Chapter 42: Stay in School?

  Sun Yong was interning at the 15th Municipal Middle School. When Xu Shaojie found him, Sun Yong was working hard to revise his homework, carrying a high school Chinese textbook, which wasn't easy at all. At first, when Sun Yong entered the classroom, he couldn't even speak smoothly. After some time passed, it got slightly better. Sun Yong sighed, "Teaching isn't easy either."

  "Xu Ban Zhang, you've finished your internship so quickly, it seems like you must have been busy with assignments."

  "Nonsense, broken gong, you know my relationship, who can find someone to run for, even with a pig's head, can't find the temple gate, it's just an internship, it's just a gesture, as long as the intention is there, who's so serious?"

  "Xu, from now on in school, don't call me by my nickname anymore. That's only for the dormitory. There are teachers and students here, and walls have ears. If someone hears it, how can I live with myself?"

  "Alright, alright, I won't call you anymore. Broken, Sun Yong, being a people's teacher is glorious and great, but what I'm worried about is you. Teaching is just an excuse, the real goal is to find a girlfriend. With so many female teachers in school, with your skills, they would be crying and begging to marry you. I'm really envious of you."

  "Xu Ban Zhang, you're worried about losing teeth, it's too sour, you think finding a girlfriend is that easy? Grandma's, four years in college, haven't even seen a girl's hair, don't know where to find one."

  "Sun Yong, you've gone too far with your dirty talk. If a girl shows you her body, she's not just your girlfriend, she's your woman. Your demands are too high, no wonder you can't find a girlfriend."

  "Go away, don't bother me with your nitpicking, honestly, what were you thinking when it comes to distribution?"

  "What else can I think of? It's best to stay in Xilin City, but I won't be teaching. Looking at the current situation, it's basically impossible, so I'll just have to make sacrifices at the grassroots level."

  "How is it possible, Xu Ban Zhang, with your outstanding qualifications, a university student and class leader, you would still be stuck in Xilin City?"

  "Sun Yong, my dad has passed away, my mom is an ordinary person. Even if I were better than the Secretary-General of the United Nations, nobody would know about it. Nowadays, there are countless university students who are better than the Secretary-General of the United Nations. You have been educated by me for four years with practical thoughts, how can you still be so unprogressive? I really feel like a failure."

  "Alright, alright, Xu class monitor, I know I was wrong. Earlier, I didn't make myself clear. Doesn't this school have two to three retention quotas every year? Why don't you go and try your best?"

  "Sun Yong, unfortunately there are only two or three, if there were two or three hundred, I would consider it."

  Two people were laughing and chatting, but Xu Shaojie noticed Sun Yong's words. If he could stay in school, it would be a good choice. Don't think that the faculty members of Xilin University are just teachers. In recent years, many young and middle-aged teachers have left Xilin University to become government officials. The state requires cadres to be knowledgeable, and the deputy governor of the province is the former president of Xilin University. So, being able to stay in school and making efforts can also be a wise move. Of course, Xu Shaojie knew that the difficulty of staying in school was like climbing to heaven. Among nearly 4,000 graduates, only two or three lucky ones could stay, which is even more difficult than thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge. Having excellent performance is useless, and this condition is likely to be the easiest to ignore.

  In the afternoon, Sun Yong insisted on treating them to dinner. Xu Shaojie and Sun Yong went to the night market outside the school, which is now in a large stall mode. Every day before 5 pm, they set up stalls, and you can have dinner or midnight snacks there. The barbecue flavor is also good.

  "Xu, I'll say this one last time, you must work hard to strive for it. Your class teacher Xu has a good impression of you. If you want to stay in school, you can try to find Xu to fight for it. It's not a big deal, who doesn't want to get assigned to a good place? I'm just a typical turtle grandson in front of the principal, there's no way."

  "Sun Yong, there are not many people like you who are down-to-earth. Many classmates are probably very casual and arrogant, thinking they are the best and will definitely achieve great things. They won't have this realization unless they hit rock bottom."

  "Xu, you're still the most down-to-earth one. Over the years, following you has taught me to be practical, which is my greatest gain. Singing on whatever mountain you're on, being arrogant and self-important will only lead to trouble. Some people are lucky enough to wake up after hitting a wall, but others might not be so fortunate. Otherwise, why are there so many talented but underemployed university graduates nowadays?"

