152. Learning Is the Only Right Path

For Wang Ke, the summer vacation after her first year of middle school was not fundamentally different from those in elementary school, except that she occasionally felt bored and even wished for school to start sooner. In previous years, she had similar thoughts, but those only surfaced in August. This year, the break had barely begun before she felt a longing for the classroom.

Of course, it was just a passing thought. If she were actually asked to return to school immediately, she wouldn’t want to—no one would!

Her family was well-off. Her grandfather’s generation had been industrious and thrifty. While they lacked grand talents, they had worked diligently to build the family estate, raised two sons, found them wives, and established a comfortable foundation. Wang Ke’s father, Wang Sitong, had been nicknamed "Wang Badan" (a pun on his name, which sounded like a common insult) due to a local idiom and the teasing of his peers. To avoid the connotation, most people simply dropped the surname and called him "Badan." As a child, Wang Ke had been deeply troubled by this crude nickname, but over time, she grew used to it and eventually forgot that the name was an insult at all.

Wang Sitong was the youngest in his family. With the support of his parents and older siblings, a knack for business, and a house located in the very center of the village—a prime spot where villagers often passed by—he borrowed money from his family to open a small supermarket. Initially, business was just average, but after the road in front of their shop was paved with concrete a few years ago, foot traffic increased significantly. As the business flourished, the family’s wealth grew.

Small business is still business, and money must be earned. However, the couple were honest; they weren't greedy, nor did they dare to be, fearing both a damaged reputation and karmic retribution. They often gave small favors to children and the elderly who shopped there, and they kept their earnings modest and low-profile, earning them a good reputation and popularity in the neighboring villages.

As Wang Ke grew up, she became the "achievement" her parents were most proud of. She had good grades, was pretty, and was well-behaved. Though the hardworking couple felt she was a bit spoiled and lazy, they saw it as a minor issue; once she grew up and got married, she would naturally learn to handle household chores.

Wangzhuang Village was small and lacked an elementary school, so children from three or four neighboring villages attended school together. From the start, Wang Ke was consistently at the top of her class, even ranking first several times. Even after entering middle school, she remained in the honors class. Though it was harder to bring home certificates every semester like she did as a child, being in an honors class at a town school—surrounded by top students from the town and surrounding villages—was proof enough of her capability.

More importantly, her grades improved with every exam. Her parents were overjoyed, seeing her on the verge of breaking into the top ten and earning awards again; they had no reason to complain. Even friends and relatives would praise her for having a bright future and the potential to get into college. Whether it was flattery or not, her parents believed it. They weren't short on money and could afford to support both of their children’s education. They felt she should go to college, rather than following the path of other village girls who stopped after middle school to attend vocational schools or head out to work. If she had the academic talent, they would support her all the way!

As a child, Wang Ke was a bit of a tomboy, and her mother, Zhang Aiqin, often scolded her for being "wild." However, after starting middle school, she grew quiet and reserved. Sometimes, when other children called her to play, she would refuse. Wang Sitong was concerned, wondering if his daughter was acting strangely, leading Zhang Aiqin to retort, "When she plays, you complain she's too wild; when she doesn't, you worry there's something wrong with her... are you the one with the problem?"

She suspected it was two-fold: she was maturing, and she was being influenced by the more affluent, educated children she met at the town school—like the little girl named Shen Mo who often drove to pick her up. After discussing it for some time, the couple agreed that this "Shen Mo" had influenced their daughter, and they resolved to invite her for a meal next time she visited.

As it turned out, Shen Mo had transferred schools. The couple felt a pang of regret, but upon hearing she had gone to the City No. 1 Middle School, they understood. If they had the means, they would certainly want their child to go there too. Zhang Aiqin felt she had found the reason why her daughter had been moping at home reading books all summer. She tried to comfort her from every angle: the City No. 1 School had better prospects, they were young and would meet again, and transferring didn't mean they couldn't stay in touch. In short, there was no need to be sad.

While the girl was undoubtedly reluctant to part ways, her parents noticed that after the initial sadness, she would sometimes secretly smile to herself, leaving them baffled. Zhang Aiqin even began to wonder, "Could she be having a secret puppy love?"

"Go on!" Wang Sitong scoffed at his wife’s nonsense. "How old is she? She doesn't even know what that means! You're just obsessed with preventing it!"

"By the lunar calendar, she's almost fourteen. In feudal times, she'd already be married. Giving birth at fifteen was common!"

"Is this a feudal society? What kind of thinking is that? Do you know what a feudal malignancy is?"

The conversation veered off-track, but despite her grumbling, Zhang Aiqin didn't truly believe her daughter was involved in a romance. If she were, she would have started long ago. In third grade, boys had already been writing her love letters. Even after she started middle school and was separated from those boys, there was still one persistent boy named Li Meng, the son of Li Ergou from the same village.

Li Ergou and Wang Sitong’s father had been sworn brothers and had once jokingly suggested an arranged marriage between their children. No one took it seriously, but Li Meng had heard the rumor and insisted on making it a reality, bragging about it to his classmates. Fearing that he would cause a scene or spread rumors at school, Wang Sitong and Zhang Aiqin had sent their daughter to the No. 2 Middle School instead of the No. 1, without telling the Li family.

