I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 1 Zhang Da'an

In the year 4695 of the Yellow Emperor's reign, Wuxing Village became much more lively than usual because of the Labor Day holiday. Playing cards was the main activity, whether it was mahjong or poker, there was no shortage of people at the table.

However, because the income of Wuxing Village was really too low at this time, even the lively card games were only played briefly. The joint defense team that helped catch gamblers was definitely not willing to come here for entertainment.

The large-headed television was broadcasting the midday news, which mentioned attracting foreign investment and further promoting housing policy reform. Upon hearing a few words from the news, the men at the card table immediately began to mock and ridicule, accompanied by vulgar language and exaggerated gestures, slamming their cards onto the card table.

It seemed as if the momentum to win the game was bursting forth.

The reborn Zhang Da'an was used to it, only helping to add tea and water. Occasionally, when a relative asked for a pack of cigarettes, he would walk a little further to the convenience store.

"So you still have to study. Only by studying can you make a living, earn big money, earn money from foreigners, buy a house in a big city, and become a city dweller."

Snapped.

The man who spoke was Zhang Zhengdong, one of Zhang Da'an's uncles and the principal of a rural middle school.

He had served in the army for several years, but always considered himself a cultured man. With a smug look on his face, he took the cigarette out of his mouth, then squinted and flicked the ash off his cigarette while shaking his head.

Zhang Zhengdong had suffered greatly from his lack of education. After failing to get promoted several times, he returned to his hometown of Shazhou City.

Studying was his obsession.

Of course, in the Zhang family, this is actually a correct but useless statement. Occasionally, a rebellious son might argue against it, but it's just for show; they are not true practitioners of the "uselessness of studying" theory.

"What's the point of studying? Everyone in Wangdongzhuang is a boss who only graduated from junior high school, and they're still making a fortune, aren't they?"

*Slap*, Zhang Zhengguo, the player below him on the same three-pipe, curled his lip.

This was also Zhang Da'an's uncle, a bit of a troublemaker.

"Zhang Guo, you son of a bitch, what kind of bullshit are you spouting—"

Before Zhang Zhengdong could refute, an old man who was sitting with his legs crossed watching the news turned around and shouted at the card table.

Then everyone fell silent. Zhang Zhengguo, who had previously said "What's the point of studying?", quickly put on a smile and said, "Uncle, I was just spouting nonsense, just pretend I was talking nonsense..."

The old man didn't say much, continuing to watch the news. Then, as if remembering something, he asked Zhang Da'an, who was serving tea and water to a fruit platter full of melon seeds and peanuts, "Zhang An, what was your ranking in the monthly exam?"

"Twenty-seven."

How many students are in a class?

Sixty-four.

"Can you pass the high school entrance exam?"

"I can barely get into a regular high school, and if I can't pass the entrance exam, I'll go to a vocational high school or a technical secondary school."

"That's fine too. If there's a place to study, then study. Don't worry about the tuition, I'll pay for it."

"Ah."

Zhang Da'an responded, merely going through the motions with the old man. He glanced at the elders playing cards at the table, then got up and swept up the sunflower seeds and peanut shells on the ground. He put away the broom and dustpan, then went out to collect the clothes that had been drying.

A game of cards among friends won't go on forever; they'll usually stop and the table will fall apart, leaving behind a mess of sunflower seed shells and fruit peels.

After playing cards for half a day, the winnings and losses amounted to only twenty or thirty yuan. Compared to the extravagant gambling that was popular in the surrounding villages, the men of the Zhang family in Wuxing Village were practically playing child's play.

After playing a couple of rounds of cards to satisfy his craving, Zhang Zhengdong wanted to find a fishing rod to try his hand at fishing. The Zhang family had the most fishing gear, all of which was homemade by Zhang Da'an.

These were, after all, his livelihood's possessions. If he relied on buying them, how could he afford them when he was only fifteen?

"Zhang An, do you have any crucian carp hooks? I just want to cast a couple of lines on the dock."

"some."

Zhang Da'an handed him a fishing rod, which he had made himself by drying bamboo in the shade, then baking and varnishing it, using one section at a time. There was no fishing line setup, no leader, just a main line with a seven-star float. He would find a grassy spot, scatter some fermented rice, and then thread an earthworm on it for fun.

