Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Is This a Proper Tutoring Job?
Sunday. A rare day off.
Breakfast at the Yang Family home was like a battlefield.
Although Tao Ying was a pro at housework, making breakfast for six people at once still left her a bit overwhelmed. At one point, she even ran out of ingredients and had to send Yang Shen downstairs to buy a few steamed buns.
The atmosphere at the dining table was even stranger. Yang Mo and Yang Man sat on one side, united in their hostility as they glared at the intruders in their small home, while Lei Lv and Lei Yi sat on the other.
Yang Shen and his aunt sat at either end, packing the small dining table to capacity.
Yang Shen looked at Lei Lv and Lei Yi. The former was still mostly anxious, while the latter was already gnawing on a steamed bun, completely oblivious to the murderous glares from the two "big sisters" across from him.
Although he had accepted their presence out of a sense of "promise-keeping" and "responsibility"—the system had even registered them—feelings couldn’t be cultivated overnight.
They could hardly even be called acquaintances.
For now, all he knew was that Lei Lv was more mature than others his age, which was likely related to his past hardships.
As for Lei Yi... well, he was just a foodie.
’Right... I can check his Life Chart. Today’s one chance... I’ll use it on Lei Lv.’
’I’ll check Lei Yi’s next time. Besides, he’s so young, there’s no rush.’
Yang Shen silently used his "Life Chart" ability.
"Lei Lv: No Cultivation"
"Life Chart: Gratitude, Trapped Reef’s Young Dragon"
"Gratitude: Repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring. Loyal and devoted, willing to die a hundred deaths without regret."
"Trapped Reef’s Young Dragon: Beset by hardship in youth and must endure trials. If he can break free, his Life Chart will change."
’Huh... he actually has a Life Chart.’
After all, Yang Mo and Yang Man were around the same age, but their Life Charts were both still "Undetermined."
Evidently, Lei Lv’s experiences and circumstances had been enough to shape his character, making him more mature and independent-minded than his peers.
’Gratitude is very good. It’s the foundation for him to integrate into the Yang Family and live with us. As for "Trapped Reef’s Young Dragon"...’
’It feels quite powerful. This is the first time I’ve seen a Life Chart that can explicitly change. It’s a shame his Cultivation talent is so poor, with only a single Metal Spiritual Root.’
Yang Shen split a steaming bun in half, stuffed it with a fried egg and two spoonfuls of "Old Cadre Red Chili Fermented Soybeans," and handed it to Yang Man.
He then did the same, preparing three more and handing them to Yang Mo, Lei Lv, and Lei Yi respectively.
He was used to having younger sisters, so having two more younger brothers wasn’t a big deal. Taking care of younger kids was an older kid’s instinct.
The others’ reactions were normal—Yang Mo and Yang Man were especially used to it—but Lei Lv had a very complicated expression when he took the bun. It looked like he was about to burst into tears.
Yang Shen said to Tao Ying, "Auntie, it’s fine for Lei Lv and his brother to stay here, but don’t they need to go to school?"
Lei Lv immediately said, "Mrs. Tao, Yang... I don’t have to go to school. If there’s a place that will hire me, I can work to help support the family."
Tao Ying said sternly, "Nonsense, of course you have to go to school. You were attending elementary school in your village before, right?"
Lei Lv lowered his head in shame. "...After my dad passed away, I lost the heart to go, and there was no one to look after us..."
What they had was less of an "elementary school" and more of a "volunteer teaching post," with just a dozen or so kids and two teachers in total.
In reality, it was normal for children in such a remote village to stop their education after elementary school and go home to help on the farm. After all, middle school was in the county town, which meant a long journey and a sharp increase in expenses.
Tao Ying felt a headache coming on, but she still said, "You still have to get an education, but it will be very difficult this semester... Lei Lv is the same age as Mo and Man, in the sixth grade, while Xiaolei Yi is about to start elementary school..."
Going to school required household registration, and that required official legal documents to establish their relationship... It involved a lot of troublesome procedures, far more than just making a bed on the living room floor.
"How about this: I’ll go around and ask today, including about adopting you two. I’ll try to get you straight into middle school this September, and Lei Yi into elementary school. There might be a gap of a few months before then, but you can’t work. Who would hire a twelve or thirteen-year-old kid..."
Hearing that he couldn’t earn money, Lei Lv lowered his head, dejected.
Yang Shen, on the other hand, was lost in thought...
’Can’t work... Should he take up Cultivation?’
’He’s been accepted into the family, the system has acknowledged him, and his Life Chart even includes "Gratitude"...’
’Hmm, I’d better observe him for a while longer,’ Yang Shen decided.
As for why he still needed to be observed despite having a good Life Chart, you could ask Director Liang for details.
After breakfast, Tao Ying hurried out the door. She had many places to go to make inquiries, leaving Yang Shen forced to watch over the four kids.
