Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 169 The College Entrance Examination Results Are Out

He Zhijun had nothing to say, but thinking about it, he could understand. When Jing Yan found out he had been admitted to university, she was so excited that she couldn't suppress her joy even though she tried her best. Not to mention that she had always been the top student of her own child, so it was normal for her to be a little more protective. Thinking about it this way, he didn't seem so jealous anymore.

That night, in the dead of night, He Zhijun shamelessly begged and pleaded for compensation from Jingyan. Jingyan, unable to resist his nagging, could only let him do as he pleased. Fortunately, she was still relatively healthy; although she felt a bit sore in the back and legs the next day, she could still manage to put on a good show.

He Zhijun went to work full of energy. Jing Yan finally arrived at the store and sat on the chair in the lobby, not wanting to move. Well, she actually wanted to sleep a little longer. After a while, she couldn't hold on any longer and yawned several times. Her eyes even had physiological tears. Then she told Xiao Dou that she was going to take a short nap on the sofa at the top of the stairs on the second floor.

Dou Zhixiao could tell from her appearance that she hadn't slept well the night before. He assumed it was because she had been worried about He Ci'en's college entrance exam and didn't think much of it. He just told the others to keep their voices down when they were working or chatting.

After a good night's sleep, Jingyan felt much better and went downstairs to join everyone in the preparations. In the past, the shop's business was always severely affected every summer, but since they got refrigerators and freezers and started offering iced beer, business has not only not been affected, but it's actually been better.

Of course, the amount of braised meat remained the same; Jingyan didn't increase it. She simply sold out each day. However, the amount of barbecue skewers she replenished more than doubled. Any unsold skewers could be stored in the refrigerator. The four thousand iron skewers she had ordered beforehand were now all in use.

There are currently three freezers in the shop: one in the kitchen, one in a corner of the lobby, and one in the braised meat sales area. There's no other way; each room isn't very big, and there are already a lot of items, so it's really impossible to fit all three freezers in one space. They have to be spread out. However, they mostly contain meat skewers, so it's quite convenient to take them out.

There are quite a few established food vendors on the island who have bought refrigerators and freezers, but so far there are no competitors to rival Jingyan's business. It's not that grilling requires any difficult techniques, but rather that sourcing meat is hard. Finding the connections Jingyan made back then isn't easy these days.

Moreover, very few people have the financial means to directly buy a shop; most rent. They have to consider rental costs and future customer base, and the more concerns they have, the more limited their options become.

Jingyan knew that her unique business probably wouldn't last more than a few years. In another two years, meat and grain coupons would be gradually abolished, and competition in the food industry would become increasingly fierce. She wasn't particularly smart; she had only gained a slight advantage. Fortunately, she didn't ask for much and was content with what she had.

At the end of July, the college entrance examination results finally came out. He Zhijun, Jing Yan, and He Ci'en went to the school's bulletin board early in the morning to wait. The total score was 710 points. He Ci'en estimated his score to be around 550 points. His grades were good in the local school, but let alone the national ranking, even ranking in the top ten in the city would be considered good. So he was very nervous.

Looking from the front to the back, the first place was indeed still him, with a total score of 584 points, 30 points higher than he had estimated. The moment He Ci'en saw the specific score, his eyes welled up with tears. He turned to Jing Yan and said excitedly, "Auntie, I got 584 points. I can pass the exam."

Jingyan was also very excited: "Yes, yes, didn't your teacher say that the university you applied to last year had an admission score of over 510? You scored 70 points higher, so you should be in the running. My Ci'en is so amazing! Your aunt is so proud of you!"

We're going to cook you a big meal today to celebrate. You should prepare for your trip to the Northwest in the next couple of days and come back a week early. We'll throw you a celebratory banquet afterward before you register for university. Happy occasions always deserve a celebration.

He Ci'en's eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter; it was the first time Jing Yan had ever seen such open emotion in this child. Shen Rongrong also squeezed in to look at the results; she had done exceptionally well this time, scoring 557 points and ranking third.

She glanced at her grades and turned to her father, who was following behind her. A rare smile appeared on his usually serious face: "The Naval Academy's admission score last year was 520. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, you should be fine this year."

He glanced at He Ci'en's score again, then turned to greet He Zhijun and his wife: "Your nephew did really well on the exam. Which school did he apply to?"

