Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 340 Filling out College Applications
But seeing the worry in his mother's eyes, Wang Chengpeng finally gave in.

It's just a matter of filling out two more applications; it won't really affect him much, since applications are mostly processed from first to last.

It would be completely unnecessary to cause your family worry over something so trivial.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng patted his mother's hand and said with a smile:
"Mother, your concerns are not without merit."

"I'll do as you say and fill in two more choices."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng picked up the registration form on the table and was about to fill it out when Liu Chunhua stopped him again at this crucial moment, saying:
"Son, I've thought about it, and I think it's best if you decide this yourself. I won't get involved."

"Since you only want to go to Fudan University, there is really no need to apply to other universities. It would be hard to explain if you were admitted."

"But if you don't pass the exam this year, you can't be so reckless next year. You have to listen to your mother and fill in all your applications properly."

Just as Wang Chengpeng understood his family's thoughts and made compromises accordingly, Liu Chunhua eventually understood Wang Chengpeng's thoughts and decided to go along with him.

After all, the Wang family now has some resources and can fully support Wang Chengpeng to repeat a few more years of high school.

Seeing that the two had finally reached an agreement, Wang Tieshan grinned:
"It's good that there's no arguing, it's good that there's no arguing."

"Chunhua, I think you're worrying for nothing. Our son is so outstanding, he will definitely be able to get into Fudan University."

Sensing the easing of the tension, Wang Meiyan smiled and said with a proud expression:

"My brother is so amazing, he'll definitely get into Fudan University."

Liu Chunhua glared at the three people with their inexplicable confidence, somewhat speechless, and said:

"So, I've become the bad guy who ruined the family harmony?"

"What do you know? That's Fudan University, one of the top universities in the country."

"With so many people taking the college entrance exam together, it's not as easy as you imagine, that you can get into university so easily?"

Wang Meiyan shook her head without a care, her braids swinging behind her head like two nimble elves:

"My brother wouldn't do something that's not easy!"

"Fine!" Liu Chunhua stood up, feigning anger. "All three of you with the same surname know how to bully me, an outsider."

"I'm going to cook now, I'm not going to chat with you guys anymore."

Although Wang Chengpeng's college application choices have been finalized, the matter is not yet over, because there is also Zhu Hong, a student in the family who will be taking the college entrance examination.

However, he was not so lucky; only Wang Chengpeng helped him decide which university to apply to.

Zhu Hong quickly filled in Fudan University as his first, second, and third choice, and muttered:
"Brother Wang, I'll go wherever you go."

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
He discovered that there was someone in his family who was even more confident than himself. Just two or three months ago, Zhu Hong, who was still at the elementary school level, was now clamoring to take the entrance exam for Fudan University.

Speechless, Wang Chengpeng patted Zhu Hong on the shoulder and patiently advised:
"Zhu Hong, I think you should reconsider your college application choices more carefully."

“After all, once I go to school, there will be no one to tutor you. You will have to rely on your own learning, and you may not even be able to get into university next year.”

Just as Wang Chengpeng was persuading Zhu Hong, a familiar shout suddenly came from outside the door:
"Pengzi, are you home? I need to talk to you."

Before Wang Chengpeng could answer, he turned around and saw Wang Zidong rushing in, holding an application form in his hand, clearly also anxious about filling out his college application.

Sitting opposite Wang Chengpeng, Wang Zidong said with a look of anxiety:
"Pengzi, please give me some advice on which university I should apply to."

“My family doesn’t know anything about these things either, and I figured you might be the only one who knows a little bit, so I came to you for help.”

"By the way, which university are you planning to go to? I'll apply to the same place as you, so we can look out for each other."

"I plan to go to Shanghai," Wang Chengpeng said. "I have a feeling that this place will definitely develop in the future."

"As for filling out your college application, I recommend Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It's a good university with strong academic programs, and it should be a good fit for you."

Hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Zidong pursed his lips and said helplessly:

"Pengzi, you think too highly of me."

"Shanghai Jiao Tong University? That's a top-tier university, it's not a school I could possibly get into."

"You're planning to go to Shanghai? Then I'll go to Shanghai too."

"How about I apply to Shanghai Mechanical Engineering College? My score should be much lower."

It's no wonder that Wang Zidong lacked confidence. The college entrance examination is a nationwide competition, and he really didn't have much confidence that he could get into a very good university.

However, Wang Chengpeng clearly understood his true capabilities better than he did, and said with a smile:
“I think Fudan University is pretty good. We can go together and look out for each other.”

"Since we have three choices, we should always try for the first one."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng seemed to suddenly remember something, took out the application form that Zhu Hong had filled out, pointed to Fudan University on it, and said:

"Look at Zhu Hong, he can apply to Fudan University, so what are you afraid of?"

