[044] Never Look Down on a Youth in Hardship (Please Vote for Recommendations)
A small, snow-white hand waved before his eyes, bringing Fang Chang’an back to himself. He saw Shen Mo, biting her straw, looking at him curiously. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Fang Chang’an smiled. “What should I say?”
Shen Mo didn’t know what to say either, pursed her lips, and stayed silent. Fang Chang’an laughed again and called out, “Uncle Shen.”
“What is it?” Shen Chengyan kept his eyes on the road as he replied.
“How did you win over Teacher Cheng?”
Shen Chengyan chuckled. “You little rascal, why are you asking about that?”
Fang Chang’an said, “I just think Teacher Cheng is wonderful. The longer and harder you pursued her, the better it proves your judgment was.”
He had meant to add, “And the happier you are, the more you deserve it,” but recalling that the young couple’s current happiness depended on the support of the elder behind them, he swallowed the words.
Fang Chang’an had never met Shen Baoguo. In his memories of later years, he was hardly an impression, so he likely wasn’t a major corrupt or treacherous figure—otherwise, he wouldn’t have escaped legal consequences. Still, given the state of the town, especially since people like Ma Zude wouldn’t be tried for another six or seven years, Shen Baoguo, as one of the leaders of Huangnan Market Town, could hardly be called competent.
“You little brat...”
Shen Chengyan laughed again. “Your teacher Cheng is afraid I’ll lead you astray, so I’m not allowed to tell. When you’re older and chase girls yourself, come find me and I’ll teach you properly.”
Fang Chang’an grinned. “Alright.”
The little girl, only just learning the difference between boys and girls, found the topic both novel and embarrassing, silently sipping her milk beside them, eyes blinking like butterfly wings.
After school, Fang Chang’an returned to the small shop from yesterday, ordered another fifty-cent half-portion of fried noodles, watched some “Legend of the White Snake,” then headed back to school.
During evening study, Cheng Mengfei entered the classroom again, ruler in hand, drawing lines on the blackboard. After a while, she finished and turned around. “The school is ordering uniforms. I’ll check everyone’s height now. Start from the first row, come up one by one; the rest of you keep studying. Fang Chang’an, record the numbers.”
“Okay.” Fang Chang’an agreed, put away the “Fortress Besieged” he’d been reading, took out his homework notebook, and prepared to record. As always, Xu Yang, the “lab mouse” of Class Four, was first.
“Xu Yang, one meter forty-two.”
Cheng Mengfei called out, told Fang Chang’an to write it down, and patted Xu Yang’s head. “Eat more and grow taller.”
Many laughed, and Xu Yang, face flushed, hurried off the platform. Next up was Zhou Xiaoyan.
Shen Mo was still ahead of Fang Chang’an. She ran lightly to the blackboard and stood straight. Cheng Mengfei measured and said, “Shen Mo, one meter fifty-two.”
Fang Chang’an entered the data, then got up himself. Passing Shen Mo, the bright-eyed girl glanced at him, seeming barely able to contain her amusement.
Fang Chang’an gave her a serious look, walked to the blackboard, stood tall, and felt Cheng Mengfei’s hand pressing atop his head. Then she announced, “Fang Chang’an, one meter fifty-eight.”
“Wu Di, one meter fifty-five.”
One by one, they were measured and recorded. The process continued through the break and into the next period. The shortest boy was Xu Yang, the shortest girl Zhou Xiaoyan, both just over one forty. The tallest boy, Wang Chuanbiao, was already one sixty-nine, and the tallest girl, Liu Bei, was one sixty-five.
“Because you’ll wear these uniforms for years, they’ll be ordered a bit large. One jacket, one pair of trousers, forty yuan total. Tell your parents when you get home Friday, and bring the money to Fang Chang’an on Sunday.”
After assigning tasks, Cheng Mengfei took the height sheet from Fang Chang’an. Seeing the neatly written names and heights in elegant cursive, she was pleasantly surprised, nodded in approval, and left the classroom.
As soon as the homeroom teacher left, the previously quiet room buzzed with conversation.
Fang Chang’an didn’t stop them, but turned to speak to Shen Mo: “I’m only six centimeters taller than you.”
The girl blinked. “Six centimeters is a lot!”
“No, it’s too little.”
Shen Mo was displeased, pouting. “How much taller do you want to be?”
“Sixteen centimeters would be about right.”
“Impossible!” She lifted her chin. “I’m still growing.”
Fang Chang’an laughed. “You’re a girl, you don’t need to grow so much. One sixty-five is enough. If I reach one eighty-one, that’s sixteen centimeters difference.”
Shen Mo, unwilling to accept, argued, “Why can I only grow to one sixty-five?”
“Fine, one sixty-seven then.”
“No! I want to grow to one eighty too.”
“Girls over one sixty, as long as their proportions are good, are already very tall.” Fang Chang’an leaned closer. “Look at Liu Bei—doesn’t she seem taller than Wang Chuanbiao? She isn’t, but her proportions are better.”
The girl blinked, not quite grasping ‘proportions’ but understanding the gist. “You mean she’s pretty?”
“Exactly. Don’t you think so?”
