TNIBFT -Chapter 40 Is your father illiterate?

Hearing a voice she had been longing for day and night, Tao Linger suddenly turned around and saw Shen Jie standing under the pine tree, looking at her.

“Brother Shen.”

Tao Linger’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she lifted her skirt and ran toward Shen Jie.

Shen Jie’s heart leapt with joy—so the one who would cover her debts had finally come!

He hurriedly stepped out from under the tree. Tao Linger’s big, watery eyes were fixed on him, unwilling to part for even a second. After a brief moment, she noticed the injuries on Shen Jie’s face, her brow furrowed in concern, and she tenderly reached out with her delicate fingers: “How did you get hurt? Is it serious? Wait, I’ll go get some medicinal wine for you.”

Having said that, she turned to go inside.

Shen Jie grabbed her wrist: “It’s nothing. Actually, I came this time because I have something I need to tell you.”

Tao Linger froze in her steps.

Her face turned red as blood. She looked at Shen Jie’s hand, and uncontrollably, her mind recalled Ye Tian’s words: immersed in a pig cage, immersed in a pig cage…

Instantly, her expression changed. It was like touching something scorching; she panicked, quickly shook off Shen Jie’s hand, and pressed her small hands against her chest nervously: “You… you… what do you want to say?”

Shen Jie was stunned.

What was going on with Tao Linger?

Before, whenever he held her hand, she would be shy to the extreme, a picture of youthful infatuation. But today… what was this? Had Ye Tian said something in front of her? Or had she shifted her affections and taken a liking to Ye Tian?

Impossible!

Someone like Ye Tian—this scoundrel—how could he even compare to him?

Shen Jie had just suffered a setback, and now he was extremely sensitive. He instantly thought of Ye Tian, his face darkened, and his temper flared. But recalling he had something more important to discuss, he suppressed his anger, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “Linger, has the school been accepting students recently?”

“Ah?”

Tao Linger’s eyes widened, a bad premonition forming in her heart. Sure enough, Shen Jie continued: “I want to borrow some money…”

Before, he wouldn’t even need to ask; Tao Linger would secretly provide money at regular intervals. But now, he had said it outright, and yet Tao Linger had no immediate reaction?

Shen Jie’s face turned a mix of dark purple and green, his forced smile twisted into something almost feral. His big eyes protruded, and his expression was terrifyingly grim—completely unlike his usual graceful demeanor.

Recalling Ye Tian’s words, Tao Linger instinctively stepped back, stammering: “My father has been very ill lately… the money at home isn’t even enough to buy medicine.”

“Am I not important to you?”

Shen Jie’s heart ached, his gaze incredulous as he stared at Tao Linger. She shook her head: “No, no, Brother Shen, you are important too.”

“Then in your heart, my future is worth less than anything? Even if the teacher only has a slight headache, that matters more than me for life, right? Everyone looks down on me, and even you don’t believe in me, right?” Shen Jie’s voice grew louder and more agitated. His face twisted into a grimace as he shouted: “We grew up together! Shouldn’t you help me?”

“Just because I’m poor, you’ll stand by like everyone else?”

Tao Linger shrank back, covering her chest with both hands, unsure how to respond.

Thinking of Shen Jie’s tragic background, she felt a pang of guilt and said: “No, it’s not like that.”

“I have some coins. I’ll give them to you.”

As she spoke, Tao Linger took out a string of coins Ye Tian had given her, keeping two for herself.

Seeing the money, Shen Jie finally calmed down. Tao Linger looked at his profile, as if meeting him for the first time—why had Brother Shen become like this?

“By the way, why did Ye Tian come?”

Having received the money, Shen Jie naturally slipped it into his sleeve and looked up at Tao Linger.

Tao Linger said: “His three children are starting school. Today is their first day at the academy.”

Going to school?

Ye Tian couldn’t even afford a proper meal, yet he somehow had money for school—he must have sold his own jade bracelet. All of this was Shen Jie’s money, and the thought made Shen Jie grind his teeth in rage.

Ye Tian’s three little brats going to school too?

Today, Tao Linger was acting so strangely; it must be because that scoundrel Ye Tian was spreading lies.

He must have told her about what he did at the Shen household.

Thinking this, Shen Jie narrowed his eyes at the school. If he couldn’t deal with Ye Tian now, could he let these three little bastards go unpunished?

A cold sneer crossed Shen Jie’s face. “Did Ye Tian just say something about me?”

Tao Linger hurriedly shook her head. “No, nothing at all!”

“I think Ye Tian is very charming; he speaks so interestingly, and he raises his children wonderfully. You don’t know, each of his three kids has their own talent. My father was overjoyed—these past few years, I’ve never seen him this happy.”

Tao Linger chattered nonstop, afraid that Shen Jie would misunderstand Ye Tian.

Shen Jie’s face darkened like iron. He was the favored child, the one cultivated by the teacher, the example for all students at the school—why should three little brats get the same attention?

“Linger, you should keep your distance from Ye Tian from now on.”

Frowning, Shen Jie continued, “Do you even know what kind of person Ye Tian is?”

“You should do some digging yourself…”

“He made his daughter steal my grandmother’s jade bracelet, then set me up. Ye Tian commits every evil deed—he even put the village women’s undergarments in my room…”

Shen Jie twisted facts and exaggerated the story. Tao Linger clenched her teeth in anger; she hadn’t expected Ye Tian to be so malicious. You can’t judge a man by appearances—he actually schemed against Shen Jie, ruining his reputation and even beating him up like this.

Seeing Tao Linger blow on her own cheeks in distress, Shen Jie’s lips curled slightly. “Linger, after class, you must check whether these three kids are stealing anything.”

“They’re habitual offenders. If they really stole something, other children’s parents wouldn’t allow it. What you’re doing is for their own good—and for the good of the school.”

Seeing Tao Linger nod, Shen Jie finally felt satisfied.

…

Inside the school hall.

A dozen or so low wooden desks were neatly arranged, with the teacher’s desk positioned at the front.

Portraits of Confucius and other sages hung on the walls.

A group of little children clustered together, occasionally letting out bursts of astonishment. “What’s this?”

“Wow, this is so cute! I’ve never seen a backpack like this before. Xiao Jiang, can we swap for a day?”

“Is that a duck drawn on it?”

“Your dad is amazing!”

The kids crowded around Xiao Jiang and Ye Shuangxue, staring at the backpacks Ye Tian had prepared for them, their envy almost drooling over them.

The simple beige cloth bags had been made into proper backpacks by Ye Tian. Not only did they have names on them, but also cartoon images. Ye Tian’s craftsmanship wasn’t perfect, but the children had never seen cartoons before and were instantly captivated.

Ye Shuangxue snatched her small backpack from a little boy and hugged it tightly, her pride showing. “This is mine. If you want one, have your dad make it.”

“My dad can’t.”

“Mine only knows how to farm.”

“What’s drawn on your backpack, Ye Shuangxue?” The little boy’s curiosity was strong. Ye Shuangxue glanced at a few classmates and proudly said, “Let me show you something special. Look closely.”

Pointing to the bottom-right corner of her backpack, she said, “Ye Shuangxue. My name. The only one in the world.”

Ah!

Everyone stared in envy. Someone suddenly laughed. “Hahaha…”

“Ye Shuangxue, your dad can’t read, can he?”