In fact, Xiaoyuer could have asked for Paomo's school address ahead of time in her letter.
Or she could have found out later when they resumed correspondence after the official start of the semester.
However, firstly, she did not want the other party to become suspicious because she had "deliberately" asked, and secondly, she could not wait until the official start of the semester.
Xiaoyuer had already planned out almost all the steps ahead and only needed to execute them one by one.
At that moment, Luo Jiaqi nodded upon hearing Xiaoyuer's instructions.
"Alright, I'll take care of it as soon as I get back, and I guarantee you'll have a reply in the shortest time possible."
Xiaoyuer did not reply. She took off her cap, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed her eyes to rest.
She was still far too weak.
So weak that even sitting in the sun for a little while or walking a few extra steps left her feeling utterly exhausted.
Therefore, her next step was to recover her physical strength as soon as possible, since there was only about half a month left before the start of the semester.
...
By early evening, Chen Mo finally finished debugging the last computer.
Looking at the new machines operating normally without any issues, Qin Xiaojun was thrilled.
He could already picture the internet café's business thriving and money pouring in from then on.
And all of this was thanks to the new configuration plan Chen Mo had given him.
Not only did it save him money, but it also helped him steer clear of pitfalls.
By this time, Chen Mo had washed his hands and come out, and Qin Xiaojun said with a smile, "Chen Mo, you've worked hard these past few days."
"Don't mention it, Old Uncle."
Having spent many years knocking around in the world, Qin Xiaojun naturally knew that no amount of polite flattery was as practical and well-received as hard cash.
So, he pulled out an envelope he had prepared in advance from his pocket and handed it to Chen Mo.
As the saying goes: even close relatives keep their accounts clear.
Besides, this was something they had agreed upon beforehand, so Chen Mo did not put on a false show of modesty.
He took the envelope directly from Qin Xiaojun's hand, but felt that the thickness wasn't quite right.
He immediately pulled out the banknotes inside and counted them. Sure enough, there was too much money—a total of 6,000 yuan.
"Old Uncle, we agreed on 60 yuan per machine. For 85 machines, it should be 5,100. You gave too much."
As he spoke, he had already pulled out nine bills and handed them back.
Qin Xiaojun didn't take them at all and simply said, "Chen Mo, the configuration list you put together for me is easily worth more than 900. If my investment this time wasn't so huge, I'd have given you even more. 900 isn't much, don't look down on it. Neither of us beats around the bush, so let's not talk about anything else."
After several days of close interaction, Chen Mo had to admit that Qin Xiaojun was indeed a generous man, so he didn't put on airs and refuse any further.
"Old Uncle, what about me? I was worked to the bone these past few days. Even if I didn't make major contributions, I certainly put in the sweat, right? Shouldn't you show your appreciation with a little something?"
Hearing his good nephew's demand, Qin Xiaojun acted as if he had been prepared all along. He immediately pulled a thick stack of cash from his pocket, which looked even bigger than the one he had given Chen Mo.
Upon seeing this, Luo Botao's eyes turned green as he stared fixedly at that stack of cash.
Little did he know, Qin Xiaojun only pulled out five bills from the entire stack and handed them to Luo Botao.
"Here, hard-earned money for you."
Luo Botao was instantly dumbfounded. He didn't take the 500 at all and instead kept his eyes glued to the remaining stack of cash, glowing with greed.
Qin Xiaojun glanced at him, quickly put the stack of cash back into his pocket, and said, "Don't even think about that. Tomorrow I have to go pay for the dedicated internet line. If you don't want this 500, I might not even be able to scrape together 5 yuan later."
"I want it, I want it!" Luo Botao snatched the 500 yuan away immediately.
Seeing this, Chen Mo chuckled for a moment, then counted out half of his own money and handed it to Luo Botao.
"Luobo, I said back then that as long as I have a bowl of rice to eat, you'll have a bowl to wash. Take this money."
To his surprise, Luo Botao was completely different from when he had just shaken down Qin Xiaojun for cash. He pushed the money right back without even looking at it.
"Xiao Mo, I said back then that I'd help you out for free, so I won't take a single cent."
"That won't do, I keep my word."
"Then I have to keep my word too!"
...
The two of them pushed the money back and forth, but Luo Botao refused to take it no matter what.
Chen Mo smiled and finally took the money back.
He had his own plans.
Everything was settled, and the two didn't stay long.
They each took their money and headed home.
...
Although his physical stamina was much stronger than the average person, Chen Mo had genuinely been worked to the bone these past few days.
So as soon as he got home, he flopped onto the sofa in Uncle Ge's slouching posture.
