Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 988 Parents' Expectations
At noon, Wang Zhan cooked a few home-style dishes and had a meal with Xiao Wu. Wang Zhan noticed that Xiao Wu was absent-minded and kept spacing out while eating.

Wang Zhan didn't speak. After lunch, Wang Zhan pulled Xiao Wu to his study for tea. Wang Zhan asked directly, "Xiao Wu, is there anything else? Why did you seem so absent-minded while we were eating?"

Xiao Wu looked at Wang Zhan, picked up one of Wang Zhan's cigarettes, lit it for himself, took a puff, and then said, "Brother Zhan, I think going to high school was a mistake. It's only been two months, and I've found that I can't keep up at all. I can't understand what the teachers are saying. What should I do?"

Wang Zhan knew about Xiao Wu going to high school. Wang Zhan had chosen to attend a vocational school so he could start working sooner. Xiao Wu was also interested in that, but his parents objected. Actually, his parents overestimated Xiao Wu; the prestige of a top-tier high school had misled them.

When Xiao Wu's parents asked him if he could get into high school, Xiao Wu, with his carefree personality, said that getting into high school was a piece of cake for him and a piece of cake. This made Xiao Wu's parents mistakenly believe that their son's chances of getting into university were a sure thing.

That's why Xiao Wu's request to attend a vocational school was rejected. But no one expected that Xiao Wu's learning ability was limited. Getting into high school was already the limit. Once he entered high school, Xiao Wu couldn't keep up. Only then did he realize that going to university was a pipe dream for him.

Wang Zhan lit a cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "There's nothing you can do about transferring to a vocational school now. If you tell your parents you can't keep up, they'll probably be very disappointed. Forget it, just finish three years and see what happens. What if you suddenly realize something? You're only in high school now, how can they possibly see anything?"

Xiao Wu took a drag of his cigarette. He knew Wang Zhan was trying to comfort him and give him hope. He sighed and said, "Brother Zhan, you don't need to comfort me. I know my own brain; it's not good enough. I reckon I'll definitely disappoint my parents in the end."

Wang Zhan knew that this would be the final outcome, but he didn't want Xiao Wu to live in such a state of mind. After thinking carefully, he said, "Well then, Xiao Wu, is there anything you're interested in? How about learning a trade?"

Xiao Wu shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I am interested in fishing, but it's not really a skill."

"Get lost. What kind of skill is fishing? Look at that old man Yan, did he become rich? In the end, he still supported his family with his school salary." Wang Zhan said irritably.

Xiao Wu frowned, deep in thought. After a long while, his brows relaxed, his eyes brightened, and he said, "Brother Zhan, what do you think about me joining the army like my best friend? I'm in pretty good shape, so I think I can pass the physical exam."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan's eyes lit up. Sure enough, this was a clear path. That's it, find Director Li, no, now I'll call him Bureau Chief Li, he'll definitely have a solution.

Wang Zhan said, "Here's what we'll do. You can think about it for a year. If you've made up your mind before next year's holiday, I'll take you to see Director Li, the one who's always with my master."

Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly. He now felt that this was a good choice, and joining the army was one of his dreams.

Xiao Wu, filled with excitement, carried the bag home, while Wang Zhan went to play with his younger sister.

With November approaching, the stockpiling of winter vegetables has been put on the agenda. Early in the morning, Aunt Sun came to wake him up and reminded him to bring his food ration book.

Wang Zhan didn't plan to buy much; he originally intended to buy just a hundred jin as a token gesture. But Aunt Sun wouldn't have it and insisted that he buy two hundred jin, so Aunt Sun herself also bought two hundred jin.

Thankfully, Wang Zhan had a tricycle, which made transporting vegetables convenient. However, the queue was quite long. After Wang Zhan and Aunt Sun returned with the vegetables, Wang Zhan glanced at his watch, abandoned the tricycle, and rode off on his bicycle. He was definitely going to be late today; the school was still too far away. Aunt Sun didn't say much, knowing that Wang Zhan had gone to school. But when she turned around, she saw Wang Li standing resentfully at the door of the main room, carrying her little schoolbag. Wang Zhan had forgotten about his younger sister and hadn't even made breakfast.

Grandma Sun quickly pulled Wang Li outside, got two steamed buns from Old Man Zhang, stuffed them into Wang Li's schoolbag, and explained on the way that her brother had gone to buy winter vegetables that morning and had forgotten about her, so she shouldn't be angry.

After arriving at school, Wang Li was no longer angry. She knew that her brother had something to do that morning. He had told her yesterday, but hadn't said what it was. After Aunt Sun explained it to her, she stopped being angry.

When Wang Zhan arrived at the school gate, he was stopped by the head of discipline. Without asking why, the head of discipline pointed at him and lectured him. Wang Zhan wanted to explain, but seeing the head of discipline's attitude, he didn't say anything. The head of discipline didn't let him in until the end of the first class.

Days passed by, and life was happy and peaceful for Wang Zhan and his sister. Every day after school, the two siblings would go to the Jade Void Space to build their home. Now it was quite well-built, with fertile fields, a livestock farm, and their own house. Moreover, the house was decorated warmly and comfortably, so much so that Wang Li always wanted to spend the night there and didn't want to go out.

Courtyard No. 95, West Wing of the Front Yard

Yan Jiecheng finally went home. He had gotten together with Yu Li, but unfortunately the textile factory wouldn't allocate him a house. He wasn't qualified enough or had enough seniority, so he would have to wait in line to get one.

Yan Jiecheng had just been promoted to a permanent position and didn't have much savings, but his marriage to Yu Li was imminent. He had no other choice but to go home for help. However, on his first day back home, he was caught in a hospital-wide meeting and was detained for three days.

Fortunately, the incident was brief, and the police station did not notify his workplace. Yan Jiecheng had Yu Li ask for leave for him, thus escaping a dangerous situation.

After coming out, Yan Jiecheng thought about discussing the house with his father, Yan Bugui. Yan Bugui was angry with Yan Jiecheng and hadn't seen him for several months, nor had he paid any living expenses. But to his surprise, as soon as Yan Jiecheng came home, he handed over the living expenses for the past few months.

Yan Bugui hadn't been happy for more than a few minutes when he heard Yan Jiecheng asking him for a house. He immediately got angry and started cursing at Yan Jiecheng.

Yan Jiecheng felt guilty and now he needed his father's help, so he just stood there quietly and took the scolding. Yan Bugui scolded him for more than ten minutes until his mouth was dry.

At this moment, the door to the inner room opened, and Yang Ruihua came out carrying a tea mug. She placed the tea mug in front of Yan Bugui and said, "Honey, just say a few words. After all, he is our eldest son, and he is of marriageable age. As for the second son, well, let's not talk about him. It's a good thing for the eldest son to get married early, so we can hold our grandson sooner."

Yan Bugui also thought of his second son, and then looked at his eldest son. He knew in his heart that his wife was right. He took a sip of tea, sighed, and then said, "Alright, I'll go to the neighborhood office tomorrow to ask if we can rent the front house. But, Yan Jiecheng, let me tell you, you have to pay for the rent yourself."

Yan Jiecheng felt a weight lifted from his heart and readily agreed. He even took out a pack of economy cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for his father. Yan Bugui rolled his eyes and said, "Would you not have taken out a cigarette if I hadn't agreed?"

Yan Jiecheng said guiltily, "How could that be?" But that was exactly what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)