When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 67: Chapter 43: The ’50s Forsaken Wife (43)

The apprentices’ faces all changed. Their spokesperson, Wang Simi, couldn’t help but ask in a small, trembling voice, ”Master, are you serious?”

”You’re not going to make us take the college entrance exams, are you?” Some of them already had high school diplomas. Since their master was deliberately setting this condition, the bar would surely be high.

Zhu Yun nodded with a gratified expression. ”That’s right. I’m going to study hard and get into college to completely shed my ’illiterate’ status. I can’t just be the only one burying my head in books. How boring would that be?”

”And I can’t just stand by and watch you all get left far behind. So, you’ll strive alongside me, won’t you?”

”In a bit, I’ll talk to the director and have my office converted into a study hall, one desk for each of you. Later, I’ll have your Master’s husband help find some study materials. I imagine food cooked by someone with an elementary school diploma can’t possibly taste as good as food cooked by someone with a college degree.”

”A chef who doesn’t want to be a tailor is no good driver...”

’Master’s gone crazy...’

Seeing her apprentices’ faces finally turn green, looking as droopy as wilted bok choy, Zhu Yun was satisfied.

There were many types of melons and vegetables available now. Zhu Yun taught her apprentices how to chop vegetables to practice their knife skills, and she also explained the essentials of preparing cold dishes before letting them experiment on their own.

While practicing their knife work and honing their characters, they could also develop a general sense for the right amount of seasoning.

”At dinnertime, you’ll each set up a table against the wall on the first floor and prepare cold dishes to order for the comrades getting their food. Let them give you feedback and witness your growth.”

After picking two apprentices, Zhu Yun led them to continue making cold beverages.

After the mung bean soup brewed in the cafeteria had cooled down, it was chilled in the freezer for fifteen minutes, then poured into insulated containers and transported to the various factory districts.

Making popsicles didn’t require much technical skill. Zhu Yun stood with her arms crossed, giving verbal instructions, and had her apprentices measure out the ingredients roughly with bowls and spoons. The rest—the boiling, molding, unmolding, and packaging—was just manual labor.

That evening after dinner, Zhu Yun and Chu Shenyu walked home side by side.

The sun had not yet completely sunk below the horizon. Its afterglow had lost its intensity, casting a brilliant golden carpet across the ground.

Zhu Yun brought up the matter of the study materials.

Chu Shenyu turned his head in surprise. ”You really want to take the college exams?”

Zhu Yun smiled and nodded. ”What’s wrong? You think a half-illiterate like me who didn’t even finish third grade isn’t worthy?”

”No,” Chu Shenyu said, glancing at her with a helpless look. ”Most people think of higher education as just a way to find a high-paying, easy job. You’ve already achieved that in one step. I just didn’t expect you to still have this ambition.”

Zhu Yun sighed softly. ”I have no choice. Living in this world, I can’t truly ignore everything and not care. At the very least, when our future children talk about their mother, they won’t feel ashamed because I’m ’illiterate’.”

”I also don’t want to get all bristly every time someone points out my lack of education and then not be able to confidently defend myself. If flashing a college diploma is such a simple solution, why should I suffer in silence for the rest of my life?”

”If there’s even a chance I’ll have this worry in the future, or feel even a tiny bit of regret about my education when I’m old, then I have to give up my comfortable life for now and study hard.”

”Besides,” she said, turning her head away to show him the back of it, hiding the smile overflowing in her eyes. Her voice was incredibly soft, like a feather trembling as it brushed against the tip of one’s heart.

”Besides, I don’t want people to say I’m not good enough for you.”

Chu Shenyu froze. They had just left the office area. The straight road was lined with tall, lush trees, and the people coming and going were focused on their own paths, paying the two of them no mind.

He couldn’t stop himself from grabbing her hand. ”There’s no such thing as being good enough or not good enough. This marriage was unfair to you from the very beginning. I was the one being selfish.”

”I want you to be as happy as you were before, to not care about what others think, and to confidently demand justice for yourself. If not, I can help you with that, too!”

Zhu Yun pressed her lips together lightly. ”But I *want* to study. I want to stand on the shoulders of giants and see this new era.”

She had been thinking about this for the past few days.

In the family courtyard, she couldn’t remain a social outcast forever, and besides, she and Chu Shenyu intended to spend the rest of their lives together. Since she had to interact with people, having an impressive diploma would be like having a second beautiful face. Just by standing there, calm and serene, she could make all the petty gossips too ashamed to even show themselves.

It was a once-and-for-all solution, so of course, she had to make it happen.

Chu Shenyu squeezed her hand tightly. ’It’s my existence that’s unknowingly put so much pressure on her.’

He felt a growing sense of guilt. ”I’ll help you!”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Chu worked in the education system, and at a key high school, no less. What kind of study materials couldn’t they get their hands on? On their way home, they made a phone call and would bring the materials back after their belated wedding banquet that weekend.