Even so, Li Meng would rush over every weekend. The girl clearly had no interest in him, but since the families were close, the elders couldn't just turn him away, and the girl couldn't keep shooing him off. They had hoped that by ignoring him, he would eventually lose interest, but he kept coming back.

Deep down, the couple didn't have a bad impression of Li Meng. He was sensible, a good talker, and sturdy. He just refused to study, and his grades weren't a match for their daughter. If their daughter had shown any interest, they wouldn't have minded, but now was not the time. Their daughter was a university prospect and couldn't be derailed by Li Meng. Wang Sitong had even spoken to Li Ergou about it over drinks, but Li Ergou couldn't control his son. If he scolded him, Li Meng would talk back; if he locked him in the house, Li Meng would jump the wall—he even learned how to pick locks.

Fortunately, Li Meng was somewhat afraid of Wang Ke. If he visited too often and she got annoyed, he wouldn't dare come back for a day or two. The last time, he had brought two friends as cover, but after they were rejected, they refused to leave. When they saw her reading, one of the friends tried to help, but somehow ended up annoying her, and she chased all three away.

That wasn't unusual, as it had happened before. They expected them to return in two or three days, but strangely, a whole week passed and they didn't show up!

Wang Ke was curious at first, but that was it. Aside from helping at the shop, she spent her time doing homework and reading. Sometimes she would mutter to herself, reciting things. When asked if it was for a test, she would say things like, "Once you reach a certain level, improving grades isn't just about the textbook," or "Learning depends on accumulation"—things her parents didn't quite understand.

Regardless, as long as she was studying, it was a good thing. Her parents didn't interfere. Wang Sitong would even boast to neighbors with feigned modesty: "My daughter never needs me to worry about her studies. She loves to learn! Her mother and I can't even stop her!"

One evening, while Zhang Aiqin was in the backyard preparing dinner and Wang Sitong was out, Li Meng reappeared after a two-week absence, accompanied by his friend Wang Chao. Wang Ke didn't want to engage with him, but to her surprise, Li Meng produced his summer homework and said, "Wang Ke, can you help me check this problem? Wang Chao and I can't figure it out..."

Wang Ke thought it was just another excuse, but since it was about schoolwork, she couldn't treat it the way she did his attempts to play. She took the workbook and was stunned to see it filled with dense, neat handwriting. He really had been doing his homework! And he had done more than she had!

She widened her bright eyes, doubting her own vision. If it were Fang Chang'an, she might believe it—though his handwriting was much better, and he certainly wouldn't have problems he couldn't solve. Besides, Fang Chang'an didn't do summer homework at all; he’d barely finished his winter assignment, submitting it mostly blank and claiming the teacher wouldn't look at it anyway. *Wait, why am I thinking about Fang Chang'an when Li Meng is asking me a question?*

The young girl pulled her thoughts back and examined the problem. It was indeed difficult, and she furrowed her brows to think it through.

Zhang Aiqin had heard her son mention their arrival and came over to see what was happening. She asked with a smile, "Li Meng, we haven't seen you for a long time. What have you been up to?"

"Just doing homework at home," Li Meng replied, looking a bit awkward. Wang Chao looked the same, as if they had done something shameful rather than productive.

"Really? Since when did you become so fond of studying?"

Zhang Aiqin was skeptical. She had watched them grow up; while Wang Chao might have changed, it was highly unlikely for Li Meng.

Li Meng was indeed embarrassed. Who knew what had gotten into their "boss," who usually did nothing but curse his teachers, that he suddenly wanted to turn over a new leaf? And the worst part was that he wanted to drag all his brothers along with him!

At first, Li Meng thought the boss had lost his mind. But after a phone call, he realized it wasn't his boss, but his boss's boss—the school's "big brother," Kuan-ge—who had gone crazy. Kuan-ge claimed that only students with good grades in the 21st century had a future, and those who didn't study would be eliminated by society. So, he was determined to study hard and forced all his brothers to do the same.

"Kuan-ge specifically mentioned you and Wang Chao," Li Meng explained. "He said you both have potential and it would be a waste not to study. He ordered us to stay home and finish our summer homework, and he's going to come around to check it soon."

Li Meng felt a mix of excitement, fear, and frustration. He had wanted to enjoy his summer vacation, yet here he was, trapped at home doing homework. But he dared not disobey Kuan-ge, whose reputation was legendary. Because of that fear—and a spark of hope—he had stuck with it for nearly half a month. Today, he had to come out because Kuan-ge was almost due for an inspection, and he was still stuck on so many problems!

Wang Ke, though she disliked Li Meng, saw that he was genuinely trying and began to explain the problems to him. She didn't show any impatience, even when her mother called her for dinner. After they left, Li Meng reflected on the gap in their academic skills, but then he realized something: Wang Ke had spoken to him so much. Even if it was just about homework, she had actually been nice to him!

It seemed that whether for his future or for winning a girl's heart, studying really was the right path! Li Meng felt as if he had discovered a new world. Suddenly, his summer homework didn't seem so hateful anymore; he even considered buying extra practice books once he finished the current ones! Even the image of Kuan-ge in his mind became tall and majestic, radiating the glorious light of the righteous path.