At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

……

The sun in the countryside is even more intense; it's a dry sun with very high ultraviolet radiation.

Sitting in the bus, carrying large and small bags, Bai Chu rested her chin on her hand, leaned against the window, and stared unfocusedly at the receding highway.

Grandma's village wasn't accessible by train.

If you want to go back to see her, you either need a private car or take a bus and be dropped off by the driver at the roadside at the village entrance.

Actually, it's always this difficult to come back, but there's no way around it; the things that need to be done still need to be done properly.

Bai Chu had made up her mind since she was a child that she would repay the elders well when she grew up.

If possible, it would be best to bring her to the city to enjoy her later years.

But Grandma didn't like the hustle and bustle of the city.

Every time I asked her, she answered with the same sentence—

"Too busy. Busy all the time, my mind is also restless."

In her eyes, everyone is a walking corpse caught up in the fast-paced society, and she is no exception.

“The little money I earn isn’t enough to cover medical expenses. I’d rather farm and raise chickens in my garden, living a leisurely and carefree life without any disturbance.”

A self-sufficient life was something my grandmother always insisted on.

For her, "retirement" truly means being away from the hustle and bustle, reducing material desires, getting close to nature, and enjoying tranquility.

When I was a child, I didn't understand these things. I always thought about going to the city to make a name for myself and get ahead in life.

They believed that this was the only way to repay her kindness.

Who knew that after becoming an idol, I earned a little money, but not much, but I found that the distance between me and my grandmother had become even greater.

Bai Chu did some quick calculations and realized that by the time he had truly earned enough "big money," it would be uncertain whether his grandmother would still be alive.

Having figured this out, she decided to regularly return to her hometown to visit her grandmother, hoping to increase her gratitude by spending time with her.

In the girl's heart, she believed that kindness must be repaid.

Otherwise, the feeling of indebtedness will haunt you for life and can never be erased.

"Ugh."

She sighed heavily.

His breath created a white mist around the window.

"Grandma is 85 years old this year, and it looks like she won't be able to walk anymore."

"Last time you mentioned that you wanted to see a 'result' before you closed your eyes..."

"But can someone as reclusive as me really fulfill her last wish?"

Compared to other things, Bai Chu felt that matters of the heart were the most difficult to resolve.

Yesterday, I took a huge risk and briefly experienced the "embrace of the Cowherd".

Even so, he was driven away by the little birds beside him.

They dared not retort.

"So, it seems that the better-off people already have a definite partner?"

The girl couldn't help but start to ponder—

"So the rest are people nobody wants, right?"

"I'm unwanted, and I can't pursue someone who's already wanted."

"I can't find someone who's right for me, someone who likes me, and someone I don't like either."

"Just thinking about it makes me tired."

Bai Chu's thoughts sank again.

An invisible pressure descended from nowhere, crashing heavily into the girl's heart.

"Grandma's task is indeed arduous."

"Go back and have a good talk with her. Explain that I'll never find a suitable partner in my life. Let her give up, and that will make me feel a little better."

She thought to herself that, no matter what, it was unlikely that she would meet someone of the opposite sex whom she truly liked.

3 p.m.

The bus stopped by the roadside.

Bai Chu carried the things she bought for her grandmother in one hand and dragged the suitcase with the other, struggling to walk down the dirt road from the asphalt road.

The cute dress looked completely out of place in the earthy rural setting.

Dust covered the wheels of the suitcase.

Carefully avoiding the chicken, duck, and goose droppings by the roadside, I made my way back to my hometown on the deserted country lane.

The big yellow dog in the yard seemed to sense something and started barking excitedly ahead of time.

Hearing the sound, Grandma pushed open the door and came out, leaning on her cane, smiling as she looked at Bai Chu, who was as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water.

“You’ve really grown up, Xiao Chu. I thought you wouldn’t be able to come back to see me for a while.”

The wrinkles on the old man's face were clearly visible, and his smiling expression couldn't hide his sense of satisfaction.

"How could that be? Grandma, didn't I just come back three months ago? Sigh, I'll try to come back more often in the future."

Greeted by a flock of geese and a fat cat, she helped the old man back into the house.

