Volume 1: Student Life Chapter 19: The Love of Parents
When Chen Zhou got home, it was already past seven o'clock in the evening.
My uncle and his family came to our house, but Chen Zhou didn’t call in advance.
So when he entered the house, everyone was having a lively dinner.
"Hey, Xiaozhou, why are you back?" The first person to see Chen Zhou was his mother Zhang Hongying.
"There are three days off during the Golden Week. I don't have evening self-study today, so I came back." Chen Zhou explained, put his things down, walked into the kitchen, washed his hands, and served himself some rice.
"Xiao Zhou, how are your studies going recently? Is it tiring to study at Maochang High School?" Uncle Chen Jianjun asked when he saw Chen Zhou coming over with food.
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, "It's okay. I'm not too tired."
"So how many points did you get in the monthly exam? I heard from your parents that you were admitted to the Science (1) class of your school, which is said to be the best repeater class in your school?"
"Yes, I was admitted to Class (1)."
Hearing Chen Zhou's answer, the uncle said with satisfaction: "It's good that you know how to work hard. At the beginning, I told your dad not to let you repeat your studies. It's already good enough to be admitted to a key university. Going to college and working early can also help relieve some pressure on the family. But your dad refused to agree, saying that it doesn't matter if he is tired, as long as you can seize the opportunity."
Chen Zhou didn't expect there to be such a story, and he was very glad that he had been working hard and making progress.
"Brother, have you run out of wine? Why are you talking so much?" Chen Jianguo became unhappy when he saw his elder brother revealing his secrets in front of the children. He picked up the bottle and filled his brother's glass.
Chen Zhou looked at the two of them and smiled. He put the bowl on the table, found his backpack and searched through it carefully.
Holding the report card for this monthly exam, Chen Zhou walked up to his father and said softly, "Dad, this is the report card for this monthly exam. The teacher requires parents to sign it."
"Let me see how many points you got before deciding whether to sign it or not." Chen Jianguo took the transcript, unfolded it slowly, and read it carefully.
"My Chinese score is 133, my math score is 113, my comprehensive science score is 215, and my English score is 126. My total score is..."
"Dad, the total score is 587, ranking 147th in the school." Chen Zhou said it first.
"Okay, okay, I did well in the exam." Chen Jianguo nodded and carefully signed his name on the transcript.
The uncle couldn't help scolding his brother: "You are so bad at talking. Xiaozhou obviously did very well in the test. He has made great progress. Didn't you say that this child's English is not good? What's wrong with his English test? You should still praise the child."
Uncle's words also reminded Chen Jianguo. He suddenly looked up at Chen Zhou and asked, "Xiao Zhou, did you take this English test yourself? Or did you copy it from someone else?"
Chen Zhou was speechless. Although his English was indeed very , was it necessary to copy other people's?
Seeing that Chen Zhou didn't say anything, Chen Jianguo thought he had seen through his son's trick. He was about to get angry when his wife pulled his sleeve.
Zhang Hongying said, "Xiaozhou, you must have worked very hard to achieve this result. You have lost weight. Eat first and ignore your father."
Chen Zhou ate the chicken leg his mother brought over and mumbled, "Thank you, Mom. This chicken leg is delicious."
After hearing what his wife Zhang Hongying said, Chen Jianguo noticed that his son had indeed lost a lot of weight and looked darker. His hand holding the report card couldn't help but tremble.
Seeing this, the uncle quickly tried to find a way out for his brother: "Jianguo, I think you are just secretly happy. You supported Xiaozhou to repeat the grade, and no one believes in Xiaozhou more than you do. Now Xiaozhou has made progress through hard work, and you are still pretending to be confused. I think you should just wait for Xiaozhou to bring surprises to our Chen family next year."
Following his elder brother's words, Chen Jianguo hurriedly said, "Xiao Zhou, I definitely believe it. Great, well done. Hongying, go get me a cup too. I'll drink with my elder brother."
Zhang Hongying glanced at her husband but said nothing. She stood up and got him a cup.
At the dinner table, uncle and aunt kept praising Chen Zhou and asking their own son, Chen Zhou's cousin, to learn from their eldest brother.
Chen Zhou is the eldest among the younger generations of the Chen family, and his uncle’s child is two years younger than Chen Zhou.
Even Chen Zhou's younger brother Chen Xiao was a little scared, but fortunately he was still in junior high school.
The family finished the meal in a warm and cozy atmosphere.
After dinner, my uncle and his family went home, and Chen Zhou and his father saw them off to the door.
The two of them were not in a hurry to go back, so they went out for a walk together.
"You must be very tired during this period?" After walking in silence for a while, Chen Jianguo spoke first.
"Yeah, it's really tiring." Chen Zhou nodded honestly this time, "Maochang High School is indeed different from ordinary high schools. The management is very strict, and every day is packed with exams and handouts."
Chen Zhou said, looking at his father, and changed his tone and said: "However, every day is also very fulfilling. It is because of this that I can make rapid progress."
"Xiao Zhou, I found that you seem to have really changed. I've never heard you say that studying is fulfilling before." Chen Jianguo also noticed his son's transformation, which seemed to have started when he decided to repeat a grade.
After a pause, Chen Jianguo continued: "Dad apologizes to you for what happened just now. I am happy that you can get good grades, but I am also afraid that you will..."
"Dad." Chen Zhou interrupted his father and said in a positive tone: "Dad, don't worry, since I have chosen to repeat the year, I will definitely stick to it."
Looking at his father's haggard face, Chen Zhou added in his heart: "I can't let you down."
"Why don't you let your mother come over to take care of you? That way, you can study with peace of mind." Chen Jianguo once again proposed the suggestion of accompanying your child to study.
"Dad, no need. I can take care of myself. Besides, Chen Xiao is also in school, and you are busy and tired at work. I can't do without mom to take care of him." Chen Zhou also told his father about how he called the restaurant owner to place an order, and finally gave his father a reassuring look.
"Okay, Dad believes that you can take care of yourself. Dad also believes that next summer, you will definitely bring a big surprise to the Chen family!" Chen Jianguo said as he took out something and handed it to Chen Zhou.
"What?"
"Take a look."
Chen Zhou took it and looked at it. The phone was beautifully packaged and had not been opened yet.
"Mi 3?" Chen Zhou was a little surprised when he opened the phone. He didn't expect his father to buy him a new phone.
"The Nokia you're using has been my go-to for several years, and it's time to replace it. I see everyone is using this kind of phone now, which seems to be more convenient for searching information online, and I believe you can control yourself. I heard that this is the latest model this year, and I had a hard time getting it." Chen Jianguo explained.
"Thank you, Dad."
The father and son talked as they walked. After struggling for a while, Chen Zhou told his father what his class teacher Wang Xuehui had told him.
Chen Jianguo thought about it and decided that he had some time during the Golden Week, so he readily agreed to go to school with Chen Zhou.
The two of them wandered around outside for more than an hour before returning home. When they got home, their mother Zhang Hongying teased them, "I thought you guys had sent someone to Big Brother's house. If you don't come back, I'll call and ask."
Chen Zhou and his father looked at each other and smiled awkwardly.
