The Scum Gong Refuses the Crematorium [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32

In the morning, Wang Huifang woke up and saw that Sheng Yan had not left yet. As expected, she pulled Lu Mingyue aside to question him: “Why hasn’t he left yet?”

While Lu Mingyue was worrying about how to explain, Sheng Yan spoke up on his own: “Auntie, something happened at my home, and I need to stay at your place for a few days. Don’t worry, I will pay you for rent and meals later.”

Wang Huifang usually dealt with grandmas haggling over prices and gossipy old men. She had never interacted with someone so polite and well-spoken. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond. She looked at Lu Mingyue and asked, “How much money will he give?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t say,” Lu Mingyue replied. “Probably a hundred or two; just for his room and board.”

One or two hundred was a huge amount of money in this era. Wang Huifang and Lu Mingyue only earned a few dozen yuan a month picking up trash. Even if they rented out their entire broken house, they might not get two hundred yuan, yet Sheng Yan was offering that just for a short stay.

Wang Huifang’s eyes lit up instantly. She smiled at Sheng Yan and said, “You stay, you stay! Do you want me to tidy up the room for you again?”

The treatment for a paying guest was definitely different from a free one.

“No need, Auntie. The room is quite clean,” Sheng Yan declined. Lu Mingyue’s room was tiny; even his clothes had to be kept in the living room. Aside from some colorful posters on the walls to keep out dust, a bed, and a desk, there was nothing else. No matter how much she tidied, it wouldn’t change much.

“Alright then.” Hearing that she didn’t have to do extra work, Wang Huifang didn’t insist. She just laughed. “If you need anything, just let us know.”

“Actually,” Sheng Yan said, looking at Lu Mingyue, “I really need a toothbrush and a towel right now.”

He could tolerate the living conditions and the food, but he couldn’t stand being unable to wash up.

“I’ll get them for you.” Lu Mingyue immediately went to a dilapidated cabinet in the living room. After rummaging around, he pulled out a low-quality toothbrush and towel that clearly looked like hotel disposables.

Sheng Yan didn’t complain. Given the circumstances, something was better than nothing. He brushed with a toothbrush that lost bristles with every stroke and washed with a towel that left lint everywhere.

Sheng Yan felt that the matter of making money had to be put on the schedule as soon as possible. At the very least, he needed enough to buy decent daily necessities.

After he finished washing up, Wang Huifang served him and Lu Mingyue each a bowl of plain noodles. They were truly “plain”—not even a leaf of a vegetable. Just a bit of salt and MSG. She set them on the table and instructed: “Remember to wash the bowls after you eat. I have to go to work.”

With that, she left.

Besides collecting trash, Wang Huifang worked as a cleaner at a nearby supermarket, earning 380 yuan a month. Without that, the family really couldn’t survive on just what she and Lu Mingyue picked up.

After she left and they finished their noodles, Lu Mingyue asked Sheng Yan, “How are you planning to study hard?”

He didn’t even have books right now.

“Can I borrow your books to look at?” Sheng Yan asked. He knew he was penniless and didn’t feel embarrassed asking.

“Sure.” Lu Mingyue took him back to the cramped room, dug out his books, and handed them over. “They’re all here. Read whatever you want.”

Sheng Yan picked one up. It was brand new—not a single note inside. It was clear that Lu Mingyue rarely opened them and didn’t pay attention in class.

This was quite different from the Lu Mingyue in his memory. The Lu Mingyue he remembered was a graduate of a top university, a legend who started trading stocks and studying finance before he even graduated.

“Don’t tell me you don’t do your summer homework either?” After flipping through several pristine books, Sheng Yan realized that this version of Lu Mingyue was a slacker.

“You see my family’s situation,” Lu Mingyue pointed at his empty house. “How can I do it?” He had to go out and collect scrap metal later; he didn’t have time to waste on homework.

“Then how will you register when school starts?” Schools back then weren’t as lenient as in the future. Teachers were strict; if you didn’t finish your summer homework, they might actually refuse to let you enroll.

“When school starts, I’ll just borrow a classmate’s work and rush through it.” Lu Mingyue had done this since he was a kid; he was used to it.

“Rushing homework…” It had been a long time since Sheng Yan had heard that phrase. It felt like a lifetime ago. He felt a bit nostalgic.

He had a sudden idea and asked Lu Mingyue, “Are there many people who ‘rush’ their homework before school starts?”

“Of course, there are.” Lu Mingyue answered without thinking. In this world, there were always more people who liked to play than people who liked to study.

