danced in her hands, rapidly transforming into dumplings, filling their hearts.

After making dumplings, they also stewed a chicken, cooked a pot of braised pork, fried meatballs, steamed a fish, and added a variety of vegetables. This New Year's Eve dinner was quite sumptuous.

Yan Jingze had only the memories of the original owner, and this meal could be said to be the most sumptuous in the original owner's memory. Not to mention Jiang Pingxiu and Grandma Jiang – they used to struggle even to make dumplings with pure meat filling.

Before Jiang Pingxiu started earning money, they found it hard to even afford meat. It was only after Jiang Pingxiu began to earn money that their lives improved a bit. Even though Jiang Pingxiu gave most of his earnings to Yan Jingze, he also gave some money to his grandmother.

That evening, all three of them ate a lot. After finishing dinner, they gathered in Grandma Jiang's room to watch the Spring Festival Gala. While watching, Grandma Jiang brought out two red envelopes and gave one to Yan Jingze and one to Jiang Pingxiu – each containing two hundred yuan.

It was Grandma Jiang's thoughtful gesture, and Yan Jingze accepted it, planning to take her shopping in a few days.

The New Year's atmosphere in big cities was never as strong. Just like how Jiang Pingxiu's car wash shop stayed open until New Year's Eve and then rested only on the first day of the lunar year, many stores continued business during the New Year.

Supermarkets and such remained open during the New Year.

On the first day of the lunar year, Yan Jingze took Jiang Pingxiu to a large shopping mall in the city.

After Jiang Pingxiu went to work on the second day of the lunar year, he took Grandma Jiang to the hospital for a health checkup.

Grandma Jiang's health was pretty good, probably due to not having had access to much fish and meat in the past. Her blood pressure and other indicators were excellent, so with proper care, she could live another twenty or thirty years without any problems.

Yan Jingze was quite happy. He took Grandma Jiang to the zoo and also shared some interesting anecdotes with her.

For example, he mentioned how medical technology had advanced to the point where women could transition to men, and how in foreign countries, men could marry men, and women could marry women.

Grandma Jiang was surprised by these revelations and stared in awe at the videos and images on Yan Jingze's phone.

After spending two days with Grandma Jiang, Yan Jingze returned to work.

He continued working until the seventh day of the lunar year before embarking on the journey back to his hometown.

On the morning of the eighth day, he arrived in the village carrying bags of various sizes.

His younger brother was playing a game with some people at the village entrance, holding wooden spears. When he saw Yan Jingze, he started running towards home, shouting, "Brother's back! Brother's back!"

Finally back at home, Yan Jingze found the whole Yan family waiting for him.

Although from the bottom of his heart, the original owner looked down on this family, he wouldn't even help pick up a fallen bottle at home, the original owner's academic performance was truly excellent. He could be said to be the most promising person in the village, and because of Jiang Pingxiu, he hadn't burdened his family with expenses.

Regardless of whether it was the Yan family members or others in the village, their impression of the original host was very positive at this time.

When the Yan couple saw Yan Jingze, their faces lit up with smiles. His younger sister and younger brother looked at him with admiration. Only Yan Damei had a touch of displeasure on her face, but she still obediently called him "brother."

"Have you eaten?" Father Yan asked.

"Not yet," Yan Jingze smiled.

Immediately, Father Yan said, "We're just about to have lunch. Damei, reheat the chicken leg!"

Yan Damei pursed her lips and entered the kitchen with Yan Ermei. Soon, the sound of sizzling could be heard from inside. After a while, they brought out some simple dishes.

The food was quite modest. The meat dishes consisted of just a small plate of salted pork and one chicken leg. Father Yan used tongs to pick up the chicken leg and handed it to Yan Jingze, saying with a smile, "Yan Da, here's a chicken leg for the New Year. You and your younger brother each get one. I've been saving them for you in the freezer, so they definitely haven't gone bad!"

Yan Jingze looked at that chicken leg, feeling a bit conflicted.

The original owner had grievances against his family members. He believed that his family, which had raised him, was in a terrible state. He was also upset that even though they were poor, his parents still insisted on having more children.

