Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

"She has a rural household registration. Sending her back would allow her to attend school, but everyone knows what the situation is like in the countryside now."

"You help Uncle Li with the sour cream issue, and I'll help you with her household registration problem, how about that? I can handle her schooling too!"

Li Huaide spoke loudly, and Qin Jingru heard him. She paused for a moment, then immediately pretended not to hear anything and continued cooking.

But Zhang Dabiao clearly saw her pupils shrink slightly.

Zhang Dabiao was in a bit of a dilemma...

I swear I didn't graduate from New Oriental; I'm just an art student.

Besides, New Oriental doesn't teach Russian cuisine.

"Let me think about it first. Um... does the bear expert have a recipe? A sour cream recipe?"

"No, they're all mechanical engineers, how would they know anything about this?"

"Uncle Li, could you get the formula from the Russians? I need to take a look, right?"

I'll try my best.

"It would be best to get some samples so I can try them. Also, I'll make a list of what materials you need in a few days, and you'd better get them all for me."

"Of course, no problem. By the way, Da Biao, what about the black bread and the big loaf of rye bread..."

"Our country basically doesn't have rye, how am I supposed to get it? That's absolutely impossible!"

"Okay, then... I'll wait for your message."

Li Huaide was at a loss; he had already set very high conditions. If Zhang Dabiao still couldn't pull it off under these circumstances, then he really couldn't.

The supply of sour cream and rye has been basically cut off, but Li Huaide can only win over these Russian experts by making some achievements in this area.

Director Wang's purpose in coming was to ask if he could make more of those wild vegetable biscuits.

Residents of other streets might not be able to handle it properly; if you don't get it right, it's inconvenient to use as a food reserve.

Zhang Dabiao was completely bewildered: "Aunt Wang, I'm just a primary school student, only in sixth grade!"

"Add to that 12-year-old Qin Jingru, and even if I didn't go to school and did it every day, I still wouldn't be able to finish!"

"It's not that I don't want to help the residents of other alleys and streets, it's just the two of us, and that's all we can do. What am I supposed to do?"

"You, you, you can't rely on me and Qin Jingru for everything, can you?"

But Director Wang said something profound—

With great power comes great responsibility.

Zhang Dabiao...

Are you the uncle or aunt of a failed man?

But I'm not Pete Parker!

Suddenly he had an idea—

"How about the neighborhood committee and the steel rolling mill team up and open a snack shop?"

"Hire more people to make pastries, and I'll provide the skills. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Director Wang and Li Huaide exchanged a glance—

Eh?

Why didn't we think of this method?

------------

After the two left, Zhang Dabiao slapped himself repeatedly, yelling, "Serves you right for being so talkative! Serves you right for being so talkative! Serves you right for being so talkative!"

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

Are they really planning to do this?

But what's the meaning of you planning to dump this on me?

I'm only in sixth grade! I'm under so much pressure!

It's obvious that these two want to vote for his technology for free.

Zhang Dabiao didn't mind too much, because these two wouldn't let him work for nothing.

Moreover, those technologies were not his exclusive invention.

But I'm really annoyed that someone has taken away the things that could make me rich.

However, Zhang Dabiao could understand. One was a work-related matter, and the other was a problem concerning the residents' livelihoods. If they hadn't really been unable to handle it, they wouldn't have come to him, a mere elementary school student.

Let's just consider it a tiny contribution to this era.

The main problem is that Zhang Dabiao wanted to move the computer out and hand it over to the state, but he couldn't do it.

Qin Jingru had already prepared the food. Zhang Dabiao went over and leaned against the door frame between the side room and the small courtyard gate, asking a question.

"Jingru, do you want to go to school?"

Qin Jingru lowered her head and didn't speak. After a while, she said, "Actually, it's okay not to go to school. I'm not cut out for studying anyway."

"Life is good enough now, Brother Da Biao, you don't need to worry about my schooling."

Zhang Dabiao pressed further, "But you're only a primary school graduate, aren't you a little disappointed?"

Whether or not one can pass the entrance exams for high school or vocational school is another matter, but preventing someone from attending school is rather cruel.

Qin Jingru remained silent.

Although life is much better now than in the countryside, she always feels out of place in the city because of her lack of education and her rural household registration...

But you can't be too greedy.

Zhang Dabiao scratched his head, feeling a little ashamed because he hadn't asked Qin Jingru what she wanted to do yet, and had been treating her like a maid all day long.

That's a bit too much.

"I'll give it a try first, but there's no guarantee it will work out."

------------

This matter won't be resolved anytime soon, and there's no rush. Zhang Dabiao attends school normally on weekdays, but in class, he can do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't make a sound.

So whenever I had free time, I would start looking at junior high school textbooks, preparing to do the same when I entered junior high school, and on my first day of school, I would talk to the principal about skipping a grade.

It's not impossible to finish junior high school in just one year.

After I got back, I would go to my little apartment to look up information whenever I had free time, to see how to make sour cream.

Mu Wanqing and He Yushui knew that Zhang Dabiao wanted to skip a grade, so they would come over from time to time to tutor him.

Actually, he can understand all of these things, since he has the basics; it's just that he needs to memorize some of the texts again.

But you can't stop those two girls from coming over every day to check on your study progress.

He Yushui is 17 years old and in his second year of high school, while Mu Wanqing is 18 years old and in her third year of high school. There is no problem in "tutoring" (supervising) his studies.

Furthermore, there are foreign language classes in the second and third years of junior high school—Russian—so it's possible for the two of them to help themselves prepare in advance.

but--

"Mu Wanqing, you're a senior in high school now, and the college entrance exam is just around the corner. Are you really not planning to go to university?"

Girl, aren't you a little too free?

Zhang Dabiao suddenly remembered that he had read some materials before and had a certain impression of the college entrance examination admission rate in 60. Because that admission rate was so absurd, it was hard not to remember it.

In 1960, a total of 29 students took the college entrance examination, and 28 were admitted, resulting in an admission rate of 96.8%!

To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't skip directly from elementary school to senior year, he would have liked to take the college entrance exam this year.

However, a contraction and adjustment are expected in 61.

So, given Mu Wanqing's good grades, she could get into a good university even with her eyes closed.

Why not take the exam?

Mu Wanqing lowered her head, looking somewhat forlorn.

"I haven't thought it through yet. I'm confident I'll pass the exam, but my mom..."

"These days, there are government subsidies for university education, so you basically don't have to pay anything yourself, and there might even be additional allowances. Why don't you go?"

Zhang Dabiao couldn't understand it; was there even a need to think about it?

"Da Biao, my situation is complicated, so please don't worry about it..."

As a result, this woman simply stood up and went back to the courtyard.

Zhang Dabiao was stunned. You just left without saying a word?

What does that mean?

What's so complicated about this?

He couldn't understand it.

But after Mu Wanqing left, He Yushui explained to him, "Da Biao, Aunt Mu used to do that kind of work..."

Zhang Dabiao: "Oh, what's wrong? Aunt Mu's family is now classified as urban poor after the 'reform,' is that alright? My dad was a fake Taoist priest, and he was still classified as a poor peasant in the end, wasn't he?"

He Yushui shook her head: "This is really different."