[159] The Beginning of the School Year

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Chang’an Fang waited another five or six seconds before finally hearing Wang Ke’s sweet voice: “Hello?”

“Hello.”

“Why are you calling again?”

“You sound like you don’t want to talk to me.”

“No, I mean, didn’t you just call this morning?”

“We changed our phone number this afternoon, just got it set up. I wanted to call first and let you know, so if you need to reach me, you can use this number.”

“What could I possibly have to talk to you about?”

Wang Ke was evidently a bit shy after what her brother had said earlier, so Chang’an didn’t press further to avoid making her uncomfortable. He said, “Alright, just wanted to let you know. I’ll hang up now.”

Wang Ke was still a little embarrassed but couldn’t resist asking, “What did you just say to my brother?”

“Nothing.”

Halfway through, Chang’an seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, have you ever mentioned Yanran to your brother?”

“No.”

“Then that’s strange—how does he know I have a sister?”

He chuckled, amused by the childish nonsense, “He even said he’d trade his sister for my sister.”

Wang Ke was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to say. Worried she might be upset, Chang’an quickly added, “But I didn’t agree.”

He paused deliberately, then added, “How old is your brother? To have such feudal ideas, it’s so disrespectful to girls. You should keep an eye on him.”

Wang Ke snorted, “That’s none of your business.”

Chang’an pouted and changed the subject, “Aren’t you curious why we got a good number?”

“Why?”

“Because we moved into town. The old number’s no longer in use.”

“When did that happen?”

“Just today. I finished unpacking and called you right away.”

Chang’an subtly implied that he was the first to tell her. Then he explained, “We’re going to Wenzhou for the summer vacation. There are lots of shoe factories there. Mom decided to open a shoe store back home, and since it’s in town, we had to move.”

“Where are you living now?”

“We just bought a place. It’s much bigger than before. I even have my own room and a new big bed. I’ll bring you over to see it when you have time.”

“What’s there to see?”

“We’ll see later.”

Chang’an’s tone was casual. “Anyway, I’ll hang up now. Mom’s calling me, and you should eat, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, talk to you after school starts.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Chang’an stretched out on the sofa, taking in the new home, the new living room, the fresh atmosphere. He grabbed the remote and turned on the old color TV from last year, thinking it would look better to mount a flat-screen on the wall, but there was no rush.

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Before he could see what was on TV, his mother called out, “Chang’an, bring me a bowl!”

“Okay.”

He replied and headed to the kitchen. Passing the stairs, he shouted upstairs, “Changming Fang! Yanran Fang! Come down for dinner!”

Without natural gas yet, and having no chance to buy propane, they lit the coal stove brought from the old home. Dinner was simple: stir-fried shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with green peppers, steamed buns warmed up without porridge. It was the first meal for the four of them in the new house.

The food wasn’t extravagant, but in the new home, with new furniture and a new coffee table, even the familiar “mom’s flavor” tasted sweeter. The coffee table was right in front of the TV, which Chang’an left on, making it easier to watch. Cong Rong didn’t complain, and both Changming and Yanran were cheerful, feeling that moving was a blessing.

“Too bad Dad isn’t here.”

In the middle of the meal, Yanran suddenly blurted out.

Cong Rong smiled, “He’ll be back soon. School’s about to start. He’ll be back by the end of the semester.”

Yanran counted the time, “That’s still a long time, a whole semester.”

“Not really. Think about it this way: start with the placement test, then unit tests, midterms, more unit tests, and finally finals. Dad will be back before finals.”

Chang’an comforted his little sister warmly, “See? That sounds quick, doesn’t it?”

Yanran puffed her cheeks and glared at her big brother, refusing to respond.

The sofa was a bit far from the coffee table, and Yanran’s arms weren’t long enough. She didn’t want to sit on the sofa to eat, so she moved a small stool in front of the coffee table. Chang’an reached out and patted her head, laughing, “Alright, I won’t tease you. You haven’t forgotten the English I taught you, right?”

The village school didn’t teach English, but the town school did. Chang’an worried that his younger siblings might fall behind, so during the summer in Wenzhou, he tutored them—mainly vocabulary and conversational English.

After a year of study, Chang’an’s English level had surpassed his past self, nearly reaching his peak right after college entrance exams. He regularly practiced listening with Shen Mo and rehearsed conversations, so his pronunciation was probably better than their old English teacher, Mrs. Xu, whose accent was quite off.

He didn’t have high hopes for the town school’s English teaching, so to avoid rigid rote learning, he intentionally encouraged them to be bold in speaking.

“I remember it all.”

Yanran glanced at their second brother with some pride, since she was doing better than him. Changming just pursed his lips and watched TV silently.

After dinner, Changming and Yanran wanted to keep watching TV. The show was the Su Youpeng and Jia Jingwen version of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." Both disliked the cast because it was different from what they’d seen before, but since it was still martial arts, they were willing to watch and reluctant to leave.

Cong Rong cleaned up the dishes, “Since we just moved today, I’ll make an exception this once. After this episode, no more TV. Time to study English. You’ve never learned it before; you’ll fall behind when school starts.”

“Okay.”

The two kids, happy to finish the episode, didn’t resist studying English. Luckily, big brother made it fun with stories.

After an hour of English, Chang’an took a shower, then called Changming and Yanran to wash up, teaching them how to adjust the water heater. Changming wasn’t fond of bathing, but it was easier than back home, and under big brother’s firm orders, he reluctantly complied.