  "Never mind all that, let's have a drink, it's been ages since we last met."

  Everything at home is as usual, Xu Pingfan is almost two months old and has grown white and chubby, just like Han Qing'e. Every day, she takes him out for a stroll. Liu Xiaomei's body has fully recovered. As rural people, they don't have many concerns. Xu Yijie had originally planned to hire a nanny, but Liu Xiaomei disagreed. It's just about cooking and washing clothes, and there isn't much work to do at home since there is a washing machine. Hiring a nanny would also cost a lot of money, which the family cannot afford. Moreover, both Xiao Jie and Xu Lan are still in school and will need money in the future. So, it's better to save money whenever possible.

  As for Xu Shaojie and Xu Lan, Xu Yijie immediately fell silent. He is the eldest at home, but the one who truly supports this family is his younger brother Xu Shaojie. If he doesn't consider Xu Shaojie and Xu Lan in the future, Xu Yijie will not forgive himself.

  The provincial capital no longer has any projects, Xu Yijie relied on his old relationships and with the help of Zhang Shaocai, found a job in a construction company. The salary was not high, less than 200 yuan per month, but it was very relaxed, with regular working hours and holidays off. With the addition of Zhang's architectural group salary, expenses were covered. His mother Han Qing'e's salary was left untouched, all saved for Xu Shaojie and Xu Lan. Xu Yijie also had to take out at least 200 yuan each month to save together. Liu Xiaomei fully supported this.

  Everything at home, Xu Shaojie doesn't need to worry about for the time being. Now, he must plan for his own future. Going to Huaiyang City is not the only way out; one's life is originally full of choices.

  Xu Shaojie spent a period of leisure time, sleeping in every day, eating and drinking at will, but this time did not last long, the internship ended soon.

  Back at school, everyone was warm and affectionate when they met again. With graduation just around the corner, they were all especially close to each other. No one mentioned anything about internships; some things are secrets that can't be spoken of. Xu Shaojie saw Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin, and their level of intimacy exceeded his imagination. He had long forgotten about his romance with Zheng Yuxin, but the lessons he learned from it, he would never forget: a person needs to have real power, be able to control everything, and decide their own fate; even in the most difficult times, don't give up on hope.

  It's almost graduation, nothing much is happening, there was an opinion in the school before, no need to return to school for the second semester of senior year, just take the graduation certificate and attend the commencement ceremony on time. The two months in school are not well managed, and it has become a trend to fall in love. This opinion is said to have received attention from the education authorities and may be adopted.

  For several days in a row, the brothers in the dormitory went out to eat and drink, returning late at night, and the old man at the door pretended not to see.

  Class teacher Xu Zhuxin suddenly found Xu Shaojie. The conversation between the two took place in Xu Zhuxin's dormitory, as her husband was in Beijing and she lived in the school's teachers' quarters.

  "Xu Shaojie, have you considered the matter of job assignment after graduation? Have you thought about what I said before Spring Festival?"

  "Teacher Xue, I've thought about it, but my family doesn't have good conditions, so I don't have much confidence in the graduation assignment, nor do I have any specific plans."

  Ding Yuan's affair was Xu Shaojie's secret, he wouldn't tell anyone about it.

  "I know your family situation. The ordinary and difficult circumstances of the family can limit many students, but this is not an absolute situation. Have you considered taking the postgraduate entrance exam or staying in school?"

  "Teacher Xu, I don't want to take the postgraduate exam, and staying in school is also not something I've considered, it's too difficult."

  "Xu Shaojie, I remember you're not one to give up easily. How come you don't even dare to have such thoughts now?"

  "Teacher Xue, I do have ideas, but they need to be combined with reality. Thinking about unattainable goals isn't very realistic, so I'd rather not think about it. As for taking the postgraduate exam, I don't think I'm suited to being an expert."

  "Uh-huh, I still haven't misjudged you. You're being cautious and have a good grasp of the situation for now. The reason I'm looking for you today is to tell you that I've already recommended you to the school and suggested that they keep you on. As for the specific details, I don't know them myself. You can try asking the former party branch secretary who's now working in the school personnel department - your relationship with him is pretty good. Of course, the final decision rests with the school leadership, which you're also aware of."

  "Teacher Xue, thank you. I don't know how to thank you, but to be honest, I'm not confident and I think it's going to be hard for me to stay in Xiling City. You might already know some of the reasons."

