CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER 0398: ASSISTING, BUT WITH CONDITIONS (2)

Liu Yanbai walked forward without looking back, his steps exceedingly fast.

Li Yuzhu jogged behind him, "Liu Yanbai, wait a moment, I have something to ask you."

Liu Yanbai stopped in his tracks, glanced back at Li Yuzhu, and then lowered his head again.

His left hand tightly clasped the bundle of old clothes, fearing they might fall.

Because the ground was still wet with mud, if they fell, they would be completely soiled.

Li Yuzhu noticed his eyes were red, he must have cried earlier.

"Enough, stop crying, you’re a grown boy, what are you crying for?" Li Yuzhu caught up to him, took a breath, and said, "Heaven won’t forsake anyone."

Liu Yanbai looked up at the two of them, bit his lip, and said, "I don’t know what to do now, I have no place to live."

Li Yuzhu said, "What about your dad? Your mom drove you out, doesn’t he care?"

"My dad passed away a long time ago. My mom brought me and my big brother here to remarry. My stepfather likes me even less," Liu Yanbai sighed.

"Then what about your maternal grandparents’ home? Other relatives?" Li Yuzhu asked again.

Liu Yanbai shook his head, "My grandparents’ place is very far from here, and my maternal grandparents passed away long ago. As for my uncle..." He bit his lip, showing reluctance to say more, "I’ve only been there once."

He didn’t elaborate, but Li Yuzhu understood; if his uncle only let him visit once, it was evident he didn’t like him. If even his own uncle treated him like this, there’s no need to mention other relatives.

Mu Yuanxiu came over and said, "Liu Yanbai, at least you have a family. I’m an orphan, and you’re not much younger than me. If I can live on my own, you certainly can too."

Liu Yanbai looked at him, pressing his lips in silence.

Li Yuzhu said, "Liu Yanbai, why don’t you go to school first? I’ll speak to the teachers a bit later, or help you find your village chief. Once this month is over, and I get my shop sorted, you’ll have a place to stay."

Liu Yanbai thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Alright, thank you both."

"Alright, no more moping around," Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

Liu Yanbai’s expression relaxed a bit, and he gave them a faint smile.

The group continued their journey forward.

To distract Liu Yanbai from his gloom, Li Yuzhu picked topics to chat about with him.

"By the way, Liu Yanbai, I heard your mom call you ’Er Dan.’ Who gave you the name Liu Yanbai?"

Liu Yanbai replied, "It was Mr. Song who gave me that name."

Mu Yuanxiu praised, "It’s a good name."

Li Yuzhu added, "It’s an excellent name. Liu Yanbai, Mr. Song hopes you’ll live like the cypress on a rock, resilient!"

Liu Yanbai recalled what Mr. Song had said when naming him on the first day of school, hoping he wouldn’t mind external opinions and would live strongly.

He also remembered what Mr. Li said about how having a disabled arm doesn’t matter, as long as one has determination, anything can be done well.

Moreover, Mr. Li praised his name and his good memory, learning faster than others.

Contemplating this, he regained his confidence.

.

Back at Mr. Song’s house, Liu Yanbai nodded towards Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu, then entered the school.

Because he was late, the morning was already halfway through; Liu Yanbai greeted and apologized to Prince Luling.

"Sorry, Mr. Li, I arrived late."

Prince Luling noticed the mud on his knees, the redness in his eyes, and the clothes he held in his hands, guessing he must have faced some trouble at home.

He didn’t ask anything, simply said, "Go to your seat."

Liu Yanbai felt touched, bowed deeply to Prince Luling, and took his seat.

Meanwhile, the children in the school all looked at him with curiosity.

Yet they had all experienced Prince Luling’s strictness, so merely gave a quick glance and dared not inquire further.

The morning class lasted two hours; there was a break after each hour.

Children would use this time to drink water or visit the restroom.

Prince Luling stepped out of the classroom and called Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu over to ask about Liu Yanbai’s situation.

Li Yuzhu explained to him, "His mom told him to return only after earning money."

"No wonder he brought his clothes too," Prince Luling frowned, "I just asked Mr. Song about his home situation. Mr. Song said it’s already tough for him to attend school for a year. His family might stop him from coming at any time. I didn’t expect this day to come so soon."