They had only one bathroom, located near the stairs, not large but not cramped since no washing machine was there. Chang’an planned to buy a washing machine—preferably fully automatic—but it was expensive. After discussing with his mother, they decided to start with a cheaper one for now, to be placed outside in the yard, covered to protect from the sun.

Back in his room reading, Yanran suddenly pushed open the door softly: “Big brother, I’m scared to sleep alone.”

“Then go sleep in Changming’s room.”

The little girl pouted and left without closing the door. After a while, Changming’s annoyed voice came from downstairs: “Get out! Sleep by yourself!”

Soon after, Yanran shouted from the stair landing, “Mom! Mom! Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Sleep by yourself!”

“I’m all alone; I’m scared!”

“Scared of what?”

Cong Rong came upstairs, checked on Chang’an, then Changming. The little girl followed like a shadow, tugging on her mother’s clothes and begging, “Mom, please let me sleep with you.”

Cong Rong refused. Yanran asked again, “How about sleeping with me?”

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Cong Rong was amused and helpless. Previously, Yanran’s bed was close to Chang’an and Changming’s, and the parents’ room was just behind a small door. Suddenly moving apart made it hard for her to adjust instantly. She had no choice but to agree to sleep with her that night, letting her get used to it gradually.

That night, Lu Jun Fang worked overtime and called close to ten o’clock. Changming and Yanran eagerly shared with their father about moving to the new home. Chang’an chatted with his father briefly.

Recently, Lu Jun Fang hadn’t said much, only reminding them to study hard. Chang’an thought tonight would be the same, but surprisingly, Lu Jun Fang asked first, “How much did you spend?”

Currently, expenses included a two-thousand yuan deposit for the shop rent and renovation advance, with the house and furniture totaling 27,000 yuan. Lu Guo borrowed 13,000 yuan from relatives, Lu Jun contributed 3,000 yuan from the factory (partly advanced), and grandparents added 2,000 yuan—totaling 18,000 yuan from parents.

Chang’an planned not to touch the stocks, intending to borrow from Shen Chengyan first. Before he could ask, Shen Chengyan, not yet back from Wenzhou, transferred 30,000 yuan to his card.

Chang’an took 20,000 yuan to his mother. The total budget was 38,000 yuan, with 5,000 to 6,000 yuan left.

He didn’t hide the borrowing but told his mother that stocks would appreciate later and selling now would lose money. Cong Rong was more accepting than Lu Jun Fang and understood Chang’an’s growth over the year. She only warned him to remember their kindness.

Chang’an selectively explained the situation to his father and added, “Don’t worry, Dad. Mom and I calculated it. The shop is right beside the No. 1 Middle School. I can help promote it. It’ll definitely make money. Once business picks up, you won’t have to work at the factory anymore and can join us. Mom gets car sick, so you’ll have to handle the deliveries.”

Lu Jun sighed, “Let’s do it first. I’ll check the factory situation later. I can’t quit yet—what if it fails? We need a steady income.”

“Yeah, makes sense. You’re thinking ahead! Mom and I just want to make money.”

“Sigh, better to worry about failure before success.”

Chang’an never asked Lu Jun to quit immediately but praised him profusely first, knowing it worked.

After talking with his father, Chang’an went to bed. Though initially sleepy, he lost his rest once the lights were off. He silently reviewed the coming developments, thought about school starting soon, two months since he last saw Wang Ke… wondering if she had grown… and about Shen Mo…

He went to bed later than usual but woke earlier than normal the next day. Checking the clock, it was before six, but daylight had already come. He stared blankly for a while, then got up and went downstairs.

After washing up, he found Cong Rong already up, standing on the porch looking outside. Seeing him, she asked, “Why are you up so early?”

Chang’an smiled, “You’re up even earlier than me.”

Cong Rong sighed without reply. Chang’an stretched in the yard, breathing deeply. She watched him with a smile, then sighed again, “It feels like a dream…”

Chang’an laughed, “That’s nothing. When Dad comes back, he probably won’t even recognize where home is. That’s when he’ll feel like it’s a dream.”

Cong Rong couldn’t help but smile but her sense of wonder faded. She took a deep breath, encouraging herself, “The money’s already spent; now we have to earn it! After making money, I’ll buy you a bigger house.”

Chang’an laughed, “Great! The three of us are counting on your shoe store to support us. Getting married and all depends on it. You’ve got to make it work.”

Cong Rong, already open-minded for her age and environment, had no way back and didn’t dwell on more. She focused on doing what needed to be done.

The shop’s painting was straightforward. Buying mirrors for trying on shoes wasn’t difficult either. The hardest part was lighting. Chang’an knew lighting was important to make clothes and shoes look better but didn’t know the specifics.

Fortunately, he had read about it and had some theoretical knowledge. After dinner, mother and son went downtown to check out several brand stores to see how they decorated.

With school starting soon, Chang’an couldn’t accompany his mother all the way. To ensure she wouldn’t skimp to save money, he adopted the same approach as ordering shoes: paying deposits first, reserving shelves, light bulbs, and other items.

After purchasing everything, Cong Rong continued supervising the renovations. Chang’an changed into new clothes, slung on his old backpack, and stepped into the familiar campus, beginning his second year of middle school.

School officially resumed on September 1st. On the 31st, students in grades two and three had evening study sessions. Cheng Mengfei, unlike in the previous life, did not disappear and was still on the stage in Class 4 of Grade 2.

Chang’an, as before, became Wang Ke’s deskmate.

The difference was that last time, the new homeroom teacher assigned them desks together; this time, he stubbornly insisted on sitting there.