Chapter 457

"It turns out that self-employed people are more resilient. No matter which unit their family belongs to, I can still run around and smooth things over with them."

Father Zhang sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel, his face full of helplessness. He shook his head heavily, sighed deeply and said.

At this moment, Zhang Jianfeng no longer had the cautious look he had just had. They had been so sincere in being humble just now, but were still rebuked by others, which made him feel very unhappy.

He leaned on the back seat of the car, crossed his legs, and said with a hint of impatience in his tone:

"I told her it was useless. I've already spoken to her. She's as hard as a stinky stone in a toilet."

When Mr. Zhang heard this, he immediately flew into a rage and cursed:

"I told you a long time ago! Don't mess with people who cause trouble, but you refused to listen! If it weren't for you, would your mother and I be in such a headache right now?"

He turned around and stared at Zhang Jianfeng, his eyes filled with both anger and disappointment.

But most of the disappointment was not because he was always causing trouble, but because he had no foresight and had not learned any skills from me.

"Alright! Dad, I get it. What's the point of you scolding me every day for the past half month?"

Zhang Jianfeng was a little annoyed by the scolding. He frowned and raised his voice to retort.

He still felt wronged! Things had already come to this point, and being scolded every day wouldn't solve the problem.

Mother Zhang was sitting in the passenger seat, remaining silent. When she heard the father and son arguing, she couldn't help but say with dissatisfaction:

"I really don't know what the point is of you forcing us to come here today. It's been such a long time, and you still want to suffer.

The punishments have been meted out, and their family hasn't pursued the matter any further, so why bother coming here and getting scolded for nothing?"

"That's just a woman's opinion! If it were an ordinary student, forget it, he would have been punished, and would have hidden himself away, pretending to be deaf and dumb, and the matter would have been over.

But she happened to be the top scholar in the province! Such a talent could hardly guarantee that she wouldn't pursue a career in government, or even return to Nancheng to become an official!

When the time comes, when she thinks of something so disgusting, tell her to me! Give it to your son! I'll make him stumble and leave you crying without a place to go!"

Mother Zhang, however, looked disapproving, snorted softly, and said:

"Is it really that serious? Putting aside whether she can become an official in the future, with her grades, she must be attending university in the capital, right?

"If you can go to the capital, will you come back? Besides, we are not ordinary people. After all, we have been here for generations. How can we be bullied by an outsider?"

She scoffed at Mr. Zhang's worries, thinking he was just overthinking.

Father Zhang smiled sarcastically, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"You've been here for generations, so why don't you use your connections to get your son a high school diploma? If you can't even do that, what's the point of just talking big? Is this the same as before?"

His words were like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Mother Zhang, leaving her speechless for a moment.

"You! Humph! If my dad hadn't passed away earlier, this would have been a piece of cake in the past! It's just that you're incompetent and can't handle anything!"

Mother Zhang was angered by this, her face flushed red, and she immediately retorted.

Thinking back to when her father was still alive, any problems at home could be easily solved. Looking at the present, she was filled with grievance and resentment.

"Alright, alright! What were you talking about in the past? Now that you don't have the strength, you should just keep your tail between your legs. Don't go around saying these nonsense in the future.

Do you think others will look up to you? Others will only laugh at you, saying you are a skinny camel who wants to be the king.

Mr. Zhang waved his hand, not wanting to continue this topic, his tone full of fatigue and helplessness.

Zhang Jianfeng seemed to have long been accustomed to his parents' bickering. After they had almost finished arguing, he said slowly:

"Dad, what should I do then? I'll only have a junior high school diploma. Can I still take your place?"

Father Zhang restrained his expression and said:

"After much persuasion, your Uncle Hu finally relented. A diploma is out of the question, but as long as the Su family doesn't pursue the matter any further, and after a while no one remembers it, I can give you a certificate of completion."

"Ah? A certificate of completion? That can't be compared with a diploma. Once you take it out, others will know that something must have gone wrong in high school." Zhang Jianfeng said dissatisfiedly.

When Zhang Jianfeng heard that it was a certificate of completion, he immediately shouted in dissatisfaction, frowning and looking reluctant.

"Getting a certificate of completion is the best scenario! At least it's a high school diploma, which is better than just a junior high school diploma! When I get a job, I can write high school as my education level!"

It will be convenient for promotion in the future. As long as you fill in the information, no one will check whether it is a diploma or a certificate of completion.

So, I came here today because of this. We have shown our attitude and they have promised not to pursue the matter further. We can slowly smooth things over in the future."

Mr. Zhang patiently explained that this was the best result they could get at the moment.

Zhang Jianfeng thought about it and felt that he could only accept this reality. Suddenly he remembered the gift and said with some relief:

"Well, luckily they only accepted the gifts and didn't take the money, so we saved three thousand dollars!"

Father Zhang shook his head helplessly and said, "How short-sighted! I actually hope they'll accept the money."

…

In early August, the fat boy finally returned to Nanning. He was thinner than before and a little tanned. He looked energetic and looked like a healthy and handsome young man.

If you were someone who had just met him, you would never have imagined that more than a year ago, he was a chubby, tall, and fat guy.

When Su Miao came out from the backyard, he was happily eating and drinking soup, holding a newspaper in his hand, and concentrating on looking at the section about the college entrance examination gold list.

"Brother Xiaopang, long time no see! Why don't you just go to the yard to eat." Su Miao greeted him with a smile, and then sat down next to him.

"Miao Miao! Let's just stay here. It's lively! I haven't had time to sit down and relax for a long time. Watching people coming and going in the store makes me feel comfortable."

The little fat brother raised his head and saw Su Miao. He immediately smiled happily and his eyes narrowed into slits.

"You seem to have lost a lot of weight. Have you been spending all your time on the construction site? There are always people coming and going on the construction site." Su Miao asked with concern, looking at his more prominent jawline.

"That's different. The construction site is a mess and you can't stop for even a moment. It's not like sitting in a shop, eating and drinking soup, and feeling at peace.

"I've been entertaining bosses and leaders lately. The food in those big restaurants is expensive and exquisite, but I still prefer the food at your place."

As the little fat brother spoke, he took a big bite of food and put it into his mouth, chewing it with satisfaction.