Chapter 9: Future Study Plan

“Ah!! Be gentle! Be gentle!!!”

“It hurts! It hurts!!”

The Next Day

Jiang Ning lay on the bed, screaming continuously.

The culprit responsible for this, however, had no remorse and simply clapped her hands after applying some medicinal oil.

“That’s what you get for always running around outside!”

“Riding a bike and still managing to fall!”

“How should I even scold you?!”

“It’s best if you don’t say anything…” Jiang Ning muttered under her breath, but unfortunately, her mother overheard.

A slap landed directly on her forehead.

“Hey, hey, hey! Mom, why are you hitting me?!”

“So what if I hit you?! You’re my daughter!”

Seeing that her mother was about to explode with anger, Jiang Ning quickly admitted defeat.

“Mom! I was wrong.”

“I swear I won’t go out before school starts!”

“I promise!”

She even held up three fingers and pointed toward the sky as if taking an oath.

Only then did Tian Cuilan leave the room with a displeased expression.

Finally, peace and quiet.

Jiang Ning let out a small sigh of relief, then sat up, grabbed a random book from beside her bed, and started flipping through it.

When she heard the sound of her mother leaving the house, she carefully climbed out of bed.

Kneeling on one knee, she reached under the bed and pulled out a shoebox.

Opening it, she saw a thick stack of cash inside and couldn’t help but smile.

She took the money out of the shoebox and hid it in a more secret place.

The shoebox was already a decent hiding spot, but that morning, she suddenly remembered that in her previous life, she had hidden things under her bed as well.

For example, the works of teachers like Nozomi Sasaki.

But one day, when she went to “study,” she found them missing…

Back then, Jiang Ning had been both terrified and panicked.

However, her mother never mentioned it, so the two of them just pretended nothing had happened.

But this time, things were different.

This was over 30,000 yuan—thicker than Jiang Ning’s own skin.

If her mother found out, the whole house would explode.

So, after her mother left, she got up and found a better hiding spot for the money.

After finishing that, she sat on the edge of the bed, one leg propped up, and looked at her desk.

At the moment, her desk was already piled with books—high school textbooks, workbooks, exercise books, and study guides…

Seeing all these, Jiang Ning suddenly realized that she was still just a soon-to-be high school freshman.

Since there was nothing else to do, she might as well study properly.

Thus, Miss Jiang went to her desk and picked up a high school algebra book.

The more she read, the more her brows furrowed.

Before long, after finishing the algebra book, she picked up a high school physics book.

And so, half an hour later, after skimming through all the subjects for the first year of high school, she came to a conclusion—

For subjects that required understanding, she didn’t even need to think. Just glancing at the problems, she could immediately see the answers.

But for subjects that required memorization, she was in trouble.

Her memory of ancient poems was extremely vague.

She was mixing up “The weaving girl weaves and weaves” with “The farmer toils under the midday sun.”

So, Jiang Ning quickly made a study plan for her first year of high school.

She would focus on humanities and supplement with science.

As for everything else, she would deal with it after the second-year class division.

Thus, in the following days, the injured Jiang Ning truly stayed at home, diligently memorizing humanities knowledge.

During this time, Tian Wenhao visited once and gave her 5,000 yuan as her share of the profits.

Jiang Ning, the little money-grubber, happily accepted it.

Additionally, when she mentioned renting a shop, Tian Wenhao was supportive and said he would look for locations near the school whenever he had time.

He promised to call her when he found something.

With her cousin’s help, Jiang Ning felt more secure about her first step toward making money.

And with that settled, she could focus on studying with peace of mind.

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School Begins

September 2nd, Sunday.

The weather was sunny, turning partly cloudy.

After lunch, Jiang Ning, leaning on a crutch, was led by her mother to the entrance of Jiangzhou No.1 High School.

The school gate was packed with people, bustling with parents bringing their children to register.

Jiang Ning glanced around and noticed that many students carried an air of pride.

After all, Jiangzhou No.1 High was the top school in the city. Those who could study here either had outstanding grades or came from wealthy families.

Given these circumstances, their pride wasn’t unwarranted.

Dressed in fine clothing, they strode into the school with their heads held high.

But someone like Jiang Ning, limping in on crutches, was truly a rare sight.

For a moment, many people’s gazes landed on her.

Even with thirty years of experience from her past life, Jiang Ning almost couldn’t keep a straight face.

Blushing slightly, she urged her mother to hurry up.

This earned her a roll of the eyes from Tian Cuilan.

Finally, the mother and daughter arrived at the registration area.

They handed in the required documents, paid the tuition, and received a set of military training uniforms before leaving.

Looking at the uniform in her mother’s hands, Jiang Ning clicked her tongue.

She didn’t have to participate in the actual military training, but she still had to wear the uniform and show up.

That was just pointless.

Just then, a voice called out to her—

“Jiang Ning!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Ning turned around.

A kind-looking middle-aged man stood nearby, accompanied by a short girl with glasses and tiger teeth, waving at her excitedly.

Jiang Ning smiled and waved back.

She then watched as Luo Shanshan quickly approached her.

As soon as she got close, Luo Shanshan shyly greeted Tian Cuilan.

She was just about to say something when she noticed Jiang Ning’s crutch.

She froze in shock and asked, “Ah! Jiang Ning, what happened to your leg?!”

“It’s nothing. I wasn’t paying attention while riding my bike and twisted it,” Jiang Ning waved dismissively.

Then, she softly greeted Luo Shanshan’s father, “Hello, Uncle.”

“Oh, I see.” Luo Shanshan didn’t dwell on it and instead turned back to Jiang Ning, eyes shining.

“What class are you in?”

“Class Three.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Yay! We’re classmates again!”

Luo Shanshan was so happy that she almost hugged Jiang Ning but hesitated, afraid of hurting her. Instead, she just leaned close, looking like a bashful little wife.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning only smiled slightly.

She had already known Luo Shanshan was in Class Three. She also knew that Li Duoyong, that chubby guy, was in Class Three too.

But she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she turned to her mother and said,

“Mom, I have a friend with me. You can go home first.”

“Alright, take care of your leg. I’ll pick you up after school.”

Tian Cuilan had work at her office, so after reminding her a few times, she took the military training uniform, nodded at Luo Shanshan’s father, and left.

With that, Luo Shanshan accompanied the limping Jiang Ning as they made their way to their classroom.

The campus of Jiangzhou No.1 High was beautiful.

The greenery coverage was high, and many old buildings were covered in climbing ivy.

The mix of aged architecture and lush greenery highlighted the school’s long-standing prestige.

At this moment, Jiang Ning was walking along the main road of the campus. The sycamore trees on both sides cast dappled shadows in the sunlight.

Stepping through the shifting light, Jiang Ning inexplicably felt good.

Chatting and laughing with Luo Shanshan, she arrived at the second floor of the teaching building—right outside Class Three’s door.

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(End of Chapter)

Notes:

—Nozomi Sasaki is a Japanese actress, model, and former gravure idol. She gained fame as a fashion model for Pinkey and Non-no magazines before transitioning into acting and entertainment. Sasaki has appeared in various Japanese dramas and films, including My Rainy Days and Ju-on: Beginning of the End. She is also known for her work as a commercial model and TV personality in Japan.

In 2017, she married Japanese comedian and TV personality Ken Watabe.