Chapter 9: Work

Chapter 9: Work

After school that day.

In the cafeteria.

Zhang Yu, Zhou Tianyi, and Bai Zhenzhen were sitting together for dinner.

Bai Zhenzhen, as usual, was silently eating her large plate of food without a word, her demeanor as cold as ever.

Zhou Tianyi glanced at Zhang Yu and said, "Your financial situation seems to be pretty rough lately."

"Is it that obvious?"

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback, wondering if the debt collectors had already contacted his classmates. If so, his 700,000 debt would be exposed in school.

Zhou Tianyi looked at Bai Zhenzhen's lavish dinner, which included chicken, duck, and fish, and then at Zhang Yu's meager 5-yuan meal. He stroked his chin and said, "Based on my observations over the past three months, what people eat in the cafeteria can effectively reflect their financial status and even their cultivation level."

"For example, someone who eats ten pounds of food in one sitting won't sit with someone who eats only three pounds."

"Because they are in completely different social strata, one at the top of the school's social hierarchy and the other at the bottom."

"So you noticed I'm eating less." Zhang Yu felt relieved, thinking his super-poor status was about to be exposed.

He turned to Bai Zhenzhen, eyeing the dozen chicken legs in her tray, and said curiously, "Ah Zhen, these chicken legs look special. Can I try one?"

Without looking up, Bai Zhenzhen said, "Get lost."

Zhou Tianyi chuckled and picked a duck leg from his own bowl and placed it on Zhang Yu's plate. "Zhenzhen had a lot of exercise today and must be starving. Try mine."

"Great buddy!" Zhang Yu gave Zhou Tianyi a thumbs-up and started gnawing on the duck leg.

Zhou Tianyi watched Zhang Yu eat voraciously and smiled. "If you're having financial difficulties, I can lend you some money."

Zhang Yu waved his hand. "No need, I'll handle it myself."

Although he was heavily in debt, Zhang Yu didn't want to borrow money from his classmates. Even if he did, it wouldn't solve the 700,000 debt problem in one go. He needed a way to earn money consistently to pay off his debts.

"At least I need to cover the monthly interest. I can't let the debt collectors escalate their methods."

Zhang Yu knew that as his overdue time increased, the collection methods would become more aggressive, from online harassment to real-life threats.

"And there's rent, utilities, and food expenses..."

Thinking about it, Zhang Yu felt a headache coming on.

After Zhou Tianyi left, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly spoke. "Based on my observations over the past three months, Zhou Tianyi is especially good to you."

Zhang Yu: "Really?"

Bai Zhenzhen chuckled. "A guy smiling and giving another guy a duck leg from his bowl—over the past eighteen years, I've only seen two scenarios where this happens."

"One, they are father and son."

"The other, hehehe..."

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow. "Ah Zhen, you read a lot of weird stuff."

Bai Zhenzhen: "Yu, you don't have to be afraid. In this school, you are the one who has the upper hand."

She pushed her tray toward Zhang Yu. "I can't eat any more. These leftovers are yours. After all, you are my good big brother."

"Get lost." Zhang Yu snatched the tray, glancing at the neatly arranged food that looked untouched.

Just as Zhang Yu was about to thank her, he saw Bai Zhenzhen's back as she left the cafeteria.

Outside the cafeteria, Bai Zhenzhen's expression returned to its usual coldness. She thought to herself, "Yu, there is actually a third scenario where this happens."

She turned to the steps outside the cafeteria, where a cafeteria aunt was pouring leftovers into a cat's bowl.

...

After leaving school, Zhang Yu started planning how to earn money.

"My rent is 1,500 yuan, utilities around 200 yuan a month, and the loan repayment is 15,000 yuan a month..."

"Ouch..."

Thinking about it, Zhang Yu's head started to hurt again.

"I need to earn at least 20,000 yuan a month. A regular job won't cut it."

With a thought, the Feather Codex unfolded before him.

Zhang Yu

Dao Heart Level 1

Mana 7.7

Physical Strength 0.84 Level

Martial Arts: Mighty Physique 36 Forms Level 2 (17/20), Freehand Combat Level 1, High School Fundamental Blade Level 0

Dao Techniques: Basic Qi Circulation Level 1, Basic Mind Tempering Level 1

Seeing the new entry for "High School Fundamental Blade Level 0", Zhang Yu recalled today's martial arts class.

The martial arts class taught various combat techniques and martial arts, with 80 out of 100 points in the class being based on practical combat.

For first-year high school students, the requirement was to learn one unarmed combat technique and one weapon-based combat technique.

The High School Fundamental Blade was what he had learned in today's class, but it was still at Level 0 because he hadn't fully mastered it yet.

However, Zhang Yu found that he could still drag the "High School Fundamental Blade Level 0" entry.

He estimated that if he specialized in this martial art, with his potential, he could quickly master and upgrade it.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Yu continued to look at his stats, considering what kind of job he could do.

"Although I've just started on the path of cultivation, I am still a formal student at Songyang High School..."

A moment later, Zhang Yu started contacting his former tutoring center.

The original Zhang Yu had attended this tutoring center before entering Songyang High School.

