The Scum Gong Refuses the Crematorium [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33

How did Sheng Yan do it?!

Sheng Yan simply copied his summer homework into a separate notebook. Since he had already done the work multiple times for others, copying it one more time wasn’t difficult.

When registering, he told the teacher that he had lost his original summer homework and had to rewrite it. The teacher, seeing his effort, naturally let him pass. As long as a person isn’t lazy, there are always more solutions than problems. It’s that simple.

Liu Lian, who failed to see Sheng Yan get into trouble, went back home feeling dejected. Since moving back to the Sheng family, a “Learning System” had appeared in his mind. The system told him that as long as he completed the assigned study tasks perfectly, he could exchange points for beauty, confidence, money, and anything else he desired.

He hadn’t wasted a single moment of the summer break attending tutoring classes. If he could rank in the top 300 during this monthly exam, he could exchange points for “elegance.” If he had the same elegant aura as Sheng Yan, he wouldn’t feel so inferior in front of him, right?

Sheng Yan was unaware of Liu Lian’s thoughts. He was currently worried about living at the school. Staying in the dormitory wasn’t as simple as just moving into a bed. He needed to pay a boarding fee, which wasn’t much—twenty yuan per semester.

However, once the fee was paid, he couldn’t just move in empty-handed. He had to buy a straw mat, blankets, a thermos, a washbasin, and a whole list of daily necessities. Between the boarding fee and these miscellaneous costs, it was a big expense. After buying everything, Sheng Yan’s remaining money might not be enough for daily life. Since he wouldn’t be living at Lu Mingyue’s anymore, he would have to eat at the cafeteria, where even the cheapest meal cost at least one yuan.

“Why don’t you just keep living at my house?” Lu Mingyue suggested. He had watched Sheng Yan constantly adding and subtracting numbers to calculate his living expenses. Life with Sheng Yan had been very harmonious lately, and Lu Mingyue didn’t think it was a problem for him to stay.

“Would that be too much trouble?” Even though living at Lu Mingyue’s was convenient, Sheng Yan knew that two teenage boys squeezing into one bed wasn’t appropriate.

“Not at all,” Lu Mingyue said, lacking any sense of “social boundaries.” “You pay rent, you buy things for the house, and you often buy meat for us to improve our meals. Where else would I find a tenant as good as you?”

In Lu Mingyue’s eyes, Sheng Yan was actually the one losing out. His home was not as good as the dormitory, and the food wasn’t as good as the cafeteria, yet Sheng Yan paid them more than what the school would charge.

“This is what I should do,” Sheng Yan replied. He was a minor, too young even to get a loan, yet Lu Mingyue’s family had taken him in and let him “stay now, pay later.” This was a great kindness, and he couldn’t just take their food and shelter for granted.

“Look, we get along so well,” Lu Mingyue waved his hand. “Just stay. If you really feel bad about it, you can just pay a little more rent once your scholarship comes in.”

After weighing his options, Sheng Yan finally nodded. “Okay.”

Sheng Yan wasn’t someone who liked to impose. He went to the school dormitory and spent 20 yuan to buy an old, discarded wooden bunk bed frame from the supervisor. He asked two classmates to help him carry it to Lu Mingyue’s house.

They moved Lu Mingyue’s original 1.5-meter bed out and replaced it with the bunk bed. Without the bulky corners of the old bed, the room suddenly felt much larger. Before, they had to step over the bed just to get out the door; now, there was at least a clear path.

“This is great,” Lu Mingyue said, looking at the much roomier space. He felt a sense of relief.

“We can store things under the bed and on the shelves,” Sheng Yan pointed to the empty spots. “And when I don’t live here anymore, you can keep your clothes on the top bunk.”

In Sheng Yan’s view, no room was too small; it was only a matter of using the space efficiently.

“Mhm.” Lu Mingyue was listening carefully, but when Sheng Yan mentioned “not living here anymore,” he felt a sudden pang of loneliness in his chest.

He quickly changed the subject. “So, you’re planning to sleep on the top bunk?” Lu Mingyue looked up. The sixteen-year-old boy hadn’t reached his full height yet, only standing half a head taller than the top bunk. He felt it would be inconvenient for Sheng Yan to climb up and down.

“Yes,” Sheng Yan said honestly. There was no reason for him to take the better spot while staying in someone else’s home.

