Whenever he had a little bit of free time, Gu Zechen would take these books and read them carefully.

When encountering unfamiliar characters, he would wait for the surrounding residents to come and write the pinyin for him. Over time, Gu Zechen became able to read some simple books.

Whenever Gu Zechen saw Yimo's sparkling eyes and her longing for knowledge as she poured over her books, his heart would ache with unease.

It seems that it's time for Yi Mo to go to school.

However, going to school requires tuition fees, and Gu Zechen is also worried that Imo will feel inferior and sad when she sees other children.

At night, after Yi Mo fell asleep, Gu Zechen took out a small cloth bag from under a brick in the depths of the pipe. Opening it, he found a bundle of money inside. They were all one yuan notes, two yuan notes, five yuan notes, and the largest one was just a fifty yuan note.

Gu Zechen carefully and earnestly counted, having counted three times in a row, but still finding it pitifully few.

It has been a year, and basically all the money I made by collecting and selling scrap, thanks to Gu Zechen, is here. However, it's just a measly sum of five hundred and sixty dollars flat.

This year, thanks to the help of the residents around, they have eaten what the residents gave them. Even the clothes they are wearing are hand-me-downs that the residents sent over, clothes that their own children no longer wear.

Otherwise, they simply wouldn't be able to sustain themselves for this year.

Gu Zechen stared blankly at the more than five hundred yuan in his hand. He had asked around and found out that the tuition fee for a year was twelve hundred yuan. It was simply not enough to send Yi Mo to school.

Gu Zechen looked worried, with a tight expression on his youthful face. Even his eyebrows were forced into a few visible creases.

However, no matter how hard Gu Zechen racked his brains, he still couldn't come up with a way to make money.

Feeling someone tugging at his clothes from behind, Gu Zechen turned around and saw Yi Mo holding a pitiful expression, gazing at him. "Gege, can you carry me to sleep?"

Gu Zechen reached out and rubbed Yi Mo's head. Her soft hair had grown long and covered her eyes. It seemed like it was time for Yi Mo to get a haircut.

After safely hiding the money, Gu Zechen pulled Yi Mo and they lay down together.

After a year, both of them grew a little taller. Fortunately, the passage was spacious enough, and living inside didn't feel too cramped.

When I woke up, it was raining outside. The rain was pitter-pattering, drenching the entire alley. I felt a dampness all over my body, as if it had seeped into my every pore.

"Brother Chen, I'm so hungry!" Yimo rubbed her stomach, watching the rain outside grow heavier. She licked her lips pitifully as she looked at Gu Zechen.

Gu Zechen comforted Yi Mo. With this kind of weather, the kind-hearted residents wouldn't come over. They had to rely on themselves to solve the problem of having enough food and clothing for the day.

Gu Zechen pointed at the pipe, then pointed at Yi Mo. He took out a one yuan bill from his cloth bag, pondered for a moment, and then took out a ten yuan bill. After a pause, he decided to put back the one yuan bill he had taken earlier.

Then, holding an umbrella with two broken ribs, he rushed out in a hurry.

Although a year has passed, there haven't been any changes here. It's a residential area, and there's nowhere to buy food. Gu Zechen had to walk a long distance before finding a small shop.

Holding ten yuan in his hand, Gu Zechen entered the shop.

I don't know when this rain will stop. He needs to buy some more food for a few more days.

When Yimo is in the period of growing, proper nutrition is absolutely essential.