Chapter Seventy-Eight: Passed the Exam

After receiving the compensation money, Zhao Zejun specifically invited Old Li to a meal, bringing Jiang Xuan along so everyone could get acquainted. The saying goes that the local officer is not as useful as the current one in charge; Old Li was one of the main operatives in the relocation office. In the upcoming demolition and resettlement projects, there would be many situations requiring his assistance, so it was only wise to build a rapport ahead of time.

Zhao Zejun's move to vacate his home first caused quite a stir in Gaogang Village. If even he couldn’t withstand the tremendous pressure from the relocation office, then others could hardly expect to do better. Every day, more and more families were handing over their keys and signing agreements without protest.

With work proceeding smoothly, Old Li was in high spirits. Though there had previously been some unpleasantness with everyone looking out for their own interests, that was now water under the bridge. Talking about the events during the relocation, they could now laugh about it, as if a smile really could erase all past grudges.

During the meal, Zhao Zejun casually mentioned to Old Li, feigning humility as if he'd gotten the better end of a deal, that he owned too many houses to possibly live in, and that just collecting the rent from them all could drive a person crazy.

As expected, Old Li's eyes lit up, and he leaned in. “Zhao, if someone wants to buy now, would you be interested?”

Zhao Zejun understood at once, but maintained a look of confusion. “How would I sell now?” he asked.

Old Li didn’t answer directly but laughed it off. “I’ve only heard that there are buyers interested. As for how it would work, I’m not sure—maybe a new compensation agreement would be drawn up? If you’re serious about selling, I can ask around for you. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“That sounds good. If I can sell, I’d like to get rid of most of them for cash and just keep a few for rental income,” Zhao Zejun replied.

“Alright, I’ll keep an ear out for you.” Old Li chuckled. “Come on, another toast! By the way, have you gotten your college entrance exam results yet? When you make the honor roll, you’ll have to treat us!”

“The results come out in two days,” Zhao Zejun laughed heartily. “But of course, I’ll treat everyone then!”

Two days later, the college entrance exam results were finally released.

Zhao Zejun logged in online, entered his candidate information, and clicked “search.” A few seconds later, his photo appeared on the screen, and next to it were his scores for each subject.

Chinese: 128; Math: 106; English: 122; Integrated Science: 227; Total: 583.

Zhao Zejun checked the admission cutoff scores as well—they were exactly the same as in his previous life.

After looking everything over, Zhao Zejun let out a long sigh of relief.

Now all that was left was to wait for the university admission letter.

He had set two major goals for himself during high school, and now, at last, both had been achieved. He had taken his first step on the grand road toward becoming the richest man in the universe!

Looking back, the past year had been overwhelmingly busy, leaving him with barely a moment of free time, and even his sleep had been significantly reduced. Business matters were manageable, but the final stretch of exam preparation had been so grueling that even Zhao Zejun, who had already taken the college entrance exam twice and knew some of the questions in advance, found himself on the verge of collapse.

He knew full well that most of this knowledge would be useless in the future, yet for the sake of the exams, he had to force himself to memorize and practice, feeling as if he were wasting his life.

Still, despite the exhaustion, he was in good spirits. There was always a clear goal ahead, something to strive for. With each step closer to his target, life felt more fulfilling, and the sense of accomplishment was more than enough to offset the fatigue.

It was also time to share the good news with his parents. They hadn’t wanted to put pressure on him or slow him down, and though they rarely said anything aloud, Zhao Zejun understood that the past year had not been easy for them either.

He took out his phone and pulled up Xia Yubing’s number, but after a moment’s thought, he hit the back button and dialed Zhao Tao instead.

At that moment, Zhao Tao and his wife were in Shanghai, having lunch at Zhou Ya’s family home.

The entire family was present.