It wasn't particularly hot in May this year, but the crucian carp started biting early. Zhang Zhengdong caught a small crucian carp within two minutes of casting his line, but it was too small, so he just tossed it to the other side of the dock.

Zhang Da'an took a bamboo pole, attached a Bagua reel, and then used his homemade plastic lure to try and entice the water plants on the shore to see if there were any snakehead fish.

I also took the opportunity to chat with Zhang Zhengdong about some things.

Wow!
As he cast, the reel sped out, and after the lure hit the water, Zhang Da'an skillfully teased the fish and reeled in the line. At the same time, he asked Zhang Zhengdong, "Uncle, I heard you're planning to get a middle school entrance exam scholarship at Dongweigang Middle School?"

"Haha, just kidding. I got 90,000 yuan from the school-run factory. After paying the teachers' back wages, I still had 41,000 yuan left. I said that if I could get two students into top national key schools in Dongweigang, I would cover their tuition."

Zhang Zhengdong smiled self-deprecatingly, feeling that his nephew Zhang Da'an could never understand his helplessness.

Dongweigang Middle School is actually a rural middle school. Normally, a middle school should at least be located in a township, but it is indeed a rural middle school.

Because its predecessor was a rural junior high school tutoring class along the river in Shazhou, which used to be responsible for literacy work in the rural areas along the river, it was not long after it was transformed into a formal middle school.

Therefore, it has neither historical heritage nor any outstanding achievements in examinations.

In the ranking of all middle schools in Shazhou City, it is truly at the bottom. Many students from rural families along the river would actually prefer to go to another rural middle school in the west, where at least the teachers are of normal quality and the school facilities are also normal.

The reason for this is that Dongweigang Middle School doesn't even have a cinder track; it's just a dirt road, compacted tightly but turning into a muddy mess on rainy days.

This dirt track and field was built by Zhang Zhengdong when he first started working at Dongweigang Middle School.

Incidentally, Zhang Zhengdong shamelessly asked the Zhang family members, young and old, to do two months of voluntary labor to create an open space where they could exercise on sunny days.

The production team where the Zhang family of Wuxing Village belongs received a collective certificate of merit.

That's all there is.

It's impossible to give Dongweigang Middle School too many resources, because from any perspective, this rural middle school will likely end up like many other disappearing middle schools, being merged into the township central middle school.

School closures and student reassignment are normal, predetermined outcomes.

Ordinary people obviously cannot defy fate. Even if Zhang Zhengdong, as the principal, was unwilling, he could only go with the flow and the general trend.

However, when he heard that Zhang Zhengdong still had 41,000 yuan, Zhang Da'an, as his nephew, immediately lit up.

He really needed the 41,000... Ugh, he just wanted to help his uncle out.

"Uncle, if, and I mean if, Dongweigang Middle School produces the top scorer in the Shazhou City middle school entrance exam, how much money do you plan to reward them with?"

"Speak some nonsense. If I were to actually produce a top scorer in the high school entrance exam, I'd borrow another nine thousand to make it a full fifty thousand!"

Zhang Zhengdong, gritting his teeth, seemed to be cursing something, muttering incessantly. After spewing a string of vulgarities, he hurriedly pulled a shriveled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put one in his mouth, and then snapped it off with a swish.

There were no fish, but a small fish mouth was still hanging on the crucian carp hook.

"Uncle, I want to transfer to Dongweigang Middle School to take the high school entrance exam."

"Ok?"

Zhang Zhengdong, who was cursing under his breath while stringing earthworms, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and looked at his nephew with a strange expression.

Zhang Da'an also yanked his rod sharply, and the distant water plants splashed up with a "whoosh," creating quite a commotion.

Having won a big black coin, Zhang Da'an's eyes were filled with excitement and determination. Forty-one thousand, no, fifty thousand yuan, I'm going to take it!
Uncle, give me all the money. I'll take care of the other students' applications right away.

　The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is on June 7th. Let's use the Gaokao as a starting point to write a brand new adult fairy tale.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)