After Zhan Aiping took over the guesthouse, great changes took place day by day. In just two months, the appearance of the guesthouse was completely renewed. New trees were planted in the yard, and flower beds were made. The green grass was lush and refreshing to the sight.
The first floor has been renovated with the addition of a new restaurant, a cafe, and a small conference hall to provide office and meeting space for certain units.
Zhan Aiping put a lot of effort into the coffee shop and even hired a foreign barista as a gimmick. This foreigner, Charles, was introduced by her brother and usually lives on West Street.
The decoration of the cafe is western-style, with a piano in the corner that plays piano at fixed times... Everything about this arrangement is very novel. Zhan Aiping took photos and contacted several travel agencies to discuss cooperation and jointly develop a tourist route.
This coffee shop sells both milk tea and cakes. Beautiful little cakes are placed on rotating porcelain plates, with a light aroma of coffee, delicate milk foam, and the sweet scent of cake in the air.
Zhan Aiping's gimmick was quite good. Most people nowadays have never been abroad, and these were things they had never seen before. The attraction immediately attracted waves of guests.
She has stricter requirements for the restaurant, requiring that all ingredients be fresh. She even discussed cooperation with a time-honored rice noodle shop, where you can eat delicious rice noodles, grilled fish, oil tea... It also provides self-service barbecue, spicy hot pot, etc.
There are beautiful mountains, rivers, scenery, and a variety of delicious food. Many people who have been here say it is good. There is no need for Zhan Aiping to actively seek cooperation, as many travel agencies come to her.
"Our travel agency has arranged eight groups of guests this month, with one group arriving every three days."
“Our unit organizes a tour…”
The guest rooms in the guesthouse were fully booked in advance. Mrs. Luo breathed a sigh of relief. She was busy building a new laundry room with Zhan Aiping. "Why do we need to build a separate laundry room?"
Zhan Aiping said: "It's clean and hygienic. From now on, clothes and sheets should be hung on the top. Do not hang them randomly with ropes."
Mrs. Luo: "If this popularity can last until November, we will make a lot of money and turn losses into profits."
Zhan Aiping: "Next we can discuss cooperation with the scenic spot."
Zhan Aiping was busy with the affairs of the guesthouse and was also accumulating experience for opening a hotel in the future. She didn't want to open a hotel at first. She just wanted to have her own houses in various parts of the country.
How can we build buildings all over the country
It would be better to start a hotel chain!
Gu Mian was very enthusiastic about her mother's hotel business. She had a talent for music and could play the piano. She accompanied her mother to the guesthouse and also performed piano in the restaurant, singing as she played, and received a lot of applause every time.
"Teacher Zhan, your little girl has great artistic talent!"
"This piano is played beautifully, and the singing is beautiful too."
In August, Gu Ze'an and his wife moved into the guesthouse with a group of old comrades. They listened to his granddaughter playing the piano and their faces lit up.
"Old Gu, your little granddaughter? She's pretty and can play the piano!"
"Not only can she play the piano, my little Mianhua can also play the flute and violin. She is a little musician, just like her grandfather!"
The people around him said, "Just keep blowing it!"
*
Director Sun found Zhan Aiping. Director Sun Hao was a member of the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination. He had been to the countryside and worked as an educated youth. He loved photography and had worked as a reporter in a newspaper.
"Teacher Zhan, I want to plan to shoot "New Life." Zhan Aiping asked, "Should it be a movie or a TV series?"
"I have raised a lot of funds to adapt it into a TV series..." Director Sun has long wanted to do something big. He originally wanted to make a movie, but he couldn't find a suitable subject. Later, he saw the book "New Life" published by Zhan Aiping, and he got an inspiration in his mind.
This was an opportunity, and this was a story that happened in a township health center. The investment was not large and did not require too much cost. Moreover, "New Life" had a large number of readers, so raising funds was easier than he imagined.
After coming up with the idea, Director Sun came to Zhan Aiping to purchase the rights for filming and adaptation. Zhan Aiping did not take the money, but instead invested the copyright fee into the TV series. She hoped that she could also participate in the script writing.
Director Sun was pleasantly surprised and said: "It would be great if the original author could check it!"
