Chapter 73: First in Grade
"Dad, how are you feeling? Are you still dizzy?"
The next morning, when Deng Shirong got up, his eldest daughter asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I'll be back to normal after a good night's sleep."
The rice wine of this era is all locally brewed by the villagers. Whether it tastes good or not is beside the point, but at least there's no need to worry about its safety. No matter how drunk you get, you'll be fine the next day without a splitting headache.
In later generations, some unscrupulous businessmen would add DDT, a harmful substance, to liquor to enhance its flavor. Even if this kind of liquor isn't immediately toxic, long-term consumption is undoubtedly harmful to the body.
Therefore, many people who are cautious about their health only choose trustworthy brands of liquor and avoid those of unknown origin on the market, fearing they might accidentally consume liquor laced with DDT.
Deng Yunzhen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm glad you're okay. You guys drank so much last night that you almost finished all the rice wine in the brigade's supply and marketing cooperative."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "When drinking, the first thing to consider is the food to go with the wine, and the second is the atmosphere. The atmosphere was great last night, and the food was exceptional. It's normal for people to accidentally drink too much. I remember your two uncles seemed to be drunk too. Where did you arrange for them to stay?"
Deng Yunzhen replied, "My two uncles drank a bit too much, but they sobered up after resting for over an hour and then went back with my aunt and the others."
Deng Shirong nodded and went to brush his teeth and wash his face.
By then, the other children had also gotten up and washed.
Yesterday was Deng Shirong's birthday, which happened to fall on a Saturday, so his second son, Deng Yunheng, had also come home. After the family finished washing up, they sat down for breakfast.
Although there were many people eating yesterday, the food Deng Shirong prepared was so abundant that even after everyone ate their fill, there were still plenty of leftovers.
In Thatchfield Village, even in later generations when living conditions improved, no family would throw away leftovers. If they couldn't finish the food today, they'd eat it tomorrow. Some families even used leftovers to feed their chickens, ducks, or pigs.
In short, the main idea was not to waste food.
After breakfast, Deng Yuntai said goodbye to his father and headed to work at the tile factory.
Being a master potter was lucrative, with a monthly income of over 200 yuan, which was quite substantial in rural areas at the time. However, Deng Shirong, who was also a master potter, knew that making large pots was backbreaking work.
When Deng Shirong was young, martial arts were very popular in society. When he had just learned how to make large pots, an elder in their village offered to teach him martial arts. Deng Shirong shook his head like a rattle and refused without hesitation.
Just kidding, at that time, he was so exhausted after working on the pots every day that he could barely move. How could he possibly have the energy to practice martial arts?
Therefore, Deng Shirong couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy when he saw his eldest son working so hard at the tile factory every day.
Deng Shirong actually had a preliminary plan for his eldest son's future, but the timing wasn't right yet, so he let him continue working at the tile factory for now. After all, the situation regarding reform and opening up wasn't entirely clear, and it wasn't the best time to venture out.
Of course, now that Shenzhen had become China's first special economic zone, Deng Shirong could also let his eldest son develop there. If he seized the opportunity, he might even have a chance to become a successful entrepreneur.
However, this thought only flashed through Deng Shirong's mind before he dismissed it.
The reason was simple: Deng Shirong was unwilling to let his eldest son take such risks.
The 1980s and 1990s were the most chaotic period after China's reform and opening up. This era was indeed full of opportunities, but it was also fraught with dangers. The untimely death of his eldest son in his previous life had been a lifelong regret for Deng Shirong. How could he bear to let his eldest son go to Shenzhen alone?
After all, he wasn't a local and would be unfamiliar with the place. If something happened, there'd be no one to help him. Deng Shirong, with the memories of his past life, could easily make his children wealthy. There was really no need to let his eldest son take such risks.
Besides, his eldest son was about to get married soon. He should stay in the countryside and start a family first.
…
After his eldest son left for the tile factory, Deng Shirong turned to his second son and asked, "Yunheng, how are your grades now? What's your ranking in class?"
Deng Yunheng's lips curled into a smug smile as he replied, "Dad, after working hard over this period, my academic performance has improved significantly. Not only am I ranked first in my class, but I'm also first in the entire grade."
Deng Shirong was pleasantly surprised to hear this. He knew his second son's academic performance wasn't bad. In his previous life, he had only been ten points short of getting into university. At that time, Deng Shirong had wanted his second son to repeat a year and retake the exam, but his son had refused and instead chose to come back and learn how to make large pots from him.
His second son's choice back then couldn't be said to be wrong, as the tile factory was thriving at the time. Any master potter could earn over two hundred yuan a month, far more than what most stable jobs offered, even for university graduates.
Of course, in terms of long-term prospects, a stable job was undoubtedly better. But repeating a year didn't guarantee admission to university, so after much deliberation, his second son had made a choice he later regretted.
Now that Deng Shirong had been reborn, he had only offered some words of encouragement and a simple monetary reward system, yet his second son had made such a remarkable improvement. This was something he hadn't expected.
All parents want their children to succeed. Seeing his second son's academic performance improve so dramatically, Deng Shirong said excitedly, "This is truly wonderful news. Yunheng, you must continue to work hard and never become complacent. Your high school is just an ordinary one. Your competitors in the college entrance exam are from high schools all over the country. If you want to stand out among them, you still need to study diligently."
Seeing his father so happy, Deng Yunheng was also thrilled. He nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. I will continue to work hard and strive to get into a good university next year."
In high spirits, Deng Shirong took out 10 yuan from his pocket and handed it to his second son, saying, "You can only rely on yourself when it comes to studying. Dad can't help you with that, but you don't have to worry about food. Buy whatever you want to eat at school. If you run out of money, I'll give you more."
"Thank you, Dad. I won't let you down," Deng Yunheng said firmly as he took the money.
Now that his grades were the best in the grade, his progress had caught the attention of his homeroom teacher and subject teachers, who had listed him as a key student to nurture. With their dedicated guidance, he was confident he could get into university next year. The only question was which university he would attend.
(End of this chapter)