Chapter 4 — From the Ashes to the Pinnacle

Lam Phong—temporarily unrelated. Right now he is just a child. But we must pay attention to his "maturity trajectory". What needs to be cut off must be cut off early. Fourth line: One million two hundred thousand—cannot be revealed at the same time. The money given by Tham Ve Quoc must be used properly. Fifth line: Important milestones in past life memories— One month later: Trieu Ngoc Phan will find Lam Kien Quoc's distant relatives to ask for money to rebuild the house. Three months later: the school's midterm exam—in my previous life, because I transferred schools, my results were last, and my teacher ridiculed me in front of everyone. One year later: city-level math competition—in his previous life, Lam Phong won first prize, and Trieu Ngoc Phan bragged about it to everyone he met. Three years later: high school entrance exam—in my previous life, I was reluctant to enter a vocational school, while Lam Phong passed a key provincial school. I closed the notebook. The sun has risen, the sunlight shines on your face, bringing a warm feeling. I'm alive. The legs are still intact. Dad is coming to pick me up. One million two hundred thousand is waiting for me. Thirty years of experience and memories of the previous life reside in this fourteen year old body. I understand better than any fourteen-year-old in the world— Life is not about being loved by someone. Living is letting those who owe you pay a price they cannot bear. Four o'clock in the afternoon. Trieu Ngoc Phan returned. Later in the morning, her face was also more unsightly. "The people at the Civil Affairs Department kept pushing back and forth!" She threw her bag on the bed: "Only approving two thousand yuan in temporary allowance, what can you do?" Then she looked at Lam Phong - Lam Phong was sitting by the bed reading a comic book borrowed from the child in the next room. Trieu Ngoc Phan's face softened: "Have you eaten, Tieu Phong?" "Eating, I bought you dumplings." Lam Phong raised his head. Only then did Trieu Ngoc Phan look at me, frowning: "Where did the money come from?" "Twenty yuan you left this morning." She said "oh" and didn't ask anymore. Didn't ask if I had eaten or not. Actually I haven't eaten yet. Twenty yuan bought six dumplings—four for Lam Phong, two I put in my bag, ready to eat for dinner. It's not because I treat Lam Phong well. But because right now, Trieu Ngoc Phan cannot be suspected. Before Tham Ve Quoc arrived, I had to continue to be Tham Ve Duong "understanding, quiet, not causing trouble". Exactly like the previous life. Let her think that things haven't changed. By the time she discovered everything had changed— It was too late. Evening. I bit off half of the last cold dumpling, hearing Trieu Ngoc Phan calling outside. "...That's right, sister-in-law, it's all burned up, there's nothing left. Now I only have two thousand yuan, Tieu Phong still has to go to school..." "...Ve Duong? Ve Duong is okay, he jumped out the window on his own. What could happen to him with thick skin and rough flesh..." "...That's right, it's mainly Tieu Phong, next month he has to pay extra tuition..." Slowly chew the dumplings. The cake crust has cooled and sticks to your teeth. No problem. Endure one more day. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, everything will be different. 【Chapter 4】 Tuesday afternoon at 2:17 p.m. I remember very clearly. Because since twelve o'clock at noon, I have been sitting on the steps in front of the deployment point, waiting. A black Buick GL8 turned in from the beginning of the street. The car is still very new, there are still mud stains on the wheel rims that cannot be washed off on the highway. From Guangzhou to our fourth-class city in the North—one thousand six hundred kilometers. He drove all night. The car stopped. The driver's seat door opens. A man walked down. Forty-three years old, one meter seventy-eight tall, skin exposed to bronze by the southern sun. The shoulders are wider than in the memory, and the blue veins on the back of the hand are also rougher than in the memory. But the eyes don't change

change. Those eyes were exactly the same as when he squatted in front of me when I was six years old— Black, bright, looking at me like they were filled with a lake of water. He stood by the car door, not moving. Look closely at me. I also looked at him. There is a distance of five meters between us. Tham Ve Quoc's lips trembled. He took a step. One more step. Then faster and faster— Finally, he almost ran forward. “Ve Duong…” His voice broke. Both hands grabbed my shoulders, the force was so great that the bones made noises. Then he squatted down. A middle-aged man, one meter seventy-eight tall, squatted in front of me, exactly like eight years ago. His hands touched my face, my head, my arms. It was as if he wanted to confirm that I was real, not a dream he had been dreaming for eight years. "I'm thin." His voice was so hoarse that he could barely hear it. "I've lost a lot of weight." I didn't say anything. Can't say anything. Thirty years of my past life. I never saw him again. I thought you didn't need me anymore. I thought there was no one in this world who truly lived for me. It turned out that he lived one thousand six hundred kilometers away, saved up one million two hundred thousand yuan and waited for eight years. The bridge of my nose is stinging. Eye sockets heat up. But I don't cry. I am no longer the person who cries easily anymore. In my previous life, I died once.