9 The Old Bookstore

“Ah…” a classmate whispered softly, “Chen Ran, the teacher hasn’t taught this part yet.”

Chen Ran paused for a moment. The final exams were approaching fast—January for the finals, and now it was only November. The teacher’s pace was quite slow; the advanced class was probably nearly done with the entire math textbook, but their class had barely covered half.

“Is that so?” Chen Ran smiled. “Is there something you don’t understand? Let me take a look.”

“Can you really help?” the classmate eyed him skeptically.

Chen Ran’s grades weren’t the best in the class, just above average. But this classmate’s grades were even lower. Holding the textbook, the classmate scrutinized him. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Chen Ran nodded gently. The classmate pointed to a problem in the book. “I’m not quite sure how to solve this one.”

“Let me see…”

“Let p be a real number. The quadratic function y = x² – 2px – p intersects the x-axis at two distinct points A(x, 0) and B(x, 0).

(1) Prove that 2p x² + x² + 3p > 0;

(2) If the distance between A and B does not exceed |2p – 3|, find the maximum value of p.”

In truth, this was already a competition-level problem. Chen Ran, just beginning to study the math textbook, was faced with such a challenging question. He pondered for quite some time. Not only him, even in the advanced class, not many could solve this, especially at the level of first-year middle school. If he had finished the entire middle school math book, he might handle it easily, but for now, he really wasn’t at that level.

The classmate laughed. “What’s wrong, Chen Ran? Still can’t solve it?”

“This problem is a bit difficult,” Chen Ran said calmly. “It’s probably a competition question. Let me give it a try.”

He took a pen and began scribbling on scrap paper.

“Done!”

Chen Ran handed the paper back. The classmate looked utterly baffled.

“From the problem, we know Δ = (–2p)² – 4(–p) = 4p² + 4p > 0;

The quadratic equation is x² – 2p x – p = 0;

Therefore, 2p x² + x² + 3p = 2p x² + 2p x² + p + 3p = 2p(x² + x²) + 4p = 4p² + 4p > 0.”

“Uh…” The classmate didn’t understand at all, probably because the problem was too challenging. After staring at it for a long while, he was still confused. “Chen Ran, could you explain it to me in detail?”

He had only asked on a whim, not expecting Chen Ran to solve it. But now that Chen Ran had, he couldn’t comprehend the solution—it was awkward.

“Sure,” Chen Ran nodded slightly. “It’s an algebra problem; you should be familiar with this. First…”

Chen Ran quietly explained, while Wang Wei nearby slept soundly. The break was only ten minutes, and Chen Ran had spent quite a bit of time on the problem. Just as he was halfway through his explanation, the bell rang.

Returning the book to his classmate, Chen Ran whispered, “I’ll explain more after class.”

“Okay.” The classmate nodded. “Chen Ran, you’re really amazing.”

Chen Ran just smiled quietly, saying nothing.

Was that really amazing? Chen Ran had never joined a math competition before, but he knew this was roughly the level of a preliminary math contest. He could solve it with some thought, but if it were the finals, he might have to think much longer, and might not even solve it. After all, he had never competed before; in his mind, those who competed were almost geniuses.

He was a bit uneasy about joining the math competition. Competing with a group of geniuses, even though he clearly felt his learning, thinking, and memory abilities had improved greatly, he still felt nervous. A genius was a genius. He had a clear understanding of himself—he was just an ordinary person. With a learning system, and suddenly transported back to the millennium, there wasn’t much else about himself that was extraordinary. Even if an ordinary person time-traveled, in the end, they’d still just be ordinary.

He resolved to study hard, hoping to get into a good university and find a well-paying job. At least he wouldn’t let his mother suffer like in his previous life. Chen Ran took a deep breath, clenched his fist lightly, and the English teacher entered the classroom to begin class. Chen Ran listened attentively, finding that the teacher’s words sank deeply into his mind, and he kept flipping through the math book. He truly felt it necessary to buy all the middle school textbooks that hadn’t been distributed yet.

The system required him to master the entire middle school curriculum within fifteen days. A few days had already passed. Though he didn’t know what rewards the system offered or how to unlock the tech tree, human curiosity was strong. He was very curious about what those things could do.

Unconsciously, the whole morning passed quickly. Chen Ran had read through more than half of the math textbook; every concept and detail was etched deeply into his mind, as if impossible to forget. He found it strange—an uncanny feeling. The words seemed carved into his brain, impossible to erase.

Classmates were packing their bags to go home for lunch. The winter break was from noon to 2:30 p.m. Watching them rush out of the classroom, Chen Ran remained calm. After tidying up, seeing there were only a few left in the classroom, he leisurely left. The stairway was still crowded, but once outside, the playground looked magnificent with groups of students scattered about. Chen Ran sighed; it had been a long time since he’d been at school. He never thought he’d witness such a grand scene again in his lifetime.

