[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-71":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259231,4409,"Chapter 71: The Huge Discrepancy (Requesting First Subscription!)","1987-my-era-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>After reading, Li Heng did not reply immediately, but stared happily at her profile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seems she’s not as calm as she appears—without interest or curiosity, her nature would never prompt her to ask even one extra question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough! Cough cough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Song Yu felt uneasy under his burning gaze, her toes curling inward, the head teacher on the podium came to her rescue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head teacher cleared his throat lightly twice and said to Li Heng: “Li Heng, read aloud from the Book of Songs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng’s face twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re already in our final year of high school, barely a month from the college entrance exam—why the hell do I have to read aloud?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instantly understood: the Chinese teacher had seen every little move he and Song Yu made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, his skin was thick enough—he’d read if he had to. He stood up, book in hand, and began:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who says we have no clothes? I share my robe with you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The king calls for war—polish my spears and halberds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I share your enmity…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng’s Mandarin was excellent—his precise diction, his rich, emotive delivery, utterly outclassed the Chinese teacher’s half-foreign, half-local speech, leaving the teacher embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing his recitation and sitting down, he didn’t care whether the head teacher wanted to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up his pen and wrote: Pen name: December.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu glanced at the teacher writing on the blackboard, then quickly took the notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scanning it, she didn’t reply, just tucked the draft notebook away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the rest of the class, both focused on listening and taking notes, ignoring each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only near the end of the second class did he tear off a sheet of paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much thought, he wrote: Do you often contact Chen Zijin in daily life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Li Heng, unable to hold back his feelings, had confessed to her, whether Zhudong  or passive, the name “Chen Zijin” had become a taboo between them—neither had mentioned it since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under current circumstances, bringing up Chen Zijin would severely hinder his pursuit of Song Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, during the first few years after Chen Zijin went to Jingcheng, she nearly cut off all contact with him; even when letters occasionally arrived, they were sent solely by her, passed through Song Yu, with no return address written anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when he tried writing letters, he received no response—each letter vanished like a stone dropped into the ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, tormented by this, Li Heng had confronted Chen Zijin face-to-face and asked why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Zijin never answered why—she usually stayed silent. When he grew agitated, when he accused her family or demanded to know if the Chen family forced her, she still gave no reason, only shed silent tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dammit, a grown man couldn’t bear to see a woman cry—after a few fruitless questions, he eventually stopped pressing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once, after getting drunk, her younger sister Chen Zitong had accidentally let slip: it was indeed the family’s doing; her mother Zhong Lan had even threatened suicide to force her older sister to sever ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him mention “Chen Zijin,” Song Yu fell still, then wrote: Fine—we still contact each other every month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng wrote: By letter or phone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu replied: Both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng wrote: Give me her phone number and mailing address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering her friend’s serious warning, Song Yu hesitated, then after long thought replied: I need to ask Zijin’s opinion first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng knew her nature and wrote: Okay, thank you. Keep my novel writing secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yu replied: Okay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next week, Li Heng, whose high school dreams had already been fulfilled, studied diligently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listened in class, practiced problems during self-study, and prepared fully for the first mock exam at month’s end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, aside from the brutally difficult math questions in the scholarship exam, he wanted to test how much of a gap remained between himself and the four top scholars under standard college entrance exam difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would there still be score differences across all six subjects?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After four morning classes, the senior students were granted a rare half-day holiday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just half a day—no more, not even a minute extra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The school had approved this break only because of the students’ tense mental state, aiming to let them relax a bit and wash their accumulated clothes and socks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, to give those with means a chance to eat out and improve their meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the bell rang at the end of the fourth class, the politics teacher helplessly put down his chalk, sighed, and told the class:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is my politics class really that unbearable? I see many of you itching to leave—your minds are already elsewhere. Fine, class is dismissed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The students didn’t answer his sorrow—they simply chuckled and hurried out of the classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As usual, Song Yu went home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Man also left, taking Mai Sui and Chen Lijun with her, saying her family was stewing goose and inviting them over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, the rich girl asked Li Heng: “Hey, that guy who’s as handsome as Pan An—want to come over for dinner? I’ll let you hang out with the girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As handsome as Pan An” was the original line from their homeroom teacher Wang Qi, who’d teased Li Heng in the dorm; afterward, the other guys spread it around class, and now it was a running joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Heng could answer, Zhang Zhiyong, rushing up from the back of the room, asked: “Rich girl, you bringing extras?