https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-21-Stepping-Out-of-the-Alley-the-Light-Shines/12979045/
Chapter 22: The List
Chapter 22: The List
After making the call, Chen Chuan returned home, and as soon as he reached the front yard, he heard his younger cousins arguing. He walked into the living room, and a small rubber ball bounced towards him. With a flick of his heel, he kicked it twice, extended his foot, and the ball came to a stop on his instep without him losing his balance.
"Wow!" His little cousin, Nian Lu, exclaimed, clapping her hands enthusiastically.
Nian Mo, his younger male cousin, raised both hands and cheered, "Great! Do it again! Do it again!"
Chen Chuan kicked the ball forward, and it rolled towards the two kids.
Aunt Yu Wan was sitting in a chair, knitting a sweater. Knowing that Chen Chuan would be going to Wu Yi University tomorrow, she had been waiting there early. She smiled and asked, "Chan'er, are you back?"
Chen Chuan nodded and replied, "Yes, Auntie. I'm registering tomorrow, so I came back a bit earlier today."
Aunt Yu Wan stood up and noticed the dust on his outer garment. "You've been rolling in the dirt, haven't you? Give it to me. I'll take care of it. It's a good piece of clothing, don't ruin it."
She took the garment from him, muttering a few words, and went outside to dust it off.
At that moment, Chen Chuan felt a gust of wind behind him, as if there were eyes on the back of his head. He tilted his head, and a thrown ball flew past him.
"Wow! Big brother is so cool!"
"Throw it back! Throw it back!"
Chen Chuan let the ball go back, casually playing with the two kids for a while. Aunt Yu Wan returned, holding the cleaned garment and said, "Here you go."
Chen Chuan took the garment and walked towards his room, with Aunt Yu Wan following closely behind. He knew she had something important to say. When they reached the room, Aunt Yu Wan asked with concern, "Chan'er, do you still have enough money?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Auntie, you gave me a lot last time. I'm registering tomorrow, so I came back early today."
Aunt Yu Wan stood up and noticed the dust on his outer garment. "You've been rolling in the dirt, haven't you? Give it to me. I'll take care of it. It's a good piece of clothing, don't ruin it."
She took the garment from him, muttering a few words, and went outside to dust it off.
Chen Chuan felt a gust of wind behind him at that moment, as if there were eyes on the back of his head. He tilted his head, and a thrown ball flew past him.
"Wow! Big brother is so cool!"
"Throw it back! Throw it back!"
Chen Chuan let the ball came back, and Chen Chuan casually played with the two kids for a while. Aunt Yu Wan returned, holding the cleaned garment and said, "Here you go."
Chen Chuan took the garment and walked towards his room, with Aunt Yu Wan following closely behind. He knew she had something important to say. When they reached the room, Aunt Yu Wan asked with concern, "Do you still have enough money for your studies?"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Yes, Auntie. You gave me a lot last time. I'm registering tomorrow, so I came back early today."
Aunt Yu Wan stood up and noticed the dust on his outer garment. "You've been rolling in the dirt, haven't you? Give it to me. I'll take care of it. It's a good piece of clothing, don't ruin it."
She took the garment and went outside to dust it off. Chen Chuan, sensing her concern, assured her, "Don't worry, Auntie. I'll manage."
Aunt Yu Wan was pleased that he listened to her. Since his second aunt and uncle passed away, she had treated Chen Chuan like her own son. Now that he was moving out, she felt a bit reluctant to let him go.
After Aunt Yu Wan left, Chen Chuan returned to his room and closed the door. He went to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out the remaining money to count.
Aunt Yu Wan had given him a total of 600 jianyuan currency. He had used 100 for registration, and in the past two months, expenses for meals, training, equipment damage, and other miscellaneous costs at the Fist House had added up to around 300. On average, he had spent about 150 per month.
In the coming month, until the retake exam, he would still need Yu Gang's guidance, and even if he didn't calculate too much, it would likely amount to a similar figure.
However, once Wu Yi University officially started, accommodation and meals would be free for internal students. If he passed the retake exam, he could also waive most of the tuition fees. But he knew that it wouldn't mean an end to expenses; in fact, he might need even more. Therefore, he needed to strive for the school's scholarship as much as possible.