“Don’t,” Lu Mingyue said, thinking of Sheng Yan’s heart condition. He pulled on his arm. “I’ve never slept on a top bunk in my life. Let me have the top spot.”

Sheng Yan felt Lu Mingyue grab his hand. Twenty years in the future, they would hold hands countless times, sometimes even sleeping with their fingers locked. But today, twenty years ago, this was the first time they had held hands, and Lu Mingyue was swaying his hand almost like he was acting spoiled.

A “spoiled” Lu Mingyue? Twenty years later, that would be unimaginable. The Lu Mingyue in his memory was always mature, steady, gentle, and strong. But right now, the young Lu Mingyue was so green and fresh.

“Okay,” Sheng Yan finally agreed. It was just a bed. If Lu Mingyue got tired of the top bunk, they could switch back anytime.

It was true that Lu Mingyue didn’t want Sheng Yan climbing because of his heart, but he was also genuinely excited about the top bunk. That night, lying on top, he was too excited to sleep. Every so often, his head would pop over the edge to look at Sheng Yan below. “Sheng Yan.”

“Yes, I’m here,” Sheng Yan replied. How could he sleep when a head kept popping down to check on him while whispering his name? He tilted his head to look back.

Lu Mingyue looked down and met Sheng Yan’s calm, deep eyes. For some reason, his face suddenly felt hot. He quickly pulled back into his blankets.

“Going to sleep now?” Sheng Yan waited a moment to make sure he was done exploring.

Lu Mingyue pulled the blanket up over his face. He didn’t want to think about why he felt so embarrassed. He turned on his side and said, “Sleeping!”

“Okay.” With a click, Sheng Yan turned off the light.

On the first day of school, a small but notable thing happened. Liu Lian wasn’t called Liu Lian anymore; he had changed his name to Sheng Nian.

Suddenly, everyone looked at Sheng Yan.

Sheng Yan had lived at Lu Mingyue’s all summer and hadn’t returned home. Meanwhile, the boy from the country who was supposed to live at the school was now living at the Sheng house and had changed his name. People couldn’t help but gossip.

In a city like Bincheng, news traveled fast. Even the smallest family drama became public knowledge, let alone something as big as a “baby swap.” The rumors had already been spreading.

Before, students had only heard their parents talking about “some family” that swapped babies. They didn’t know who it was and just thought it was a crazy story. But now, the truth was out. Both involved parties were in their class.

The classroom exploded into whispers. Students looked at Sheng Yan, then at Sheng Nian (Liu Lian), and began to gossip. There was no shortage of busybodies. One thoughtless student walked right up to them and asked, “I heard you two were swapped at birth. Who swapped who?”

Sheng Nian instinctively wanted to say, “Sheng Yan’s father swapped me,” but the words caught in his throat. If he said it like that, he would look arrogant and mean-spirited now that he was suddenly rich. He hesitated, not knowing how to answer.

Everyone turned their eyes to Sheng Yan.

Sheng Yan didn’t feel embarrassed. He admitted it openly. “Yes, my father swapped Sheng Nian and me when we were babies.”

Everyone in the class knew the difference between the two families. Hearing this, many were confused. “Why was your father so wicked?”

Because he didn’t have money to raise a child, he swapped his own son for a rich man’s son, giving his child a good life and making the rich man’s child suffer.

Sheng Yan didn’t want to judge. Others could call his father a bad person, but Sheng Yan felt that he was the one person who couldn’t. This was because everything the father did was for him. As the one who benefited, he had no right to criticize the original Sheng Yan’s father.

Faced with looks that treated him like the son of a murderer, he didn’t flinch. He just said calmly, “That’s why he is in prison now.”

Swapping children is legally considered “abandonment,” and because he did it knowingly, he was sentenced to seven years. He did something wrong, and he was punished. Sheng Yan didn’t care what others thought of him. Since he had enjoyed the life of the swap, he deserved to deal with the strange looks now.

Another student asked, “So you’re just the son of a criminal now?”

Sheng Yan didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

The students’ gazes became even more unkind, especially since he was close to Lu Mingyue. People whispered in private: “A criminal’s son belongs with a trash collector.”

Sheng Yan ignored it all. He couldn’t control what others said. As long as he was strong inside, rumors couldn’t hurt him.

However, Lu Mingyue was worried about Sheng Yan’s heart. On the way home, he said, “Don’t take it to heart. Some people just have big mouths. The more you react, the more they enjoy it.”

