I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 7 didn't say the total score was 630.
There are top scorers in the high school entrance exam every year, but this year is a bit special because the top scorer's score is more than 40 points lower than the second-place scorer.

To be precise, it was forty-eight points.

When it was time to check the scores, the old man Zhang Qihong called over his old brothers from the same clan, and together they sat in front of the landline and put it on speakerphone to listen to Zhang Da'an's scores.

When they heard the total score was 675, even the least educated of the brothers were dumbfounded.

"Six hundred and seventy-five?! Damn it, that little An guy is really something else!"

"Xiao Zhang An is promising."

"I remember Zhang Su's score was around 500 points a long time ago?"

"What's the total score? Six hundred and eighty? Six hundred and eighty-five?! Oh dear, that's just ten points deducted!"

Originally, only the old men were interested, but after the news spread, the grandmothers and aunts of the family flocked to Zhang Qihong's front yard. Before long, they had prepared wedding candies, cakes, and pastries, which Zhang Da'an marked with red dots, and then distributed to the children who would be taking the high school entrance exam in the future.

To share in the joy, good fortune, and of course, talent.

Uncle Zhang laughed like a stray dog ​​as he offered cigarettes to fellow villagers passing by on the village road.

"Oh, Zhongliang, you know my Zhang An is the top scorer in this year's high school entrance exam? Hahahaha... He's just average. I only assign him some homework occasionally, I don't give him much guidance. It's all up to his little rascal's self-discipline. Hahahahaha..."

His hearty laughter was louder than winning the lottery. Uncle Zhang walked with a swagger, and the Motorola bag around his waist seemed to suit his status and temperament even more perfectly.

He is the principal who nurtured the top scorer in the Shazhou City Junior High School Entrance Examination!
Pooh!
He was the top scorer in the middle school entrance examination in the entire Wudu city!
Then Uncle Zhang went to borrow four thousand yuan from his father, Zhang Qihong. He only had five thousand yuan in his pocket, plus the previous forty-one thousand yuan, so he scraped together fifty thousand yuan and gave it all to Zhang Da'an.

He followed the school's financial procedures and paid an extra 9,000 yuan.

At this point, Zhao Yonggao, the principal of Wugang Middle School, began to question the meaning of life. He called the city government and repeatedly emphasized that Zhang Da'an had been studying at Wugang Middle School for the past three years...

Useless.

Their school registration is Dongweigang Middle School.

At this time, the Municipal Education Bureau also needed Dongweigang Middle School, a "poor and remote place," to tell its story. The story of "a golden phoenix emerging from a mountain valley" is what people talk about with great interest.

The reporters who went to Dongweigang Middle School to take pictures that day were fine when they arrived, but they couldn't get back!
Unfortunately, the road was in terrible condition, and it had rained a little that day. As a result, out of the three news vehicles, one got stuck in a pothole, another got stuck in another pothole while trying to tow it out, and the last one had a broken front axle...

Upon learning of this, Zhang Zhengdong called two farm tractors from the village to provide assistance. By the time the reporters arrived at Wuxing Village, it was almost dinnertime.

I decided to treat myself to a meal at a local farmhouse.

Chickens and geese are slaughtered, and fish and shrimp are plentiful. That's the good thing about the countryside in Jiangnan. When there are no vegetables, you can just take a stroll in the river.

The reporter initially went to Zhang Qihong's house, but later learned that it was not the top scholar's house, but the house next door.

Upon entering, one sees an altar set up, with incense and offerings neatly arranged in the main room, and it seems that paper money has already been burned. It was then that one learns that the top scholar's parents had died early and that he had no other close relatives.

Upon seeing the courtyard filled with various tools for catching fish and shrimp, and after chatting for a while, the young female reporter learned that the man usually made a living alone on the water. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

I had imagined all sorts of scenarios where a frail young man would single-handedly shoulder the burden of his family, but when I met Zhang Da'an in person, I realized that he was quite different from what I had imagined.

He's tall and big, and he feels very fleshy to the touch.

"Zhang, Principal Zhang told me that you promised him you would get 630 points before the exam. Now you've scored 675, which is far beyond your expectations, isn't it?" "No, I told my uncle, oh, that is, my principal, that I guaranteed 630 points, referring to the academic score. Adding the 45 points for physical education, the total score is 675, which is exactly what I expected, no more and no less, just right."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The reporter and Uncle Zhang were both stunned, because Zhang's answer was really unremarkable and understated, as if he were just saying something that should be taken for granted.

"I learned from the Municipal Education Bureau that the second-highest scorer in Shazhou City this year in the high school entrance examination had a total score of 627. You have far exceeded that score. What are your thoughts on that?"

"This year's exam was quite difficult, with too many strange questions, which was unfriendly to many candidates. It was a rather unsuccessful attempt at setting the exam. If I had set the exam, we wouldn't have seen such bizarre score differences. I think next year's high school entrance exam should focus on better screening students by score tiers, without necessarily pursuing excessive difficulty. But we shouldn't go to the other extreme and make it too easy either, as that would prevent the score gaps from widening, which is also unacceptable..."

"..."

"..."

Watching Zhang Da'an barking at the middle school entrance exam questions like a dog, the reporter and Uncle Zhang were stunned and felt a bit surreal.

This...this isn't right!

Fortunately, Uncle Zhang was, after all, the school principal, and he quickly told his good nephew to shut up. He then invited the reporter to have a farm-style meal and casually asked the reporter not to report on this matter.

"You short-coffin! How dare you say such a thing?! And you even have the nerve to talk about education..."

Zhang Zhengdong glared at Zhang Da'an, tapped Zhang Da'an's head with his finger, and said, "Be careful in the future, don't talk nonsense. Some people are short-sighted and love to use other people's words as a weapon. You're young, so be careful."

"Don't worry, Uncle. I'm just saying it for you. When someone interviews you, just repeat exactly what I said."

"..."

"Why are you looking at me? Don't you want to improve yourself? A 39-year-old unmarried rural middle school principal, you think you can get ahead without grabbing attention? Give me a break."

"Just by talking a few idle words?"

"What's the rush? I have other plans. I guarantee you'll get promoted and make a fortune... Forget it, promotion is fine, but making a fortune isn't for you."

"..."

At this point, Uncle Zhang no longer regarded Zhang Da'an as a child. After all, this was an incredibly talented top scholar who was far ahead of the second-place finisher.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you. You said 630 before, but now you got 675, it's terrifying. If you had told me you were capable, I would have gone to the education bureau to get an advance, and even scraped together 100,000 or 200,000 yuan."

"I never said the total score was 630. You just assumed it was the total score, so why are you blaming me?"

"..."

The uncle and nephew arrived at the old man's house and took their seats. This was the first time they had sat in the main seat. The old men were all smiling. After Zhang Da'an raised his glass, everyone raised their glasses together amidst cheers and jeers, and drank the "champion's wine" together.

(End of this chapter)