Clearly, they could have had just one child, and their family's situation would have been much better. But Father Yan felt that having just one son was risky, so he insisted on having another… In the end, they ended up with four children. With four children in the family, how could their lives be any better?

The original owner was full of resentment.

However, Yan Jingze had a more open-minded perspective and didn't harbor ill feelings toward his parents and siblings.

The Yan couple weren't the best parents, but there was nothing to be done about it.

They had never left the county where they had lived since childhood. Their horizons were limited, and their mentality of having children to support them in old age was deeply ingrained. Despite their ignorance, they had never mistreated their children.

For example, during the New Year, while the Yan couple favored their sons with the chicken legs, their two daughters could still have substantial portions of chicken meat. The only ones left with the smaller parts, the chicken wings and chicken heads, were the Yan couple themselves.

Yan Jingze handed the chicken leg to Yan Ermei, who was staring at it eagerly. According to his memories, this family's most neglected member was Yan Ermei.

"Why are you giving her the chicken leg?" Father Yan frowned, and even his younger brother seemed a bit displeased, causing Yan Ermei to tremble. She stared at the chicken leg in front of her, afraid to touch it.

"I can eat chicken legs at every meal in college. I'm not short of chicken legs. Let Ermei have it," Yan Jingze said.

Upon hearing this, Yan Damei, Yan Ermei, and Yan Xiaodi all looked at him with envy. Going to college allowed him to have chicken legs every day?!

Yan Jingze continued, "By the way, Dad, this time I've come back for the matter of Damei, Ermei, and Xiaodi's education… Pursuing education is the best thing they can do. They all must go to college!"

Damei, Ermei, Xiaodi – Eldest Sister, Second Sister, Little Brother (these are not their names but like 'Yan Da' Eldest Yan nickname of Yan Jing Ze.)

Chapter 10: Phoenix Man (10) *edited

Yan Jingze spoke with absolute certainty, his words resolute and decisive. His parents, as well as his elder sister and others, were all left dumbfounded after listening.

Going to college was not a simple matter at all. How could Yan Jingze make it sound like going to college was so easy?

Yan Damei couldn't help but say, "Going to college is not that easy. I can't even pass the high school entrance exam now." As she spoke, a hint of sadness crept into her expression.

She was only in her second year of junior high, and she considered herself a diligent student. She had mastered the content from her textbooks, and she could solve the problems assigned by her school teachers. However, when faced with exam papers from other schools, there were many questions she couldn't answer.

The material they were taught at their school was too simplistic.

But there was nothing she could do about it. For the questions she couldn't solve, asking the teachers was futile, as they didn't know either.

Her brother was the smartest person in the village. He was the first student in their middle school to be admitted to the best high school in the county. When she encountered difficult questions before, she wanted to ask her brother, but he refused to help her with the problems.

And that was just math.

English and language arts were even more challenging for her. She struggled with writing compositions and had no idea how to approach them. Other subjects were even more difficult. They were asked to observe onions under a microscope in their textbook, but she had never even seen a microscope before.

"Damei, you're very smart, and I'm sure you can make it to high school," Yan Jingze looked kindly at Yan Damei.

Based on the original owner's memories, Yan Damei was indeed quite intelligent. Many knowledge points taught in their middle school were even unclear to the teachers themselves, but Yan Damei managed to learn all of math through self-study!

In fact, if the original host was willing to teach his sister more, it wouldn't be a problem for her to attend high school. Unfortunately, the original owner saw his siblings as competitors for resources and didn't have a favorable opinion of them.

Let alone teaching them, the original owner discarded study materials he had used rather than giving them to his younger siblings.

Yan Damei also believed in her own intelligence, but no one had ever praised her. After all, she had a brother who was even smarter. As for attending high school, everyone believed that girls didn't need to go to high school; they could finish junior high and then work or get married.

Now her brother was saying she could definitely make it to high school. As Yan Damei looked at her brother, the hostility in her eyes vanished.

Yan Jingze continued, "Today, I'll go to the town and rent a house. Once school starts, Mom, you'll accompany Damei, Ermei, and Xiaodi to study in town. Cook for them and let them focus on their studies. I've brought two tablets back this time—one for Damei and one for Ermei and Xiaodi. These tablets can be used for online courses, which will be beneficial for your studies."

