After receiving Tong Yi’s call, Jiang Li knew that both of them should have the highest scores in the province, otherwise the admissions office wouldn’t be so active. What she didn’t expect was that besides her and Tong Yi, Qin Zheng also achieved the highest score this year, meaning that there were three top scorers in the science category.
Although the exams were different in different regions, their province used the nationwide exam papers, which were used by nine provinces in total. The three of them not only had the highest scores in their province but also the highest scores among the nine provinces. The college entrance examination was held yearly; naturally, each province also produced a provincial top scorer every year. However, this time, the top scorers across the nine provinces were three people, all from the same province and the same city, which was enough to make a buzz.
In recent years, the government had prohibited excessive promotion of exam top scorers, so schools or individuals wanting to buy their way into related trending topics had no way to do so. But this year’s #ThreeTopScorersInNineProvinces was a rare enough occurrence to become a legend, and as more people paid attention, it ended up trending organically.
Everyone in the Feng family wasn’t surprised that Jiang Li became a top scorer, but the house was still filled with joy, almost like a New Year’s celebration. Old Master Feng not only handed out red envelopes in the family group chat but also in the groups he shared with his friends, claiming to share the joy.
Feng Bai, who had just grabbed several fat red envelopes in the group, noticed Jiang Li’s calmness. “Aren’t you excited?” He asked, a bit curious.
Jiang Li asked back, “Should I be excited?”
Feng Bai put his hand on her shoulder, “I don’t know, I’ve never been a top scorer, so I have no experience!”
“But Third Uncle said that your programming skills are amazing,” Jiang Li comforted him.
Feng Bai’s eyes lit up, “Did Third Uncle really say that?”
Feng Qi, who was nearby, said slowly, “What I actually said was, ‘Your third brother isn’t that bad; he’s decent at programming.’”
Feng Bai beamed, “That’s a compliment! Anyway, I regard it as a compliment.”
Old Master Feng smiled, “In a few days, let’s throw a banquet to celebrate Xiao Jiang Li’s graduation and admission to university. We should invite a lot of people to celebrate.”
Feng Bai asked in confusion, “Do our family ever hold graduation parties?”
Old Master Feng gave him a light smack on the back of the head, “We didn’t have it before, but we do now.”
Jiang Li knew that once her grandpa decided on something, it was unlikely to change. She was quietly playing with her phone when multiple notifications for incoming red envelopes suddenly popped up on the screen.
Opening WeChat, she saw that all the red envelopes were from her second brother, Feng Song. Curious, she looked up and asked, “Second Brother, why did you send me so many red envelopes?”
Feng Song replied gently, “These are your early graduation gifts. Use them to buy whatever you want.”
Jiang Li responded brightly, “Thank you, Second Brother.”
Feng Bai quickly chimed in, “Don’t just thank your Second Brother, your Third Brother has red envelopes for you too. Remember to accept them.”
Jiang Li turned to him and said, “Thank you, Third Brother.”
Their eldest uncle turned to Jiang Li and said, “Your eldest aunt and I won’t give you a red envelope. Here, take this supplementary card and use it freely. I’ll cover the expenses.”
His wife added with a smile, “Make sure not to save money for your uncle, or he’ll feel like you’re distancing yourself from him.”
The twins: “…”
In this family, the most generous members were undoubtedly Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt, a fact beyond dispute. Still, they didn’t expect that Eldest Uncle would give Xiao Jiang Li a supplementary card with no spending limit. What an extreme show of generosity!
Jiang Li took the card from her uncle and said with a smile, “Thank you, Uncle and Aunt.”
“We’re family, no need to say thank you. Your aunt and I are usually very busy and don’t have much time to look after you, so we can only give you more money,” Eldest Uncle said cheerfully.
Next, Jiang Li received large red envelopes from her second uncle and second aunt, as well as a transfer from her eldest brother in the United States.
After everyone had given their gifts, Jiang Li turned to her youngest uncle, Feng Qi. With a playful smile, she said, “Third Uncle, are you not giving me a gift because my exam score wasn’t as high as yours?”
Feng Qi’s eyes sparkled with amusement, “Don’t you like taking candies from my pocket? Go ahead and help yourself.”
Jiang Li was taken aback and then reached into Feng Qi’s pocket. Instead of candy, she pulled out a keychain with house keys and car keys attached.
Feeling tricked, Jiang Li looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, “Uncle, is this my gift?”
Feng Qi nodded, “The car is ready for you. Use your summer vacation to get your driver’s license, and then you can drive it.”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened, already suspecting what was next, “And these house keys?”
Feng Qi replied calmly, “I bought a small villa near your school. If you don’t want to stay in the dorms, you can move in there.”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened further, “Uncle, you’re really this wealthy?” A villa in the capital must cost a fortune!
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, “Do I look poor to you?”
Jiang Li shook her head, “No, I just didn’t expect you to be so generous.”
Feng Qi gave a meaningful smile, “Yeah, your uncle isn’t poor; I’m just stingy.”
Jiang Li immediately clung to his arm, “No way, I’m the stingiest person in this family. Third Uncle, don’t say that.”
Old Master Feng coughed heavily and muttered in a low voice, “A newly bought house must have formaldehyde. It’s not suitable for Xiao Jiang Li to live in.”
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, “I bought it three years ago. It’s been aired out for over two years since the renovation.”
Old Master Feng’s eyes widened, “So you have been planning to lure Xiao Jiang Li into studying medicine for three years?”
Jiang Li quickly explained, “Grandpa, don’t misunderstand Third Uncle. Studying medicine was my own idea.”
Old Master Feng muttered, “You don’t need to defend him. You were only fifteen at the time, how could you understand people’s evil intentions? Especially your third uncle, who’s full of schemes.”
“…” Jiang Li was speechless. Studying medicine really was her own idea, but Grandpa clearly didn’t believe her!
And her third uncle wasn’t even trying to explain himself. In fact, he seemed quite content to take the blame.
…
Meanwhile, in the Tong family, when Tong Bingran learned that Tong Yi had become the top scorer in this year’s college entrance examination, he couldn’t help but sigh heavily. Especially when he saw his son, who had just returned from abroad, his mood worsened.
Tong Bingran glanced sideways at Tong Xu, “Why didn’t you get the top score back then? Even sharing the title with someone would have been fine!”
Tong Xu coughed lightly and tried to change the subject, “I’ve heard rumors that Tong Yi invested in a research institute. Why would he make such a sure-loss investment? What’s he aiming for?”
Tong Bingran’s eyes widened, “Were you kicked in the head by a donkey? Don’t you know the research institute is Third Master Feng’s domain?”
“Third Master Feng shouldn’t need outside funding, right?” Tong Xu asked, puzzled.
“Do you know that Jiang Li often visits the research institute in her spare time?”
“I know, but what does that have to do with Tong Yi’s investment?”
“…” Tong Bingran fell silent, speechless. How could he have such a foolish son?
Claiming to like the girl, but never took any concrete action.
Tong Yi had already started making moves, and yet this stupid son of his still doesn’t see the purpose behind it!
Taking a deep breath, Tong Bingran said expressionlessly, “I think you should remain abroad. You’re of no use here anyway.”
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