Two years have passed, and it is now 1977.

Over the past two years, the food factory has steadily expanded its scale and has now fulfilled Lin Yu's promise to turn the small factory into a large one.

The food factory had nearly 3,000 employees, and its area expanded to the neighboring brigade, covering a size equivalent to the entire Lianhua brigade.

The food factory's products can be purchased in cities all over the country.

In addition to the provincial capital and Haicheng, they also opened specialty stores in Guangzhou and Beicheng.

The best-performing store was the Haicheng store, where Lin Shan worked.

Every year during peak sales seasons like the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival, specialty stores bring a steady stream of orders to food factories.

The food factory's revenue has now become the main source of income for Qingshan Commune.

It was the leader in the entire commune's food industry.

In October of that year, the news that Lin Yu and Ou Manqing had been waiting for finally arrived.

The People's Daily published a front-page headline article titled "Major Reforms to College Admissions," clearly defining the target applicants as: "workers, farmers, educated youth who went to the countryside or returned (including those who remained in the city according to policy but have not yet been assigned jobs), demobilized soldiers, cadres, and recent high school graduates." (Note)

Lin Yu used the brigade's loudspeaker to spread the news to everyone.

Everyone was thrilled. Whether they were recent graduates from the brigade, educated youth from the city, or ordinary commune members, they were all astonished and exclaimed in surprise.

In fact, news of the science and education group holding a meeting in Beicheng had been circulating since August.

Lin Yu had anticipated this and had already discussed the plan after the announcement with Lin Aiguo.

"I know that many of you here want to take the college entrance examination, but we must finish what we start, and the work at the factory cannot be stopped."

To give everyone time and space to study, the factory has vacated the meeting room, leaving the doors and lights on at night so that everyone can use it as a study room.

However, during the month or so of exam preparation, you will need to work at least four hours a day, and the rest of the time you can study freely.

Even though there's only a little over a month until the exam, no one will give up this opportunity.

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) has been suspended for ten years; who knows if it will be cancelled again in the future?

No one would let go of this precious exam opportunity, but the factory work couldn't be neglected either.

So Lin Yu and Lin Aiguo discussed giving them time and space to learn, and with sufficient stock in the warehouse, the workers' working hours were halved.

If we can get through this month, we'll be able to return to our previous efficiency.

But they also need to start making plans. With the resumption of the college entrance examination, even if some people fail to pass, they will have more opportunities to return to the city.

These educated youths, it's time for them to leave...

The educated youth hadn't thought that far ahead. When they heard that the factory was willing to provide them with enough space and time to study, they were filled with gratitude.

"That's great, that's great."

"Yes, I was wondering where we would find space to study at the educated youth settlement."

“We’ll all go to the meeting room, where we can discuss the issues with each other.”

"The factory manager is so kind; he's actually willing to halve our working hours."

"Hey, you guys think the factory manager is a high school student too? Does she take the exam?"

“............”

Regarding the question of whether Lin Yucan would take the college entrance examination, she herself had hesitated before.

At that time, she had just regained her memories of her future life, in which she had also been admitted to a prestigious university.

I was hoping this life would be easier, without the hardship of studying.

But when she started building the food factory, she gradually realized her own shallowness in her work.

She still has a lot to learn; what she learned in university in later generations is no longer applicable, and she needs to supplement her knowledge with new information.

Moreover, in any era, academic qualifications serve as proof that one has a certain level of competence.

If she hadn't taken the exam, decades later, the streets would be full of graduate students.

Will she feel inferior, given that she only has a high school education?

Lin Yu didn't know if she would regret it later, so she had to take the exam and not give herself any chance to regret it.

She decided to take the college entrance examination, and her family all expressed their support.

In other words, none of the Lin family members considered the possibility that she might not participate.

In their eyes, Lin Yu was smart and capable. How could someone like that be content with only a high school diploma?

Similarly, the Lin family also plans to have their eldest daughter and second daughter take the college entrance examination.

They've grown up now and don't want their family to call them by their nicknames, so they're called by their full names now: Lin Wen and Lin Jing.

Lin Wen is 21 years old this year and has been working at the provincial machinery factory for three years. Logically speaking, she should be very popular in the matchmaking market.

It wasn't that no one had introduced her to potential partners, but Lin Yu reminded her to be prepared to take the college entrance examination.

So she turned down blind dates and spent her free time studying.

Occasionally, I would submit articles to newspapers to earn some money.

Finally, all the waiting has come to an end.

Lin Jing is 15 years old this year and is a recent high school graduate. At this time, junior high school and high school only require two years of study, so at her age, she is already eligible to take the college entrance examination.

She is also the only one among the three sisters whose high school knowledge is still fresh.

The three Lin sisters are preparing to take the college entrance examination together, and their family is naturally very nervous about them.

Lin Yu wasn't that nervous, after all, she had been secretly learning from Ou Manqing and Song Meili for the past two years.

She still has a significant advantage over those who cram at the last minute.

Starting a couple of years ago, Lin Yu and Ou Manqing secretly collected several sets of "Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry".

A complete set consists of thirteen books, and collecting them all is no easy task.

Therefore, each of the sets they collected was missing one or two books.

But these books are crucial for young people who are about to take the college entrance examination.

Lin Yu and Ou Manqing generously offered their books, leaving them in the study room for their free use.

At this point, everyone guessed that Director Lin would also be taking the college entrance examination.

The educated youth were not surprised, after all, everyone has ambition.

Director Lin is actually the same age as them, so of course he will seize this opportunity.

But the workers in the factory are different.

They were all worried that once Director Lin left, the food factory would be unable to continue operating.

These days, this food factory is the livelihood of thousands of people.

Once the food factory goes bankrupt, countless families will be plunged back into abject poverty overnight.

For a time, everyone in the food factory was in a state of panic.

But it's impossible to prevent Director Lin from taking the college entrance examination.

Everyone knows how great it is to be a college student.

If I get into university, I can become a high-ranking official after graduation.

They care about their own jobs, but does that mean Director Lin should give up his promising future?

Lin Yu already had a solution to their concerns.

Note: From the People's Daily, October 21, 1977.