Whether it was Yan Jingze or Yan Damei, they both attended a nearby small town's middle school.

This town only had one street, and the entire middle school had just two classes per grade. In short, the quality of education was poor.

That could be overlooked, but the journey from the town to their home took almost two hours.

With Yan Damei traveling back and forth daily, and also taking care of her younger siblings, it consumed nearly four hours. Wasn't that a waste of time?

Yan Jingze was well aware that if they wanted to study properly, things couldn't continue like this!

As for the issue with the school's teaching quality… the best solution would be changing schools. However, changing schools wasn't so simple. It often required connections or money, and he had neither.

Fortunately, there was a better option now—online courses!

Nowadays, various online courses were quite affordable, and even for some classes, there were free options available online. He didn't need to enroll Yan Damei and the others in expensive classes. He could simply purchase recorded video lectures for each subject in middle and elementary school for them to watch. It wouldn't cost much money.

Children from well-off families in the city might find it hard to focus on non-interactive video lectures, but he believed that Yan Damei and Yan Ermei, who aimed to change their lives through education, would surely be able to concentrate on these lectures.

Yan Jingze's plan was a good one. Yan Damei even stood up in excitement, but Father Yan was unhappy about it. "Rent a house? How much will that cost?"

"It won't cost much, I have the money," Yan Jingze said.

"Then there's no need for your mother to go with them… Damei can cook too," Father Yan added, "There's a lot of work to be done on the farm!"

"Dad, they'll have to spend time cooking while studying. How much time would that waste?" Yan Jingze said. If his mother didn't go, Yan Damei would have to take care of her younger siblings as well. How could she study properly? "Dad, if you don't want to stay home alone, you can also live in town."

"That won't work. If everyone goes to town, what will happen to our land? What about the pigs at home?" Father Yan responded without much thought.

In fact, Yan Jingze also didn't want Father Yan to go to town. Hearing this response aligned perfectly with his intentions.

Mother Yan was mute and couldn't speak. Not only that, she didn't show clear favoritism toward any of the children. She even listened to Yan Damei quite a bit, so it would be good for her to accompany her in studying. However, Father Yan was different.

Father Yan actually favored sons over daughters and often liked to criticize his children. If he went to town and didn't have any work or responsibilities, he might stay home and give pointless orders every day, or talk about getting Yan Damei married all the time. It would definitely affect Yan Damei's studies.

As Yan Jingze was thinking this way, he heard Father Yan say, "Actually, for girls like Damei and Ermei, after finishing middle school, they can just go work. Why bother with high school?"

Yan Jingze said, "With more education, they can earn more money."

"No matter how much money girls earn, they'll belong to their future in-laws," Father Yan remained unmoved.

Yan Jingze countered, "Who said that? When Damei finishes college, won't she still take care of you?"

"Dad, I promise to support you in your old age!" Yan Damei assured.

"Would your future in-laws agree?" Father Yan asked.

Yan Jingze: "…"

Father Yan's mindset was truly problematic; he just couldn't be convinced.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Jingze decided not to waste time convincing him further. He simply said, "Dad, no matter what, I'm going to make sure my younger siblings study. You have to agree."

In this household, the original owner always had the final say. Once he made a decision, no one could oppose it.

Father Yan had always relied on his eldest son for support in his old age. He was afraid that if he upset his eldest son, he might not take care of him anymore. Moreover, he didn't dare oppose his eldest son's decision. Now that Yan Jingze had spoken this way, then… let them study if they wanted to!

With no objections from Father Yan, Yan Jingze continued, "Dad, think about it. If I succeed and rent a house in town for my younger siblings to study, it's a matter of great face for you. When you talk about it to others, everyone will surely envy you."

Father Yan was particularly concerned about maintaining appearances.

He had a limp leg from a young age, and his wife was mute. He couldn't hold his head up in the village. It wasn't until his son succeeded that he could stand tall and proud. What he cherished most was hearing praise about his good son – that was a matter of great face!

Following Yan Jingze's words, Father Yan suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for the life ahead.

After the family had dinner, Yan Jingze took out a stack of money and had Father Yan accompany him to pay off their debts.

