In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 434 Duan Xiaowu dropped out of school
"Hello, Uncle Yu." A slightly childish voice followed from behind.

Yu Dawei turned around and saw Duan Dahai and his son Duan Xiaowu walking towards him. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to have something on their minds, their faces full of worry.

“I told you the other day that I got some fire and smoke prevention banners for the factory. I just picked them up today, and I figured I had nothing else to do, so I might as well put them on the wall.” Yu Dawei glanced at the father and son. “What’s going on with you two? Did your son fail his final exams?”

That's probably the only possibility. Otherwise, Yu Dawei really couldn't think of anything else that could make this father and son look so worried.

"No." Duan Dahai clenched his fist slightly, turned his head to look at his son who was bowing his head and not speaking, and said coldly, "It's that this kid doesn't plan to continue his studies."

"Not going to study anymore? You finally got into the county high school, how can you just quit like that!" Yu Dawei frowned as he looked at Duan Xiaowu.

Then, suddenly remembering that the boy didn't seem to be focused on his studies, Yu Dawei's eyes darted around, and he pointed to A Gui, who was standing on a ladder and hammering nails, "Xiao Wu, studying is a very precious thing. Look at my eldest apprentice, you've met him before."

"This kid has been studying like crazy for the past six months. Even when I took him to Kyoto, he was still writing. He was over ten years old when he finally learned to read, but look at him, in just six months, he has already been admitted to junior high school."

Yu Dawei earnestly advised, "The most precious thing to do in your youth is to study, Xiao Wu."

Upon hearing this, Duan Dahai stared at his son with great seriousness: "Look how well your Uncle Yu said it! What are you doing at your age if you're not studying? You still have to come work at the flour mill. Do you think you can just easily figure out how to do things at the flour mill?"

"Do you know when those machines inside need cleaning, when they need maintenance, and how to set them up?"

"I don't understand! Even if I don't come to your lousy flour mill, I won't study anymore! I'd rather go work on a construction site and carry bricks!" Duan Xiaowu seemed to be annoyed by his father's words, and he shouted at his own father with his neck stiff. After speaking, he turned around and ran into the office building.

Yu Dawei and A Gui, who was fixing nails, were dumbfounded.

"Ugh, you good-for-nothing!" Duan Dahai was also holding back his anger. Seeing his son so disobedient, he was instantly filled with rage and shouted in the direction the boy ran into the building: "Why did I give up a perfectly good job at the garbage dump and have to do this lousy job with all my heart and soul? It's all because of you!"

"So that you can have some face at school, so that you can study in peace, otherwise other classmates will say that his dad is a garbage collector!"

"Who the hell am I doing all this for!" Duan Dahai became angrier and angrier, and finally threw the newly bought account book on the ground.

"Brother Duan, Brother Duan, there's no need to be angry. The child is still young. You can't always think about him the way you do things. You need to understand why he's not studying so we can address the problem effectively." Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Yu Dawei quickly grabbed Duan Dahai's arm and tried to calm him down.

After Yu Dawei said that, Duan Dahai's face, which had been flushed with anger, turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and his gaze was extremely complicated as he stared at Yu Dawei.

Yu Dawei felt uneasy under that look; he had a feeling that this matter was somehow related to him.

"Is this kid trying to get me to take him on as an apprentice again?" Yu Dawei thought of this subconsciously. He was about to say a few more words of comfort to Brother Duan when he saw the other party sigh and shake his head.

"Sigh, after his final exams, this kid publicly confessed his feelings for your sister at the school gate and got rejected. I guess his pride got the better of him, and he's thinking about not wanting to go to school anymore." Duan Dahai put his hands on his hips wearily, turned to look at Yu Dawei again, and asked curiously, "Did your little sister go home and not tell you about this?"

"How would I know!" Yu Dawei said innocently. "This girl tells her older sister and second sister everything. I've never interfered in my younger siblings' affairs since we were little."

Yu Dawei was not lying. Having lived two lives, this one seems to be the one in which he has been involved in the most matters concerning his younger siblings.

When the second child returns home, he will proactively inquire about the other child's situation at university.

Needless to say, he also treated my younger sister's illness.

Whenever Er Yan goes back, she inevitably gives him a long lecture on studying.

In the past, Yu Dawei would never have seen this. He never saw how others lived unless things happened to him personally.

His eldest son once said that he lived a very self-centered life, and if Yu Dawei thinks about it carefully, he is right. He has always been a self-centered person.

He inherited it entirely from his grandfather, Yu Chen.

"A-Gui, have you heard them mention this at home?" Yu Dawei remembered that his apprentice was always being dragged out to play by Yu Yan and the others, so he turned around and asked.

Ah Gui had just finished hammering in the nails and was slowly climbing down the wooden ladder. When he heard his master ask him a question, he thought about it carefully for a moment and finally shook his head: "No, when they chat occasionally, a few of them will gather together and discuss things quietly, and I'm too embarrassed to get too close."

