In the evening, a Jeep that was about 70% new came to a steady stop in front of the courtyard house.
After the car came to a stop, the driver, Li Qiang, turned his head and smiled shyly.
"Auntie, I really don't know how to thank you. How about this, since it's the weekend tomorrow, Chunni and I will treat your family to a meal!"
"Don't be so polite, Li Qiang. Have you forgotten that my family is celebrating Zheng Guo's birthday at Juhua Hutong tomorrow? Your family should go early, and your parents-in-law will be there too."
After Lin Wencui's reminder, Li Qiang suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Yes, yes, I almost forgot the important thing. How about this, my father-in-law and mother-in-law are definitely staying for a few days this time. When they go back, I'll invite you all to get together again."
Seeing that Li Qiang was truly sincere, Lin Wencui did not refuse this time. "Alright, we'll talk about it later."
After saying that, she opened the car door and got out, casually saying, "You can go back now!" and then walked towards the door.
The courtyard gate was already crowded with people; basically, anyone with a family member working at the steel mill would come out to show their face.
There's an old saying that goes, "A local official is more powerful than a distant one." Lin Wencui's promotion this time is different from that of Sun Dajiang and Sun Zhengguo.
She was a real cadre in the steel rolling mill, and she could manage more than 70 percent of the workers in the yard.
Therefore, even if it's just for show, they have to come out and show their support.
"Oh my! Director Lin is back! He's the pride of our compound! Let's all give him a round of applause!"
As soon as Liu Haizhong saw Lin Wencui get out of the car, he immediately started encouraging everyone to try their luck.
Then, enthusiastic applause rang out at the entrance of the courtyard house, making it seem like they were welcoming a leader on an inspection tour.
Lin Wencui realized that it was Liu Pangpang causing trouble again. This wouldn't do; it would easily attract gossip.
If these neighbors ask me to say something again, I'm bound to make a fool of myself tomorrow.
"Stop, everyone stop! We can't do this. It's not like the leaders are on an inspection tour. It's easy to cause misunderstandings."
Seeing Lin Wencui's face fall, she looked displeased.
Liu Haizhong quickly gestured for everyone to stop, then walked forward with a cheerful smile.
"Director Lin, we didn't mean anything by it, we were just neighbors congratulating each other."
Lin Wencui ignored this explanation and instead glanced at everyone.
"Alright, I appreciate your kind gestures. Thank you everyone. You've all had a long day, so let's call it a day!"
Thus, a welcoming farce ended before it even began.
The neighbors were all complaining behind Liu Haizhong's back, saying that he was bad at handling people and had offended them instead.
It wasn't until the next day, when the Sun family held a celebration banquet in their courtyard, that the neighbors realized that the family wasn't unhappy, but rather enjoying themselves behind closed doors.
It has nothing to do with them at all.
...
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and my maternal grandfather and aunt's family, who came to visit in the city, returned to the countryside two days ago.
Both families now have children in the city with many places to stay, which is why they've stayed for so long this time.
Sun Zhengguo had also advised them to simply stay in the city.
However, the older generation was very stubborn and refused, citing their attachment to their homeland.
During this period, Lin Wencui also thoroughly investigated all the departments under her supervision, revised various rules and regulations, and gradually began to carry out the work.
Meanwhile, the news of the official resumption of the college entrance examination spread like wildfire across the country.
Immediately, students flocked to register, and the exam date was set for three months later.
Millions of people will participate in this competition, vying for the chance to leap over the dragon gate.
As for whether or not one will ultimately succeed? That depends entirely on individual fate.
That evening, as soon as Ning Xiaowei got home from work, she quickly called her eldest son out.
"Uncle Jie, did you register today?"
"Mom, the form has been submitted to the teacher, but we still need to wait for the final background check. If there are no problems, we'll have the results in three days."
Ning Xiaowei was relieved after hearing what her son said.
There's definitely no problem with their family's background check, but the college entrance exam has just been reinstated, so we don't know how difficult the questions will be.
"Sigh! Son, tell me, how confident are you this time?"
"Mom, if you ask me like that, how am I supposed to answer? This hasn't happened yet, so I can't predict it. If you really want me to say something, all I can say is...?"
When Sun Shujie got to this point, he deliberately paused for a moment, whetting the appetite of everyone in the room, before waving his fist and saying something arrogantly.
"There's definitely no problem."
"Hahaha!"
Sun Shujie's funny behavior amused everyone in the room.
Looking at his eldest grandson, the fourth generation of the family, Grandpa felt a surge of pride and joy. It was a sign that the family had a worthy successor!
Back then, his son went to high school and became the most educated person in the village, and from then on, he settled down in Beijing.
Later, his grandson went to university, broke the record again, and went on to pursue a political career, bringing glory to the family.
Now, the great-grandchildren are equally important, shouldering the heavy responsibility of continuing the family's glory.
Tell me, how can this not be gratifying?
"Hey! What are you all talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."
Just then, Sun Zhengguo, who had just finished get off work, walked in from outside.
Ning Xiaowei stepped forward, took the bag, hung it up casually, and then showed it off.
“We were talking about Shujie taking the college entrance exam. Your son is very ambitious! He has already reserved a spot before even taking the exam.”
Listening to his wife's Versailles-like remarks, Sun Zhengguo didn't refute her, since what she said was the truth.
To be honest, if his son fails this exam, he might as well find a block of tofu and kill himself.
You have to understand that many of those educated youth who returned to the city haven't touched a textbook in over a decade, yet they still managed to pass the exams. Besides, his son is still in high school and has such excellent grades.
Ning Xiaowei saw that her husband didn't say anything and wondered what he was thinking.
"Jung-guk, don't you want to say something?"
"Hehe!" Sun Zhengguo laughed indifferently. "Calm down. Passing the exam is normal. It would be embarrassing if you didn't pass. Don't tell people that I'm his father, or I'll be embarrassed too."
Alright! Ning Xiaowei finally understood where her son's confidence came from; it turned out he had taken over the mantle.
"Eat, eat."
...
On the other side.
In the west wing of the front courtyard of the siheyuan, Sun Dahe's family was also discussing the same thing, but they still hadn't come to a conclusion.
Sun Zhengdong's eldest daughter, Sun Shuxuan, is in a similar situation to Sun Shujie; her case is open to discussion but not essential.
However, Sun Shuxuan's grades were clearly not as good as Sun Shujie's, so the family was unsure.
As the protagonist of this incident, Sun Shuxuan clutched the hem of her clothes with both hands, fidgeting and unsure how to speak.
Seeing his daughter's troubled expression, Sun Zhengdong didn't want to put too much pressure on her.
"Xuanxuan, don't be nervous. If you really can't make up your mind, I'll make a call for you after we finish eating."
"Thank you, Dad."
After Sun Shuxuan finished speaking, she felt relieved.
As for who her father called? Of course she knew.
I'm sure my all-powerful grandfather will give me a satisfactory answer.
...
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