I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 39 I am the core technology

The "cousins'" enthusiasm for learning was aroused, mainly because Zhang Da'an paid double the tuition fees, all in cash. Because the amount was quite large, the rural credit cooperative opened a branch on Zhuangyuan Street.

Every time they saw the teachers saving money on Zhuangyuan Ring Road, their "cousins" were genuinely envious.

In October, Zhuangyuan Street was already bustling with activity, with thousands of parents accompanying their children to study. Half of them were locals, mainly parents of students retaking the high school entrance exam; the other half were from out of town, mainly parents of students retaking the college entrance exam.

This place has become one of the few rural areas in Shazhou City where Mandarin is the only language of communication. Despite years of promoting Mandarin in the city, the results here are not as good.

At first, there were only thirty storefronts, but because there were so many people, they were enclosed in a large courtyard, resulting in more than a hundred storefronts. Zhuangyuan Street also became Zhuangyuan Ring Road.

The courtyard has been transformed into the "Zhuangyuan Food Plaza," which mainly serves fried, roasted, and boiled dishes. If you are hosting a formal dinner party, the main dishes are Huaiyang and Anhui cuisines, with very few local Shanghai dishes. Only fish dishes can be considered local Shanghai cuisine.

The main groups of people who come here for leisure include students who are looking for a treat, parents who are accompanying their children to study, and people from the local education system. Many business deals are discussed here.

For example, the distribution of audio-visual products is different from that of records. Audio-visual products in the category of educational materials do not require too much complicated promotion and distribution. Whoever controls the channels is powerful.

There are occasional exceptions, but those are when encountering a "monster" like Zhang Da'an.

For example, the popular children's book "King of Fairy Tales" and its beloved character "Pipilu" don't need any pretentious posturing from publishers or distributors.

Zhang Da'an's "The Top Scholar's Treasure Trove," "Zhang An's Secret Scrolls," and "The Top Scholar's Secret Scrolls" are even more dominant in Jiangkou Province than "The King of Fairy Tales," and their customer recommendation value is ridiculously high.

Especially as time goes on, with the mid-term exams approaching at the end of October, parents of students preparing for both the middle school and college entrance exams know to scour other schools for exam papers for their children to work on.

Getting the score is a pleasant surprise.

Although Xindongweigang Middle School has a rule against disclosing internal test results, there were simply too many people this year—more than 1,200 students in the whole school—making it impossible to manage them all.

When the test results of Xindongwei Port Middle School were released, several middle schools in Shazhou City raised objections, and some parents even went to the Education Bureau to protest.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will once again "sweep" the Shazhou City Junior High School Entrance Examination next year. If the pass rate for national-level demonstration high schools exceeds 90%, that would be over 200 people, which would almost eat up one-third of the top spots.

It's understandable that schools and parents are anxious together.

The social discussion sparked by this incident could not possibly have no impact at all. In November, Zhang Da'an was interviewed by more than 20 media outlets.

These were all very pointed questions. The interviews were conducted by twelve TV stations, including provincial and municipal stations. Because Zhang Da'an was a minor, his face was blurred in the interview footage. However, there was a caption: "4695 Wudu City Junior High School Entrance Examination Top Scorer".

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​doing this job? Especially since you're not even eighteen yet, you're still a few months away from becoming an adult."

"It's because it's simple. I'm good at taking exams and always thought they were easy, so I didn't understand why some people's grades fluctuated so much. Later I realized that they hadn't mastered any techniques, and what I thought was simple was actually a skill that could be sold, so I chose to work in this industry."

"But you are still a minor, not yet eighteen. Don't you want to go to a good university, learn more knowledge, and then realize your dreams?"

“I have never had unrealistic dreams since I was a child. Dreams are too far away for me, a luxury.”

"I never expected to hear such words from you... a seventeen-year-old boy. It's very shocking, you know?"

The host who asked the question looked genuinely shocked and puzzled, because this was not the mental state a seventeen-year-old should be in.

Zhang Da'an, however, remained calm in front of the camera. Or rather, unmoved. "Actually, what's shocking you is mainly because you're inexperienced." "Huh?"

The host on the provincial education channel was stunned for a moment, wondering if he was hallucinating.

“I don’t mean to belittle you, and it’s not just you. Actually, the whole team that came to interview me and record this program today is quite inexperienced. You’re shocked because you work in Jiangning, which is the capital of Jiangkou Province. But if you go a few hundred kilometers west to the Dabie Mountains, there are a bunch of people younger than me who don’t have any dreams. They just want a nice set of clothes. Dreams are a matter of personal taste.”

"..."

The host was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. This interview was organized by the provincial bureau and was a live broadcast. The questions had been discussed, but Zhang Da'an was not instructed on how to answer them.

The reason is simple: Zhang Da'an is not only a seventeen-year-old boy, but also a seventeen-year-old boy with tens of millions in assets.

The provincial TV station wanted to secure some sponsorship and wasn't afraid of generating buzz, so they loosened their restrictions a bit.

Outstanding effect.

"Have you considered that so many repeat students who get good grades will impact the performance of first-time test takers?"

"No, if you're a recent graduate, you can become a returning student and come here to repeat your studies."

"..."

Awesome.

The cameraman gave a thumbs-up from a distance.

Holy crap, this young man!
"But look, the educational gap between regions is already so large. Won't this further widen the gap?"

"The large educational gap isn't my fault, so I don't need to feel any psychological burden about this kind of social issue. I'm not asking people to learn a skill to get extra points; it's about real exam scores. Some people have to rely on their parents risking their lives to get extra points on exams, while others are just born into a good family. This kind of gap has a much greater impact than mine, right?"

"Uh……"

Zhang Da'an's casual question left the host speechless, wishing he could stop the recording immediately.

Not daring to retort, the host quickly and abruptly changed the subject, holding his notes and asking, "So, one last question: With such high fees, won't many families be unable to afford them?"

"First of all, my fees are not high. I have mastered the core technology, and the price can withstand the test of the market. It's a market economy, after all. Secondly, this fee is to screen families. Only those who can afford it will register, so there is no such thing as many families being unable to afford it."

"You mentioned core technology. Could you reveal what that core technology is?"

"of course can."

Seeing the host's curious gaze, Zhang Da'an calmly and confidently said, "I am the core technology."

"..."

(End of this chapter)