Yu Dawei turned around and shrugged at Duan Dahai, expressing his helplessness. If he knew what his sister had said, he might know some details of the story.

"Sigh, this is definitely true. I went back to the village yesterday and heard it from one of his female classmates." Duan Dahai looked up at the office building, then turned back with a pleading look. "This kid doesn't study, and I don't plan to let him work at the flour mill." "If it were before, when he didn't know anything, I might have considered it. But after you mentioned the flour mill explosion, I went to Director Yu to verify it. Our factory is indeed built too close together; it's easy for accidents to happen." Duan Dahai shook his head. "How can I dare to let him work here?"

"How's it going on your end? Hasn't this kid been clamoring for you to be his mentor? Let him learn how to repair cars, dig trenchers, and stuff like that?" Duan Dahai looked at Yu Dawei expectantly again.

"No, brother, you're giving up so easily?" Yu Dawei simply couldn't understand. You're giving up way too easily. Have you been spoiling Duan Xiaowu too much? Can you really believe whatever he says?

"Sigh, brother, what else can we do? His mother and I have been trying to persuade him for days! We only found out the reason yesterday. This kid is probably afraid of being embarrassed when he goes back to school. If he doesn't want to study, then so be it. Anyway, our family has never been good at studying." Duan Dahai put down his hand and bent down to pick up the few account books that had been thrown on the ground.

He can now do accounting and read books, all because after he started collecting garbage, he felt his knowledge was too lacking, and he forced himself to learn little by little.

So in his view, even if he doesn't study, he should be able to catch up if he really needs to someday.

That was the only way Duan Dahai could console himself.

“No, brother, it’s definitely not okay for the kid not to go to school. Sooner or later, he’ll have to pay for the youth he’s wasted.” Yu Dawei crossed his arms and frowned. “Here’s what we’ll do: you don’t need to worry about this. After the summer vacation, I promise I’ll make sure he goes back to school.”

"What is this? To ruin your life over a little unrequited love? That's too childish." Yu Dawei curled his lip, not liking this kind of lovestruck boy, but then he thought about how the culprit was his own sister.

Yu Dawei had mixed feelings. If he said a few words to Yu Fang when he got home, his mother would probably beat him with a broom handle. Besides, Yu Fang had always acted like a normal student and hadn't dressed up in fancy clothes at school.

It's even less likely that she'll act like a future "scumbag woman," seducing someone and then kicking them to the curb.

"Okay, it would be best if he could study. I'm counting on you, brother." Duan Dahai said with hope. "I don't expect him to amount to anything, like getting into university or anything. I'll be grateful if he can just graduate from high school."

Looking at Duan Dahai's expectant eyes, Yu Dawei felt a mix of emotions; he understood this feeling all too well.

Who doesn't hope their child will rise to great heights? But a father knows his child's personality and habits inside and out.

Furthermore, it is difficult to get into domestic universities these days, and the college admission rate is extremely low every year.

"You go in first and call this kid out. I'll take him out for some fun in a few days." Yu Dawei smiled at Duan Dahai. "He doesn't want to fix cars with me? Then come with me."

Anyway, A-Gui has to take him along; whether he herds one sheep or two, it's all the same.

"Alright then." Duan Dahai didn't refuse. He trusted his brother Dawei quite a bit, and he was reliable in doing things.

Besides, with their child in such a terrible state, the biological parents were completely helpless and decided to let Dawei take care of him, hoping it would be a last resort.

With their own thoughts, Duan Dahai stepped into the office building.

"Master."

"Hmm?" Yu Dawei didn't turn around, his gaze fixed on Duan Dahai's slightly hunched back.

From Brother Duan's back, he vaguely saw the shadow of his father when he was disappointed in him. Perhaps all fathers in the world look like this when they are disappointed in their own sons.

"I don't quite understand. Why not go to school and drop out? Is it because you're like Sister Eryan, and you're just naturally uninterested in learning?" Agui's eyes were full of confusion.

Er Yan had told him that it was very difficult to get into the county's high school. Although the entrance exam for junior high school was easy, it was considered good if only 20 out of 100 students could get into the county's high school.

Ah Gui felt that it was really wrong of him to not cherish the opportunity to get into high school and then shout that he wanted to drop out.

It's like you're clearly very rich, so why burn all your money? Isn't that a bit wasteful?

"You'll understand when you're a little older. Love can drive people crazy. If I'm not mistaken, this kid will probably become your second junior brother. When you two are together, don't try to upset him by confessing your feelings." Yu Dawei reached out, intending to pat A Gui's head.

But then I suddenly realized that the kid had grown taller over the past few days.

Finally, Yu Dawei simply patted him on the shoulder as a formality.

(End of this chapter)