Shen Mo glanced at Liu Bei, pouted slightly, wanted to say something but held back. Her eyes darted, and she noticed Wang Ke looking over. She smiled, raised her chin, and said to Fang Chang’an, “I think Wang Ke is prettier than her.”
Fang Chang’an looked back; Wang Ke was staring at him. He nodded, “I agree. Among all the girls in our class, Wang Ke is the prettiest overall.”
Wang Ke, hearing his “I agree,” lowered her head, pretending not to hear the conversation, lips pressed tight as she tried not to laugh. She feared being noticed, felt embarrassed, and bit the end of her pen, head even lower, feigning intense focus on her homework.
Shen Mo, on the other hand, stared at Fang Chang’an with bright eyes. Fang Chang’an blinked in confusion. The girl pouted, turned away, dropped her head to the desk, opened her geography book, and covered her face, as if diving into a sea of knowledge.
Fang Chang’an suppressed his laughter, about to pat her, when Wang Ke poked him from behind and whispered, “How tall are you?”
She’d heard Cheng Mengfei’s announcement, but was just making conversation. Fang Chang’an turned around, answered seriously, “One fifty-eight. You?”
“One fifty-five. You’re three centimeters taller than me.”
“I’ll keep growing. I’ll definitely end up much taller than you, at least a dozen centimeters.”
“Bragging.”
The girl in front was pouting, and now the girl behind pouted as well, lips pink and soft. “Can you really reach one eighty?”
“Of course.” Fang Chang’an was confident. Last time, at this age, he’d been stunted by poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Surely this life wouldn’t be shorter?
“How do you know?”
“The fortune-teller said so.”
Wang Ke rolled her eyes. “Fortune-tellers are all liars. You believe them?”
“I don’t believe the bad, only the good.”
Wang Ke thought this was shameless, but couldn’t say so directly. She glared at him, and Fang Chang’an laughed, “Don’t believe me? How about we make a bet?”
“What’s the bet?”
“Bet whether I can reach one eighty.”
The girl tilted her head, thought, and replied crisply, “Okay! What do we bet?”
“What do you want to bet?”
She considered again. “If you lose, you admit you were wrong.”
Fang Chang’an understood she meant admitting he’d bragged tonight. He couldn’t help but laugh. “And if I win?”
Wang Ke grinned slyly, “Then you don’t have to admit you were wrong.”
She thought this condition was shameless, expecting Fang Chang’an to object. Unexpectedly, he thought for a moment, looked at her, and agreed with a smile, “Deal!”
The girl hadn’t expected him to accept such a shameless answer. She looked at him suspiciously, “You promised, so you can’t go back on it.”
“I won’t.”
Fang Chang’an shook his head, smiled, and extended a hand. Wang Ke thought it over, found no trap, and finally relaxed. She confidently reached out her little hand and hooked his pinky, even pressing her thumb for extra measure.
She then gestured triumphantly, as if to say, “You have no chance to regret now.”
Wang Hao and Zheng Lili watched nearby, thinking the two were silly. Wu Di, however, was delighted, since Fang Chang’an was finally leaving Shen Mo alone.
Fang Chang’an turned to Wang Ke for the pinky promise. With the desk empty, Wu Di could clearly see Shen Mo remove her book, pouting angrily, just about to check on her, when Fang Chang’an turned back and tapped the desk with a book.
“Alright, everyone, stop talking and keep quiet.”
Whether planning to study well or not, everyone knew what this meant, and the noisy classroom quickly quieted down.
Wu Di, however, was dissatisfied and whispered to Fang Chang’an, “Why is it that when you say we can talk, we talk, and when you say stop, we must stop?”
Fang Chang’an glanced at him, “I’m the class monitor.”
“...”
Wu Di, caught off guard by his boldness and shamelessness, couldn’t reply, glared at him for a while, then turned back to his books and exercises, gripping his pen tightly. Inside, he silently vowed, “Next exam, I’ll surpass you! Then I’ll ask Teacher Cheng to make me monitor... Discipline committee is fine too!”
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don’t underestimate a poor youth! Let you be arrogant for now!”
——
A recommendation for a friend’s novel, “Side Hustling Across the Worlds to Become a God.” Quality far surpasses the last one, and it’s doing well. Tonight it goes on sale, so here’s a shameless but friendly, ineffective plug.
Summary:
“As an auto mechanic, I drive like a pro. Is there a problem with that, boss Tang?” —“Fast & Furious”
“As an IRS employee, I check the CIA for tax evasion, and catch a couple traitors while I’m at it. Isn’t that part of my job, Ethan?” —“Mission Impossible”
“As a courier, running a bit faster is perfectly normal, right, Flash?”
“As a gym instructor, being strong is no issue, Clark?” —“Superman”
“As a wand maker, I know a bit of magic—surely that’s job-related, Dumbledore?” —“Harry Potter”
“As a chauffeur, piloting the Mark armor is only natural, Tony.” —“Iron Man”
...
One world, one profession: auto mechanic, federal agent, mercenary, sailor, photographer, police officer, magician, wand maker, psychologist, chauffeur, coder... No matter what you imagine, there’s nothing I won’t dare to side hustle!