strictlysupreme Chapter 281 A Small Matter
Chapter 281 A Small Matter
It's the rainy season again. Lin Dongzhe used his Shadow Earphone and learned that there would be a light drizzle all day.
When we arrived at the crooked tree, we saw Wu Shanshan, who was soaking wet.
Lin Dongzhe extended his hand. "Go back. Your dad is looking for you."
Wu Shanshan also extended her hand, but did not come down, saying, "Come up and sit with me for a while."
Lin Dongzhe turned around, took Wu Shanshan's hand with one hand, grabbed the horizontally growing tree trunk with the other, and jumped up and sat on the tree.
Wu Shanshan rested her head on Lin Dongzhe's shoulder. "Dongzhe, do you think I made a mistake? Maybe I shouldn't have been so fixated on high school and college?"
Lin Dongzhe smiled slightly and touched Wu Shanshan's slightly swollen face, which had been slapped. "There is no right or wrong in things, only advantages and disadvantages. What is beneficial to you is right, as long as it does not affect others."
"But... Mom, she doesn't agree! There are many reasons, but mainly she's afraid I'll spend money, and she's also afraid that if my grades are too good, it will make Xiaomin look like she's not a good student!"
Even after five years, Wu Shanshan still feels very uncomfortable calling Zhang Amei "Mom".
"Everyone says that only children make choices, but actually it is adults who need to make choices. Every choice is a gamble, a process of weighing the pros and cons. Someone always has to make a sacrifice. It could be you, it could be Xiaomin, or it could be Xiaojun."
Wu Shanshan sat up straight. "Xiaojun? What does this have to do with Xiaojun?"
Lin Dongzhe explained to Wu Shanshan, "After you get into high school and then university, it will take seven years before you can start earning a salary. Without additional income, your family might not be able to support a second university student. So, I suspect that your father might want to give the opportunity to Xiaojun."
"Xiaojun..." Wu Shanshan leaned against Lin Dongzhe again, "In the end, it all comes down to money! Dongzhe, consider that manuscript a loan from me, I'll pay you back later!"
When they came down, Lin Dongzhe put a coat on Wu Shanshan. She was soaked, and her clothes were clinging to her body, which looked unsightly. Although Lin Dongzhe's clothes weren't dry either, at least they weren't clinging to his skin.
Wu Shanshan didn't let go of Lin Dongzhe on the way back, but she let go when they got near the alley.
"Dongzhe, thank you!"
When they went to bed that night, Xiang Pengfei asked Lin Dongzhe, "Did you get bitten on the face by a mosquito? It's a little red here."
Lin Dongzhe looked in the mirror. "Maybe so. I scratched it a few times."
Wu Shanshan finally got her wish and became an alumnus of the same school as the Zhuang siblings and Lin Dongzhe.
Lin Dongzhe didn't know how she explained things to the Wu family, but the result was the same.
She was just a little worse off than Zhuang Tunan; she needed to attend high school for three years, while Zhuang Tunan could graduate in two.
Xiang Pengfei was assigned to the affiliated middle school, where he, like Lin Dongzhe, was in the second year of junior high school.
In the evenings, after dinner, Xiang Pengfei would return to the Lin family home and stay in Lin Dongzhe's room without going out. This was something Zhuang Hualin had told him in advance; this year, under no circumstances should Zhuang Tunan's studies be affected.
With nothing else to do, Lin Dongzhe also took a look at Xiang Pengfei's studies. Lin Dongzhe had even taught Qiao Erqiang, so he had more experience dealing with unruly children than Zhuang Chaoying.
Xiang Pengfei was very quick-witted, much more so than Qiao Erqiang. He just lacked the desire to learn, finding it tedious and boring. Coupled with his poor foundation, he found learning increasingly difficult, so he simply gave up and admitted that he wasn't good at studying, adopting a passive and indifferent approach to learning.
Lin Dongzhe went to the bookstore and selected several basic practice books, giving Xiang Pengfei some basic questions every day, all targeting knowledge points that Xiang Pengfei was unfamiliar with. Xiang Pengfei initially didn't want to do them, but after learning the price of those study guides, he obediently started working on the questions.
Lin Wufeng had worked at the compressor factory for many years and was a well-known technical backbone there. So the factory manager of the township enterprise approached Lin Wufeng, wanting him to go to the enterprises below to provide guidance on production technology, without taking up working hours, on the weekend.
It's not just engineers; many skilled workers also have this kind of part-time job, which is often jokingly referred to as "Sunday engineer."
Lin Wufeng hesitated, wondering whether he should go. After all, going down there only once a month would earn him more than twice his monthly salary at the factory.
But this "Sunday engineer" is controversial, with many feeling that he is leaking the company's sensitive technology.
Just like Lin Dongzhe, "I disagree!"
Lin Wufeng was very curious, "Why don't you agree? This way, the family's income could increase significantly."
“Our family isn’t short of money!” Lin Dongzhe dipped his finger in water and wrote the four characters “瓜田李下” (meaning “a situation of suspicion”) on the table. “The problem with this matter is that it’s not easy to explain. Engineers are not like other industries where they can store all the technical information in their brains. According to regulations, this technology belongs to the state and the company.”
Lin Wufeng was convinced. Even if he developed new technology, no one would believe him, and if problems arose, the consequences could be severe.
"If you want to make big money, you'd have to quit your job and try your luck somewhere else. But I don't think our family needs to work that hard. Just leave the money-making to me."
Lin Wufeng was amused.
Xiang Pengfei laughed too. Making money was just a small matter! As expected of Lin Dongzhe, he was different from others.
Although Lin Wufeng did not go, he recommended Li Yiming's cousin to the factory manager of the township enterprise. Li Yiming's cousin had worked in the compressor factory for a long time and was considered Lin Wufeng's apprentice. He had learned the technology quite well, so the factory manager was very happy to accept Li Yiming's cousin.
The Lin family is indeed quite wealthy. Lin Dongzhe never asked for any random things, and the money he saved gradually accumulated into a large sum. Although Lin Wufeng did not become a "Sunday engineer," the family still had some spare money.
You could buy a washing machine or a refrigerator.
Lin Wufeng measured the space and found that there was no room for the washing machine, so he had no choice but to buy a refrigerator instead.
Song Ying was very generous and put the refrigerator in the kitchen. Since it was a common area, Song Ying even called Huang Ling over, and the two of them discussed how to use the refrigerator together. The implication was clear: the refrigerator could be shared between the two families.
Huang Ling didn't stand on ceremony, but she didn't go overboard either. She just ordered four extra bottles of milk. Fresh milk won't spoil if you put it in the refrigerator, and each of the four children will get a bottle after school.
During the Chinese New Year, Song Ying bought a necklace for Zhuang Xiaoting. Although it wasn't gold, it was still quite valuable.
Zhuang Xiaoting was very happy and took the necklace to Lin Dongzhe, "Look, look, isn't it pretty?"
Lin Dongzhe looked at Zhuang Xiaoting, who was becoming more and more outstanding. Her round-neck dress made her neck look even longer, and she held the necklace in her hand and put it around her neck to show Lin Dongzhe.
"nice!"
Zhuang Xiaoting asked about the necklace, and Lin Dongzhe answered Zhuang Xiaoting.
"Then please put it on for me."
Lin Dongzhe picked up the necklace, gently lifted Zhuang Xiaoting's hair, and skillfully fastened the clasp at the back.
Although they grew up together, Zhuang Xiaoting suddenly became a little shy this time, feeling different from before.
After putting it on, Zhuang Xiaoting took two steps back before relaxing.