Wanting to go to university was, of course, a good thing. If you could manage to work, earn money, and study all at once, then you could go off to university if you passed. If you failed, you could always come back and at least not starve.
This was easier said than done. First of all, not everyone was smart enough to juggle both a job and their studies.
Furthermore, if you ended up doing poorly in both—failing the college entrance exam and losing your job from not taking it seriously while you studied—then you'd really have nowhere to turn to cry.
The dilemma was incredibly stressful. Just as Old Mrs. Shen said, unless you had the resolve to burn your boats, who could guarantee you'd still have a job if you failed the exam?
That night, Xu Qiguang faced the same problem. His nephew, Xu Changtao, had come seeking advice, saying that his uncle was a man of great foresight and he wanted to hear his opinion.
Foresight, my ass.
