Confusion about Academic Credentials

  Lin Zhenhua's confession finally put Lin Fanghua and Yang Xin's minds at ease. The future sisters-in-law happily went out hand in hand to buy back a pile of good dishes, forcing Lin Zhenhua to cook and show off his skills. Then the whole family sat warmly together in the living room of their new home, eating their first meal after moving in.

  "Xiao Fang, have you thought about which university you want to attend?" Yang Xin started performing her duties as a sister-in-law, caring about her younger sister's future.

  "What's wrong, Yang Xin? Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me now?"

  "Ugh! I'm being serious with you."

  "Hmm... I haven't thought about it yet. My current grades, I don't know if they can be stable until the college entrance exam. If I can keep this up, our teacher said that getting into University of Science and Technology of China won't be a problem."

  "Hold your noise! What are you shouting about?" Lin Zhenhua roughly interrupted his sister's words.

  Lin Fanghua asked in surprise: "Isn't Keda University good? The admission score for Keda University is the highest, I'm still worried that I won't be admitted."

  Lin Zhenhua said: "With your grades, you will definitely be admitted to Huaying, why bother applying to a science and technology university?"

  "But our teachers all say that Ke Da is the best." Lin Fanghua argued back.

  In those years, the University of Science and Technology of China was indeed the school with the highest admission scores. Huazhong University and Peking University were second-tier schools in comparison. Unfortunately, USTC's glory only lasted for a few years before gradually fading away. Lin Zhenhua, as someone from a later generation, naturally understood this point, so he firmly opposed his sister's application to USTC.

  "I'm telling you, the Science and Technology University is mainly focused on theoretical research, which is very tough for girls. Besides, the university is in Hefei, while Huazhong is in Beijing, don't you want to go study in Beijing?" Lin Zhenhua explained with a reason that his sister could accept.

  Lin Fanghua's face lit up with joy: "That's great, brother! Actually, I've always wanted to attend Huaying University too. But our teacher said that my grades are so good, it would be a waste not to go to Ke Da. Since you also support me going to Huaying, I'll make up my mind and apply to Huaying University."

  "In terms of profession, Huaqing's computer science, biology and architecture are all good directions, you can consider them." Lin Zhenhua suggested.

  "I don't, I want to study mechanics," Lin Fanghua said stubbornly.

  "Mechanical!" Lin Zhenhua repeated in a low voice, I sell cakes, is it really such a strange fate that my sister will become a student of the Mechanical Department of Huqing University? This is equivalent to being her senior or teacher in the future. Wait, let me recall, was there such a person among the teachers who stayed at Huqing Mechanical Department back then... It seems not!

  "Sister, why must you learn mechanics?" Lin Zhenhua asked, "It's so hard for a girl to study mechanics."

  "Because I want to help you," Lin Fanghua said solemnly. "Brother, I've thought about it, after I finish studying mechanical engineering, I'll come back and be your engineer, help you design machines. By then, you must have become the factory director already, and Yang Xin should be the production department head, right?"

  "How did I get dragged into this?" Yang Xin said with a smile.

  Lin Zhenhua looked at his sister, feeling a wave of emotion. Due to the lack of information, he had never received any news about the Mechanical Department of Huaying University since he crossed over until now, nor did he know what his mentor, Yao He Liang, was like now. If his sister really got into Huaying's mechanical department, then he should be able to go back and see those teachers again, as well as the picturesque Huaying Garden, the lotus pond, and the deserted island...

  As he thought of this, Lin Zhenhua suddenly remembered something even more important - would the real him in history appear? The previous life's Lin Zhenhua was not from Jiangnan Province, but a distant province, so he didn't have the chance to see his parents from his past life. His parents at that time should have just met and weren't yet engaged, just like himself and Yang Xin now. Would they fall in love, get married, and then give birth to another child named Lin Zhenhua?

  Yeah, maybe it's time to go back to my hometown in my past life and take a look. When I see my old dad, should I call him uncle or brother?... It's confusing.

  "What are you thinking about?" Lin Fanghua asked as she saw her brother spacing out.

  Lin Zhenhua finally came to his senses, he thought for a moment and said: "Xiaofang, this profession is a lifelong thing, you must think carefully. You can't always be tied to me, it's not good to share the same fate, the same honor. So, you have to choose a profession you like, and then stick to it for a lifetime."

  "I just like mechanics, what can I do?" Lin Fanghua said mischievously.

  "Uh, okay, let's talk about it when the time comes to fill out the application." Lin Zhenhua was speechless. In fact, in his past life, he also liked mechanics and had taken the entrance exam for this relatively niche major with an absolute advantage. As someone who had gone through this himself, it was hard for him to persuade his sister to change her mind. Perhaps, the blood flowing through his sister's veins was indeed that of a mechanical worker.

  "Xiao Hua, are you really going to see my dad later?" Yang Xin asked nervously. Since Lin Zhenhua had forcefully hugged her, she had dropped the "ge" (older brother) from his name, as it felt awkward to use such a term between lovers.

