Chapter 160: Clarifying the Path of Life
The third day of the sixth lunar month, Saturday.
Deng Yunheng returned home today. After dinner, the family sat under the longan tree at the door and chatted.
Deng Shirong smoked a few cigarettes before putting down his pipe and saying, "Yunheng, your pre-exam scores over the past two months have been excellent. The college entrance exam is the day after tomorrow. Do you feel confident about getting into your ideal university?"
Deng Yunheng thought about his ideal university and replied, "Dad, getting into a university isn't difficult for me, but I'm not sure if I can get into my ideal one. I'll have to wait until after the exam to have a clearer idea."
Hearing this, Deng Shirong understood that his second son's goal was likely quite high. This was normal, given that Yunheng had achieved outstanding scores in the preliminary exams two months ago. It was only natural for him to aim high.
Deng Yuntai praised, "Yunheng, you're truly impressive. When the country first resumed the college entrance exams, the difficulty wasn't as high as it is now. Yet, I couldn't even get into a technical secondary school, let alone a university. I'm really far behind you."
Technical secondary schools in this era were highly regarded. Students could take the entrance exam for a technical secondary school after junior high or high school.
Additionally, since many technical secondary schools offered four-year programs, similar to universities in later generations, some people in later generations compared technical secondary schools, junior colleges, and universities to third-tier, second-tier, and first-tier universities, respectively. While this comparison isn't entirely accurate, it does hold some truth.
Deng Yunzhen couldn't help but laugh when she heard this: "Brother, you're already lucky. At least you got into Pine Mountain High School. Unlike me, I couldn't even get into the worst high school, let alone college."
"Studying requires talent—or more precisely, both talent and hard work. Neither can be neglected."
Deng Shirong smiled and continued, "In my opinion, the two with the best academic talent in our family right now are Yunheng and Yunsong. In the past, Yunheng had talent but didn't study hard, so his grades were just average. But since last year, Yunheng has been putting in the effort, and his grades have improved dramatically."
Deng Yunheng, who was also sitting nearby, protested, "Dad, why are you only praising my second and third brothers? I'm also a good student!"
Deng Shirong nodded and smiled, "Yes, I almost forgot about our Xiaoheng. You have a good talent for studying. Keep working hard and strive to become the top student in your grade, just like your second brother."
"Well..."
Deng Yunheng's face fell at this. He couldn't even secure first place in his class, so becoming the top student in the entire grade seemed like a daunting task!
Deng Shirong ignored his youngest son's confusion and turned to his second son. "I heard that after the college entrance exam, the school will organize you to fill out your application forms. Is that true?"
Deng Yunheng replied, "Yes, that's what the teacher said."
Deng Shirong said, "I don't know much about filling out applications, so it's up to you. Just fill them out according to your own ideas. If you don't get into your ideal university this time and don't want to attend another one, you can come back, repeat the year, and take the exam again next year."
Deng Yunheng nodded, "I understand!"
Deng Shirong thought for a moment and added, "Also, regarding your choice of major, if you do get into your ideal university, I have a few suggestions for you to consider."
Although his father hadn't received much formal education, Deng Yunheng admired his father's broad knowledge and nodded, "Okay, go ahead."
Deng Yunzhen, Zhang Xiuping, and the younger children didn't understand what "major" meant. Only Deng Yuntai, who had attended high school, could grasp the concept.
"Yunheng, before I give you any advice, I want to ask you a question."
Without waiting for a response, Deng Shirong asked directly, "After you graduate from university, do you want to become a government official, or do you want to be an entrepreneur? Of course, you could also choose to become a doctor, or continue your studies and become a scientist or scholar."
Deng Yunheng was stunned by the question. As a high school student, his biggest goal was to get into his ideal university. He hadn't thought that far ahead.
"Dad, I've never thought about this before."
"Then you should think about it carefully now. If you have a clear goal, you can choose a suitable major, which will benefit you in the future."
Deng Yunheng fell into deep thought. Scientists and scholars were definitely out of the question—he could cross those off the list. He also had no interest in becoming a doctor or a teacher. After some consideration, the only options left were becoming an official or an entrepreneur.
So, which was better: being an official or an entrepreneur?
Being an official was a path few men could refuse, from ancient times to the present. After all, which man didn't want to hold power? Those who claimed they weren't interested in being officials likely felt the positions available to them were too low. If they could become one of the elite, wouldn't they be interested?
On the other hand, being an entrepreneur was also a lifelong pursuit for many. Although Deng Yunheng's understanding of entrepreneurship was superficial, the surface-level appeal was enough to intrigue him. Being an official might not necessarily bring his family success, but being an entrepreneur definitely could.
With this in mind, Deng Yunheng looked at his father and said, "Dad, I'm very interested in both being an official and an entrepreneur. Which path do you think is better for me?"
Deng Shirong considered his second son's character in his previous life and the advantages he would have after his rebirth. Without hesitation, he said, "If I were to choose for you, I would definitely recommend you become an entrepreneur."
Deng Yunheng asked curiously, "Why? Isn't being an official the most prestigious path?"
Deng Shirong sighed and said, "Yunheng, the world of officials isn't as simple as you think. If you just want to be a low-level official and enjoy the benefits of a stable job, that's one thing. But if you're ambitious and aim to become a high-ranking official, you'll inevitably face struggles.
Where there's struggle, there's risk.
You should be aware of what happened in the past few years. You're not as calm as Yunsong, so I don't recommend you take such a risky path. Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, doesn't carry the same level of risk. At worst, you might lose your wealth, but as long as you're recover, you can always make a comeback."
Hearing this, Deng Yunheng no longer hesitated and nodded, "Dad, you make sense. Then I'll work hard to become an entrepreneur!"
Seeing his second son take his advice, Deng Shirong smiled with satisfaction and said, "If you want to go into business and become an entrepreneur, then you should major in economics in college."
Deng Yunheng now had a clear direction and said with a smile, "Yes, I understand!"
His father's words had helped him clarify his life path, which would undoubtedly be of great benefit to his future.
(End of this chapter)