I'm back in 1990

Chapter 4: The Sudden Change

On the way back, Huang Xiaochuan rode his bicycle leisurely, without the urgency he had when he arrived, occasionally teasing Yu Wei, who was sitting on the back seat.

"Yu Wei, tell me honestly, did Sister Tian take advantage of you today, or did you take advantage of Sister Tian?"

When no girls were around, Yu Wei was a completely different person, no longer the shy and timid person he was when facing girls.

"Get lost! Why do your words sound so awful?"

"Unpleasant to hear? Whose hand was supporting someone's butt and putting his arm around their waist at the swimming pool? I saw the worst part; you were still holding onto their chest." Huang Xiaochuan was referring to Yu Wei, who was teaching Jiang Tian to swim, and whose hand was always on Jiang Tian's chest.

"I was teaching her to swim," Yu Wei stubbornly denied.

"Come on! I saw it all. After you got her out of the water, you didn't dare leave the pool. Your swim trunks were practically bursting, weren't they?" Huang Xiaochuan continued to tease his friend.

Faced with Huang Xiaochuan's teasing, Yu Wei, whose shamelessness rivaled that of a city wall, retorted, "Nonsense, it's just a normal physiological reaction. You did the same. Why did you clench your legs so tightly when you saw your class monitor?"

Huang Xiaochuan feigned anger: "Yu Wei, I've discovered you're not a cow, you're a duck. All you're good for is being stubborn."

"You're no better than me; even your mother says you're a stubborn ox."

"You're a duck!"

"Stubborn as a mule!"

......

When Huang Xiaochuan arrived home, his elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan, was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. His father, Huang Shanyuan, was sitting at the dining table, flipping through a newspaper. When he saw Huang Xiaochuan return, he still had a sour look on his face, seemingly very unhappy with Huang Xiaochuan.

Although Lao Huang is fifty-three years old this year and his hairline has receded significantly, he still has a head of jet-black hair and looks like someone in his forties.

Upon seeing his parents again, Huang Xiaochuan felt incredibly guilty.

In my past life, I was stubborn, but to put it bluntly, I was extremely selfish. I only considered myself and never cared about my parents' feelings. When I encountered setbacks, I would shamelessly return to my parents for protection. My parents, on the other hand, always granted my every request, so much so that in my previous life, they invested the most time and money in Huang Xiaochuan.

In contrast, his two older brothers had never caused their parents any worry since they were young. When it came to filial piety, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't even compare to them. Thinking of this, Huang Xiaochuan wished he could slap himself hard across the face.

Looking at the younger-looking Old Huang, Huang Xiaochuan felt a lump in his throat. In his previous life, Old Huang had worried so much about him, but he had been such an ingrate, never appreciating his kindness. He vowed never to do that again!

Zeng Lijuan saw Huang Xiaochuan return from the kitchen and turned around to say, "You're back? Are you hungry? Hurry up and get me some bowls and chopsticks, the food will be ready in a bit."

Looking at his mother, who had curly hair, a slightly plump figure, and was nearing fifty, Huang Xiaochuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and called out, "Mom!"

Then he turned to Old Huang and called out, "Dad!"

Old Huang's eyes never left the newspaper; he nodded perfunctorily to indicate that he had heard.

Zeng Lijuan urged from the kitchen, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get me the bowls and chopsticks! Aren't you going to eat?"

The familiar scene had returned to him once again. At this moment, Huang Xiaochuan felt that being reborn was truly wonderful!

Dinner was simple, a summer staple: shredded potatoes with green peppers, tomato and egg soup, and the main dish was an egg pancake made by Zeng Lijuan, which was absolutely delicious rolled with shredded potatoes.

Huang Xiaochuan hadn't had this kind of food in a long time. After serving Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan each a bowl of soup, he quickly served himself a bowl as well, grabbed a pancake, rolled up some shredded potatoes, and started eating.

It's so delicious, it tastes just like the home I remember.

The Huang family observes a rule of not speaking while eating. After the meal, Zeng Lijuan cleared the dishes, Huang Xiaochuan helped wipe the table, and Old Huang continued reading the newspaper, except that there was a cup of tea in front of him, which Huang Xiaochuan had brewed for him.

When the teacup was placed on the table next to Lao Huang, Lao Huang looked at Huang Xiaochuan with great surprise, as this was the first time he had ever seen it before.

After putting down his teacup, Huang Xiaochuan was about to return to his room when Old Huang called him back. Although his expression was still stiff, his tone was relatively more tactful.

"Wait a minute, we have some time now, can we talk again calmly?"

Huang Xiaochuan knew what Old Huang wanted to talk to him about, after all, the two of them had a very tense argument over filling out college applications in their previous life.

