CH 158

Chapter 158 – 1992-2020

If this dungeon is really running according to the rules of the real world, then there was no doubt –

RenDong must complete the nine-year compulsory education!

Xu RenDong really never expected that he, a top student who graduated from a prestigious school, would go to the world of ghosts and monsters and re-enroll in elementary school.

What’s even more annoying is that he actually doesn’t know how to do these elementary school questions!

The hospital kicked them out because they owed too much money. The three of them had nowhere to go, so they decided to split up: the Monk went to find board and lodging, Lian Qiao accompanied RenDong to investigate OO elementary school. Later on they will meet back up at the gate of OO Elementary School later.

Unlike XX Elementary School, this OO Elementary School was obviously a school in a dilapidated area. Although there were also advanced classes, ordinary classes, and district classes, there is only one class for both the advanced and ordinary class and the rest are all district classes.

The area where the orphanage is located happens to have two district primary schools, one is XX Primary School and the other is OO Primary School. Although both are schools in the same area, the style of study of XX Primary School was obviously better than that of OO Primary School. This can be seen from the school gate.

Previously Lian Qiao was surrounded and blocked by the school’s security guards who refused to let him in. However, at this time, the two were standing at the gate of OO Elementary School  and the security guard in the reception room didn’t even bother to raise their eyelids.

The school gate was wide open and elementary school students came in and out from time to time, talking and laughing, walking side by side. None of them wore school uniforms and they were dressed in different ways. From the point of view of dress, the gap between rich and poor is also obvious.

Surprisingly, the elementary school students in this school have faces!

Not only did they have faces, some of the girls had makeup on, which made Lian Qiao and RenDong turn pale with fright—isn’t this an elementary school? How old are these little girls?

Not even twelve years old!

Lian Qiao pulled RenDong on the spot and left: “No, you can’t go to this school.” 

RenDong sighed: “What can I do if I don’t go? You really want me to drop out?”

Lian Qiao remembered that RenDong’s expulsion from school was his own fault and he was punched with guilt immediately. He said sullenly: “I’ll go and plead with the principal of XX primary school and tell him to take you back.”

“It’s not necessary.” Little RenDong smiled, stood on tiptoe and tried to pinch his face. But the nine-year-old’s body was too short and he couldn’t even reach Lian Qiao’s shoulders.

Lian Qiao took the initiative to squat down and put his face in front of him.

The afterglow of the setting sun passed through Lian Qiao’s hair, plating a layer of golden edges on his outline. He squatted down like a docile big golden retriever, exuding a warm and gentle temperament from his whole body. Little RenDong stared at him, seeing the guilt and sadness in his eyes.

He looked like a dog who was locked up at home for a day and was so bored that he rummaged through the trash can. He knew that he had done something wrong, he felt wronged and uneasy, so he honestly waited for his master’s punishment.

This kind of him was actually the same person as the fierce and violent man who wanted to kill someone that other day.

“I didn’t blame you, I know you are for me, so don’t feel guilty, okay?” Little RenDong’s eyes  were bright and the setting sun also turned his eyes into gold, with a kind of divine beauty like an angel.

That coquettish “okay?” instantly melted Lian Qiao. He couldn’t help raising the corners of his mouth. He leaned over and kissed RenDong on the forehead.

RenDong’s little face turned red all of a sudden. He pushed Lian Qiao, and said in a low voice, “Be reserved! You’re at a school!”

Sure enough, Lian Qiao’s involuntary kiss attracted the attention of the students at the school gate. Lian Qiao ignored this and patted his head with a smile.

“It’s okay. They will treat me as your father.” Lian Qiao smiled for a while, then frowned again, “Oh! When will you grow up…” 

RenDong also sighed: “It will take time.”

As long as I don’t die… as time passes, I will eventually grow up.

The two packed up their emotions and went to the principal’s office with the admission notice. Surprisingly, the principal’s office was… empty.

They went to the Academic Affairs Office again and found that the Academic Affairs Office was also locked. After some inquiring, they found out that the group of leaders had skipped work and slipped away.

… Is this school reliable or not?

Lian Qiao once again had the urge to kneel down to the principal of XX Primary School. Fortunately, the security guard in the reception room at the school gate intervened and told them that since they got the notice, they can just come to class tomorrow without any formalities.

The matter of admission was settled. But the two are not in a hurry to meet the monk and they also want to take the time to explore the school.

