Rebirth begins with an arranged marriage

Chapter 19 Together with You

"I asked around for you."

Teacher Chen didn't beat around the bush and took out the Guangxu Yuanbao and handed it to Tang Huaiyi: "This thing is called a dragon dollar. It's made of silver. It's not as famous as the Yuan Shikai silver dollar, but there are quite a lot of them."

"They're offering ten dollars, would you sell it?"

"If you're going to sell, I'll tell you a place. Go and see if it's suitable for you."

Instead of taking over and selling the Guangxu silver coin directly, Teacher Chen brought it back to Tang Huaiyi, leaving the decision to Tang Huaiyi.

Let alone for a poor family like Tang Huaiyi, the importance of ten yuan is self-evident. Even for families that are doing well, ten yuan is not a small amount.

Even if he meant well, if someone gossips and raises suspicions, saying he's taking advantage of a poor student, then it's hard to explain. After all, antiques and coins aren't exactly priced; if you ask someone else in a couple of days, they might be even more expensive.

Upon hearing what Teacher Chen said, Tang Huaiyi didn't bother with any other questions and directly asked for the address where the dragon coins were sold.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Teacher Chen, but he was considering that if he were to receive something from Crow again in the future, he couldn't always rely on Teacher Chen to ask and sell for him.

It would be bothersome for Teacher Chen, and it would be difficult to explain the origin of the items.

"On a small street just south of the intersection of the vegetable market, there are vendors selling flowers, plants, and goldfish. There are only two places that accept money, one for eight dollars and the other for ten dollars."

Teacher Chen explained to Tang Huaiyi carefully: "The shop that gives you eight yuan has a dog tied up at the door; the shop that gives you ten yuan has a sign with calligraphy that says 'Antiques and Calligraphy,' so pay close attention."

"No signboard?" Tang Huaiyi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Having old things at home wasn't a good thing in the past. It's only been a few years, and there aren't many people in our small county who like these things. We'd be hesitant to do this kind of business. Just having a brand is good enough," Teacher Chen said.

Tang Huaiyi suddenly realized what was happening and thanked Teacher Chen again.

Teacher Chen gestured for him not to be polite and invited him to her home for dinner.

Tang Huaiyi shook his head and declined, saying, "The class has already brought out my dinner; it would be a waste if I didn't eat it."

When Teacher Chen saw that he was unwilling to go, he urged him to study hard after he sold the dragon coin to pay for his tuition and improve his life.

Tang Huaiyi nodded repeatedly in agreement.

A while after Teacher Chen left, Li Xiujuan finally came out of the classroom, peeking around nervously as if afraid of being seen.

"What are you doing, Li Xiujuan?" Tang Huaiyi asked with a smile when he saw her acting a little furtively.

"I'm afraid Teacher Chen will scold you if she sees us getting close."

Li Xiujuan said in a low voice.

Tang Huaiyi smiled and turned to get the teacup: "What are you afraid of? I still need your pickled vegetables to eat, so it's true that I'm taking advantage of you."

"no……"

Li Xiujuan followed behind him, speaking softly.

After saying that, seeing that Tang Huaiyi was walking ahead and hadn't heard him, he took another step forward and tried to raise his voice a little: "That's not how it is."

Tang Huaiyi turned around in confusion: "What?"

"I said, it's not like that..." Li Xiujuan was thin and weak, but at this moment it seemed that a strong force supported her, allowing her to try to make herself clear, "Tang Huaiyi, it's not that you took advantage of me, it's that I was willing."

After she finished speaking, she felt a little embarrassed by what she had said, and a wave of heat rose from her face to behind her ears. She quickly lowered her head.

It was just a joke about sharing cornbread and pickled vegetables, but she was incredibly nervous.

Tang Huaiyi smiled and said, "Yeah, I know. I was just kidding."

Li Xiujuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Whether it was Tang Huaiyi delaying the marriage exchange until next year, or the unusual relationship between the two, Li Xiujuan could no longer regard him as an ordinary classmate... Perhaps even before this incident, when Li Xiujuan proposed that Tang Huaiyi be her son-in-law, she had already stopped considering him as an ordinary classmate.

Or perhaps even earlier, in the first or second year of high school, two young people, one holding a steamed bun and the other holding a cornbread bun, met on campus. Their eyes met occasionally, and in their impoverished and lonely worlds, they realized that the other was already different from the other students.

After the students returned from the cafeteria one after another, Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan each took a steamed bun from the basket of steamed buns guarded by Guan Xiaolin, and then carried boiled water and pickled vegetables to the corner of the campus where they ate lunch.

After dinner, we went to evening self-study.

At the beginning of the semester, there weren't many exercises to do. In addition to assigning homework, the teachers also asked us to copy the main content of the textbook, striving to build a solid foundation while completing the course as quickly as possible.

Tang Huaiyi held a pen in his hand and did his homework, reviewing some familiar knowledge points.

The subjects of Chinese and Politics are quite peculiar. While the knowledge points are slightly different from those of later generations, some of the humanities foundations and common sense had been accumulated in later generations, so Tang Huaiyi did not find it particularly slow to understand them.

After two evening self-study sessions, it was already 9:30 p.m., and apart from the lights still on in the campus, it was pitch black outside.

After leaving the classroom, some students headed towards their dormitories, while others walked towards the school gate; those were children from the county town heading home.

Some students cherish their study time so much that they refuse to leave the classroom before the dormitory closes, wanting to read a little longer. The dormitory light bulbs are low wattage, almost like dim nightlights, making it unsuitable for reading at night. Forcing yourself to read will only damage your eyes.

These students leave very late, and it will take at least 20 or 30 minutes to close the classroom doors, windows, and lights. This is why Guan Xiaolin cannot wait for long.

Tang Huaiyi and Li Xiujuan were also among the students who stayed until the very end to study.

Guan Xiaolin went to Tang Huaiyi's table and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Tang Huaiyi."

"Shall I go home now?"

"Okay, hurry back after school. I'll wait a moment and make sure the doors, windows and lights are turned off," Tang Huaiyi nodded and said.

After hearing this, Guan Xiaolin turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back to Tang Huaiyi: "Did you sell that coin you wanted? Do you want me to take it home and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Huaiyi smiled and said, "I've already found a place to sell it, and besides, it's really not worth much, so I won't trouble you."

Guan Xiaolin suddenly realized: "Oh, I see—"

Before she could finish speaking, a man and a woman stood at the classroom door and called out, "Has Guan Xiaolin left yet?"

"Xiaolin, shall we go back together since we're going the same way?"

Guan Xiaolin glanced back at them, then raised her hand to the two of them: "Alright, I'm leaving now..."

"Tang Huaiyi, I'm leaving now!"

"Thank you so much for your help. I'll treat you to lunch tomorrow, please don't be shy!"

After speaking, they cheerfully crossed the dilapidated desks and ran away together.

After she left, Tang Huaiyi lowered his head and started reading again. Before long, most of the students had left.

A school janitor shouted outside the red-brick classrooms, "The power's about to be cut off! Students, go back to your dorms!"

Tang Huaiyi then stood up, leaving only him and Li Xiujuan in the classroom.

Why haven't you left yet?

Li Xiujuan whispered, "Together with you."