He Zhijun, from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, responded gently, "Last year's admission score was 510," he added.

Shen Aiguo nodded: "It's a bit of a pity that He Ci'en went to that school with such a score; she was seventy points too high."

He Zhijun shook his head: "It's not a pity. There are many more students with higher scores, which gives them an advantage in choosing a major. It's rare that this is a school that Ci'en is interested in. Since he has a dream of space exploration, this school is already the best in the country, and that's enough."

Shen Aiguo smiled and said, "You are quite tolerant of your child, and you follow his own preferences. This is something that many parents cannot do. I thought my family spoiled my child a lot, but compared with you, it may not be enough. At least when she was applying to schools and majors, we still intervened and did not follow her own wishes completely."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "Parents worrying more is for the good of their children. My family doesn't know much about this, and we're afraid of messing things up if we interfere, so we let the children make the decisions themselves. If we knew anything, we would help with the advice."

Shen Aiguo gestured towards the edge of the crowd: "Shall we talk as we walk?"

A few people squeezed out of the crowd looking at the results. Once outside the crowd, the air felt fresher. "Are you planning to have a celebration for your children's academic success?" Shen Aiguo asked He Zhijun.

He Zhijun looked at Jing Yan and saw her nod before replying, "We weren't planning on having one. Our child was going to go back to the Northwest to see his parents after his grades came out. But today we felt that with such good grades, we were afraid we would regret it if we didn't have one. So we decided to wait until he came back from the Northwest before having one. After that, he will go to university to register."

Shen Rongrong had been listening the whole time, but now she looked up at He Ci'en and asked, "Are you going back to the Northwest? How long do you plan to stay?"

He Ci'en thought for a moment and said, "Staying at home for half a month is about right. The round trip will also take some time. The specific time will be adjusted after the admission notice arrives."

Shen Rongrong said "Oh," and then added, "Then you won't be able to attend my college entrance celebration. My dad said he'll start making preparations as soon as the results are out, and you should already be on your way home by then."

He Ci'en nodded without replying. Shen Rongrong seemed a little flustered. Jing Yan turned around and saw the awkwardness between the two children. She quickly walked over and patted He Ci'en's arm, asking, "What are you talking about?"

When Shen Rongrong saw her, it was like seeing a savior: "I said my graduation banquet will probably be held around this time, and He Ci'en probably won't have time to attend."

Jingyan nodded: "Yes, he can't attend or eat at the banquet, but his uncle and I can. When are you planning to hold it? We'll choose a weekend, when everyone who works is off, so it'll be more lively with more people."

Shen Aiguo also turned around and chimed in: "That's right, I have quite a few relatives and comrades-in-arms, Rongrong's mother has many relatives and friends, plus Rongrong's classmates who are close to her, and teachers from school, all in all, it's about fifteen or sixteen tables."

"I can't host a banquet at home. I remember your shop also sells food, and it seems quite large. Could I possibly book your shop for the entire event? Don't worry, business is business; just give me a quote."

Jing Yan's eyes lit up: "Then why don't we just go and take a look? Are you planning to have the banquet at noon or in the evening?"

“Let’s do it at noon. Many of our relatives and friends are outside the island. If we hold it at night, they won’t be able to leave the island that day. There’s nowhere to accommodate so many people here. It’s better to hold it at noon. Most people will still have time to leave the island before dusk. The guesthouse in Haishi can accommodate quite a few people. It’s better than everyone being crammed onto the island,” Shen Aiguo replied.

Jing Yan was even more pleased upon hearing this: "Then shall we go to my shop first and take a look? If we like something, we can talk about other things."

The group turned and headed towards the barbecue restaurant. As they entered the courtyard, Shen Rongrong's eyes widened. "He Ci'en, your aunt's barbecue restaurant is quite big. The rent must be expensive, right?"

He Ci'en shook her head: "Our family doesn't get involved in Auntie's business. I've only come here for meals a few times, but I haven't asked about the specifics and don't know anything about it."

"Is this your aunt's own shop? Doesn't your uncle get involved?" In Shen Rongrong's mind, although her mother was in charge of the family, her father actually made all the decisions. For example, last time her uncle came to the house wanting to borrow a few hundred yuan to buy a job, her father disagreed, and her mother didn't dare to give him the money even though she had it.

