July.
It was the height of summer.
As the seven o'clock bell tolled, the Sun leisurely disappeared into the shadows of the mountains.
After parking his car outside the residential area, Shen Heng walked towards his home.
He's on the day shift this week, and today is his third day on duty.
He didn't have any problem getting used to the shift change; for him, going on duty was mainly a way to cultivate himself.
He's almost finished with his second Bone Tempering; it should be done in about half a month.
Then, after the third Bone Tempering is completed, you can try to break through to the Second Tier, which is expected to be...
"Around October...?"
Thinking of this, Shen Heng couldn't help but frown slightly.
It took him a month to go from Zero Tier to First Tier, about five months to go from First Tier to Second Tier, and who knows how long it will take to go from Second Tier to Third Tier.
"I need to try harder..."
Before he knew it, he had reached his front door and skillfully took out his key and inserted it into the lock.
As the door opened, a delicious aroma of food wafted out.
Is Mother resting today?... Shen Heng wondered to himself.
Now, the only person in the family who knows how to use the kitchen is Xu Yuqin when she's resting.
As for Shen Heng, since ordinary food is difficult to satisfy his current appetite, he basically eats at the Supervision Bureau.
As for Shen Shuning...
Ever since Shen Heng woke up in the middle of the night to the smell of burning and saw her busy in the kitchen, he has never seen her cook again.
Xu Yuqin came out after hearing the door open, and smiled at Shen Heng standing at the door:
" Xiao Heng's back? Haven't eaten yet? Sit down, dinner'll be ready soon!"
"Okay, sure!" Shen Heng nodded simply in response. "Are you taking a break today?"
"Yes!"
Xu Yuqin replied with a smile, then turned and went into the kitchen to continue her work.
Hmm, she sounds pretty happy...
Shen Heng pondered for a moment, then turned and went to the living room, where he practiced breathing exercises while waiting.
A few minutes later.
Seeing Xu Yuqin start bringing out the dishes, Shen Heng also got up to help.
Then they called Shen Shuning out as well, and the family of three sat together again after a long time.
"Mom seems very happy today?" Shen Heng turned to look at Xu Yuqin.
"Yes, Mom is changing jobs in a couple of days!" Xu Yuqin replied with a smile.
"Why did you suddenly change jobs?" Shen Shuning looked at Xu Yuqin with some confusion.
Beside him, Shen Heng nodded thoughtfully.
"The owner of the hotel where my mom works helped me find a cleaning job. He saw that I was quite efficient at work, so he let my mom go there to work!" Xu Yuqin said with a smile.
"Unit?"
"Yes, it's called the Ecological Environment Restoration Administration!"
" The Ecological Environment Restoration Administration...?" Shen Shuning said softly, "Won't it be very tiring?"
Xu Yuqin smiled and said, "No, Mom went to check it out. Although the place is big, there aren't many people in that bureau, and they're all very well-mannered. There's nothing dirty there."
"And don't clean the whole place in one day. Just clean one area each day, and then clean the whole place once a week!"
"The salary is a little higher than what Mom earned from working two jobs before, and she gets a day off on the weekend!"
Hearing this treatment, Shen Shuning frowned slightly, "Is this some kind of scam?"
"No, Mom went to see it today. It's right by the roadside, and there's a huge sign hanging at the entrance, along with two stone lions!" Xu Yuqin said.
Hearing that there were stone lions by the roadside and at the entrance, Shen Shuning nodded slightly, feeling a little more relaxed.
"That's great!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Yes!"
Xu Yuqin smiled, then seemed to remember something and said with some distress:
"You can't leave after you finish your work; you have to clock in before you can leave. You have to be there to clock in at 8:30 in the morning and you can only clock out and leave at 6:30 in the afternoon!"
If I let you finish and then leave, I'll really have a headache... Shen Heng silently picked up a piece of meat and started eating.
"But it's better than before!" Shen Shuning said softly.
"Yes!"
Xu Yuqin smiled, then turned to Shen Shuning and asked:
"By the way, Xiao Ning, when did you get your results?"
"It will be released in two days, but the acceptance letter has already been sent out!" Shen Shuning said.
"Did they say when I should go to school?" Xu Yuqin asked.
"I have to go on August 23rd!"
That's still a little over a month and a half... Shen Heng pondered.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice something and looked up.
Xu Yuqin was smiling and turning her head to look at him.
(Going on another business trip, will return with abilities ready to evolve)
Linhai No. 2 High School.
Principal's Office.
Luo Minlin was sitting at his desk, marking up a document with a pen.
Just then, there was a series of knocks on the door.
"Come in!" Luo Minlin called out casually, his eyes still fixed on the documents on the table.
The head of academic affairs pushed open the door and walked in. "Principal, the college entrance exam results are out!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Minlin finally looked up from the document.
Oh? How are the grades at our school?
" Le Gu Nan scored 735, ranking first in the province, and Shen Shuning scored 721, ranking third in the province!"
Upon hearing that Shen Shuning's score of 721 was only third in the province, Luo Minlin couldn't help but frown.
Who came in second?
"A boy from a high school in the provincial capital scored 723!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Minlin frowned, then relaxed his brow.
"Oh well, third place it is!"
"Should we contact their family first and give them the good news? That way, it will be easier to communicate if reporters come to interview us later!" the head of the teaching department suggested.
"Yes, that's for the best!" Luo Minlin nodded in agreement.
He turned around, logged into the Ministry of Education's system on the computer, and began to view the student files.
Soon, Le Gu Nan's file appeared before his eyes.
Luo Minlin casually glanced at the parents' information, but his gaze suddenly fixed on that particular parent's information.
Noticing Luo Minlin's unusual behavior, the head of student affairs asked him somewhat curiously:
"Principal, what's wrong?"
" Le Gu Nan's father is actually Le Xiangwen..." Luo Minlin said with some shock and regret.
"Right? I know, so what?" the head of student affairs asked, puzzled.
"You knew you wouldn't tell me?" Luo Minlin turned and glared at the head of the teaching department.
"Uh... is he the child of some high-ranking official?" the head of the teaching department asked cautiously.
Luo Minlin opened his mouth, then leaned back in his seat, somewhat discouraged, and waved his hand.
"Forget it, it's too late to say anything now. Let's contact Shen Shuning's family first; they should agree to this kind of interview and publicity!"
The head of the teaching department nodded in understanding.
Luo Minlin continued searching through the student files, and soon, Shen Shuning's file appeared before his eyes.
Just as he was about to dial the number on the screen, his cell phone rang first.