He Mu turned around, but he didn't go to the Red Mist Alliance again. Instead, he changed directions and walked towards Nancheng Junior High School.
It was mid-July, and junior high school students had just finished their vacation. There weren't many people in the school, but if he could find the principal, he might be able to know Lin Wei's specific situation. If not, he could still inquire about her contact information.
…
An hour later.
He Mu arrived in a neighborhood near the school.
The principal of Nancheng Junior High School was Shen Lan. He was also considered a famous person in this neighborhood. He Mu made a little inquiry and learned that her home was in this neighborhood.
After some searching, He Mu came to a unit 306 on the first floor, and gently knocked on the door.
Not long after, an old lady with white hair, a pair of glasses, and a face full of wrinkles opened the door.
"You are?"
The old lady glanced at He Mu through the door slit with suspicion.
"You are Principal Shen, right? I want to ask you something about Lin Wei. I heard that she was a teacher at Nancheng Junior High School."
He Mu asked very politely.
Who would have thought that when Shen Lan heard his question, her gaze became wary.
Seeing this, He Mu's heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly added: "Principal Shen, don't worry. I'm not a bad person. I'll ask a few questions and leave. It's okay for me to ask right here at the door."
Shen Lan listened and sized him up for a while, before opening the door fully and saying very calmly.
"I've seen too many young people. You don't look like a bad person. Come in."
He Mu sighed with relief and carefully followed the old lady into the house.
"Sit down. First tell me why you want to inquire about Lin Wei?"
The old lady pointed to the sofa with a somewhat indifferent attitude.
He Mu sat down and mentally sorted out the wording before he replied in a rather sad tone: "I was entrusted by someone to inform Lin Wei an important message in person."
The old lady heard his words and shook her head. The sharp glint in her eyes was as though she could read the whole situation clearly.
"It was Lin Wei's parents who asked you to probe for her contact information, right?"
He Mu heard her words and froze on the spot.
Where did this come from?
After returning to his senses, he hurriedly said: "No, Principal Shen, I don't understand what you just said. Is it possible that not even Lin Wei's parents can contact her?"
The old lady didn't answer, but looked straight into He Mu's eyes, as if she wanted to see through his true intention.
He Mu neither blinked nor avoided her gaze. His eyes were full of sincerity, and after a few moments the old lady's expression finally eased.
"It seems that you have nothing to do with her parents. I was overly concerned."
Speaking of this, the old lady smiled to herself.
"Sigh. Her parents are adamant about not letting her go to Lingzhou City and even came to me and made a scene over it, so I'm a little overly wary."
"But there's no need for them to make a scene to the point of not even keeping contact with each other, right?"
He Mu was very puzzled.
The old lady shook her head again.
"You may not know this, but her parents are gamblers. They don't care much about their family, and use her as a source of easy money… In fact, at the beginning, she did leave her contact information. But later, she couldn't afford to receive dozens of hundreds of calls a day, which was why she changed her mobile number."
"Huh?"
He Mu didn't expect Lin Wei's family to be in such a situation.
The old lady seemed to be holding many words in her heart, and after determining that He Mu and Lin Wei's parents had nothing to do with each other, she opened up all of a sudden.
"Lin Wei was my student. She was sensible and always topped the class since she was young. She received a variety of scholarships, not to mention a full exemption of school fees.
"Unfortunately, she had little talent in science and could only study literature.
"Later, as she was worried about her parents and younger brother, she chose to go to Nancheng Normal University after the college entrance exam.
"After becoming a teacher, almost all of the money she earned was given to her family…"
Upon hearing her explanation, the image of a family that valued boys over girls appeared in his mind.
But this didn't make sense. In this era, the proportion of men in the military and death in battle was very high. Some families were even afraid of giving birth to baby boys.
"So… Lin Wei went to Lingzhou City, and her parents were afraid that she wouldn't give them money anymore and tried their best to stop her. But Lin Wei simply cut off contact with her family… Is that so?" He Mu said softly.
"Well, that's pretty much it."
The old lady nodded, then let out a weak sigh.
"Sigh. It's a pity that a good girl like her was born in a family like that. You may not know but the day before she left, I went to her house and heard what her parents said…"
"What did they say?"
"They said that if they sent their son to the army and if the son died in battle, they could move into the military district and receive money every month. Meanwhile, their daughter was totally useless. She had a bit of success and decided to abandon them to head to a bigger city! What a white-eyed wolf!"
The old lady spoke with righteous indignation.
He Mu's heart also became a little cold when he heard it.
It wasn't that her family valued males over females, but that they simply didn't care about familial love. Otherwise, they wouldn't have said terrible words like "if our son died in battle, we could move into the military district and receive money every month.".
Gamblers had little humanity, be it in his previous life or this world; they were all the same.
"But even so, Lin Wei was still worried about her parents and brother. Before she left, she handed her savings over these years to me and asked me to pass a sum to her parents every month in the name of school subsidies… She also said that when she starts receiving her wages over at the bigger city, she will call me back."
Speaking of which, the old lady's eyes turned red as she subconsciously wiped the corners.
He Mu didn't feel good either.
…
"Her parents expected her to marry a rich man, but she hasn't been dating anyone over the years. I introduced her to a Red Mist Fighter who used to be my former student, but she said she had a sweetheart.
"I asked who he was and tried to be their middleman, but she said she wasn't worthy of him… Sigh, this poor child has low self-esteem since young because of her family. In fact, she's such a great person. Who was she not worthy to be with?"
…
"A week or so ago, she came to my house and said she wanted to go to Lingzhou City. She was a little emotional and had obviously cried. I saw her pitiful state and agreed to fight for her without hesitation.
"I think it's good to leave Nancheng, head to a big city, and lead a new life. It will surely be better than her staying and getting hurt in Nancheng.
"Before she left, she also told me…
"That she wanted to live for herself."
…
"Live for herself."
He Mu sat on the sofa, feeling even more complicated.
…
Just like that, after listening to the old lady for most of an hour, He Mu left her house.
Compared to when he came, he had an extra slip of paper in his hand with a string of numbers written on it, which was Lin Wei's current contact information.
But He Mu wasn't sure how to approach her.
Because he realized that there were some things that couldn't be said over the phone.
I should find and speak to her when I go to Lingzhou.
He Mu put the note into his pocket and made a decision.
And the next thing he had to do was to focus on the missions in order to get more city contribution value.
…
Without delay, He Mu left the district and got on the bus to the Red Mist Alliance.
It was an hour's drive, and He Mu once again arrived at the destination.
It was like a playhouse the first time he came here.
But now, it was time to get real.
At this thought, He Mu took a deep breath and walked toward the Red Mist Bar.