He Ci'en glanced at her curiously: "Uncle only works and helps us with our homework when he gets back. Auntie built her shop herself, from renovation to operation. Not only does my uncle not get involved, but even my grandma doesn't ask if Auntie made any money or how much."

My uncle said that my aunt is already taking care of household expenses. She can save her own earnings. As for how and where she spends them, if she wants to tell him, it's because she cares about him; if she doesn't, that's fine too. He won't interfere. If my aunt encounters any trouble or needs my help, she can just ask.

Shen Rongrong looked at He Ci'en with even more envy at that moment: "Your family has such a good atmosphere. In my family, my dad is the one who makes the decisions when something happens. Even if my mom objects, it will eventually be left unresolved. I thought all families were like that."

He Ci'en shook her head: "I don't know about other families, but in my family it's not my dad's sole authority. I remember when I was little, my parents had a disagreement and couldn't reach an agreement. Later, my mom chased my dad around the entire military compound twice with a rolling pin. In the end, my mom won, and my dad gave in to my mom's wishes."

Back then, because of this, my mom became notorious in the military region, secretly mocked as a shrew. But my dad told me that my mom just had a fiery temper, not that she was shrewish. Besides, my dad was willing to let my mom manage things. My second uncle's family was similar; he only cared about making money and didn't care about anything else. Of course, he didn't need to worry about my second aunt either. So, isn't it normal to listen to your wife?

Shen Rongrong...

Shen Aiguo...

He coughed lightly. "Is your family tradition that women manage the household?" Shen Aiguo had no choice but to ask.

He Zhijun shook his head: "I never said who should be in charge of the household. Whoever has the time and energy should take care of more things. But in my family, my wife contributes the most. She usually makes the decisions."

Shen Aiguo walked around the shop, upstairs and downstairs: "How many tables can you fit at most here?"

"Ten tables in the main hall, eight private rooms upstairs (that counts as eight tables), if that's not enough, we can fit two more tables in the rest area on the second floor, so twenty tables shouldn't be a problem," Jing Yan said, pointing out the locations to him.

Shen Aiguo pointed to the innermost private room with the door closed: "Isn't that a private room too?"

Jingyan shook her head: "That's our shop assistant's room. He lives here to keep watch at night and it's also convenient for him to pick up goods at the dock in the morning. This room is not for guests."

"How to calculate the price?"

"That depends on how you want to book. There are two options. First, you only need to reserve the location. The cooking, pots and pans, the chef, and the cleanup after the meal will all be handled by your own people. This is considered booking the entire restaurant but not the materials or labor. You need to clean it up for us before 4 PM so as not to affect my dinner business. It will cost 100 yuan." Jing Yan was very firm when quoting the price.

"What about the other one?" Shen Aiguo asked again.

"The other option is simpler for you. You don't need to worry about anything. It's thirty yuan per table, ten dishes, excluding drinks, but tea is provided free of charge. As for the dishes, there are four local Shanghainese dishes, three Hunan dishes, and three Northeastern dishes. You can come and try them. As long as you're not particularly picky about food, you should generally enjoy the meal."

Of course, you can customize the menu if you wish, but if it involves expensive ingredients, the price will fluctuate. I'm in business; I only do things if there's a profit to be made, right?

Shen Aiguo nodded: "Then let's make a menu according to your suggestion first. If I think it's all good, we can try the dishes. The people we're inviting come from all over the country, and it's true that it's hard to please everyone. It's good to have more dishes."

Jing Yan happily agreed: "Then you can take your time looking around, and I'll start drafting the menu."

Shen Aiguo nodded: "Let's watch TV here for a while."

Jingyan told Dou Zhixiao to hurry up and invite Sister Wang over. She turned on the TV, put some peanuts and melon seeds on the table, and brewed a pot of barley tea so that the father and daughter could eat and watch TV at the same time.

Dou Zhixiao was quick on his feet and soon brought Sister Wang over. Sister Wang asked Jing Yan, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Jingyan explained Shen Aiguo's intention to book the banquet: "Sister Wang, I was thinking that since you're a good cook, we don't need to hire anyone else to cook. All the people in the shop can be used. We can share the cost, and after deducting the expenses, we can split the profits. What do you think?"