Age of Legends

Chapter 41 What to do

Zhuang Yanyue stood at the intersection of the L-shaped teaching building corridor. This place was quite conspicuous and many people would pass by.

But this time, it seemed like everyone knew who she was waiting for.

Surprisingly, many people did not feel sorry for Zhuang Yanyue, or that the two sides were not equal and Zhang Chen was not worthy of such a thought. Instead, they wanted to see if there would be any results, and whether Zhang Chen would be taken down? And they were actually happy to see it happen.

It’s just that Zhuang Yanyue’s estimate seems to be a little off.

She didn't wait for Zhang Chen.

She raised her head and looked towards the second floor, where the azure sky was dotted. She raised her eyebrows slightly again.

……

Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei came down from the back corridor of the senior year group and stood under a thick yellow horn tree. There were bougainvilleas climbing up the wall. Wang Shuowei asked, "What should we do next?"

He didn't know what Zhang Chen was hiding from, but he just followed Zhang Chen. It was like an adventure together.

"Let's go out the back door." Zhang Chen, who had originally planned to go directly to the front door, decided to take the risk and go out the back door. The back door is usually not open, but today is a holiday, so the back door will probably be open.

As expected, when they arrived at the cramped back door and saw the iron gate open, Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei went out and came to Fanghua Street outside.

"Zhang Chen, I want to eat skewers!"

"I can't do anything to you, eat!"

When Wang Shuowei arrived at the door, he was attracted by the barbecue over there. Zhang Chen also heard about it and his appetite was aroused, so he and Wang Shuowei each bought two skewers of meat.

Zhang Chen almost bumped into a figure wearing a pink slim-fit sweater and jeans when he turned around with his string in his hand after finishing the test.

Looking at Zhuang Yanyue in front of him, Zhang Chen really felt that there was no point in eating. He should just escape quickly after coming out from the back door. How could he defend against such a powerful Yuanying stage warrior?
And if he turned around and walked faster, he would have bumped into Zhuang Yanyue chest to chest.

Even though this action made Zhuang Yanyue a little flustered, she even subconsciously put her hands in front of her chest and her face flushed, but she quickly adjusted herself and looked at the two of them with a charming smile.

Wang Shuowei was also startled and subconsciously said, "Wow, Zhuang Yanyue, you are a ghost!"

As soon as the word "ghost" came out of his mouth, he immediately looked at Zhang Chen and muttered, "Thai ghost..." He finally understood what Zhang Chen meant and why he had just taken him on a detour.

"What's wrong with you?"

Zhuang Yanyue ignored Wang Shuowei's nonsense and looked at Zhang Chen and said, "I left you my phone number last time, but as a reciprocity... I don't have your phone number yet."

Wang Shuowei was eating skewers nearby and watching happily. He looked at Zhang Chen with a questioning look on his face, "How come you left your phone number and when did you do that? Why don't I know it?"
Zhang Chen copied the phone number that Zhuang Yanyue left into his own address book. At that time, high school students generally did not have mobile phones, but Zhuang Yanyue did. She left her mobile number, but she did not carry it with her during class. Zhang Chen's family did not have the means to buy a mobile phone.

So Zhang Chen said, "I only have a landline at home."

"Uh-huh."

Zhuang Yanyue nodded, her hair dancing gently, her face full of softness and anticipation.

He didn't seem to care whether Zhang Chen had a mobile phone or a landline, and he was happy enough that he simply agreed to give him the number.

Seeing Zhang Chen in a daze, she said, "Give it to me now!"

As if she realized something, she said "Oh", turned around and turned the backpack behind her to the front, took out a pen and a small notebook from it, and handed them to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen had no choice but to hold the two skewers with his index fingers, and use the rest of his left hand to hold the notebook, and take the pen with his right hand, maintaining this position.

Zhang Chen actually had no reason to refuse her, especially after she gave him the umbrella that night, he really owed her a favor.

"You want my phone number. Do you want to ask me out during the holidays? I can't go out. My mother is very fierce." Zhang Chen thought he might as well push the blame onto Huang Huifen.

Who knew that Zhuang Yanyue tilted her head slightly to look at him, the moist lipstick on her lips made her lips seem to be shining, "What are you thinking about? Why did I ask you out? Zhang Chen, do you want me to ask you out?"

Hit the key point, classmates. Zhang Chen pushed the question to Huang Huifen, and she threw the question to her, directly questioning Zhang Chen's heart.

But she didn't give Zhang Chen time to respond, and said, "It's just that your progress this time is too amazing. Your grade ranking is higher than mine. I think you can rush up so quickly, you must have a lot of unique ideas. If I have some study problems, I can call you to ask, right? You won't be so stingy as not to give me your phone number, right?"

Seeing the smug expression of "You think too much!" on Zhuang Yanyue's lips, Zhang Chen felt it difficult to respond to her words. Knowing that there was no way to shirk, Zhang Chen could only quickly write down his home phone number on his notebook.

Then he handed the notebook and pen back to her.

Zhuang Yanyue took it, and the next moment, she reached out and grabbed the skewer of meat in his hand.

Then she turned around and waved goodbye to them, "I'll contact you when I encounter questions I don't understand... Well, happy holidays!"

Zhuang Yanyue bit off a piece of meat from the skewer, stuffed her mouth full, and chewed hard and seriously, regardless of the oil stains on her lips, as if she had accomplished a small revenge.

... Zhang Zhonghua returned home somewhat exhausted. He was notified of his job transfer today. The company was making personnel adjustments to meet its new development strategy and establishing a new company. The new company has higher salaries, takes an industrial route, and has a better future.

