Andrew Grant tidied up the room, took all his belongings out of the suitcase and arranged them neatly. Seeing that it was almost eleven o'clock, he went downstairs, planning to stroll around Songyang Town in the county and look for a suitable place to have lunch.

When he reached the second floor, Henry Cole's mother, Julia Scott, was already in the kitchen preparing lunch. Hearing movement at the stairway and seeing it was Andrew Grant, she smiled and called out to him, " Andrew, have lunch here with auntie today."

"Thank you, auntie, but that's not necessary." Although Julia Scott was just being polite, Andrew Grant still felt a warmth in his heart, quickly thanked her, and then hurried downstairs.

Seeing Andrew Grant rush downstairs, Julia Scott shook her head with a smile, her eyes showing satisfaction and relief. Having someone stay at home, while it should help her son's studies, also brought many inconveniences. For example, with meals—if she didn't invite Andrew Grant, it would seem stingy and distant, but if Andrew Grant really accepted and ate with them every day, the cost of food was a small matter; it would disrupt the family atmosphere. Now that Andrew Grant understood the etiquette so well, Julia Scott felt at ease.

After going downstairs, Andrew Grant originally planned to leave through the back door, but remembered he had forgotten to get the key from the landlord. If the shop was closed when he returned, it would be inconvenient to have to knock. So he pushed open the door between the back room and the shop.

Inside the shop, the landlord Paul Cole was sitting behind the cashier counter, passing the time playing solitaire. Seeing Andrew Grant come in from the back, he smiled and asked, "Heading out?"

"Yes, just going to look around and get familiar with the area, and maybe buy a few things," Andrew Grant replied.

"It's already this late, why not have lunch here with uncle first, then let Henry Cole show you around?" Paul Cole said, checking the time.

"Thank you, uncle, but since I'll be staying at your place for more than a day or two, you don't need to be so polite with me," Andrew Grant said.

"You're really a sensible kid. If only Henry Cole were half as sensible as you, I'd be relieved. Alright, then uncle won't be polite either. But since you're out here on your own, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me for help," Paul Cole said, appreciating Andrew Grant's tactful response and dropping the formalities.

"Thank you, uncle, I understand. By the way, do you have a spare key for the back door? If not, I can get one made myself. That way, I won't have to go through your shop and disturb your business," Andrew Grant said.

"Look at me, I forgot to give you the keys. Here are the keys to the back door and your room, take them. Uncle still has spares," Paul Cole said with a laugh, patting his head, then took out a bunch of keys from the drawer, picked out two, and handed them to Andrew Grant.

"Thank you, uncle. I'll go out for a walk now," Andrew Grant said as he took the keys.

"Alright, be careful," Paul Cole reminded him, then lowered his head and continued playing solitaire.

Leaving Paul Cole's house, Andrew Grant roughly oriented himself and walked east along the street.

Changxi No. 1 High School was located to the east of Paul Cole's house, and Andrew Grant wanted to check out the school first.

Changxi No. 1 High School wasn't far from Paul Cole's house—about a fifteen-minute walk, or just five or six minutes by bike.

Changxi No. 1 High School was the only top-tier provincial high school in Changxi County, with only a senior high department and no junior high.

In terms of both facilities and teaching staff, it ranked first in Changxi County. Every year, many students were admitted to top universities; Tsinghua, Yanjing University, Jiangnan University, and other prestigious schools across the country always had some students from here. As for regular undergraduate and junior colleges, that went without saying. So in the eyes of the people of Changxi County, getting into Changxi No. 1 High School was basically like having one foot in the door of a university. Any family whose child got in would feel extremely proud.

Of course, cases like Henry Cole, who got in by paying, were another matter. But even then, there was a minimum score requirement. If your grades were too low, you couldn't get in even with money. So, in a way, Henry Cole's grades were still decent among all the students in Changxi County. If he attended a regular high school, he'd be among the top students.

The environment at Changxi No. 1 High School was excellent. Not far from the school gate, a river flowed gently by, and behind the school was the rear mountain of Changxi County Park—the lush little hill Andrew Grant had seen from afar at the station—truly nestled between mountain and water.

"The feng shui here is quite good, and the air is a bit less turbid than elsewhere. It's a pity it's not suitable to practice here at school, otherwise staying in the school dormitory would be even better." Andrew Grant had studied Daoism with Ren Yao since childhood, with a wide range of knowledge—not only breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, medicine, and talisman drawing, but also feng shui, divination, and physiognomy. So after walking around the campus, Andrew Grant judged that not only was the feng shui at Changxi No. 1 High School good, but the air was also relatively less turbid.

After making a round of the campus, Andrew Grant left and found a small restaurant nearby, ordered one meat and one vegetable dish, and had a simple meal.