Departing from the school, teachers and administrators were nearby, probably to prevent students from smoking outside. Schools like Ningchuan Fifth Middle School had quite a few troublemakers who skipped class and smoked once outside. Teachers and leaders stayed near the school; those caught smoking either had their enrollment status reviewed or their parents called, or received severe warnings. They made sure the student’s records wouldn’t look good. Fortunately, Chen Ran didn’t smoke or drink.

The roads beside the school still had farmland, winding roadside paths lined with vendors shouting their wares. Chen Ran walked briskly homeward. A bus stop was not far, with many students boarding to go home. Chen Ran’s home was close—just a ten-minute walk.

Returning to the compound, many students were entering as well.

Chen Ran reached the stairway entrance, climbed a few steps, and opened the door. His mother was cooking, along with several strangers who looked like officials.

They sized Chen Ran up as he did them.

One of them said, “This must be Old Chen’s youngest son.”

“Yes,” another replied.

Hearing that voice, Chen Ran finally recognized the person in the corner—it was the police chief from his father’s station.

“Quite good,” the man in charge said. “Old Chen’s martyr certificate will be issued soon. I heard this youngest son just started middle school, and the eldest is in college.”

“These are all issues we must handle. We can’t let Old Chen suffer in vain. The family must be taken care of properly.”

“Yes, it will be resolved.”

“Chen Ran,” the chief waved and smiled warmly. “Chen Ran, remember Uncle?”

“Uncle Li,” Chen Ran called obediently. Chief Li smiled. “How’s your studying? How’s school?”

“The teachers are all good,” Chen Ran said, lowering his head with a hint of sadness. “But… some classmates say things about my dad…” Chen Ran choked up and didn’t continue.

Chief Li grit his teeth, “Who said that!” He looked like he wanted to rush off and teach whoever it was a lesson.

The man in charge sighed and patted Chen Ran’s shoulder. “Chen Ran, right?”

“Yes.”

“Your father was a brave policeman who sacrificed for the people. You’re Old Chen’s son; you mustn’t let your father’s name be tarnished. He was an outstanding officer, and you… will surely be an excellent policeman too.”

Chen Ran remained silent. The man continued, “Study hard. You’re the descendant of a martyr. When you enter the police academy, you will get preferential admission, even with reduced exam scores. You will be an excellent policeman after graduation.”

“Sorry,” Chen Ran whispered, “I probably won’t become a policeman.”

“Why not?” The leader was about to speak when Chief Li cut in, “I remember your father told me your biggest dream was to become a policeman.”

Chief Li said this because a high-ranking official was present. Chen Ran’s father had died heroically and was recognized as a martyr. As a martyr’s descendant, he had priority admission and lower entry requirements for the police academy. Chen Ran really had such great conditions—why refuse? Chief Li was anxious and quickly grabbed Chen Ran’s arm, whispering, “Chen Ran, your father said you wanted to be a policeman.”

“Uncle Li, I’ve thought it through,” Chen Ran said, head bowed. “I want to be a scientist. I want to attend a science and engineering university.”

“Good,” the man smiled. “A scientist is good too. Scientists develop the country.”

“No matter what, the families of martyrs must be treated well.” Chief Li sighed, rubbing Chen Ran’s head, lost in thought.

After the group left, Chen Ran entered the kitchen and asked his mother, “Mom, what were they here for?”

She forced a smile. “Just came to check on the family.”

On the coffee table were several fruit baskets—visiting gifts. With memories from his previous life, Chen Ran knew clearly the house wouldn’t be taken away. Years later, his mother could still get a home in the police compound in Linjiang City. The country wasn’t unkind to the Chen family.

Heard that the consolation money and other bonuses amounted to tens of thousands of yuan. Around the turn of the millennium, that was a considerable sum.

“Mom,” Chen Ran whispered, “can I have ten yuan?”

Luo Mingxiu turned to him. “What’s wrong, Xiao Ran?”

“I… I want to buy books,” Chen Ran fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, speaking softly. “I want to buy some used textbooks for second and third year middle school. Today, I heard the teacher mention a math competition, so I signed up.”

“All right!” Luo Mingxiu nodded, taking out an old ten-yuan note and carefully placing it in Chen Ran’s hand. “Xiao Ran, listen to Mom.”

“Your father went away saving others. At home, there’s only Mom and your sister. Mom doesn’t have a job yet, and your sister is in college out of town with tuition and living expenses. You’re still young, just in middle school. You’ll have high school and university later—all of which cost money.”

“Xiao Ran, you mustn’t waste money, understand? The family doesn’t have much.”

Luo Mingxiu’s eyes welled with tears. She didn’t want to burden her son with these worries, but the family truly had little money—every bit counted.

“Mom!” Chen Ran clenched the crumpled ten-yuan bill and nodded firmly. “I know.”

He mustn’t let his mother suffer as she had in his previous life. Taking a deep breath, Chen Ran resolved silently.

At lunch, neither Chen Ran nor Luo Mingxiu spoke.

The news of his father’s death had not been told to his sister yet. The family had a phone but seldom used it. After eating, Chen Ran eagerly pocketed the crumpled ten-yuan note and headed to the used bookstore outside the school.