Because Lu Mingyue often collected plastic bottles at school, he had dealt with plenty of cold words. He had learned a long time ago how to handle it: I don’t listen, I don’t care, I just do my thing. What can you do to me?

“I know,” Sheng Yan nodded. As a “villain,” if he couldn’t handle this small setback, he might as well give up.

“Being swapped wasn’t your fault,” Lu Mingyue said, thinking Sheng Yan was still upset because he was being so quiet. “When you were born, you hadn’t even opened your eyes. What could you have done? What was your mistake?”

“It’s like me,” Lu Mingyue used himself as an example. “Is it my fault I’m poor?”

“No.” He shook his head, looking at the sunset. “It’s life’s fault.”

Therefore, we shouldn’t blame ourselves. No one is born with a perfect life; everyone goes through things, whether by choice or by accident. There’s no need to chain yourself to the past. As the saying goes: The past cannot be changed, but the future can still be pursued.

“Mhm.” Sheng Yan smiled and looked at the sunset with him. When the sun goes down, the moon comes out; when the moon fades, the sun returns. As long as you keep moving, trouble can never catch up.

Sheng Yan, who cared only about the scholarship, truly didn’t care about the rumors. He went to class on time and did practice problems at home.

When classmates who disliked him poured water on his desk or put dead cockroaches in it, he simply took his books home every day and threw the cockroaches in the trash. Except for bathroom breaks, he never left his desk.

Sometimes, Lu Mingyue would catch people trying to cause trouble. Beyond cockroaches, they would try to break Sheng Yan’s desk so he would be uncomfortable or look foolish in class. Lu Mingyue would simply swap their broken desk for their own good one. When they complained to the teacher, Lu Mingyue would say boldly, “They broke the desk first. Why can’t it be swapped? If breaking desks is allowed, I’ll go break their desks every day so they have to sit on broken wood too.”

They had nothing to say to that. After a while, they got bored and stopped bothering them.

When Sheng Yan found out, he said to Lu Mingyue, “I didn’t think you could be so tough.”

Lu Mingyue replied, “With some people, you have to be.”

While Sheng Yan was busy studying and dealing with bullies, Sheng Nian didn’t stop for a second. It was already the 11th grade, and he still hadn’t mastered many 10th-grade topics. Fearing he wouldn’t make it into the top 300 during the first month, he even memorized books while he slept.

Seeing him work so hard, Sheng Changxing and Song Qian encouraged him. Besides taking care of his meals, they hired a live-in tutor so he could ask questions at any time. Under the tutor’s guidance, Sheng Nian made fast progress. He went from being completely lost in class to understanding the teacher and even raising his hand to answer questions.

Sheng Yan noticed Sheng Nian’s progress. He didn’t let his past experiences in other worlds make him arrogant. Knowledge is endless. Never underestimate a human’s ability to learn, and never underestimate a protagonist’s ability to improve.

While Sheng Nian studied, Sheng Yan didn’t relax. Besides the three main subjects—Language, Math, and English—he actively studied the other textbooks as well.

In the 11th grade, the school split the students into Science and Liberal Arts tracks. Both were placed in the Science track—not because they were good at science, but because they were so lazy the previous year that they wouldn’t survive in Liberal Arts. In Science, there was at least a chance they might get lucky and solve a few problems.

Usually, Science students only need to focus on the science subjects. But Sheng Yan was afraid of the protagonist’s potential. If Sheng Nian suddenly jumped from last place to first in the entire grade, it would be a disaster. So, Sheng Yan couldn’t afford to neglect any subject. The monthly exam was based on the total score, not just individual subjects. If he failed in one area, his other scores could still pull him up.

Watching Sheng Yan study day and night, Lu Mingyue was afraid he would “study himself stupid.” Sheng Yan’s health was already bad; if his brain went too, what would happen?

Lu Mingyue, who usually wasn’t very generous with money, was willing to spend his own to have Wang Huifang buy two boxes of milk on sale at the supermarket.

Sheng Yan had lived with them for over two months, eating and drinking. Now they were even paying for his milk. Wang Huifang muttered, “Is he really going to pay us the boarding fee?” She was afraid Lu Mingyue was too kind and would get nothing in return. She had seen too many stories of the “Farmer and the Snake.”

