Chapter 4: Vocational School, Sedimentation

Old Factory Street covers a wide area.

To the east are numerous abandoned, dilapidated factory buildings; to the west is a bustling residential district.

Heading south, various markets for car repairs and selling goods cluster together, a mix of good and bad, chaotic beyond compare.

Qin Shi turned left upon leaving home, went to the neighboring "Xinxin Small Shop," bought two packs of cigarettes, and tucked them into his pocket.

Then he headed north all the way.

On the not-wide path, signs for restaurants, card parlors, inns, and barbershops were bright red and green, and from time to time a few vehicles called "Little Electric Mules" darted past quickly.

"No wonder everyone wants to get into the Urban Circle; Old Factory Street doesn't even have a few decent schools. What about the children of workers then?"

Beside the road where yellow dust flew, Qin Shi stood under the tree shade.

Only to see that on the gate, which could not be called towering and majestic, hung a simple school sign.

The gold lacquer was mottled, fully showing the vicissitudes of time.

Just like the former glory of this Old City District that no longer exists, all taken away by the years.

"In a few more years, I'm afraid the signs of Zidi Schools will be banned."

He rubbed his young face, put on his usual businesslike well-behaved smile, and approached the Guard Booth.

"Sir, I used to be a student at No. 11 Middle School, looking for Liang Laoshi."

The storytelling on the radio inside the Guard Booth stopped abruptly, and the old man wearing reading glasses raised his head.

This little kid was unfamiliar to him.

But he looked like a well-behaved, sensible good child!

"No. 11 Middle School? This is Zi Fu No. 9 Middle School."

The old man found it strange in his heart.

No. 11 Middle School enrolls middle school students, No. 9 Middle School enrolls high school students.

Both bear the name of Zidi Schools, so that local worker children can complete their compulsory education.

But the campuses are not in the same place.

Qin Shi smiled shyly:

"Liang Laoshi taught me for a while, and since it's summer vacation, I thought I'd come take a look. Is his leg stiffness problem on rainy days better now?"

This was a detail he had specifically inquired about from Zhou Shu.

"Him? Still the same old routine, likes a drink after work, applies a patch of ointment when he has an attack and calls it a day, refuses to go to a big hospital—how could he recover quickly?"

Hearing this, the Guard Old Man's last bit of vigilance vanished, turning instead to approval:

"It's hard to find students these days who know gratitude. In recent years, none of those who left Zidi Schools were willing to come back, let alone visit teachers.

Little kid, during summer vacation the school is not open to outsiders; some teachers use the grounds to hold make-up lessons, so don't make a scene..."

Qin Shi nodded and, without thinking, pulled a pack of hard-shell "Li Min Cigarettes" from his right pants pocket:

"Sorry to trouble you, Sir."

"Hey, why be so polite! You don't smoke, do you? At such a young age, you must not touch it!"

While taking the cigarettes, the old man did not forget to give a warning.

"Those who don't smoke, the teachers at Xin Yi High School are strict; besides, smoking affects Qi Life Force improvement for minors."

Qin Shi waved his hands repeatedly, putting on the appearance of a good student.

After bidding farewell to the old man, he walked forward quickly, carefully sizing up this Zi Fu No. 9 Middle School.

Perhaps because it was summer vacation, it was quiet inside, with only the piercing sound of cicadas.

The doors and windows of the red-brick black-tile teaching building were tightly closed; only when he reached the playground behind did there come some movement.

"Practice well for me!"

"Stand straight! Don't sway your body!"

"Timing starts now, hold for twenty minutes! Anyone who does it wrong, the whole group adds five minutes of practice..."

A vigorous, rough voice echoed across the spacious playground.

Qin Shi cast his gaze inside; there were about seven or eight shirtless high school students sweating profusely, doing physical training.

They were practicing Basic Combat Movements: hugging frames, throwing punches, lunging steps.

Then a middle-aged man in a military green short-sleeved shirt led them one by one into postures, standing motionless in Standing Post.

"In temperatures over thirty degrees, basking in the sun like this, people will shed a layer of skin."

Qin Shi was thinking this when suddenly he sensed a gaze watching him.

He tilted his head and met it.

Gasp!

Qin Shi suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air, the hairs on his arm standing on end one by one, as if struck by static electricity!

"Hey, which class are you from?"

The middle-aged man frowned and asked loudly.

"Liang Laoshi, I'm from the Xi Er Road Gong Workers Street area, I used to study at No. 11 Middle School, Zhou Shu introduced me."

Qin Shi trotted over, quickly introducing himself, afraid of being beaten half to death by a Rush Punch.

This Liang Laoshi looked not large in build, of medium build, far from as strong and mighty as the coaches at Yinma Gym.

But the sense of oppression he gave was not inferior at all, even more intense.

"Your sister is called Qin Xiao, right? She studied at No. 9 Middle School for a year; I remember."

When Qin Shi got closer, he discovered that this Physical Education Teacher surnamed Liang was not the fierce demon of the rumors, but rather ordinary and unremarkable.

A crew cut with scattered white hairs, bronze-colored skin, a beard unshaven for many days, not well-groomed.

A man like this, if you threw ten bricks on Old Factory Street, you could hit seven or eight of them.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

Qin Shi didn't dare to underestimate him.

The top Gold Medal Coach at the Yinma Gym where he worked part-time had a Life Force Development level of around fifteen to nineteen points.

Roughly Amateur 8-dan.

If this Teacher Liang had truly participated in the Star Cup, even if he only managed to get a proper position after muddling through the Taian Education Bureau, he should have at least thirty-five points of Qi Life Force.