The total of all their debts was less than ten thousand yuan. He had the money to pay them off now. Moreover, clearing the debts was necessary before his younger siblings could move to the town.

He couldn't possibly leave a bunch of debts unpaid while sending his mother to accompany his siblings for their studies, right?

Hearing that they were going to pay off the debts, Father Yan immediately became energized.

With Yan Jingze by his side, they went house to house, repaying the money owed. During the process, Father Yan couldn't help but boast, "My son Jingze is really amazing. He's in college now and has already earned a lot of money!"

"He's been independent since he was young; I don't need to worry about him at all!"

"He even wants to let his younger siblings rent a house in town for easier studying… In my opinion, there's no need to make things so complicated. But he insists on doing it this way. He's got more money and no place to spend it!"

"Studying is really good. Look, our Jingze is still in college and he's already making money!"

…

Father Yan dragged his lame leg from one end of the village to the other, then back again. Even though he hadn't been drinking, his face was flushed, and his voice was much louder than usual.

He took up a lot of time, but Yan Jingze didn't rush him.

Father Yan was obviously very happy now, so it was fine to let him enjoy his happiness for a while. However… originally, Yan Jingze had planned to rent a house today, but it seemed that it wouldn't be possible.

The next day, Yan Jingze took his younger siblings and mother to the town early in the morning.

This area had suffered a significant population loss. Most of the young people from the village had gone to work elsewhere, and it was the same for the young people in the town. The number of students in the schools was decreasing each year. Due to this situation, housing in the town was very affordable. One could buy a house for around ten to twenty thousand yuan.

Unfortunately, he didn't even have this money now, and moreover, there was no need to buy such a house.

Yan Jingze rented a small, rundown two-story house for a monthly price of 150 yuan.

This house was quite old, with a kitchen, dining room, restroom, and a tiny bedroom on the first floor. The second floor was a low-ceilinged attic divided into three rooms, perfectly allowing space for Mother Yan and the others, with each person having their own room.

The only downside of the house was that there were no electrical appliances inside, only a few pieces of old furniture. However, this wasn't a big issue. He went to the county town, bought some things, and had the internet connected to the house.

After renting the house, Yan Jingze went to the county town again. He bought some electrical appliances, including a second-hand television. The Yan family didn't have a television, and Mother Yan hadn't really watched TV much. It was good to get one for her to watch.

For the next period of time, Yan Jingze spent most of his time at the house. He also gave the tablets he had brought back to Yan Damei and the others.

The tablets he bought were also second-hand. After all, he was short on money at the moment. However, he spent quite a bit on online courses and various exercise books. This was an area where he couldn't cut corners.

For children, having the motivation to study was crucial. With sufficient motivation, they could excel in their studies. Yan Jingze was well aware of this, so whenever he had the chance, he would talk to them about the benefits of going to college.

Yan Damei and the others listened with wide-eyed amazement, and they were full of yearning for college.

Yan Jingze also told them how comfortable life would be when they lived in the city. After hearing this, one by one, they all started to want to become city dwellers.

By the time everything was arranged, Yan Ermei and Yan Xiaodi had already started to worship their brother, Yan Jingze, as someone who could do anything!

Even Yan Damei, who had been dissatisfied with Yan Jingze before, was now very attentive to him. She was constantly serving him tea and water, almost feeding him food herself!

While wandering around the village, Yan Jingze overheard her with her sunburnt face talking to a girl of similar age, "My brother said I will definitely be able to get into high school."

"When I get into high school, I'll go on to college!"

"I want to become a city person!"

"My brother is amazing. He didn't even spend our family's money on his education. He's only a freshman in college, and he brought back so much money!"

"I want to learn from my brother!"

…

Then, Yan Damei's friends began to envy her. "Damei, your brother is really great."

Someone even asked Yan Damei, "Damei, what kind of person is your brother looking for? Do you think I'm his type?"

Yan Jingze was the dream guy of all the young girls in the village!

Without hesitation, Yan Damei replied, "You definitely aren't. My brother will probably find someone from the city to be my sister-in-law, someone who went to college!"

Yan Jingze: "…"