Doing It Over Again

What had to come, came. It was all destined by heaven. Shen Shao had been back in Shen Family Village for less than half a day when a group of men and women blocked his doorstep. Their skin was dark and rough, their hands cracked and calloused, clearly indicating that they were accustomed to hard labor.

"Son, please, just this once, ask your dad to return the money to us. We really have no other choice. Our family needs the money to save a life!" The middle-aged woman wiped away her tears. Originally, they had all been working in Linhai City. Three years ago, Shen Jianbing told them that his wife was critically ill and begged them for money to save her life.

They didn't have much money themselves, but considering that Shen Jianbing had been working with them for three or four years and was a reliable and honest man, they couldn't just watch him fall apart. So, they pooled together eight thousand yuan and lent it to him. Shen Jianbing took the money and even gave them an IOU, vowing to return the money within six months.

But after that, they never saw him again. At first, they thought he was delayed by family matters, but after more than half a year passed without any news, they realized something was wrong. They started asking around for Shen Jianbing's hometown address and finally found it. However, upon learning about what Shen Jianbing had done, they found that the family only had a neglected teenager left behind, so they didn't come to demand the money.

Now, one of their children was sick and had been in the hospital for several months, and they were running out of money. They had no choice but to come and ask the abandoned child for the debt.

It wasn't that they lacked compassion; they were simply at the end of their rope.

When the villagers of Shen Family Village heard the commotion, they all gathered around. Initially, they thought it was despicable for these people to force a teenager to pay back the debt. But seeing the woman cry so bitterly and thinking about the child in the hospital, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything, only cursing Shen Jianbing as a beast who had wronged such a good child.

Seeing the middle-aged woman about to kneel, Shen Shao quickly supported her with one hand and bit his lip, saying, "Uncle, Auntie, please show me the IOU, and I'll return the money to you."

"Xiao Shao, where would you get so much money?" Liu Shulian was both anxious and helpless. "That's eight thousand yuan!" She knew that Shen Shao's stepmother had secretly saved some money for him, but at most, it was around ten thousand yuan. With the expenses of the past three years for his education, if he paid back the eight thousand yuan, where would the high school tuition come from?

Shen Shao shook his head without speaking. In his previous life, he had also been cornered by these debt collectors at the door, filled with fear yet forced to repay the debt. After all, for him in his previous life, eight thousand yuan was the money for his education, the sustenance of his dreams. But for others, it was a matter of life and death.

He knew which was more important. So, despite his reluctance to part with the money and give up the opportunity to study, he eventually paid it back. This time, he deliberately returned to the village a few days earlier, waiting for these people to come to his door. If he hadn't been unaware of their addresses, he would have returned the money proactively.

"It's okay, the money can be earned again, but the other person's life-saving money must be returned. It's our Shen family's fault, they don't owe me anything. Paying back debts is a matter of course." Shen Shao turned around and carried out an iron box from the house, which contained exactly eight thousand yuan.

The middle-aged woman's hands trembled as she took the box, opened the lid, and saw that it contained one-hundred, fifty, and ten yuan notes, all neatly arranged. Although the stack in her hand was not heavy, she felt it weighed a thousand pounds.

She herself knew that this money shouldn't be paid by the young man in front of her, but for the sake of her child, she had no choice but to do this.

The others also felt a lump in their throats. Although it was the money they were owed, they couldn't help but feel like they were the bullies, forcing a child to give up his means of survival.

"Forget it, just return the money to her family. My money, you can pay me back after you start working," said a thin middle-aged man, smoking a cigarette that cost five mao a pack, reluctantly glancing at the iron box several times, and then turning his head, "These money should be kept for your studies..."

Before he could finish, his wife pinched him, and he could only puff on his cigarette in silence.

"Thank you, Uncle, but this money should have been returned long ago. It's because you've been taking care of me that you've come to ask for it now," Shen Shao smiled. "I'll say sorry for my dad."

"It's not your fault," the smoking man muttered. "It's us who are sorry for you." With that, he handed the IOU to Shen Shao and said no more.

The villagers of Shen Family Village, who had already cursed Shen Jianbing to the bone, felt even more sympathy for Shen Shao when they saw the debtors leave with the IOUs and the money.

Liu Shulian frowned, "What should we do now?" She glanced at the villagers and then at Shen Shao, her brows furrowed with worry.

At that moment, they heard a joyful voice coming from a distance.

Good news, good news! Our village's Shen Shao has come first in the whole county! He's the county's top scorer!" The messenger was Shen Guanghui from the village. Seeing a crowd at Shen Shao's doorstep, he smiled and said, "Why are there so many people here? You don't know, I passed by the gate of Experimental Middle School this morning and saw a huge banner hanging there, saying 'Warmly congratulate our school's Shen Shao for winning the first place in the county's high school entrance exam results.' Who else could that be but our Shen Shao?"

"Really?" Shen Shao's face lit up with joy. "Has the school released the results?" In his previous life, his grades were good but not good enough to be the county's top scorer. Fortunately, his grades weren't that high back then, or he would have felt even more distressed.

The villagers were also delighted to hear the news. Shen Family Village had finally produced a top scorer. Liu Shulian vaguely thought that since Shen Shao was the county's top scorer, the government would surely offer a reward, and the school wouldn't charge tuition.

