Chapter 15 High School Entrance Exam, Two Months of Summer Vacation

In the following week, Zhang Wanwan never left her room except for eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. Although Zhang's father and mother didn't say a word, they silently made a lot of delicious food for her, and they moved very carefully for fear of disturbing her studies.

A week passed very quickly. The day before the exam, Zhang's father came into her room and asked, "Have you brought all your admission tickets and other things? Do you want to check again?"

In order to reassure Zhang's father, Zhang Wanwan took out the transparent plastic bag and showed the contents to Zhang's father one by one before putting it away. "Dad, don't worry. I will do well in the exam this time and there will be no mistakes."

Father Zhang then stopped worrying about it. The next morning, after Zhang Wanwan finished her meal, her father followed her out. Zhang Wanwan then realized that her father was going to take her to the examination room. This unfamiliar scene made her stunned for a moment. She did not take the high school entrance examination in her previous life, so she didn't know what would happen this time. However, having father Zhang pick her up did make her feel more at ease. A father's shoulder is always the best support.

When the father and daughter arrived at the examination room, many parents who were accompanying their children to take the exam were already lingering outside. It was a very hot day and people could only be seen in the shade.

Zhang's father originally wanted to stay and wait for Zhang Wanwan to finish the exam, but was driven away by Zhang Wanwan. She was not really an ignorant teenager, so how could she delay Zhang's father's business.

After Zhang's father left, Zhang Wanwan immediately went to check the layout of the examination rooms and familiarized herself with the locations of the toilets. Before the bell to enter the examination room rang, she read some English essays.

As soon as the exam bell rang, all the candidates rushed in. The first exam was Chinese. For Zhang Wanwan, Chinese was not a problem at all. She finished the paper half an hour before the exam. She checked it twice, not missing any details. She only raised her hand to hand in the paper when she heard the invigilator remind her that there were five minutes left. She left while there were few people outside to avoid being squeezed with everyone.

The exam in 2006 was not as strict as in 2011 and 2015. The guard had to wait until everyone handed in their papers before letting anyone in. Zhang Wanwan walked out of the exam room and along the sidewalk toward home. It was still early, and it would take her about 40 minutes to walk back, so she could have a meal and take a nap.

When Zhang's father came back at noon, he learned that Zhang Wanwan had walked back by herself. He was very upset and decided to pick her up and drop her off all the way. Seeing that Zhang's father insisted, Zhang Wanwan no longer refused.

The three-day high school entrance examination was over quickly. After finishing the last subject, Zhang Wanwan walked out of the examination room and felt that the sunset was particularly bright. Zhang's father waved at her outside the school gate, and Zhang Wanwan immediately ran over.

"The exams are over! You can have fun for the next two months!" Zhang's father did not ask Zhang Wanwan whether she did well in the exams, but told her that she could have fun for two months without any worries.

Zhang Wanwan squinted her eyes happily, sat behind her father, and said to him, "Dad, I don't want to play for the past two months. Our teacher said we can work part-time, so some people in our class have gone to work to earn money during the summer vacation."

Father Zhang frowned, not very happy. "You are still young, what can you do to earn money? It's so tiring to hand out flyers in this weather! Your fair face can be tanned black. It's not easy to be a waiter in a restaurant either, you have to stand all the time, and you can't make much money. You might as well go out and have fun!"

What Mr. Zhang said is the reality of student workers today. If they work as waiters in restaurants, they have to stand for ten hours a day, have two days off a month, and only make a little over nine hundred yuan a month. If they hand out flyers, they can earn five or six yuan an hour, so at most they can earn thirty or forty yuan a day. It is tiring and hard work, and the rewards are seriously not worth the effort.

Zhang Wanwan already had a plan, and continued, "Dad, I don't want to hand out flyers or be a waiter. I want to set up a stall in Century Plaza to sell milk tea. You know milk tea is very popular now, and students love it. It doesn't cost much to set up a stall. I have some pocket money saved over the years. I can give it a try and experience life. I may not make much money, but after experiencing the difficulties of life, I will definitely study harder."

Father Zhang choked. This argument was so strong that he couldn't refute it. After a long pause, he turned his back to Zhang Wanwan and said, "We'll talk about this when we get back."

Zhang Wanwan grinned. The fact that Zhang's father didn't directly refuse meant that there was a 90% chance that it would succeed.

The two returned to the community. Grandma Huang downstairs was pouring water. Seeing Zhang Wanwan's bright smile, her old face also smiled like a flower, "Are you back from the exam? It's the last day, right? You can have fun now!"

Zhang Wanwan nodded obediently and called for help. Father Zhang and Grandma Huang greeted them twice before taking Zhang Wanwan home.

In the corridor, the father and daughter met Wang Chunhua who was coming down the stairs. Zhang Wanwan simply ignored her. Zhang's father considered himself a man, so he usually didn't talk too much to those women. He just nodded and smiled and passed by.

Wang Chunhua rolled her eyes almost to the sky, snorted lightly and ignored Zhang's father.

Zhang Wanwan's mood turned from sunny to cloudy, "Dad, just ignore that woman when you see her next time, she's a psychopath!"

"Wanwan! Don't say that. If she hears it, we'll have another quarrel." Zhang's father looked helpless. He opened the door, urged Zhang Wanwan to go in, and quickly closed the door.

Seeing how cautious Zhang's father was, Zhang Wanwan felt even more suffocated.

Zhang's father didn't mention Wang Chunhua again. He washed the vegetables and cooked as soon as he entered the door, and let Zhang Wanwan watch TV.

Zhang Wanwan went back to her room, took out the plan she had written earlier, and revised it. Her serious look really confused her father. Why was she still working so hard when she had already finished the high school entrance exam? Was this child stupid from studying too much?

Zhang Wanwan was still writing and drawing in her room until her mother came back.

Mother Zhang cast a questioning look at Father Zhang, who shrugged and shouted, "Girl, it's time to eat!"

"Coming soon!"

Zhang Wanwan came out holding her plan and handed it directly to her father, "Dad, this is my summer vacation plan, take a look."

Father Zhang was at a loss when holding the plan. "No, no, your mother doesn't know yet! I didn't agree to it, so how did you come up with the plan?"

Although Zhang's mother was illiterate, she understood the general idea after listening for a while. She sneered and said, "Your daughter has planned this a long time ago and is waiting for us here! Your mother is illiterate, and I can't understand this plan. Just tell me what you want to do."

"Mom! I just like your straightforward personality!" Zhang Wanwan gave her mother a thumbs up and led her to sit at the dinner table. "Mom, this is what I thought. I have nothing to do during the two months of summer vacation, and our family is short of money, so I want to experience the hardship of making money."

"Where do you want to work as a summer intern? Handing out flyers or working as a waiter?" Zhang's mother asked calmly.

Zhang Wanwan was furious and stamped her feet, saying, "Why do you think I'll either be handing out flyers or being a waiter?"

"What do you want to do if you don't distribute flyers and work as a waiter? You are a minor, and we don't dare to hire you for a serious job!" Zhang's mother's eyes were filled with naked disdain, and Zhang Wanwan was almost angry to the point of vomiting blood.

(End of this chapter)