[Looking for monthly votes!]
Cross Village, at the foot of the southern slope.
A gravel path snaked its way up the hillside, reaching about halfway up the mountain.
There stood a courtyard, clearly showing its age. The walls and rooftops were a mix of new and old; some parts were dilapidated, while others had been meticulously repaired.
A set of double wooden gates marked the entrance. On the wall hung a bronze plaque, reminiscent of those on township enterprises, inscribed with several large characters:
Huaxia Institute of Classical Studies.
And above the main gate itself, three more characters were written in a flamboyant, flowing script:
Qingyun Sect!
Wu Daodao, clad in his gray robe, sauntered leisurely to the entrance. He first flicked his sleeves, then stepped over the threshold and through the main gate. As soon as he was inside, he called out in a clear voice.
"Your master is back!"
At his call, a small, earth-colored dog darted out from a side room. Its fur was a mix of gray and yellow, and with its tongue lolling, it sprinted towards him, rubbing against Wu Daodao's trouser legs. Wu Daodao gently nudged it away with his foot, then scowled and bellowed, "Where is everyone? Where in the blazes has the whole family disappeared to?"
A moment later, a woman in her forties emerged from the side room. She wore the typical gray jacket of a village woman of that era and held a broom. Her appearance was ordinary, save for her peculiar eyes: the whites were far more prominent than the irises.
From a distance, if one didn't look closely, it might seem as if she were constantly rolling her eyes.
"You're back?"
"Yeah, I'm back," Wu Daodao nodded, offering her a shoulder bag he was carrying.
The woman glanced at it but didn't take it. "Have you eaten lunch?" she asked coldly.
"Not yet."
"Oh. Well, then you'll go hungry. I haven't started dinner yet."
"..." Wu Daodao swallowed and looked around the courtyard. "Where are those little brats?"
"The eldest went to play by the river. The third and fourth went to the back hill to pick fruit; they said they want to learn how to brew wine."
"Second Brother is relatively obedient. The village chief's son is getting married next month. They came by yesterday to ask you to pick an auspicious day. Since you weren't home, Second Brother took your tools and went over to divine one for them today."
"What?" Wu Daodao blinked, his tone a bit hesitant. "I recall Second Brother... he learned geomancy for burial sites, didn't he? Auspicious wedding dates? He can't divine squat for that, can he?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "That village chief and his son are no good either. Embezzling public funds, kicking in widows' doors in the middle of the night—they've done plenty of despicable things!"
"Second Brother said he'd just pick a random time for them and fleece them for three to five hundred yuan."
Wu Daodao chuckled, nodding in approval. "Good boy! More promising than the others!"
Saying this, Wu Daodao walked into the main hall directly opposite the entrance gate.
Though called a main hall, it was, in reality, just a large, tile-roofed building.
Inside, beyond the threshold, upon the incense altar, the Three Pure Ones were enshrined to the right, while the Buddha and Bodhisattvas sat to the left.
Wu Daodao lit a few sticks of incense and kowtowed several times. When he turned around, the woman had already approached with a cup of tea.
Wu Daodao reached for the teacup, but the woman, holding it herself, took a couple of leisurely sips, ignoring his outstretched hand.
Wu Daodao gave an awkward smile, retracting his hand and hiding it in his sleeve. After a moment, he fished out a wad of cash from his pocket.
"Here's two thousand yuan," Wu Daodao coughed, his expression serious. "I went down the mountain to see my master this time and stumbled upon a business opportunity. Made this on the side."
"Tomorrow, take this money and buy some rice and flour."
"Hmm, the children have been craving meat lately. Go to the butcher at the village entrance and get a few pounds of fatty pork belly, and have him chop up some oxtail too."
The woman took the money, licked her fingertips, and counted it quickly. She pocketed it first, then looked at Wu Daodao coldly. "Is this all? Did you hide any for yourself?"
"How could I!" Wu Daodao declared with an air of righteous indignation. "The whole family shares weal and woe! How could I do something as despicable as hiding money for myself!"
The woman eyed Wu Daodao up and down, then chuckled coldly twice.
After a brief silence, the woman spoke. "Before you went down the mountain this time, you divined that you'd encounter an opportunity. Did it come to pass?"
Wu Daodao squinted, thinking. "The person, yes, I met him. And the event happened. But..."
"But what?"
"That person... I couldn't quite figure him out," Wu Daodao stroked his chin, pondered a bit more, then shook his head. "His physiognomy was rather strange. I secretly performed a divination, and his fate... it didn't add up."
"That person was very peculiar. I felt a chill run down my spine whenever I was near him. I didn't dare get too close, so I hurried back, didn't I?"
Hearing this, the woman's expression grew serious. "His fate doesn't add up?"
"Yes, I can't quite read it clearly."
"Then... it's better to be cautious and keep your distance." The woman pondered for a moment. "Our sect has a weak foundation. With just a few of you, young and old, we can't withstand any serious trouble."
"That's what I was thinking. Playing it safe is best. As for that person, I'll just steer clear of him... Hey, hey, hey! What are you groping for?"
"I'm checking if you really hid any personal money!" The woman grabbed Wu Daodao and proceeded to pat down all his pockets.