Comrade He Yunlan looked at him in disgust while tossing a throw pillow over.
Chen Mo put the pillow under his head and finally felt much more comfortable.
"Just lie there and rest for a bit. I've still got food warming for you in the pot."
"Oh, then I'll eat first."
Chen Mo was not only exhausted but also starving, so he sat back up.
Seeing this, He Yunlan hurried to the kitchen to fetch his food.
Chen Mo sat up and, without even washing his hands, began wolfing down his meal.
"Slow down, don't choke."
"I'm fine." Chen Mo continued to stuff his face.
*Hiccup...*
With a long hiccup, he was finally full.
"Mom, where's Dad?"
"He went to the bedroom right after finishing dinner. Seems he has some work to handle."
"Oh, then I'm going to my bedroom too."
With that, Chen Mo started to leave.
"Wait!"
Hearing He Yunlan call out to him, Chen Mo asked in confusion, "What is it, Mom?"
He Yunlan didn't rush to clear the dishes. Instead, she asked with a somewhat puzzled expression,
"Do you have any female classmates from out of town who came to Wen County as auditing students? By the way, a girl."
"An auditing student? A female classmate?"
Although it had been a full seventeen years since he had seen many of his old classmates, Chen Mo was 100% certain that back then, neither in his class nor even in the entire grade, had there ever been any transfer or auditing students from out of town coming to study at Wen County No. 1 High School.
And a girl, at that!
"No. Why, Mom?"
"Well now, that is strange."
When He Yunlan finished speaking, she wore a baffled expression that made Chen Mo even more perplexed.
"What on earth is going on?"
He Yunlan thought for a moment and said, "This afternoon when I got off work and entered the residential compound, a tall, skinny girl speaking with a Beijing accent asked me..."
By the time He Yunlan finished recounting what had happened on her way home that afternoon, Chen Mo was completely at a loss.
He Yunlan continued, "That girl was so thin. I didn't even dare breathe too hard back then, for fear of accidentally blowing her away."
Chen Mo felt that his mother was exaggerating way too much.
Where in this day and age would you find someone so thin from malnutrition?
So, he casually asked, "What did she look like? Pretty?"
"Didn't see clearly. Her hat was pulled down really low, and she didn't seem willing to let anyone see her face."
"Oh."
Chen Mo didn't take it to heart. It was probably just some bored classmate playing a practical joke.
Otherwise, what are the odds she would specifically seek out his mother to ask about him, all while hiding her face?
That's right.
Where there is an unusual occurrence, there's bound to be a demon at work!
It was definitely one of those bored classmates with nothing better to do, no doubt about it.
Thinking this, Chen Mo prepared to return to his room again.
To his surprise, He Yunlan, who had remained puzzled all along, suddenly said in a loud voice,
"I'm telling you, Chen Mo, you scoundrel haven't gone and done something unforgivable, have you, causing some poor young girl to come knocking on your door?"
Chen Mo was defeated by Comrade He Yunlan's train of thought and replied with "disdain," "I'd have to have the guts for that!"
He Yunlan nodded in agreement and said, "That's true too. A coward like you certainly couldn't do anything unforgivable. Otherwise, the first victim would have been Lin Zhitong."
"Mom!"
"A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! Sorry, sorry!"
...
Perhaps the mother and son had been speaking a bit too loudly.
Chen Guozheng walked out of the bedroom, but instead of saying anything else, he simply asked, "Is everything done?"
Chen Mo tossed the envelope from his pocket onto the dining table and said, "Yep, all OK."
When Chen Guozheng saw the envelope, he didn't check how much money was inside. Instead, he slapped his forehead and immediately retreated back into the bedroom.
Comrade He Yunlan also saw it, picked up the envelope, felt its thickness without opening it, and beamed like a blooming flower as she said, "Not bad! Not only did we save money on a phone, but it looks like I won't have to give you living expenses for half of this semester either."
"Mom, are you sure I'm your biological son?"
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
Just as the mother and son were bantering, Chen Guozheng came back out from the bedroom and handed the envelope he was holding straight to Chen Mo.
"I picked this up for you at the guard's office when I got off work."
Chen Mo took it and saw the return address written on it: [Fish in the Smoke of War]
Then, bidding his parents goodnight, he walked toward his bedroom.
"Whose letter is that?" He Yunlan asked.
"Who else could it be? Naturally, it's from his pen pal."
...
He returned to his bedroom and closed the door.
As he tore open the envelope, Chen Mo thought to himself: Why did a reply come so fast this time? Didn't it usually take close to a month before?
Then, he quickly opened the letter.
It matched the style of his previous replies—extremely short, but written in English:
—Wise men say: only fools rush in!