Chapter 53: Cheap Destiny

Zhai Da hadn't been around for a while. Brother Hai, wondering if he had spent his internet money on chasing a girl, said with a smile, "If you're out of cash, just tell your big brother. I'll boot up a machine for you."

Internet cafe management systems back in those days weren't all that professional, giving internet cafe managers high privileges and plenty of loopholes to exploit.

Zhai Da even remembered a rebellious young girl who "dated" Little Brother Hai for a month just to get free internet access.

Zhai Da smiled. "With the college entrance examination just around the corner, I haven't had the time to come."

Brother Hai looked quite surprised. "You brat are actually studying? Do you even stand a chance of getting into a junior college?"

"I'll give it a try. Oh, by the way, Brother Hai, we have some school registration business to take care of. Which computer of yours is the safest? I need to log into the 'Fragmented Province Examinations Authority'."

Brother Hai thought for a moment and said, "Then use mine. I can't guarantee that the others are clean."

Brother Hai trusted Zhai Da deeply. Having worked as an internet manager for nearly ten years, it was almost as if he had watched Zhai Da grow up. At this hour, customers practically never came in to start a terminal, so he simply yielded his seat to Zhai Da and went straight out to buy breakfast.

Zhai Da pulled over another chair, and he and Lu Wei sat together behind the counter.

He opened the browser, searched for the web address, and logged into the "Fragmented Province Education Examinations Authority" portal.

It was the official website, but remarkably crude, lacking even a properly applied template, yet it was the lifeline for countless students in the Fragmented Province.

For students of this era, they rarely needed to log into this website themselves; it hadn't been online for many years, and in most cases, schools and various administrative levels handled the batch operations on their behalf.

However, just as he told Lu Wei last night, everyone has the right to take the college entrance examination.

People featured in the news every year like "attending university with one's son," "taking the gaokao for the twentieth time," or "a grandmother moving into a college dorm" all originated this way.

As long as one possessed proof of high school or equivalent academic qualifications, one could register to participate. Previously, this required visiting relevant local departments in person, but now it could be handled over the internet.

(Even without completing the nine-year compulsory education, one could take a test at the education department to prove equivalent academic qualifications.)

Although Lu Wei had not taken the regular college entrance examination, she possessed a High School Graduation Certificate.

Though called graduation, the corresponding examinations were actually held in the second semester of sophomore year so as not to interfere with the final gaokao sprint, known as the Ordinary High School Academic Proficiency Qualification Examination.

The difficulty was extremely low, with a national pass rate of ninety-five percent, serving essentially as a mere formality.

Lu Wei's graduation certificate was usually kept in a folder with her other documents, all of which she had managed to grab the day she was driven out.

Zhai Da found the registration link, planning first to help Lu Wei register for the Subject Grading Examination, and then for the gaokao itself.

In the past, these application and modification windows closed very early, but this year, due to the arrival of the 2008 new regulations, the deadlines had been significantly extended (varying by province, determined independently).

Based on Lu Wei's graduation certificate, Zhai Da entered her corresponding student status number—a sixteen-digit alphanumeric string containing uppercase letters.

Then he entered her ID number.

He filled in the basic information... the path was correct, generating an initial account and initial password, and logged in again...

After a series of operations, Lu Wei was officially registered for the "Subject Grading Test," which included physics on the same day as the gaokao, as well as "chemistry and biology" the following month.

Since this was social registration, the admission ticket would be delivered via postal courier, and Zhai Da entered the Sanmao Residential Compound directly as the mailing address.

He suddenly recalled a meme from his past life concerning the 2008 new regulations. After that chaotic summer ended, someone posted online suggesting that all adults should be mobilized to sign up for the Subject Grading Tests.

Because the top twenty percent of scores in elective subjects (physics/history) across the province received an A, as long as every father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother in a household registered and turned in blank papers, it would guarantee that every child in the Fragmented Province received an A.

Of course, this was merely a joke; no one could actually mobilize that many people, and the authorities would never allow such a mess. It would be far too easy for the rule-makers to patch any loopholes.

At present, what he and Lu Wei needed to face were the mandatory subject levels a month later. Evaluated by absolute scores, only ninety points or higher would secure an A. Lu Wei should be completely secure, while he himself... would have to put in some effort.

Next came the gaokao registration, which was operated on the same examinations authority website, but with stricter procedures. Lu Wei needed to make a trip down to the local education department in person for real-name authentication on-site and to attend related briefings, and the admission ticket also had to be collected in person.

Before logging out, Zhai Da even changed the initial password.

When all of this was done, Zhai Da let out a long breath. Lu Wei also felt as though a major task had been completed, and her mind relaxed significantly.

Brother Hai returned from breakfast at some point, having secretly observed Zhai Da and his "girlfriend." Seeing that Zhai Da had finished his tasks, he spoke up: "All done?"

Zhai Da nodded. "Thanks, Brother Hai. Are you sure the computer is safe?"

Brother Hai smiled. "You worry quite a lot. I've been tinkering with this machine myself for several years; it's cleaner than the vast majority of computers out there, and I run a deep clean every week."

Brother Hai handed over two starch sausages, and Zhai Da didn't stand on ceremony, sharing one with Lu Wei.

"You brat, isn't it a bit late to start studying at this stage? I see that kid Wu Yue has already given up and watches cartoons here every day."

Zhai Da replied, "The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second best time is now."

He had originally intended to toss out this cliché quote for effect, but to his surprise, Brother Hai nodded seriously.

"Indeed, that makes sense... Xiao Da, if you have the chance, you should still give it a real shot, even if you just end up in a junior college."

"Don't be like me. When I was studying, I thought studying was useless. Only after I stopped studying did I realize that the useless one was myself."

Zhai Da only knew roughly about Brother Hai's background, so he could only offer formal, soothing words: "Don't say that. All roads lead to Rome."

Brother Hai gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Do you know what kind of people I envy the most?"

"Uh... college students?"

"Not at all. College students are pretty moronic too."

"Then who?"

"I envy those with broad knowledge and wide horizons. Unlike me, hiding away in an internet cafe for ten years, days blending into nights, my biological clock flipped upside down... never even stepping foot outside of Dongyang."

"Actually, you can always go out and travel more," Zhai Da suggested.

"But being knowledgeable and broadening your horizons costs money. Without money, you're just tied to your job like a dog. What chance do ordinary people like us have? The best and fairest opportunity in this lifetime is actually just studying."

Brother Hai lit a Red Plum cigarette, took a drag, and said:

"The tuition at Tsinghua and Peking University is only five thousand yuan a year. Think about it, how cheap of a chance to change your destiny is that?"

Zhai Da shook his head. "Not everyone has that kind of talent, though."

"How many people truly lack the talent? They're just lazy and fond of play. Working as an internet manager, I've seen far too many."

Brother Hai subconsciously offered a Red Plum cigarette to Zhai Da, and Zhai Da subconsciously reached out to take it, but then Brother Hai snapped back to reality and snatched it back.

"Don't start smoking before you've even learned properly. Once you start working in the future, you'll have plenty of chances to smoke them one after another."

Zhai Da didn't leave immediately, however. Instead, he reached behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of iced red tea, the medium one-liter size.

"Brother Hai, since I used your computer, let me treat you to a drink."

Brother Hai smiled. "You're just grabbing one from the display case to treat me?"

"Aren't the items in the case the boss's too? I'll pay for it."

Although the main business was finished, he intended to chat with Brother Hai a bit longer.

Because just now, when Brother Hai was reaching for his cigarettes, he had caught sight of a folded outline extending from the other man's pocket.