Chapter 44: Go Be a Sailor

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Go Be a Sailor

"Miss, why are you suddenly thinking about things like this?"

"My roommates and I were talking about it."

Song Jianye said frankly.

"Did you know Chen Yuan’s monthly allowance is 2,000 yuan? Mine is 10,000, and you give me extra on top of that. There’s no comparison between us."

"Girls’ expenses are always a bit higher than boys’. 2,000 is definitely a little tight for a girl."

"But spending over 10,000 a month is pretty wasteful, too."

"So, you want to try living on 500 yuan a week to see what it’s like?"

"Uh-huh."

Uncle Zhang thought for a moment and decided not to argue.

’Being frugal is better than being wasteful, after all.’

"It’s worth a try."

Uncle Zhang didn’t say much more. He was just the driver; it was best to say just enough and leave it at that.

Just then, Chen Yuan arrived.

"Uncle Zhang."

"Xiaoyuan."

Uncle Zhang smiled in greeting and checked the time.

"Miss, it’s about time. We should get going."

"Okay."

Uncle Zhang took the bags and carried them to the car.

’Looking at all the things Song Jianye bought... comparisons really are odious. All these gifts are completely unnecessary.’

He followed the GPS to Wang Shoucheng’s house.

Uncle Zhang helped carry the items to the elevator entrance.

"Uncle Zhang, we don’t know when we’ll be done with dinner, so you don’t have to wait here. We’ll get back on our own after we eat."

"Alright then, Miss. I’ll be going."

"Okay."

Uncle Zhang drove away. Normally, he would wait for Song Jianye no matter how late it was. But today he had other business and needed to make a trip to the airport, so he left first.

But he only felt comfortable leaving because Chen Yuan was with her.

’A boy who tells the miss to be frugal has to be a reliable person.’

At the elevator, Chen Yuan called Lao Wang. Then they got in and went upstairs.

Wang Shoucheng answered the door. He was wearing a tank top and shorts—the classic middle-aged dad look.

"Teacher Wang."

"Hello, Teacher Wang."

"I just invited you over for a casual meal. You didn’t have to bring anything."

Wang Shoucheng welcomed the two inside.

When it came to the rice, he might have been playing coy, but Wang Shoucheng genuinely hadn’t planned on accepting these gifts. He really didn’t want them bringing things when they came for dinner.

Still, Chen Yuan’s actions showed him that the young man was different.

Unlike other students, he was much more mature when it came to social graces.

’He probably learned it from his family, picking it up over time.’

"We didn’t buy much," Chen Yuan said with a smile.

"Are your students here?"

The voice came from the kitchen, and a woman in an apron came up behind Wang Shoucheng.

The woman’s long hair was pulled back in a bun. She wore red pajamas, looking very comfortable and at home.

Chen Yuan’s first thought was that Teacher Wang’s wife must have killed someone in the past. ’Lao Wang must have found out her secret and blackmailed her into marrying him.’

"This is Chen Yuan, one of my students. And this is his girlfriend, her name is..."

"Ma’am, my name is Song Jianye. I’m a finance major from the School of Economics and Management," Song Jianye said sweetly.

"Oh, wonderful. Come on in, dinner’s almost ready."

"Thank you for having us, ma’am."

Song Jianye was a real sweet-talker. She came in and sat primly on the sofa.

In the living room, Lao Wang’s daughter, Wang Yutong, was playing with toys. Chen Yuan gave her the doll he had bought.

"Thank you, Uncle..."

Wang Yutong said in a tiny, high-pitched voice.

"You’re welcome. Go on, play with it."

"Uncle, can you play with me?"

"Sure, Uncle will play with you."

’The kid wants to play with me,’ Chen Yuan thought. ’My "100% Affinity with Human Cubs" ability must be working.’

’Otherwise, based on looks alone, Song Jianye should be the more popular one.’

"You two play with her for a bit. I’m going to help your ma’am in the kitchen."

Wang Shoucheng didn’t treat them like strangers, leaving the child with Chen Yuan as he headed to the kitchen.

They both sat on the playmat. Song Jianye was a little socially awkward and had no experience with kids, so she just dangled a small toy to entertain the child.

Chen Yuan looked around for other toys to play with.

True to his reputation as a try-hard, Lao Wang didn’t have many toys lying around. Instead, Chen Yuan found a children’s English vocabulary book.

’What a try-hard. The kid’s only three and he’s already pushing this on her.’

"Uncle, can you teach me to read the words?"

"Of course."

Chen Yuan had only scored an 89 on his English college entrance exam, which wasn’t great, but he figured he could handle the words in a children’s picture book.

’It’s probably just "apple," "air," "ant," and stuff like that...’

But after opening the English picture book, Chen Yuan frowned.

autochthonous.

’What the hell is this?’

’Even if it wasn’t "apple" or "air," something like "abandon" would at least be reasonable.’

’Lao Wang, you’re really something else.’

He tossed the English book aside and picked up a Chinese one instead. This was much easier; he could read everything.

After they played for a while, dinner was served. Teacher Wang’s wife put the child in her high chair, placed some rice and vegetables on the little tray, and fastened a bib around her neck. The girl could feed herself, though it was a messy affair.

Wang Shoucheng opened a beer for Chen Yuan, which drove home the difference between a university counselor and a high school teacher.

It seemed you could treat them more like a friend.

"The financial aid grants have been disbursed. Did you apply for one?"

"I won’t fight for it. I’m not rich, but I have no problem affording meals."

"I know your class’s situation, and no one is in dire straits. It wouldn’t be a problem for you to apply. I’ll review it, and as long as there are no major issues, I’ll approve it. It’s free money, after all."

"Got it."

’That’s what he said, but whether he’d actually do it was another story.’

"You didn’t show up for evening self-study this week. I heard you joined the School Student Union."

Chen Yuan nodded. "I just wanted to check it out. The important thing is to participate."

"Joining the Student Union has its perks. It’s a good place to build character. If you become president someday, you can put that on your resume. If you’re up against someone with a similar background, that extra line could give you an edge."

"I’m a student here. What are the chances of staying on as a counselor after graduation?"

Before the October holiday, that had been Chen Yuan’s genuine plan. The salary wasn’t high, but it was stable, and you could get a few perks on the side. All things considered, it seemed like a pretty good job.

’But now that I have the System, things are different.’

"Being a counselor is pretty boring. I’m even thinking about quitting and finding another job, maybe one that pays more."

"I heard sailors make good money."

"My next-door neighbor’s husband is a sailor. He does make a lot of money, but the only drawback is being out at sea all the time. You can’t come home often, and besides, I get seasick."

"A few days ago I saw on the news that the United States’ space station is recruiting people. The requirements aren’t that high, the pay is good, and they don’t care about your nationality."

"If you’re going to do that, you should join our own country’s program. What’s the point of going to the United States’?"

’That’s true,’ Chen Yuan thought, ’but with our country’s program, you actually get to come back.’

...