Chapter 150: A Gamble

Chapter 150: A Gamble

On the 14th day of the third lunar month, under Deng Shirong's arrangement, the woman came to Deng Changdong's house to inspect the family.

Before the Spring Equinox, Deng Shirong had arranged for the two parties to meet. Both sides felt good about each other, and after agreeing on the terms, they set the date for the house inspection.

A house inspection isn't just about looking at the house—it's also about fully understanding the man's family situation.

Therefore, after the woman's group finished inspecting the house, the man's family took them to the "straw shed" to see the oxen. These oxen were one of the family's most important assets, so naturally, they had to be shown off to the woman.

In this era, oxen were indeed extremely valuable livestock. After seeing the oxen in the straw shed, the woman and her group couldn't help but nod in approval, thinking that the matchmaker had been absolutely right. The man's family was only going through a temporary rough patch, and their lives were bound to improve in the future.

After inspecting the man's family assets, Zhang Xiuping, Ou Guofang, and Ou Guohua—the three close sisters—naturally gathered to chat for a while.

Zhang Xiuping looked at her happy younger sister and said with a smile, "Afang, how do you feel now? Are you reassured?"

Ou Guohua teased, "Ah Ping, you don't know, but all the way here, Sister Fang has been smiling nonstop. She's over the moon!"

Ou Guofang ignored her cousin's teasing and said to Zhang Xiuping with a smile, "Don't worry. Once Ah Hua and I are married, the three of us sisters can get together and play every day, just like before."

Ou Guohua chimed in, "When I get married, I'll bring a bowl of rice to Ah Ping every day to eat."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but recall the days when she was still at her parents' home. The living standards of the three families back then were far inferior to her current husband's family. They could barely afford to eat meat twice a month.

Even when they did get to eat meat, the portions were strictly rationed, with each person only getting about four or five pieces.

The three sisters had made a pact in their teens: no matter whose family had meat, they would bury their share under the rice during meals, then bring the rice out to share with the other two sisters, each getting a piece of meat to taste.

This agreement had lasted until Zhang Xiuping got married.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "Don't even think about bringing white rice over to eat for free. You can come to our house every day to eat."

Ou Guohua laughed and said, "Ah Ping, you said it yourself. I'll come here every day to eat, so don't find me annoying."

Zhang Xiuping smiled and replied, "I won't mind. You're welcome to come and eat every day."

The three sisters chatted for a while longer before the man's family called them to eat.

After the meal and a short rest, Ou Guofang and her group prepared to head home.

The man's family handed out red envelopes, and the mixed feelings were set aside. This time, the three sisters parted ways without the sadness they had felt before, because they all knew it wouldn't be long before the Ou sisters married into the village, and they could be together every day again.

At home, Deng Shirong was rewarding his children.

The midterm exam results were out, and this time, all the children had made significant progress.

The first was Deng Yunsong, who was in the first year of junior high. In his previous life, he had managed to get into a technical secondary school. Even if he just followed the trajectory of his past life, his academic performance had begun to improve rapidly.

Now, with Deng Shirong hiring Liu Huakang, an educated youth, to tutor him and his siblings, Deng Yunsong's performance had soared. This time, he raised his average score to 91.5 points.

Deng Shirong took out six yuan and handed it to his third son, saying with satisfaction, "Yunsong, you've done very well this semester. This is your well-deserved reward. Keep up this pace of improvement and aim to get into the best high school in our city during the high school entrance exam."

Deng Yunsong happily accepted the reward from his father and asked, "Dad, shouldn't my goal be to get into a technical secondary school? High school doesn't guarantee a job, but graduating from a technical secondary school means the government will assign you a job. Isn't that better than high school?"

Deng Shirong hesitated upon hearing this.

In his previous life, his third son had attended a technical secondary school. After graduation, he entered the system and worked hard, eventually achieving quite good results and enjoying the treatment of a deputy director upon retirement.

In this life, as a reborn man, Deng Shirong wanted to guide his other children's studies, but he wasn't sure whether he should interfere with his third son's path.

Technical secondary schools, with their guaranteed state-assigned jobs, were indeed highly regarded in this era, far surpassing high schools. But compared to universities, they were on a completely different level.

If his third son gave up on attending a technical secondary school and instead chose to go to high school and take the college entrance exam, his potential after graduating from university would far exceed that of a technical secondary school graduate.

Of course, everything had its pros and cons. Having great potential didn't guarantee that he would surpass his previous life's achievements.

Although Deng Shirong didn't understand the intricacies of officialdom, he knew that his third son's success in his previous life had been due to a combination of wisdom and opportunity. If he rashly disrupted that path, it was uncertain whether his son could achieve the same results.

Moreover, just because his third son had gotten into a technical secondary school in his previous life didn't mean he would definitely get into university this time.

However, on the other hand, despite the risks, with Deng Shirong's guidance in this life, their family was destined to prosper. It was worth a try.

If his third son could successfully get into university, that would be fantastic. Even if he failed, it wouldn't matter. At worst, he could return to do business and become a boss. When his net worth exceeded 100 million, Deng Shirong estimated that his son would live a life a hundred times more leisurely than he had as an official.

Thinking this, Deng Shirong said, "Yunsong, graduating from a technical secondary school means you can get a job right away and eat commercial grain, which is indeed a hundred times better than high school. But technical secondary schools are far inferior to universities. Moreover, technical secondary schools are only popular now, but that might not be the case in the future. Universities, on the other hand, are a golden ticket, both now and in the future.

So, I hope you don't just focus on the present but look to the long term. Study in high school and take the college entrance exam, because those are the talents the country truly needs."

After hearing his father's words, Deng Yunsong didn't fully understand, but he nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll work hard to get into university."

Deng Shirong smiled with relief and encouraged him, "Then work hard and try to improve your score in the final exam."

Deng Yunsong, who was making rapid progress, confidently replied, "I guarantee I'll complete the task."

Deng Shirong hummed in approval, then took out another seven yuan and handed it to his youngest son, saying with a smile, "Xiaoheng, you've done well. Keep working hard and try to earn more rewards in the final exam."

Deng Yunheng happily took the money and said, "I know, Dad!"

Deng Shirong then took out five yuan and handed it to his youngest daughter, saying with a smile, "Azhu, this is your reward. Your average score is passing this time. Try to pass both subjects in the final exam."

Deng Yunzhu happily took the money and said with great motivation, "Dad, I'll definitely work hard."

Finally, Deng Shirong looked at his fourth son and sighed, "Xiaohua, keep working hard!"

Deng Yunhua said with some shame, "Dad, I know!"

(End of this chapter)