Chapter 79: The Same University

Zhai Da took that dark, rough hand and patted it gently. "Fan Junwei is a very good person. Don't always think he'll be bullied at school. With this physique, once he stands there, who would dare!"

Wu Guizhen's sagging, aged eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled. "Is that so? Xiao Wei is very sturdy..."

Just then, Fan Junwei walked out, carrying a plastic bag filled with apples. "Grandma, what are you two chatting about?"

Zhai Da smiled. "Praising you."

Wu Guizhen stepped forward and lifted the bag slightly. "Why did you only pack so few..."

Fan Junwei didn't answer, just gave a dry laugh. "It's plenty..."

In truth, in that crate of apples, there weren't many that were presentable or looked good.

They were all already in this bag.

Fan Junwei said to Zhai Da, "Let's go, I'll see you out."

Zhai Da waved his hand, bidding the old woman farewell.

When the two reached the intersection about two hundred meters away, Fan Junwei said, "If you're taking a taxi, this is the most convenient spot. Here, the apples are yours."

Zhai Da didn't stand on ceremony and accepted them generously.

A taxi drove past from the other side of the road. Zhai Da waved his hand, and the other party clearly slowed down before heading ahead to find a place to make a U-turn. Zhai Da remembered something and said to Fan Junwei:

"You know I can do magic, right?"

Fan Junwei nodded.

"I can also do a little bit of sorcery."

Fan Junwei:...

"Being silent for so long makes me feel very awkward."

"Uh... I believe you, really."

Zhai Da snapped his fingers, and an object appeared in his hand, which he placed into Fan Junwei's palm.

【Hardman's Razor】

"Borrowing this to you. Remember to wash it clean before using it. If you use it to shave your beard regularly, good luck will befall you."

Fan Junwei fell into silence once more, but in the end, he still accepted this piece of trash that Zhai Da had picked up right in front of him.

In reality, he didn't have much of a beard; at his age, few had a full beard. It was at most the coarser kind among the fuzz.

Not grooming it daily was also a major reason why he looked a bit slovenly.

Zhai Da emphasized, "Don't forget to use it. Cherish it."

He hoped this piece of equipment, which was of no use to him, could help Fan Junwei.

At the very least... being a sparring partner at the boxing gym wouldn't hurt as much.

Fan Junwei nodded and said earnestly, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

On the system interface, the ownership status of the 【Hardman's Razor】 also changed to "Temporarily Lost" and "Activated."

The taxi that had made the U-turn stopped in front of them. Zhai Da got into the car, waved at Fan Junwei, and said one last thing:

"As for that part-time job, keep at it if you can hold on. If you can't, don't force yourself. After the college entrance exam, I plan to do something; I'll call you to earn money together then."

Fan Junwei didn't understand what he meant, but he still promised, "I might not be able to help much, but if you call me, I will definitely come."

The bumpy car drove onto the road home.

Zhai Da pulled a yellow apple out of the plastic bag.

It wasn't big, nor was it good-looking; the skin even bore scars, just like the hands of Fan Junwei's grandmother.

He didn't know if it was a benefit for sanitation workers or charity from a fruit shop owner who didn't want them.

Zhai Da wiped it off and took a big bite.

But it was very sweet.

————

When Zhai Da returned home, Lu Wei and Yu Xiaoli were already busy in the kitchen. The enticing aroma of food, just beginning to take shape, filled every inch of space, eventually permeating every corner.

Yu Xiaoli turned back to look. Zhai Da raised the plastic bag in his hand. "A friend gave me some fruit. It's so sweet."

"Is that so? I'll have a taste after dinner. Which friend? Wu Yue?"

"No, a very manly friend."

Carrying the apples into the kitchen to put them in the refrigerator, Zhai Da said casually:

"Finished buying clothes? Did it go smoothly?"

Yu Xiaoli didn't even turn her head. "What could possibly go wrong? Xiao Wei's clothes aren't hard to buy."

Zhai Da looked Lu Wei up and down. "What did you buy? Show me, won't you?"

Yu Xiaoli turned back and glared at Zhai Da. Zhai Da then remembered.

It seemed they had gone to buy underwear...

Seeing Lu Wei's tilted-head gaze, Zhai Da quickly added, "That was a joke."

At least in front of his mother, it absolutely had to be a joke!

At the dinner table, Yu Xiaoli suddenly said:

"Xiao Da, you and Xiao Wei have been focusing on your studies. Before, I wasn't sure if you were really studying or just pretending, so I didn't dare ask too much. After all, you fainted once, didn't you?"

Zhai Da was speechless. This topic was never going to go away, was it?

But it was true; ever since he fainted, Yu Xiaoli hadn't asked a single question about his studies, fearing he might have a stress reaction.

