NABC Chapter 197 - 197 - 198: Perfect Score in the College Entrance Examination
Chapter 197 - 197 - 198: Perfect Score in the College Entrance Examination
Chapter 197 – 198: Perfect Score in the College Entrance Examination
The crowd waiting at the door had calmed down, and nobody was cutting in line. Everyone huddled together, chatting and laughing. There seemed to be thirty to forty people in line. Moreover, the number of people going to get numbers was on the rise.
The busyness of the evening came with cheerful hard work, especially for Li Dapang. Seeing the restaurant’s business booming, even his steps when delivering dishes were at a sprint. The day’s business had already revealed some problems with the restaurant: the coordination between staff wasn’t smooth enough, and clearly, there weren’t enough employees.
The dinner rush lasted till after eight at night before it finally slowed down.
Yang Lu and the others gathered in the first-floor office to start tallying up the day’s turnover.
“Not bad, today’s turnover reached sixty thousand,” Yang Lu smiled. “Congratulations are in order; the city center is indeed the city center. Although the rent is high, the foot traffic is substantial. The only drawback here is the lack of parking. Many people want to come here to dine but have to leave their cars at nearby parking lots and then walk over.”
“Indeed, that is a downside!” Xiao Han nodded. After pondering for a moment, he then said, “However, we can think of ways to compensate.”
“How do we make amends?” Yang Lu asked.
“We take compensatory measures,” Xiao Han replied, then elaborated, “By refunding their parking tickets. Of course, we’d limit one refund per table.”
“That could work!” Yang Lu immediately agreed. “Although it’s not a lot of money, it can make the consumers feel our hospitality.”
“Right!” Xiao Han nodded.
After a brief rest in the office, Xiao Han and Li Dapang returned home.
In the restaurant, everyone thought that Xiao Han and Li Dapang were summer workers from Hanmen Catering, imagining they were students working after the college entrance exam to earn tuition money. Therefore, everyone took extra care of them.
“Xiao Han, who would’ve thought Branch No. 2 could be such a success,” Li Dapang, driving his old van, said with a proud face.
“Yeah, it’s a bit beyond my expectations too!” Xiao Han smiled.
“Now, you’re truly worth tens of millions,” Li Dapang chuckled. “Won’t you consider getting a car for commuting?”
“Err...” Xiao Han paused. To be honest, everyone wants to have a car. Especially boys, their fascination with cars is no less than their infatuation with women. Xiao Han quickly said, “I do want one, but how would I explain the car?”
“That’s easy, just have Sister Yang cover for you,” Li Dapang chuckled. “Last time when you got the bonus, how did Sister Yang help you lie? You can simply use the same trick again!”
“Makes sense,” Xiao Han nodded slightly and said, “Now that it’s the summer holidays and I need to go out often, I really do need a commuting vehicle. But... how do I deal with the driver’s license issue?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find someone to help you out!” said Li Dapang, patting his chest confidently.
“Alright, get the driver’s license for me first!” Xiao Han replied.
“No problem!” Li Dapang laughed and said, “A driver’s license is just a matter of a few thousand yuan. I’ll find someone to buy one. Just give me your ID information.”
Li Dapang dropped off Xiao Han at his home and then drove back.
......
In a blink, it was the day the college entrance exam results were released.
“What?” Li Hengzhong exclaimed, “What... what did you say?!”
“Yes, Xiao Han is the national top scorer for the science section in this year’s college entrance examination!” Deputy Director Zhang’s voice was emphatic as he said, “Now, all education bureaus and departments around the country are calling our Education Department to inquire and offer congratulations. Haha, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way.
Oh right, Xiao Li, I’ve got to go to a meeting. The results just came out, and the whole country is buzzing. The scores are really good, excellent indeed, and there’s a big surprise waiting for you to discover; I won’t spoil it.”
Having said that, Deputy Director Zhang hung up immediately.
Li Hengzhong’s face was blank with shock, but soon, a smile spread across it. He jumped up, elated: “Awesome, just awesome!”
At that moment, Liu Jinmei came running in, too rushed even to knock on the door.
“Principal Li, Principal Li,” Liu Jinmei was frenzied.
“What happened?” Li Hengzhong, surprised, looked at this usually composed teacher and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“It’s out, it’s come out!” Liu Jinmei almost shouted, “Xiao Han’s score has been released.”
“How many points!” Li Hengzhong hurriedly asked.
“Seven hundred... seven hundred and fifty points!” Liu Jinmei was almost hysterical.
“What?!” Li Hengzhong felt as if struck by lightning.
“Seven hundred and fifty points!” Liu Jinmei joyously said, “For the first time in history, a student has achieved a perfect score in the college entrance exam. Principal Li, our... our school is going to be famous!”
“My God!” Li Hengzhong collapsed into his seat.
He quickly snapped back to reality. “Quick, post the good news. Also, notify the media. We must broadcast this great news. Let all the citizens of Linjiang share this wonderful announcement with us.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Liu Jinmei, upon hearing this, immediately turned to run out.
What great news, indeed, it was truly great news, absolutely a great announcement. Not only is he the national college entrance examination top scorer, but he is also the first student to achieve a perfect score since the founding of New China.
You should know that the first student who ever came close to achieving a perfect score since the founding of New China appeared in 1998, when a student named Xu Fan achieved an impressive 748 points on his college entrance exam. Missing just one multiple-choice question in mathematics, he narrowly missed a perfect score.
Who would have thought that, more than a decade later, a student from his own school would break the news of achieving a perfect score in the college entrance exam.
This was indeed groundbreaking news. Not just for the province, for Linjiang City, or for Linjiang No.1 Middle School, this was a tremendous honor, no wonder Deputy Director Zhang looked so triumphant and pleased.
“No, I need to call Xiao Han right away,” Li Hengzhong spoke hastily.
Just as he was about to dial the number, Li Hengzhong hung up the phone again and said, “I need to go talk to him personally.”
With that, Li Hengzhong quickly left the school and drove off in his Passat to seek out Xiao Han in the Fuxing Community.
The students were checking their college entrance examination scores one after another, yet Xiao Han was still tossing and turning in bed. Yesterday, he and Li Dapang were busy until past eleven o’clock at Hanmen Catering Branch No. 2. So, after coming home and taking a bath, it was past midnight. Today, he woke up late.
[PS: I’m on my knees begging for recommendation tickets and rewards.]