Zhou Ya’s family was a large one. Before liberation, they had been successful merchants in Shanghai, and it was said their business had been quite extensive. Her grandfather, in his youth, had supposedly shared tea, attended operas, and even visited bathhouses with the likes of Huang Jinrong and Du Yuesheng. After liberation, during the public-private partnership movement, the “evil” capitalists reformed themselves, donating more than half their family assets to support the country’s construction and were personally received by then-mayor Chen.

But a few years later, the whole family was labeled as capitalists, their property confiscated, and their stately homes replaced with cramped communal housing.

Eventually, justice was restored, and half a building was returned to them. With the advent of economic reforms, life gradually improved once again.

In his previous life, Zhao Zejun often thought that, had there been no liberation, perhaps he would be dancing with a girl in the Great World Dance Hall on Avenue Joffre, instead of working himself to the bone over a few hundred thousand in mortgage payments.

Of course, every time he voiced such “erroneous” ideas, Zhao Tao would sternly rebuke him!

If there had been no liberation, Zhao Tao, a poor boy, would never have met Zhou Ya, the capitalist’s daughter.

The Zhou family had never been fully satisfied with Zhao Tao as a son-in-law. Though their fortunes had waned, the pride unique to big-city folk remained, making them feel innately superior to outsiders. For this reason, Zhou Ya rarely returned to Shanghai for many years.

But blood ties run deep. Seeing her mother’s face, now etched with wrinkles, and calling out “Mother,” Zhou Ya’s eyes filled with tears, and the knots in her heart seemed to dissolve at once.

The relatives hadn’t seen each other in years, so the reunion was warm and lively. Zhou Ya had an elder brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. Together with their parents, that made four households, all now living in the half-building returned by the government. During Zhou Ya’s visit, each family took turns hosting meals.

Today, it was the turn of her younger brother, Zhou Ping—Zhao Zejun’s uncle.

All four siblings were present—Zhou Tian, Zhou Ping, and Zhou Mei—and each had children of their own. As the adults ate together, naturally the conversation soon turned to their children.

Zhou Tian’s daughter, Zhou Na, was half a month younger than Zhao Zejun, and both had taken the college entrance exam that year. Zhou Na’s scores were already out: she hadn’t made the cut for her first choice, Fudan University, but had reached the threshold for her second choice, Southern Jiangsu University. The girl was sulking in her room and refused to come out for lunch.

“She was just a few points short. I’ll have Nana apply for a re-evaluation tomorrow. The grader must have made a mistake!” her mother insisted.

Zhou Tian coughed and waved a hand. “It’s rare for there to be grading errors in the college entrance exam. If you don’t get in, you don’t get in. Besides, Fudan is a top university—how many people can actually get in? Southern Jiangsu University is fine, too. It’s a key university, just not in the best location.”

Zhao Tao and his wife exchanged glances. Zhao Tao smiled but said nothing, thinking, If my son had a Shanghai household registration, he could get into Fudan with his eyes closed. The cutoff scores for locals are dozens of points lower than for outsiders.

Zhou Ping’s son was only a first-year high school student, so he wasn’t part of the academic boasting. He asked Zhao Tao, “Brother-in-law, didn’t Zejun take the exam this year too? Which university did he apply to?”

“Jiangsu University of Science and Technology,” Zhao Tao replied calmly.

At these words, Zhou Na’s mother’s expression stiffened noticeably.

Though both universities were considered key institutions, there was a world of difference between Jiangsu University of Science and Technology and Southern Jiangsu University. The latter was provincially renowned, but the former was famous nationwide—one governed by the province, the other directly under the Ministry of Education. In terms of teaching and research, not to mention their status, the University of Science and Technology was a whole tier above.

If one had to compare, the University of Science and Technology was undoubtedly a top university in the country, whereas Southern Jiangsu University was, at best, on the cusp of first-class and second-tier.

Zhou Na’s mother glanced at Zhou Ya, puzzled. “But Junjun’s grades have always been rather average. How could he dare apply to the University of Science and Technology? What if he doesn’t get in? That kind of disappointment is hard for a young person to bear—even Nana was upset by it.”