Chapter 62: I Do Mind

Three days later, the exam results were released, and all the students in the class packed up their belongings and stood outside the classroom.

The seating arrangement rules had changed this time; it was no longer simply a matter of the bottom ten students in grades being left without desks.

Instead, the bottom seven students in rankings, along with the three students whose grades had dropped the most, were treated to a week of standing guard.

"First place..."

Huang Defa read out the name, and all eyes immediately fell on Zhang Jixiang.

For the past five months, Zhang Jixiang seemed to secure first place in every monthly exam. Not only was he first in the entire class, but he also topped all four humanities cram school classes.

Last month, he even scored 600 points—a score that, if achieved in the real National College Entrance Examination, would guarantee admission to Tsinghua or Peking University!

"Su Wanqing, 581 points!"

Liang Jiyong was also slightly startled.

Last time, Su Wanqing scored 570, lagging a full thirty points behind Zhang Jixiang—a gap that felt almost insurmountable, because the higher the score, the harder it was to gain further ground.

Su Wanqing had improved by 11 points compared to last month, which was a significant step forward.

"Wanqing, brilliant job!" Liang Jiyong cheered happily and started applauding!

Immediately, the rest of the students joined in with applause.

Su Wanqing was pretty and had a lovely personality. Her taking first place felt satisfactory to everyone—much better than that arrogant Zhang Jixiang, who always strutted around showing off after every exam.

At this moment, Zhang Jixiang was completely dumbfounded. How could he possibly not be first?

"Su Wanqing, 581 points, first in the class, second in the entire grade, just one point lower than Zhou Xiao from Class One. Excellent work!"

Huang Defa smiled and nodded.

With these grades, with just a little more effort, they would have yet another student entering Tsinghua or Peking University this year.

Although the admission rate for cram schools was much higher than that for regular graduating classes, the number of top-tier scores remained sparse each year.

This was because truly elite top students didn't need cram classes at all, unless they severely underperformed.

Zhang Jixiang, though decent, certainly wasn't in the league of a true top student—a real academic powerhouse was someone whose score never dipped below 600!

Su Wanqing felt a bit bashful, but she picked up her textbooks and walked into the classroom.

After a brief thought, she took a seat in the sixth row. This spot was slightly toward the back; naturally, those who chose their seats first always opted for the middle desks in rows three through five.

"Zhang Jixiang, 579 points, second in the class, fifth in the grade."

Zhang Jixiang’s complexion turned even uglier!

Huang Defa frowned. "What on earth were you doing? You actually memorized the trigonometric function formula wrong, causing the final fifteen-point major question to vanish into thin air, and you made mistakes on several sections you had no business missing. What happened?"

Usually, Zhang Jixiang’s math score stayed above 115, losing at most five points, but this time he only scored 96, dropping nearly twenty points lower than his usual performance.

Zhang Jixiang knew very well in his heart that the reason he made such a rookie mistake was because Liang Jiyong’s return had deeply irritated him. Consequently, during the entire first math exam, he had been fuming over that matter.

Thus, his brain had short-circuited, leading to mistakes he never should have made.

"I—I had a slight fever and felt dizzy during the first session!" Zhang Jixiang fabricated an excuse.

"Alright, pay attention next time. You need to balance your studies and your health. Go on in!"

Zhang Jixiang walked inside with his head lowered, looking like a defeated soldier.

If anyone else had placed second, their smile would have stretched from ear to ear.

However, upon entering the classroom and seeing Su Wanqing sitting all by herself, Zhang Jixiang’s eyes lit up.

Placing second had its perks after all! In the past, when he took first and Su Wanqing took second, she would never choose to share a desk with him and would sit as far away as possible.

Yet now that he was second, the power of choice rested in his hands.

From now on, getting second place every single time wouldn't be such a bad idea after all!

Zhang Jixiang thought to himself.

"Wanqing, you wouldn't mind if I sat here, would you?" Zhang Jixiang asked politely.

"I would!"

Su Wanqing didn't want to share a desk with Zhang Jixiang at all, even if it were for just a month.

"I think we can learn from each other. Who knows, we might even become classmates at Tsinghua or Peking University later on!"

Zhang Jixiang had no intention of changing his mind just because Su Wanqing minded.

Su Wanqing had no right to stop anyone from sitting anywhere, so she simply pulled out her books and began to read.

Zhu Qianyun remained in third place with a score of 567. Perhaps she truly wasn't exceptionally gifted, but this score was definitely enough for her to get into Yunnan University or Nanchang University.

