Chapter 10: Prioritizing Studies

After changing her clothes, Jiang Mi finally stepped outside. Before leaving, she told the cook that she wouldn’t be back for lunch. The cook mumbled something she didn’t catch, but Jiang Mi ignored it and went straight out the door.

In the past, she occasionally went into town with her eldest brother. Since their mother’s health was poor, they often got medicine from the city hospital. Sometimes, her brother would take her for a walk in town. Because of this, she knew there was a high school in the city—just three blocks past the hospital, then a left turn.

She wandered slowly, following her memory, not in any rush, savoring the gentle breeze on her face. When she arrived at the high school gate, she stood before the dignified sign, calculating that she could take the college entrance exam next year. It was still early September, and classes hadn’t started yet.

If she wanted to join the exam next year, it would be best to start school in September and spend the year reviewing thoroughly. She knew this wasn’t something to discuss with the Wen family—after all, she had just married in and wasn’t sure how they would react. She also feared they might misunderstand her intentions, thinking she married into the family just to secure a school spot or financial support.

Jiang Mi had enough money to pay for her education but knew she would need connections to get in. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice her figure being watched by a few people nearby.

“Isn’t that the sister-in-law?”

“It really is!”

“Why is she standing in front of the school for so long?”

“Should we tell Brother Wen?”

By the time they finished whispering and looked again, Jiang Mi’s figure had already disappeared from the school gate.

She then headed to the secondhand market, hoping to find some textbooks. Although she had money to buy new ones, she preferred to save it and focus on her studies first.

An old man sitting at the market entrance noticed Jiang Mi’s clean and neat appearance and found it unusual. Young girls rarely came to such a shabby, old market. Seeing her walk toward the pile of discarded books, the old man took a drag from his pipe and said, “Those old books go for fifty cents a pound.”

That was cheap!

Jiang Mi patiently sifted through the piles, focused solely on textbooks, ignoring novels and poetry collections. After more than an hour, she only managed to gather a few volumes. She sighed softly—finding a bargain wasn’t so easy.

The old man, seeing her struggle with so few books, lazily said, “Forget the payment. Just take them.”

Jiang Mi was stunned. No charge? Looking at the books in her hands, she realized the man probably didn’t want to bother weighing such a small amount.

She stood up and noticed the faded sign above the door, the three characters for “Scrap Collection” barely visible from years of wind and rain. Picking up a marker from the ground, she squatted down and carefully retraced the words.

When she finished, she blew on the ink and stood back, satisfied with how it looked. Only then did she take the books and leave.

The old man glanced over and chuckled, “Your handwriting’s really good.”

The young girl didn’t like taking advantage, even for just two old books—she had to earn it herself.

On her way back, holding the books, Jiang Mi unexpectedly ran into Bai Yi, whom she’d only just met at a recent wedding.

Bai Yi’s expression changed when she saw her and she deliberately walked around her. Jiang Mi found it baffling—why was she glaring like that?

Before she could figure it out, Bai Yi suddenly came back and called out to her.

“Hey, Jiang Mi, right?” Bai Yi stared straight at her.

Jiang Mi nodded. “What do you want?”

Bai Yi wasn’t satisfied. Clenching her palms, she said mysteriously, “You really don’t need to care so much about me. I even had Zong Fu come out specially to clarify things with me. He and I are in the past.”

Jiang Mi was completely stunned. What did she mean by “care so much”?

Seeing Jiang Mi feign innocence, Bai Yi angrily stomped her foot. “If it weren’t for you yesterday, why would Zong Fu say such heartless things to me in front of everyone? Was that necessary?”

Jiang Mi: ...