Chapter 4 Morning Run

As night fell, Jiang Nian showered and returned to his room, turning on the air conditioning and lying on his bed.

He clicked open the panel, smiling in anticipation.

Although Jiang Nian’s grades were average, as one of the main players on the school basketball team, he silently ran five kilometers every day for an entire semester so he could play full court and show off.

Five kilometers in one go, like drinking water.

His plan was to get up early tomorrow, first run five kilometers, then three kilometers, and finally complete two kilometers. After all, he understood the principle of’striking while the iron is hot, then fading, and finally exhausting oneself’.

After checking the tasks, he pulled out his phone and glanced at his bank card balance.

Money is a man’s courage. The Jiang family’s financial situation wasn’t great. His grandfather’s health wasn’t good a few years ago.

They had borrowed a lot of money over time and had only just finished paying off their debts this year.

Consequently, Jiang Nian’s pocket money wasn’t much, at most three or four hundred yuan a month.

However, in just one afternoon, an extra thousand yuan appeared in his card. If he finished running ten kilometers tomorrow, another two thousand yuan would land in his pocket, making it three thousand.

If you have money and don’t spend it, earning it is pointless. He opened the shopping website, JD.com.

Being in his final year of high school, even with a gaming company providing a legitimate source of income, earning money from games would be seen by his parents as neglecting his studies, putting the cart before the horse.

Although he might face round after round of family interrogations, Jiang Nian was thick-skinned and didn’t care. Since he had already said it, he might as well take this opportunity to buy some things.

The most direct ways for ordinary people to save money are two combined approaches: buy fewer clothes and shoes, and save on water and electricity. For home appliances, phones, and electronics, don’t buy new ones unless they’re broken.

The Jiang family was no exception; his father and mother hadn’t replaced their phones, clothes, or shoes in two or three years. The TV and air conditioner at home were rarely turned on, and the water used for washing rice was used to flush the toilet.

Frugality is a virtue, but this kind of frugality was clearly just for saving money. It had nothing to do with quality of life; it was more like tightening their belts to get by.

Clothes were hard to buy, and he couldn’t afford phones or home appliances, so he could only buy shoes.

Shoes are a necessity; you can wear ones that cost a few tens of yuan, but ones that cost a few hundred yuan have their reasons for being expensive. Since you walk every day, a good pair of shoes is very important.

Jiang Nian first bought his father a pair of leather shoes for over five hundred yuan, then bought his mother a pair of soft-soled athletic shoes for over three hundred yuan. Along with that, he bought himself two pairs of shoes costing around two hundred yuan each.

After this combination, the thirteen hundred yuan was almost completely used up.

He checked his balance: one hundred yuan.

Alright, time to sleep.

Meanwhile, the Jiang couple couldn’t sleep.

The master bedroom was pitch black, and the couple talked in front of their bed. Things that were difficult to say in front of their child during the day could be discussed at night with the lights off.

“Sigh, in a blink of an eye, I realized our child has grown so big,” Jiang Weizheng said, lying on the bed with his hands clasped behind his head, looking at the dark ceiling.

“He can even earn money now, and he cooked for us too.”

“Isn’t it good that Jiang Nian is sensible? Why are you sighing here?” Li Hongmei glared at her husband in the dark. “He used to be so mischievous, always causing trouble.”

“I’m eager for him to be more sensible so I can worry less in the future. Now I’m just worried that his money isn’t from a proper source, and he’ll go astray at such a young age.”

“It wouldn’t be that bad, would it? I know Xiao Nian; he has good judgment,” Jiang Weizheng retracted his hands, frowning. “I checked that gaming company; it’s quite large.”

“I estimate earning some money each month isn’t a problem; just don’t let him get too addicted.”

The couple chatted in hushed tones for a while longer but ultimately didn’t come to a conclusion. As sleepiness set in, they thought about having to go to work tomorrow and simply went to sleep.

The next day.

