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墨書 Inktalez
"People get hungry, and their noses become very sensitive!" Qin Yi, disregarding her image, took the bowl of noodles that Jiang Yizhou handed over and started eating with chopsticks. "We had a meeting today, and I still have to help set up the venue. I'm exhausted, and the cafeteria hasn't even opened for meals yet!"
"Oh, I see. That really is tough!" Jiang Yizhou also brought his bowl to the dining table. There was no television, refrigerator, or air conditioning in the room; these were all precious items. This environment had made him develop the habit of sitting properly at the dining table while eating.
"Who isn't? Actually, the counselors have it the hardest; they are practically babysitters. They have to convey what’s instructed from above and solve the students' problems below!" Qin Yi complained a bit. However, this job was still quite good; it was like having one foot in the system. After serving as a counselor for a term, one could likely become a formal staff member of the school. If one didn’t want to work, there were still opportunities for continued graduate studies.
"That's great! I actually envy you a bit. Look at me; I only started wanting to study seriously at eighteen to make something of myself. But those things I missed in middle and high school can't be made up for. Even if I take the adult college entrance examination, I still need a high school diploma or vocational certificate as a foundation. I have no hope at all!"
Jiang Yizhou had thought about going back to school before. The university environment was definitely much better, with more resources available. But the reality was that he simply didn’t qualify; he couldn't even take the adult college entrance examination.
So now he thought about taking a few professional certificates, gaining some work experience, and eventually starting his own business as a boss. Surely one wouldn’t need an academic degree to be a boss, right? Jiang Yizhou felt that learning was what mattered.
The notion that studying is useless in society was merely a crude equation of academic qualifications with knowledge. It was just like in his previous life when he only obtained a degree certificate but lacked the knowledge and experience that matched it.
However, there was no doubt that schools were the best places to learn knowledge. Those who rose with the tide of the times were ultimately few; when the tide recedes, they would rely on accumulated capital to sustain themselves.
In the future, with artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing emerging, there would be no future that didn't require knowledge. The era where one could attract investment just by having a "Plan" at the end of the '90s and where profits would flow into one's pockets simply by starting machines had already ended.
In summary, the idea that studying is useless was merely a distortion of social sentiment during a special era; easy wealth accumulation had given people an illusion.
"I know your level well enough; turning over a new leaf is priceless. Besides, it's just a matter of wasting some time; I believe in you!" Qin Yi said casually while enjoying her steaming egg noodles, alleviating her hunger.
However, she glanced towards a corner of the room where a pile of luggage was stacked and asked in surprise, "Jiang Yizhou, are you leaving? Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
Jiang Yizhou waved his hand and calmly replied, "I just want to go back home for a bit; I'm about to start high school soon, so I want to check on her situation."
"Why do you still need to go back?" Qin Yi asked somewhat confused.
"I'm not hiding it from you, I'm worried that my mom won't let my sister go to high school. I need to go back and make sure this money is spent properly before I can feel at ease," Jiang Yizhou said with a somewhat strange expression. "In the countryside, there are quite a few like this; after finishing junior high, they won't continue their studies."
Qin Yi thought for a moment and understood the key point here. Among her university classmates, many came from rural areas, and some had really tough lives. She had even helped introduce part-time jobs; there were those who didn't finish college.
However, during the time she shared an apartment with Jiang Yizhou, Qin Yi felt he was someone who didn't waste money. At least he paid attention to the quality of life, spending where it mattered without throwing money away.
"When are you leaving?"
Jiang Yizhou glanced at his watch. "I have a ticket for eight o'clock tonight. I'll just stay a little longer!"
Jiang Yizhou carried a large blue canvas bag on his back and held onto a suitcase in his hand. He moved slowly through the ticket gate, following the crowd to the platform where the train was located, running towards the back until he finally found the hard sleeper compartment.
There weren't many people in the hard sleeper compartment. At least Jiang Yizhou managed to shove his luggage under the bed and sat on the lower bunk for a while. Six beds were occupied by three more people who seemed to be a family of three.
Now was around the end of summer vacation, which could barely be considered a peak travel season in the future, but it didn't seem like there was any peak at all right now!
"Hey, brother, where are you headed?" one of the men from the family asked, wiping sweat from his forehead as he looked at Jiang Yizhou.
"I'm getting off at Xichuan! What about you guys?" Jiang Yizhou casually replied upon seeing the man ask.
"What a coincidence! We're also going to Xichuan!" Li Lihui grinned widely. "Which part of Xichuan are you from?"
This person seemed a bit overly enthusiastic! Jiang Yizhou felt somewhat troubled and replied, "I'm not from Xichuan; I'm from nearby Jiacheng!"
Noticing that Jiang Yizhou didn't seem very talkative, Li Lihui didn't press further and they sat quietly for a while.
The train rattled forward, and Jiang Yizhou, having eaten three bowls of noodles before boarding, wasn't very hungry. He was not used to eating on trains, usually just snacking a bit.
As the initial excitement of boarding settled down, not many people got on during the journey, especially in the hard sleeper compartment, which was quite quiet. The only sounds were from the attendants changing shifts and those pushing carts selling boxed meals, snacks, and drinks.
After a while, he started chatting with a family of three: the husband Li Lihui, his wife Zheng Ruoying, and their daughter Li Yali, who had just entered high school.
It seemed that they were taking advantage of their daughter's graduation from middle school; her mother brought her to the capital for a summer camp and to visit her grandfather. Li Lihui was in the building materials business in Xichuan.
"What do you do, Jiang?"
Jiang Yizhou had almost gotten used to being called by his last name. After leaving school, he mostly encountered people older than him; even some of his peers were from his hometown and often referred to him as "Jiang" or "Jiang Zi," which had become somewhat of a conditioned response for him.
"Me? I'm just from a poor family, dropped out of school to work and earn some money!" He said this without any hesitation. His clothes were quite simple; his formal attire was left in the rented room, and both of his bags were cheap.
After this statement, the conversation quickly dwindled. The couple's attitude gradually became cold. Jiang Yizhou pouted and lay down on the bed, bored and lost in thought until he slowly fell asleep.
Having seen the night scenery outside the train for many years, Jiang Yizhou felt that the bed was much more comfortable. With this thought in mind, he drifted off into dreams.
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