Without the Lei Brothers, Yang Mo and Yang Man were actually very well-behaved and didn’t need him to watch them. But these two brothers were different. They had only been here a day, and he didn’t know what they were like.
Around noon, his aunt returned.
"Auntie, what’s the word on the adoption?"
Tao Ying shook her head. "It’s not that fast... but it is very complicated. Lei Lv and his brother didn’t bring anything with them, so we can’t prove they’re ’orphans.’ Many of the procedures are impossible to complete... If I’m honest about where they came from, I’m worried they’ll just be sent back to their village, so I only asked around indirectly today."
"If you ask me, we’ll have to make a trip back to their village and clear things up in person. Otherwise, the paperwork will never be in order."
Hearing he might have to go back to the village, Lei Lv flinched.
Yang Shen smiled. "If it’s not going to be fast, there’s no need to rush. It’s only March, and there are still six months until September. Let’s just have them study on their own at home for now."
Tao Ying nodded. That made sense.
"Enough of that. I’m going to start making lunch."
Yang Shen was about to follow her to help out in the kitchen when his phone vibrated.
The message was from Xu Bamboo.
"Shenzi! I found a gig for you. 500 an hour, you in?"
Yang Shen immediately replied, "I’ll smash it!"
He was afraid if he was even a second late, Xu Bamboo would say he’d added an extra zero by mistake!
There was a pause on Xu Bamboo’s end, maybe because he was giggling while holding his phone. A moment later, he sent another message:
"You didn’t even ask what the job is. Anyway, I won’t keep you in suspense. A friend of my mom’s wants to hire a tutor, a tutor for Martial Arts practice. I sent them your basic info, and they’re pretty satisfied. They want to meet you tonight."
Yang Shen: "Send me the address."
Xu Bamboo sent an address, then followed up with another message: "Don’t forget, once you’re there, don’t be shy. Eat a lot, they’re providing a meal! I’m off to practice my sword skills!"
Yang Shen put his phone away and immediately said to Tao Ying, "Auntie, I won’t be home for dinner. You don’t have to make my portion."
Tao Ying, who was in the middle of tying her apron, looked a bit confused. "But I’m making lunch right now..."
Yang Shen’s gaze was lofty and sharp. "I’ll skip a meal to make room."
————
「Three hours later, as evening approached.」
After a shaky, hour-long ride on a two-yuan bus, Yang Shen arrived at the address Xu Bamboo had given him.
This place was already near the border of the Jinshui District. Of course, that didn’t mean he had reached the bustling Jianghuai City, because the edge of Jinshui District was still the suburbs.
The phrase "suburbs of the suburbs" was starting to feel more and more accurate.
But this was a villa district with extremely low building density. As Yang Shen got off the bus and walked up the hillside, he almost thought he had wandered into a forest park...
Yang Shen felt uncertain and called Xu Bamboo, hoping to get more details. But Zhuzi didn’t pick up; he was probably studying, his phone put away.
After giving the house number to the villa district’s security guard for registration, Yang Shen continued on his way.
He came to a three-story detached villa. He couldn’t even guess the area of the yard in square meters. The sheer pressure of money made Yang Shen’s expression stiffen.
From the outside, he could see a lawn, a swing set, and a wooden platform for drinking tea, but it all seemed poorly maintained... Yang Shen rang the doorbell and waited for a long time with no response, only to finally discover the door was unlocked...
So, after shouting a couple of times and still getting no answer, he cautiously headed inside.
’The further I walk, the more I worry this counts as trespassing,’ he thought.
’I have zero experience with this! Who has a house with a yard! I’ve never even seen one before!’
Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry for long. He soon met the master of the house: a man in his thirties wearing nothing but shorts and a bathrobe, lying on a lounge chair on the lawn, his cheeks flushed, and numerous empty liquor bottles scattered beside him.
’He has to be the owner. If this were a guest, they’d have to be completely shameless.’
"Hello? Hello?"
The middle-aged man slowly woke up. The first thing he did was rub his head, looking like he was in a lot of pain. "Who are you?"
Yang Shen said calmly, "I’m here to apply for the tutoring position."
"Tutor... Oh, right. I think I got a call around noon... I don’t really remember."
The middle-aged man struggled to sit up, rapping his head uncomfortably. "Remind me, what was it about?"
Yang Shen got straight to the point: "500 an hour."
The man paused for a moment. "Uh... I remember now. Tutor, 500 an hour. Yes, that did happen."
Yang Shen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was a job, it was fine. He had been worried he’d made the trip for nothing.
’I wonder if they’ll reimburse my bus fare,’ he thought.
"Sir, my name is Yang Shen. I was wondering if it’s your son or daughter who needs tutoring? What grade are they in?"
The middle-aged man stared blankly for a moment, then pointed at himself.
"I don’t have any kids. I’m the one who needs a tutor."
Yang Shen: ...
’Is this tutoring job legit?’
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