Those who stayed behind were placed in old companies with no future in NanGuang Group. Their salaries were reduced, their positions were adjusted, and they might even have to look after warehouses.

In recent years, NanGuang Company has been chasing the Internet wave and has entered many fields, but none of them made money. As for those fields that it entered, some were replaced, and those that could not be replaced could only barely maintain themselves. Those who stayed in these industries are basically marginalized people in the company.

Unfortunately, at the age of 45, Zhang Zhonghua failed to make the list of promising new companies.

After the age of forty-five, half of life is over. Behind me are family responsibilities, and ahead is a narrow road of life with an end in sight.

When the list came out, he found that he was on the transfer list, which was like failing the exam. Zhang Zhonghua took the college entrance exam three times and failed twice in a row. He was admitted to the University of Technology on the third try. He will always remember the experience of those two failures. But this time, he encountered a more severe failure.

Life is like having an invisible burden on your shoulders.

He also didn't know how to respond to the regrets and sorrows expressed by his old colleagues when the list came out.

He just felt confused and had only one thought: what would happen to his family in the future and what would happen to Zhang Chen's future?
When I got home, my wife Huang Huifen was already cooking at home. She also had a worried look on her face. "Your job transfer has been announced, right?"

Zhang Zhonghua nodded.

Huang Huifen felt sad at that moment, "What should I do..."

She was just a small warehouse manager with a fixed salary that didn't make much money. The family's main source of income was Zhang Zhonghua. As an engineer in the factory, his salary plus performance bonus averaged 1200 yuan per month. Together with Huang Huifen's 600 yuan, it was enough to keep the family going.

But now, after the job transfer, Zhang Zhonghua's salary will be cut in half. The family's income is insufficient to make ends meet, and Zhang Chen will need money again. The economic pressure is thus covering the head of the family, forming a faint mountain.

Huang Huifen was cooking, but she became more and more irritated and started cursing again.

It’s just what my cousin and cousin-in-law said before, Zhang Chen’s grades are not good, and he has to arrange for college in the future. The tuition fees of private universities are much higher than those of ordinary universities. What should he do?
Then Huang Huifen got angry again, "It's almost time for dinner, why hasn't Zhang Chen come back yet? Where have you been?"

Before he finished speaking, there was the sound of a key turning in the door and Zhang Chen walked into the room.

As soon as he saw this situation, Zhang Chen roughly knew the cause and effect.

Zhang Zhonghua glanced at Zhang Chen, and thinking of this son who had never been a worry since he was a child, he couldn't help but sigh, "Let's eat."

The dishes were ready and everyone sat at the table. Huang Huifen started scolding again. This time she didn't avoid Zhang Chen. She was upset and directly scolded Zhang Zhonghua for not knowing how to adapt, not knowing how to communicate with his superiors, and being too honest. He didn't know how to fight for what he wanted at a time like this. Maybe if he had fought for it, he wouldn't have to be transferred and have his salary halved, and he could have joined the new company and continued his position. His salary would have been higher and his family's life would have been better. But now, what should he do next?
Finally, Huang Huifen changed the subject and scolded Zhang Chen, "Are the results out? How many points did you get? We don't dare to look at them. I took the bus back today and heard everyone on the bus discussing that your Yude High School had a perfect score for the final composition. Look at them, they are also from your Yude High School, everyone is talking about it, and look at yourself... Why can't our family be like those good students' families? Our family is obviously not rich, and you are still ignorant!"

Zhang Zhonghua didn't listen to Huang Huifen's scolding, and just looked at Zhang Chen, "How many points did you get in the exam? Show us."

Yes, even though difficulties come, we should still focus on the present in life.

He would routinely summarize how bad Zhang Chen's performance was and what his shortcomings were, and offer suggestions. This was the case every semester, and even though it was of little use, he had gotten used to it.

Zhang Chen nodded, then took out the notice and placed it on the table, "Total score 579."

Huang Huifen slapped the table and said, "Look, you got 379! You can at least get 400 points! You are committing a sin!"

Zhang Zhonghua took a sip of wine and shook his head, saying with difficulty, "Why have we regressed so much..."

Zhang Chen was silent for a moment. He now believed that people could only listen to what they believed.

He raised his voice, pointed at the notice, and said word by word: "Zhang Chen. Male, Class 119, Grade 130, Math 139. Chinese 94. English 97. Physics 579, Chemistry 550. Total score 256. The key score line is , ranking th in the grade."

Wait until you finish reading.

Huang Huifen was stunned, and the wine glass in Zhang Zhonghua's hand trembled slightly.

Huang Huifen swallowed her saliva and said to Zhang Chen, "How did you copy it? -" Then she said sharply, "Don't try to cheat me -!"

Just as she was about to explode, Zhang Chen slowly took out the certificate, like a talisman to seal the angry zombie.

"Also, Mom, the essay that got a perfect score that you heard on the bus today was written by me."

After the two men took the notice and the certificate tremblingly, Zhang Zhonghua looked at the notice, the test paper and the certificate that Zhang Chen took out for a long time with his slightly misty eyes that had been bent over the desk for a long time. Finally, he poured a full glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

After turning 45, I was transferred to another position with a pay cut, and was subjected to cold remarks from colleagues. I experienced the fickleness of the world and the fickleness of human nature.

Carrying on my shoulders are family and responsibilities, the burden of life is like a mountain.

At this time, I heard the news that my child had a promising future.

The 45-year-old man burst into tears.

(End of this chapter)