Chapter 49

Li Dad and Li Mom stayed in the countryside for two days and didn't return home until 5:00 PM on the third day, looking rather travel-worn.

The reason they rushed back was because the college entrance exam score inquiry hotline would be officially open after 6:00 PM tonight. They were eager to find out how many points their son had scored.

Under the watchful eyes of his parents, Li Mu used the home landline, turned on the speaker, and dialed the provincial education commission's college entrance exam score inquiry hotline.

After the automated voice prompt, Li Mu entered his admission ticket number. Immediately, the mechanical voice began to announce the scores.

"Admission ticket number... Name: Li Mu, college entrance exam scores for each subject are..."

Li Dad and Li Mom began to hold their breath in anticipation.

"Chinese: 112 points."

Li Dad and Li Mom frowned slightly. The Chinese score was a bit low, but they knew Li Mu's strength was in science.

"Math: 136 points."

"Good, good." Li Dad and Li Mom nodded in agreement. Li Mom also calculated on paper and said, "248 points."

"Science Comprehensive: 238 points."

"Still pretty good!" Li Dad and Li Mom started to get nervous. "486 points, it all depends on English now!"

For the first three subjects, Li Mu wasn't nervous at all. Although he didn't remember his exact scores in each subject, the total of 486 points matched his memory perfectly.

Now, the only subject he was nervous about was English.

He had estimated 140 points, so it shouldn't be less than that, right?

At this moment, the voice on the phone said, "English: 150 points."

"What?"

Li Dad stood up abruptly, trembling with excitement, not even noticing that the cigarette butt had fallen to the ground. "How many points did you get in English? One hundred and fifty? A perfect score?"

"Yes!" Li Mom burst into tears. "A perfect score! Li Mu scored a total of 636 points!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Mom sobbed. She had never dreamed that her son could score so high. The best outcome she had hoped for was for Li Mu to get into a first-tier university. The joy and satisfaction she felt now were unprecedented.

At this moment, Li Dad exclaimed, clutching his chest and taking a while to catch his breath. "Good boy, how did you manage to get a perfect score in English?"

Li Mu was also very excited. With a total score of 636, he was sure to be admitted to Renmin University!

"I told you I did exceptionally well in English, but you didn't believe me!"

"Still, I didn't expect a perfect score!"

Li Mu hadn't expected it either. When he estimated his score, he had gotten 125 points, excluding the essay, but he hadn't thought his essay would get a perfect score.

"‘One World, One Dream’ really seems to have a lot of appeal!"

Li Dad almost immediately took out his phone and called Li Mu's uncle.

"Daoshun, Li Mu's college entrance exam results are out... 636 points, yes, you heard right, 636 points. Go tell our parents, let them be happy too..."

Li Mu's grandparents didn't have a phone, but fortunately, his uncle lived in the same village, not far away.

Li Dad notified all their relatives and a few close friends. After a series of phone calls, he was in high spirits, slapping his thigh with a radiant face. "Alright, let's go out for a meal today!"

Li Mom smiled and said, "Let's go to Hai Zhou Hotel! Oh, Li Mu, you should invite Chen Wan too. I think if she hadn't bumped into you, you might not have gotten a perfect score in English! You should thank her for opening your mind!"

"Mom, what a strange theory..." Li Mu smiled wryly but immediately called Chen Wan.

What Li Mu didn't expect was that Chen Wan was already on a train to Shanghai and was about to arrive.

Li Mu couldn't help but complain, "Sister Wan, you left without saying anything, that's not very nice."

Chen Wan laughed and said, "Parting is the hardest thing to bear. I thought it was better to leave quietly. What do you want, stinky kid?"

"I want to treat you to a meal. My college entrance exam results are out."

"How much did you score?"

"636."

"So high! What about English?"

"Perfect score."

"Wow!" Chen Wan cheered excitedly. "I can finally get rid of my guilt!"

Li Mu said, "I wanted to treat you to a meal to thank you for that mysterious bump, but I didn't expect you to leave."

"I'll treat you when I get back!"

"Alright, take care of yourself in Shanghai."

"Don't worry, stinky kid, you too."

After hanging up, Chen Wan's departure left Li Mu feeling a bit disappointed, but he tried not to let his mood be affected by the parting. The results were out, and it was a very happy occasion. This score was a great achievement, making his parents especially proud and himself very satisfied. The perfect score in English also dispelled Chen Wan's guilt.

Putting away his phone, Li Mu smiled at his parents. "Sister Wan is in Shanghai, so let's just the three of us go out to eat."

"Alright," his parents nodded.