Meanwhile, inside Wu Yi University...
Lecturer Bian Feng, who had admitted Chen Chuan, and another teacher, Yue Hong, who was mainly in charge of admissions, were walking together in the university building.
Yue Hong patted the list in his hand and said, "After ten years of expansion, the number of students applying each year has been increasing. This year, we've admitted even more students. Yangzhi City, along with the surrounding six counties, has reached a total of two thousand applicants, which is unprecedented. It seems like the higher-ups have increased their efforts."
Bian Feng spoke in a low voice, "How many? Yangzhi City has a population of over six million, and even with the surrounding towns and villages, there should be at least a thousand. Yet, we only get this many applicants each year, and this is after ten years of expansion."
Yue Hong smiled and said, "Be content. Back then, who wasn't taught by the teachers themselves before entering? Who didn't start training from a young age? Nowadays, many students have the opportunity to enter after just one or two years, or even half a year, of training at the Show General Martial Arts Society's training gym. The opportunities are far greater than they were in our time."
Bian Feng shook his head and said, "These students can enter, but it's impressive if even one in ten of them pass the re-examination."
Yue Hong nodded in agreement. Although both of them were students of Wu University, passing the re-examination and not passing it were two completely different things. Only the former were the truly talented individuals that the university would invest effort into cultivating; the latter could only be considered as extras.
After ten years of expansion, the actual changes within Wu University were not significant. The total number of elite students each year didn't fluctuate much, and the reason was simple: resources were always limited, and they could only be tilted towards those worthy of cultivation to a certain extent.
The bigger reason was that most of the resources were taken by the influential students, and the little that was left was allocated to the common students. Although the upper management of the university was aware of this issue and was trying their best to adjust, the results were limited.
He couldn't help but sigh, "How can those who have already tasted the meat be willing to spit it out?"
As the two of them talked, they arrived at the office of the manager in charge of recruitment for the academy. Just as they approached, they heard a vigorous voice coming from inside:
"What's the point of the scholarships established by the academy now? Every year, those who receive scholarships are recommended by the influential students. After graduation, they all go to serve the powerful and wealthy. The intention was to give opportunities to ordinary students, but they have all been occupied. What's the point of expansion then?"
"After all this, the strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker. It's even worse than ten years ago. I think we can completely cut it off. Even if we don't cut it, we can reduce it!"
Both Bian Feng and Yue Hong had keen ears. Even with a wall between them and the quiet corridor, they could still clearly hear the voices coming from the phone:
"We still need to give some hope. Although ordinary students can't compete with the influential students, there will always be outstanding ones who can rise to the top. Even if only one or two emerge, that's still good. Our approach is effective. If the scholarships are canceled, then there will be no hope at all."
"You are a university councilor, so you have the final say in this matter. But if this year is still the same as before, next time, find someone else for this task."
With a click, the phone was hung up. The voice continued, "What are the two of you doing outside? Are you here to laugh at me? Come in."
Bian Feng and Yue Hong quickly pushed open the door and entered. Inside the office sat a middle-aged man in his fifties with thick hair. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a robust physique, and a solemn expression. He was dressed in a deep black imported formal suit, with his cuffs and collar buttoned up tightly, giving off an impression of being a very meticulous person.
He occupied almost half of the room as he sat there. His two feet behind the desk were like pillars planted on the ground, and you could barely see the chair he was sitting on. Bian Feng and Yue Hong both bowed slightly and said, "Gao Shi."
Gao Shi asked, "Have you prepared the list of students for the assessment?"
Yue Hong replied, "It's ready. I brought it with me." As he spoke, he handed over the list and said, "Please take a look, Gao Shi."
Gao Shi waved his hand and said, "Don't show it to me. Send it to the university council. At least half of them will be removed. The council will definitely add in the students they favor."
Bian Feng raised his head and said, "At least there's still half of them left."
"Is it useful?"
Gao Shi shook his head and said, "There are so many people this year because of pressure from above. But the greater the pressure, the greater the backlash. There are already so many things to worry about, and now this. What's the point of all this trouble... Never mind," he said, changing his mind halfway through. He took the list from Yue Hong's hand, frowning as he said, "Take a look. Do what we can, even if it's not very useful."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
