“Give me five yuan, and you can get on.”

“I already said two yuan, driver. I won’t pay even one more.” Fifteen years ago, he’d been ripped off, and that lesson had stuck with him for a full fifteen years. Now, he was determined not to make the same mistake again.

“Young man, you really are…” The driver looked a bit embarrassed. “Fine, get on.”

The tricycle had to cross a bridge, and beneath it was Hefei’s moat, the Bao River. Hefei is a famous ancient city; people lived here as early as the Zhou Dynasty, and the State of Luzi established its capital here. During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhang Liao, with just eight hundred infantry, defeated Sun Quan’s army of a hundred thousand at Xiaoyao Ford in Hefei, nearly capturing Sun Quan alive. The children of Jiangdong would stop crying at the mention of Zhang Liao’s name—his reputation shook the world.

When Brian Bolton was a child, he used to come play at Xiaoyao Ford, looking at the statue of Zhang Liao on horseback in the park. Listening to the elders tell this story, he always fantasized that maybe he was a descendant of Zhang Liao—after all, they shared the same surname.

Changyun Bus Station was just as run-down. Brian Bolton easily found the minibus to Xiatang Town; this bus would pass by Shuangdun Middle School, and the fare was also just two yuan.

The road surface on Heshui Road wasn’t much better than Hehuai Road—full of potholes, making for a bumpy ride.

Enduring it, passing through scenery that was both unfamiliar and familiar, dilapidated yet vibrant, he finally arrived at Shuangdun Middle School.

Standing at the school gate, with its high center and lower sides, Brian Bolton couldn’t help but feel as if he’d traveled through time. Dusty memories surged up like a tide.

“Fifteen years…”

Soon, he calmed himself and walked into the campus.

The main gate of Shuangdun Middle School faces west. Entering the gate, there’s a main avenue with steps; at the end of the avenue is the teaching building, which faces south. On the side wall of the building, large golden characters display the school motto.

“Virtue, Aspiration, Knowledge, Service to the Nation.”

To the left of the main avenue is a small lake, with a bridge and a pavilion on it. The scenery looks beautiful, but in reality, every noon, everyone comes here to wash clothes. On the right side of the avenue is an artificial hill, planted with many trees. In the evenings, there are always some students sneaking up there to “study” in pairs.

Shuangdun Middle School is far from Shuangdun Town, located in the countryside. Across the road is the Hebeng Passenger Line, the only railway from Hefei to Huainan and Bengbu, a branch of the Beijing-Shanghai line.

Back in the day, there was always a group of students, under the pretense of seeking quiet, who would go to the railway to read and memorize books.

Next to the school, on the right, is a country-style restaurant, almost opened specifically for Shuangdun Middle School. On the left is something remarkable—the first golf course in Hefei, Yuanyi Golf Course and Villas, separated from Shuangdun Middle School by just a wall. The freshmen dormitory faces the back of Yuanyi, so every day you could see what was happening in the villas from the window.

Brian Bolton often climbed over the wall to wander around inside Yuanyi.

But a round of golf cost ten yuan, and students had no money, so they could only watch.

Yuanyi Golf Course was built by the water, with the Caitang Reservoir behind it. Boating there was leisurely, and you could even fish. Brian Bolton once saw someone catch a grass carp as long as an arm.

Most importantly, the Yuanyi Golf Course villas were homes for the wealthy. Brian Bolton once saw Anhui TV’s top host, Zhou Qun, riding in a luxury car, going in and out of one of the villas with a middle-aged man.

At the time, rumors were swirling that Zhou Qun had married a rich businessman, and this seemed to confirm it.

The front faces the railway, the left neighbor is the golf course, the right is the country restaurant, and behind Shuangdun Middle School is another remarkable place: the old cemetery, the public graveyard of Shuangdun Town. Climb over the wall from the school playground and you’re there. Honestly, as long as you’re not afraid of ghosts, it’s a very quiet place—a good spot for studying or secret meetings.

But girls wouldn’t climb over the wall, so it couldn’t be put to use… Back then, Brian Bolton once did something big here.

In an instant, all the bits and pieces about Shuangdun Middle School flooded into Brian Bolton’s mind.

“Back here again, to study for another three years.”

“Meeting old classmates again—it should be quite interesting.”

“Well then, time to complete the enrollment procedures!”

Chapter 004: Caliper Head

The procedures weren’t complicated, especially since the admissions teacher was someone Brian Bolton knew.

This teacher was a classmate of his fourth uncle. The reason Brian Bolton came to study at Shuangdun Middle School was because of this teacher. According to his family, having a teacher they knew here meant someone could look after Brian Bolton. But clearly, this teacher wasn’t up to the task—he hardly ever looked after Brian Bolton during high school.

If the family had known this teacher was so irresponsible, they would never have agreed to let Brian Bolton study at Shuangdun Middle School. Students from Gangji Town mostly went to Changfeng County to study, or just attended Gangji Middle School.

In those days, schools’ teaching quality was ranked.

In Changfeng County, the top school was, of course, Changfeng No. 1 High School—a city-level model high school, later upgraded to provincial level. Second was Changfeng No. 2 High School, and third was Shuangdun Middle School.

Gangji Middle School was near the bottom, as were nearby schools like Wushan Middle School and Tushan Middle School.