Peaceful days always seemed to pass especially quickly. In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived.
After some time adjusting, Wang Cheng had gradually blended into the bustling city, and the rhythm of his life was beginning to change with its pace.
Wang Cheng got off work relatively early and almost never had to work overtime at night, so he usually prepared dinner in advance once he returned to the apartment. The frozen food they had bought at the supermarket was barely touched. Ever since Eldest Brother tasted Wang Cheng’s cooking, he had not said anything about it, but he noticeably ate faster and stopped eating frozen meals or ordering takeout.
When Wang Cheng woke early enough, he used ingredients from the refrigerator to make breakfast. Only when they had nothing suitable did he go to the morning market. He cooked more often than he bought breakfast now, since his brother had also grown tired of the market snacks and especially missed the flavors of home. Lunch was the only meal they still ate separately at their respective companies.
Chu Yifeng was actually a fairly generous boss. Wang Cheng might not receive a salary, but he still got employee benefits. Lunch, for example, was basically covered by the company. He had heard that the meal allowance Chu Yifeng gave people like Li Yu was two or three times what other companies offered, though he had no idea whether that was true.
Since that day, Wang Cheng had not eaten lunch with Chu Yifeng again.
The project had already been finalized, and Zhang Yiheng, Li Yu, and the others had been running themselves ragged these past few days. Wang Cheng did not know what the boss had told the two of them, only that it seemed to be exciting news. Once, he had even seen Li Yu so thrilled that her face turned red.
At the time, Wang Cheng had not known why and mistakenly thought she was pregnant. He made one careless comment and was immediately put through the wringer. The most direct consequence was that his workload increased.
Women down the mountain were tigers.
Wang Cheng was beginning to think there was some truth to that saying.
On Thursday, Wang Cheng went to Fengxia Mountain with Zhang Yiheng. By now, Shiquan County had already been reduced to a field of ruins. Many houses had been demolished, the land had been turned over, and the empty ground was filled with working machinery and laborers covered in gray dust. The workers were employees of Changhong Construction Company, which was cooperating with Huaying Real Estate, and the project was progressing at a good pace.
That trip finally made Wang Cheng realize Fengxia Mountain was even more valuable than he had thought. Unfortunately, when they passed Guanjia Village, he did not have time to visit Mama Wang and the others. His regret vanished almost immediately, however, when Mama Wang called, because Wang Ziyu’s gaokao results were out.
Mama Wang told him over the phone that Wang Ziyu had earned an exceptionally impressive score.
For Mama Wang to be so excited she could barely get the words out, the score obviously had to be extraordinary. After Wang Cheng asked, she finally told him the number.
Gaokao scores could be checked online or by phone, but Wang Ziyu had not looked hers up either way. Instead, a teacher from her school called the family personally to congratulate them: Wang Ziyu was the top science-track scorer in Shanhai City, with a total score of 728, seven points ahead of second place.
The news sent the entire family over the moon, especially Papa Wang, who had been eagerly waiting for his youngest daughter’s results. Once he went outside, he told practically everyone he met that his daughter was the top scorer.
And that was not all. According to Wang Ziyu’s homeroom teacher, she might even be the top scorer in the entire province. The family was even more delighted, but since it had not yet been confirmed, they did not dare spread it around. Everyone tacitly agreed to say only that she was Shanhai City’s top science-track scorer. Papa Wang went off to brag, while Mama Wang, once she had calmed down, called Wang Cheng and his eldest brother to share the good news.
The weekend was only two days away, so Wang Cheng decided to go home. Eldest Brother had a business trip and could not go with him, but the family was long accustomed to his busy work schedule. There had even been times when he did not return home for half a year.
Shanhai City was not the largest city in the province. Although Shanhai High School ranked among the province’s top five in teaching quality, it rarely produced the province’s highest gaokao scorer. Even Wang Ning’an had missed first place in the province when he took the exam, falling short by only three points. At the time, countless people had thought it a pity.
Now Wang Ziyu might finally make up for that old regret, which made the family even happier than hearing she was the city’s top science-track scorer.
That same afternoon, the family received a call from the education department confirming what Wang Ziyu’s homeroom teacher had said.
She really was the provincial top scorer. In a dramatic twist, the student in second place came from the very school whose student had beaten Wang Ning’an for first place years ago by three points. This time, that school’s student lost to Wang Ziyu by exactly three points. It truly made up for the old disappointment, giving the other side a taste of the same helpless regret from back then.
Even Eldest Brother could not help remarking when he heard the story, “That’s my little sister for you!”