Chapter 23

Chapter 24: Entrance exam results

Over the next few days, his mother met with his eldest aunt more and more frequently. His aunt was not someone accustomed to ordering people around, and she spared a thought for Su Can too, wondering whether Zeng Qu anming had upset Zeng Ke's son, who was every bit as strong-willed as he was. Apart from the necessary complaints when she spoke to his mother, she also urged Zeng Ke to pay more attention to Su Can and show some concern for his studies and daily life.

His aunt, Yin Shuying, probably felt that, with the high school entrance exam just over, the family's pressure on him to get into No. 3 High School had been considerable, which explained Su Can's unusual behavior. Young people were bound to be like this at that age, so she did not pursue it too far. Her discussions with his mother, Zeng Ke, focused more on arranging the rental of the storefronts.

The person responsible for renting out the storefronts by the municipal government entrance was a young secretary named Wang. He was usually quite respectful toward veteran officials like Zeng Qu anming, and his aunt's words carried some weight too, so the two storefronts were placed in her hands. There were no procedural problems; the only question was which side would get the larger share-his mother, Zeng Ke, or Mei Lan and Jia Zheng.

Although his aunt had not come to dislike Su Can over this, his eldest uncle's recent behavior had given his mother quite a fright. Apparently, after they left that day, his uncle had risen at five the next morning to water the flowers and take a walk, then sat on the living room sofa staring blankly into space. He had seemed distracted at work lately too, and had said little to his wife.

His mother felt terribly guilty. Naturally, she assumed that Su Can's smashing his beloved ashtray had left his uncle so heartbroken that he had lost his appetite. She wanted to make it up to him, only to realize that their finances left them no way to replace an ashtray like that. Surely they could not buy him another one? Besides, this was a family matter. Zeng Ke knew her brother well enough to know that, if she really bought him one, he would most likely refuse it.

Now Zeng Ke felt guilty toward her eldest brother. With so much going on lately and the entrance exam results about to be released, her old worries resurfaced, and she found more fault with Su Can.

Hearing about his eldest uncle's recent behavior, Su Can breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially thought smashing the ashtray had indeed been a little rash, but without such a forceful statement, how could he possibly have made an impression on an uncle who had spent years entrenched as director of the Municipal Planning Office? His uncle would never have listened to his advice. Perhaps he would have taken him seriously if he were a top student who scored full marks in every subject, or if he were already an adult with a career of his own.

As he was now, he could only accept his uncle's lectures; he had no standing to get involved or offer him any advice. Was he supposed to tell his uncle outright that a flood was about to break out, that he had come from the future, and that the stock market in 1998 would be extremely volatile?

Su Can had already made up his mind that, if he failed to move his uncle this time, he would wait until the next family gathering and find another way to broach the subject indirectly. After all, this could not be accomplished overnight. Changing his uncle's views and finding a way to make him listen would take some thought.

Mei Lan and Jia Zheng also learned that both sides wanted storefronts. On the one hand, Jia Zheng, the second sister's husband, smilingly remarked that the whole family was going into business now, and that they could start a family enterprise in the future. On the other, he had Mei Lan make repeated approaches to his eldest aunt, trying to find out exactly what business his mother intended to run.

Mei Lan's persistent coaxing put his eldest aunt on her guard. She was no fool, and felt that Mei Lan had been far too attentive lately. Wasn't she simply trying to find out what her younger aunt, Zeng Ke, planned to do?

Yin Shuying merely put her off by saying it was probably something like tobacco and liquor. Mei Lan did not suspect anything. Selling tobacco and liquor in a storefront at the municipal government building ought to be a good business, but there were already plenty of tobacco and liquor stalls around the building. Joining them would inevitably mean slim profits.

Neither side said anything openly. All that remained was to decide who would use the larger shop and who would take the smaller one.

His mother, Zeng Ke, had originally thought she might as well let it go and take the smaller shop next door. That would leave enough money for working capital and require a smaller investment. When she discussed it with Su Can's father, both were tempted, but Su Can firmly cut them off.

Su Can knew this was the crucial stage of their tug-of-war. If Mei Lan and Jia Zheng secured the larger shop, history would repeat itself. As their business grew bigger and stronger, their true colors would emerge. He therefore did everything he could to persuade his parents, arguing that if they were going to do this, they should take the larger storefront. The initial investment might be high, and their stock might look sparse inside, but it had great potential for future growth. Su Can knew that the municipal government offices on the second floor would later relocate, leaving the entire floor vacant. Jia Zheng and Mei Lan would then simply rent the whole second floor and turn it into a large stationery and office supplies supermarket. The potential for future success was enormous.