You have to know, the minimum registration threshold for the Star Cup is Amateur 7-dan.

"Old Zhou? The one from the billiards hall, right? He counts as a drinking buddy."

Teacher Liang thought for a moment, barely recalled this person, and his attitude softened a bit:

"Are you still in school?"

"Didn't drop out. Got into Xin Yi High School."

Teacher Liang's eyes flashed, his facial color strange:

"You're already in a good school in the Taian Metropolitan Area, what are you doing running all the way to Old Factory Street No. 9 Middle School? Do you know No. 9 Middle School can barely keep operating? These days, there are few students, and few people willing to study.

The Education Bureau and school leadership have already coordinated, planning to convert it into a sports school."

This isn't any secret.

Qin Shi had heard about it long ago.

He showed a sincere expression:

"Uncle Zhou said you're very capable. I want to follow Teacher Liang and settle down for a while."

Teacher Liang suddenly sneered coldly:

"You brat want to increase your Qi Life Force, aiming for the Ranking Examination, right? There are Cultivation Halls and Gyms everywhere in the Metropolitan Area, why travel far when the near is available?"

Qin Shi remained sincere:

"My family can't afford that kind of money."

Teacher Liang seriously looked at the youth before him, faded white short-sleeved shirt and long pants, generic brand running shoes that were clearly from a street stall.

Setting aside the "clean and fresh" appearance label, this was indeed the dress of an ordinary Old Factory Street student.

"My fees aren't cheap here. Moreover, you're not a No. 9 Middle School student……"

Teacher Liang paused, actively walked under the tree shade, raised his hand pointing at the high school students baking under the scorching sun:

"Know why they take my tutoring class?"

Qin Shi shook his head. Right now it was summer vacation, the worker's children of Old Factory Street, the vast majority would choose to go out and work.

Things like summer camps, outdoor travel, or specialty training classes — those are activity arrangements for wealthy families in the Taian Metropolitan Area.

"These students aren't preparing to continue studying. Their Qi Life Force is all between six and seven points. Following me for training, as long as they raise their Qi Life Force to ten points, they can go work in the Mining Area."

Teacher Liang's tone was very stiff, his face also taut:

"High school textbook Life Force Development emphasizes gradual progression, beneficial and harmless, so results are slow.

But what I teach, through wrecking the body to excavate potential, produces results fast.

When young they can endure it, but once past forty they age rapidly, with frequent injuries and illnesses."

Qin Shi was silent. He usually liked reading books, and could be considered knowledgeable about Dongxia History.

Under the era background of the Great Reclamation Movement, every Administrative New Star incorporated into the territory required several rounds of vigorous development.

Among them, the job position with the greatest demand was mining.

In the early years, because relevant management was lax, plus extraction ran rampant.

Being a miner had no conditions; even women, children, the old and weak were accepted.

Due to the harsh environment in the mines, as well as accompanying high heat radiation, mutation viruses and other dangers.

With Qi Life Force below ten points, they could persist three to five years at most, very hard to survive.

This situation wasn't improved until the Fifth Millennium, which is the beginning of the Dongxia New Calendar.

The Mining Bureau was reorganized, issued clear decrees, not allowing Dongxia Citizens with Qi Life Force below ten points and who hadn't completed Nine-Year Compulsory Education to engage in mining operations.

However, on Administrative New Stars at the Borderlands, the phenomenon of recruiting child labor and drop-out minors is still frequently seen.

"Go back. Since you got into the Metropolitan Area's Xin Yi High School, your grades must be not bad.

Most of my students have no parents, were raised by old folks at home, can't continue studying, so they can only take this path, just to get by."

Teacher Liang sighed:

"You don't need to wreck your body for those few extra points in the Ranking Examination. This kind of Qi Life Force raised through extreme methods is a gambling debt; in the end it all has to be repaid."

Qin Shi raised his head, fixedly looked at this No. 9 Middle School Physical Education Teacher:

"I still want to try, Teacher Liang."

This kid doesn't understand good or bad advice?

Teacher Liang froze, then frowned and looked over.

Qin Shi didn't dodge, his gaze calm and determined.

He also had no other choice.

From his previous life braving gunfire and bullets to venture into Myanmar, to now facing unemployment upon graduation, possibly ending up as cow and horse consumables in difficult circumstances.

If he doesn't strive to climb, how can he struggle out of the mud pit?

Old Factory Street's worker's children, even the high-risk positions going down the mine shafts have to be fought for.

I exhausted family savings to attend a second or third-rate school; after graduation, would it be any better?

No connections, no talent — can only rely on desperate effort?

Qin Shi clenched his fist. He must raise his Qi Life Force before summer vacation ends, complete the Ranking Examination.

Only then will his own life have other options!

"What's the point."

Liang Laoshi felt helpless, looking at Qin Shi standing straight as a ramrod, with not the slightest intention to Retreat, and said irritably:

"For Lao Zhou's sake, fine, if you want to learn I'll take you on.

Did you bring money? Ugly words up front: the Tutoring Class is four thousand a month, no credit!"

Qin Shi nodded:

"Wait a moment, Liang Laoshi, I'm going to the toilet."

Huh?

Where the hell did you stash the money?

The veins at Liang Laoshi's temples twitched faintly.

A moment later, Qin Shi held out that bundle of brand-new bills with both hands, offering it respectfully.

"Forget it, you pay two hundred first, follow along and learn for Two Days, if you can Persist we'll talk then.

Besides, if I think you're no good, you're out anytime!"

Liang Laoshi turned his face away, not reaching for that stack of Hundred Yuan Bills that counted as a "fortune" for most families on Old Factory Street.

(Chapter End)