"Hehe... Okay, okay, but Xiao Chu, you don't need to worry about me too much. I recently met some young people from the city. They said they often come over there to worship Buddha, so they'll come to see me every time they come. I won't be bored. You can focus on your work in the city. It's really okay."

Bai Chu: "?"

Upon hearing these claims that she was being scammed by a pyramid scheme, the young woman had to be extremely vigilant and repeatedly ask:

"Grandma, did these people ask you for money?"

"No, he even offered me money, but I refused. I figured it's just a meal, how much could it cost? Next time I'll slaughter a chicken and stew it for them."

"...?"

Bai Chu couldn't help but feel a chill, thinking to herself that modern scams are indeed advanced. They actually use money as an entry point, taking a route of sacrificing the small for the big?

Moreover, it sounds like the other party even came as a group to "companionship and brainwash" the grandmother.

That won't do.

"It's too dangerous, Grandma."

"What danger?"

“You’re getting old, you can’t tell who’s a good person and who’s a bad person anymore. Next time they come, just call me. No matter where I am, I’ll come back immediately to check on them. I need to make sure they’re not trying to scam you out of your retirement money. This is very important,” she said seriously.

……

……

Chapter 167 Xiaoxiao, you're not acting anymore, are you?

Miya visited the teacher's studio today.

The teacher's surname is Lu, and he has two respectful titles within the circle: one is "Qing Shen" and the other is "Master Lu".

Today, Miya, who was supposed to go straight to the rehearsal room, carried two bags of fresh fruit, thinking she would come back to offer some to "inspiration" and perform a kind of "thank-you" ritual.

After all, the effectiveness of "inspiration" should not be underestimated; it has basically fulfilled all my wishes.

If there's to be a next time, it's impossible not to fulfill the vow.

"People can't be so selfish. This time I bought the best fruit and will eat it myself after five days."

Mya, carrying her violin, walked into the studio with a beaming smile and in a wonderful mood.

The studio is named "61 Studio" and is divided into two main areas: a recording studio and a recording area.

The recording studio is where the teacher spends most of his time. He will sit at the arrangement workbench, practicing the piano or composing, and can sit there for 12 hours straight.

The recording area is specifically for filming. He occasionally records performance videos, instructional videos, original videos, etc. Of course, external partners also use this area.

For example, last time, a woman came to record an audio piece; she sounded like a voice actress.

Today, I heard voices coming from inside the reception room; it seemed like we had more guests.

Miya curiously tiptoed over and peered through the crack in the door.

The teacher was sitting on a black leather sofa. In front of him, two young men were pleading passionately about something, one of them even kneeling on the ground...

Although the words were meant to be a request, the tone seemed a bit too impatient, which didn't leave a good impression.

"Master Lu! I'm begging you, I'm kneeling down, please just teach me a few lessons!! 100,000 yuan, 100,000! I just want to break through this bottleneck, I want to take your offline classes, just five! Oh no, three! Three lessons!!! Please!!!"

“Senior, Encheng has come to study for the 24th time. Please grant his request, considering his persistence... even just one lesson would be fine…”

"."

The teacher, who was being pleaded with, remained silent.

He simply sat with his legs crossed, wearing a black leather jacket, a cigarette dangling from one hand and his other arm folded, glancing at the two men in front of him with a playful look, puffing out clouds of smoke as he said:

“I don’t pass on my knowledge to outsiders. I also declared more than ten years ago that I would no longer accept apprentices. Even if you come 100 more times, it will be meaningless.”

"But, but! I heard that you have a student! The Mosse Grand Prix champion! I think her name is Miya! She has clearly learned from you, so she doesn't take on any students... that's just what she says to the public!"

The boy was very excited and spoke very quickly: "Teacher Lu, if you don't have enough money, just say so. I'll have my parents sell our house to pay the tuition! Really!"

"Hehehe..."

Master Lu smiled, seemingly unconcerned about the small amount of money he mentioned.

Another boy, realizing that the trip was going to be a waste of time, chimed in:

"Senior, please tell me what you need. Why can Miya become your disciple, but we can't even if we pay? I'd like to understand where we fall short of Miya. Is that alright?"

"Ah."

The man nodded and summoned a white dragon.