  "Of course, a real man keeps his word," said Lin Zhenhua.

  "But it's so embarrassing." Yang Xi said with a red face, "Or else, let's talk about it later."

  "Yang Xin, don't be hypocritical." Lin Fanghua exposed Yang Xin's thoughts on the side. She and Yang Xin were of the same age, in the same class from elementary school to junior high school, both sisters-in-law and close friends, so they could speak very casually.

  Lin Zhenhua saw that things had come to this point, and he could only grit his teeth and move forward. He put on a bold appearance and said: "Yang Xin, don't worry about this matter anymore, I'll go talk to Uncle Yang alone."

  "Uh, my dad... will definitely agree." Yang Xin said in a barely audible voice, "My education level is so low, they won't be too picky either."

  "Come on, I'm asking you, Yang Xin, you said your educational background is low, but I really thought about it, why didn't you take the college entrance exam?" Lin Zhenhua asked out of curiosity.

  "I was thinking of taking the TV university exam, but..." Yang Xin said in a low voice.

  Lin Zhenhua interrupted her: "What TV university is that? It's just a regular college entrance exam, the same as Xiaofang's, taking the regular university exam."

  "What? Going to college?" Yang Xin was shocked, "How is this possible?"

  Lin Zhenhua hadn't thought about this issue before, but Yang Xin reminded him today. He excitedly said: "It's completely possible! Young people in society can take the college entrance exam. You're not even 18 years old yet, you can review for at most two years and taking a university exam is no problem!"

  "But I just graduated from junior high school, and my grades weren't good either." Yang Xin said with embarrassment.

  "No problem." Lin Fanghua also became excited, she leaned in close to Yang Xin and enthusiastically encouraged her: "Yang Xin, let my brother tutor you, his teaching is really great, much better than our teacher's. Look at me, when I first entered high school two years ago, I was the worst in class, now I'm the top of the year, it's all thanks to my brother's credit."

  "Xiao Hua, do you really think I can?" Yang Xin felt a glimmer of hope in her heart and couldn't help but look up at Lin Zhenhua, asking expectantly.

  "I don't think it's that difficult," said Lin Zhenhua, counting on his fingers. "It's now the spring of '81, and the college entrance exams are in the summer. If you take the '82 exams, there's still a year and a half... I think it's completely doable."

  "Join next year?" Yang Xin asked.

  "Yeah, next year you'll be 19 years old, going to college is just a little bit late, but absolutely not too late. After four years of study, graduate at the age of 23 and get assigned a job, that's awesome!"

  "Then... Xiaohua, why don't we take the exam together?" Yang Xin suggested excitedly.

  "I'd better give up." Lin Zhenhua retreated, he was a genuine graduate student after all. With this body, going back to read undergraduate again wouldn't be a waste of his youth? Thinking about how many reborn protagonists went back to start from middle school or even elementary school, Lin Zhenhua felt a sharp pain in a certain part of his body. With so much time on his hands, he might as well focus on making Hanhua Enterprise Co., Ltd. thrive and seize the initiative in the market.

  He certainly knows that academic qualifications are very useful within the system, and the country's emphasis on academic qualifications has reached an absurd level. However, he doesn't care about this. If his company is worth billions or tens of billions, who would bother to check the boss's academic qualifications? To put it bluntly, at that time, many top universities would probably come to offer him a part-time master's or doctoral degree.

  "Why don't you take the exam?" Yang Xin asked in puzzlement, "You can teach Xiaofang to get into Huaying, it shouldn't be hard for you to get into Huaying yourself, right?"

  "Yang Xin, education is very important, but the diploma itself isn't. I suggest you go to university because you can learn a lot of things there, especially being influenced by the humanities atmosphere which can change your temperament. But for me...I used to study with professors in the army and have already grasped all the knowledge that universities offer, so it's not necessary to waste time again. Do you understand?" Lin Zhenhua said.

  Yang Xin nodded: "Xiao Hua, I know that your knowledge is even greater than that of a university student. However, you don't have a diploma now, and some things are quite troublesome. I heard that in the future, promotions will also depend on diplomas. You don't have a diploma, so you can't be promoted to a leadership position, which will also affect your career."

  Lin Zhenhua said, "This issue, I'll consider it again. If it's just a matter of getting a diploma, I don't necessarily have to go to university. Night school, correspondence school, and online school are all options. In short, I can no longer afford to waste four years in the classroom."

  "But I'm going to university alone... is that okay?" Yang Xin muttered to herself. In her heart, she felt that getting into university should already be a done deal, it was something Xiaohua had promised, how could there be any slip-ups? Although going to university meant being away from Lin Zhenhua for a while, the allure of university life was also endless. Just thinking about it made her blood boil with excitement, wearing a white school badge and carrying a book on campus, what a wonderful life that would be.

  Lin Fanghua burst out laughing: "Yang Xin, from now on when we have dinner as a family, both of us are university students, but he's just a junior high school student, only fit to cook for us. Isn't that hilarious?"