Chapter Twenty-Nine: Family Bonds

After a while, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu, entered the classroom and began preparing for his upcoming speech. At exactly nine o’clock, all the students left; some returned to their dormitories to rest for a while, while others wandered around the school. Zhou Xuan and Zhou Lin also went back to their dormitory to rest, planning to return to the classroom around half past ten, by which time the parent-teacher meeting would likely be wrapping up.

Mr. Liu first introduced the various activities and overall situation of the third-year class for the past half semester, as well as the performance of the class in the September and October monthly exams and the midterm. He praised the students’ achievements in the midterm and hoped parents would continue to support the teachers and the school, guiding their children in their studies—after all, there was only a little more than one semester left before the high school entrance exam.

By half past ten, Zhou Xuan and the other students gradually returned to the classroom. There were still a few parents gathered around Mr. Liu, talking with him, while some parents and their children had already left. Zhou Xuan walked up to his father. “Dad, is it over?”

“Just about. Some parents have already left. Since you did so well in your exams, I don’t really have much to say to Mr. Liu—just hope you keep it up and don’t falter at the crucial moment.” As he spoke, Zhou’s father picked up Zhou Xuan’s certificate for first place. “This certificate—I’ll be taking it home today.”

Zhou Xuan grinned. “Don’t worry, Dad. Getting into No. 1 High School is a piece of cake.”

His father chuckled. “Don’t get cocky! If you’re not in the top three in the final exams, just wait and see how I deal with you. Your uncle invited us for lunch; let’s go!”

“Great! Aunt’s cooking is the best. I haven’t had it in ages.” Just thinking about his aunt’s dishes made Zhou Xuan’s mouth water.

“So my cooking isn’t good?” his father joked.

“How could that be? Your cooking is delicious too! Everyone knows you learned to cook after high school, and whenever there’s a big family celebration, they ask you to be the chef.” Zhou Xuan knew that after graduating from high school, his father had studied to be a chef, and his dishes were authentic—everyone in the village knew it. Sometimes, when there was a major celebration, they would specially invite his father to cook.

The two of them greeted Zhou Lin and Zhou Lin’s father, then left the school and headed toward his uncle’s house. Along the way, Zhou Xuan joked and chatted with his father, feeling especially close to him.

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan had been extremely introverted and rarely spoke with his father. He usually called home only once a month, and apart from asking for living expenses, had little else to say, which led to a lack of communication between them.

Now, reborn, Zhou Xuan looked at his father, who was growing older by the day, and felt waves of guilt and remorse in his heart. In this life, ensuring his parents lived well would not be a problem. But money wasn’t everything; besides material comfort, he would have to make time to accompany his parents and truly honor them.

When they arrived at his uncle’s house, his uncle, aunt, and cousin Su Yang were all there. Zhou Xuan carried over the fruit he had just bought at the market and called out, “Uncle, Aunt, how come you’re home so early today?”

His aunt laughed. “Business was especially good today. We sold out before eleven. We just bought groceries and got back. So, how did you do on your midterm?”

“Need you even ask? Of course I did well. Aunt, why don’t you guess?”

“I heard from your uncle that you ranked seventh in the last monthly exam, so you must have made it into the top five this time, right?” It seemed his aunt couldn’t quite believe Zhou Xuan had made it into the top three.

“Top five is for sure, but Aunt, you’re guessing too low.”

“Did you make it into the top three?” his aunt exclaimed in surprise.

At this point, his uncle also asked, “Zhou Xuan, not bad! Top three already. I remember you were ranked two hundred and fiftieth in the September exam, and you’ve improved so much in just a month. You weren’t holding back on purpose before, were you?”

He laughed. “Of course not. I just couldn’t focus back then—my mind was a fog. Now I’ve suddenly cleared up a lot, and after two months of solid revision over the summer, my grades naturally improved. It also shows I’m a genius, doesn’t it?” Zhou Xuan said proudly.

He wanted his family to know of his brilliance so that when he did all sorts of things in the future, they would accept it. His plans would need his family’s support, so he had to let them know he was no longer a child.

Zhou Xuan was planning to make a real breakthrough after entering high school. It’s best to become famous early—if you’re too late, the joy just isn’t the same.

His father, however, couldn’t help but chide him. “It’s just first place. If you become the top scorer in the college entrance exam, then we’ll all admit you’re a genius.”

His uncle and aunt were astonished that Zhou Xuan had taken first place. First in Second Middle School meant that if he entered No. 1 High School, he’d at least be in the top ten. With hard work over the next three years, he might even become the top student in the county—every year, No. 1 High School sends at least one to Tsinghua or Peking University.

“Well done! You actually got first place,” his uncle said, giving Zhou Xuan a thumbs-up.

“I didn’t expect Zhou Xuan to do so well. Getting into No. 1 High School next year is a sure thing. When your cousin starts school, you’ll have to help her, so she can get into a good school, too,” his aunt congratulated him.

In his previous life, his cousin Su Yang hadn’t done well in school. She made it to high school but didn’t even get into a regular university. Later, she joined her father in business—not making a fortune, but living comfortably.

But in this life, with Zhou Xuan’s neural development potion, he believed everything would be better. He didn’t expect her to become a scientist overnight, but joining the ranks of the elite would be no problem. And with Zhou Xuan leading the way, the future looked bright.

Zhou Xuan agreed, “No problem. I’ll make sure cousin gets into a top university at least.”

At lunch, with his aunt’s superb cooking skills, Zhou Xuan ate to his heart’s content. Thanks to his outstanding results, everyone had a bit of wine and enjoyed the meal immensely.

After resting a while after lunch, Zhou Xuan’s father had to head back around three in the afternoon. They went out to buy some things, then found the motorcycle so Zhou Xuan’s father could take the purchases home, right up to the village entrance.

As he was about to leave, his father pulled out a hundred yuan note. “Here, this is your reward for coming first in the midterm.”

Looking at the money, Zhou Xuan refused. “Dad, I have my manuscript fees. You don’t need to give me money—I have plenty.”

“Take it!” His father pressed the note into Zhou Xuan’s hand. “Those thousands you earned are yours. But this hundred, though little, is my reward to you.”

Seeing Zhou Xuan put the money away, his father beamed with pride. “I’m so happy you can earn money—our whole family is happy. But you must make sure your studies go well and get into a good university. Only then will you live up to our hopes.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t let you down!”

Watching the motorcycle carrying his father disappear into the distance, Zhou Xuan couldn’t hold back his tears.