Back when Zhou You was working, he had thought more than once about going back to school. Compared to having a job, just studying was simply too wonderful. Seeing several married senior colleagues at the company living even worse lives than him, he also lost any desire to get married and have kids. When single, earning three or four thousand a month, life was pretty good. Once married with kids, even twenty to thirty thousand a month wasn't enough to cover expenses. There were also plenty of family conflicts. In the past, women stayed home, relying on men to support them. Now women earn money too, so naturally they want more rights. Both are highly educated and can support the family—why should men get to go out and have fun while women can't? Once that thought arises, the family teeters on the edge of collapse. But that's also a social reality: working women actually bear more family pressure, and breastfeeding is something unavoidable. At his old company, a bunch of people got divorced, and the rest barely held things together, living a mess of a life. It scared the younger folks into being terrified of marriage. No way around it—it's truly frightening. Mortgage and car loans are fixed expenses. Raising a kid involves birth costs, confinement costs, nanny fees, formula money, diapers, toys. Kids get sick too, and you need time to care for them, can't sleep at night, have to work during the day, with hardly any holidays all year. Is that kind of life miserable? Absolutely miserable! When you finally get a rare holiday, it all falls on May Day or National Day, and there are more people than dogs—can't even walk, can't get a meal, but you still grit your teeth and go because there's really no other time. You can only squeeze in those peak periods. After finally raising the kid, you have to worry about education, school districts, tutoring. During elementary school, there are interest classes: piano, art, dance, rollerblading, and so on—everything you never experienced, you want your kid to try. Then comes middle school and high school exams. No one wants their child to be inferior to others, ending up doing odd jobs as an adult. By the time you struggle through until the kid goes to college, your own body is wrecked. Whether you'll live to retirement is uncertain, and even if you do, you'll still be busy with the kid. Can't think about it, can't look at it, can't talk about it, or life becomes unbearable. Turn a blind eye, muddle through. So nowadays, young people have wised up: just getting through their own lives well is good enough. Also, a person can't be idle; idleness leads to胡思乱想 (random thoughts), and this is all just Zhou You's random musings—can't take it seriously. The future of young people is bright, full of positivity—as long as you work hard, you'll reap rewards. Strive, strive, strive.
Back in Luzhou, Zhou You called Wang Fangfang and her younger brother over. The current room was still too small, making it inconvenient to entertain guests. Zhou You was already looking forward to the villa. This time, he didn't take them to the guesthouse but planned to bring them to the school cafeteria instead. "Pengfei, how have you been feeling lately? Tired?" Zhou You asked with concern. "Not bad. I've just started teaching kids to swim, and there aren't many students yet. Overall, it's easier than working odd jobs before," Wang Pengfei replied, head down, a bit unsure of himself. Wang Pengfei had been here for over half a year but had never once set foot on Luzhou University's campus. He had been to the shops outside the campus and the university town commercial street, though. How to put it? Compared to college students, Wang Pengfei still felt a bit inferior and lacked confidence. Luzhou University ranked in the top three in the province. Only two students from their school had gotten in back then, and none from his class, so he still held the university in awe. "How do you find the campus environment? Do you like it? Look around—these students are about your age, some just starting freshman year, some sophomores," Zhou You guided step by step. "Brother You, I really love the atmosphere here. These students are full of youthful energy, sunny and lively, bursting with vitality," Wang Pengfei said. After graduating high school, he had worked for a year and gotten a harsh taste of society's brutality. In the dead of night, unable to sleep, lying in bed with eyes wide open, he had thought more than once: Why didn't I study harder? But the educational resources back home were just too poor. Only a few students from the whole school got into college, and he had no confidence that repeating a year or two would get him in. "How about you, Fangfang?" As the three strolled around campus, Zhou You turned to look at Wang Fangfang and noticed she was also looking around, full of curiosity and envy. "This is my first time here too. I've never seen it before. Your school is so big," Wang Fangfang couldn't help exclaiming. "The new campus is a bit bigger than the old one, but compared to those more famous institutions, it's not that large," Zhou You said truthfully. Their new campus was only about 2,000 mu. Wang Fangfang and Wang Pengfei were both entering a university campus for the first time, extremely curious, unable to stop looking around. Entering from the east gate, they passed by teaching buildings, lab buildings, fountains, fish ponds, and multimedia classrooms along the way. Everywhere were students—some on bikes, some rollerblading, some on scooters, some on electric bikes. Since it was summer break, there weren't many people on campus. Those who stayed were either preparing for part-time jobs or studying for graduate exams. If it were during the semester, there would be even more students, and the impact might have been greater, but this was enough. Many things can't be explained with words; just let him experience it once. Teaching someone with words won't stick even if you drill it to death. Teaching through experience works the first time. Zhou You took them to the Guiyuan cafeteria, which was considered one of the better dining halls. Even though it was summer break, the cafeteria was still open, just with fewer counters. When they got their food for the first time, both of them were curious—it was a bit different from high school. More variety, more relaxed, more free. The weather was too hot, and Zhou You, wanting them to have the full experience, hadn't driven, leaving him with no appetite. Still, he had a cold noodle dish. Wang Fangfang and Wang Pengfei, on the other hand, were curious and ordered a bit of everything. "Is our school nice? Do you want to come study here?" Zhou You said to both of them. Wang Pengfei lowered his head, too embarrassed to speak: "Brother You, I want to, definitely, but I can't get in." Zhou You turned, holding Wang Fangfang's arm: "Pengfei is your brother, and he's my brother too. There's a saying: 'Parents who love their children plan for their future.' As his brother-in-law, I want him to go further in life. Even now, and in the future, he'll have food to eat, but the ceiling is low, and the choices are limited. I looked into it recently—someone like Pengfei can take the adult self-study exam, and then get a bachelor's degree. Even if he wants to keep studying, he can take the national unified exam for graduate school." Wang Fangfang listened intently, her face growing happier, with a hint of shock: "Really? He still has a chance to keep studying?" "Of course. He can work and study at the same time. Once the swimming pool's busy season ends, he can read more. If one year isn't enough, try two—there's basically no time limit, as long as you're willing to learn!" Education has many pathways, but indeed, a lot of people don't know about them.