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Not a shred of face was given to Liu Jinmei.
Liu Jinmei frowned, silent and looking a bit unwell, but ultimately, she regained her composure.
"Xiao Han!"
At the school gate, Li Dapang was drenched in sweat. Running around in the summer heat was indeed tough for him.
"How did it go?" Xiao Han asked.
"It's settled," Li Dapang said excitedly. "We've rented the place. Let's go check it out now."
Hearing this, Xiao Han immediately nodded and said, "Let's go have a look!"
With that, Xiao Han jumped onto the back seat of Li Dapang's bike. Li Dapang stared hard at the bicycle; together, they nearly weighed four hundred pounds. Fortunately, the bike was an old model from Phoenix Brand, known for its quality. Li Dapang pedaled with determination.
After a short while, the two finally arrived at their destination.
The location was indeed excellent, situated in the city center with convenient transportation. Moreover, the rent was relatively cheap, and it was a street-facing storefront. The first floor was accessed through a single staircase. The second floor seemed much bigger. Over three hundred square meters with two load-bearing columns in the middle.
"What do you think?" Li Dapang asked.
"Not bad!" Xiao Han nodded.
"But, we have to pay three months' rent up front," Li Dapang said awkwardly. "This means, we might have some difficulty with our available funds."
"Not at all," Xiao Han shook his head and said. "We just need to buy a large blackboard and some desks and chairs. Since it's a college entrance exam crash course, what matters isn't the venue, but the quality of the training."
"Alright, you make the call!" Li Dapang nodded.
Li Dapang felt a sense of achievement, however faint. He went from being penniless the day before to starting a company the next day. Although they hadn't started enrolling students yet, Li Dapang seemed to see the three hundred square meters space already filled with students eager to learn.
"I'll take care of the desks and chairs," said Xiao Han.
"Let me do it," Li Dapang laughed. "You're naive and wouldn't know how to haggle. For things like desks and chairs, you need to pay half upfront and the rest in installments. Otherwise, what would you do if there were issues with them?"
"All right then!" Xiao Han nodded. He took twelve thousand yuan from his backpack and handed it to Li Dapang, saying, "I'm entrusting you with the money."
"You're not afraid I'll take the money and run?" Li Dapang asked.
"You wouldn't!" Xiao Han shook his head.
"Haha..." Li Dapang laughed heartily.
Xiao Han's trust in Li Dapang was like that in a family member. Even if Li Dapang really did take the money and run, Xiao Han would probably not believe it.
Li Dapang was remarkably efficient in getting things done. That afternoon, he didn't go to school but went directly to West Street in the downtown area to purchase desks and chairs. Dressed in casual clothes instead of the school uniform, holding his father's waist pouch, and with his large and imposing figure, he really looked the part of a wealthy man.
His bargaining skills were indeed impressive; he purchased a hundred sets of desks and chairs, as well as a big blackboard measuring four square meters. The blackboard was divided into upper and lower sections that could be moved up and down. It didn't require installation; it could simply be fixed to the ground with a stand, making it much easier to move around.
After securing the venue, the two quickly went their separate ways.
Li Dapang went to West Street to make purchases, while Xiao Han walked home on foot.
On his way home, Xiao Han pondered how to advertise his training class. After all, nobody would trust a training class with no qualifications and only empty talk. Thus, Xiao Han felt it was crucial to create a gimmick for his company. Otherwise, it was certain that the training class would not attract a single student.
After much thought, an idea finally dawned on Xiao Han.
The principal of LJ City No.1 Middle School, Li Hengzhong, was a nationally renowned mathematician and also the only national-level teacher in LJ City. If Xiao Han could get him to endorse his training class as a spokesperson, he was confident that the class would boom.
However, convincing Li Hengzhong would not be easy. Moreover, schools were against putting too much pressure on students, so Xiao Han would have to show genuine sincerity and put in extra effort to persuade Li Hengzhong.
As he passed a bookstore, Xiao Han immediately went inside and bought several books on mathematical Olympiad competitions.
With Xiao Han's current strength and problem-solving ability, typical exam questions were no longer a challenge for him. Only Olympiad-level problems required him to rack his brains. The three books cost over a hundred yuan. After leaving the bookstore, Xiao Han continued walking towards his home.
When he arrived, Mother Xiao was lying on the sofa, a look of pain on her face.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Xiao Han asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Mother Xiao shook her head and said, "It's just my old problem acting up again."
"Then you rest," Xiao Han replied. "I'll shine shoes in your place tonight."
To increase income, every day Mother Xiao would carry shoe-shining tools and polish people's leather shoes on the street. She charged four yuan for a pair, and on a good night, she could make seventy to eighty yuan, and even on a slow night, she would earn a few tens of yuan. This was the most important source of income for the family.
