At night, Jiang Nian took a shower and returned to his room, turned on the air conditioner, and lay on the bed.
He opened the panel and smiled as a greeting.
Although Jiang Nian's grades were average, as one of the main players of the school basketball team, he decided to run five kilometers every day for a semester in silence, just to show off his skills on the court.
Five kilometers in one go, like drinking water.
His plan was to get up early tomorrow, first run 5 kilometers, then 3 kilometers, and finally complete 2 kilometers. After all, he understood the principle of charging once and then declining twice.
After checking the tasks, he took out his phone to glance at his bank account balance.
Money gives a man courage. The Jiang Family's financial situation wasn't great, and in recent years, grandpa's health wasn't good. They borrowed a lot of money back and forth and only managed to pay off the debt this year.
Consequently, Jiang Nian's allowance wasn't much either, barely three to four hundred yuan a month.
But just after a single afternoon, there was an extra one thousand yuan in his account. If he completed ten kilometers tomorrow, he would get an additional two thousand yuan, totaling three thousand.
If you don't spend your money, earning it is pointless. He opened an online shopping site, JD.com.
Now in his senior year, even with a gaming company as a cover for his earnings, to his parents, making money from playing games is counterproductive to education.
Although it might lead to rounds of family interrogations, Jiang Nian, being thick-skinned, didn't care. Since he'd spoken, he might as well seize the opportunity to shop.
The most straightforward way for ordinary folks to save is the two-punch combo: buy fewer clothes and fewer shoes. Save on utilities; if home appliances, phones, or electronics aren't broken, don't buy new ones.
The Jiang Family was no different. Old Jiang and Mom hadn't changed their phones, clothes, or shoes for two or three years. The home's TV and air conditioner rarely got turned on, and the rice washing water was used to flush the toilet.
Frugality is a virtue, but this kind of frugality was purely for saving money. It hardly spoke to any quality of life—it was just tightening the belt to get by.
Clothes weren't easy to buy, and he couldn't afford phones or appliances, so he could only buy shoes.
Shoes were one of those necessities that could cost a few dozens but had a reason for costing a few hundreds. Walking every day, a good pair of shoes was important.
Jiang Nian bought Old Jiang a pair of leather shoes for over five hundred yuan and a pair of soft-soled sports shoes for Mom around three hundred yuan. Conveniently, he also bought himself two pairs of shoes for about two hundred yuan each.
After the whole set of purchases, the one thousand three hundred yuan balance almost hit zero.
He looked at the balance—one hundred yuan.
Alright, time to sleep.
Meanwhile, the Jiang couple couldn't sleep.
The master bedroom was pitch black as the two of them chatted across the bed. Words unsaid during the day in front of the child could be spoken with the lights off at night.
"Ah, in a blink of an eye, the child has grown so much." Jiang Weizheng said, hands behind his head, staring at the dark ceiling.
"He's even earning money and cooking meals for us."
"Jiang Nian is sensible, isn't he? Yet you're sighing here." Li Hongmei rolled her eyes at her husband in the dark, "He used to be so naughty if we didn't discipline him."
"I just wish he were more sensible so I wouldn't have to worry so much. But now I'm worried his money isn't coming from a proper source, that he's taking a wrong path at such a young age."
"It shouldn't be, I know Jiang Nian. He has his principles." Jiang Weizheng retracted his hands and frowned, "I've checked out the gaming company; it's quite legitimate."
"I figure there's no problem with him earning some money a month, as long as he doesn't get overly addicted."
The couple chatted idly for a while without reaching a conclusion. As sleepiness hit and thinking of going to work tomorrow, they just went to sleep.
It's September, and at five in the southern small county town, the sky was just barely brightening.
Jiang Nian got up early, changed into his sports shoes. He subconsciously glanced at Xu Qianqian's house across the door, which was tightly shut; Uncle Xu was away on a business trip, leaving only her at home.
Oh well, might as well bring her some breakfast as an act of kindness.
The morning was a bit cold, and stepping downstairs in his short-sleeve quick-dry shirt, his arms got goosebumps in the wind. In sight were non-bustling streets, old self-built houses.
On the South City Middle School's track, a silhouette was elongated indefinitely under the morning light.
Jiang Nian was sweating intensely, with his front and back soaked in a large patch of sweat. Running wasn't hard, and the morning wasn't too hot. An extended run naturally made you sweat.
After five kilometers, Jiang Nian's phone buzzed with a notification. He raised his phone to see the reward had arrived.
With one thousand yuan in the account, he twisted open a water bottle from his backpack and drank a few gulps. Standing under the sycamore tree's shade at the southwest corner, he prepared to sprint another 3 kilometers.
Not long after, he completed three kilometers and then two kilometers.
"xx Bank received a transfer of 700 RMB... 300 RMB."
At this moment, Jiang Nian was also somewhat out of breath. His whole body felt like he had just climbed out of water, and the hair on his forehead separated while his eyes were exceptionally clear.
Conservatively estimating, after some rest, he could run another five kilometers. Apart from the fact that it might be hard to get out of bed the next day, there were almost no side effects.
For some reason, Jiang Nian didn't resist leg training at all.
He didn't have grand ambitions; as a strong male high schooler, single since birth. Like Mr. Ji Xianlin's thoughts in his youth, he just wanted to more...
The autumn wind was high and crisp as the sun just rose. The sunlight was warm and clear on the streets. The morning light filtered through the gaps in the tree branches, creating a dappled display.
Jiang Nian, pushing a bicycle, made sure to buy four breakfasts before eight o'clock.
In the county town, prices were relatively cheap. Radish greens, vegetable buns were one yuan each, soymilk one yuan a cup, deep-fried dough sticks one yuan fifty, and meat buns one yuan fifty.
"A total of thirty, here you go."
Breakfast cost a total of thirty yuan, a big bag full. Jiang Nian could eat four meat buns, plus two deep-fried dough sticks and soymilk, and a few veggie buns all by himself.
With the two thousand just received, plus the remaining 161 from yesterday, deducting thirty for breakfast, he still had 2131 yuan left.
There were quite a few people like Jiang Nian, carrying large bags of breakfasts, but most were older people. They went to bed early and rose early, buying breakfasts for their working or studying children and grandchildren.
The bicycle's wheels rolled over the dry road, the youth's spirited silhouette reflected in the golden morning light.
With a screech, he braked abruptly and jumped off the bike.
He carried the big bag of breakfast back home, just in time to see Mom, Li Hongmei, waking up. Her hair was messy, and exhaustion from rising early was evident in her eyes, as if she was planning to make breakfast.
Although prices in Zhenan County were already very cheap, making breakfast at home was still more cost-effective.
Four yuan worth of rice noodles, chopped millet peppers, garlic, spring onions, mixed with chili oil, peanuts, coriander, pickled cowpeas, and sauce would fill you up.
The curtains in the living room were drawn, making the lighting dim.
Li Hongmei, in curtain-like mom-styled pajamas, wearing slippers, looked at her smelly, sweaty son who had just walked in and the big bag of breakfast he held.
"Did you go buy breakfast?"
"Yeah, bought it while running in the morning." Jiang Nian nodded, putting the big bag of breakfast on the table, "Mom, you don't have to work so hard. I'll handle breakfast from now on."