“Do you think people would be willing to pay five yuan to have all their summer homework written for them?” Sheng Yan asked. He knew it was twenty years ago, so he didn’t dare set the price too high.

“Five yuan?!” Hearing the number, Lu Mingyue’s first instinct was to argue—that’s highway robbery!—but then he thought about it. It wasn’t actually that much.

High school summer homework was massive. There were stacks of worksheets, let alone all the copying and essays. Five yuan was a bit painful, but not impossible to find. If his family wasn’t so poor, he would gladly pay five yuan to buy a whole summer of peace.

“It might work,” Lu Mingyue said, seeing Sheng Yan waiting for his answer. He nodded, then realized something. “Wait, you’re not thinking of making money by doing people’s homework, are you?”

“Yes.” Sheng Yan didn’t hide it. “Do you think it will work?”

Lu Mingyue’s grades weren’t good enough for this job, so he said, “I’ll ask around for you?”

Since he walked the streets collecting scrap, he knew where many of their classmates lived. He could ask around while he was out.

“Okay.” Since Lu Mingyue was willing to help, Sheng Yan thanked him sincerely. He sat down and pointed at Lu Mingyue’s blank stack of homework. “In return, I’ll do yours first?”

“Deal!” Lu Mingyue was more than happy to agree. When he set out on his tricycle, he was very motivated to find “clients” for Sheng Yan.

Once he left, Sheng Yan flipped through Lu Mingyue’s books and began solving problems. Although he was a bit rusty at first, the more he read, the more familiar it became. His speed increased rapidly.

Before he met System No. 1, he was born into a family of scholars; both his parents were professors. He genuinely liked studying. Spending a whole day focused on problems was second nature to him.

By noon, he wasn’t tired; in fact, he felt energized. It felt like he was back home, being the quiet Sheng Yan that his parents and siblings loved.

Lu Mingyue returned at noon, bringing five classmates with him.

These five were interested but skeptical. Lu Mingyue’s grades were bad, so what kind of quality could he provide? They came over to see for themselves.

When they saw the “worker” was Sheng Yan, they were disappointed. In their eyes, Sheng Yan was no different from Lu Mingyue, and he had a heart condition to boot.

“What can you do? Chinese copying?” one asked. “If all five of us give you our copying, the handwriting will be the same and the teacher will catch us.”

“This is the math homework I finished for Lu Mingyue today,” Sheng Yan said, handing over the papers. Regarding the handwriting, he added, “If you want me to write for you, just give me a sample of your handwriting on a piece of paper. I can imitate it.”

“You can imitate anyone’s handwriting?”

They flipped through the math homework. The formulas were written perfectly. They were interested, but they didn’t believe Sheng Yan was that “magical.” It was hard enough to fake two or three styles, let alone mimic anyone.

“Of course.” Sheng Yan nodded. He had inhabited hundreds of bodies in his travels. He couldn’t use his own handwriting to sign contracts or names in every world; he had to use the original host’s style. He had long ago perfected the art of handwriting imitation.

“Try mine, then.” One boy pulled out Lu Mingyue’s notebook and wrote a line in his own style.

Sheng Yan took the pen and paper, glanced at the line, and reproduced it perfectly.

“Wow, it really is exactly the same!” The boy looked at it. If he hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the two lines were written by different people.

“Try mine too!” Others joined in, amazed.

Sheng Yan imitated all five of them without hesitation.

“Incredible! Amazing!” The five boys circled Sheng Yan like they had discovered a rare treasure. “I didn’t know you had this talent.”

“So, do you want me to write your homework?” Sheng Yan asked, ignoring their stares.

“Yes, yes, yes!” they shouted in unison. Why would they miss out on a “Homework God” when they could solve their problems for just five yuan?

“Money first.” Sheng Yan felt no shame in asking kids for money and held out his hand.

The boys didn’t hesitate. Those with money paid immediately; those without ran home to get cash and their homework stacks.

Just like that, Sheng Yan ended up with five piles of homework and 25 yuan.

Lu Mingyue was still in shock from Sheng Yan finishing half a summer’s worth of math in half a day and his handwriting skill. He looked at the new piles of work and asked, “Can you finish all that?”

“No problem,” Sheng Yan said. “I told you I wanted to study hard. This is just a good way to review.”

“Impressive!” Lu Mingyue was now completely sold. However, he was still worried about Sheng Yan’s tuition. Seeing how serious Sheng Yan was, he knew the boy really wanted to go to school. But tuition was expensive. Even if Sheng Yan did the whole class’s homework, it might not be enough.