"If we're not going to give it everything we have and do our best, we might as well not open a shop." His mother, Zeng Ke, and his father, Su Licheng, deeply agreed with Su Can's words, and refused to yield on the larger storefront.

Yet just as Mei Lan and Jia Zheng were refusing to let go of the larger storefront, leaving his eldest aunt caught between the two sides, word came that they could not raise enough money at short notice. Renting the larger storefront required quite a substantial sum, so they had no choice but to relinquish the larger shop they had clung to and settle for the smaller one. Outwardly, however, they made it sound gracious: since their younger aunt wanted the larger storefront, they would take the smaller one.

Heaven's on my side, Su Can thought. His mother then began contacting suppliers, while his father began making arrangements for the interior renovation. By then, business at his father's company had begun to decline, leaving him relatively idle, so he had plenty of time to spare for the storefront. Besides, the municipal government building and their home were on the same street. Opening a shop there was essentially working for themselves right on their own doorstep, so the family settled into a fairly satisfying state of life.

Only two worries remained. The first was whether the shop would make money once it opened. The second was Su Can's results. If he failed to get into high school and they had to pay the higher fees, that expense would truly compound their present difficulties.

Over the past few days, Su Can had not contacted his two close friends, Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang. Apparently, both had gone off visiting relatives for fun, though they occasionally visited the video game room too, where they had gained quite a bit of standing. Wang Weiwei, Lin Luoran, and the others had apparently also visited several times since their last victory, but those days had happened to coincide with Su Can and his friends' entrance exams. Only students who were on vacation and did not have to take the exams were there, and they were awestruck by Lin Luoran's group.

After waiting several days in a row without seeing them appear, Wang Weiwei had left in disappointment and never returned. This became a lingering regret for Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang. Lin Luoran's beautiful, enchanting eyes filled nearly half their adolescent dreams.

July 1.

Today was the day the entrance exam results came out and became available by telephone.

After dinner, the television volume was turned down, and the family braced themselves as though facing a formidable enemy. His mother had Su Can's exam admission slip beside her, while his father sat on the sofa holding the remote, clearly distracted.

The television was reporting the news in Xiahai City, with a notice running along the bottom announcing that the entrance exam results hotline would open after seven that evening.

Surely thousands upon thousands of students' parents across Xiahai City were just like their family now, sitting in front of the television, waiting as time ticked by.

Su Can felt the solemn atmosphere and the sense of bracing for battle expanding through his chest. Memories surged into his mind like a tide. It had been this very scene back then: his mother huddled beside the sofa, dejected upon hearing his results, her expression crumpling as she kept berating him and tears began to fall. She had just decided to stay with her old company. With less money coming in each month, the family's savings were growing more slowly, yet suddenly they had to produce such a large sum and ask others for loans again. That disappointment with life was a bitterness only ordinary families like theirs could truly understand.

Su Can sat on a stool facing the wall clock. Every minute and second that passed seemed to be passing judgment on him, reading out the verdict of his fate after his rebirth.

Su Can never wanted to revisit the nightmares of the past. So often, when he felt good about an exam, the results would leave him bitterly disappointed. He would be certain he could score above the passing mark of eighty, only to get fifty or sixty out of a possible hundred and twenty.

He feared he might be experiencing that same feeling now. It was not that he lacked confidence in himself, but that the nightmares of the past would not go away.

Dong! Dong! Dong! The wall clock chimed right on schedule.

It was seven!

His mother picked up the phone and dialed the results hotline. The whole family immediately tensed.

After a while, his mother hung up in disappointment. "Busy!"

Within a few minutes, she picked up the phone again, a little agitated. The results hotline was probably overwhelmed with calls, and she could not get through for the moment.

The repeated attempts tugged at the family's nerves like a seesaw until, at around half past seven, Zeng Ke finally got through.

When the voice on the other end asked for the exam admission number, his mother, Zeng Ke, trembled with tension as she held the slip of paper.

She gave the admission number in one breath. Alert, his mother picked up a pen and switched on the speakerphone.

The cold recorded voice on the other end delivered its verdict. "Exam admission number: 21358960. Candidate name: Su Can. Mathematics: 145 points. Chinese: 135 points. English: 140 points. Combined sciences: 105 points. Combined humanities: 85 points. Physical fitness assessment: 35 points."

"Total score: 645 points."