Chapter 70

Jiang Jianping added: "Neighbors who have lived in the same courtyard for more than 20 years can't even tell the truth?"

Xu Lihua didn't want to argue with him anymore. "Okay, then you can talk to me when you have the chance."

Jiang Jianping: "Do you think I have that much free time?"

Xu Lihua: "That's it, isn't it? We just need to take care of our Guanjie."

***

In the alley.

Chuxia rode her bicycle to the gate and stopped.

She got out of the car and pushed it into the gate, parked her bicycle in the front yard, and hurriedly ran into the second gate.

Tang Haikuan, Han Qingtian and others were still talking about the college entrance examination in the yard.

Seeing Chuxia coming back, Tang Haikuan was the first to ask, "Xiaxia, did you know that the college entrance examination was resumed in the newspaper today?"

Chu Xia stopped in front of them with her schoolbag on her back, panting slightly and saying with a smile: "Is there anyone in the whole city who doesn't know about this?"

Whether they were vegetable vendors in the market or street sweepers in Dazhalan, everyone was discussing this issue.

All factories from top to bottom take this as a major matter.

At the food factory where Chuxia worked, the factory director personally convened a formal meeting to convey relevant documents, and had the application requirements posted in every workshop.

Throughout the day, no one in the factory talked about anything else but the resumption of the college entrance examination.

The focus of the topic of the resumption of the college entrance examination is naturally whether one's age, education level, and identity meet the requirements for taking the exam. People are also asking each other whether they should sign up.

Because there were too many people going to pick up registration forms after get off work to register, Chuxia came back a little late today.

Of course, she also received the registration form and put it in her schoolbag.

Han Lei asked her with a smile: "Then Chu Xia, do you plan to sign up?"

Chu Xia also smiled and replied: "Of course I plan to apply. Almost everyone in our factory who meets the requirements has applied. I finally have a chance to change my fate. Of course I have to give it a try."

Han Qingtian echoed: "Chu Xia is right, this is an opportunity to change your destiny."

Because the yard was too noisy today, Jiang Guanjie and Jiang Shan did not read or do homework in the yard.

They just came into the house with their bags and sat down directly in the room to do their homework.

Their desk was placed under the window, and the window was only half closed, not tightly closed, so they could naturally hear what people were saying in the yard.

Jiang Guanjie kept doing his homework and muttered, "This is an opportunity for outstanding talents to realize their ideals and ambitions, not an opportunity for mediocre people to change their fate as they fantasize about..."

Hearing what Jiang Guanjie said, Jiang Shan turned to look at him.

After watching for a while, Jiang Shan asked, "Brother, are you an outstanding talent?"

Hearing Jiang Shan's words, Jiang Guanjie turned to look at her and asked, "What do you think?"

Jiang Shan retracted her gaze and continued to do her homework, saying, "I think you are just an outstanding talent in my mother's eyes."

Jiang Guanjie: "What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Shan gave him a dry laugh: "It's meaningless."

***

The yard was bustling all night because of the resumption of the college entrance examination.

Of course Chuxia did not participate too much in the fun. She needed to make full use of her limited time, so after dinner she went back to her room to review.

Before going to bed at night, Wu Xuemei still went to Chuxia's door to take a look, but she did not push the door to remind her to go to bed early like she did on previous nights.

After reading, she returned to her room. Wu Xuemei walked to the bed and got on it, saying, "She is still reading under the lamp. I wonder if she has already started reviewing. You said this was too hasty. The news was announced today. The exam will be held in more than a month. Most of the applicants are not students in school. The review time is too short. Do you think Xia Xia can pass the exam?"

Tang Haikuan said, "Why think so much? Everyone has signed up and is taking the exam, so just join in the fun. Didn't you hear what Xu Lihua said? There are at least millions of people who have signed up, and with so many people, only a handful will be able to pass. So don't think too much, and don't put pressure on Xia Xia. Xia Xia just came back from the countryside, which is a big deal for our family. Our family is living a good life now. The three of us all have decent jobs, and we don't have to worry about food, clothing, and drink."

Wu Xuemei thought about it and agreed.