“Let’s go.” Having earned some money, Sheng Yan wasn’t stingy. He stood up. “Take me to the supermarket nearby. I need to buy some daily necessities.”

Lu Mingyue knew their toothbrushes and towels were poor quality. Since Sheng Yan had money now, he took him to the supermarket where Wang Huifang worked.

“Wait a bit when we check out,” Lu Mingyue whispered. “Let my mom talk to them first; we’ll get a discount.”

“Okay.” Sheng Yan didn’t refuse. Looking at the way Lu Mingyue calculated every penny, it was hard to imagine that years later, he would be a billionaire throwing money around to save Sheng Yan’s family company.

With only 25 yuan, Sheng Yan wasn’t reckless. He chose three toothbrushes for 3 yuan each, three towels for 2 yuan each, and a pair of slippers for 5 yuan.

“Why are you buying so many?” Lu Mingyue asked.

Sheng Yan said, “I saw that yours and Auntie’s toothbrushes and towels were worn out, too. I’m replacing them all as thanks for letting me stay.”

Lu Mingyue opened his mouth to refuse. They were used to their old things but Sheng Yan had already made it a gesture of gratitude. Refusing now would seem unwelcoming.

While Sheng Yan waited to pay, Lu Mingyue pulled his mother over. He told her to make sure the boss gave them a good price so Sheng Yan wouldn’t waste money.

Thus, while Sheng Yan was at the counter, Wang Huifang walked up to the boss. She told him Sheng Yan was a relative’s child, that he had a hard life and had been kicked out, and that he had a heart condition. She made the story as sad as possible.

The boss was moved. What should have cost 20 yuan was discounted to 15. As they left, he even stuffed some candies (the kind kept at the counter for change) into their hands.

Eating the candy, Sheng Yan smiled at Lu Mingyue. “Auntie is amazing.”

“Yeah,” Lu Mingyue said, showing a rare childish side. “She’s very powerful. She can haggle a hundred-yuan coat down to twenty!”

Sheng Yan’s heart ached slightly as he tasted the candy. In the future he remembered, Lu Mingyue had no parents by the time he was in university. His father had died at the hands of bandits when Lu Mingyue was very young, and his mother had passed away from an unspecified illness.

The quality of items back then was quite reliable for a few yuan. Sheng Yan no longer had to worry about bristles in his mouth or lint on his face. That night, he wore his new slippers and took a bath in the tiny bathroom.

As for the 1.5-meter bed being too small for two people, Sheng Yan solved that by having Lu Mingyue sleep in his arms.

“Won’t it be too hot?” Lu Mingyue hadn’t “awakened” to physical attraction yet; he was purely worried about the summer heat.

“It’s fine,” Sheng Yan observed. “We’re on the first floor, it’s not that hot. Besides, because of my heart condition, my body temperature is naturally low. I’m not hot. Are you?”

“I’m okay,” Lu Mingyue said. He slept on the outside while Sheng Yan took the inside. “I have the little fan blowing on me.”

“Then it’s settled.” Sheng Yan wasn’t trying to take advantage; the bed was simply too small. If only they had money for a bunk bed. But with only ten yuan left, he couldn’t even buy a metal frame.

So, they made do.

Sheng Yan settled into Lu Mingyue’s home. Because of his heart, he couldn’t run or jump, so he spent every day in the room doing homework.

He worked at a lightning pace. In less than twenty days, he finished the homework for the first five clients. They, in turn, introduced more people to him, including middle schoolers.

Sheng Yan took everyone. By the end of summer, after paying for daily expenses and buying fish or meat for the house a few times, he had saved 100 yuan.

However, he noticed Lu Mingyue was coming home later and later. Often, Lu Mingyue would just shower and pass out. When asked, he just said he was busy collecting scrap.

Who sells scrap in the middle of the night?

But that was Lu Mingyue’s private business, so Sheng Yan didn’t pry. He only asked the night before school started, “Registration is tomorrow. You won’t be too busy for that, right?”

Lu Mingyue responded immediately: “Of course I’m free!”

For some reason, Sheng Yan felt a sense of relief in his voice, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Was he that excited to enroll just because I finished his homework?

Sheng Yan figured a student who hated homework would naturally be excited to have it all done for once.

However, when Sheng Yan woke up the next morning ready to go register, Lu Mingyue suddenly handed him a roll of cash.

“Here. Tuition. Remember to pay me back along with the room and board once you get your scholarship.”