Knowing that her work had a chance to be shown on TV, Zhan Aiping was excited for several days. She couldn't sleep all night and tossed and turned while making pancakes. Even though she had panda eyes the next day, she still tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.
Brigadier General Gu hugged her and said, "Why are you so excited every day? You are so old, why don't you take a good rest?"
Zhan Aiping buried herself in his arms in disbelief: "I thought I would become a famous doctor, but I didn't expect that I would leave my name in the history of literature. The book I wrote is going to be made into a TV series!!!"
Gu Sheng coaxed her softly, "Well, my wife is a great writer."
Zhan Aiping: "Have I been taking the wrong path? Should I have been a writer from the beginning? I should have had a literary dream. I want to be a war correspondent! Should I be an editor at the People's Liberation Army Literature and Art?"
Gu Sheng: “…”
"Wife, you're getting more and more weird the more you talk."
Zhan Aiping hugged his neck and said, "What the hell, don't mention my elementary school diary."
“Life is full of surprises.”
Zhan Aiping sighed repeatedly: "When I was 20 years old, my godfather said that I had the talent to be a surgeon, and my talent was higher than anyone else's. He told me not to waste my talent. I have always kept this sentence in mind, and I also thought that I must not waste my talent."
"Later, I studied Chinese medicine. I thought I had a talent for it. I learned faster than others. I could understand things that they couldn't understand at a glance... But now, I'm surprised to find that I might have a talent for being a literary writer. You see, I can actually write a book based on the elementary school diary I wrote. I can write such a crude and funny diary, but I can still be a writer. It's incredible..."
What exactly is the theory of "innate talent" in this world
Gu Sheng laughed: "Are you bragging that you have talent in everything you do?"
Zhan Aiping said, "You know, I have no talent for singing. Old Gu, you have a good voice. It's not impossible for you to become a singer like your fourth brother. You are so handsome. If you were to go on the Spring Festival Gala, there would definitely be a lot of old men and women screaming for you."
Gu Sheng: "Now they all like disco, but I can't get that stuff."
"Whether you have talent or not, the key is whether you like it or not."
Zhan Aiping smiled: "Yes, do whatever you want to do. Who requires me to achieve something?"
“I am not superior to anyone else, why do I have to compete with others in everything, why do I have to surpass others in everything… The scenery along the road of life is also very beautiful, so you can enjoy it slowly, and don’t have to rush to surpass those who are walking with you.”
*
When the TV series "New Life" started filming, Gu Mian also played a small supporting role. She had a sweet voice and had a chance to sing an interlude. So she finished her small supporting role and practiced singing at home every day.
Gu Yuan listened to her singing until her ears were callused, and she also sang.
Gu Mian: "Sis, if you're thinking about your sister, please stop singing. If you continue singing, I'll be out of tune."
Gu Yuan: "Sister is training you. You are out of tune with such a small difficulty. Is this all you are capable of?"
Gu Mian: “…”
"Little Cotton, come and do your homework."
Zhan Aiping was particularly worried about her youngest daughter. This little girl loved singing, was beautiful, and had a pretty appearance. Her looks were different from her sister's sharp and gorgeous looks. Her facial features were very friendly, sweet, and pure. There were a lot of people in the school who liked her.
Her academic performance is terrible. She is a real elementary school loser, so bad that she is beyond redemption. Comrade Xiaozhan has given up on helping her and only hopes that his daughter can become a student with artistic talent.
Gu Sheng laughed at her: "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Isn't our little Mianhua the one you liked the most in the past?"
"She has great artistic talent. Director Sun said she is a very good actress."
Zhan Aiping: "... Her mother, I once wrote a primary school math tutorial book and also prepared a lot of college entrance examination review materials. Do you think I am not paying enough attention to her studies?"
"Aren't you still not concerned? Our little cotton is now in the middle of the pack, not at the bottom, thanks to your efforts." Gu Sheng smiled and said, "As a student with artistic expertise, she will be admitted to university, don't worry."
"Do you really think that all your sons and daughters are admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University?"
"If she has top grades and is good at everything, but she chooses to be a singer, isn't that a waste of her talent for being a scientist?"
"That's right." Zhan Aiping put her hands on her hips and said, "All three children in my teacher Zhan's family can go to college. Teacher Pan wants to ask me for advice every day."
