Chapter 51: A Chance Encounter

Chapter 51: A Chance Encounter

For several days in a row, Ye Xiaoxiao would perform acupuncture on Zhou Ziran after her afternoon classes, skipping both morning and evening study sessions.

After all, the teachers of Class Nine wouldn't assign extra classes to the students.

Finally, the day off came around again, and Ye Changyuan wanted to go with Ye Xiaoxiao to visit the herbal medicine shop.

He was a bit worried and wanted to see for himself.

So Ye Xiaoxiao took him along.

Ye Changyuan saw the needles inserted all over Zhou Ziran's body, a sight he had never witnessed before.

Besides, this old man seemed quite special.

There were even soldiers standing at the door.

But... that Officer Lu was an old friend, so he should be reliable.

After thinking it over, Ye Changyuan watched the acupuncture session and then went out to play.

"What's your brother checking out?"

Ye Xiaoxiao sorted the herbs in her hands: "Probably checking if you all are trustworthy."

Lu Hanchuan sat across from Ye Xiaoxiao, watching her work: "Pretty sharp instincts. Is he thinking about joining the army?"

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up.

Ye Changyuan had mentioned wanting to enlist, but Lu Hanchuan didn't know that.

"You might not know, but Baichuan Village isn't included in this year's recruitment quota."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Why's that?"

Her dad and both older brothers were in the military, so why was Baichuan Village excluded this year?

Lu Hanchuan explained, "Mainly because the army didn't have many openings this year, and Baichuan Village's recruitment results in previous years weren't great. Many didn't even pass the physicals, so the local government decided not to give any spots."

Ye Xiaoxiao asked softly, "If my brother wants to enlist, is there any way..."

Lu Hanchuan: "Let him come with me; I'll take care of it."

Ye Xiaoxiao pushed his shoulder, creating some distance between them, "You're pretty much kidnapping someone."

Lu Hanchuan smiled, "At most, it's calling in a favor."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."

After the joke, Lu Hanchuan spoke seriously, "I can only get him signed up. Whether he makes it through the rest is up to him."

Even so, Ye Xiaoxiao knew her family was getting a big break.

"After the college exams, I'll have my brother come see you. If I tell him now, he'll definitely lose focus on his studies."

Lu Hanchuan nodded: "Sure."

Ye Xiaoxiao stared at him, "You're not going to vanish on me again, are you?"

Lu Hanchuan: "Again? Did you contact me? Because of the money and the tickets."

Lu Hanchuan was worried she might refuse, so he gave her small bills and change, thinking it wasn't much. Besides, a young girl spending it wouldn't draw too much attention.

"This month, I've been on missions out of town a lot, with little time at home, so I didn't get the calls."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "No need to explain, I didn't call that many times either."

Lu Hanchuan laughed out loud.

She's too proud.

...

Meanwhile, Ye Changsheng had just finished his ten-day training.

A round of competitive exams began.

Each exam round cut the bottom thirty percent, with the rest advancing. By the final round, fewer than a hundred remained, competing for the top three spots.

It was, after all, a fiercely competitive national contest.

Despite their skills, neither Li Bowen nor Ye Changsheng cracked the top thirty in the final exam.

Ye Changsheng ended up in 65th place.

Li Bowen was ranked 72nd.

Their scores were just two points apart.

Yu Deshui waited for the two students to leave the dormitory to go home together.

Dressed in clothes Ye Changning brought from out of town, Ye Changsheng looked transformed—handsome and refined.

Yu Deshui patted his shoulder, "Nice clothes—can't find these at our county's co-op."

Ye Changsheng: "They were brought back by my third brother."

Yu Deshui: "Looks sharp, really sharp. No awards, but don't sweat it. Top hundred out of hundreds nationwide is impressive. Having a chance to test our level is very rare, and there will also be some incentive policies for the college entrance exams, even if we can't get a guaranteed admission, we can still get extra points."

Ye Changsheng: "Thanks, Principal."

Li Bowen: "Principal, aren't we checking out Beijing?"

Yu Deshui: "Base bought the tickets—no time for sightseeing. Come back when you're big shots."

Yu Deshui walked the two out through the school gates.

Families crowded the school gates, waiting to pick up their kids.

In the crowd stood Hao Yanyan, beside Xu Jianwen.

"Brother Jianwen, maybe I should head home. Bringing me here might upset Jianli."

Xu Jianwen hadn’t intended to bring Hao Yanyan along, but since they were studying together in the library, it would have been too conspicuous to let her go back alone.

Xu Jianwen: "Jianli’s just a kid, spoiled by my mom. Don’t pay him any mind."

Hao Yanyan was beaming with a smile: "Jianli is really impressive. His name is on the honor roll at the entrance, isn’t that the first prize? Only three people in the country received the first prize."

Xu Jianwen also had a proud look on his face but then said: "He’s been good at studying ever since he was a kid, but he’s just average at other things."

While waiting, Hao Yanyan kept glancing inside the entrance.

In a daze, she thought she caught a glimpse of Ye Changsheng.

Hao Yanyan’s face changed instantly.

But upon reflection, it seemed unlikely. In her past life, Ye Changsheng had been bedridden from illness.

All the family’s money went towards his treatment, and in the end, it all went down the drain.

She didn’t receive a single penny for her dowry when she married.

In this life, after being reborn, she took all the family money.

This was what the Ye family owed to her.

And even if she hadn’t taken it, the Ye family would have wasted the money, so it was better to use it as her startup capital.

Having lived through so many years and witnessed the times’ development, she was confident she could make money. Once she made money, she would pay it back.

Thinking this way made her feel much better.

When she looked up again, the figure had vanished.

She must have been mistaken. The student she saw was dressed in a white shirt and polyester pants, which were all the rage in the capital. The Ye family couldn’t afford clothes like that.

Xu Jianli and Shao Zeyu came out together.

Seeing Xu Jianwen with Hao Yanyan, Xu Jianli wanted to avoid them.

Xu Jianwen waved: "Come over, I drove here. Do you want to walk back alone?"

Xu Jianli reluctantly walked over, shooting his brother and Hao Yanyan a disdainful look.

Shao Zeyu politely greeted, "Brother Jianwen."

Xu Jianwen: "Zeyu, come with us."

Shao Zeyu: "Thank you, Brother Jianwen."

Once in the car, Xu Jianli sat sulking in the back seat, while Hao Yanyan had to sit in the front passenger seat.

A car like this was something she could only dream of as a child, but in the compound, it was just the most ordinary means of transportation.

She must hold on tightly to her current life.

As soon as they reached the compound’s entrance, Xu Jianli wanted to get out of the car, "I have something to do with Duan Lei, stop here."

Xu Jianwen frowned, "What do you want with him? Don’t mess around with him."

As soon as the car stopped, Xu Jianli eagerly opened the door and ran out.

"I don’t care about your business, so you should care less about mine!"