There was no doubt that studying was the main task of Little RenDong right now, and there is no guarantee that there are any clues hidden in the school. Lian Qiao had no chance to explore XX Elementary School before and RenDong was also locked in the classroom. He went to class every day and went home to do homework, so he had no chance to explore the campus. This time, the management of OO Primary School was extremely loose, so the two took the opportunity to study the school carefully.

The school covers an area similar to that of XX Primary School. The teaching building was similar in style, nothing special. It’s not time for school to end yet but there is no one in the classroom. Most of the students have gone home in twos and threes, and those who stay in the classroom are punks who refuse to go home. Wearing flashy clothes and chasing and fighting in the classroom, it’s like they can’t wait to put the label of “bear child” on their foreheads.

There was a library and an activity room in the school, but there are big iron chains hanging on the door, which looked like it has been dusty for a long time. The more Lian Qiao looked at it,

the more worried he became. This school is too bad. It’s clear to see that the children here will become spoiled. Was it really okay for RenDong to study here?

Xu RenDong was helpless. He just shrank and was not really a kid. His mind was already 28 years old. If he can be spoiled by a group of brats, it would be too shameful.

The two walked around the school but still couldn’t find any useful clues, so they walked towards the school gate, intending to meet the monk.

“Speaking of which, the students in this school actually have faces.” Lian Qiao said as he walked, “Is it because you are not familiar with this school, so the dungeon automatically draws faces for them?”

“Perhaps…” At this time, RenDong already had a rough guess as to why the children of XX Elementary School had no faces.

If the world is really centered on him, then this may be a reflection of his heart.

During the six years he studied in XX Primary School, due to his withdrawn personality, not only did he have no friends, he even couldn’t remember the faces of his classmates. This past was gloomy for him, so his brain subconsciously felt that it was a bad memory and deliberately sealed it up.

At first, he thought that the lack of face of the students was to create a scary effect, but now that he wanted to understand the reason, he felt even more uncomfortable.

It’s like… cutting his heart open and laying it out in front of everyone. Let everyone know how arrogant and withdrawn he used to be.

He felt a vague sense of shame. It was like running naked.

Lian Qiao glanced at him and found that he blushed silently. Even the little earlobe was completely red, like a ripe cherry.

Lian Qiao felt baffled and didn’t know what he was ashamed of. But based on his understanding of RenDong, even if he asks now, RenDong won’t say anything.

After the two met up with the monk, they found a place to sit down and exchange information.

Lian Qiao didn’t find any useful clues but the monk brought good news. He found a family who had just died and wanted to conduct a ceremony. He has already made an agreement with them that he will go over tonight and read sutras for them overnight.

As for game halls, Internet cafes, and shampoo shops, they are not recruiting people. They still owe money at the hospital and don’t know how to live in the future.

“Let’s not talk about the future…” The monk sighed, “Let’s talk about tonight. I will go to someone’s house to read scriptures so I don’t have to worry about food and drink. But I can’t take you two. What will you two do at night?”

Lian Qiao was gearing up: “Robbery?”

Little RenDong pushed him back on the seat: “Calm down, you just got out of the prison, do you want to go in again?”

“This is also a way.” Lian Qiao said solemnly, “The prison also provides food and drink, which is a good place to go. It’s just a bit boring.”

“…” Little RenDong sighed bitterly.

Seeing his indescribable expression, Lian Qiao suddenly laughed.

“Okay, I’m joking.” He pinched RenDong’s small face and said with a smile, “You still have to go to school, how could I go to jail? If your classmates find out, how will you be able to face people?”

Little RenDong curled his lips: “You are really into the show, you really think of yourself as my father.” Ignoring that he had already acquiesced to the old father setting of Lian Qiao a moment ago.

However, Lian Qiao will take his self-esteem into consideration, which is very useful for RenDong.

That night, one big and one small slept on the street, and the situation was very bleak.

In fact, they are not completely without options. The unfinished building in the old block is still there and the beggar gang has also been destroyed. They can move in anytime. But RenDong has a psychological shadow regarding that place. Besides, there was no electricity there and the lights were dark at night. They still don’t know what will happen.

They also tried to seek help from nearby residents. But as soon as the residents saw Lian Qiao, they frowned and drove them out of the house. It turned out that the neighbors have already spread the story of Lian Qiao beating up the teacher. Everyone has a very bad impression of Lian Qiao and, even if he has a child, they were unwilling to help him.

