Chapter 1183: 1056: Did He Go to Your Place Too?

Zhang Mingzuo entered while holding his eldest son and immediately noticed Zhang the Second sitting in the living room. He grinned and said, "Second Uncle, when did you come? Where’s my Second Aunt and the others?"Zhang the Second had no complaints about his nephew. He waved his hand, pointing to the chair beside him, "They’re coming soon, I reckon they’re right behind you. What about the little one?"

"At home with his mom." Zhang Mingzuo handed the child over and sighed, "This little guy clung to me and wouldn’t let go when he heard I was coming to the grandparent’s place."

As they chatted, a string of people from the eldest’s family also entered the living room one by one.

"Big Brother, come sit over here. Did Dad also go to your workplace?"

Zhang Guofu handed his coat to his wife, smiling with delight, "Did he come to yours too? Dad was so happy today that he almost tripped on his way out."

"Second Uncle, did the Liu Yi brothers really take this exam?"

Zhang the Second nodded with a smile. His younger brother wouldn’t joke about his own sons, there’s no doubt about it!

"That’s great! When the red list comes out in a few days, if you all make it, our Old Zhang’s family will have lots of college students."

Huang Cuilan glanced at her husband and lowered her head, pouting. Xiao Wu’s pair of twins are surnamed Zhou, definitely not from Old Zhang’s family.

"I wonder how Yin Suo and the others did in the exam?"

Zhang Guofu told his wife to point at the thermos bottle. His younger brother Xiao Wu was always more considerate. This thermos was something he had prepared early for their parents.

If he remembers correctly, those two thermoses for his parents have been in use for almost ten years now. Back then, their mom blamed Xiao Wu for spending carelessly but it turned out to be worth it.

Zhang Mingzuo quickly took over the job, "Mom, go check outside, see if my aunt’s back. Dad, there’s a good chance with Da Jiang and the others."

Zhang Guofu understood the implied meaning. It’s just that Yin Suo fell short, isn’t it? "That day when I saw you estimating your scores, didn’t you all say it went well?"

"I’ve looked into it. This exam has the highest number of participants in our provincial history. Without 240 points, it’s probably not going to work."

"What 240 points? Big Uncle, Second Uncle, you’re here?"

Zhang the Second beamed at his eldest nephew as he entered, "Come sit over here, have you decided where to apply?"

Zhang Meili had just pulled open the door curtain and chimed in, "The results haven’t been released yet, what’s there to think about?"

"Big Sister, you’re wrong there! Always dampening the kids’ spirits."

"Alright, fine, happy now?"

Hearing the two sisters’ voices, Zhang Guofu chuckled and shook his head, then stood up to let the two brother-in-laws who followed in take a seat.

"240? Then our brothers should all pass."

Zhang Mingzuo laughed helplessly, "Not necessarily. We’ll see. If it’s 220, then there’s more certainty."

"It’s okay. If we don’t pass, we’ll try again next year." Zhang Ziwu entered, greeted the elders, and moved toward his brothers, coincidentally overhearing this.

Zhang Mingzuo smiled ambiguously, "Have you thought about where to go?"

Zhang Ziwu sneaked a glance at his big brother and laughed, "I’ll decide when the notice comes out; I still have to see how my wife scored. Can’t be too far apart, right?"

"I’m also worried about mine."

When Zhang Ziwu heard this from his brother, his elder brother Zhang Ziwen’s expression didn’t change; he was secretly pleased and said teasingly, "Being far apart might be good; absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Zhang Ziwen gave him a quick kick and glanced towards the parents and elders.

"A slip of the tongue, my mistake."

Zhang Mingzuo saw this and winked at his cousin, enjoying a muffled laugh. Serves you right for being cheeky, speaking out of turn without considering the occasion.

"Hey, where’s Little Stone? Xiao You went into the inner room with Grandma, I know. But since Second Uncle is here, why haven’t Shi Tou and Mai Sui arrived? That’s odd."

Zhang Mingzuo was happy to play along as he changed the subject, "Mai Sui is on duty tonight. Shi Tou is probably at the cinema with his lady."

This afternoon, he heard from his wife that the workplace handed out movie tickets; she gave the ticket to Shi Tou.

Zhang Ziwu sighed in envy, "That kid’s really lucky. He scored better than me this time, and without the burden of children, he can freely apply wherever he wants."

Who wouldn’t agree? The key is his partner. They’ve registered even if they haven’t held a ceremony yet, so she’s considered his wife. And remarkably, she scored quite well in the exam too.

"Shi Tou must be applying to Beijing, right?"

Zhang Ziwen nodded, "Likely, he’s different from us. Without kids, it’s fine for him to go far. Second Uncle still has Little Tao and Mai Qing with him. Even if Shi Tou and Mai Sui leave, it’s no big deal."

Over there, Zhang the Second was also discussing the matter, "Big Brother, this time if Zuo You can get into a provincial university, you should transfer to work there. Xi Zi will also have a place to settle down there."

Zhang Guofu chuckled and shook his head, "They’ve married and had kids, no need. I’ll stay in the hometown and take care of Mom and Dad. It’s you who should consider moving."

Zhang Chunming and Chen Xiaobin exchanged glances, both remained silent. Unlike them, working in the textile factory posed no such issues. As long as the kids get accepted, they’ll go to school.

"Me?" Zhang the Second shook his head, "I’m not like you, Little Tao and Mai Qing are still young. When Shi Tou and Mai Sui go to university, there won’t be any salary. Going to the provincial city would mean I’m the sole breadwinner, which probably wouldn’t support the family. Here, their mom can at least do some craftwork and grow vegetables to help out."

When Zhang Chunming heard that, he was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t realized the Second Brother-in-law’s family was so tight. He pondered his words and said, "A lot of people at the factory are taking exams, there might be some vacancies. Why doesn’t Second Sister-in-law consider working there?"

Chen Xiaobin nodded in agreement, "Second Brother, Brother-in-law is right. Whether it’s a temporary position or not, it’s better than making a little money from odd jobs at home."

Zhang the Second almost burst out laughing.

How can he explain that his wife doesn’t care for the temporary position’s mere ten or so dollars? In the past two years, she’s made quite a sum by privately sewing clothes for others.

But it’s really not something easy to voice.

Not that he distrusts the few present, but engaging in petty deals doesn’t have the best reputation; especially since discussing the matter would involve Shi Tou and Mai Sui from his family.

His wife crafts clothes based on drawings from the eldest daughter, but the final selling step in the provincial city is managed by that girl and her brother together.

Zhang the Second casually waved his hand, "Forget it, asking others would be favor owed. Things are fine here, everything’s worry-free." Besides, if he really moved to the provincial city, he’d have to find Xiao Wu, which is unnecessary.

His simple-minded little brother is already a minister; using a sledgehammer to crack a nut isn’t Zhang the Second’s style! Owing a favor would require a significant gift in return, which isn’t a trade Zhang the Second would make.

Zhang Chunming and Chen Xiaobin exchanged glances, refraining from further persuasion, especially considering the matriarch was not far away; they could address the matter later.

Zhang Guofu glanced at the kids lying on the study room kang and then looked towards Zhang the Second, "As long as Brother Ping’an’s trio passes the written exam, political reviews and physical exams won’t be a problem for them. Should we consider preparing gifts earlier? Sending them to Beijing will take some time."

Zhang the Second scratched the back of his head, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Should we wait and see what Mom and Dad think?"