19: Chapter 19 triggers a hidden achievement: [Self-Reliance]

The Bookstore was dim; one of the fluorescent tubes was flickering, emitting a buzzing electrical sound.

The air smelled of a mixture of old paper and dust.

An old man sat behind the counter, wearing reading glasses and reading a yellowing book.

Hearing the door open, the old man looked up: "Buying books?"

"I saw you were hiring," Chen Zhen said.

The old man put down the book and sized him up: "A student?"

"Second year of high school."

"Want a part-time job?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Chen Zhen paused for a moment: "Just... wanted to earn some money."

The old man stared at him for a few seconds: "Is your family having financial difficulties?"

Hiss... Should he tell the truth or not?

The few seconds Chen Zhen spent thinking appeared to the old man as if he didn't really want to answer.

He didn't press the matter, stood up, and said: "Follow me."

He led Chen Zhen to the back of the Bookstore.

It was piled high with books.

They weren't on shelves; they were piled on the floor in stacks, like small mountains.

My god, so many books.

"These books need to be sorted and organized."

"Sort them by category: Literature, History, Science and Technology, Art... Once sorted, arrange them by the author's surname pinyin and put them on the shelves."

He pointed to a few empty bookshelves against the wall: "Put them there. Wages are calculated by the hour, ten yuan per hour. Are you doing it or not?"

Chen Zhen looked at those mountains of books and estimated the workload.

The sheer number of scattered books was enough to make him a little scared.

Only ten yuan an hour, even a dog wouldn't...

"I'll do it!"

"Alright, quite straightforward."

The old man pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket and handed them to him: "Put these on, it's dusty."

"Work for three hours today, just to get a feel for it."

"Okay." Chen Zhen took the gloves, put them on, and started working.

First, he looked at the first stack of books.

Why was "Advanced Mathematics" being pressed under "Dream of the Red Chamber"?

Having a "World Atlas" next to it was one thing, but there was also a "Complete Family Cookbook"???

This variety was quite vast.

Everything was there.

Chen Zhen squatted down, picking up each book one by one to classify them.

The system panel popped up a notification:

[Work Started: Skill Dimension (Organizing) EXP + 0.1/minute]

So organizing counts as a skill too.

Well, that's not bad.

He was making money and gaining EXP.

Gaining EXP doesn't count as a loss.

At first, he was a bit rusty and impatient.

After a few cycles, he got the hang of it pretty quickly.

He gradually calmed down and became more and more focused.

Sort, arrange, shelve.

His movements went from awkward to proficient, and his speed increased faster and faster.

The experience notifications on the system panel also started popping up faster and faster.

After working for about an hour, the old man walked over and took a look: "Not bad, quite meticulous."

He turned to leave, then stopped: "What's your name?"

"Chen Zhen."

"The 'Zhen' from 'sincerity'?"

"Yes."

The old man nodded: "My surname is Wu. Can you come every day from two to five in the afternoon?"

"I can."

"Then it's settled. I'll pay you when you finish today."

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu."

Old Wu waved his hand: "You worked; it's only right to pay you."

After saying that, he turned and went back to the counter to continue reading.

Chen Zhen continued to organize.

By the second hour, he had figured out the most efficient method:

Roughly separate into piles first, then categorize in detail, and finally shelve everything.

The Skill Dimension EXP on the system panel stabilized at about 0.3 per minute.

By the end of the third hour, he had organized about a quarter of the books.

Grandpa Wu walked over to take a look and nodded: "Not bad."

He took thirty yuan from the counter drawer and handed it to Chen Zhen: "For today."

"Continue tomorrow."

"Okay."

When he walked out of the Bookstore, the afternoon sun was still intense, dazzling his eyes for a moment.

This place was quite close to home, which was very convenient.

It would be fine to just treat it as earning his daily living expenses.

The system panel popped up a notification: [First Part-time Job Completed]

[Labor Compensation Received]

[Social Dimension EXP +6]

[Skill Dimension (Organizing) Unlocked, Current Progress: 12/100]

[Hidden Achievement Triggered: Self-Reliance]

[Reward: Cultivation +1, All Dimensions EXP (excluding Social Dimension) +10]

[Social Dimension] jumped to (82/100).

Only eighteen points left, almost there.

Huge profit!

This book organizing trip was really worth it.

Gained so many points and even got a hidden achievement.

Chen Zhen watched the notifications popping up on the system panel, and his mood went from good to even better.

On the way home, Chen Zhen passed by the vegetable market.

Might as well stop and buy some groceries.

He bought a bunch of water spinach, two tomatoes, and a block of tofu.

It cost eight yuan.

It was five-thirty when he arrived home.

His mother was preparing dinner and was stunned when she saw the vegetables in his hand: "You bought these?"

"Yeah." Chen Zhen put the vegetables on the table.

"I found a job at a Bookstore today, organizing books. Ten yuan an hour. I worked for three hours, earned thirty, and bought some groceries on the way home."

"Oh my, the sun really must have risen from the west, south, and north."

Chen Zhen: ?????

Was his behavior really that... strange?

The west side was one thing, but where did the north and south sides come from?

Chen Zhen's face showed shock and confusion.

"No, no, I was just trying to praise you. My son is amazing!"

Chen Zhen: ...I'll just believe that for now.

His father hadn't returned by dinner time.

His mother made two dishes: stir-fried water spinach with minced meat, and tomato tofu soup.

As they ate silently, his mother asked casually: "Is the work tiring?"

"Not tiring, it's just organizing books."

"How is the boss? Don't let yourself get bullied out there; if you get bullied, don't just endure it."

"I'm not getting bullied. The boss is quite nice, he's an old grandpa."

"Hmm, as long as he's a good person." His mother nodded and didn't ask further.

Halfway through the meal, his father returned.

He looked even more exhausted than at noon, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes.

"Any news?"

"Yeah."

His father sat down: "The electronics factory in the eastern suburbs is hiring maintenance workers."

"I went to ask, and they said I could try, but I have to train for three days first. There's no pay during the training period."

"So are you going?"

"I'm going. It's better than sitting around idle."

His mother ladled him a bowl of soup: "When do you start?"

"Next Monday."

"That's four days away. You should just stay home and rest well for these few days, you hear me? You should at least listen to me this once."

"Okay, I'll stay home and rest well for these next few days."

His father took a big gulp of soup and looked at Chen Zhen: "Where did you go today?"

"I went to a Bookstore to find a job, organizing books. Ten yuan an hour."

His father paused, his brows furrowing: "Who told you to go?"

Chen Zhen heard the wrong tone in his father's voice; he had thought his dad would support him.

"I did it myself—"

"Quit." His father cut him off.

"Your most important task right now is studying, not working."

"Dad, I'm only going for three hours in the afternoon. It won't affect my studies."

"That's still not okay." His father's tone was very firm: "Our family hasn't reached the point where you need to work."

Chen Zhen didn't want to back down.

He felt that those three hours in the afternoon wouldn't hinder his studies much, it was just summer vacation anyway.

Thus, the dining table fell into silence.

After a while, his mother spoke up: "The child has good intentions."

"Good intentions leading to bad results. He's in his second year of high school now, a critical period."

"Distracting himself with work; if his grades slip, the loss will outweigh the gain."

"I won't let my grades slip. I promise."

Chen Zhen's tone was very resolute.

His father looked at him for a long time.

Finally, he sighed: "Suit yourself. But if your grades drop, quit immediately."

"Okay."