Chapter 6: The Feather Duster

The sky gradually brightened, the iron pot bubbled on the coal stove, the Huchun gave off white steam, and the scent of fried dough twists permeated the entire street.

With a "click," the sesame seed cake oven opened its lid, and a wave of heat carrying the aroma of sesame rushed toward the face.

Gu Ming waved his hand, and Lin Sicheng ran over at a steady, unhurried pace.

He was wearing athletic shorts, a Towel hung around his neck, and there was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead; he had clearly just finished running.

Gu Ming still admired Lin Sicheng's self-discipline. Unlike himself, who had just been rotting away since starting university—if he could sit, he would never stand; if he could lie down, he would never sit.

Lin Sicheng pointed at the breakfast shop: "Let's go, eat first!"

"Not going, I'll be late for work!"

"Then why did you come over?"

Gu Ming bared his teeth: "I just wanted to know, did you get beaten or not!"

You dog, no wonder you came so early; so you came specifically to watch the joke?

Lin Sicheng pulled down the Towel and whipped it over, but Gu Ming dodged far away, looking completely baffled: "You caused such big trouble, why didn't Uncle Lin whip you?"

How could that be?

Grandpa and Mother aren't exactly pushovers, are they?

He was also impressed by him: it was one thing to fool his mother with a piece of street-stall junk worth a few dozen yuan, but to actually dare to claim it was mutton-fat ancient jade bought for eight thousand yuan?

That wasn't eight hundred, it was a full eight thousand, equal to three months of his salary.

"If you're not eating, get lost!"

Lin Sicheng pointed at Gu Ming and cursed, then crossed the street.

"I don't have time to eat, but that doesn't mean I don't have time to take some?"

Gu Ming followed him eagerly, ordering three portions of Huchun, adding three portions of meatballs, and then ordering five portions of meat burgers.

Then he pointed at Lin Sicheng: "Boss, he's paying!"

"Wait... isn't this enough to feed a pig?"

"What pig, that's your future sister-in-law!"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, looking at the breakfast in his hands that would be too much for three people to eat: "You're seeing two?"

"Haven't started yet, I'm still hesitating over which one to pursue."

No way... Gu Ming, you really play fast and loose, don't you?

Lin Sicheng's heart stirred.

In his past life, Gu Ming got married about three years later; the wife was a colleague from the same institute, likely one of the "two" he had just mentioned.

It wasn't easy to discuss character, but after cheating during the marriage, Gu Ming had abandoned a one-year-old child right after he was born and ran off with the property deed and savings; it was truly hard to put into words.

"You're only twenty-two, what are you rushing for? When there's a chance, I'll introduce you to some teachers from our school."

"Worry about yourself first." Gu Ming gave a "tsk," "You're already a senior, you can't study well, and you don't even have a partner; did you spend your university years on a dog?"

Hey, you son of a—?

Just as Lin Sicheng stood up, Gu Ming ran off carrying the breakfast.

He let out a "ha": Still talking about partners, you can't even get one?

Sooner or later, he would have to ruin Gu Ming's relationship and job.

Even if he couldn't ruin them, he had to find a way to get him to change units. Otherwise, if he hugged that broken machine leaking radiation every day, if he didn't get cancer, who would?

Just as he was muttering to himself, the Huchun was served on the table.

The soup was thick, with Amber-colored oil droplets floating on top. He took a slurp, and the pepper mixed with the meaty aroma rolled down his esophagus, stinging his eyes until tears welled up.

He took another bite of the dripping meat burger; tsk, that was delicious.

After finishing in a few gulps and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lin Sicheng hesitated again.

It was the weekend, and his mom and dad were both resting; should he give them some private space?

Of course, it was highly likely that Comrade Old Lin would get a beating. But if he didn't take this beating and let his mother vent her anger, there might be a second or third one later.

Tsk, he had some nerve, embezzling a full eight thousand yuan; what did he do with it?

Guessing wildly, Lin Sicheng paid the bill, but didn't know where to go.

Find a place to wash that Iron Tile?

But it required special chemicals; it would be best to find a professional laboratory.

He could ask his grandfather to help borrow one, but he was afraid of shocking him: he failed every subject every semester, yet suddenly he knew how to prepare cleaning solutions and could even operate laboratory equipment independently?

He could only think of a way once he got to school.

Go to Xiaodongmen to wander around?

Just then, the number 32 bus arrived, and Lin Sicheng got on.

Once it was the weekend, there were tons of people at Xiaodongmen. It was bustling and crowded.

The heat of the crowd steamed beneath the city wall, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining intertwined, matching the loud voices unique to the people of Guanzhong, as if they were arguing in a group fight.

Lin Sicheng wove through the crowd, his two hands tugging at the Towel, pulling it back and forth around his neck.

Occasionally, he would ask the price of something that caught his eye, but out of ten times, he shook his head eight times.

"Senior Sister, look, isn't that Lin Sicheng from our class?"

Not far away, a girl stood on her tiptoes, "Why is he here?"

Li Zhen turned to look: Lin Sicheng was moving slowly and leisurely.

"I heard his grandfather often sets up a stall around here."

"His grandfather, who?"

"Professor Lin from our institute; he was the Deputy Director before he retired."

The girl was stunned for a moment, her face showing shock: "He fails his courses every semester, but I've never seen him take a make-up exam, so everyone in the class says he's some kind of Second Generation... I didn't even believe it?"

Li Zhen pursed her lips and said nothing.

I heard from the instructor that last semester, Lin Sicheng applied for the school's internal recommendation for Artifact Research and had already been approved. Later, for some reason, he cancelled his eligibility.

I suppose it was for fear of a bad influence.

In a flash, Lin Sicheng walked up to the two of them, glanced over casually, and couldn't help but be taken aback.

The two girls were standing gracefully, their faces brimming with the aura of youth.

One of them was a classmate; I remember her surname is Xiao, but I don't know her full name.

I saw the other one just yesterday: she pointed at the porcelain shards on the long table and asked if I knew how to piece them together.

He smiled: "What a coincidence!"

Li Zhen nodded: "I came to help Xiao Yuzhu buy some materials to practice with. Are you here to look for Professor Lin?"

"Grandfather didn't come today; I'm just wandering around."

"Oh!"

After a simple greeting, both sides parted ways.

Xiao Yuzhu stared at Lin Sicheng's back, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes: "He actually took the initiative to say hello?"

"Ah, why?"

"He's an oddity. He keeps a cold face every day, looking at everyone as if they owe him a million. His personality is also weird, so classmates don't like to associate with him."

He must have been ostracized.

But to say his personality is weird... he looks quite sunny, doesn't he?

Just curious, Li Zhen went back to studying the porcelain shards, but after looking at several pieces, none of them were suitable.

"Let's go look further ahead!"

Xiao Yuzhu had no experience and followed her lead: "Okay!"

It was also a coincidence that as the two passed by, they ran into Lin Sicheng again.

He was paying: "Boss, here!"

The stall owner took the bright red banknotes and rubbed them with his fingers: a full four hundred.

Xiao Yuzhu was startled: her monthly living expenses were only four hundred; what was Lin Sicheng buying?

Looking closer, Lin Sicheng had a duster tucked under his arm.

It was quite old, with hair missing in many places and the handle covered in a dark, grimy patina. But no matter how she looked at it, it was just an ordinary Chicken Feather Duster and an ordinary bamboo pole.

Xiao Yuzhu looked curious: "Lin Sicheng, what is this?"

"A Chicken Feather Duster, don't you recognize it?"

Of course I recognize it.

The question is, what kind of Chicken Feather Duster is worth four hundred yuan?