She pulled the quilt over her and lay down, saying, "Be content with what you have."

***

Because there is only more than a month left before the official college entrance examination.

Even if it is hard, it will only last for more than a month, so in the early summer evenings, I will turn off the lights and go to bed until I am too sleepy to hold on any longer.

The next day, I woke up earlier when the alarm went off, and memorized the book while my mind was clearest.

Even on the way to work by bike, I was muttering poems and beautiful words and sentences.

When I rode my bike to the factory, I naturally had no time to study.

Although factory leaders advocate and encourage all employees who meet the admission requirements to sign up, signing up for the college entrance examination cannot affect daily work.

As long as you haven't resigned, completing your work tasks is naturally the most important thing.

In early summer, I went to the locker room, changed into white work clothes, put on a hat, and went to work at my post.

While filling the bottles, Feng Jingzhi asked Chuxia, "Have you submitted your registration form?"

Chu Xia shook her head at her when she heard that, "Not yet."

Feng Jingzhi said, "Let's go and hand it in together later."

Chu Xia nodded at her again: "Okay."

So Chuxia and Feng Jingzhi submitted the registration form without affecting their work.

The registration fee has not been paid yet because the factory still needs to review the registered employees.

If you do not meet the requirements and your application is returned, you will not have to pay the registration fee.

Yesterday, everyone was discussing the resumption of the college entrance examination itself and the most important admissions conditions.

Today, most people get together to discuss how to review.

The most important thing for reviewing is naturally to have review materials.

However, in the past decade, education has been in decline across the country. All kinds of evaluations and recommendations are based on a person's political and work performance, and do not consider academic performance at all. As a result, many people do not study seriously, and their books have long been sold as waste paper. Most people cannot even find a textbook at home.

If you don’t have a textbook, you can either borrow it from someone who does, or go to a bookstore and buy other review materials.

However, because the college entrance examination was resumed too suddenly, there were too many applicants and too little time for review, review materials have now become a scarce resource and are impossible to get in bookstores.

While eating in the cafeteria at noon, Feng Jingzhi said to Chuxia: "After dinner yesterday, I went to the bookstore. The bookstore was packed. All the related books were sold out. I couldn't get a single copy."

Chu Xia swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "I have some review materials, do you want to see them?"

Hearing this, Feng Jingzhi's eyes suddenly widened and asked, "Really? How did you get it?"

Chu Xia explained: "When I was a teacher in the countryside, I often felt that my cultural level was not enough, so I went to the bookstore one after another and bought a lot of books and materials to study on my own."

After hearing this, Feng Jingzhi couldn't help but get excited, "You really saved my life!"

Chu Xia looked at her and said, "But I didn't review the outline."

Feng Jingzhi was so excited that she didn't even eat. She looked at Chuxia and continued, "When I went to the bookstore to grab some materials last night, I saw a notice posted inside saying that a new batch of review materials would be sold tomorrow, and it seemed that there would be a review outline in it. With so many people eager to grab the materials, there will definitely not be any left by the time we go to buy them tomorrow. Why don't we go and try to grab some in the middle of the night?"

Chu Xia nodded without hesitation, "Okay."

***

Evening, locker room.

Chuxia and Feng Jingzhi changed out of their work clothes.

Chuxia folded her work clothes, put on her schoolbag, looked at Feng Jingzhi and said, "How about we go to my house for dinner?"

Feng Jingzhi quickly refused, "No, I'm embarrassed to live in your house, how can I eat at your house? Let's eat in the cafeteria. I'll go to the dormitory to wash up."

They agreed at noon that they would go together to grab the review outline tonight.

It was not very convenient to go in and out of the factory, so Chuxia discussed with Feng Jingzhi and decided that Feng Jingzhi and Chuxia would go home tonight, and they would go to the bookstore together at night.

Seeing that Feng Jingzhi didn't want to go to her house for dinner, Chuxia didn't force her.

After changing clothes and getting off work, she went to the cafeteria with Feng Jingzhi to have dinner, then went back to the dormitory to wait for Feng Jingzhi to finish washing up, and then took Feng Jingzhi back to her home.

