Chapter 24
Actually, even if Jin Qiang hadn’t come to find Jiang Mu, she wouldn’t have stayed at Jin Chao’s place forever. First of all, her awkward relationship with Jin Chao, and second, it would be a hassle for San Lai. Although San Lai didn’t look like he was bothered, he was always quite warm toward her. But still, because she was staying there, making them wake up early and work late, Jiang Mu felt a little guilty.
Even though all her things had been moved back to Jin Qiang’s house, she still often went to the garage after school or on weekends. As Jin Chao said, it was her second home, so she came and went freely.
Maybe it was because in the past, her family only had her and her mother. Jiang Yinghan had to take care of the lottery store, and most of the time she was alone. That’s probably why she enjoyed the noisy environment of the garage so much. Even though everyone was busy and no one paid attention to her, just sitting in the break room, watching them work or chat through the glass, made her feel strangely at ease.
Compared to Jin Qiang’s house, she felt a stronger sense of security while studying here. She didn’t have to worry about Zhao Meijuan hanging around her door or whether Jin Xin would suddenly burst into her room or run around with her papers.
Although after she returned to Jin Qiang’s house, Zhao Meijuan had taken the initiative to talk to her, Jiang Mu didn’t feel at ease. Jin Xin’s situation made her feel pity for the girl, and as for Zhao Meijuan’s scolding of her that day in a moment of panic, while there was less resentment, it still created a kind of distance. So, unless she had to sleep at Jin Qiang’s house, she preferred not to spend time with them.
Ever since Jin Chao returned from his “business trip,” Jiang Mu noticed that the thing covered by a tarpaulin was back in its place. One time, out of curiosity, she wanted to go to the shed to take a look, but the door leading from the maintenance room to the shed was locked. She noticed several times that the door was usually locked during the day, so she had no choice but to let her curiosity go.
Although she claimed that she came to the garage to study, putting on an air of humility and a desire to learn, San Lai said she was just following the scent, knowing they had good stuff here.
San Lai wasn’t wrong. Every time she came, the garage would always provide extra snacks. When it came to eating, the big guys didn’t hold back at all.
Ever since that day when she grabbed a few pieces of beef jerky from San Lai, Jiang Mu had developed a strong craving for it. When she stayed up late solving problems, she’d throw a piece into her mouth, chewing it, and it just tasted better and better. The problem was beef had gotten so expensive and a small pack cost over 200 yuan, and it would be gone in two days. She was so disappointed that she started saying she would work hard to study and make money in the future so she could afford all the beef jerky she wanted.
Her little “goal” was the source of much laughter from Tie Gongji, San Lai, and the others. After all, in their group, the only ones who had attended a proper high school were San Lai and Jin Chao. Unfortunately, one didn’t go to university, and the other spent two and a half years at a third-rate college. Now that they finally had a promising prospect in Jiang Mu, they were hoping she’d get into a prestigious university and bring some glory to them. But instead, her goal was beef jerky.
When Jin Chao came back from the auto parts city, the men joked about this, constantly praising how successful his “sister” turned out to be. Jin Chao kept his head down, smiling but not saying a word. After a while, he walked to the entrance of the lounge, leaned against it, and asked, “So, your chosen major is to go in the direction of beef jerky? I don’t think you should be focusing so much on physics. Maybe consider studying biology.”
After saying that, he pulled out a large bag of beef jerky from behind his back and placed it on her desk before leaving. Jiang Mu stared at her source of happiness in a daze. She shouted toward Jin Chao outside the glass, “If I told you my real goal, it’d scare you, so I won’t tell you. Beef jerky is just a smokescreen. By the time Xiao Yang and the others think I’m opening a beef jerky shop, I’ll have already become the boss of the livestock industry, managing thousands of cattle and sheep. At that time, I’ll remember the favor of this bag of beef jerky.”
Jin Chao, rummaging through the parts, hid his smile in his eyes, “How do you plan to repay me? Become a farm owner?”
“Mm, I’ll consider it,” she replied.
Jin Chao raised his eyes to look at her, “Did you figure out that problem from yesterday?”
Jiang Mu quickly lowered her head, and Lightning, the black dog, ran out of the lounge, circling around Jin Chao. As for this black dog, it was a bit of an odd story. Not long ago, when some people from Wanji Auto Shop came looking for trouble, Xiao Pingtou had pointed at the grumpy Lightning and insulted it, saying, “Are you pretending to be a Labrador?”
No one knew if that comment had triggered the dog, but more than a month later, Lightning had really started to look more and more like a Labrador. It had a broad forehead, ears that hung down on both sides, and perhaps because it was constantly running between the pet shop and the garage, sneaking food and treats, it had gotten fed really well. Compared to its siblings, Lightning had grown much larger. Its shiny black coat and cool, aloof demeanor made it seem almost like a high-class, reserved creature.