Yet every time the actual college entrance exam rolled around, Zhu Qianyun always underperformed. It wasn't that she didn't want to work hard; rather, whenever she sat in the examination hall, she would inexplicably grow so nervous she felt suffocated!

Seeing Zhang Jixiang sit down beside Su Wanqing, Zhu Qianyun had no choice but to take the neighboring desk in the same row, becoming desk neighbors with Su Wanqing, still sitting right next to her.

Su Wanqing gave her a helpless look, and Zhu Qianyun naturally understood—very few people in the class liked Zhang Jixiang’s self-righteous, nose-in-the-air attitude.

One by one, students entered the classroom, and the number of people standing outside dwindled.

"Liang Jiyong, 475 points, ranked 69th!"

Huang Defa read out Liang Jiyong’s score and then continued, "This score isn't particularly high; it's still a distance away from last year's admission threshold. However, I must praise Liang Jiyong, because in last year's college entrance exam, he only scored 275 points, which was his normal level back then!"

Liang Jiyong let out a wry smile. Was this supposed to be praise?

"Yet over the past few months, Liang Jiyong’s attitude toward studying has been evident to all, and his improvement is remarkable. I can say that in the dozen or so years I've led college cram classes, those who manage to raise their scores by two hundred points in a year are few and far between.

Of course, because his previous baseline was low, improvement came easier to him, but making massive leaps forward exam after exam is no small feat.

When he first entered the class, Liang Jiyong’s score was dead last. If he could improve this much in five months, then for those classmates who have been surpassed by him, you still have a full seven months ahead. Can't your scores also improve by a hundred points?"

Liang Jiyong hadn't expected to be held up as a role model.

The feeling of being an example to follow was actually quite nice. At least, ever since middle school, no teacher had ever praised him for his academic performance.

The phrase he heard most often was: "Why can't you be even a tenth as smart as your older brother and sister..."

Liang Jiyong always found it baffling—his exam scores totaled well over a hundred points, so how could he not even measure up to a tenth of his older siblings?

Did that mean if the full score was six or seven hundred, they must be scoring ten thousand points!

Feeling rather pleased with himself after being praised, Liang Jiyong stepped into the classroom, though his mood immediately soured.

Because that jerk Zhang Jixiang was actually sitting right next to Wanqing.

Yet, facing Liang Jiyong’s dissatisfied glare, Zhang Jixiang wore an arrogant expression, flashing a look of victory.

Bastard!

The seats surrounding Su Wanqing were already filled, which was only natural.

Everyone preferred to sit near top-performing students, after all, since it made discussing problems convenient.

Not to mention, she was also the recognized beauty of the cram class.

There were still twenty or thirty empty seats left in the classroom.

However, to Liang Jiyong’s surprise, the desk right beside Zhu Qianyun was empty.

He understood instantly.

Although Zhu Qianyun studied well and had a pleasant personality, having grown much more cheerful over the past half-year, she had after all been repeating for eight years. He didn't necessarily believe in superstition, but there was no point in deliberately inviting bad luck either!

Liang Jiyong sat down beside her without the slightest hesitation.

"Sister Qianyun, you're going to have to be my private after-class tutor this month!"

"No problem. I'll take the outer seat—I know you've been wanting to sit next to Wanqing for a long time!"

"You could even tell that? Amazing!" Liang Jiyong said.

"Just ask around and see if there's anyone who couldn't tell!" Zhu Qianyun laughed, pushing her belongings to the other side as Liang Jiyong slid in and sat down right next to Su Wanqing.

"I secured this seat purely through my own strength!"

"I know you're amazing!" Su Wanqing smiled. Having Liang Jiyong sitting beside her diluted the annoyance of having Zhang Jixiang seated nearby.

Liang Jiyong whispered quietly into Su Wanqing's ear, "I've got an even more amazing trick, want to try it?"

Su Wanqing’s face flushed crimson. To avoid being spotted by others, she buried her head in her arms and gave Liang Jiyong a sharp kick on the shin under the desk.

Liang Jiyong smiled blissfully.

Zhang Jixiang was so angry it made his teeth itch.

Soon, the classroom was completely packed.

Ten students still lacked seats.

Zhao Bin was one of them.

This time, he had scored 390 points, landing right at the bottom tenth position.

In previous exams, his scores weren't great either, but because his foundation was weak, he managed to improve by a dozen points each time, earning him a seat through the improvement award.

Yet this time, he had only improved by three points, missing out on the improvement prize. He was deeply depressed because once again, he would have to stand for a week and lose face.

"The bottom seven rankings, stand at the back. I hope the ones standing here next time won't be you!" Huang Defa announced.

"The three who regressed the most, head to the back as well. I hope this serves as a warning to you."

