Zhou Rui's home was in the opposite direction, so he had to retrace his steps.
After passing Pingping's fruit and vegetable shop, the Sichuan stir-fry restaurant, the audio-visual store, and the barber shop again, he turned into a dimly lit alley.
In 2009, Zhou Rui's home was located in a standalone residential building along this small road.
It wasn't part of a formal residential complex, had no name, and was identified only by a house number.
The building had been allocated to his grandfather by his workplace years ago. It was just four stories high and quite old. Zhou Rui wasn't familiar with the neighbors here since he had moved in with his mother after his parents' divorce.
The stairwell was long and semi-open, twisting back and forth in a zigzag pattern and passing by the windows of nearly every household. When residents cooked, smoke and smells filled the corridor. The walls and handrails were stained with grease.
The only upside was that you could easily tell which family's cooking smelled good and which was brewing traditional Chinese medicine.
Zhou Rui took out his key and opened the door, placing his schoolbag on the shoe cabinet. His mother's familiar yet distant voice came from inside.
"Xiao Rui, you're back? You're a bit late today."
It was Yao Peili, Zhou Rui's mother.
She was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. There were a few slightly cold dishes on the dining table. Hearing Zhou Rui come in, she got up to heat the food for him.
Even during Zhou Rui's senior year of high school, when he often came home late, his mother never compromised on his meals. She would cook whenever she had time, believing outside food was unhygienic.
Zhou Rui looked at his mother's back, still strong and healthy compared to how she would be years later, and an involuntary smile touched his lips.
---
Zhou Rui came from a single-parent family. His parents had divorced when he was in elementary school.
His mother worked for the Qinghe County Culture and Tourism Bureau, holding a low but stable position. His father, once a businessman, had seen his financial standing decline in recent years.
When they divorced, Zhou Rui was too young to understand the details. It wasn't until he grew up that he learned the full story.
Back then, his father, Zhou Weigang, left his stable job at a state-owned enterprise to start his own business. Though the factory initially made money, his success came at the cost of his temper and lifestyle. He indulged in lavish social activities, which deeply clashed with Zhou Rui's mother's conservative upbringing. Their relationship deteriorated as arguments over nightclubs and dance halls became a daily occurrence.
Finally, a particularly heated argument escalated their conflict to the point of divorce.
Because his father's behavior had been inappropriate and his mother had a stable job, not to mention his uncle worked for the Qinghe County Court, Zhou Rui was awarded to his mother's custody.
Though his father never remarried or had more children, he often visited under the pretense of checking on Zhou Rui.
At the time, Zhou Rui couldn't discern much. But with the wisdom of hindsight from his rebirth, he realized his mother had never truly rejected his father's visits. Though she never spoke well of him, there were signs that the two were on the verge of reconciliation.
That reconciliation never happened in his previous life. Before it could, Zhou Weigang's factory went bankrupt, leaving him with crippling debt.
Zhou Rui sighed deeply. Problems had to be solved one by one.
With his second chance, he knew things could be different. Regrets could be corrected. Perhaps this was the purpose of his rebirth.
---
"Why are you staring at me? Go wash your hands; the food will be warmed up soon," his mother said.
Zhou Rui smiled. "Okay. What's for dinner?"
"Steamed fish and stir-fried kale."
Hearing this, Zhou Rui's appetite flared. He quickly washed his hands and sat at the dining table, ready to eat.
"How was school today?" his mother asked, placing the dishes in front of him. "Eat quickly, then do your homework."
Zhou Rui replied while eating, "The usual—practice problems and more papers."
His mother smiled. "You did well in the last monthly exam. The teacher praised you for ranking 12th in your class. Keep it up; there are only two months left. Don't get distracted. Focus on studying."
Hearing this, Zhou Rui felt a pang of guilt. If he were to take the exam now, he would probably end up last in the class.
In his first two years of high school, Zhou Rui had been careless about his studies, spending most of his time at Internet cafes and the school playground. It wasn't until his third year that he turned things around, steadily climbing to his current academic standing.
To his mother and teachers, Zhou Rui was a classic example of a reformed student, on track to get into university—maybe even a top-tier one if he worked hard.
For a county-level high school, this was a great achievement. No one could expect every student to be like Li Wenqian.
Many people, including his mother, were curious about what had prompted Zhou Rui's sudden transformation. Only Zhou Rui himself knew the answer.
One day, after skipping evening self-study to hang out with bad friends at an Internet cafe, Zhou Rui returned home late, reeking of cigarettes. He was ready to lie about a long evening class when he saw his mother.
She had just returned from working overtime, looking dusty and exhausted. Yet she still insisted on cooking for him, all the while blaming herself.
"Leave your life's troubles to your mom," she said. "You're a senior in high school, under so much pressure. You need to eat something good."
Zhou Rui had wanted to slap himself in that moment.
That small incident became the catalyst for his change.
Now, however, Zhou Rui felt his year's worth of effort slipping away under the weight of his reborn self. He quickly finished eating and returned to his studies.
---
As Zhou Rui stood up to leave the dining table, his mother casually asked, "By the way, has your father contacted you recently?"
Zhou Rui shook his head. He couldn't remember clearly and said no.
"That man hasn't shown up in half a month," she muttered before waving him off. "Forget it. Go back to your room and do your homework. I'll clean up."
Zhou Rui paused, his thoughts turning to his father. His factory's struggles might have started around this time, but he hadn't noticed back then.
Suddenly, Zhou Rui spotted a business card on the table. Picking it up, he realized it belonged to a real estate agent.
A memory from his past surged forward.
"Mom, where did you get this business card?"
His mother hesitated, placing the card in the remote control box. "I didn't want to distract you, but I guess it's fine to tell you now. This house is old. Your grandfather left it to us, but it's been decades. The structure is poor, and it's falling apart. I'm planning to sell it after you go to college, then add some money to buy an apartment in a newer building with an elevator."
Zhou Rui's heart sank.
His mother continued while cleaning the dishes, "House prices go up every day, even here in Qinghe County. If we don't act now, we might not afford it in a few years. At least when I'm old, I won't have to climb stairs."
Though Zhou Rui knew his mother meant well, selling this old house would make her miss out on something crucial—demolition compensation.