Sheng Yan stared at the roll of 20-yuan bills. There were 20 of them. Exactly 400 yuan.

He understood instantly. He looked at Lu Mingyue and asked, “When you said you were busy… you were doing this?”

“Yeah.” Lu Mingyue didn’t deny it. He saw that Sheng Yan wasn’t worrying about tuition at all, and he had been so anxious he couldn’t sleep.

Children of the poor grow up fast. When Lu Mingyue was little, his mother always struggled when it was time to pay for school. If money was tight, she would spend days visiting relatives, pleading and pleasing them to borrow the tuition.

He grew up terrified that one day there wouldn’t be enough money and he would have to drop out. That’s why he started collecting bottles and scrap as soon as he saw it could make money. Every penny counted.

As his “business” grew, he stopped worrying about his own school fees, but adding Sheng Yan made it difficult. He wanted to earn more.

The only job nearby that paid daily was carrying bricks at a construction site. He lied and said he was eighteen. He spent twenty days carrying bricks for 20 yuan a day to save enough for Sheng Yan’s tuition.

Sheng Yan gripped the money and closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about tuition; he had planned to ask the school for a deferment. He remembered schools allowed students to owe fees as long as they paid by the end of the term.

With an 8,000-yuan first-class scholarship, he could easily pay it off. The school might even waive the fees once they saw his grades.

But he didn’t expect Lu Mingyue to be so “stupid”—running off to carry bricks in the summer heat just to save for him.

So stupid. How is this person going to become a financial giant later?

How is he not going to get tricked and sold by someone?

Sheng Yan sighed, opened his eyes, and looked at Lu Mingyue. He asked softly, “Was it tiring?”

“No,” Lu Mingyue shook his head. He excitedly showed Sheng Yan a tiny bicep he had developed. “Look, I have muscle now! And I think I found a good way to make money. If I can’t find scrap, I’ll just go carry bricks!”

Seeing that Sheng Yan wasn’t interested in his “muscles,” Lu Mingyue stopped bragging. He pulled his sleeve down and grabbed Sheng Yan’s arm. “Let’s go. Registration is important.”

The two went to school with their stacks of homework. The campus was crowded. Some of Sheng Yan’s “clients” were there, and they winked at him.

Sheng Yan knew they were praising him. Not a single teacher had noticed the fake handwriting. In fact, the teachers were impressed that the “slackers” had even written their essays well and praised them for their progress.

The boys were in awe of Sheng Yan. Five yuan was a bargain.

However, while some praised him, one person avoided his eyes: Liu Lian.

Liu Lian had heard what Lu Mingyue said to his mother that day. When his mother was packing Sheng Yan’s things, Liu Lian intentionally kept quiet about the textbooks and summer homework.

He wanted to see how Sheng Yan would register without finished homework. Their teachers were famously strict. He hoped Sheng Yan would have to beg the teachers and look pathetic.

He stole my identity for years while I suffered in the countryside. Why shouldn’t I see him look a little miserable?

Liu Lian felt he had done nothing wrong, but facing Sheng Yan, he still felt guilty. Perhaps it was because Sheng Yan’s aura was too refined—he didn’t look like a country boy at all; he looked like a true city noble. Country people couldn’t help but feel inferior in front of someone like that.

Sheng Yan saw Liu Lian in the crowd. The original host and Liu Lian weren’t just classmates. Since their hometown was the same village, they used to play together whenever the original host visited his grandparents.

Sheng Yan had always shared his good food and toys with Liu Lian. It was because of Sheng Yan’s begging that the Sheng parents had used their connections to get Liu Lian into Bincheng High School after he failed the entrance exam.

Even after Liu Lian was revealed as the biological son, the original host stayed because Liu Lian told him they could be brothers. At first, the original host was quiet and didn’t fight for anything.

But Liu Lian would intentionally provoke him—breaking his favorite gifts “by accident,” bumping his arm during dinner so his food spilled, or “slipping” in front of him. When the original host tried to explain, no one listened. Eventually, the original host started acting out just to get attention, but it was useless.

Sheng Yan understood. Liu Lian felt the original host owed him.

Now inhabiting this body, Sheng Yan had no interest in Liu Lian other than crushing him academically to ensure his “anchor” to this world was secure. He ignored Liu Lian as if he were a stranger and followed the crowd to register.

Liu Lian, waiting to see Sheng Yan beg, froze when he saw the registration go through without a single hitch.

How did he do it?!

Sheng Yan: Guess.

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