"Zhang Dong, last monthly exam 526, current score 495, a drop of 31 points!"

Zhang Dong wore an embarrassed expression and stood up to walk to the back row.

"Sun Ke, last time 488, current 466, a drop of 22 points!"

Sun Ke was a small, round-faced girl. Upon hearing that she actually had to go stand at the back for a whole week of classes, tears welled up in her eyes.

However, Huang Defa showed not an ounce of leniency, and female students were no exception.

Sun Ke had no choice but to lower her head and trudge to the back.

"Zhang Jixiang, last time 600 points, current 579, a drop of 21 points!"

"Teacher, I..." Zhang Jixiang’s face drained of color. Making him stand at the back of the class for lessons was out of the question; he couldn't afford to lose face like that!

"Pay attention next time, go on!" Huang Defa’s strictness brook no exceptions.

Yet Zhang Jixiang stood frozen in place. Huang Defa furrowed his brows, seemingly hesitating as well.

After all, Zhang Jixiang had always been the top student in the grade. If he were forced to stand at the back for a week, the psychological gap would be too vast, and what if it ended up affecting his future studies...

"Even princes breaking the law are punished the same as commoners. Surely Class Monitor Zhang isn't trying to claim special privileges, is he?

The rest of us are standing, so why should someone be exempt? Are we a tier below him?"

Zhao Bin’s voice rang out. He knew that if this guy didn't stand up, he might not get a desk of his own.

Besides, Zhang Jixiang had always looked down on those of them with poor grades, and had once even mocked him, saying that standing up during class let you stand high and see far!

Heh heh, go on then, keep standing high and seeing far for a while!

As soon as Zhao Bin spoke up, the other students standing in the back—as well as those who had stood there in the past—joined in shouting, and Liang Jiyong naturally followed suit.

"Silence. Zhang Jixiang, go stand at the back and let this be a lesson for the future!"

With Huang Defa giving the order, Zhang Jixiang turned ashen-faced and walked back to join the rear row.

"You three, find a seat and sit down!" Huang Defa instructed Zhao Bin and the other two.

Immediately, Zhao Bin darted forward like an arrow and dashed straight to the desk beside Su Wanqing.

"Beauty Wanqing, please take care of me! Old Liang, you don't mind me sitting here, do you?"

"I mind very much!"

"Mind all you want, as long as Beauty Wanqing doesn't mind!"

Su Wanqing smiled and remained silent. Zhao Bin and Liang Jiyong were close friends, so neither of them took such banter to heart.

"Perfect!" Liang Jiyong couldn't help muttering the word. Both Su Wanqing and Zhu Qianyun understood what it meant and offered a gentle smile.

"What does that mean?" Zhao Bin failed to catch the English word.

"It means perfect. You better put some heart into your studies this month, or you'll be standing again next month!" Liang Jiyong said.

"I will, I will! Sitting next to the top student, if I don't boost my score by ten points, I'll be letting this seat down!"

"You lack ambition. Just aiming for ten points? You should aim for at least thirty!" Liang Jiyong retorted.

"I know my own limits. Who are you to talk, you've got study genes!"

Study genes—perhaps that really was the case!

Once the class ended, quite a few people came over out of curiosity to take a look.

To see Zhang Jixiang, who had always been the top student in the grade, reduced to standing during lessons—missing out on this sight would be a huge loss.

After stumbling through the morning classes in a daze, Zhang Jixiang was nowhere to be seen by the afternoon. It was only then that the students learned he had fallen ill and requested a week-long sick leave!

How shameless—that way he didn't have to stand.

Still, Zhang Jixiang didn't care about missing a week of classes because he had pretty much already mastered what needed to be studied.

Others couldn't afford to do that; even if they wanted to ask for leave, their families wouldn't necessarily agree.

When Liang Jiyong found out, he felt utter disdain. With such a fragile mindset, he would never amount to much!

After classes ended on Saturday afternoon, Liang Jiyong boarded the shuttle bus with the other students to head back to Red Flag Factory.

It had been a long time since he last rode this drafty shuttle bus.

The bus, equipped with barely over thirty seats, was packed to the brim.

Aside from the children of Red Flag Factory, there were also students from Red Star Factory and Cotton Mill No. 1.

Red Flag Factory had set aside a fund to sponsor children from Red Star Factory and Cotton Mill No. 1 who had dropped out of school due to financial hardships, covering their tuition and living expenses.

Even though Red Flag Factory was currently facing immense financial pressure, they could still spare this sum of money.

Over the course of a year, it amounted to just over one hundred thousand yuan, which carried profound significance both emotionally and in terms of social value.