It was September, and in the small county town in the south, the sky was dimly lit at five in the morning.

Jiang Nian got up early, changed into his running shoes. He subconsciously glanced at Xu Qianqian’s house across the hall; the door was tightly shut. Uncle Xu was on a business trip, and she was home alone.

Never mind, I’ll be benevolent and bring her some breakfast.

The morning was a bit chilly; as he went downstairs in his short-sleeved quick-dry shirt, his arms got goosebumps from the wind. Before his eyes was a not-so-prosperous street with old, self-built houses.

“Damn it.”

On the track of Nancheng Middle School’s sports field, a figure was stretched endlessly in the morning light.

Jiang Nian was drenched in sweat, his front and back soaked with large patches of perspiration. Running wasn’t strenuous, and the morning wasn’t too hot, but long-distance running would naturally make him sweat.

After running five kilometers, Jiang Nian’s phone buzzed. He held up his phone and saw that the reward had arrived.

“Yay! It’s here.”

A thousand yuan was credited to his account. He twisted open a bottle of water from his backpack and took a few gulps. He rested in the shade of a Wutong tree in the southwest corner, preparing for another three-kilometer sprint.

Before long, the three-kilometer and two-kilometer runs were completed.

“XX Bank received transfers of 700 RMB and 300 RMB.”

At this point, Jiang Nian was also a bit breathless. He looked as if he had just climbed out of water, his hair strands separated on his forehead, but his eyes were exceptionally clear.

Conservatively, after some rest, he could still run another five kilometers. Besides the possibility of not being able to get out of bed the next day, there were almost no other after-effects.

For some reason, Jiang Nian was not at all resistant to leg training.

He didn’t have very grand ambitions; as a strong, single male high school student who had been single since birth, his thoughts were the same as Mr. Ji Xianlin’s when he was young: he only wished for more in this life.

The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, the sun had just risen, and the streets were bathed in warm, clear sunlight. The morning light pierced through the gaps in the tree branches, and the Tyndall effect outlined the shape of the light.

Jiang Nian, holding his bicycle, bought four breakfasts before eight o’clock.

The prices in the county town were relatively cheap: shredded radish buns and vegetable buns cost one yuan each, soy milk was one yuan a cup, fried dough sticks were one-fifty, and meat buns were one-fifty.

“That’s thirty in total, please take it.”

Ding! “Paid.”

“Alright.”

Breakfast cost thirty yuan in total, a huge bag full. Jiang Nian alone could eat four meat buns, two fried dough sticks with soy milk, and two or three vegetarian buns.

The two thousand yuan he had just received, plus the 161 yuan remaining from yesterday, minus thirty yuan for breakfast, left him with 2131 yuan.

There were many people like Jiang Nian carrying large bags of breakfast, but they were mostly elderly people. They slept early and woke early to buy breakfast for their children and grandchildren who were going to work or school.

The bicycle wheels crunched over the dry road, and the soaring figure of the young man was imprinted in the golden morning light.

Creak, with a sudden brake, Jiang Nian jumped off his bike.

He carried the large bag of breakfast home and happened to meet his mother, Li Hongmei, getting up. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes showed the fatigue of waking early; she seemed to be planning to make breakfast.

Although the prices in Zhennan County were already very cheap, making breakfast at home was still more cost-effective.

Four-yuan rice noodles, with chopped bird’s eye chilies, green peppers, garlic, and scallions, mixed with a bit of chili oil, peanuts, cilantro, pickled long beans, and a seasoned sauce—it was filling.

The curtains in the living room were drawn, and the light was dim.

Li Hongmei, wearing a curtain-like ‘mom-brand’ pajama and slippers, looked at her son who entered, smelling of sweat, and the large bag of breakfast in his hand.

“You went to buy breakfast?”

“Yeah, I bought it on my morning run,” Jiang Nian nodded, placing the large bag of breakfast on the table. “Mom, you don’t have to work so hard; I’ll take care of breakfast from now on.”