“He probably will,” Lu Mingyue said, watching Sheng Yan study even during the holidays. Deep down, he was also nervous. What kind of genius could go from last place to getting a scholarship in just two months?

But seeing Sheng Yan’s confidence and his hard-working spirit, he felt that where there is a will, there is a way. Even if he didn’t get it the first month, there were midterms and finals. As long as he kept going, he would have a chance. The lowest scholarship for the top ten was 3,000 yuan—a whole year’s income for his family. As long as Sheng Yan got it within the year, they wouldn’t lose money.

“Fine,” Wang Huifang said. Seeing Lu Mingyue’s trust in Sheng Yan, she decided to trust her son. Because of their family situation, Lu Mingyue had always been a loner. She always encouraged him to make friends so they could help each other in hard times. Finally, he had found a friend like Sheng Yan—someone who didn’t look down on them and got along well with Lu Mingyue. She didn’t want him to be lonely.

Wang Huifang gritted her teeth and didn’t buy the sale milk; she bought the most expensive “brain-boosting” milk in the store. She hoped that if Sheng Yan drank it, he would become a genius who jumped from last place to first in the school.

Sheng Yan didn’t refuse their kindness. He knew his body needed care. He turned their kindness into motivation. He knew the only way to repay them was to win the scholarship.

After another month of hard work, the first monthly exam arrived.

For these exams, desks had to be moved out onto the school field. However, considering Sheng Yan’s health, the teachers allowed him to take the test in the hallway on the first floor, right next to the field. There were trees in the flowerbeds nearby that provided shade, protecting him from the sun. Even though the September sun wasn’t as hot as July, the school didn’t want to take any risks.

The four subject papers were spread over two days. The National Day holiday would start immediately after. Sheng Yan answered every question carefully, even double-checking the Science Comprehensive paper (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). Only after he was sure there were no mistakes did he hand in the papers.

When the teacher announced the holiday had started, he picked up his books and went home with Lu Mingyue. However, they were stopped at the school gate.

The person blocking them was the original Sheng Yan’s biological mother, Zhao Guixiang.

Since the swap was discovered and Liu Zhonghua went to prison, Zhao Guixiang hadn’t come to the city much, staying in the countryside to farm. She came this time because she heard from a village child that Sheng Yan wasn’t living with the Sheng family anymore, but with a trash collector. With the holiday coming up, she was worried and came to check.

But when she arrived, the first person she saw wasn’t Sheng Yan, but Sheng Nian. Having raised him for so many years, she couldn’t help but feel a bond. She called out, “Lian Lian!”

“Mom?” Sheng Nian called out instinctively. But then he remembered she wasn’t his mother anymore. He thought about how, if not for their selfishness, he would have been the rich young master all along. Anger rose in his heart. He lowered his head and rushed out the school gate without another word.

“Ah!” Zhao Guixiang felt the pain of his hatred but couldn’t do anything about it.

Then she saw Sheng Yan and Lu Mingyue walking out together. She hurried over. “Yan Yan.”

“Auntie,” Sheng Yan said politely. He didn’t have as many complicated feelings as Sheng Nian.

“Yes, yes.” Hearing him call her “Auntie” instead of “Mom” didn’t make her feel bad; she was just glad he was willing to talk to her. “I heard you don’t live at the Sheng house anymore?” She didn’t know how to act around this child she hadn’t raised, so she was direct.

“Yes,” Sheng Yan nodded, looking at Lu Mingyue. “I’m staying at a classmate’s house.”

“Thank you for your help, student,” Zhao Guixiang said to Lu Mingyue immediately.

“It’s no trouble, Auntie,” Lu Mingyue waved his hand. Sheng Yan really hadn’t been a burden.

“Since it’s the holiday, it’s not right to stay at a classmate’s house anymore,” Zhao Guixiang said to Sheng Yan. “Why don’t you come back to the country with me? Your room is still there, and I’ve cleaned it all up.” (In the past, Sheng Yan would sometimes stay overnight at her house when playing with Sheng Nian, so she had a room for him.)

“No thank you, Auntie,” Sheng Yan shook his head. “I need to stay in the city to study. The road is too bumpy, and I’m afraid my heart can’t handle the travel back and forth.” The bus ride was over an hour on dirt roads, and since he didn’t have a car to pick him up anymore, he didn’t want to risk his health.