As for Lu Wei... this girl was also a little quiet. With Yu Xiaoli not taking the initiative to ask, she hadn't mentioned a word about it while working at the factory either.

"Now that the subject level tests are over, as your mother, I should ask about the actual situation. How far have you two gotten?"

She added at the end, "I mean your studies... of course, it would be best if you reported other situations to me too, so I can be mentally prepared."

Lu Wei put down her bowl and chopsticks and sat up straight, looking at Zhai Da. In such matters, Zhai Da was clearly the one to make the call.

Zhai Da organized his thoughts; it was about time to report the results to his mother.

"Then I'll be blunt. Your son has been accumulating strength and waiting for the right moment; my talent has awakened. The current results are quite good. A 211 university is a sure thing, and I'm still improving rapidly."

Silence... a long silence.

Yu Xiaoli: "Finished joking? Alright, let's talk about serious matters now. How are your grades really?"

Zhai Da raised an eyebrow. "Not a single word was a joke. My test score of 372 is verifiable, and I estimate two A's on the compulsory subject level tests. The estimated cutoff for a first-tier university in our province this year is only 340. If that's not a sure thing for a 211, what is?"

Yu Xiaoli was like a broken record: "Finished joking? Alright, let's talk about serious matters now..."

Zhai Da stood up directly, dug out his test paper from the study, and handed it to Yu Xiaoli. "See for yourself."

Yu Xiaoli stared at it blankly for a long time, and finally, a hint of belief appeared in her eyes.

"But... when I went to ask for leave for your evening self-study last time, the teacher only said your Chinese had improved..."

"That was just because the test scores hadn't come out yet. If you still don't believe me, you can call the teacher. My seat has even been moved to the third row."

Just when Zhai Da thought his mother would praise him, Yu Xiaoli took Lu Wei's hand and said, "Xiao Wei... you are truly amazing!!"

Zhai Da:...

Lu Wei quickly declined, "It's not like that, Teacher Yu. Zhai Da teaches me English and Chinese, and I teach him science. We are... working hard together."

Zhai Da clicked his tongue twice. "Lu Wei's compulsory subject level tests are also two A's, no doubt about it. As for the college entrance exam itself... I can guarantee she'll get over 400 points..."

Math 160+40; Lu Wei should have no problem getting 190. As long as Chinese + English (160+120) can reach around 200 under Zhai Da's tutoring, a total score of 400 is secure.

Yu Xiaoli had heard of the 08 new regulations but didn't understand much. She knew that getting into a 211 was good, but she wasn't very clear on what a score of 400 meant.

Zhai Da explained, "Let's put it this way: Lu Wei and I will both be at a 985 university at the very least, and it might be one of the top-tier 985s. I'm slightly worse off, but I'm still confident in a regular 985."

Yu Xiaoli's complexion visibly flushed; she was clearly excited. But before she could open her mouth to say anything, Lu Wei suddenly shook her head and spoke quickly:

"I will... go to the same university as you."

There was no expression on her face, and Zhai Da couldn't judge what emotion she was feeling.

But Zhai Da wasn't surprised by this. "Your score will most likely be higher than mine. Although it might not be by much, insisting on applying to the same university isn't reasonable from a strategic standpoint. It might waste your score."

Lu Wei didn't speak, just shook her head.

Zhai Da said earnestly, "Have you ever thought about what if it's Qinghua University or Beijing University?"

If he remembered correctly, that year, because some poor soul had a B in a subject level test, they were rejected by Beijing University. This news spread like wildfire in the "08 Victims Exchange Group," so he remembered that Beijing University's admission cutoff that year was around 415.

Qinghua University should be about the same. Lu Wei had a chance to challenge that level.

If the goal is to get into the same university, dragging Lu Wei down to his level is a waste.

Lu Wei just kept eating while repeating the same words: "The same university."

Seeing that the two couldn't continue the conversation, Yu Xiaoli spoke up to break the deadlock.

Filling out the application was still a bit far off for her; she hadn't even digested today's news yet.

"My god... our family is going to have two university students? And top-tier universities at that?!"

Whether in words or emotion, she had already treated Lu Wei as one of her own.

As for whether she was a daughter or something else... she hadn't made that distinction yet.

Zhai Da smiled. "That's what it means."

Yu Xiaoli smiled and smiled... then started complaining to Zhai Da.

"You child, you've been studying so hard, why didn't you tell your mother!"

Zhai Da:...

Do you want to hear what you're saying? Which day have I been studying behind your back?!

At most, it was because his grades were still improving, so he hadn't reported it formally. After all, the small tests didn't have such strong "credibility."

He had originally planned to have a systematic talk with Yu Xiaoli after the third mock exam, armed with a report card that had rock-solid credibility. ===== CHAPTER 80 =====