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"No!" Mother Xiao shook her head and said, "You have your college entrance exams coming up, I should go instead."
"Mom, don't worry, this won't affect my exams!" Xiao Han shook his head and said, "Besides, you're sick, how can I let you work?"
The mother and son argued back and forth, but eventually, Mother Xiao's heart softened, and she reluctantly nodded.
After dinner, Xiao Han slung an old bag over his shoulder, grabbed two small stools, and left the house.
On the street, Xiao Han found a spot with the heaviest foot traffic and sat down. There were already quite a few aunties who shined shoes; they all looked curiously at Xiao Han.
"Xiao Han, what are you doing here? Where's your mom?" They all knew Xiao Han.
"My mom isn't feeling well, so I'm here to shine shoes for her today!" Xiao Han said with a smile.
"Such a filial child," said the aunties upon hearing this, all of them showing looks of admiration.
"Indeed, my own kid is always messing around outside. He only comes back when he wants money, and on ordinary days, we barely catch a glimpse of him."
The aunties began complaining about their own kids.
Xiao Han couldn't be bothered to join in. He simply picked up a book on mathematics competition while there was no business and began to read. It covered math and physics. He read with great interest; some of the problem-solving methods and techniques in the book were exactly what Xiao Han needed. His own approaches to problems were quite limited, but the book offered a much richer array of strategies and techniques, from which Xiao Han learned a lot.
"Xiao Han?" Suddenly, a surprised voice called out.
Xiao Han put down his book and looked up to see Chen Zihan and another girl from his class out shopping. Both of them seemed to have made some purchases.
"Chen Zihan?" Xiao Han was startled and said awkwardly with a laugh, "You guys... out shopping?"
"Yeah!" Chen Zihan nodded and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Shining shoes!" Xiao Han didn't feel ashamed; however, Yang Xiaoyan, the girl with Chen Zihan, looked at Xiao Han with disdain.
"Xiao Han, how can you stoop to shining shoes for others?" Yang Xiaoyan frowned as if she was disgusted and seemed eager to pull Chen Zihan away right then.
Unexpectedly, Chen Zihan stopped and sat down on the chair opposite Xiao Han, giggling, "Well then... you can shine my shoes. They've gotten quite dusty."
"Zi Han, let's go. This is so embarrassing," Xiaoyan bit her lip and said.
"It's nothing," Chen Zihan shook her head and said, "What's wrong with earning your own keep?"
Xiao Han stayed silent and cheerfully took out the shoe polish.
Chen Zihan was wearing a pair of black pumps with a tiny heel. Black skirt and a pair of smooth, shapely legs. She looked very pleasant, and Xiao Han polished the shoes skillfully. Having often seen his mother do it, his technique was no worse than any professional shoe shiner.
Chen Zihan spoke with a beaming smile, "Xiao Han, I didn't expect you to be so professional at shining shoes?"
"Of course!" Xiao Han glanced up at Chen Zihan and immediately froze. When he looked up, he clearly saw up her skirt.
After all, Xiao Han was still only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy and had an immediate reaction.
In the summer, Xiao Han also wore thin clothes, and the bulge in his trousers became very noticeable. He tried to hide it by pressing down with his elbow. It looked as though he had a stomachache.
"Xiao Han, what's wrong?" Chen Zihan asked hurriedly.
"I... I'm fine," Xiao Han shook his head and said, "Just a stomachache. It's nothing."
Xiao Han continued polishing Chen Zihan's shoes in a very awkward posture.
All the while, Chen Zihan was unaware of her exposure. She smiled lightly and handed Xiao Han ten yuan, "Here you go!"
After saying that, she turned and walked away.
"Wait!" Xiao Han immediately called out to her, "Your change, six yuan!"
"This..." Chen Zihan seemed reluctant to take it, but considering Xiao Han's pride, she finally decided to take back the six yuan. She was surprised to find a detailed solution book on math competitions in her bag. She said in astonishment, "Xiao Han, you're reading this book too?"
"Oh, just for fun, I can't really understand it," Xiao Han chuckled.
"Him?" Yang Xiaoyan said disdainfully, "He could understand this book? I'd turn my head into a football."
Like many other students, Yang Xiaoyan deeply looked down on Xiao Han. However, Xiao Han didn't care about others' opinions of him. A strong man is not only physically strong; inner strength is even more important. The amount of pressure you can handle decides how mature of a man you are.
"Actually, it's good to study more," Chen Zihan clearly didn't quite believe Xiao Han could understand the problems either.
Watching Chen Zihan and Yang Xiaoyan walk away, Xiao Han felt a warm sensation inside. At least he saw no contempt in Chen Zihan's eyes, nor any disdain. A girl who can achieve inner freedom and equality is doing something quite remarkable.