r. She opened a bottle of red wine, poured half a glass for each of them, and enjoyed the fried rice that looked plump and translucent. To her surprise, what Su Cen had prepared tasted several times b...Chapter 38: Ascending to the Hall (Part 1)

The issue of being selected as a featured author for the middle school entrance examination essay was usually not accompanied by any grand publicity or separate notifications. Every year, new collections of outstanding essays from the exam would be published, and there was nothing particularly unusual about this. It was natural that Su Cen didn't know about it.

Compared to the "little author" label given by Beijing journalist Zhang Chaoyang with every breath he took, Su Cen felt that his status as an author fell far short of those genuine authors.

However, this news caused quite a stir at home.

A week later, the celebratory feast for Su Cen was originally planned to be hosted by his mother. However, his uncle proposed that since they were in a period of rebuilding and striving again, there should be no extravagant expenses. Instead, they could simply have a family meal at his uncle's house.

Today, his parents unexpectedly closed the shop during lunchtime and printed out a note saying "Temporarily Closed, Contact Us for Urgent Matters. Phone: ****" in the neighboring printing store. The entire family went to his uncle's house early and started preparing the afternoon meal together with his aunt.

Su Cen's father was best at cooking fish; he brought four catties of crucian carp, making the bean sauce fish that would make everyone savor it for days afterward. After cleaning the fish and pouring boiling oil over the ingredients, the aroma filled the entire house.

The rich meal preparations were well underway.

Su Cen was then pulled into his uncle's study by him to look at stock charts. Su Cen couldn't possibly be knowledgeable about such things; listening to his uncle's explanation and seeing his younger brother Zeng Yuan's resentful expression as he was deprived of computer access, Su Cen could only sigh involuntarily. Thankfully, his uncle didn't ask for his opinion, probably wanting to give him a chance to get more familiar with these matters and see if he had any natural aptitude.

The older generation tends to find fulfillment and enjoyment in nurturing the younger generation, more or less.

Su Cen walked out of his uncle's study with a dizzy feeling; his mind was filled with those stock price curves. However, there is one thing he could be certain about: His uncle seemed to be in good spirits. Those graphs had undoubtedly taken a downturn due to the recent floods, and his uncle probably pulled back all his investments and was currently observing the market without any signs of defeat.

His elder sister was sitting in the living room watching TV; upon seeing him leave the study, she didn't speak but turned her head back to continue staring at the screen. Despite wearing clothes that were slightly outdated compared to those worn by people from later times, her face was rosy and rather cute. Thinking about how many suitors had pursued her in school even though she wasn’t exactly a popular figure there, Su Cen recalled how her pride kept all of them at bay. Oh, now during this period, his elder sister still harbored some resentment toward him.

"There's beef jerky and dried fruit on the table... If you're hungry, just take them and eat..." Zeng Na stared straight ahead at a Taiwanese idol drama on TV.

Su Cen was taken aback. "Eating while holding" had always been his sister Zeng Na’s catchphrase; usually something along the lines of, "Zeng Yuan, I have snacks in my room, you can take them and eat!" or "I just bought some potato chips, Zeng Yuan, you can take them and eat!"

When did he start to also enjoy this treatment from his elder sister

Su Cen felt a bit awkward. Eleven years later, their relationship was quite good; but now that he had returned eleven years into the past, Su Cen found himself rather unfamiliar with the sister in front of him. He hesitated for a moment before nodding and heading towards the kitchen to help.

Still glued to the TV, Zeng Na slowly turned her head as she watched Su Cen’s thin figure walk towards the kitchen; she was somewhat surprised and a little dazed, a hint of guilt flickering in her eyes after some time.

The generous spread of dishes filled the room with delicious aromas. The taste of the bean sauce fish prepared by Su Li Cheng was quite renowned; it is said that housewives from both upstairs and downstairs often came to inquire about the secret recipe for their fish dish, making everyone in the family unable to enjoy their usual meals for days due to cravings.

The spicy chicken stir-fry prepared personally by Uncle Zeng, it was the dish that had lured Su Can and Zeng Yuan's saliva the most in history.