"He has three children, but none of them is in high school. He complains to me every day, saying that he has many students all over the world, but his family is suffering."
Zhan Aiping kissed Gu Sheng: "Thank you for your good genes, which collided harmoniously with my genes. Our family educated us properly and cultivated three little melons."
Gu Sheng smiled: "None of our children have taken the college entrance examination yet."
"Even if you don't get into college, you're still mom's little sweetheart."
Gu Sheng: "What if Mianmian doesn't get into high school? Wife, half of the people can't get into high school."
In ordinary schools, those who can get into high school are already the best in the class.
Zhan Aiping sighed: "The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard."
In September, Gu Chen was in his third year of high school and Gu Yuan was in her second year. The college entrance examination was coming soon. When there was a college entrance examination candidate in the family, the atmosphere would unconsciously become tense. They would start preparing for the college entrance examination wholeheartedly one year in advance.
"Then our whole family will send our children to study in the capital."
Gu Sheng said: "Yuanyuan will be a senior in high school by then."
"Yes, Yuanyuan is also in her third year of high school. Thinking of the two senior high school students at home, I am so nervous. I wish I could help them take the exams."
Gu Chen entered his third year of high school. He was not nervous at all and even focused on his fish farming business. Zhan Aiping cooked fish for him every now and then.
"Mom, don't worry."
In 1987, Guicheng entered the rainy season. As usual, it began to rain continuously. It was the plum rain season and it was a southerly windy day, but Ai Ping did not seem impatient at this exhibition.
"It rains heavily at this time every year. I heard from the old people that the heavier the rain, the better the test scores of the candidates that year."
Gu Sheng put his arm around his wife's shoulders and said, "Why, do you want to change your career and pray for rain?"
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "If I really want to change my career to Qiuyu, I'll have to ask for two years."
"I hope that the math questions for Yuanyuan and Xiaomianhua in their exams will be easier. Let's make this year's math questions more difficult. The harder the questions, the better!"
Gu Sheng: "...your son will cry after hearing this."
Zhan Aiping: "My son won't cry. As a mother, I absolutely believe in his math. The harder the test, the more it can show my son's ability and make a big difference in his score!"
In July 1987, the day of the college entrance examination was approaching. Gu Yuan and Gu Mian were given a holiday in advance. The two sisters were very nervous, "Brother, you have to make a good start! Give us a good start."
Gu Chen said calmly: "I'll take you to eat Peking duck."
Gu Yuan: "Brother, can't you be more humble?"
Gu Chen: "There are so many universities in the capital, I can definitely get into one."
Gu Yuan: "Brother, I know you want to apply to Agricultural University!"
Gu Chen: “…”
The Gu family was in a nervous mood, and Wang Youli and his wife were equally nervous. Although their two children, Da Yu and Xiao Yu, did not take the college entrance examination, their siblings would take the high school entrance examination.
Before the results came out, Shen Liqing couldn't sleep: "Xiao Zhan, if your child is admitted to Tsinghua University, my little fish must share the blessing."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "In the past few years, our children have been admitted to universities one after another."
Shen Liqing said: "Isn't it? Just like the Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa, one after another."
Zhan Aiping: "…Is this how metaphors are used?"
As expected, the water level rose again during the college entrance examination. Fortunately, the situation was not very serious. The flooded examination room was successfully relocated and the candidates entered the examination room one after another.
Because there is a lot of water here in the summer, there are always some unexpected things during the college entrance examination. In previous years, some examination halls in some counties were flooded during the examination, and the examination papers had to be rescued.
It’s really not easy.
Zhan Aiping took her daughters to send Gu Chen to the examination room every day. After each exam, she did not ask him how he performed, but only told him to rest well and prepare for the next exam.
In the past few days, the family didn't even watch TV. They all went to bed early. When the exams were over, Gu Mian shouted happily: "My brother is the top scorer in the college entrance examination!"
A group of people outside the examination room were looking at her.
Gu Chen: “???!!!” His family members have full confidence in him, more than he has in himself.
Gu Yuan took her younger sister's hand and said, "Sister, let's keep a low profile. Keep a low profile."
Gu Mian: "Sister! If my brother becomes the top scorer in the college entrance examination, we won't be able to keep a low profile even if we want to. There will definitely be reporters coming to interview our family, as well as those who sell teaching materials, those who sell test papers, and those who sell brain tonics..."