Li Yuzhu said, "He needs a place to stay first. My shop won’t open until next month."

Her medicine pills weren’t ready, and the next batch of printed books wasn’t done. She had nothing to sell in the shop.

Once everything was ready, it would take at least a month.

Prince Luling pondered for a while and said, "Let him stay at our house for a month. There are two rooms in the auxiliary house, Uncle Gui lives in one, and the other was for Li Lixing’s attendant, Qin Hu, but Qin Hu didn’t come this time. The room is empty, so let Liu Yanbai stay there temporarily."

Li Yuzhu laughed, "Dad, that’s a good arrangement."

Prince Luling said, "I’ll go and talk to him."

He entered the classroom, called Liu Yanbai over, and explained the accommodation arrangement.

Liu Yanbai was surprised and immediately knelt down in gratitude, "Thank you, teacher, for saving me."

Prince Luling smiled and said, "I’m only keeping you for a month. After this month, when my daughter’s shop opens, you’ll go to the county and work there. However..." His face grew stern, "If you don’t work well, she won’t want you; we don’t keep idlers in our house."

Liu Yanbai said, "Mr. Li, I will study hard and work diligently."

Prince Luling feared he might think this was mere charity and not continue to strive, so he added, "Do you know why our family wants you to be an assistant?"

Liu Yanbai couldn’t understand why Li Yuzhu wanted him as an assistant, perhaps out of sympathy?

But he wasn’t sure and shook his head, "I don’t know."

Prince Luling said, "It’s because you’re smart. Even though your right arm is disabled, your mind isn’t dull. You learn characters quickly, and your arithmetic is faster than the others in school."

Hearing this, Liu Yanbai felt nervous.

"So, you must work harder in your studies. If we find you’re not making progress, not moving forward, and we find a more capable assistant, we’ll immediately let you go," Prince Luling spoke sternly.

Liu Yanbai nodded, "I will study and work diligently every day."

"Good, that’s how it should be." Prince Luling gestured for him to stand, "You can get up now."

"Thank you, teacher." Liu Yanbai was overjoyed, got up from the ground, and happily returned to his seat.

This was during break time, so he could speak freely.

Many children gathered around him, whispering, "Liu Yanbai, are you going to work at the teacher’s shop?"

Prince Luling hadn’t avoided the other children when talking to him.

Liu Yanbai was delighted, nodding, "Next month."

Before, none of his classmates in school initiated conversations with him; usually, they either mocked him or caused him trouble.

But today, everyone looked at him with envy.

His self-esteem was instantly satisfied.

See, even though his right arm is disabled, his mind is the smartest. That’s why Mr. Li’s daughter invited him to help manage the shop.

.

After settling Liu Yanbai, Li Yuzhu went to check on Mr. Song’s leg injury.

After applying medicine for two days, his leg injury improved significantly.

She also tested Mr. Song’s blood sugar.

Hearing that Li Yuzhu’s family would take in Liu Yanbai, Mr. Song praised her.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Anyway, my shop needs staff, so hiring others or hiring him, it’s the same. Hiring someone familiar puts me at ease."

Mr. Song complimented her for being kind-hearted and smart.

.

Leaving Mr. Song’s room, Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu went to find the cook.

She came to pay the cook’s wages, while Mu Yuanxiu carried her money pouch.

Previously, Mr. Song collected the fees and paid the cook’s wages for cooking. Now that her family was managing it, they should handle the wages.

She had discussed with Prince Luling about keeping the wage rate the same.

The cook, a straightforward woman, smiled and said, "You’re not leaving in one or two days; let’s settle it on the actual moving day."

Li Yuzhu laughed, "Alright, let’s go with auntie’s suggestion."

.

After school, Li Yuzhu, Mu Yuanxiu, and Prince Luling brought Liu Yanbai back to the Li Family’s bamboo house in Taohua River Village.

Seeing the spacious Li Family’s bamboo estate, Liu Yanbai hesitated to walk in.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Don’t be shy; just be like you’re at school."

"Okay," he replied timidly.

Prince Luling said to the gatekeeper, Uncle Gui, "Uncle Gui, this child is called Liu Yanbai, from Qingshui River Village and a student at the school. His own mother drove him out, and he has no place to stay, so I brought him to stay here for a month. Please arrange for him to stay in the room where Qin Hu used to stay."