After the junior high school entrance exam, my dad mentioned to me that regardless of how I did on the exam, he wanted me to drop out and start working.

Our village isn't that backward; we already have a few college students and even a top scholar in the city. The villagers feel proud and believe that whether a boy or a girl, as long as they can study, they should continue their education.

If someone who can go to school gives up studying, their family will be criticized by the villagers.

That's why my dad occasionally tells me to agree to drop out and work.

After all, being willing to work and being forced to drop out to work are two different things.

I didn't give a direct response, always saying let's wait until the results are out.

Just like in my dreams, I did well on the exam and got into a top high school in the city.

As soon as the results were out, I didn't tell my parents; instead, I intentionally revealed my grades to some classmates in the village.

Sure enough, by the evening, many people from the village came to our doorstep, congratulating my parents, saying they were lucky to have a daughter like me who excels in studies.

My parents were stunned.

But this was a matter of pride for them, so they could only smile and deal with those people.

That night, my parents called me into their room. Before they could speak, I said, "Everyone in the village knows I got into a top high school. If you ask me to drop out now, it might not look good. They will gossip. I must go to high school, I can give you an IOU for the tuition, and when I start working, I will pay you back."

Just like in my dream, I chose to give them an IOU because I didn't want to owe them anything. And based on my understanding of them, if they insisted on me dropping out to work, they had ways to make it happen.

Since it would come down to giving an IOU anyway, I might as well bring it up myself.

Unlike in the dream, where I had no choice, this time, I had the initiative. At least, it would make me feel a little better.