Zhu Hong: ...? ? ?
He simply wanted to attend the same university as Wang Chengpeng, but he never expected that he would become an inspiration to Wang Zidong at this time.

As expected, Wang Zidong breathed a slight sigh of relief after seeing Zhu Hong's confident way of filling out his college application.

He had a much better foundation than Zhu Hongqiang and had studied for much longer, so he was definitely much better than Zhu Hongqiang.

Since Zhu Hong was so confident, he felt he had no reason to be more cowardly than Zhu Hong.

Moreover, Wang Chengpeng is right. After all, you can fill in three choices, so you should always aim high for your first choice.

With that in mind, Wang Zidong filled in Fudan University as his first choice without hesitation. As for the specific major, he planned to think about it again when he got back.

After thinking for a moment, he filled in Shanghai University of Science and Technology as his second choice and Shanghai Institute of Mechanical Engineering as his third choice, and then nodded with satisfaction.
“Pengzi, it was definitely the right decision to ask you about this. If I had to think about it myself, I don’t know how long it would have taken.”

Wang Chengpeng asked with some curiosity, "Why did you apply to all mechanical engineering schools? Do you plan to pursue a career in mechanical design?"

Nodding, Wang Zidong replied, "I do indeed have such plans."

"I think the current production methods are too outdated. If we could design some machines that make it easier for everyone to do things, then everyone's life would be much easier."

At this point, Wang Zidong's eyes were filled with emotion, and he said with deep feeling:

"I don't know if you've ever visited a sugar factory and seen the sophisticated equipment inside. If you had, you would understand how I feel."

"They are just some inconspicuous lumps of iron, but they can increase the sugar-making efficiency of factory workers by more than ten times."

"I went to the Dapeng Sugar Factory when they were recruiting workers, and all I managed to do was wash a few beets."

"But the equipment in the sugar factory is amazing when it's running; it can easily wash hundreds of kilograms of sugar beets clean."

"It's not just about cleaning; there are also steps like peeling, juicing, boiling sugar, crystallizing and crushing, and packaging. With the help of the equipment, these seemingly tedious operations can be easily solved. That's the charm of those lumps of iron."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng lowered his voice and said to Wang Chengpeng:

"Pengzi, I have some inside information to tell you. I heard that the factory spent a lot of money to buy these machines, and they've been on credit ever since, accumulating a huge debt." "It's said that each machine costs several thousand yuan, which is an amount of money I can't even imagine."

"But just based on the effectiveness of those devices, I think the money was well spent."

"Without these facilities, Dapeng Sugar Factory could not have developed so rapidly."

"My current goal is to become as good as these equipment designers through learning, so that I can benefit the public and make money at the same time. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

At this point, Wang Zidong's eyes were filled with admiration, and he continued, "I still feel like saying more:"
"I really want to see who this person with such strength is, but unfortunately, I think I'm not qualified to meet him."

To ensure that the payment for the equipment would not be delayed, Wang Yong had been constantly informing relevant parties.

They painstakingly created an atmosphere that the equipment was very expensive and of high quality, that Dapeng Sugar Factory owed a lot of money for the equipment, and that the factory was kind enough to let them pay on credit, so they had to settle the outstanding payments as soon as possible.

As a result, the Dapeng Sugar Factory, which should have been a semi-secret operation, was opened to the public for visits, and most of the villagers went to visit once or twice.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yong's unintentional act left an indelible impression on the young Wang Zidong, even influencing his choice of college application.

Wang Zidong probably never dreamed that he would not only meet the designer of the equipment, but would even meet him frequently.

Of course, Wang Chengpeng wouldn't tell such a blunt truth; he felt there was no need for him to reveal his identity to Wang Zidong.

After all, he had just been praising himself to the skies, and the next moment he would meet the real person. Wouldn't that be quite awkward?
Therefore, Wang Chengpeng had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"Mechanical engineering? That's a good choice. I'm also planning to pursue a similar career path."

"When the time comes, if we brothers join forces, we might just be able to create a new world for ourselves."

Seeing that his idea had been approved by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Zidong was very excited and said happily:

"Pengzi, I'm relieved that you think so too."

"I'll take the application back to my parents now, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll head back now."

After seeing Wang Zidong out the door, Wang Chengpeng turned back to think about Zhu Hong's college application.

After a moment's thought, Wang Chengpeng helped Zhu Hong select a few decent universities as his choices, with Tongji University being his first choice.

Tongji University, as a key university and within Zhu Hong's capabilities, is definitely a very good first choice.

In addition, their proximity to Fudan University meant the three of them could look out for each other.