Although Lightning went back and forth between the pet shop and the car shop every day, it was very clear about where its home was. It usually went to San Lai’s place to snatch freeze-dried treats, then would slide back to the car shop without a second thought.
As for the mystery of who Lightning’s father was, that puzzle was finally solved. San Lai suspected it was the Labrador upstairs from the bun shop. The owner of that Labrador occasionally went on business trips and would leave the dog at San Lai’s store. San Lai charged by the day for pet boarding, and usually, when large dogs were brought in, he would lock them in a separate cage, letting them out for walks at mealtime.
He never imagined that the dog would manage to get his Xishi pregnant right under his nose. Because of this, San Lai even took Lightning upstairs to the bun shop to recognize its family. The owner of the Labrador kept apologizing for the “romantic debt” his dog had incurred and promised that Lightning was always welcome to visit and reunite with its father.
Since then, besides the pet shop and the car shop, Lightning has become the most carefree dog in the Tongren area, without question. Every time Jiang Mu passed by on her way from school or Jin Qiang’s house, she would spot Lightning swaggering along the street before even entering the car shop. The nearby Teddy, Schnauzer, and Corgi were all captivated by its imposing stature every time they passed the car shop, barking at it and trying to engage in some “double cultivation” with the still-young Lightning.
Jin Chao seemed quite disdainful of Lightning’s over-the-top behavior and never showed much interest in the dog. But, dogs, it seems, have an innate sensitivity to human energy. For example, Lightning would sometimes ignore San Lai and other times, it would act overly affectionate, jumping on him with its dirty paws. But when it came to Jiang Mu, it was always calm and gentle, perhaps out of concern that its growing body might overwhelm her small frame. No matter how excited Lightning was, it wouldn’t jump on her. At most, it would nudge her legs, asking for pets or hugs.
Only with Jin Chao did it display absolute obedience. The animal’s natural instincts led it to surrender to a stronger presence, and it was clear that Lightning understood the importance of pleasing Jin Chao. So, no matter how kind Jiang Mu was to it, as soon as Jin Chao approached, Lightning would eagerly run to him, wagging its tail and practically bowing in submission.
Jiang Mu often saw Lightning sitting upright next to Jin Chao at the car shop entrance while he smoked, never lying lazily like it did when it was with her. Jin Chao’s cold and stern aura, combined with Lightning’s increasingly impressive physique, created a harmonious scene. Jiang Mu couldn’t help but take out her phone to snap a picture, setting it as her wallpaper.
Jin Chao was very busy and wasn’t always in the shop. Even when he was, he was often too caught up in work to pay attention to Jiang Mu. So, he hadn’t agreed to help her with her tutoring.
However, sometimes when Jiang Mu didn’t understand something, she would go ask him. Over time, seeing how worried she looked, Jin Chao found some time to go through her books again and then tell her how to solve the problems.
After a few days of this, Jin Chao had almost figured out Jiang Mu’s weaknesses. He began to occasionally give her targeted exercises to work on. After a few rounds, Jiang Mu noticed that the types of problems Jin Zhao gave her to solve were very specific and aimed at her gaps in knowledge.
But Jin Chao was very busy, and even when Jiang Mu finished the problems, he wasn’t always available to explain them to her. Sometimes, when Jiang Mu came to the car shop, she would find large sections of comments next to the problems Jin Chao had given her. These notes included detailed explanations of the solution process, the applicable laws and formulas from the textbook, and the specific pages where she could find more information. Jiang Mu would then use these notes to gradually work through the problems on her own.
Finally, one Sunday afternoon, Jin Chao handed over his tasks to Xiao Yang and the others. After finishing lunch, he grabbed a chair and began systematically reviewing Jiang Mu’s gaps in knowledge. He planned to spend the afternoon helping her work through the problems. If she could absorb the information, he didn’t mind later teaching her topics like differential equations, integrals, limits, series, double integrals, or even triple integrals. If she couldn’t, he suggested she abandon her “scary big goals,” change direction early, and not waste time.
But Jiang Mu was puzzled and asked, “Since you could self-study university courses, why don’t you get a degree?”
Jin Chao lowered his eyes, tapping the paper with his pen, and with a calm tone, “Each stage has its own tasks. Your current task is the college entrance exam. For me, there are always more urgent things to take care of.”
Jiang Mu rested her chin in her hand and asked, “What are those things? Is it repairing cars?”
Jin Chao lifted his gaze, casting a sharp look at her, “If you think chatting with me will lead to a breakthrough in your science subjects, I can chat with you for three days and nights.”
“…” Jiang Mu obediently lowered her head and went back to solving problems.
She worked on one question, while Jin Chao helped her organize concepts and key points related to the problem. It was fine if she got part of the answer right or wrong, but what stressed her out was when she completely didn’t know the answer. With Jin Chao sitting across from her, watching her pen, Jiang Mu felt the pressure mounting, and all the formulas in her head seemed to vanish.
