When Zhou Li returned to his aunt’s house after school, he usually helped his aunt with chores, cleaning, cooking, and washing the dishes after dinner. Only after washing the dishes could he finally have some alone time to sit at the kitchen table and do his homework.
His aunt’s home wasn’t in great condition. It was just a two-bedroom house where his aunt and uncle shared one room and his younger sister had the other. Zhou Li could only find space in the common areas to do his work.
Even closing the kitchen door didn’t block out the occasional sounds of the TV dramas from the living room, making it a luxury for Zhou Li to focus on his homework at the table.
Zhou Li had been living under others’ roofs for a long time. Since the fourth grade of elementary school, when his father’s drug addiction made him unable to care for him, he had been shuffled from place to place.
Although they were relatives, no one really wanted to take in a child with a drug-addicted father. Their disdain and dislike for Zhou Li would often surface in their words and expressions.
Zhou Li would stay two days here, then two days there. He was sensitive, but he became skilled at reading people’s eyes. No matter whose house he went to, he would take on chores to minimize his presence. Over time, this behavior had become part of his character.
Recently, his uncle was about to be laid off because the factory was not doing well. One day at dinner, he said to Zhou Li, “Zhou Li, you’re already 16 years old. Since your grades aren’t good, you should stop studying and start working early to support yourself.”
With that, Zhou Li had prepared himself to drop out after finishing the third year of junior high school.
As a result, he didn’t pay much attention in class and didn’t put much effort into his homework.
While there was supposed to be nine years of compulsory education, many students who struggled with their grades or were unwilling to study simply drifted through their third year, waiting to just get their graduation certificates, then go out to work or do some small business. Zhou Li was one of those students.
Teachers generally ignored such students. If they turned in their homework, the teachers would grade it. If they didn’t, there were no consequences.
Gu Changheng was a variable in Zhou Li’s planned path.
Since the beginning of the third year of junior high school, Gu Changheng had been looking for him in a hurry every morning.
Zhou Li didn’t want Gu Changheng to be left without homework to copy.
Gu Changheng was a good student. If he didn’t complete his homework, he could get called into the office and criticized by the teacher.
So, Zhou Li, who had originally planned to skip writing homework or do it carelessly, had been diligently completing his homework for a whole month.
Through the repeated process of Gu Changheng borrowing his homework to copy, the two gradually became what Gu Changheng called “good buddies”.
During physical education class after the start of the third year of junior high school, Gu Changheng insisted on dragging Zhou Li to play basketball.
Zhou Li had always struggled academically, and his clothes often looked dirty. He was reluctant to interact with classmates and didn’t want to deal with their scornful or prying looks.
But every time Gu Changheng pulled him along to play basketball, he acted as if it was a perfectly reasonable request. “What’s the big deal? I just want my buddy to join me on the court!”
Zhou Li simply couldn’t refuse.
In fact, he found it impossible to deny any of Gu Changheng’s requests.
On the basketball court, Zhou Li initially fumbled because he was not familiar with the rules, but his height and good coordination soon made him a main player in the class matches.
Zhou Li would steal the ball, dribble, and maneuver past opponents in one fluid motion.
