Chapter 3: Tingting 1

The system suddenly spoke up: "Host, this isn't right. Parents have an obligation to raise their children; how can they count that as a debt?"

Tan You’s emotions surged a little: "They’ve always said that. I’m used to it."

It was the first time someone had stood on her side, and Tan You’s favorability toward the system shot up rapidly.

She had no intention of arguing with Tan Lin; after all, Tan Lin had left a deep psychological shadow on her. She had been beaten often since she was a child, and she had gradually figured out how to get along with him: simply do not contradict him.

Whatever he said, she let him say it. As for whether she agreed or not, it wasn't as if Tan Lin could control her thoughts, could he?

Perhaps the only one eating happily was Tan Yue. After all, she was only seven years old, and she didn't understand much of what the adults were saying. Of course, she was also very close to Tan You and had been leaning against her the whole time.

After breakfast, Cheng Wenhui and Tan Lin packed their things, preparing to head back to C City to work. They had rushed back from C City yesterday when the high school entrance exam results were released, all for the sake of Tan You’s high school education.

Before meeting the system, Tan You hadn't had such a profound understanding of the importance of education. But after seeing the life of the first client, Tan You suddenly understood how important schooling was for a child from a poor family.

The Tan family was not wealthy, and Cheng Wenhui and Tan Lin didn't have much luggage. They simply stuffed the clothes Tan You had washed that morning into plastic bags, planning to hang them out to dry again once they reached C City.

Little Tan Yue, however, knew that Tan You wouldn't be going to C City with them this summer vacation, and she was incredibly reluctant to part with her. But she couldn't win against her parents, and in the end, Tan Yue followed Tan Lin and his wife with teary eyes.

As soon as her parents and sister left, Tan You went straight to the kitchen. After washing the pots and dishes, she boiled a large pot of hot water. Having been forced to kneel since last night, she felt like she already smelled.

Tan You was taking a bath, and the old lady didn't say anything. The family had a few acres of land, and after breakfast, the old lady put on her straw hat and went to the rice paddies. Tan Deming was in poor health, so the old lady did all the farm work; it was truly exhausting.

When Tan You came out carrying the dirty laundry, she saw the pile by the well—it was her grandparents'. As for her grandfather, Tan Deming, he was sitting in the shade of a tree smoking, looking quite content.

Finally finishing the laundry and hanging it out to dry, Tan You couldn't wait to return to her room. What she needed most urgently now was to earn energy; with energy, she could draw for intelligence points.

Heaven knows how devastated Tan You felt every time someone told her she wasn't cut out for science.

Tan You returned to the west room, and Tan Deming merely lifted his eyelids without calling her to do any work. He knew Tan You had been kneeling all night, so he naturally had no objection to her going back to her room to sleep.

Lying on the bed, Tan You touched the halo on her index finger: "System, are you there?"

"I am here. Does the host confirm departure?" A voice rang out, and the milky-white ball of light appeared before Tan You once again.

"Confirm departure." Tan You clenched her fists. After all, she was going to a strange place alone, and it was her first time performing a mission; naturally, Tan You was nervous.

But at the thought that working hard would earn her energy and that she could become very smart in the future, Tan You summoned endless courage.

Sensing Tan You’s thoughts, the little system shrank back imperceptibly. If the host finished the first mission and returned, only to find out she had been deceived, would she settle the score with it?

Forget it, forget it. Better to keep it hidden for as long as possible. Let's wait until the host returns. Holding onto this "delay as long as possible" mentality, a halo of light suddenly emerged from the system: "Transmission starting... Host, please stay safe!"

Tan You nodded earnestly: "I will! I will definitely come back alive!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Tan You closed her eyes on the bed, and her soul was already being taken by the system into the mission world. Her first mission had officially begun.

Perhaps because it was her first mission, or perhaps because Tan You was lucky, she arrived in this world in the middle of the night. It was the time when everyone was asleep. Tan You wasn't in a hurry to sleep; instead, she began to look through the memories of the original owner, Han Tingting.

She had an excellent memory; she could basically remember every person she had seen and every voice she had heard. Therefore, with just a little recollection, she knew she had arrived at the time when Han Tingting was fifteen.

Fifteen, Tan You thought silently. At this time, things weren't that bad yet. At the very least, Han Tingting hadn't been forced to withdraw from school; she could still continue her studies.

However, although she hadn't been forced to withdraw yet, she wasn't far from dropping out.

Even though there was nine-year compulsory education, not every student in rural areas finished middle school. It was fine if they encountered a good teacher, but if they encountered a teacher who only cared about grades, it was hard to endure.

Han Tingting was one such case. She was a sensitive person by nature. Because her grades were poor, she wasn't valued by her teacher in class. Coupled with the influence of her family environment, Han Tingting’s grades were almost always at the bottom of the class.

Therefore, in the first semester of the second year of middle school, Han Tingting’s homeroom teacher found her mother, and the implication was very clear: don't let Han Tingting continue her studies. With her grades, she wouldn't amount to anything anyway.

Later on, regulations became stricter, but in the past, it really wasn't that strict. There would always be someone willing to play the villain; for the sake of the school’s advancement rate, they would be the first to persuade students with poor grades to withdraw.

And Han Tingting was one of them.

What could a fifteen-year-old girl do after being forced to withdraw? No factory would hire her, and one could imagine what Han Tingting’s future life would be like.

Recalling Han Tingting’s life, Tan You touched her chest. Compared to Han Tingting, she suddenly felt quite lucky. Although her parents’ words always made her sad and hurt, at least they valued education and let her continue to study.

Putting her parents aside, Tan You gradually began to formulate a plan. The most important thing now was to ensure Han Tingting wasn't forced to withdraw, so the first step was to improve Han Tingting’s grades.

Second-year middle school knowledge... Tan You pursed her lips. After all, she had just gone through the high school entrance exam; if she went back to the second year, she should be able to handle it, right? Thinking of this, Tan You turned over and fell asleep.

Before six o'clock in the morning, there were rustling sounds all around. Tan You sat up, clutching her quilt; her roommates were all around her. There were many such boarding facilities outside the school, and Tan You was staying at someone’s house.

School dormitories were limited, after all, and couldn't house that many students. Thus, these outdoor boarding facilities came into being. Of course, setting them up was simple.

Tidy up the house, clear out a few rooms, and set up a few beds—a boarding facility was ready. It didn't require a business license or tax payments, and the income each semester was quite substantial.

New book, please add to your library and recommend, thank you everyone!

(End of chapter)