Chapter Four: Dual Top Scholar in Arts and Sciences + Global Communicator

After his bath, with nothing particular to do, Liu Yunfei lounged idly on the sofa, picked up the newspaper from the coffee table, and started reading as he waited for his parents to return home. He’d read through all the interesting articles, but his parents still weren’t back, so he kept reading. Not until he’d finished the entire thick stack of papers, including the inserts and the advertisement pages, did he finally hear his father’s footsteps, followed by the sound of the door opening. Soon after, his mother arrived as well. The couple divided up the chores as usual—one busied with dinner, the other with the laundry.

Liu Yunfei’s father, Liu Hongbing, worked as a civil servant at the Civil Affairs Bureau in the Jiangnan District, under Huangjiang City. The Civil Affairs Bureau was a lackluster office to begin with, and Liu Hongbing was an honest, upright man—neither adept at flattery nor the art of currying favor, ignorant of the ways of bribery or lobbying, and possessed a blunt tongue that managed to sour even the most well-intentioned words. After twenty-six years, he was still just a clerk. If there were a contest for the longest-serving, steadfast civil servant in Huangjiang City, Liu Hongbing would surely be a top contender.

Much of Liu Yunfei’s own character came from his mother, Hu Li. She was a deeply kind woman, always thinking of others first and demanding perfection from herself in everything she did. She had worked diligently for over twenty years at the state-owned toy factory, enduring hardships without complaint and seeking to join the Party. She’d paid her dues, but the chance never came. Only last year, after much effort, was she promoted to team leader—yet before she could settle into the role, the toy factory closed down. Now, she toiled in a foreign-owned garment factory, working herself to exhaustion.

Judging by his father’s rare display of irritation that evening, it seemed he’d had a rough time at work. As usual, not one for words, he and his wife soon found themselves bickering over who would handle the cooking and the laundry. Liu Yunfei was so used to these spats that if he didn’t hear them every three days, he’d find it odd. Still, whenever their quarrels escalated toward a real argument, he couldn’t help but step in. His parents respected him enough that, whenever he intervened, they would promptly quiet down.

With his vision now exceptionally keen, Liu Yunfei watched his mother go back and forth between the bathroom and the balcony, washing and hanging clothes. He noticed, with a pang of sadness, a few strands of white hair at her temples. All these years, he had done nothing, never thought to help his parents with laundry or meals. Was it really so difficult? Spending an afternoon at home, he had never even considered these things, only thought of playing.

“I work all day and still have to do housework when I get home. Every time I ask you to cook, you grumble and make a fuss. How about you do the laundry and I’ll cook? Fine, let’s swap!” Even the most patient person can lose their temper. Growing agitated, his mother continued, “You’re a civil servant, aren’t you? If you’re so capable, why not find me a better job? Then I’ll do all the cooking and laundry!”

Sensing that the argument was about to escalate into open conflict, Liu Yunfei quickly interjected, “Mom, just now I saw a job listing in the newspaper: ‘Hiring several sewing workers. Requirements: 1. At least 18 years old, junior high school education or above, in good health, male or female. Experience preferred. 2. Factory provides meals and accommodation for non-locals. 3. Apprentice wage starts at 500 yuan. Regular workers generally earn between 800 and 1500 yuan. Contact: Ms. Song. Phone: ...’” He realized he remembered the entire notice word for word. Thinking back, he realized he could recall every page, every line, every character from the entire thick stack of newspapers.

Since attaining enlightenment, Liu Yunfei’s body had become invulnerable, and his brain cells were now fully active. According to scientific research, the human brain can store as much information as a library holding ten million volumes, yet even the most brilliant minds use only about ten percent of their total capacity in a lifetime.

Now Liu Yunfei was like a computer with a new CPU, expanded memory, and several extra terabytes of hard drive space. Anything he read once, he could recall perfectly and retrieve instantly.

He thought to himself: Exams these days—whether in the humanities or sciences, in Chinese, English, history, geography, math, physics, or chemistry—are essentially tests of memory. If I take the college entrance exam next year, won’t I become the unprecedented top scorer in both arts and sciences?

“What’s wrong? Wake up, son.” Seeing her son recite a newspaper ad and then stare blankly, eyes glazed and grinning foolishly, Hu Li grew concerned and waved a hand in front of his face.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Mom, don’t worry. Come, sit down. I saw a couple of white hairs—let me pluck them for you,” Liu Yunfei said, his voice cracking with emotion at the end. Obediently, his mother sat, smiling and saying, “My boy, you’ve grown up and become so thoughtful.” Her face radiated happiness and maternal affection. Liu Yunfei said nothing more; as he plucked out those few white hairs, he silently resolved that he would do whatever it took to give his parents a good life. Then he took the initiative to help with the cooking and laundry.

The three of them soon sat down to dinner. Perhaps because their son was especially considerate that evening, both parents were in high spirits. Even Liu Hongbing, usually so reserved, was unusually cheerful, sipping from a small cup and glancing at his son with a mysterious smile.

“Look at that face—your eyes are vanishing in your grin. What are you so happy about?” Hu Li teased.

“What am I happy about? I’ve never gotten a house, never been promoted, never made any real money, but I have a good son,” Liu Hongbing replied, still smiling.

“Heh, the good days are just beginning, Dad. Just wait,” Liu Yunfei said, feeling that happiness could be so simple—his parents wanted so little, just a few considerate words and a bit of help with the housework, and they were overjoyed.

After dinner, back in his room, Liu Yunfei thought, I can’t wait anymore—not until I graduate high school, and certainly not until I finish college. I need to find a way to improve my family’s life, at least a little, as soon as possible.

Should I start a company? Invest in stocks? All those protagonists with supernatural powers on online literature sites seem to start that way, but that’s not really an option—I don’t have the right abilities. If only Master Bodhi had taught me some fortune-telling skills; worst case, I could set up a stall and pretend to be a blind fortune-teller.

What do I have? Seventy-two transformations and the Somersault Cloud—join a circus and perform for ticket money? That would be too embarrassing, and how much could I make? Worse, it might attract attention from people with bad intentions—not an option!

Or use my invulnerable body to rob? A bank? Corrupt officials? Underground banks? Foreigners? That’s not right either. Is robbery a good deed, just because the victims are corrupt? Even so, the money is still the country’s, and robbing foreigners doesn’t make it a righteous act. Besides, if I suddenly come into a large sum of unexplained money, my parents wouldn’t dare use it.

Should I use my powers to steal? Absolutely not. I despise thieves—my bicycle has been stolen several times, and I hate them.

Since my memory is so extraordinary, I’ll start with that, even if progress is slow. It’s always good to learn more—knowledge changes fate.

What to study first? English, of course. It’s all about rote memorization—no need for explanations. I’ll memorize all the vocabulary first. Yes, English. I’ve never been abroad, but with a somersault, I could visit America or England for free. That would be a perfect way to practice speaking, instead of always being told by my English teacher that my exam results are fine but my spoken English is terrible.

Then French, for a trip to France. Afterwards, German, Japanese, Korean, Arabic...

Just like that, a brand-new global citizen was born.