After making the phone call, Chen Chuan made his way all the way home. The moment he reached the front yard, he heard the clamor of his younger cousins. Stepping into the living room, he saw a small rubber ball bouncing toward him. With a casual flick of his instep, he juggled it twice, then extended his foot, letting the ball rest steadily on his instep without swaying in the slightest.
"Whoa!" Little cousin Nian Lu let out a squeal of delight and clapped her hands vigorously.
Her brother, Nian Mo, raised both hands high. "Yay! Do it again! Do it again!"
With a gentle push of his foot, Chen Chuan rolled the ball over toward the two little ones.
Yu Wan was seated in a chair knitting a sweater. Knowing that Chen Chuan was heading to Wuyi College tomorrow, she had been waiting here early today. Seeing him, she smiled warmly. "Chan'er, you're back?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Yes, Auntie. Registration is tomorrow, so I came back a bit early today."
Yu Wan stood up. Noticing the thick dust coating the jacket in his hands, she chided gently, "You silly boy, did you go rolling around in a dust heap? Quick, give it to me. I'll take it outside and dust it off. It's a perfectly good coat—don't ruin it."
Taking the jacket, she muttered a few more nagging remarks before stepping outside to beat the dust out of it.
Just then, Chen Chuan felt a stir of wind from behind. As though he had eyes in the back of his head, he tilted his neck aside, letting the thrown ball fly past.
"Whoa! Big Brother's amazing!"
"Throw it back! Throw it back!"
Chen Chuan retrieved the ball and tossed it back, spending a few casual moments playing with the two kids. Before long, Yu Wan returned, placing the freshly cleaned jacket back into his hands. "Here, take it."
Chen Chuan took the jacket and walked toward his room. Yu Wan followed along. He knew she must have something to tell him. Sure enough, once they reached the bedroom door, she asked with concern, "Chan'er, do you still have enough money on you?"
"Auntie, you gave me plenty last time," Chen Chuan replied. "I still have some left."
"If it isn't enough, just ask me for more," Yu Wan insisted. "When it comes to your schooling, you can't pinch pennies."
Chen Chuan gave a quiet nod of acknowledgment.
Yu Wan continued, "Your uncle told you to move out within two months, but now that you've got your future settled, I don't think you need to rush to pack up. Wait until you've settled into the school dormitory before deciding anything. And once classes start, if you ever don't feel like staying there, just come back home. It's not like our family can't spare a bite to eat for you, right?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Auntie, is that Uncle's idea?"
"What, can't your aunt make the call?" Yu Wan huffed. "As long as you can learn real skills at the college, that's more important than anything else."
Chen Chuan wasn't overly rigid about such things; after all, he could move out whenever he wished. "All right, Auntie. Let's do that for now."
Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Yu Wan beamed. Ever since her second elder sister and brother-in-law passed away, she had treated Chen Chuan like her own son. If he were to simply move out just like that, she would genuinely miss him.
After Yu Wan left, Chen Chuan went inside his room and closed the door behind him. He hung his jacket on the door hook, walked over to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out his remaining money to count it.
Back then, Yu Wan had given him a total of six hundred Jianzhi dollars. Registering for the exam had cost one hundred. Before that, covering meals, training, and equipment wear and tear at the House of Fists, plus miscellaneous expenses, had added up to just over three hundred across the two months—averaging about one hundred and fifty a month.
Over the coming month leading up to the retest, he would clearly still need Yu Gang's guidance. Even without overestimating, he would likely need around the same amount.
Granted, once Wuyi College officially commenced classes, room and board were completely free for matriculated students. If he could pass the retest, most of the tuition would be waived as well. But common sense dictated that living wouldn't suddenly become cost-free; in fact, expenses might be even higher. Therefore, he would need to do everything he could to vie for a school scholarship.
At the very same moment, within Wuyi College.
Bian Feng, the lecturer who had accepted Chen Chuan, and Yue Hong, another instructor primarily responsible for recruitment and testing, were walking side by side down the corridor of the main campus hall.
Yue Hong patted the sheet of paper in his hands and remarked, "Ten years into the expansion program, the number of applicants has grown every year. This year we've recruited even more—two thousand students across Yangzhi City and the six surrounding counties. A number we've never seen before. Looks like higher-ups are really stepping up the push."
