"Uncle, we have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be taking our leave."
Then, without allowing his dad any resistance, he dragged him away.
「On the drive ho.」
Only then did Comrade Lao Sun start to piece things together.
"So, this Jian Guo was just flaunting his son in front of . I was wondering why he was so enthusiastic today. He used to avoid whenever he saw ."
Sun Dasheng gave his father an amused look and continued driving.
It serves you right for always showing off your son in front of him. Isn’t this just payback?
"A doctoral student is impressive, but our Da Sheng is not bad either," Comrade Lao Sun finally concluded.
Sun Dasheng knew his father was just trying to comfort him, but he didn’t say much more. They were no longer competing on the sa track.
「With the other father and son.」
After lighting the morial lanterns and setting off the firecrackers, Sun Jianguo asked, sowhat displeased, "Haohao, why did you pull away just now? We finally got to see your uncle, and you get impatient after just a few words?"
He hadn’t been able to boast to his heart’s content, especially not in front of Sun Youzhi. As contemporaries from the sa village, they were both prominent figures. They had grown up together since childhood and were always considered the best among their peers. From a young age, the elders were always comparing the two of them. In the end, they were evenly matched, essentially ending in a draw.
Naturally, the competition then shifted to their children.
At first, he fell behind for a while, as his son’s score on the college entrance exam didn’t get him into as good a university as Comrade Lao Sun’s son. Now, he had finally evened the score. The resentnt that had been building up for years could finally be vented. How could he not want to show off in front of him for a little longer?
"Dad, if you had said any more, I would have been exposed," Sun Hao said helplessly.
"What do you an?" Sun Jianguo was confused.
What is my son talking about? How could he have been exposed? Is his PhD student status fake? Or is the high-paying job he just switched to a fake?
"It’s not what you think," Sun Hao said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Everything I told you about changing jobs and getting a raise is true."
"Then what did you an by being ’exposed’?" Sun Jianguo asked.
Seeing that he really couldn’t hide it any longer, Sun Hao laid his cards on the table. "Do you know how I got my new job?"
"How else? It was because of your PhD diploma, wasn’t it? What other way is there?" Sun Jianguo said in surprise.
"Dad, you’re mistaken. A high-level degree isn’t as sought-after as it used to be. Many of my senior classmates from my PhD program struggle to find high-paying jobs after graduation. The number of highly educated people is constantly increasing, but high-paying positions in the market are decreasing. The competition is just too intense. Many master’s and PhD graduates end up finding jobs that only pay a few thousand, no different from those with a bachelor’s degree," Sun Hao confessed.
Sun Jianguo found this hard to believe.
Could that old rumor—that even the street sweepers are all university graduates—actually be true? Has education beco so devalued?
"Then your job...?" Sun Jianguo finally grasped the main point.
"A fellow villager recomnded ," Sun Hao said.
"Which one? Don’t tell it has sothing to do with Sun Youzhi’s son?"
"Exactly. Without a recomndation from a fellow villager, how could I have found such a good job so quickly?" Sun Hao stopped playing coy and didn’t make his father keep guessing. He ca right out with the answer: "It was Sun Dacheng from our village. He saw my resu on a job website and called right away to recruit ."
"Sun Dacheng?" The na seed to ring a bell for Sun Jianguo. His story had caused such an uproar in their small village that everyone knew about it.
"Is that the Sun Dacheng who ran off to Northern Myanmar and had to be ransod back by his family?"
Sun Hao nodded. "That’s him."
"He has the pull to get you hired into a company with a high salary?"
"Of course he doesn’t have that kind of pull. The one who does is the man who was standing right in front of you," Sun Hao said.
Sun Jianguo’s throat suddenly felt dry. He looked at his son in disbelief and said, "Are you saying... the company you work for now was started by Sun Youzhi’s son?"
"That’s right."
"You’re working for Sun Youzhi’s son?"
"Yes."
All of Sun Jianguo’s previous pride vanished like smoke. It turned out that, after all this, his son was working for his rival’s son just to make a living. No wonder his son had hidden his face and kept trying to pull him away. He didn’t want to beco a laughingstock right then and there.
Thinking back on his own behavior just now... didn’t it feel a bit like he was the monkey in a circus act? How humiliating!
"Let’s go ho," Sun Jianguo said, covering his face as he got back into the car.
We should have just co to light these damn grave lanterns earlier.
「The next day.」
Sun Dasheng’s family woke up bright and early to head back to their hotown and pay New Year’s visits. The people they needed to visit were all elders. Since there weren’t many people left in the village with a higher seniority than Sun Youzhi, it didn’t take long for them to finish their greetings.
Sun Youzhi had two younger siblings: he was the eldest, with a younger sister and a youngest brother. His sister had married far away and rarely ca back. His youngest brother was Sun Youguo, who was also Sun Dasheng’s uncle and Sun Dacheng’s father. He had chosen to stay ho and farm to take care of their parents. The younger brother provided the labor while he provided the money, and together they supported their parents in their old age. After their parents passed away a few years ago, he didn’t co back as often.
「At Sun Youguo’s Ho.」
Two large rcedes-Benzes were parked at the entrance. The two-story, European-style villa looked quite impressive. The interior, however, was rather plain, having only been simply furnished.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, Da Sheng, you’re all here," Sun Youguo said, coming out personally to greet them.
Sun Dacheng followed behind him, wishing his uncle, aunt, and Big Brother Da Sheng a happy New Year.
Inside the house, in the back kitchen, Sun Youguo’s wife, Wang i, was busy preparing lunch.
Madam Xie walked in. "Xiao i, are you busy? Is there anything I can help with?"
"Oh, Sister-in-law, you’re here! You’re a guest, we can’t have you working. Please, go sit in the front room. Lunch will be ready soon."
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