Harmful betrothal gifts
It took about ten minutes to drive from the North Gate Bus Station to the Cultural Center dormitories.
Zhao Dongchuan touched the doorknob; it was covered in dust, having been untouched for many days. He had stayed in Shuangshui Village for a relatively long time this trip, leaving his dormitory empty for quite a while.
He inserted the key, turned the lock, and pushed open the door. A cloud of dusty air rushed out…
With no one occupying it for days, the room had accumulated a lot of dust.
Zhao Dongchuan immediately took out an enamel washbasin, filled it with water from the outdoor faucet, and began to clean.
Fortunately, the room was not large, and there weren't many places that needed cleaning. In about half an hour, the entire room was as clean as new.
After all the effort, he was hungry. Zhao Dongchuan took out the system-produced rice and vegetables purchased from Shuangshui Village from his storage ring space, preparing to cook a meal for himself.
Although his tests showed that cooked food, when placed in the space, could remain fresh, he did not do so. On one hand, he was cautious, afraid of accidentally getting used to it and doing the same in front of others. On the other hand, he wanted to live more like a normal person, with a bit more of life's everyday feel.
Of course, if conditions were harsh, he would definitely take out ready-made food directly from the space to eat, which would save a lot of effort.
After lighting a fire and cooking for a long time, he finally ate, immediately turning into a hearty eater!
…………
After dinner, Zhao Dongchuan did his homework. Although the novel "yellow earth" was finished, the self-study series of mathematics, physics, and chemistry had not been fully consumed yet.
Stereometry and algebra both greatly tested one's thinking ability. Fortunately, after his marrow cleansing and continuous consumption of the system's rice, his personal attributes had improved significantly, so these challenges did not deter him.
Host: Zhao Dongchuan
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Physique: 1.5, Intelligence: 1.3, Agility: 1.3, Strength: 1.5, Free Attribute Points: 0
His personal attributes were relatively balanced, unlike some people who were severely lopsided.
Normally, a person's attributes should be balanced, with internal correlations between them, showing some differences, but not vast ones.
After finishing the last problem in a "Stereometry" textbook, it was already late at night.
Zhao Dongchuan closed the book, stretched his body, and then sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate the "Qi Refining Introduction."
Through this period of cultivation, his sense of Qi was growing stronger, and he could clearly feel the warm current in his lower abdomen pulsating. He was not far from taking the first step.
He adjusted his breathing, calmed his mind, trying to lengthen each inhale and exhale, constantly feeling the moment of pause between breaths, gradually forgetting himself and his surroundings…
The night passed without a word!
The next day, Zhao Dongchuan woke up around eight or nine, washed up, took out the breakfast he had specially saved from the space yesterday, quickly ate it, and then went straight to work at the Cultural Center.
Along the way, he greeted colleagues he hadn't seen in a long time, and soon arrived at his office.
"Teacher Jia, long time no see!" As soon as Zhao Dongchuan entered the office, he saw Jia Bing scribbling and revising something at his desk.
"Little Zhao, you haven't been back for a long time this time. So, do you have results?" Jia Bing looked up at Zhao Dongchuan and smiled.
"Teacher Jia, you're a prophet! After this period of unremitting effort, my novel is finished!" Zhao Dongchuan said with a joyful expression, patting the satchel on his back.
"I wonder if I can have a sneak peek?" Upon hearing this, Jia Bing couldn't sit still and got up, walking towards Zhao Dongchuan.
"Why not!" Zhao Dongchuan said, taking out a thick stack of manuscripts from his canvas satchel and handing them to Jia Bing.
Jia Bing took the manuscripts and couldn't help but smile.
"Last time I read most of it, this time I'll just read the second half!" Jia Bing said, flipping through the pages.
Zhao Dongchuan ignored him and started tidying his own desk.
Fortunately, it only had some dust. It seemed someone must have occasionally wiped his desk, otherwise, there wouldn't be just this little dust.
Zhao Dongchuan took out the Cultural Center's ledger and started working. He had been away for too long this time and had fallen behind on a lot of work. He needed to catch up on all the progress before going to the provincial capital.
For a while, the office grew quiet, with only the occasional sound of Jia Bing turning pages and Zhao Dongchuan's rustling writing. As time passed, it was soon noon.
Jia Bing put down the manuscript, his face heavy!
"Feudal dross, feudal dross!" Jia Bing muttered to himself.
"How can such things, sacrificing children's happiness for those betrothal gifts, still happen in the new society? They don't even care about their daughter's happiness, forcibly tearing people apart, and ultimately, she perishes. It's truly detestable!" Jia Bing glared fiercely at Zhao Dongchuan.
Zhao Dongchuan shivered and immediately said, "This is just a novel, it's not to be taken seriously!"
"Are such things rare? If there's no factual basis, how could you write it?"
"This story is purely fictitious; any resemblance is purely coincidental!" Zhao Dongchuan said with a smile.
"We are criticizing such behavior. In the new society, marriage is free; it's no longer dictated by parents or matchmakers!" Seeing Jia Bing getting a bit angry, Zhao Dongchuan quickly added.
"Alright, alright, don't try to comfort me anymore. No matter how many years pass, parents' opinions are very important for their children's marriages. Even if they can't decide, they are still a very significant factor. They just shouldn't selfishly sacrifice their children for their own sake!"
"…"
Zhao Dongchuan did not continue the topic, taking the manuscript Jia Bing handed him and putting it into his backpack.
"Teacher Jia, how about coming to my dormitory for lunch? I'll cook a few dishes?" Zhao Dongchuan suggested.
"Sounds good! I've never had a chance to taste your cooking, but this time I've finally caught you!" Jia Bing said with a relaxed smile.
Leading Jia Bing to the dormitory, Zhao Dongchuan immediately got busy.
"Your dormitory is quite clean and tidy!" Jia Bing looked around.
"You make fun of me, Teacher Jia. I just tidied it up yesterday. Please have a seat for a bit; it'll be ready soon!" Zhao Dongchuan called out from outside the room.
"You go ahead and be busy; don't mind me." Jia Bing said, then sat down at the desk where Zhao Dongchuan usually studied and casually pulled out a physics textbook.
Opening the book, it was densely filled with various formulas. Jia Bing frowned, flipped through it, and then put it back.
This book was quite unfriendly to liberal arts students; it made his head ache just looking at it.
Just as Jia Bing was idly flipping through several books, Zhao Dongchuan had finished cooking the meal, bringing out plates of dishes.
"Teacher Jia, please don't mind; I've just made some home-style dishes!"
Jia Bing looked at the full plate of braised pork and the browned chicken drumsticks, saying with an utterly speechless expression, "You call this home-style cooking?"