The old lady shook her head. “That won’t do, it’s not dry yet.”

Chris Brooks had no choice but to take the tool from his grandma’s hand. “Then you go sit over there and watch, I’ll do it.”

“You don’t know how to do this, go home and watch TV.”

Grandma was worried, and also felt sorry for her grandson.

“All right, all right, why are you so stubborn, old lady?”

Chris Brooks muttered, put on gloves, and started turning over the rice to dry it. Chris Brooks wasn’t one of those students who never did any physical work or didn’t know grains; his own father Mark Brooks used to often urge Chris Brooks to come help out in the countryside.

Seeing that Chris Brooks was doing a decent job, grandma tried to persuade him a few more times, but when it didn’t work, she went to sit under the tree for some shade. Half an hour later, Chris Brooks finally finished, drenched from head to toe, and when he took off his straw hat, steam was rising from his head.

When he got back, Mark Brooks and Linda Parker had already arrived. Seeing their son in such a sorry state, Linda Parker felt sorry for him and fetched a basin of clean water. “Come wash your face. If you get tanned, little rascal, don’t come crying.”

Old Chen didn’t care at all, grinning as he sat by the fan. “A little tan looks healthy.”

With more people, meals were lively, and the conversation was all about family matters. After dinner, grandma quietly called Chris Brooks into the kitchen, took a cloth pouch from her pocket, and opened it to reveal ten 100-yuan bills.

“Grandma, what are you doing?”

“Shh.”

The old lady glanced at the main room. “Don’t let your uncles hear. Take this money to Jianye and buy yourself some snacks.”

“I don’t even want money from my own parents, why would I take yours?”

Chris Brooks swung his arms and was about to leave.

Grandma held him back, not letting him go. Chris Brooks had no choice but to pull out one bill and put it in his pocket, saying, “A hundred is enough, just a token.”

Of course, Chris Brooks didn’t take it for nothing; he spent the days before school started helping out in the countryside.

September 1st was the official registration day. At the bus station in Gangcheng, Brian Foster finally spotted his friend and immediately complained, “I haven’t been able to reach you these past few days. Wherever you went to mess around, you didn’t take me.”

But when he got a good look at Chris Brooks, Brian Foster the rascal started laughing heartlessly. “How did you get even tanner than me?”

“Laugh my ass, just watch my face and act accordingly.”

Chris Brooks cursed, striding onto the “Gangcheng–Jianye” coach.

……

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Encounter

The distance between Gangcheng and Jianye is about 350 kilometers. In 2002, the coach ride took around five hours. Chris Brooks actually wanted to get some sleep, but it was Brian Foster’s first time going to college, and he was way too excited.

As soon as the bus started moving, he wouldn’t stop talking.

“Xiao Chen, I heard college girls are much prettier than high school girls.”

“Once you get to college, you’ve seen more of the world, so your temperament naturally improves.”

“Xiao Chen, is college coursework really easy? The pressure should be less than in high school, right?”

“College encourages independent learning. In high school, you have the gaokao, so the learning style is different.”

“Xiao Chen, how much longer until we get to Jianye?”

Chris Brooks opened his eyes helplessly. “We haven’t even gotten on the highway yet. Can’t you just shut up and get some sleep?”

“I want to, but I can’t fall asleep.”

Brian Foster looked aggrieved. “If I’d known, I would’ve let my mom come along. You’re the one who talked me out of having my parents accompany me.”

Chris Brooks turned away, not wanting to talk to Brian Foster. But just as he quieted down for a bit, he got excited again. “Xiao Chen, look outside.”

“What now?”

“I see Julia Bennett.”

Chris Brooks was stunned for a moment. “Where is she?”

“Mention Julia Bennett and you perk right up,” Brian Foster said resentfully.

There was a broken-down Santana parked by the toll station. The tall girl was Julia Bennett, and the other person was the middle-aged policeman they’d seen at the bun shop that morning.

“Looks like their car broke down,” Brian Foster said.

“Yeah.”

Chris Brooks nodded. Julia Bennett probably wouldn’t be able to register until September 2nd.

Julia Bennett looked a bit helpless under the sun, and Chris Brooks could only shrug, indicating there was nothing he could do.

Besides, he didn’t really want to say hello. That day, he’d almost been caught teasing Julia Bennett, and since their parents probably knew each other, meeting would be pretty awkward.

But no matter how he calculated, he didn’t expect the coach driver to be such a simp. He actually stopped the bus nearby and asked with a big smile, “Captain Xiao, what’s going on?”

Julia Bennett’s dad glanced over, wiped his sweat, and said, “The car broke down. I was just about to take my daughter to college.”

Chris Brooks cursed the driver in his heart and tried to hide, but to his surprise, Brian Foster, who was sitting by the window, actually called out, “Good morning, Uncle Xiao!”

“Damn, another simp.”

Chris Brooks couldn’t hide anymore, so he forced a smile and said, “Uncle Xiao, Xiao Xiao, good morning.”

Xiao’s dad didn’t know Brian Foster, but he remembered Chris Brooks quite well and actually replied, “You’re Xiao Chen, right? I ran into your dad at the county government a couple of days ago.”

Julia Bennett glared at Chris Brooks. Right now, Chris Brooks was just hoping the coach would hurry up and leave, but the driver actually invited, “Captain Xiao, why not let your daughter ride my coach? We’re all going to Jianye anyway.”

Xiao’s dad frowned. His main goal was to take his daughter to school. It was her first time traveling far from home, and she had a lot of luggage.