Wu Daodao struggled desperately. "I say, I'm the Sect Leader, after all! Can't you leave me some dignity! Hey! Stop groping, stop it!"
"Sect Leader, my foot! If you hadn't won against me in that dice game back then, it wouldn't be your turn to be Sect Leader!"
"Aha! Where did this money come from! And you still say you didn't hide any personal stash!"
"Don't run!!!"
Chen Nuo had seen Eldest Senior Brother off yesterday, and Sun Keke's issue had also been resolved.
Once a person has no pressing matters, they can't help but succumb to laziness again.
After all, Chen Yanluo's dream in this life was to be a salted fish.
Yesterday afternoon, after seeing off Eldest Senior Brother, Chen Nuo rested for a while at Brother Lei's shop before heading out for a stroll.
In the evening, he freeloaded a meal at Old Jiang's house... and spent some time with Xiao Yezi. After leaving Old Jiang's house, he found a small internet cafe near the school and played StarCraft all night.
In the morning, reeking of cigarette smoke, Chen Nuo emerged from the internet cafe, ready to go home and sleep.
He had just arrived home when he unexpectedly received a phone call. The caller was, surprisingly, Worker Liu, who hadn't shown his face for days.
"Chen Nuo?"
"Huh? Worker... um, Teacher Liu, why are you calling me?"
The moment Worker Liu heard Chen Nuo's voice, he practically got a toothache. He was thoroughly fed up with this kid, so his tone wasn't very polite. "Cut the crap! I'm calling on behalf of the school to inform you that you need to come to the school at two-thirty this afternoon."
"What's it about? Exams are over; we're about to go on break."
"Just come when you're told! Principal Fang asked me to notify all of you."
Chen Nuo caught a subtle detail: *all of you*.
"What exactly is the matter?"
"Good news! Alright, I still have others to notify. Remember, two-thirty this afternoon, gather at the school's small auditorium! Don't be late! Oh! And wear your school uniform!"
After hanging up, Chen Nuo took a shower and then lay in bed for a while.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, he got up on time, put on the blue and white sports uniform of No. 8 Middle School, and left the house.
He rode his bike all the way to school and went straight to the small auditorium.
At two-thirty, Chen Nuo walked in almost exactly on time.
Quite a few people were already waiting inside the school's small auditorium.
There was Worker Liu, two teachers from the school's Academic Affairs Office, and an unfamiliar middle-aged woman in a suit. She was clearly a colleague of Worker Liu, likely also sent by the education group.
However, Worker Liu was very respectful towards her; clearly, her rank was much higher than his.
"Hey! Chen Nuo! Didn't I tell you not to be late?"
Seeing Chen Nuo arrive, Worker Liu glared and snapped.
Chen Nuo glanced at him. "Am I late? It's two-thirty."
A dozen or so students already occupied the seats in the small auditorium. Including Chen Nuo, there were exactly twenty in total.
Among them, Chen Nuo knew only two: one was Du Xiaoyan, and the other was the nameless class representative, basically a tool.
The others he didn't recognize were from different classes. It was clear there were students from both the first and second years.
There were no third-years, as they were preparing for the college entrance exams.
However, a pattern was discernible.
The students who had been summoned all had neat and well-groomed appearances. Dressed in their uniforms, they looked like well-behaved, model students.
They were the type that could be pulled out to shoot promotional photos for the school.
Hmm, were they picked based on their looks? Chen Nuo wondered. But... why isn't my little Keke here? If we're talking about looks, picking anyone from No. 8 Middle School, high or low, who could surpass my Sun CC? Only Long-Legs could possibly compare. As they say: In No. 8 Middle School's looks, Keke's the peak. If Grasshopper doesn't show, who can compete?
Chen Nuo walked over and sat with the class representative and Du Xiaoyan. After all, the three of them knew each other quite well, not just as schoolmates, but also from attending evening tutoring sessions together at Old Jiang's house.
Once all the students had arrived, Worker Liu began to speak.
Listening to him, Chen Nuo felt somewhat bored.
It turned out he was talking about the school's official transition from a public to a private institution next semester.
After the restructuring, the school would establish an "International Department."
To put it simply, the curriculum would use materials from the United Kingdom, teachers would mainly be externally hired, and some would be directly recruited foreign teachers.
This education company seemed to be genuinely investing heavily to make a big splash.
The so-called "International Department" was actually designed to recruit children from wealthy families. It was a three-year high school program that followed the "quality education" model, where students graduate without participating in the domestic college entrance exam, opting instead to study abroad.
Therefore, to align with international standards, the International Department's high school curriculum would deviate from the domestic test-oriented education system.
For this purpose, construction of a new academic building had begun on a plot of land adjacent to the school even before No. 8 Middle School started its restructuring.
This land had originally belonged to a factory run by No. 8 Middle School.
In its early days, No. 8 Middle School had been a vocational high school with its own small-scale factory that occupied a small piece of land.
After it converted to a general high school, the factory was shut down, but the land remained.