"Shouldn't we think about what to say in advance?"
Gu Chen said: "It's me who said it, not you who said it."
Gu Yuan chirped: "Brother, you may not be able to get the top score! Don't be too proud!"
Not only the Gu family, but also a group of old men who sell fish, raise fish and fish are looking forward to Gu Chen's success in the college entrance examination. Uncle Wu said, "I caught a big fish in the flood today. Little Gu, you will definitely make a leap forward and be admitted to Tsinghua University."
Then he can say—this young man who was admitted to Tsinghua University grew up eating the fish he raised!
Gu Chen applied for a major in the Computer Science Department of Tsinghua University.
When he was filling out his application, Gu Yuan encouraged him, "Brother, with your talent, you should apply to an agricultural university, raise fish and shrimp, and open hotels across the country with mom."
"What's the point of learning computer science? It's just a headache to calculate all the time."
Gu Chen: "Our country is already working on sending the first email in China using computers. Perhaps soon, just like what is described in science fiction novels, everyone will have their own personal computer."
Today's microcomputers and typewriters are extremely expensive, all costing over ten thousand dollars, and are luxury items comparable to cars.
Gu Yuan: "Will there be e-mails? Will we no longer need to use pen and paper to write letters? Will we just use typewriters to write e-mails?"
"Rather than email, I'd rather try something like what they show on TV, where I carry a brick with me to make a phone call."
Gu Chen: "Who do you want to call?"
"Big Brother, that sounds so impressive."
*
Gu Chen's admission letter arrived. He was admitted to the Computer Science Department of Tsinghua University. He was also the top scorer in the college entrance examination that year. Now the Gu family was really busy. A lot of newspapers came to the door, saying that they wanted to interview not only the candidate, but also the candidate's parents!
"The child has been a good student since he was young, and there is no need for adults to worry about him..." Zhan Aiping has dealt with several media and newspapers, and her words have almost become a cliché. She even talks about this in her dreams at night.
All the sisters-in-law in the family compound came to congratulate her and asked her for the secret of studying.
Comrade Xiao Zhan thought to himself, if I really had any secret to studying, I would have passed it on to my little daughter long ago. Would I still worry that she wouldn't be able to get into high school
Gu Chen had a good image and had passed the imperial examination with top honors. As expected, two brain tonic liquid companies came to him, hoping to use Gu Chen's image to advertise in newspapers and on television. One of them, called Jinwu Brain Tonic Liquid, was very wealthy and offered an advertising fee of 100,000 yuan.
"How about having the Golden Crow, drinking the Golden Crow, and touching the Golden Crow to become the top scholar? This is a chance to be on TV, and there is also a hundred thousand dollars!"
They thought that the Gu family would never refuse. How could an ordinary family refuse such a high amount of money
Even if ordinary people can go to college, only a few can earn 100,000 yuan.
Gu Chen refused coldly: "I don't shoot commercials."
The person in charge of Jinwu said: "You kids are ignorant. I will talk to your parents."
Zhan Aiping refused: "Our children don't want to shoot this kind of commercial."
Not to mention this kind of top-notch advertisement, even an ordinary washing machine advertisement is shot like a horror movie.
Due to the current poor special effects capabilities, the products in those washing machine and refrigerator commercials all float straight into the TV screen like "ghosts". It is as weird as it can be. It can be said to be a natural ghost movie.
The guy from the Golden Crow Brain Tonic Liquid wanted to persuade him again, but faced with the high advertising fee of one hundred thousand yuan, the Gu family was not tempted at all, so he could only look for another top scholar.
"You don't shoot commercials, but there are plenty of people who do. Don't be envious of them in the future if you don't know how good it is."
"One hundred thousand dollars can change a person's life!"
A bunch of people who were dealing with supplements were sent away. Gu Yuan said, "Brother, you escaped a disaster, but I'm afraid that mom will sell you out."
Zhan Aiping: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's just 100,000 yuan, which is not enough to buy a Santana."
Gu Mian: "More than 100,000, Mom. I've asked around, and a lot of them want to find the top scholar to advertise."
Zhan Aiping: "Do you want to sell my brother?"
Gu Chen: “…”
(End of this chapter)