"Working at a tutoring center should be lucrative, and as a formal student at Songyang High School, I should have an advantage."

However, after inquiring, the teacher at the tutoring center said they were already at full capacity and suggested he try other centers.

So, Zhang Yu contacted other tutoring centers.

"Hello, I'm interested in becoming a part-time tutor. I'm a first-year student at Songyang High School..."

"Where did you graduate from primary and middle school?"

"I'm already a formal student at Songyang High School!"

"Sorry, but parents place a lot of importance on the first and second educational backgrounds of part-time tutors, especially those who haven't graduated from high school yet."

After learning about Zhang Yu's primary and middle school backgrounds, the other party stopped responding.

After repeating this conversation five or six times, Zhang Yu began to understand.

"Damn!"

"How can they be so strict about first and second educational backgrounds?"

"Is the competition for part-time tutors that fierce?"

Zhang Yu felt his primary and middle school backgrounds like two ugly labels stamped on his face, making it much harder for him to find a part-time tutoring job.

So, Zhang Yu had to temporarily abandon the tutoring center route and try another backup plan.

"I can only try temporary jobs for now."

Zhang Yu had some understanding of temporary jobs over the past three months since the start of school.

Of course, the temporary jobs he was referring to were not the kind ordinary people would find, but those available to people who had already embarked on the path of cultivation.

High school students made up a significant portion of this group. After all, not every high school student was a rich kid, and many needed to earn money to help their families or buy things they wanted.

Because high school students lacked a high school diploma and had to attend classes most of the time, they often took on part-time temporary jobs.

Zhang Yu had also learned about these opportunities over the past two days. He immediately contacted a job agency and asked if they had any available jobs.

"You're a bit late. Today's jobs have already been taken."

"Want to wait here? You can grab new jobs as soon as they come up."

...

Half an hour later, Zhang Yu arrived at a small plaza.

From a distance, he saw scattered groups of people, young and old, male and female, some lying on the ground resting, others in school uniforms meditating.

Following the address, Zhang Yu found a human resources agency in a corner of the plaza.

The agency was small, with a facade that looked like a real estate agency, and the dirty glass windows were plastered with various crude job postings.

Glancing at the old sign, Zhang Yu pushed the door open, and a strong smell of cigarette smoke hit him, making him frown.

A middle-aged man smoking behind a cluttered desk looked up and said, "You're the high school student who inquired just now?"

Seeing Zhang Yu nod, the man introduced himself as Lao Wang, the agency's intermediary. He handed Zhang Yu a few sheets of paper. "Fill out your resume, and I'll register you."

Zhang Yu took the papers and saw that, in addition to personal information, he needed to fill in his martial arts and Dao techniques, along with their levels, and his academic performance.

After filling out the form, Zhang Yu handed it back and asked, "How long does it usually take to find a job? What's the pay like?"

Lao Wang scratched his messy hair and said casually, "At least a few hundred yuan per hour... But it's hard to say how long it will take to find a job. Sometimes, you might not get any work for a week."

Zhang Yu thought, "The pay is so high? If that's the case, working a few hours a day should be enough to cover my loan and living expenses."

Feeling hopeful, Zhang Yu then asked, "Why is it so hard to find work?"

He emphasized his identity: "I'm in the top ten of my class at a key high school. Is it still hard for me to find a job?"

Lao Wang smiled and pointed outside. "See those people in the plaza? Besides high school students like you, the rest are high school graduates."

Zhang Yu was shocked and disbelief. "How can that be? They've graduated and are cultivating, yet they still come here for temporary jobs?"

Lao Wang shrugged. "They didn't get into college. Not everyone who graduates from high school can get into college."

"Without a college degree, they remain at the Qi Condensation stage, unable to reach the Kunxu Second Floor. They just keep living on the First Layer year after year."

Zhang Yu was still puzzled. "But they could find a regular job on the First Layer. Why do they take temporary jobs?"

Lao Wang explained, "They don't need to sleep. After finishing their day job, if the company doesn't offer overtime, they come here for temporary jobs."

"Otherwise, how would they pay off their loans and maintain their cultivation?"

Lao Wang's words left Zhang Yu stunned. He hadn't realized that high school graduates had it so tough.

He had always thought that after graduating from high school, even without a college degree, one would work in an office in a skyscraper in the city center, enjoying a decent salary and a comfortable life.

But it turned out that after 24-hour study sessions in school, they faced 24-hour workdays after graduation, making life even harder.

Lao Wang looked at Zhang Yu's resume and smiled. "Hey, you're from Songyang High School. We're alumni. I also went to Songyang High School, but I dropped out in my senior year."

Zhang Yu: "Dropped out?"

Lao Wang shrugged. "Couldn't get into college, so I didn't waste my money. I only finished paying off my high school loans last year."

"Since we're alumni, I'll give you a piece of advice."

"Be realistic about your high school studies. If you feel you can't get into college, it's better to withdraw early. Don't end up like some people, burdened with debt for life."

After filling out the form, Lao Wang told Zhang Yu to wait outside. He would be notified immediately if a job came up.

Zhang Yu: "Will I get a job if I have to compete with high school graduates?"

Lao Wang: "Don't worry, some jobs are specifically for high school students."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end