With everyone working together, by around five in the afternoon, all of the Luo family's belongings had been packed up.
When Luo Zhu returned home, she suddenly realized that her house seemed completely different.
Why had everything been packed up? Were they moving?
Then why had no one told her?!
If she had come back any later, would the whole house have already been moved away?
"Dad, Mom, what's going on?! Why has everything been packed up?" Luo Zhu began asking the moment she walked inside.
Hearing Luo Zhu's voice, Sun Xiulan realized that she seemed to have forgotten to tell her daughter about the move, and instantly felt awkward.
"Zhu'er, you weren't home today, and I've been busy the whole time, so I forgot to tell you."
"Your brother got accepted into a university. The school has arranged a place for our whole family, so once we finish packing, we're leaving!"
Luo Zhu was stunned by the news. It took her a few seconds to process it before she understood what her mother meant.
"My brother won a prize in the National Competition?" Remembering the competition Luo Yao had attended before, Luo Zhu asked with a face full of delight.
"Luo Yao won first prize in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He is the first person in the country to reach such a level, which is why we admissions teachers came here."
Luo Zhu looked toward the speaker and only then noticed that there were strangers in the house.
"You're Luo Zhu, right? I'm Ouyang, an admissions teacher from East University of Technology. I'm responsible for taking your family to East University of Technology this time."
Luo Zhu was delighted at first, then became puzzled.
Logically speaking, with her brother's grades, getting into Tsinghua University or Yan University should have been more than easy. Why was this man saying Luo Yao was going to their school?
Luo Zhu had questions, but she did not say them to Teacher Ouyang. Instead, she asked worriedly, "Is the whole family moving?"
"But I only just found a job."
Ouyang froze. Luo Zhu had a job? That was not what the information he had received said.
"Luo Zhu, are you working? You're not studying?"
Luo Zhu shook her head somewhat embarrassedly. "My grades were average. The university I got into was only a third-tier one, and I thought it would be hard to find a good job even after graduating from one, so I didn't want to waste the money."
Seeing Luo Zhu's plain, simple clothes, Teacher Ouyang understood. He said, "If you go to university, the school can actually help you apply for a student loan. It's interest-free, and you only need to repay it after you graduate and start working. It would be such a pity to waste such a good opportunity."
Luo Zhu nodded. "That's what my brother said too. But if I went to school, there would only be my brother left at home. If I stayed, I could still help take care of my parents."
So that was it. It seemed Luo Zhu was a normal, filial child.
Recalling the terms of the agreement he had signed with Luo Yao, Teacher Ouyang said, "I promised your brother that besides arranging jobs for your parents, I would also solve your schooling problem."
"Based on your previous grades, after you repeat your final year for another year, our school can admit you through targeted enrollment."
What?!
Not only would her brother's university arrange jobs for their parents, it would even solve her schooling problem?
Luo Zhu had never imagined something so wonderful. She asked incredulously, "Teacher, is everything you said true?"
"Of course it's true. You can ask your mother. She was there when we signed the agreement with Luo Yao."
Luo Zhu turned to Sun Xiulan, who nodded repeatedly. "Of course it's true, Zhu'er. Your brother also received a school reward—five hundred thousand yuan! If you want to study now, you can go without worry!"
Sun Xiulan knew that Luo Zhu had given up going to university back then in order to save money and take care of them.
Because of this, Sun Xiulan had always felt that she owed Luo Zhu. But now things were different. Luo Yao had secured a place at the school for Luo Zhu, and she could fulfill her dream of attending university!
Naturally, Luo Zhu was happy to hear the news, but she also hesitated. With her grades, could she really attend the same school as Luo Yao?
Ever since they were young, she had known her brother's grades better than anyone.
For many questions she could not solve, even teachers might not be able to explain them clearly, but Luo Yao would always make her understand.
But now that her brother was going to university, who would explain problems to her?
After Luo Zhu nervously explained the situation, Teacher Ouyang was also stunned.
He had not expected Luo Zhu's previous grades to have relied on Luo Yao. Their DNA was practically the same, so why was the gap between them so huge?
His expression was a little complicated as he said, "If you truly want to attend university, you don't need to worry about your grades. Just focus on repeating your final year properly."
"You seem to be nineteen now. You can still keep up even if you start over."
"When the time comes, the school will admit you with lowered score requirements."
After all, the admissions director had told him to take full responsibility for Luo Yao. Now that the school had gained a genius, accepting one ordinary person should not be a problem, right?
That was what Teacher Ouyang thought.
Hearing Teacher Ouyang say outright that she could be admitted with lowered score requirements, Luo Zhu immediately grabbed her mother and jumped around in delight. She really was already nineteen years old, and she had never imagined that, with her brother's help, she would have another chance to enter university!
After calming down from her excitement, Luo Zhu went to call the place where she worked and resign.
She worked at a courier station, and when she called, her boss was somewhat surprised.
"Luo Zhu, did you find a better job?"
Luo Zhu hurriedly explained, "Boss, it's not that. I'm going to repeat my final year and prepare for the university entrance exam again!"
Her boss asked curiously, "Didn't you say back then that you were worried about wasting your family's money, so you weren't going?"
"I have my little brother to thank for this. All right, Boss, I need to start packing now. Thank you for taking care of me before!"
Although her boss had doubts, it was not convenient to say too much over the phone. He agreed to send Luo Zhu's wages for this period to her Weixin, then hung up.
The rest was simple. Luo Zhu returned to her room and quickly packed her things, then prepared to leave with everyone else.
There were not many good cars in the small town, so Teacher Xu rented two seven-seater vans and drove them behind the Luo Family Small Restaurant.
"Look at us admissions teachers—not only do we have to help people move, we have to moonlight as drivers too. We're practically all-rounders!"
"What's wrong with serving a genius? Hopefully, some of Teacher Ouyang's luck will rub off on us, and I'll get to sign a genius next time too!"
"Hahaha, Teacher Ouyang is our lucky charm now!"
At that moment, Luo Yao sat expressionlessly in the front row of one of the vans. Teacher Ouyang reminded him, "Student Luo, we're about to leave. Do you want to say goodbye to your friends?"
"I don't have any friends." Luo Yao looked at Teacher Ouyang, not knowing why he would say that.
Did people have to have friends?
Who said that?
Seeing Luo Yao speak so seriously, Teacher Ouyang felt like he had spoken too quickly again!
That was right! How could someone like Luo Yao possibly have friends!
Teacher Ouyang was about to change the subject when Sun Xiulan perked up after hearing him.
"Teacher Ouyang, university students are all smart people like my son, right? Wouldn't it be easier for him to make friends there?"
There were indeed many smart people at university, but people as smart as Luo Yao were truly too hard to find.
At least, up to now, he had never seen any student win first prize in all three subjects at the National Competition.
"More or less. Luo Yao can take a look when the time comes." Teacher Ouyang also hoped Luo Yao could make friends at university, as that would help with his life.
After all, Luo Yao could not stay with his family forever, could he?