Chapter 10: Ms. Yu’s Discontent

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Afterwards, Zhai Da wandered through many places in the county, but gained nothing. The system did not provide a “search radar,” and only things he saw up close could be identified, which was quite inefficient. Moreover, the system’s suggestion that “equipment can be combined into higher-level equipment” seemed far-fetched—he only had two items and had already tried combining them without success.

What could the [Clown’s Love Letter] and the [Sturdy 28-inch Bicycle] possibly combine into? A clown unicycle? Even if it worked, it wouldn’t be suitable—Ms. Yu had to go to work every day… that would be a feature on “1818 Golden Eye” for sure!

At six in the evening, Zhai Da arrived punctually at the entrance of the Woolen Mill, where a steady stream of uncles and aunties from the factory were leaving work. Compared to factories in the Pearl River Delta or Yangtze River Delta, the average age of employees at Sanyi Wool Mill was at least two decades older—veterans left over from history. Of course, from a capitalist perspective, they were burdens.

Young workers like Lu Wei made up only about a third and were highly mobile. Occasionally, someone recognized Zhai Da and greeted him with a smile.

“Xiao Da, I heard you fainted? Are you alright?”

Ms. Yu… you can’t tell all the coworkers everything!

Zhai Da put on a brave face and replied, “I didn’t faint. The school just made a big fuss over nothing…”

He waited by the gate for a long time as many male workers walked out smoking. The scent of tobacco made Zhai Da’s heart itch, but since this body was not yet dependent on nicotine, he tried to avoid the bad habit.

His past self, who died suddenly, knew it might have been because of smoking. But the Maybach’s fault was at least partially to blame.

At half past six, Yu Xiaoli finally came out of the factory, looking much more fatigued than when they parted that morning. The garment factory was harsh on the eyes—constant close focus on stitches and tools—her gaze now somewhat dull.

Yet upon seeing her son, a warm smile broke through.

“Were you anxious waiting? Let’s go~”

Zhai Da accepted a ride on the classic 28-inch bicycle from the most outstanding and beautiful woman at the woolen mill. Before leaving, he glanced once more at the dilapidated factory that was older than himself. Suddenly, he realized there might be [special items] imbued with lingering thoughts inside…

He would find a chance to explore.

Yu Xiaoli, however, misunderstood his gaze, raising her tone playfully, “Oh? Are you thinking about some girl? Lu Wei’s practicing cutting on her own today; you can’t wait, huh?”

In a sense, women in their forties and teenage girls alike enjoyed chatting about matters of the heart. If the subject was her own son, they would double down.

“I asked today—she’s your age, you know~”

If this were the younger Zhai Da, he would have already blushed hot and possibly bickered with his mother out of embarrassment.

But now, Zhai Da just smiled casually.

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“I’m not in a hurry anyway. Just don’t rush me to get a daughter-in-law.”

These days, strict vigilance during school years made early romance seem criminal, but once graduated, family pressure to marry and have children hit hard.

Ultimately, the pace of societal change outstripped the evolution of traditional views.

As more knowledge and skills were required to enter society, the window for marriage and childbearing kept shrinking.

This created pressure on both ends, as though only a few fleeting years remained—a feeling women especially keenly perceived.

“Are you really not interested in that Lin classmate? Not even going to try harder?”

“I just want to focus on studying now. Starting tomorrow.”

Yu Xiaoli, feeling bored, sensed Zhai Da was no longer as easy to tease as before.

“Suddenly, I feel a little unfair.”

“How so?”

“Mom taught you for so many years, but it seems you learned more from getting rejected by a girl once.”

The evening breeze stirred his bangs, revealing Zhai Da’s firm hairline.

“I was born into an ordinary family, grew up healthy, went to school smoothly, with normal values, no inferiority or paranoia, and a decent moral compass… isn’t all that thanks to you?”

Yu Xiaoli covered her mouth to laugh, “That’s nothing. Our Xiao Da was always a good kid—it’s that girl’s misfortune.”

Zhai Da smiled but said nothing.

Still, it was good. Whether from his mother or classmates, attributing the changes brought by his rebirth to a youthful “heartbreak awakening” gave a reasonable explanation.

That helped him plan his next moves. A little misunderstanding—adults could handle it.

No matter how awkward, could it be as embarrassing as singing “A Grateful Heart” at the annual meeting?

Of course, he couldn’t admit defeat outright.

“I’m telling you again, I didn’t confess. The love letter was dug up behind my back!”

“Is there much difference?”

“Is there no difference between a caught-in-the-act and an attempted crime?”

——————

Early the next morning, Zhai Da carefully recalled his daily routine for school.

First, brush teeth and wash face, pack his bag, then have breakfast and go downstairs with Yu Xiaoli—she headed left, he right.

As for the exact location of the school, he had already traced the cycling route yesterday and wasn’t worried about getting lost.

Along the way, many students wore the same uniform as him—a style between sportswear and work clothes, made of 100% synthetic blue and white fabric.

Apart from a few big cities, this uniform looked the same nationwide, only the blue and white placements varied, a real challenge for designers.

With such limited elements, they designed countless youthful shackles.

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If you looked closer, the uniforms were even made by the woolen mill…

Zhai Da wore the spring-autumn version: short sleeves inside, long-sleeved shirt and long pants outside, with “Woolen Middle School” printed on the chest and “MAOFANG” on the back.

Abbreviated as “MF,” though among students, the middle character and the last “ke” were silent.

After only a few minutes, the backpack straps began to chafe his shoulders, so he switched sides repeatedly.

The weight of knowledge was truly heavy—who said students couldn’t bear a burden?

He remembered that in his previous life in the metropolis, students went to and from school lugging large suitcases packed with even more stuff.

So after all these years of reducing burdens, who actually got relieved?

On the road, he ran into Wu Yue. To Zhai Da, Wu Yue was an old friend he hadn’t seen in years, but to Wu Yue, Zhai Da was a close buddy he saw every day.

So Wu Yue came up from behind and slapped him hard on the butt.

You’re crazy!

Zhai Da fought the urge to slap him back.

He had always found teenagers annoying, including his teenage self…

“Zhai Da, did you finish your homework? We had a whole day off, six assignments—it’s ridiculous.”

Zhai Da replied calmly, “As a famous person who fainted in the exam hall, I don’t think any teacher would be crazy enough to ask me for homework.”

“Uh… that makes sense.”

“But you’re different—hurry up and run to class to copy it.”

Wu Yue took off running.

Zhai Da chuckled softly and was about to continue when a roadside display caught his eye.

“Promoting Outstanding Individuals, Showcasing Woolen Mill Excellence”

It was an old, faded signboard, the colors blurred like a mosaic.

One section read “City-Level Math Competition,” with a photo below.

“First Prize: Lu Wei”

Though the photo was unclear and there might be others with the same name, the only dark area—the long-tailed, large eyes—Zhai Da would not mistake.

“So that’s why… she’s a senior from the previous year…”

He seemed to have found the reason for the familiarity…