What happened in the decades that followed proved that Lao Huang's advice was correct, so in this life, Huang Xiaochuan decided to follow his parents' advice.

Furthermore, with the identity of a reborn person, he can ensure that he and his family can live a carefree life no matter what in the future.

Although he doesn't remember lottery winning numbers or other shortcuts to wealth, he has the major economic development trends for the next few decades in his mind, so he'll just take things as they come.

Taking a spontaneous trip or providing a good living environment for family and parents without worrying about making a living or money is quite easy to achieve.

After thinking about this, Huang Xiaochuan sat down in front of Lao Huang with a very proper attitude.

Old Huang looked at his youngest son, who was causing him so much trouble, with mixed feelings of worry and anger. He was angry because the boy was so stubborn, and he wondered how he could have given birth to such an unlucky child. He was worried because he couldn't persuade the boy to fill out his college application soon.

What this child doesn't understand is that many professions that are currently in high demand or in particular need in society, although having low entry barriers, will lead to a situation where, if one cannot delve into a certain level of expertise in their field and become irreplaceable, then when the industry becomes saturated, a process of natural selection will ruthlessly eliminate many people, and this child might be one of them.

Studying economics is a good choice. The country is firmly committed to the path of reform and opening up. Since we want to develop the economy, we must have our own professional economic talents. At present, governments at all levels are eager to find economic talents.

Once he completes his studies, he could stay at the university as a teacher to do teaching and research, or find a position in the local government without any problem. But why is this child so clueless? I have to have a good talk with him tonight. There's no other way; he's my own son. Even if he doesn't listen, I have to make sure I get to the bottom of things.

After much thought, Lao Huang decided to have a serious talk with his son: "I still want to have a proper discussion with you about your college application."

Huang Xiaochuan's next words caught Huang Shanyuan, who had prepared a whole speech, off guard.

"Just fill out the form according to your suggestion. I've thought it over carefully. You and my mom are right. Studying economics is for the sake of building the country, and it will also make it easier to find a job in the future."

The sudden change left Lao Huang somewhat disoriented. He had originally thought that tonight might be another heated argument, but it ended before it even began.

Huang Shanyuan could hardly believe his ears and asked again, "What did you just say?"

Since the college entrance examination ended yesterday, the debate about college application has never stopped. Last night, the father and son had a huge argument and parted on bad terms. Where did the sun come from today?

Ever since Lao Huang suggested talking to Huang Xiaochuan again, Zeng Lijuan, who had retreated to her room, had been on tenterhooks. She listened intently, hoping that the father and son could have a calm and peaceful conversation, and that they wouldn't end up arguing like they did the night before.

When Zeng Lijuan heard her stubborn son agree to fill out his college application according to Lao Huang's advice, she could hardly believe it.

She came out of the room with a surprised expression and asked Huang Xiaochuan, "Xiaochuan, have you really come to your senses? Or are you just trying to fool us?"

Zeng Lijuan knows her son all too well. He's the most stubborn person among those born in the Year of the Ox. He's inflexible and once he's made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back, let alone ten locomotives.

He absolutely refused to change his mind yesterday, but he's come to his senses after just one day and one night? Is this still my stubborn son?

Huang Xiaochuan reiterated once again: "I've thought it over, and I'll fill out the application according to your suggestions."

Comrade Huang was naturally very pleased with Huang Xiaochuan's transformation.

Zeng Lijuan is the same. You know, this is really not easy. From childhood to adulthood, this kid has had an extremely strong sense of self. Once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely do it. Perhaps for things like studying, this kind of personality can have a 1+1 greater than 2 effect, but for other things, this kind of personality may have the opposite effect.

Originally, they thought tonight would be another argument that started with earnest advice but ended in discord. Unexpectedly, before it even officially started, they reached an agreement in a dramatic way. Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan even wondered if they were hallucinating.

Zeng Lijuan was the happiest. She pulled Huang Xiaochuan's hand over and patted it with relief: "Good, good, it's good that you figured it out yourself. You made me worry for nothing."

Old Huang was also very pleased; it was truly rare that this stubborn boy had managed to change his mind on his own.

After the whole family reached a consensus on filling out college application forms, the atmosphere at home instantly became harmonious, unlike the somber atmosphere when Huang Xiaochuan first entered the house.

Huang Xiaochuan was also very happy that such a simple compromise could put his parents at ease.

Huang Xiaochuan felt like he had failed miserably in his previous life. He was selfish and never cared about his parents. Even when they were over eighty years old, they were still worrying about him. Thinking of this, Huang Xiaochuan wanted to slap himself hard again.