  "Xu Shaojie, I know what you're saying. You think too much. Some things shouldn't be overthought. Quarrels between classmates won't affect these matters."

  "Teacher Xue, you don't understand Liu Hong. We've been classmates for four years, and I'm very clear about his personality. He's subtle and doesn't show his true feelings easily. There are some things that he cares deeply about, and maybe he also knows what I care about. So, in my opinion, there's no hope for me to stay in the provincial city."

  Xu Zhuxin couldn't believe that Xu Shaojie and Liu Hong, the two most outstanding students in the class with the brightest future prospects, had such deep prejudices against each other.

  "Xu Shaojie, I don't know if what you said is true. The list of students staying in school will be confirmed in the next few days. I'll go ask and see what's going on. Each class will have recommendations. Probably two days later, the first round of elimination list will come out."

  "Teacher Xue, I bet with you, I must be one of those eliminated in the first round."

  "I won't believe it unless you're eliminated in the first round. According to your conditions, you should be on the list that the school leaders discussed last."

  After Xu Shaojie left, Xu Zhuxin was lost in thought. In fact, she also had to leave the school and had already arranged for her overseas studies. After the holiday, she would set off. Xu Zhuxin had been hesitant, thinking about helping Xu Shaojie. This time's help wasn't ordinary; it might determine Xu Shaojie's future prospects. When Xu Shaojie reached a certain position, his own help would produce a huge effect.

  Xu Zhuxin was the class teacher for the first time and met two outstanding students, Xu Shaojie and Liu Hong. Their social recognition ability was not inferior to those who had struggled for many years. Xu Zhuxin was biased towards Xu Shaojie. Liu Hong had an air of being too proud and self-important, which he later hid well.

  Xu Shaojie came from an ordinary family and was still down-to-earth in nature. Xu Zhuxin's family background was unknown to most people. She had seen a lot and believed that Liu Hong's character would stop at nothing to achieve his goals in the future. Xu Shaojie might do so too, but it depended on what kind of thing.

  After talking with Xu Shaojie today, Xu Zhuxin realized that she hadn't fully understood Xu Shaojie and Liu Hong. The two had been quietly competing, one side strong and aggressive, always launching attacks at critical moments, while the other was weak but calm and composed in response.

  Xu Zhuxin didn't dare to think further. If the two met again in their future work, what would it be like? She thought that if Xu Shaojie's analysis this time was accurate, she would help him; otherwise, she would cut off all thoughts and leave the country calmly.

  Two days later, the results came out.

  "Xu Shaojie, you won, you were eliminated in the first round."

  "Teacher Xu, I'm mentally prepared, no matter what you say, I'll always be grateful to you, it's just that I'm unable to repay you right now."

  "Don't mention it, I couldn't help you, there's no need to repay me, I'm your class teacher, and you're the best student in the class, this is what I should do. With my intuition, I feel that you will have a great future ahead of you, maybe you'll become the pride of Xilin University, or maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I always want to see you end up in a good place."

  "Teacher Xu, I sincerely thank you. You have further confirmed my own thoughts, otherwise, they would just be random guesses."

  Xu Zhuxin looked at Xu Shaojie and let out a soft sigh.

  "Xu Shaojie, you are about to graduate. We have been together for four years. As your class teacher, I evaluate you as excellent, mature and wise. Your future life will definitely be rich and colorful. I hope to see the day of your success soon. During the singing competition, you surprised everyone with your talent. In the future, when you are striving in society, don't forget that many people's help, good timing, favorable circumstances, and unity are all indispensable. Today, I make a promise with you: 10 years from now, no matter what you are doing, we will meet at Xilin University. Remember, whether successful or not, we must meet. Got it?"

  "Teacher Xue, I remember, 10 years promise, I won't forget, no matter what situation, I will come back to my alma mater."

  Xu Shaojie was very grateful to Xu Zhuxin, and as for the 10-year agreement that Xu Zhuxin had mentioned, he didn't take it too seriously. It was just Xu Zhuxin wanting to see how things would turn out at that time. A man's promise is worth a thousand gold, and even if there were enormous difficulties at that time, he would still go to Xilin University. Xu Shaojie never could have imagined that this 10-year agreement would later erupt with tremendous energy, fundamentally changing the direction of his career and becoming a huge driving force.