"Uncle wouldn't lie to you," Shen Guanghui was proud of the news he brought. "Go and see for yourself. The banner is hanging right at the school gate. It's quite impressive!"

"Yes, go and check," several villagers chimed in, urging Shen Shao to go and see, lest he be disappointed.

"Then I'll go and take a look," Shen Shao went back into the house, picked up his already packed bag, and said goodbye to the villagers before hurrying off. It wasn't that he was really in such a rush, but after settling things here, he planned to go to Furong Third High School in Furong City.

Furong Third High School was the most renowned key high school in the province. In everyone's mind, entering Furong Third High School was like having one foot in the door of a university. Students from the experimental class of this school who scored below the first-tier university admission line would hardly have the face to show themselves. This showed how strict the school's educational standards and admission requirements were.

As soon as he arrived at Experimental Middle School, Shen Shao was spotted by a teacher and taken directly to the principal's office. Although the third-year students had graduated, the first and second-year students had not yet been on holiday. Given Shen Shao's popularity at the school, many students recognized him, causing quite a stir among the younger students.

Almost everyone's face bore the words: "Holy crap, the county's top scorer has appeared!"

Over the past two years, Shen Shao had gradually gotten used to being watched, so he remained calm under these gazes. Upon arriving at the principal's office, he learned that the school would award him eight hundred yuan, and the education bureau would give him another one thousand two hundred yuan, turning his calm into joy.

Who would complain about money coming too easily?

"Both County First High School and City First High School have sent you admission notices, stating that if you enroll, your tuition and miscellaneous fees will be waived. City First High School additionally offers you a monthly living allowance of fifty yuan, while County First High School promises a living subsidy of eight hundred yuan per semester," the principal introduced the preferential policies offered by the two high schools. "You can consider which school to enroll in after you go home."

Judging from the conditions, County First High School was more attractive, but City First High School was the best high school in their city. From a long-term perspective, it would be better to attend City First High School.

Even the principal and teachers present thought so, but they knew Shen Shao's family situation and couldn't make such a suggestion. The two thousand yuan awarded by the Education Bureau and the school seemed like a lot, but once in high school, even without tuition fees, the costs for reference materials and living expenses added up quickly. Especially during the senior year, the variety and price of materials were both high, and students needed to supplement their brain nutrition to keep up with the learning pace. All these required money, and even average families had to tighten their belts to support a high school student, let alone Shen Shao's situation.

After repeatedly thanking the teachers and principal, Shen Shao also bought some fruit to visit his homeroom teacher Li Lu at his home. He was forcefully invited to stay for lunch before returning to his rented room.

That afternoon, Shen Shao bought a bus ticket for the next day to Furong City. Although three years had passed, the road from Peng County to Furong City was still not in good condition. He needed to leave early to avoid difficulties in finding accommodation near Furong Third High School.

The next morning, Shen Shao boarded the bus to Furong City. After arriving at the Furong Bus Station, he transferred to a city bus and took a long time to reach Furong Third High School.

Shen Shao had already registered at Furong Third High School during the last month's holiday. Today, he was here to collect his admission ticket, as the exam was only three days away.

After receiving his admission ticket, Shen Shao made a point to check which building his examination room was in before turning around and leaving the school gate to book a room at a nearby hotel.

The hotel was more expensive than a guesthouse, but it was quieter and had better soundproofing. He needed to rest well for the exam in three days and also review various physics and mathematics problems.

Feeling a bit bored at the hotel, Shen Shao went out and bought several newspapers and magazines. Flipping through the International Daily, he found a large section reporting on a thirteen-year-old child from the country who had participated in the International Youth Mathematics League and had won first place after overcoming numerous challenges. The newspaper also emphasized that this Gu-named student was the youngest participant.

He looked at the color photo in the newspaper with some emotion. The child was quite handsome, with rosy lips and white teeth, and his expressionless face indeed had a touch of genius about it.

After reading this report, he felt that even if his brain had suddenly become much sharper, he was not particularly special. In front of a true genius, he could only be considered an ordinary person blessed by fate. After all, if not for his improved intelligence in this life, even if he worked hard at his studies, he wouldn't be able to remember so much knowledge or achieve the top score in the county.

Closing the newspaper, Shen Shao checked the time and saw it was already ten o'clock at night. He walked to the large window and looked down at the street below, which was now brightly lit. The night view here was incomparable to that of Peng County. Yet, as he thought back to his last moments before death in his previous life, all he could remember were the carefree days of his childhood, when he would catch shrimp in the water and cicadas in the mountains.

Perhaps it's only when a person's life reaches its final second that they realize how precious those innocent times were. Unfortunately, time passes quickly, and when one tries to look back, they find that everything has changed, and the feelings have faded.

He was an ordinary person, venturing into the world at the age of ten, learning to please others through trials and tribulations. He had long lost his innocence. Later, as a chef, he met many people and learned to speak differently to different people. Even his diligent study of knowledge was half out of interest and half to increase his knowledge, so that when he catered to the upper class, he wouldn't lack substance in his conversations if he encountered discerning guests.

Although... he had never met any rich, handsome men or beautiful, wealthy women who engaged him in conversation. Well, life is often so merciless.

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM