The atmosphere in Jiang Lin's live stream had become somewhat peculiar lately.
He couldn't quite pinpoint what felt off. After watching for a while, he realized it was likely the start of the new school year in the human world. Summer vacation was drawing to a close.
Teacher: Students, the school year is about to begin. Please prepare your people, your stationery, and your homework.
What the heck, school's starting already?! That was fast!
Don't panic upstairs, I haven't done a pile of homework either!
Before the holiday, I made a plan, but I only completed "p" because I "lan" (doge).
As the back-to-school season approached, all the viewers who were students started to panic. Honestly, it wasn't their fault; summer vacation had been too comfortable! Traveling, gossiping, swimming... If the teacher hadn't reminded them, they might have thought they'd finished all their homework in their dreams.
But when they opened their summer homework, it was exactly the same as before the holiday, untouched! Cramming two months of homework into the last few days. The thought alone made the students too flustered to even pick up a pen. They even started having nightmares, either dreaming of going to school without their homework, or dreaming of taking an exam and never being able to finish the papers. They almost cried upon waking up.
Wuwuwu, streamer, streamer, can you hook my teacher's soul for two days? I'll finish my homework, and then you can return the teacher. Or not return them, I'll give you all my lucky money.
Upstairs, you're going to make me laugh myself to death and then inherit my credit card, aren't you?
Excellent!
I am the teacher. Please, excellent student above, report your school, class, and name (smile) (benevolent smile).
Hahaha, red, red, fire, fire, hazy, hazy, hazy!
Jiang Lin watched the barrage of comments in the live stream, shaking his head with amusement. When he had guided souls before, he had also seen scenes of children rushing to finish their homework. The parents standing beside them would also get anxious, wishing they could complete it for their children with a single click. That feeling was somewhat similar to how the ghost envoys felt when their tasks were almost due, but not yet completed.
Noticing new information appearing on his work log, Jiang Lin stood up and opened the underworld passage. "Let's go, time to guide the next soul."
The streamer is back to work.
I'll open my homework book first.
I'm at a party, but I can't help but check my phone. I hope my face doesn't appear in the live stream.
The viewers in the live stream chatted in small groups. Now, they watched the stream not only for knowledge and curiosity, but also out of fear of accidentally appearing in the gossip. That would be truly unpleasant.
I'll buy a VIP membership. Can you make sure I don't appear in the live stream?
Don't worry, I'll help you blur your face later.
The human world.
In the live stream, a building appeared. Above the building was a large heart symbol. In the spacious hall, clear conversations could be heard.
"Old man, please keep this money for yourself. Live a better life."
"My life is quite good, young lady, you don't need to worry."
As he spoke, the old man opened the cloth he was holding and took out the neatly folded cash inside. He carefully took it out and placed it in front of the young lady.
"Those children are the ones who need money. My old bones are already half in the grave."
The young lady looked at the old man's attire; he didn't seem very wealthy. She wanted to say something more, but her colleague tugged at her. The colleague processed the paperwork for the old man with a smile.
"Sir, the child I mentioned to you last time can now continue their studies."
The old man's cloudy eyes lit up, and he pulled at the corners of his mouth, revealing his uneven teeth. "It's good that they can study! Learning more is good!"
"The child even wrote a thank-you letter. Shall I read it to you?"
"Good, good! You read it."
The old man nodded, not in a hurry to leave, and sat down on a nearby stool. The colleague cleared his throat and took out a handmade envelope from a drawer. It was blue and had a small red heart cut-out pasted on it.
"Dear Uncles, Aunties, Grandpas, Grandmas, Brothers, and Sisters! Hello!"
"My family lives on the mountain, and transportation is inconvenient. We don't have many varieties of crops."
"To buy things, we have to walk over an hour to the small shop. To go to school, we have to walk two to three hours to the town. There are three siblings in my family, and life is quite difficult."
"Thank you for your donations, which have given me the opportunity to study again."
"I will definitely study hard, strive to lead my family out of the mountains, and also work hard to become a useful person to society."
"Finally, in a short while, the corn at home will be ripe. If there's a chance, I really want to let you all have a taste."
"I've finished reading, old man."
After the letter was read, the hall fell silent again. The old man nodded and said, "Good child." He thanked the staff again and then got up to walk out the door. The moment he turned, he quietly wiped the corner of his eye.
After watching the old man leave, the colleague explained to the puzzled young lady:
"You might not know, but this old man has been coming here every so often for several years. We all tried to persuade him, but it was no use."
He sighed and looked at the cash in his hand. "The only thing we can do is to not let the old man's good intentions go to waste."
Although his job was stable, he still had a wife and children at home. The money he donated each year might not even be as much as the old man's.
Sigh...
"He doesn't look very well-off either," the young lady asked with a slight frown, "Is his family actually quite wealthy?"
"Quite the opposite." The colleague shook his head. After the old man had visited a few times, they had paid attention. According to the neighborhood committee aunties, the old man's wife had passed away long ago. His son and daughter-in-law had also died in an accident. It was said that his daughter-in-law was pregnant at the time of the accident. Son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, three lives were lost just like that. The family, which wasn't wealthy to begin with, became even more difficult.
"Then doesn't that mean he's all alone?" The young lady's eyes showed pity. "He probably can't find much work now, so why is he still doing this?"
"I don't know." The colleague shook his head. "Perhaps he's channeling his hopes for his grandson onto those children?"
"Don't show that expression in front of the old man. They are quite strong-willed."
"Mm." The young lady nodded, looking again at the sum of money beside her. It wasn't much, but it felt exceptionally heavy.
I heard my parents say that my family came from the countryside.
Walking two to three hours to school? Is that true? How do they manage daily life if the small shop is so far away?
It's true in remote areas, where families are large and transportation is inconvenient.
I'm 32 years old. When I was studying, I used to get up before dawn and carry my lunch in a thermos to school.
In the live stream, viewers who grew up in the city were somewhat confused. They had heard their elders mention it, but had never experienced it themselves. Those middle-aged viewers, however, felt a sense of nostalgia. Life had gradually improved, and transportation and communication had become more convenient. Most school facilities and systems had also been gradually improved, and the learning environment was much better than before. It was rare to see situations where students carried thermoses and walked to school in the dark with flashlights in the middle of winter.
To be honest, I'm more curious about where this old man gets the money to donate.