Chapter 141

Hearing Summer's words, Jenny withdrew her gaze and stopped looking.

She didn't pay much attention to Logan but rather stared for a while at the stack of new books he was carrying.

Summer didn't think much of it and, together with Jenny, looked ahead.

She had instinctively wanted to greet Logan since they had spent so much time together in the countryside. Even if they weren't friends, they were at least acquaintances.

She had forgotten his personality and nature.

Logan was inherently indifferent; his world lacked emotions and personal connections.

Moreover, he had been annoyed by her constant presence in the countryside. Now that they were back in the city and had the distance he desired, he naturally wanted nothing more to do with her.

If her task of breaking free from the original novel's setting wasn't complete, Summer might have been troubled by this.

But now that she had completed her task, she didn't dwell on it.

She always knew what kind of person he was; there was no need to make a fuss.

The line moved forward again.

Besides chatting, Summer and Jenny occasionally stretched their necks to look ahead.

The sun climbed over the rooftops, rising higher in the eastern sky.

More and more people who had bought their materials were leaving, and the number of people ahead of Summer and Jenny dwindled. The line kept moving forward.

Jenny began to mutter, "Please, please, let us at least get one copy."

No sooner had she said that than they heard a loud, frustrated voice from the front: "Hey!"

Summer and Jenny hadn't yet reacted to what was happening.

Then someone ahead shouted, "Why are they out when it's our turn? When will there be more?"

The bookstore clerk replied, "It depends on the printing house. When the materials arrive, we'll post a notice outside."

As soon as these words were spoken, those at the front dispersed in frustration and disappointment.

Summer and Jenny naturally understood—they had run out of materials again.

Jenny sighed and looked at Summer, "We got up so early, and still, we couldn't get a single copy."

The people behind them, realizing the books were gone, also sighed in disappointment.

Seeing no point in staying any longer, everyone began to disperse.

Summer and Jenny went to get their bikes, overhearing others talking as they walked.

"The publishers and printers can't produce enough materials in such a short time. Who knows when the next batch will be available? Even if there is one, it'll be hard to get. But some people have already gotten theirs. I think the best bet is to find someone with connections and borrow a copy."

"Won't they need it themselves? Who would lend it to us?"

"We could find a few people to work together. Borrow the book, divide the copying work, and that's it."

"That could work."

...

Summer and Jenny reached their bikes.

Summer took out her key to unlock her bike, while Jenny suggested, "Why don't we try other bookstores? Maybe we'll get lucky."

Summer thought it unlikely that other bookstores would have any left, given the current situation.

However, since Jenny suggested it and would feel disappointed if they didn't try, Summer agreed to go check other bookstores with her.

After checking the last bookstore, Summer and Jenny were resigned.

The sun was high in the sky now, and Jenny said to Summer, "Forget it. If we didn't get them, we didn't get them. You've got plenty of study materials anyway."

Summer looked at her and said, "I do have a lot of materials, almost everything we need. But without the study guide, we won't know the exam's scope and focus, so our studying won't be efficient."

Jenny thought for a moment and said, "Then let's start studying and figure out how to borrow the study guide later."

That seemed to be the only option now.

Considering the printing house's efficiency, these study materials wouldn't be available soon. The chance of getting them in a bookstore was slim compared to borrowing.

Having agreed, they parted ways.

Summer rode home, while Jenny walked back to the factory.

Her house was noisy and crowded, not a good environment for studying.

So even though it was Sunday, she didn't plan to go home.

When Summer got home, Shaw and Carman had already made lunch and were waiting for her.

Summer went to her room to put down her bag, then grabbed her toiletries and headed to the yard to wash up.

In the rush to line up early for the materials, neither she nor Jenny had washed up that morning.

As Summer stood by the sink, washing up, she heard Henry's voice from the east wing.

Henry's family was having lunch, and Henry, sitting at the table, raised his voice, "Summer, did you manage to get any books this morning?"

Having heard from Shaw that Summer had gotten up in the middle of the night to get in line at the bookstore, he remembered that his brother Clement also needed study materials. So, after breakfast, he went to the bookstore to check.

But seeing the crowd, he realized it was impossible to find the end of the line, let alone buy a book, so he returned home.

Summer rinsed her mouth, put away her toothbrush, and called back, "No, there were too many people. Some might have lined up right after dinner last night. We didn't get a single copy."

Hearing this, Henry turned to Alston and said, "See? Even getting up in the middle of the night doesn't guarantee anything. When I went this morning, the line was endless. You have no idea how many people were there."

Alston looked at him and said, "If it's this hard to get books in the city, what about the countryside? Without study materials, how can anyone hope to pass the exams?"

Henry thought for a moment and said, "Look at the West Wing. They're not worried because they have everything they need. With Uncle Adam's job, getting study materials is no problem for them."

Alston replied, "But they need them too. They're not going to send them to us in the countryside."

Henry said, "You need to think outside the box. We can borrow the materials and copy them ourselves. With so many of us, it won't be hard."

Alston nodded, "That could work."

So, after lunch, they didn't waste any time.

Alston went to the West Wing and called out, "Ada."

Ada heard him and came out, standing under the veranda, "What's up, Alston?"

After some polite exchanges, Alston explained their request, "We're worried that Clement in the countryside won't be able to get any study materials. Could we borrow Calvin's materials and copy them? We'll return them as soon as we're done."

Ada's friendly face suddenly looked troubled. She said apologetically, "Alston, if it were anything else, I'd give it to you right away. But Calvin is constantly using his study materials. You know how short the study period is. Even a minute less could make a big difference..."

While Alston and Ada talked outside the West Wing, Summer, Shaw, and Carman were still in the main house having lunch.

Seeing Alston asking the Beckys for study materials, Summer stretched her neck to look outside.

After watching for a bit, she saw Alston return empty-handed.

Shaw and Carman had overheard bits of the conversation between Alston and Ada. Shaw looked at Summer and asked, "Are you going to ask Calvin for his materials?"

Summer shook her head, "No, I won't ask him."

Shaw, seeing the Beckys wouldn't lend them, said, "I'll ask my colleagues at work if any of them have got the materials. Tell me what you need."

Summer replied, "The study guide. Just ask around; it's okay if we can't get it."

Shaw nodded, and Carman added, "I'll ask at work too."