I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 8 Returning to the old business
Once the middle school entrance exam results were released, all that was left to do was fill out the application forms. However, Zhang Da'an didn't pay attention to the cut-off scores. Even when the admissions officer from the national-level high school in Shazhou City called Zhang Zhengdong, Zhang Da'an didn't say that he would definitely go.

“No, Zhang An, don’t try anything funny again. There’s only one good high school in Shazhou. If you’re not going to apply, are you going to go to Wudu to study? Or you can go to the Foreign Language School. I’ll pay for the tuition.”

Uncle Zhang was afraid that Zhang Da'an would act recklessly, as he couldn't fathom what his nephew was thinking.

“I studied at Dongweigang Middle School.”

puff! !

Uncle Zhang Zhengwen, who was chatting with his father at the door, had just picked up the teapot to take a sip when a mouthful of tea choked him and went into his nose. It was as if all the air in his lungs was blocked. In just a few seconds, his face turned red and then white, which frightened his father, Zhang Qihong, so he quickly patted his eldest son's back.

"You little brat, you're talking nonsense! Look, your old man almost choked to death!"

"Bullshit!"

Zhang Qihong flew into a rage and slapped his second son, Zhang Zhengdong, on the head.

Uncle Zhang Zhengwu, who was busy in the kitchen, was wearing an apron and picking green beans as he walked over. "What's wrong? What's going on, brother?!"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Zhang Zhengwen, who was hunched over catching his breath, raised one arm and swung it straight to indicate that he was fine. After recovering, he said in a hoarse voice, "Xiao Zhang An said he wants to study in Dongwei Port for high school."

"Huh? Has your brain malfunctioned?"

"Alright, alright, don't rush. Let's listen to Zhang An's own opinion. There must be a reason why he was able to become the top scholar."

The auntie was also wearing an apron, and she pushed and pulled out the stems of the green peppers one by one like popping bubbles. The ground was scattered with pepper seeds, and the free-range chickens came over to peck at them, chirping and making a lot of noise.

The old man nodded, sat on a small stool with a frown, then tapped a cigarette on his lap repeatedly, before looking at his brother's grandson with a complicated expression: "Zhang An, what are you thinking? The teachers at Dongwei Port are not as good as the 'Zhuge Liang' of Wangdong Village. Isn't it reckless to study in a place like this?"

The "Zhuge Liang" of Wangdongzhuang, whose real name was Wang Liang, was a fool...

In the old man's eyes, the teachers at Dongweigang Middle School were worse than idiots, misleading students every day.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have let her second son become the principal; they were a perfect match.

"Grandpa, I have my own ideas."

Zhang Da'an didn't hide anything. He brought over a plate of dried fruit, sat down, and peeled peanuts, handing them to the old man as he did so. He said, "I'm going to get a business license in a couple of days to run an exam preparation course, mainly for students who need to repeat their studies. The school-run factory over there has already gone out of business, and there's no way any boss could take it over now. The roads are bad and it's in a remote area, surrounded by rural areas. There's no other way to do it, so opening a training institution would be quite good."

Before his rebirth, although his main business was vocational skills training, Zhang Da'an had also worked on college entrance exam preparation and postgraduate entrance exam preparation for several years before the strict management. He also partnered with someone to open a private school in Wuxing Village, covering everything from kindergarten to high school. The profits were not high, but they were stable. Even when Zhang Da'an later made the majority of his profits from certification exams, he did not withdraw his shares in the private school.

A net profit of one or two hundred thousand a year is still achievable, which is considered a diligent business. Because it involves students, nothing can go wrong in any aspect. Even the food that comes into our mouths can be carefully calculated, but it cannot be done carelessly.

Either nothing happens, or if something does happen, it's a big deal.

Now, he's essentially "returning to his old ways" ahead of schedule. However, unlike before his rebirth when he was trying to build a decent career, he doesn't have any dreams now. He just wants to do something interesting, like giving Uncle Zhang a little more intense training.

If the cattle and horses aren't taken away, he won't become a "farm owner," and Uncle Zhang will never be able to eat "watermelon" or "fried chicken" in his lifetime.

Character determines destiny, but now Zhang Da'an holds the fragile "bell" of destiny, letting it take its course.

"Huh?! Opening a training institution?!"

Uncle Zhang Zhengwu, who was picking green beans, widened his eyes and asked, "Then... then what about your studies? Are you going to quit?"

"Yes, you should study. You're not even eighteen yet. How can you not study? But I have other plans."

Zhang Da'an then said to Zhang Zhengdong, "Uncle, I'll take the college entrance exam next year."

"The college entrance exam is next year? Don't you want to study for a couple more years to build a solid foundation?"

"It includes undergraduate programs, and key undergraduate programs."

"..." Upon hearing his nephew say the word "bao" (包), Zhang Zhengdong was somewhat startled, but reason told him to listen to his nephew.

Don't be stubborn.

Are you sure you want to take the college entrance exam next year?

You can rest assured.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, I'll make the arrangements for you when school starts."

He nodded, but Zhang Zhengdong was still a little worried and asked, "Then the high school teachers at my Dongweigang Middle School are only so-so. Should I find two famous teachers from outside?"

"You don't need to worry about the teachers; I'll recruit them from other places."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The adults remained silent, and the eldest uncle, Zhang Zhengwen, felt that his son was indeed a little inferior to his nephew.

They have their own opinions and principles, which makes them different.

The thought process is still very clear.

"So you're planning to make a living off this training institution?"

The old man knocked on his cigarette countless times but still couldn't light it; he was just worried that Zhang Da'an would step into a hole.

"I plan to repeat the high school entrance exam first, and earn some money in the surrounding countryside. I scored 675 points, which is pretty good, so it's like a living advertisement."

"Isn't that illegal?"

“It’s not illegal. There’s a policy for it now called ‘private-public partnership.’ What I’m doing is basically running a private junior high school, just on a smaller scale. If you don’t believe me, Grandpa, you can ask Uncle.”

"That's true, but it's not a nationwide policy yet; it's more of a local trial."

"Do you have any here?"

"Yes, there are, but not many people have been doing it. After all, the cost of running a school is not low, and you can't make much money during the compulsory education stage. You can only make a little money during the high school stage. Anyway, there aren't any on the sandbar, but there are some private schools run by bosses in the neighboring Shanghu City."

"That doesn't matter, as long as it's not illegal, I'll support it."

Without hesitation, the old man made the decision and planned to donate tens of thousands of yuan.

When he was young, he was frugal and hardworking. He did small business instead of working a regular job and saved up about 200,000 yuan for retirement.

The daughters-in-law's obedience and filial piety are mainly due to the savings of about 200,000 yuan.

However, Zhang Da'an had no intention of taking the old man's money. If he touched the money, there would be no way to explain it later, and it might cause chaos in the family.

So he said with a smile in advance, "I've saved up more than 90,000 yuan in the past two years selling seafood. With the 50,000 yuan scholarship my uncle gave me, I have more than 100,000 yuan in capital. When I earn my first money, I'll buy you a cell phone, Grandpa."

"Hahahahahaha..."

The old man laughed heartily upon hearing this, and finally lit the cigarette he hadn't lit until after striking the match twice.

Seeing the old man happy, Zhang Da'an smiled as well. He hadn't missed the slight change in his aunt's expression earlier; it was better to keep things stable at home.

No matter how you look at it, his household registration only lists him.

(End of this chapter)