Especially when she looked up, seeing Jin Chao’s inscrutable expression, Jiang Mu began to question her life choices. She thought he was starting to lose patience with her, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he moved his chair next to hers and calmly guided her through the steps of solving the problem.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Jiang Mu to get back into the rhythm of solving problems. Perhaps to alleviate her psychological pressure, Jin Chao started using his phone and stopped staring at her, waiting until she finished before checking her work.
Jiang Mu’s foundation wasn’t too bad, and her mind was sharp enough. After practicing the types of problems Jin Chao had explained, she pretty much mastered them after doing a couple of additional exercises.
Several hours passed, and Jiang Mu finally understood where Jin Chao’s talent came from. He had his own precise way of explaining many abstract concepts. For example, the concepts of series limits and inverse sine functions, which Jiang Mu had spent a lot of time trying to grasp, Jin Chao could easily present proofs to reinforce her understanding and application of these concepts. The dry text and abstract symbols she had struggled with earlier became much clearer in Jin Chao’s explanations. Compared to the formal teaching methods at school, Jin Chao’s approach was much simpler and more direct, but it was very effective for Jiang Mu.
In just a few hours, Jiang Mu was able to express previously obscure and difficult concepts using language and symbols, establishing initial connections within the conceptual network. This was a level of understanding she had never reached in her past academic journey.
The biggest difference in their problem-solving styles was that Jin Chao would skip over some of the more tedious steps and go straight to the point, while Jiang Mu often had to go through rounds of intense calculations, which made her rely heavily on the tactic of working through a sea of problems. As a result, she often ran out of time and got frustrated.
For the same question, if it took her ten lines to find the answer, while Jin Chao only needed five, sometimes even less than half of them.
It was like they were both climbing a mountain from the base. Jin Chao, even before starting, had already mapped out all the possible paths and pinpointed the summit. All he had to do was choose the shortest path to the top. Jiang Mu, on the other hand, was like an old ox pulling a cart, slowly exploring each path one by one.
Not even two hours into the session, Jiang Mu felt like she wanted to give up her knees and hands in surrender. She felt like her and Jin Chao’s thought processes were simply on completely different levels.
Jin Chao clearly noticed this, but he wasn’t in a hurry. His speech was neither fast nor slow, and he kept a neutral expression the whole time.
He could tell how much Jiang Mu had understood from the expression on her face. If she looked slightly confused, he would immediately switch tactics and continue until she absorbed the information.
Although Jiang Mu had to admit that the efficiency of the afternoon was quite high, she couldn’t help but feel the almost hypnotic effect of Jin Chao’s low, magnetic voice as it filled her ears. Around five o’clock, she rested her chin on her hand, gazing at his jaw moving with every word. As he spoke, the contours of his face became even more perfect. In the hazy space between consciousness and sleep, she couldn’t help but wonder: once she goes off to university, will they ever cross paths again?
Jin Chao noticed her distracted state. When he turned to look at her, he saw her eyelashes fluttering and her eyelids starting to droop. He softly asked, “Is there something on my face?”
Perhaps because she was too tired, Jiang Mu’s expression became a little dazed, her soft, smooth face looked pitiable when she was sleepy. She blinked her eyes and asked, “Can I sleep for ten minutes?”
Jin Chao chuckled lightly and didn’t stop her. So, Jiang Mu lay down, and Jin Chao grabbed a piece of paper to write down the questions she still had, so she wouldn’t forget them.
Jiang Mu quickly fell asleep, occasionally twitching a little. Jin Zhao glanced at her. She curled up into a small ball, quiet and obedient with her eyes closed.
Five minutes later, her arm must have gone numb. She moved her head to a different position and ended up resting it on Jin Chao’s arm. He froze for a moment, lifting his head to see San Lai standing in the maintenance area. “Look at what you’ve done to the kid,” he said.
Jin Chao made a shushing motion toward him, trying to gently withdraw his arm, but Jiang Mu furrowed her brows and made a whining sound.
He looked helplessly at San Lai, who shrugged, signaling he couldn’t help.
So, when Jiang Mu woke up, she found that Jin Chao’s right arm had been hanging down the whole time, and he had even used his left hand to eat. She asked, with concern, “What happened to your right arm?”
Jin Chao raised his eyes and stared at her silently, without saying a word.
After Jin Chao’s guidance, Jiang Mu’s most noticeable change was in her thought process. She had gained new insights into many vague concepts, and applying them didn’t feel as stiff anymore. She no longer feared the huge amount of calculations she had to do.
During that period, Jin Chao was like a god-like figure in her heart. No matter how difficult the problem she gave him, even if he couldn’t provide her with the perfect answer that day, he would always explain the solution the next day in a way she could understand.
Jin Chao had ignited a passion in her for the sciences like never before, making her feel the drive to move towards her goals.
Then, one day at the end of October, someone unexpectedly arrived at the car shop.