"Young man, drink some water. We'll be able to finish the rest of this before evening! You should slack off a bit too—this boss is the most ruthless of all, he's definitely paying you a miserable wage!"
An elderly man pulled a bottle of mineral water from the truck, handed it to Ye Qiuli, and said in a low voice.
"Thank you, sir!"
Ye Qiuli glanced around to make sure the middle-aged man was nowhere near before taking the water and whispering his thanks.
"You don't look very old, do you? You're about the same age as my grandson!"
The old man unscrewed a thermos he had placed on the ground, poured himself a cup of hot water, and struck up a conversation.
"Yes! I just turned eighteen. I suppose I count as an incoming college student!"
Ye Qiuli thought for a moment before replying.
He had indeed passed the entrance exams and made it into a famous prestigious university—Kyoto University! He had received his acceptance letter from Kyoto University a full month ago, but given his current circumstances, he couldn't even afford the tuition, let alone dream of actually going to college!
If he remembered correctly, classes at Kyoto University would start in just a few days!
"Heh, what a coincidence then. My grandson just got into college this year too, and it's a bachelor's program! He's practically the first college student in our village!"
The old man said with a beaming smile.
"Really? Well, congratulations to you!"
Ye Qiuli smiled at the old man.
It was obvious how much the old man adored his grandson! Whenever his grandson was mentioned, the man's entire being brimmed with energy!
The ice was broken between them, and the gloomy atmosphere dissipated quite a bit.
Time slipped away quietly alongside the dripping of sweat.
That night, beneath the dim glow of a small desk lamp, Ye Qiuli sat holding his phone, feeling somewhat at a loss.
"Ye Qiuli, my boy, this is all your teacher can do to help! You worked so hard to get into Jing University, you absolutely must go!"
An elderly voice came through the phone.
"But teacher! I don't have the money for tuition! Even if I go, I'll just end up being thrown out if I can't pay!"
Ye Qiuli looked at the balance on his WeChat account and said.
Balance: 51.02
"You don't need to worry about the tuition! I've already applied to the school and the government to waive your tuition fees! Personally, I will sponsor your living expenses for all four years! You must not give up the chance to study. Think of how many people break their heads trying to get into Kyoto University!"
Ye Qiuli gripped his phone tightly. The teacher's voice made him want to cry!
Ever since a strange illness struck him four years ago, very few people had shown him such care!
In fact, ever since he entered high school, his father had stopped giving him allowance and tuition money, even freezing the bank card that had previously been used for his allowance.
He had managed to finish high school purely through his excellent grades and a scholarship that his homeroom teacher had personally fought the school to secure. He never expected that his beloved teacher would now have to worry about his higher education as well.
"Teacher! Don't worry, I will go!"
Ye Qiuli choked out his promise.
"Ye Qiuli, I've watched you grow up all these years! I won't have any more sons in this lifetime! My greatest wish is to teach one more student who makes it into Kyoto University. My son was the first from our school to be admitted to Kyoto University, and you are the second! I know what you've been through—as the saying goes, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone; I firmly believe you are an undiscovered piece of jade!"
On the other end of the line, the old man's voice trembled slightly. He had waited for this student for far too long! This student was so much like his late son!
"Teacher! Thank you! I will fulfill your wish! Please keep the money—I'll work hard to earn my own living expenses!"
Ye Qiuli said with firm determination.
Since the tuition problem was solved, naturally he had no wish to let down his mentor's painstaking efforts! As for the living expenses the teacher had tried to wire him, of course he couldn't accept them! The teacher had already helped him solve the hardest hurdle of tuition; asking him for living expenses on top of that would be far too inconsiderate.
...
Half a month later!
"Boss, I'm quitting!"
Ye Qiuli packed his luggage, walked up to the middle-aged man, and said.
"Fine, your wages have been sent to you, take a look."
Hearing this, Ye Qiuli picked up his phone and checked. Sure enough, there was a notification message on WeChat.
The middle-aged boss had initiated a transfer.
Ye Qiuli took a look: 500 yuan!
"Boss, you calculated this wrong! I clearly worked for thirteen days! How is it only five hundred?"
Ye Qiuli raised his phone and challenged the middle-aged man!
"I didn't calculate it wrong. Didn't you eat here on my dime? That hundred and fifty covers your meals!"
"But... I..."
"But what, but what? Take your ID card and get lost right now! If you aren't happy, go call the police! There wasn't even a contract signed anyway!"
The middle-aged man interrupted Ye Qiuli and said viciously!
With that, he tossed Ye Qiuli's ID card toward the doorway.
"You!"
Ye Qiuli rushed over to pick up his ID card. Before he could argue further, the middle-aged man slammed the glass door of the shop shut! No matter how Ye Qiuli hammered on it, the man refused to open it!
"Despicable capitalist!"
Ye Qiuli cursed inwardly. It was a pity he hadn't signed a contract at the time; he knew that even if he went to the police, it would be useless. He was an adult now! He just had to bear things like this on his own.
With no other choice, Ye Qiuli dragged his suitcase toward the train station. Five hundred yuan was still better than having no money at all!
His next destination was the train to Kyoto!
Fortunately, Long Kingdom had a wonderful policy: prospective college students could get a fifty percent discount on train tickets by showing their university acceptance letters!
Of course, Ye Qiuli's university acceptance letter didn't just get him a half-price ticket—it was completely free! This was a privilege reserved only for the most prominent universities in Long Kingdom!
Ye Qiuli set off very early. To save money, he chose to walk to the train station! By the time he arrived, the train bound for Kyoto was just starting to check tickets.
At the train station today, almost everyone was a prospective college student around his age! It was just that everyone's destinations were different.
They had all come from various places, yet they were heading off in all directions!
Wearing shabby clothes and a thick face mask, Ye Qiuli's thin, frail body struggled to keep its balance amidst the dense crowd. However, this situation improved once they boarded the train; most of his peers sat quietly in their seats, almost all of them wearing earphones—some binge-watching shows, others listening to music.
Ye Qiuli had bought a standing ticket, so whenever there were no empty seats, he simply had to stand! He found an empty space between two train cars and obediently stood leaning against the wall!
Even though his fare was waived, he had to admit that there was simply no way he could have managed to grab a seated ticket! There were just too many college students in Long Kingdom!
Fortunately, the spot where Ye Qiuli stood offered a view of the outside, and the scenery along the way was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life!
Even though the Ye Family was wealthy and influential, Ye father had been extremely strict with him, giving him only half the allowance of a normal child's household. After he contracted a strange illness at the age of fourteen, his father cut off his allowance entirely. He wasn't even allowed to sit at the dining table for meals, having to eat instead with the family's domestic staff and housekeeper.
The world outside the window helped ease Ye Qiuli's anxious mind quite a bit.
Perhaps because there were so many things he had never witnessed before, Ye Qiuli didn't feel tired at all standing the entire journey!
Time flew by just as swiftly as the scenery outside the window!