I'm back in 1990

Chapter 991: Persuasion

After the siblings sat down in the tea room on the first floor, Zeng Hong immediately started complaining about Huang Xiaochuan: "Don't interfere in Xuanxuan's affairs. I've gone to great lengths to get her to study at Shanghai University, but you've only made things worse by encouraging her to apply to Jinling University. Are you even my brother?"

"Look at you, why are you so flustered? Let's talk this out!" Huang Xiaochuan, who knew Zeng Hong's temper well, was very patient.

Zeng Hong has a particular personality trait: she has an extremely strong desire to control her children. She interferes in everything her daughter does, which is why her daughter had a failed marriage in her previous life—all because of this personality trait.

Zeng Hong then questioned her younger brother: "Then let me ask you, isn't Hudan good? Is it worse than Jin Da Tuipan?"

"To be fair, Shanghai University is currently ranked slightly higher than Jinling University. However, I think we can't judge these two universities solely by their rankings, because they each have their own strengths and advantages. Both are institutions of higher learning with a rich cultural and historical heritage." Huang Xiaochuan offered Zeng Hong a candid analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the two institutions. Of course, he understood that the real reason wasn't the quality of the schools, but rather whether or not the schools were located in Shanghai.

But he certainly couldn't say that at the beginning. If he directly revealed his older sister's little secret, there wouldn't be much to talk about. So what he had to do was try to persuade her as much as possible.

Zeng Hong, after all, was a highly educated person, and she understood what her younger brother was saying. However, from her perspective and considering her daughter Tang Ruixuan's grades, Shanghai University was the most suitable choice, and she did not want to easily change her mind.

While the siblings were chatting alone in the tea room, Zeng Xia noticed something was off about them and asked Tang Jianhua, who was talking to his father-in-law Zeng Jiahua and brother-in-law Huo Miao, "Brother-in-law, what are the older sister and younger brother talking about? They even closed the door from the inside. I was thinking of going in to listen."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Jiahua couldn't help but look at his eldest son-in-law.

Facing his father-in-law's probing gaze, Tang Jianhua didn't hide anything. Besides, there was nothing to hide, and the matter couldn't be kept secret anyway.

"Xuanxuan's college entrance exam results are out, right? Now the problem is with filling out the college application. Her mother and I initially considered letting her stay in Shanghai to study, and the admissions office of Shanghai University even called us, saying that as long as we apply to their school, they will admit us and we can choose any major we want."

After listening, Zeng Jiahua nodded: "Isn't this a good idea?"

"Dad, let me finish!" Tang Jianhua continued, "Xuanxuan herself didn't want to apply to Shanghai University of Technology. She wanted to go to Jinling University. When she saw that her mother and I disagreed, she went to her uncle. You know her uncle, he definitely supports Xuanxuan!"

My younger brother even made a special trip to my office to talk to me about this. What he said made a lot of sense, and I changed my mind. I decided to let Xuanxuan make her own decision, and we, as her elders, would just offer our advice.

Zeng Jiahua, Huo Miao, and Zeng Xia all nodded in agreement, because Tang Jianhua's words made sense, and Huang Xiaochuan's intervention in this matter must have its reasons.

"But!" Tang Jianhua changed the subject, "After I went back and talked to Zeng Hong, Zeng Hong still refused to agree and insisted on her original opinion that Xuanxuan must apply to Shanghai University. I had no choice but to come over, so the two siblings sat down together to talk about this matter."

To be honest, Zeng Jiahua himself is not highly educated, and in this matter, he has his eldest daughter on one side and his nephew, who is just like his son, on the other. He doesn't know which side to stand on.

If this matter is related to Huo Xinyuan, then without a doubt, he will support his nephew Huang Xiaochuan.

How are my granddaughter Huo Xinyuan's grades? Good books and stories accompany her every day. He knew very well that he could only rely on her maternal uncle Huang Xiaochuan in the future. He couldn't count on her unreliable parents, who were his second daughter and son-in-law. One of them only let her grow up freely, asking about her and intervening when he remembered, and ignoring her when he didn't. The other only spoiled her, giving her whatever she wanted, which made her unruly.

But his eldest granddaughter is different. She has always been an excellent student, and he is not surprised at all that she has been admitted to a prestigious university in China.

Therefore, he cannot take sides with anyone at this time. Anyway, Shanghai University and Jinling University are both the best universities in China, so he can choose whichever one he chooses.

"Then let's not ask, let the siblings discuss it."

This was overheard by Aunt Qian Jiazhen, who had just come out of the kitchen with dishes. After placing the plates on the table, she asked, "Aren't you going to ask what?"

Zeng Xia ran to her elderly mother's side and relayed what Tang Jianhua had just said to her.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jiazhen immediately went to knock on the door of the teahouse. In her opinion, her nephew must have his reasons for doing this. She didn't know what others thought, but her nephew was definitely more thoughtful than her eldest daughter. After all, he had been a university professor and had built such a large family business on his own. He was both literate and skilled in martial arts. Her ungrateful eldest daughter was still talking to herself and refusing to listen to other people's opinions. It was truly unbearable for an aunt to tolerate such behavior.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jiazhen immediately went to knock on the door of the teahouse. In her opinion, her nephew must have his reasons for doing this. She didn't know what others thought, but her nephew was definitely more thoughtful than her eldest daughter. After all, he had been a university professor and had built such a large family business on his own. He was both literate and skilled in martial arts. Her ungrateful eldest daughter was still talking to herself and refusing to listen to other people's opinions. It was truly unbearable for an aunt to tolerate such behavior.

Seeing that his wife was about to knock on the door, Zeng Jiahua quickly stopped her.

"Alright, let the two siblings discuss it themselves. What can you possibly explain? Hurry up and go cook your dishes. What time is it? Dinner isn't ready yet."

Seeing her husband's attitude, Qian Jiazhen was furious, but she also knew that her husband's words made sense, so she took her anger out on her second daughter.

"I'm working myself to the bone in the kitchen, and you, on the other hand, are acting like a princess. You don't even bother to help me serve the food or anything. All you do is eat what's served to you."

This was a classic case of collateral damage caused by a fire at the city gate. Zeng Xia felt wronged, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't argue with her elderly mother, and besides, she was indeed a bit lazy. Since she arrived, she hadn't stepped into the kitchen once; her older sister and elderly mother had been doing all the work inside.

In her opinion, it was foolish to have a nanny at home and insist on doing it herself.

Zeng Xia followed her elderly mother to the kitchen. The three men in the living room, father-in-law and son-in-law, stared eagerly at the door of the tea room, waiting to find out what the final outcome would be.

Inside the tea room, Huang Xiaochuan was still patiently persuading Zeng Hong.

"Big sister, your thinking is a bit narrow-minded. Xuanxuan is not an ordinary child. Her learning ability and ability to explore the unknown are very strong. You should support her and see how far your daughter can go in the future and what kind of glory she can bring you. You can't tie her to your belt for the rest of your life just because of your own ideas, can you?"

Zeng Hong persisted in her opinion, refusing to compromise easily: "I know you are more capable than me, and what you say must make sense, but I only have one daughter. Is it wrong for me to consider things more carefully?"

"Of course, your considerations do have some merit, but that only applies to children from ordinary families. It's not suitable for Xuanxuan. You should support a promising child to go out and explore. Besides, how could I not support her?"

At this point, Huang Xiaochuan earnestly advised, "Sister, you can't stop a promising child from pursuing her. You might as well just agree to her request, to avoid ruining your relationship and dragging the whole family into it. Is that really a good idea?"

After much persuasion from Huang Xiaochuan, Zeng Hong began to waver.