Zhu Dayong looked worried, unsure which university to choose. His estimated score was about right, but Zhonghai University seemed unlikely, making him hesitant to apply.
Seeing Zhu Dayong's expression, Zhang Tianxing recalled Zhu Dayong's score and directly reached out for Zhu Dayong's application form.
With a few swift strokes, he filled it out for Zhu Dayong. Zhu Dayong widened his eyes to see Zhonghai University as the first choice.
"Zhang Tianxing, I'm afraid I won't get in."
"Don't be afraid, Zhonghai University is my first choice too. We'll be together."
"I'm afraid of repeating a year..."
"Your grades are better than mine, don't be afraid. We'll be together."
Zhu Dayong fell silent. Fine, Zhonghai University it is. As Zhang Tianxing said, they would be together, and Zhonghai University was also his dream.
Zhang Tianxing smiled and looked at Zhu Dayong. "Little guy, I'll be too busy at university to take on any more followers. It's you. Come with me to Zhonghai University."
Li Fang, standing nearby, thought, "These few have worse scores than me. I'll just fill in Zhonghai University myself."
Anyway, where she attended university didn't matter much. The situation at home was too troublesome.
However, she couldn't talk about her family matters with anyone. One can't choose their background, but they can choose their lifestyle.
When these few submitted their college entrance examination application forms, Wu Bihuan almost blew a fuse looking at their forms.
"What are you guys trying to do? It's best if you don't all cram into the same university. The enrollment quota for each university is fixed. We shouldn't be rivals to each other."
Wu Bihuan said earnestly. Zhang Tianxing lowered his head, not speaking. What Wu Bihuan said was correct, but the root of everything lay in the fact that the admission rate was directly linked to the homeroom teacher's performance bonus.
Therefore, generally, Wu Bihuan would advise students to apply for safer options.
This also maximized his performance bonus. Better to be safe than sorry.
In his opinion, it was best to just attend university steadily. Missing out meant another year of study, which was a waste of life and time.
It was irresponsible to him as a teacher. He had to be responsible for the students. Graduating a year earlier meant starting work a year earlier.
Zhang Tianxing couldn't comment on whether Teacher Wu was right or wrong, as things could be viewed from two sides.
There were no absolutes, and Teacher Wu's words had some logic. It was just that people needed to determine what they wanted.
Zhu Dayong thought for a moment, "Let's just do it this way. If it really doesn't work out, we'll repeat a year. Zhang Tianxing said we'll have company."
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Zhu Dayong said it casually, but Wu Bihuan's expression instantly turned grim.
However, it seemed these few had made up their minds. Wu Bihuan took a deep breath, "I'm doing this for your own good. Everyone applying to Zhonghai University is not a good idea."
"Zhang Tianxing, did you play a trick? Otherwise, why would they all apply to Zhonghai University?"
"This has nothing to do with me. It only proves one thing."
Everyone pricked up their ears, eager to hear Zhang Tianxing's earth-shattering statement.
Mainly because Zhang Tianxing was currently popular. As a graduate of their cohort, he went on to sell barbecue right away, and the business was doing well.
It could be said that the most popular crayfish in the county was introduced by Zhang Tianxing.
"Zhonghai University is good. We have relatively high recognition there. Anyway, admissions are ranked from high to low. Those with high scores are fine. Those with low scores will have nothing to show for it even if they want it."
Damn, that was direct. Zhang Tianxing's words meant: better to be the tail of a phoenix than the head of a chicken.
"With your scores, if you get into Zhonghai University, you'll be at the lowest end. You won't get into a good major. If you can't get into a good major, then what's the point?"
"Exactly! It's not just about the school, but also the major. Having both is the real key."
Zhang Tianxing was speechless. What kind of people were these? He thought about when he made crayfish. Spicy was spicy, braised in oil was braised in oil. Each had its own flavor.
Each had its unique merits. Only by bringing out the unique flavor of each to the fullest could a dish be considered successful.
Living and working were no different from cooking. In fact, they were the same. All paths lead to the same destination.
Wu Bihuan felt exhausted. He had never felt so tired before. This batch of students was difficult to manage.
As soon as they graduated and were filling out their applications, they wouldn't even listen to the teacher. In the end, Wu Bihuan said,
"You guys have thought it through. I've eaten more rice than you've eaten salt. I'm doing this for your own good. It's best to be stable in everything."
Zhang Tianxing shook his head, "Teacher Wu, we are young. We have the drive. If we can push for it, we should. Otherwise, if we miss the opportunity, wouldn't it be a pity?"
Wu Bihuan was so angry he couldn't speak, "The path you've chosen yourselves, I hope you can walk it to the end."
Alas, this Teacher Wu was a decent person, but Zhang Tianxing wasn't very eager for university at the moment.
The reason he chose Zhonghai University was that it was relatively close to home, which would help him promote his crayfish business at school.
At this stage, his crayfish business had finally gotten off to a good start, and he couldn't easily give it up.
In life, the most successful thing is the process of something going from nothing to something, from small to large. It's the most fulfilling.
In the evening, the crayfish barbecue became a gathering spot in the small county town. Nowadays, there wasn't much entertainment in the evenings.
The night market hadn't even sprung up yet. Zhang Tianxing's upgrade had also earned the approval of the locals for the environment.
First, it was clean. Second, it was hygienic. Third, it was delicious. Fourth, it was affordable.
Zhang Tianxing had all the advantages: timing, location, and people. So, it was understandable that Zhang Tianxing was getting rich.
The momentum had been established. The surrounding small restaurants could no longer hinder Zhang Tianxing's rise.
Zhang Tianxing's crayfish all had white abdomens, and he refused any with black ones.
Zhang Tianxing understood a principle: to establish oneself in an industry, one cannot make any mistakes.
Zhang Tianxing had emphasized to his second uncle, "If you're going to buy crayfish, you must buy good ones. Don't take those with black bellies. They can cause problems. And don't take the small ones either."
It was no exaggeration to say that Liang Cheng's crayfish were basically all over an ounce each.
Zhang Tianxing specifically asked his second uncle to pick out the larger crayfish, planning to sell them separately. Three or four ounces each definitely wouldn't be sold at the price of one ounce each.
Although other restaurants in the county also sold crayfish, for the people, authentic crayfish came from Zhang Tianxing's place.
For a time, Zhang Tianxing's barbecue stall business boomed.
Although other restaurants introduced crayfish, and their business improved a little, some people became unbalanced.
Zhang Tianxing's crayfish were indeed good. The size was uniform, the meat was tender, and the dishes were visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious.
Boss Wang of Tianxiang Building poked his teeth with a toothpick and said, "Are you guys still sourcing from Zhang Tianxing?"
Several people around nodded. "We're still sourcing from him. The price is the market price. Yesterday, someone offered them cheaper, but I saw that the crayfish had black bellies and didn't dare to buy them."
"How much were they per jin?" Boss Wang's interest was piqued.
"Sixty cents, which is twenty cents cheaper than Zhang Tianxing's."
"Are you stupid? Why wouldn't you buy them? Right now, out of the entire catering industry, his barbecue restaurant is the hottest. People are flocking there at night."