After all, they were in an unfamiliar place, and the only thing they could rely on was each other, who had passed the exam together.

After careful consideration, the three quickly completed their college application forms. The next step was to study hard and do everything they could to get into university.

Time flies, and December is fast approaching, with the college entrance examination just around the corner.

Weather is unpredictable, especially in December, which is winter. While it may not be freezing cold, it is still quite cold.

Since the beet harvest was mostly complete, there wasn't much to do at the factory, and Wang Chengpeng's parents were able to come home early every day.

Liu Chunhua was naturally skillful, and with a sewing machine at her disposal, she immediately went to the state-run store to buy some nice fabrics and started making clothes for everyone at home.

As soon as she got home, Wang Meiyan went straight to the sewing machine without going anywhere else. Her eyes were filled with hope as she looked at the fabric being sewn.

"Mom, when will this dress be finished? I can't wait to wear my new clothes."

Although Wang Chengpeng bought new clothes for everyone at the state-run store last time, they were all summer and autumn clothes, which were not very suitable for winter.

In addition, Wang Chengpeng's family used to live in extreme poverty. Not to mention ordinary days, even during the New Year, only the children could get new clothes. Naturally, Wang Meiyan was extremely envious of this opportunity to wear new clothes.

Liu Chunhua glanced at Wang Meiyan with doting eyes, her face beaming with smiles. As she operated the sewing machine, she said with a laugh:
"Xiao Yan, don't rush. I need to do a lot of stitching on this garment to make it sturdy and durable."

Hearing her mother say that, Wang Meiyan finally calmed down, cupped her face in her hands and sat down to the side, watching her mother make clothes for her with a smile on her face.

During a break from teaching, Wang Chengpeng came over and jokingly said:
"Mom, I told you this sewing machine is great, don't you think?"

"You said you were going to sell this sewing machine at the second-hand market. If you really sell it, and you sew clothes for us stitch by stitch, then we won't be able to wear our new clothes until the New Year."

Liu Chunhua glared at Wang Chengpeng with annoyance and said helplessly:

"Xiao Peng, you've gone astray, you're even bullying your mother now."

"This sewing machine is good, but our family's situation didn't allow for it before, did it?"

"But things are looking up for us now. Your dad and I performed well in production and were both promoted to team leaders, earning fifty or sixty yuan a month."

"Many people working in the city don't earn that much, so this is really a good job."

With the increase in family income, Wang Tieshan and Liu Chunhua now speak with much more confidence.

Although they remained as kind as before, they also showed more courage when faced with certain situations, daring to fight back, which changed the reputation of being easy to bully in the hearts of the people.

With their son Wang Chengpeng, who has an excellent reputation, backing them up, everyone who meets them praises them, which makes them happy every day.

Although, according to the initial plan, Wang Yong intended to promote both Wang Tieshan and Liu Chunhua to leadership positions in their respective departments.

However, when he went to discuss this matter with Wang Chengpeng's parents, they both refused in unison, saying that they still preferred their current production work.

This situation left Wang Yong quite helpless, so he could only promote them all to group leaders, which was a reluctant way of giving Wang Chengpeng an explanation.

Wang Chengpeng had no objection to this, after all, with Wang Yong, the factory director, helping to keep an eye on things, his parents wouldn't be bullied at the sugar factory.

Nodding with a smile, Wang Chengpeng said, "Of course, my dad and mom are quite capable now."

Putting down her work, Liu Chunhua raised her hand, as if to hit Wang Chengpeng, and loudly reprimanded him:

"You're really cheeky, you just need to be taught a lesson."

"Your father and I are indeed capable, but we still couldn't earn enough to have meat at every meal."

"It's better now. With the cafeteria as a cover, it's not so difficult to eat more meat."

"Before, the hostages that others couldn't get were piled up in your hands, you really aren't afraid of being reported."

With an indifferent smile, Wang Chengpeng said, "I got this hostage legitimately, so why would I be afraid of being reported?"

Go ahead and report it, report it to the supply and marketing cooperative. It's hard to say who will end up in trouble.

Raising her hand high and lowering it gently, Liu Chunhua finally patted Wang Chengpeng's shoulder and said:

"You can fool me all you want, but don't try to fool your dad, he might really hit you."

Faced with his mother's scolding, Wang Chengpeng said innocently, "I didn't say anything wrong, why did Dad hit me?"

Knowing she couldn't win an argument with Wang Chengpeng, Liu Chunhua seemed to have thought of something and said with a worried expression:

"Xiaopeng, you're quite optimistic."

"The college entrance exam is just around the corner. How's your studying going? Are you confident?"

(End of this chapter)