Zou Wenlong sat beside Liang Jiyong and asked with a smile, "What made you feel like taking the shuttle bus today?"

"Why shouldn't I take the shuttle bus? Why not ride a free bus when it's right there?" Liang Jiyong countered.

Zou Wenlong chuckled. "I feel like right now, you're on a completely different level from us students. Seriously!"

"What do you mean by a different level? We live in the same courtyard, attend the same classes, and eat in the same cafeteria, yet I haven't seen Auntie Pang ladle an extra piece of meat into my bowl."

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but the vibe is just different. We've known each other for so many years, yet the changes in you over the past half-year are so drastic I hardly recognize you anymore."

"Heh, you could say I've experienced a sudden, profound awakening. There's a saying: 'Only today do I realize that my yesterday's self was not my true self!'"

"You're even starting to speak in Zen riddles now!"

"Didn't you pass five hundred last time?" Liang Jiyong asked.

"508, I can't compare to you!" Zou Wenlong shook his head with helpless resignation. It wasn't that he hadn't worked hard, but rather that he simply wasn't that naturally gifted!

Over the past half-year, his score had only improved by sixty-odd points. By his own estimate, he would likely max out around 530 in the end.

Yunnan University was out of the question; he would probably have to settle for a second-tier university within Jiangxi Province.

"You're still thirty-odd points ahead of me!"

"You'll catch up in two months at most. Your family clearly has study genes, there's no denying that!"

"I believe that part. If I had awakened to reality three years earlier, I'd be sitting by the Weiming Lake right now watching the snow!"

"That's wishful thinking. If my brain were a bit sharper, who knows, maybe I'd be strolling through Tsinghua campus right now too!"

"You have perseverance and grit—you're a late bloomer. Like I said, you've got the raw material for a Ph.D. sooner or later!"

"With my grades, I'm at best a second-tier university student in Jiangxi!" Zou Wenlong clearly lacked confidence.

"Where there's a will, there's a way; break the cauldrons and sink the boats, the hundred and twenty passes of Qin will eventually belong to Chu!" Liang Jiyong recited a couplet by Pu Songling.

"He who perseveres will not be forsaken; sleep on brushwood and taste gall, three thousand Yue armor can swallow Wu!" Zou Wenlong finished the matching second line.

"Let's encourage each other," Liang Jiyong said with a smile.

Their conversation hadn't been loud, but quite a few people on the bus had overheard.

Inside their hearts, many were silently reciting those two couplets as well!

"He who perseveres will not be forsaken; sleep on brushwood and taste gall, three thousand Yue armor can swallow Wu!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way; break the cauldrons and sink the boats, the hundred and twenty passes of Qin will eventually belong to Chu!"

Liang Jiyong was heading home because he needed a vehicle. He was going to look at houses tomorrow, and getting around without a car would be inconvenient.

He didn't need to stand on ceremony with his older brother; if his schedule was tied up, he could simply find another vehicle.

Fortunately, his older brother happened to be away on a business trip again, leaving the car unused.

In the past, Su Wanqing would always head home together with Liang Jiyong in the afternoon, but today, she didn't want to return to that household at all.

Although she had managed to step past most of the emotional hurdle in her heart, it still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Regarding the house purchase, Liang Jiyong decided he still needed to discuss it with his parents, since it wasn't a trivial matter.

After eating a piece of braised pork, Liang Jiyong remarked pointedly, "Dad, Mom, how come I feel like these braised pork pieces are smaller than before? The quantity is the same, but the size shrank!"

"Is a whole plateful still not enough for you to eat?" His mother, Wang Cuiying, tapped the plate of braised pork with her chopsticks.

"That's not what I mean. It's not about food shortage, but ever since we started dinner, neither you nor Dad has touched a single piece.

You shouldn't eat too much of this stuff, but you can't cut it out entirely either. I feel like even though our family's financial situation is better than before, your dining table standards have actually dropped compared to the past.

We don't need to pinch pennies on this. Having a mix of meat and vegetables is what keeps us healthy!"

"Aren't there both meat and vegetables right here? Why are you chattering away while eating? Hurry up and eat!" Liang达宏 (Liang Dahong) said in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, Company Commander, sir!" Liang Jiyong gave a military salute and set to work eliminating the food on the table, though he transferred the majority of the scarce braised pork pieces into his parents' bowls.

Once dinner was over, his mother went to clean up the kitchen, while Liang Jiyong and his old man chatted in the living room.

"Dad, is the family running short on money?" Liang Jiyong asked while peeling an orange.

Since his old man had quit smoking, he had developed a liking for oranges, which also helped soften blood vessels, so eating a few was good for him.

