A young man from another world returned to his hometown.

Chapter 59 I Want to Read!

"It's okay to manage it."

Section Chief Ma nodded.

"But your daughter said she wants to study."

"What books are you reading!"

"Old Liu."

Section Chief Ma interrupted him.

"Let me tell you something you can understand. Your daughter is a minor. You know the Law on the Protection of Minors, right? Using a minor child to exchange for a bride price or engaging in arranged marriage is illegal."

"Who...who bought and sold it?"

Uncle Liu's voice softened.

"That was a normal wedding for my daughter..."

"No one needs to chase their daughter to the school gate in the middle of the night for a normal wedding!"

Section Chief Ma reprimanded him sternly. At this moment, Lin Jiayao stepped forward from behind.

"Uncle Liu."

His voice was calm.

"Your son enrolled in our vocational school, right?"

Uncle Liu was stunned for a moment.

"I...I've reported it."

"Our vocational school is tuition-free, are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied! Satisfied!"

Uncle Liu nodded repeatedly.

Lin Jiayao looked at him.

"Let me make this clear today: the girls want to come to school, but you parents are stopping them. If you drag this child back home today..."

Lin Jiayao spoke slowly and deliberately, each word distinct.

"Tomorrow, I'll also remove your son's spot. It's not just your family; from now on, if any family tries to stop their daughter from going to school, we won't accept their son either."

Uncle Liu was so angry that he couldn't speak straight.

"You...you're trying to extort money from me!"

"This isn't extortion; this is fairness."

Lin Jiayao stared into his eyes.

"Your son can study, and your daughter can study. Your son deserves a bright future, and so does your daughter. If you think your daughter doesn't deserve it, then why does your son deserve it?"

Uncle Liu stood there, opening his mouth several times, but not a single word came out. The relatives who followed him also looked at each other in bewilderment.

When the security guards at the middle school saw that someone was organizing a group purchase, they all followed suit.

"Alright, alright, parents, stop making a scene here. I think it'll be dawn in a few hours. Let this student go to the dormitory to rest. The high school entrance exam is coming up soon, and he has classes in the morning."

Uncle Liu's lips twitched, and he looked down at his daughter.

Liu Xiaohui was still standing at the school gate. Uncle Liu's slap did not fall. He stood there, silent for a long, long time.

Finally, it was Uncle Liu's wife who made the first move. She let go of her daughter's arm, turned her face away, and wiped her face with her hand.

"...Go."

Uncle Liu turned his head and glared at her.

"What did you say?"

I told her to go.

Her voice got a little louder.

"If she wants to study, let her study. When has she ever been this stubborn before?"

She finally couldn't hold back and squatted down to cry.

"She was sensible from a young age. She would do whatever we asked her to do, never argued with us, and never asked for anything..."

Uncle Liu sighed and looked up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly. The night in the town was very dark, and only these two buildings were lit up along the entire national highway.

He turned around and told the villagers who had come with him to go back, then pushed them onto the motorcycle and rode back. In the end, only Uncle Liu's wife was left, still squatting by the roadside.

She wiped her face, stood up, and walked to her daughter.

He took a wad of cash out of his pocket and stuffed it into his daughter's hand.

"Take it."

Then she turned and left without looking back. Liu Xiaohui stood at the middle school gate, watching her mother's figure walk further and further away until it disappeared into the night.

Liu Xiaohui squatted down, buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling, and she tried her best to keep quiet.

She understood, how could she not understand? Who would bring money when chasing someone out in the middle of the night?

It's all about money.

Section Chief Ma walked over, took off his coat, and gently draped it over her shoulder.

"Come on, child, let's go inside."

……

With the start of school on Monday, the story of Liu Xiaohui running away at night and shouting "I want to study!" at the school gate spread throughout the middle school like a heroic tale.

The class erupted in chaos.

"Have you heard? Liu Xiaohui broke ties with her family for the sake of her studies!"

"Her parents chased her to the school gate, and heard that school leaders and town officials had come!"

"I heard the teachers at the new school have said that if any family doesn't send their daughter to school, their son's place will be canceled!"

The news spread fastest among the students.

During the break between classes, several girls with good grades gathered together and whispered among themselves.

"My mom was saying yesterday that I should go work in a garment factory in the provincial capital after I graduate..."

"My family is the same way. They say it's useless for girls to study so much."

A girl with a ponytail clenched her fist.

"But Liu Xiaohui dared to run away, so why can't we say anything?"

"Yeah, at worst I'll go find the teacher too!"

……

As time went on, a few days later, several girls gathered at the school office door.

They just stood there, neither daring to speak first.

The grade leader of the third year of junior high school opened the door.

"...Come in, all of you, sit down. What are your thoughts?"

"teacher……"

The girl in the lead took a deep breath.

"We want to enroll in a vocational school; we want to study."

However, they didn't know what would happen if they went to the teacher.

The class monitor sighed deeply. He looked at the girls, his throat tightened, and the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say them for a moment. After pausing for a while, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"...Okay, okay, it's good that you want to study! Your teacher will definitely help you!"

……

The news quickly reached Lin Jiayao.

He looked at the information sent by Section Chief Ma. Dozens of application forms had appeared in his phone's chat window, all with girls' names on them.

"Jiayao, more than thirty girls have come in the last two days."

Section Chief Ma's voice was gratified; he seemed quite happy.

"These children said they wanted to be like Liu Xiaohui."

Lin Jiayao leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"Old Ma, wouldn't you say this counts as... a spark that ignites a fire?"

"I guess that's the power of role models, haha."

Section Chief Ma smiled.

"But whether this fire can be started depends on adding fuel to the fire."

"Don't worry, my cousin actually predicted how things would develop."

Recalling his phone conversations with Lin Yan during this period, Lin Jiayao's eyes changed every time he asked about Lin Yan's unexpected behavior. As he was lost in his own thoughts, the lights seemed to shine on him like spotlights.

Thinking about it carefully, Ah Yan... had planned every step from the very beginning. The scene flashed back in his mind like a montage. Who could invest so much money without caring at all? He must be very confident. At this moment, Lin Jiayao felt as if Lin Yan was sitting on a throne.

That same day, Lin Jiayao found the middle school principal.

"Principal, I would like to sponsor the school's canteen and dormitory."

The principal was taken aback.

"sponsor?"

"Yes, it's specifically for students who want to continue their studies."