With books to keep him company, Fang Yi's days working at the brick kiln became more and more fulfilling. Every morning he was the first to arrive at the plant, and before work began, he would sit in Zhang Dafeng's office alone to read and study.
Fang Yi was naturally gifted, and coupled with the solid foundation he had laid at school, self-study became a simple and enjoyable endeavor. Zhang Dafeng had even given him a new school bag and some necessary study supplies, making his path of self-taught success all the smoother.
From then on, the brick kiln became Fang Yi's second school, and he deeply experienced both the hardship of physical labor and the joy of intellectual pursuit.
Chapter 34