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Man refused bluntly: “Nope. My family has four people—I can’t fit more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this era where only grades mattered, she, like some other girls in class, secretly disliked Zhang Zhiyong for his bottom-tier grades and foul mouth—but out of classmate courtesy, she’d never shown it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the three girls left, Zhang Zhiyong rubbed the back of his head and muttered: “Damn! Why do I feel Sun Man hates me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng, walking out of the classroom, said: “You’re not RMB—you can’t be liked by everyone. Why waste energy on this nonsense?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True enough! Dammit! I’m not trying to marry her, I’m not asking her to wash my clothes or cook or bear my kids—she can like me or not, I don’t care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder he was clueless—he forgot his worries instantly, skipping and bouncing along happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Downstairs, Zhang Zhiyong leaned forward, asking: “So, where to? After dinner, play pool?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng shook his head: “Eat later—first, come with me to the bank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong asked: “Liu Li’s back at the dorm changing clothes, getting ready for basketball—want me to call him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng walked straight toward the school gate: “No. Today I’m doing something big—better not let too many people know. Just you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhang Zhiyong crept closer with a sly grin: “Big deal? What big deal could you do at a bank? Are you robbing it? Need weapons?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng asked: “What weapons do you plan to bring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes kept darting to a nearby meat stall; Zhang Zhiyong gestured: “How about a boning knife?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng was speechless, spat out one word: “Go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way to the bank, Li Heng warned the clueless one: “Old Yong, if I ever become rich someday, how would you feel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong’s eyes kept glancing at a woman selling pig feed bowls by the roadside: “Use your ass to think!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng grabbed his face: “You wanna get punched? Her husband’s right there—he’s noticed you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two big boobs—just looking won’t make them fall off! What’s the big deal? Can he kill me?” Zhang Zhiyong grumbled, but when his gaze met the husband’s, he instantly shrank back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng found it amusing but didn’t call him out: “If I become rich, don’t let the gap between us break you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Gap?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong laughed as if hearing the biggest joke—he pulled out all the cash from his three pockets and flaunted it in front of Li Heng:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? See? Thick stack of bills! Your pockets are empty—now that’s a gap! You idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng couldn’t stand his show-off attitude—he kicked him hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The postal savings bank was far from school; they walked nearly twenty minutes along the street to reach it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, luck was with them—only one couple was inside doing business. After they left, Li Heng approached the window and handed in his documents, materials, and draft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, please cash this draft and open me a passbook.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“4,050 yuan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing the documents, the young female clerk looked astonished, staring through the glass at him repeatedly, unable to help asking aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Withdraw it or deposit it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Withdraw the 50 yuan change, deposit the rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By national regulation, anyone over sixteen could open a bank passbook alone. The clerk carefully verified the documents and processed them without hassle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the tellers worked busily; outside, Zhang Zhiyong stood stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4,050 yuan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit! That’s a fortune—Li’s family couldn’t afford it even if they sold everything!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the hell did Li Heng get this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the clueless fool clutch himself, panting, bombarding him with questions, Li Heng broke free:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop embarrassing yourself—I’ll tell you later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing several bank clerks staring at him strangely, Zhang Zhiyong stared hungrily at the remittance slip and, unusually, stayed quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money makes you king—the passbook was issued quickly, the draft cashed even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman’s eyes gleamed green: “Here’s your passbook, here’s fifty yuan cash—please verify.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng checked twice, thanked her, and quickly left the postal savings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao City had always been known for its tough folk, and these days were especially unstable—after leaving the bank, Li Heng didn’t dare linger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clueless one clearly feared being robbed too—he kept glancing around, acting as bodyguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two walked in silence, and when they reached Shaoshui Bridge, Zhang Zhiyong finally gasped and couldn’t hold back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Master Li Heng, come on, tell me—where did this money come from? More people, more strength; let’s seize this chance and get rich together, brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng glanced around, \"Ready mentally?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyong stared at him with burning eyes, eager to uncover the secret of his wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng smiled and no longer teased him—he laid out the whole story of writing \"To Live.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he finished, the fool plopped down on the grass by the riverbank, eyes glazed, as if paralyzed, utterly motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting subscriptions!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1741,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a6749962de607f8a1c77b315c6d9069e2140ba6959853450f7469015b2e7857e","1987-my-era-chapter-72","1987-my-era-chapter-70",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]