Liang Dahong shook his head. "We have enough. My salary is over a hundred yuan higher than before now, and both your brother and sister left money behind."

"Dad, I know. You're still worrying about the sixty million yuan my older brother owes for buying out his shares, so subconsciously, you and Mom started cutting back on living expenses."

Liang Jiyong handed over a peeled segment of the orange.

Liang Dahong frowned. "The factory's production and sales are running smoothly right now, but it's only making three to five million a month. When it was restructured, it ran up over a billion yuan in bank debts. How many years is it going to take to pay all that off?"

Liang Jiyong smiled, showing not a shred of anxiety over the issue.

"Dad, you can't do the math that way. Think about it—it used to be a half-dead factory.

It's like a severely ill patient who has just drained an abscess, taken some medicine, and is finally showing signs of recovery. Once the illness is fully cured, they'll be able to walk, run, jump, and even take flight.

You have to trust Uncle Chen's leadership ability. I think he possesses the excellent qualities of a leader.

He's resilient, can endure hardship, is willing to learn, knows how to be flexible, and can adapt to the development and changes of the market economy.

In three years at the shortest, five years at the longest, Red Flag Factory's debts will definitely be paid off.

Besides, as long as an enterprise operates normally, debt is reasonable. It allows for greater returns, and banks are more than happy to lend money out—otherwise, what would banks live on?"

"Easier said than done. Sixty million yuan—who can guarantee steady profits without losses?"

"Dad, if I must say so, your mindset really is too conservative. Nothing in this world stays the same forever, and everything carries risks.

Our Red Flag Factory used to be so glorious, yet later it almost went bankrupt. Is an iron rice bowl really better than the ceramic bowls you're using now?

I don't think so. Precisely because people held an iron rice bowl in their hands, many failed to cherish it, tossing it around carelessly since it wouldn't break anyway.

But what about now? The iron rice bowl is shattered, and this ceramic bowl in your hand has to be held with care. If you don't handle it with care, your bowl breaks, and you have no food to eat.

Furthermore, the rice inside this ceramic bowl today tastes much better than before. Just look at your salary—it used to be under two hundred, and now it's three hundred and thirty.

I heard you guys are planning to adjust salaries after the New Year, and the increase won't be small either—bringing things in line with similar enterprises on the market.

Otherwise, the talent we painstakingly cultivate around here in the future really will get poached away by outside companies offering high salaries.

Judging by your position, I reckon it'll be at least five hundred. Pocketing this fair and square money, two or three times higher than before—isn't that sweet!"

"You brat, after reading books for a couple of days, you've really learned how to talk big!

Fine, giving everyone a pay raise is a good thing, but the factory is already tight on cash as it is. Doing this won't make things tighter, will it?"

"Dad, this is a market economy; things have to be fair and reasonable. Imagine, if people are doing the exact same work in our factory for three hundred a month, while those coastal enterprises pay eight hundred a month, over time, no one is going to feel good about it. Why should they?

Red Flag Factory was built thirty years ago, meaning that kids starting from my brother's age grew up right here in the factory. We have emotional ties to it and are willing to struggle and dedicate our youth to Red Flag Factory.

But you can't constantly consume our youth and passion forever.

When the factory was in trouble, most people could endure temporary hardships, but now that the enterprise is improving, if the employees still get no tangible benefits, who would be willing to stay?

Even though it's employee-owned, the lion's share still rests in the hands of those thirteen people in management. If they can't provide workers with reasonable income and treatment, wouldn't they just become wicked capitalists?

Oh, right, my older brother is also a capitalist, and neither you nor I can escape it either—a capitalist's old man, and a capitalist's younger brother!"

"Nonsense!" Liang Dahong scolded.

"It is nonsense, but the logic is sound!

Dad, even though you never went to school properly, I dare say that even current university students haven't read as many books as you. Surely you understand these principles in your heart?

I know you lived in a different era with different sentiments. None of us are saying your sentiments are wrong; your character and values are one in a million—you couldn't find a few like you even back in the old Red Flag Factory, let alone now.

However, you can't demand that everyone reach your level; that's unrealistic.

Everyone has self-interest, it's just a matter of whether that self-interest is large or small. As long as it's not through crooked means, self-interest isn't a bad thing. Having self-interest is what drives people to pursue a better life and gives them the motivation to strive."

Liang Dahong looked at his youngest son, and unawares, a smile surfaced on his face, filled with gratification.

"Little Sanzi, you really have grown up, lecturing your old man on principles now.

Alright, your old man understands your logic, but I need time to digest it. This world is changing too fast, far too fast!"