Chapter 021: Fragrant Rain (Please vote and add to your favorites!)

The two ninth-grade students realized that Yang Tian was no ordinary person, and the parent who had been with them was already displeased, so they quickly slipped away, waiting for another chance.

Thus, Yang Tian naturally landed his first tutoring job. The next afternoon, after school, he ate a quick dinner and quietly left the campus, beginning his journey to earn money.

Through a conversation, Yang Tian learned that the young parent was named Fang Li—a true lady of leisure. Her husband, Zhang Qiang, was deputy director at the Luohe Town textile factory, earning a high salary with plenty of perks. Fang Li herself was a supervisor at the same factory, busy with work, but their household was affluent.

The little girl, Zhang Xinyu, was ten years old, the same age as Yang Xuelin, equally adorable, though Zhang Xinyu’s living conditions were far superior. Not to mention her food, clothes, and travel—the number of plush dolls at home alone numbered in the dozens. Yang Xuelin, by contrast, had only one basket bear, a gift Yang Tian bought for her three years ago.

This stirred Yang Tian’s heart; he resolved to work even harder so that Yang Xuelin could enjoy the same happiness as Zhang Xinyu.

“Brother Yang Tian, what are you thinking about?” As Yang Tian sat lost in thought, Zhang Xinyu asked with a bright, clear voice.

“I’m thinking whether I can help your grades improve within three months!” Yang Tian smiled gently. At that moment, he was sitting in Zhang Xinyu’s small room, while Fang Li watched TV in the living room.

Zhang Xinyu’s home was spacious—almost palatial—with a three-story villa and a garden over a hundred square meters. All the furniture was new. Compared to Yang Tian’s home in Daliushu Village, it was like heaven and earth.

Zhang Xinyu’s grades were average. Though she was well-behaved and diligent, she lacked a sense of structure. Even if elementary school courses were simple, the ability to extrapolate was important, which was why her grades hadn't improved.

“Don’t worry! I’ll work hard, and I won’t let you miss out on your payment! Here, have a candy!” Zhang Xinyu smiled sweetly, pulling a milk candy from her backpack and handing it to Yang Tian.

“Thank you! Now, let me show you how to solve this problem.” Yang Tian didn’t eat the candy but slipped it into his pocket and leaned in to explain the exercise.

To help Zhang Xinyu catch up and to earn his tutoring fee, Yang Tian didn’t go home for the next two weeks, leaving Huang Juan to return home alone.

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Huang Juan was a considerate girl. She never asked why Yang Tian wasn’t returning home; she simply told him to eat well at school and brought him lots of treats when she came back, many of which were made by Huang Biao and his wife for her. She would hide them away and bring them to school for Yang Tian.

Watching Huang Juan return home alone left Yang Tian uneasy. She suffered from motion sickness, and traveling alone was surely uncomfortable. Yet, to finally end this hardship, Yang Tian could only grit his teeth and whisper to himself, "Juan, just bear with it a little longer. In less than three months, you won't have to endure this torment for all three years of junior high."

"Yang Tian, Xuelin says she misses you. She wants you to visit when you have time!" During evening study, Huang Juan handed him a note, with a smiley face drawn at the end.

Yang Tian didn’t reply, only quietly bowed his head. The image of Yang Xuelin’s sweet smile surfaced in his mind, leaving him aching with longing. He missed his little sister, but decided to wait a few more weeks before returning home. Zhang Xinyu’s tutoring was entering a crucial stage, and he needed to spend extra hours with her on weekends, or else her grades might not improve in three months.

To Yang Tian, both Zhang Xinyu and Yang Xuelin were simply ten-year-old children. He didn’t want to overwhelm them with pressure. Instead, he chose a slow, steady approach, constantly refining his tutoring methods to achieve the best results.

“Brother, you’re lying! You said you missed home, but you never come back. I won’t talk to you anymore!” Another month passed; it was the weekend. After Huang Juan returned home and came back to school, she handed Yang Tian a neat little note from Yang Xuelin. The handwriting was tidy, with no mistakes—a sign of her good studies.

Seeing it, warmth flooded Yang Tian’s heart, but also a touch of sorrow. He missed his adorable sister more and more.

“Next week is the school sports meet. We’ll have three days off. Come home with me. Your parents and mine are all hoping you’ll return!” Noticing the complex expression on Yang Tian’s face, Huang Juan whispered. She was starting to feel resentful; Yang Tian seemed changed lately. Though he attended class as usual, after school he was nowhere to be found, and he didn’t come home on weekends. She wondered what he was up to.

“Juan, do you still get carsick on the way home?” Yang Tian didn’t answer directly. He knew she was upset and didn’t blame her—after all, he’d broken his promise. At the start of term, he’d said they would go home together every weekend, but after a month, he’d only accompanied her once.

“It’s better now. Thinking about going home makes it less bad!” Huang Juan paused, then smiled, her feelings mixed. Maybe she’d wrongly blamed Yang Tian; surely he had his reasons for not going home. Perhaps he was studying hard, she thought.

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A month later, at Zhang Xinyu’s home—

“Wow, Xinyu scored over eighty in both Chinese and math this time! Qiang, look!” Fang Li snuggled into Zhang Qiang’s arms, holding up two test papers.

“Oh? Let me see. Not bad! She’s never scored eighty before; her best was seventy-five! Her handwriting is much neater—she’s made real progress lately!” Zhang Qiang, with his protruding belly, looked every bit the wealthy man.

“Yes, this tutor is really effective. You said I was being ridiculous, hiring a first-year junior high student to tutor our Xinyu. Well, look, the boy’s not bad at all—he’s clearly reliable!” Fang Li was triumphant.

“What’s his name again?” Zhang Qiang perked up.

“Yang Tian. Yang as in Yang Tree, Tian as in Sky. I’ve told you seven or eight times—you never pay attention!” Fang Li flipped through Zhang Xinyu’s test papers, delighted. She and Zhang Qiang spent every day at the textile factory. Though Zhang Qiang was deputy director, he managed almost everything, so he was always busy, hardly had time for Zhang Xinyu.

At that moment, Zhang Xinyu was playing with her plush dolls on the sofa, her eyes frequently drifting to the door, a faint crease on her pink forehead, anxious: “It’s almost seven—why isn’t Brother Yang Tian here yet?”

Actually, Yang Tian was always punctual—arriving at seven, leaving at nine, never late, never early!

“This child’s remarkable—so young, already working to support himself. Here’s what we’ll do: at the end of the month, give him an extra fifty yuan in wages!” Zhang Qiang sighed. Though he was wealthy now, he’d grown up in the countryside and knew well the hardships rural children endured.

“All right, all right, you always have the final say! I just hope he’ll accept it. He seems so mature for his age—only a teenager, yet calm and steady like an adult.” Fang Li grinned mischievously, then frowned in reflection.

“Children from poor families grow up fast,” Zhang Qiang added. The couple laughed together, but only Zhang Xinyu kept her gaze fixed on the doorway.