Li Dad then said to Li Mom, "Li Mu scored over 600 points, it's a big celebration. I'll take a day off and we'll take Li Mu back to the countryside to see my parents."

"Alright," Li Mom nodded, hesitated for a moment, and asked Li Dad, "Why don't we invite all our family members to celebrate together?"

Li Dad's expression showed a hint of complexity, but he nodded repeatedly. "We should invite them, but it's a bit late today. Let's do it tomorrow."

Seeing Li Dad agree readily, Li Mom smiled and hugged his arm, comforting him softly, "Don't overthink it. Our family is different now. Li Mu did so well in the exam and is also good at making money. If my brother and sister-in-law knew how successful Li Mu is now, they wouldn't say those things to you anymore."

Li Dad nodded and smiled at Li Mom, but Li Mu noticed that the smile was somewhat awkward and forced.

Li Mu knew that in his previous life, his father had always avoided his mother's family, especially his uncle and aunt. He would try to avoid them whenever possible.

It wasn't that his father was inconsiderate. Li Mu knew that his uncle and aunt had been critical of his father since before his parents got married. During family gatherings, his father would often be the target of their ridicule. Even Li Mu couldn't bear it, let alone his father. In his previous life, Li Mu's relationship with his uncle and aunt was also strained, mainly because he would often defend his father against their criticism.

Li Dad, Li Daoping, was a genuine rural boy, and his entire family still lived in a small town on the outskirts of Hai Zhou. He was the only one who worked in the city. As Li Dad himself said, his family had been poor farmers for generations.

However, Li Mu's mother, Xiao Yunfang, came from a worker's family. Her grandparents were among the earliest state-owned enterprise workers, so Li Mom and Li Mu's two uncles and two aunts grew up with urban household registration and enjoyed the benefits of a stable income, which was much better than Li Dad's situation. This was one of the reasons why his uncle and aunt looked down on him.

Currently, both his uncle and his aunt worked in the tax bureau, earning at least 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year, including wages and benefits. His aunt, who had been laid off a few years ago, later opened a small children's clothing store on the old street, which did well from the start and now earns about 30,000 yuan a year.

Both families had a standard middle-class income, and compared to Li Mu's father, who earned only about 1,000 yuan a month as a coal miner, they looked down on him.

Actually, the reason Li Dad was disliked by his uncle and aunt wasn't just because of his low income. The main reason was a long-standing grudge.

According to what Li Dad later told Li Mu, his uncle had once tried to introduce Li Mom to the son of a deputy director of the tax bureau. The son was very fond of Li Mom and even promised to transfer her to the tax bureau after marriage, and to get Li Mu's aunt a job there after she graduated from high school.

The tax bureau at that time had not yet undergone tax reform and had significant power, making it one of the most desirable departments. Even the ugliest girl or the laziest boy would have a long line of suitors if they could get a job there. However, Li Mom refused and was determined to marry Li Dad.

Although Li Mu's grandparents were open-minded and did not oppose the marriage, in the eyes of his uncle and aunt, Li Dad became the culprit who had taken Li Mom away and made her suffer.

In the hearts of Li Mu's uncle and aunt, there was a deeper resentment. They both felt that if Li Mom had married the son of the tax bureau deputy director, their own futures would have been much better. If his uncle had that connection in the tax bureau, he could have been promoted to a cadre. If his aunt had joined the tax bureau, she wouldn't have been laid off when the textile factory closed, and she wouldn't have had to struggle for two or three years before her business started to improve.

In Li Mu's memory, this situation worsened after his parents were laid off. Before that, Li Dad had already been looked down upon by the Xiao family, and the situation became even worse after the layoffs. The accusations of being unambitious, unable to earn money, and making his wife and children suffer were often directed at Li Dad by his uncle and aunt.

Li Mu, who was now in his thirties mentally, was very clear that in this era where poverty was ridiculed but not prostitution, the main reason his uncle and aunt ridiculed his father was because of his lack of money and success. If his father could earn money and stand tall, they would have nothing to say.

Thinking about this, Li Mu suddenly had an idea.

As expected, the final review for Metersbonwe would be completed in a few days. Once it was approved, he would need to quickly set up the store and ensure that his parents had a thriving business in the future.

However, once the headquarters approved, the store would need to be renovated immediately, and people would need to be sent for training. Regardless of who was hired as the store manager, at least one of Li Dad or Li Mom, as future owners, would need to participate in the training.

But the plan to open the store had not yet been openly discussed with his parents, so Li Mu had been thinking about how to force his parents to quit their jobs and focus on the specialty store.

This banquet seemed to be a good opportunity. Li Mu felt it was time to put on a show for his father, to make his uncle and aunt look at him differently and to push his father to take action.

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