Bian Feng replied in a deep voice, "Is that a lot? Yangzhi City has a population of over six million. Add in the surrounding counties and towns, even without counting the mountainous regions, that's well over ten million people. Yet only this handful gets enrolled every year, and that's after a whole decade of expansion."
Yue Hong chuckled. "Be content. In our day, who among the admitted students wasn't tutored hand-in-hand by a master? Who hadn't trained from childhood? Nowadays, plenty of students get a shot at admission after just a year or two—or even half a year—at a boxing club or training gym. They have infinitely more opportunities than we ever did."
Bian Feng shook his head. "These students have only gotten their foot in the door. If one in ten passes the retest, that'll already be lucky."
Yue Hong nodded in agreement. Although both groups were technically students of Wuyi College to the outside world, passing the retest made a world of difference. The former were the genuine talents the college would invest effort to cultivate; the latter were mere fillers.
A decade of expansion had not actually brought significant change within Wuyi College. The overall number of elite students barely fluctuated from year to year. The reason was simple: resources were always finite and could only be tilted, in limited amounts, toward those truly worth cultivating.
The even bigger factor was that the vast majority of resources were claimed by students from influential and powerful backgrounds, leaving only scraps to be divided among commoners. Even though the higher administration of the main academy had recognized the issue in recent years and tried their best to make adjustments, the results were ultimately limited.
He remarked with no small measure of cynicism, "Once meat is in someone's mouth, who would willingly spit it back out?"
Conversing as they walked, the two arrived outside the office of the college's director of recruitment and admissions. As they drew close, a voice brimming with vigor rang out from within:
"I ask you, what is the point of the scholarships the college established? Every year, the ones who receive those scholarships are stooges pushed forward by privileged students! After graduation, they all go off to serve those same wealthy and influential families. What was meant to be an opportunity for ordinary students ended up entirely usurped. So what is the point of this whole expansion?
"At the end of the day, the strong only grow stronger, while the weak grow weaker. It's even worse than ten years ago! As far as I'm concerned, we might as well scrap the scholarships entirely. And even if we don't scrap them, they should be slashed!"
Bian Feng and Yue Hong both possessed sharp hearing. Even through the wall, in the quiet hallway, they could clearly catch the voice speaking from the receiver on the other end of the line:
"We still have to offer some hope. Ordinary students can't compete with the privileged ones, but exceptional standouts will always emerge. Even if only one or two make it, that's already a good thing, proof that our efforts are producing results. But if the scholarships are abolished, even hope is gone."
"You're a school trustee, so you call the shots on this. But if this class turns out just like the previous ones, find someone else for this business next time."
With a click, the receiver slammed down. Then the voice called out, "What are you two waiting outside for? Waiting to laugh at me? Get in here."
Bian Feng and Yue Hong hurriedly pushed the door open and entered. Sitting in the office was a thick-haired, middle-aged man in his fifties. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a burly physique, and a stern countenance. Clad in a dark imported formal suit with his collar and cuffs buttoned meticulously, he looked like a man who took everything dead seriously.
As he sat there, he seemed to take up nearly half the room. Behind the desk, his legs were planted on the floor like stone pillars, completely obscuring the chair beneath him. Bian Feng and Yue Hong bowed slightly and greeted, "Master Gao."
Master Gao said, "Is the list of candidates for testing drawn up?"
Yue Hong said, "It's ready. I've brought it with me." Stepping forward, he handed it over. "Please have a look, Master Gao."
Master Gao waved his hand dismissively. "Don't bother showing it to me. Once it's sent to the board of trustees, at least half will be struck out. The commission will definitely shove in the candidates they fancy."
Bian Feng looked up and said, "Then at least half will remain."
"Is that useful?"
Master Gao shook his head. "The numbers are high this year because the higher-ups put on pressure. But the greater the pressure, the harsher the pushback. There's already a mountain of headaches, and now this nonsense on top of it. What's the point of all this fussing...? Fine." He cut himself off, seemingly changing his mind. Snatching the list from Yue Hong's hand, he furrowed his brow and muttered, "Let me look. At least I'll do what little humanly possible I can, even if it won't amount to much."
Chapter 22