Mah Po Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, Spicy Beef Jerky, Boiled Chinese Cabbage with Hot Chilli Oil, Farmer-style Dipping Sauce... A full table of Sichuanese home-cooked dishes was set out. The whole family hadn't eaten so comfortably and pleasantly in a long time.

On the day Xiao Fei threw a celebration banquet for his daughter, it happened to be when the family's emotions were at their lowest point. Unexpectedly, Beijing journalist Zhang Chaoyang’s intervention immediately put Su Can right in the spotlight. His middle school entrance exam essay specially highlighted by an important leader of the State Council suddenly gained popularity because of its news report format.

Under Vice Mayor Yu Qiusuiu's lead, the entire dining table's attention instantly focused on this exceptionally eye-catching and enviable Su Can.

Zhang Chaoyang, with his Xinhua News Agency interview task in mind, immediately found a focal point. He had read Su Can's essay and felt that many of its contents were now seen as incisive criticisms of current issues, making it hard to believe an ordinary middle school student could write such a profound and prescient article. Zhang Chaoyang then asked questions about the depth and foresight in these issues, only for Su Can to suddenly shift blame entirely onto his Uncle Zeng Quanming.

Regarding the long-term man-made destruction of the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River leading to soil erosion and the tendency of most research reports to report good news while ignoring bad ones—Su Can attributed all these observations to his everyday discussions with Uncle Zeng, expressing admiration for his deep sense of foreboding.

Zhang Chaoyang immediately grasped the situation and started asking about Uncle Zeng's identity. At a time when the whole country was engaged in flood control efforts, he understood that such positive images were greatly needed in news reports.

Vice Mayor Yu Qiusuiu promptly introduced Uncle Zeng to Zhang Chaoyang with respect, praising him from a leadership perspective as "an outstanding comrade," earning nods of approval from Zhang Chaoyang. He decided to gather more information about Uncle Zeng and promised to include this positive interview in his news report.

Vice Mayor Yu Qiusuiu's attitude toward Uncle Zeng had undergone a complete 180-degree turn; he knew that both Su Can and Zeng Quanming were now key figures, central to promoting Xiahai City’s positive image.

The family members all thought, "So that's how it is." Su Cen also found a plausible reason to justify his foresight without arousing suspicion. Only Uncle Zeng Quanming was still bewildered by the suddenness of his newfound happiness and could not react effectively.

Of course, he did not remember telling Su Cen anything about the critical report literature on this flood disaster. Moreover, he had never read what Su Cen had written in that article. Furthermore, since he occasionally grumbled from time to time during his lectures to Su Cen, he naturally assumed it was true.

A few days later, Zhang Zhaoyang concluded his interview work and left Xiahai City. Soon after, provincial authorities issued commendations for Uncle Zeng Quanming, fully affirming his political stance. The top-level officials in the province surprisingly spoke with one voice this time around.

The latest issue of 'Party Style' quickly featured a special report through Su Cen's writing about Uncle Zeng Quanming's series of grassroots cadres' sense of responsibility, responding to higher-ups' call for Party members to reflect on themselves.

Yang Zhengliang, the deputy provincial party chief who came from Xiahai City and was once Uncle Zeng’s superior, knew about this matter. He recalled his former subordinate and even called him to extend condolences and congratulations, reminiscing about his past days climbing the ladder of success in Xiahai City.

Uncle suddenly became a celebrity within Western Sichuan Province. The stern face that seldom smiled now had more smiles, although they looked rather forced...

Xiao Fei recently appeared crestfallen. Whenever he saw Uncle Zeng Quanming, he would take a detour and the jealousy in his eyes was evident. Occasionally, he even complained to his wife and daughter, "He's just relying on his nephew who rose like a rocket! What’s so great about that!"

...

Ding-dong! As everyone enjoyed their meal happily, the doorbell rang at Uncle’s house. Uncle frowned slightly; although more people had been visiting him recently, it was somewhat disappointing to have visitors when his family was eating and drinking.urish; when his sister Zhuo Na went to university, even if he had such an idea, he might not have been able to implement it.Mom Formerly River seemed to be following Uncle Su's and Aunt Yin Shuying's...