“Right, right,” Zhao Guixiang agreed. She pulled out a worn handkerchief and opened it to show a stack of money. Most were ten or twenty-yuan bills. She counted out two hundred yuan and tried to press it into Sheng Yan’s hand. “Here, take this.”

“No, Auntie, I have money,” Sheng Yan stepped back.

“Take it. It’s not good to keep troubling your classmate,” she insisted, stuffing the money into his large school uniform pocket. Sheng Yan had no choice but to take it. “Thank you, Auntie.”

“You’re welcome.” She then counted out another two hundred yuan from her now-empty handkerchief. Only a five-yuan bill and a few ones were left.

“Give this money to Lian Lian,” she said, handing it to Sheng Yan. “I know our family wronged him. We don’t expect him to forgive us, but I want to make up for it however I can.”

“Mhm.” Sheng Yan took the money, planning to give it to Sheng Nian after the holiday. Whether he accepted it was his choice.

After asking where Lu Mingyue lived, Zhao Guixiang said, “Well, I’ll head back. I have fields to dig. Goodbye!” She walked away briskly.

“She isn’t actually a bad person,” Lu Mingyue said sincerely as he watched her go.

“Mhm.” Sheng Yan put away the money. He remembered that whenever he visited her house in the past, Sheng Nian always had the best food and clothes. Even if they weren’t designer brands, they were decent city-style clothes. Out of guilt, the couple had done their best to satisfy Sheng Nian’s every wish. But a mistake is a mistake; even making up for it can’t change what happened.

“Let’s go home.” Lu Mingyue nudged Sheng Yan. “It’s both National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. My mom brought home mooncakes the boss gave her. I heard they’re from Hong Kong and very delicious!”

“Okay.” Sheng Yan didn’t like sweets, but seeing Lu Mingyue’s excitement, he looked forward to it.

At dinner, Wang Huifang brought out the mooncakes. They were a bit hard, so she sliced them into small pieces.

“Mom, this is the boarding and food fee from Sheng Yan for the last two months.” Lu Mingyue handed her the two hundred yuan Zhao Guixiang had given Sheng Yan.

Wang Huifang’s eyes lit up, but she still protested politely. “Oh, he only stayed a little while and ate a little food, it didn’t cost that much. You’re too kind, child.”

“Mom,” Lu Mingyue pulled her sleeve. “It’s just us. You don’t have to do that.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it then, Little Sheng,” she laughed, finally taking the money. She valued money highly, and feeling the thickness of the stack, she felt that taking Sheng Yan in had been the right choice. She even hoped he would stay permanently.

To treat her tenant well, she gave Sheng Yan a whole mooncake. “Eat up, Little Sheng. There’s more. Don’t be shy.”

Sheng Yan looked at the whole, hard mooncake and felt overwhelmed. One piece was sweet enough; a whole one might kill him.

“Oh, Mom,” Lu Mingyue noticed Sheng Yan’s hesitation. He nudged Sheng Yan’s leg under the table and reached out for the mooncake to help him. Then he distracted his mother: “Now that we have money, you should buy more of your medicine. You can’t stop taking it.”

“I know,” Wang Huifang said, no longer paying attention to Sheng Yan. “I never mistreat myself. I’ll get more as soon as I run out.”

Lu Mingyue looked at the medicine bottles by her bed. Seeing they were full, he relaxed. “Good. We can always earn more money, but we only have one life.”

“That’s true,” she nodded.

While they talked, Sheng Yan quietly handed the whole mooncake to Lu Mingyue and took a tiny piece instead, pretending to eat. He asked, “Auntie, what kind of illness do you have?”

“Just a small thing,” she smiled. “Women always have some minor issues. It’s not something for a young man to worry about.”

Sheng Yan didn’t push further. Instead, he planned how to get more money besides the scholarship. Between his own living costs, medical expenses, and the debt of gratitude he owed for his first sixteen years of life, he needed a lot of money. A scholarship alone wouldn’t be enough for two years.

Lu Mingyue didn’t think that far ahead. He ate the mooncake in small bites while sitting at the window with Sheng Yan, looking at the moon.

“The books say the Mid-Autumn moon is big and round,” Lu Mingyue complained. “Where is the ‘big’ part?”

Sheng Yan laughed. “Don’t you know the moon is fullest on the 16th?”

Lu Mingyue, the poor student, asked, “Then what about the moon on the 15th?”

Sheng Yan looked at him. “The moon of the 15th is right here on the ground.”

Support