A couple of years ago, when the decision to restructure was made, the education company acquired the land and began demolishing the factory to build the new academic building on its site. The original office building of the school-run factory would also be converted into student dormitories and faculty housing.
They had indeed spent a lot of money—though, truth be told, the land itself was very valuable.
Chen Nuo was somewhat aware of this matter.
Hmm... Much of the cement and earthwork for the school's new academic building construction had been secured by Luo Qing's father, Boss Luo Dachan.
Chen Nuo had heard Luo Qing mention it a few times before.
So, what were these eight students gathered for this afternoon?
It was quite simple: reception duties.
Because the International Department had hired quite a few foreign teachers and new externally-recruited instructors.
The new teaching faculty was scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
The school and the education company had set up a temporary reception office. The school was short-staffed, and although the education company had sent a few employees, it still wasn't enough manpower.
So, following tradition, it naturally fell to the students to run errands.
The twenty students who were called, including Chen Nuo, were essentially serving as "volunteers."
They were responsible for welcoming the new teachers arriving at the school, giving them tours, helping them settle into their dormitories, and performing various physical tasks during the process, such as carrying luggage and running errands.
Moreover, to showcase the image of No. 8 Middle School, students with presentable appearances had been specifically chosen.
Actually, aside from Chen Nuo, the other students present had known about this for a while and had been notified in advance.
But Chen Nuo always skipped classes, so he was only finding out about it today.
At the front, Worker Liu was delivering a rousing speech.
Chen Nuo whispered to the class representative, "Did you guys know about this beforehand?"
"Yeah, we had a meeting about it before."
"Then why call me? I'm always skipping classes; I'm obviously a troublemaker. Notifying me at the last minute for this kind of reception for foreign guests—aren't they afraid I'll cause trouble?"
The class representative rolled his eyes. "How would I know? The list was decided by those above."
After Worker Liu finished speaking, the woman in the suit from the education company began to address them.
She first introduced herself, and it was only then that they learned her surname was Zhang. She was a senior executive sent by the education company to oversee the reception work. Worker Liu respectfully called her Director Zhang.
Director Zhang's speech was quite amicable. She told the students not to be nervous, to relax, and to present a positive image when welcoming the new teachers and foreign instructors.
Then she began to discuss some rules regarding foreign affairs.
Chen Nuo, growing impatient, took out his phone and secretly started playing Snake under his desk.
However, he also understood why, despite picking people based on looks, Sun Keke hadn't been called.
What a joke.
Sun Keke was the daughter of the future vice-principal... Expecting the vice-principal's daughter to serve tea and carry luggage for teachers?
Which teacher could bear such a thing?
Wouldn't it be awkward?
It's like at your job, having the child of the company's deputy chairman act as your gofer...
Would you dare to use them? Would you have the nerve to assign them menial tasks? Would you feel comfortable watching them toil and tire?
So, Sun Keke wasn't asked to do this kind of service work.
In fact, Chen Nuo was also thinking about leaving.
But then Director Zhang added another sentence:
"Students who perform well in these reception duties will receive bonus points toward their regular grades."
Oh well, might as well stay then.
I'm idle anyway.
This meeting was, in essence, a pep rally—according to Huaxia tradition, such a meeting is always held before starting any significant work.
Afterward, a teacher from the Academic Affairs Office announced some rules and regulations for this assignment that involved foreign personnel.
Director Zhang then announced that all teachers, students, and staff involved in the reception work were invited to a grand dinner tonight at the newly opened cafeteria in the school's International Department.
At this, the entire hall erupted in cheers.
Chen Nuo saw the meeting was ending. He turned off Snake, which he had already grown tired of, put away his phone, and was about to follow the main group to get some free food.
Suddenly, Director Zhang turned her head and whispered something to Worker Liu.
The main group left for dinner.
Chen Nuo, Du Xiaoyan, the Class President, and another girl he didn't recognize.
The four of them were asked to stay behind.
"What's up? Are we not invited to the big feast?" Chen Nuo drawled with a lazy smile.
Seeing Chen Nuo's demeanor, Director Zhang raised her eyebrows but maintained a very amicable tone. "Classmates, we have a more important task for you."
"Huh?" Du Xiaoyan and the other girl looked somewhat puzzled.
"It's like this: the International Department has secured foreign investment, and our school has a new board director."
"This board director is a foreigner and isn't very familiar with the situation in our country or at our school."
"Therefore, the four of you have been specially selected as the reception team for this board director."
"Hey! You're not planning anything shady, are you?" Chen Nuo frowned. "The class president and I are one thing, but making two young girls serve a board director? That doesn't sound appropriate, does it?"
Director Zhang frowned but kept her composure. "Classmate... you're Chen Nuo, correct? You don't need to worry about what you're implying! This reception work is being conducted in strict accordance with foreign affairs protocols! Nothing like the untoward incidents you're imagining will happen. Besides... the foreign board director is a lady in her fifties!"
Chen Nuo nodded.
Oh... so it's... a rich older woman.
Chen Nuo turned to look at the Class President. "Well, brother? Feeling like you don't want to struggle anymore?"
The Class President: "???"
[I need monthly tickets!!]
[First update delivered.
There will be another one this afternoon.]