Therefore, the two could only hide under the eaves of the closed shop, barely finding a place to cover their heads.

RenDong was so weak that Lian Qiao wrapped him in his coat all night for fear that he would catch a cold. The only good news is that this night was not haunted—in fact, it can’t be called totally not haunted. They did see a few white ghosts floating in the street but those lonely ghosts didn’t seem to be interested in them and just wandered the streets aimlessly.

The so-called wandering soul is probably like this.

Finally, the next morning, the monk finished his ritual and brought money and food. RenDong Lian Qiao hadn’t had any water or rice all day and was so hungry that their eyes turned into stars looking at him. They immediately devoured the food.

However, the hard times have only just begun.

Since Lian Qiao has a bad reputation, no one was willing to offer him a job. He couldn’t really go out to rob, so he had to go to the streets and alleys every day to inquire about the news, looking for clues to pass the instance. The job of making money was handed over to the monk, but the monk can’t afford to support two adults and one child; three people with one salary.

Just solving the accommodation problem has already wiped out the family’s wealth, so the three of them often go hungry. It was a miserable day.

Lian Qiao blamed himself deeply for this.

RenDong didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Anyway, he was used to being hungry – he had practiced it in the Esophagus instance.

Suffering returns to suffering, and time still passes at an even speed. Two days later, RenDong was promoted to OO Junior High School.

This school was the junior high school attached to OO Elementary School and RenDong was directly promoted without passing the entrance examination. Since the primary school and junior high school of OO School are within the same campus, no new scenes were unlocked on this day.

While there were no new scenes, oddly enough, the original police station was gone.

What does that mean? It was unknown.

Lian Qiao had a vague premonition. On the first day of the new semester, when he delivered RenDong to the school gate, he was reluctant to hand over the small schoolbag in his hand to RenDong.

RenDong was already thirteen years old and his slightly childish facial features had faintly revealed the handsomeness of an adult. Due to malnutrition, he looks a little thin, but his figure is still tall and straight. Standing among the group of students in strange clothes, he looked as out of place as Zhilan Yushu {Refers to a very talented disciple from a Classical Chinese novel: “A New Account of the Tales of the World”}.

Lian Qiao glanced uneasily at those unruly classmates around him and said, worried: “I’d better come to accompany you to class. I have nothing to do anyway.”

Little RenDong shook his head: “No. Today you go to investigate why the police station disappeared. I’m a little concerned about it.”

Lian Qiao frowned, wanting to say something else. RenDong suddenly stood on tiptoe, stretched out his little hand and flicked on his forehead.

“Finally I’m tall enough.” Little RenDong smiled and, on his childish face, there was a kind of softness that didn’t match his age, “Don’t worry, I’m already thirteen years old, I can run when I’m in danger. I’ve brought the monk’s buddhist scriptures so I’ll be fine.”

Ever since he knew that RenDong was a key player, the monk gave him a Buddhist scripture to ward off evil spirits.

Lian Qiao really couldn’t find a reason to stay. He was a little unsure if he was overly anxious. Now the two people’s hard life is caused by him alone and the guilt that he is full of has accumulated until now, but in fact it has not completely dissipated.

Even if RenDong doesn’t blame him, was there really nothing wrong with him?

… Maybe he needs to adjust his mentality. He can’t always make RenDong worry about him.

Lian Qiao was finally persuaded and handed over his schoolbag. Little RenDong raised the corners of his mouth, turned around and asked Lian Qiao to carry his school bag coquettishly.

Turning around, Little RenDong suddenly met a person’s eyes.

It was a girl with heavy makeup, who looked about his age. Because of the terrible makeup on her face, it was hard to see what she actually looked like.

The girl was sitting by the window in the classroom, blowing bubble gum in boredom. She glanced out of the window inadvertently and, just like that, she met RenDong’s eyes.

Her lipsticked lips lifted slightly, as if she saw something interesting.

“Okay.” Lian Qiao behind him put a backpack on RenDong’s back, squatted down again and straightened his collar for him. This series of actions are so smooth and practiced that it really seemed that he was a mature old father.

The brief staring at each other through the window was just a coincidence and Xu RenDong didn’t think much about it. His attention quickly returned to Lian Qiao.

“Go.” He raised his hand and rubbed Lian Qiao’s hair.

Lian Qiao was like a big golden retriever being caressed by his master. His worries were temporarily relieved, so he stood up and left the school.