Follow the Money

In 2018, the number of graduates reached an unprecedented peak, and hordes of ambitious college graduates poured into the prosperous economic regions of the south. But Qian Feiyang, armed with a diploma from Zhongnan Normal University, one of the country's top schools, and excellent prospects for finding work in the south, went against the tide. Carrying her few belongings, she resolutely set off for her hometown of Mincheng in the northwest. Was it a matter of conviction, or simply that she didn't fit in with all the glitz and nightlife? In any case, she became a proud people's teacher in her northwestern hometown. Actually, no, an early childhood educator. In the eyes of others, it was a job that required no real skill or advanced education, offered no challenges, and led nowhere. Faced with society's doubts and harsh judgment, her colleagues' toxic pep talks, her family's persuasion, the disdain of her blind-date matches, parents' endless demands, and the challenges of the job, Qian Feiyang repeatedly doubted herself and wanted to give up. As it happened, the school had a volunteer position in an impoverished area. The senior teachers all passed on it, so the thankless, demanding assignment naturally fell to newcomer Qian Feiyang. Before leaving, she had a long talk with her father, a local Education Bureau official, and decided that once her two-month volunteer assignment was over, she would follow her parents' wishes and take the civil service exam for a stable life. But life had other plans, and his arrival changed Qian Feiyang's mind…