It was already late when I got home.

Chuxia took Feng Jingzhi through the second gate, and seeing that there was no one in the yard, she went straight to the main house.

Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei came out after hearing the noise.

Seeing Chu Xia, Wu Xuemei asked directly: "Why did you come back so late today?"

Chuxia explained the reason to them and introduced Feng Jingzhi to them.

Since one is a guest, one is welcome. Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei politely and warmly asked Feng Jingzhi if she had eaten, and planned to go to the kitchen to make something for her and Chuxia.

Feng Jingzhi naturally said politely: "Uncle and aunt, thank you, but no, Chuxia and I have already eaten in the factory cafeteria."

Chu Xia also nodded in agreement, and Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei did not do it.

Naturally, they did not want to interfere with the young people making friends. They said a few polite words and then went back to the house.

Chuxia took Feng Jingzhi into the room and turned on the light.

Feng Jingzhi closed the door and said, "The yard you live in is so clean and has an ancient charm."

Hu Xia turned around and smiled as she continued, "It's mainly because there are not many people living here."

Feng Jingzhi turned her head to look around at Chuxia's room, and said with envy, "My family lives in a large compound with ten families living in it. Each family lives in a very small place, and there are many people in my family, so I have never slept in a bed by myself since I was a child, let alone sleeping in such a big room."

The kind of compound where she lived was so large that because there were so many families living there, each family tried every way to expand their house, and the renovations were so messy that the main building had long been almost completely destroyed.

It's not good to say too much of this kind of complaints and envy.

Before Chu Xia could reply, Feng Jingzhi quickly changed her tone and asked, "Can I see your review materials?"

Chuxia simply skipped over what she said about the yard and the room.

She went to the desk, took out all the review materials she had bought over the past two years, placed them in front of Feng Jingzhi and said, "Take a look at which books you want to read first."

Feng Jingzhi stood next to Chu Xia and said, "I must review the most basic knowledge points first."

She is three years older than Chuxia. After graduation, she went to the countryside to work in a production team for five years. Before going to the countryside, there were frequent revolutions in the school. She didn't pay any attention to studying at all, and she had long forgotten everything she learned in the books.

Hearing her say this, Chuxia found her two most basic review materials.

Feng Jingzhi took the information and flipped it open, then muttered, "It's terrible. At first glance, I seem to have seen it all before, but when I look more carefully, I can't remember anything."

Chuxia couldn't help but laugh.

She encouraged Feng Jingzhi: "We are all the same, let's work hard together!"

Feng Jingzhi took a deep breath, mustered up her energy and nodded: "Yes!"

Feng Jingzhi came over after washing up. Chuxia turned on the desk lamp and asked her to sit down directly at the desk to read and review. She took the opportunity to wash up.

Chuxia didn't go to bed immediately after washing up, but reviewed with Feng Jingzhi for a while.

Because they had to get up in the middle of the night to queue up at the bookstore to grab the review outline, they didn't review too late. When it was almost time, they set the alarm and went to bed.

At two o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock rang beside the bed.

Chuxia and Feng Jingzhi were woken up by the alarm clock. They didn't stay in bed for too long. They turned off the alarm, got up, dressed, combed their hair, put on their backpacks, and went out quietly.

Before leaving, Chuxia left a note on the table in the house.

Then she and Feng Jingzhi rode on a bicycle to Xinhua Bookstore in the night.

They rushed to the Xinhua Bookstore as quickly as possible, thinking that they would be able to get a front row seat so that when the bookstore opened in the morning, they could be the first to enter and buy books.

As a result, when they were still two miles away from the bookstore, they saw a winding queue that seemed to have no end and was lining up in front of the bookstore.

“…”

Chu Xia looked at the line and blinked, saying, "They came here to line up after dinner, right?"

Feng Jingzhi also said blankly: "I didn't expect it either..."

They thought coming at two in the morning was early enough.

Then they both came to their senses and said in unison: "Hurry up and get in line."

If you queue up now, you might be able to get one later, but if you delay any longer, you may not be sure. There are many people who have just arrived like them.

So Feng Jingzhi decisively lined up at the back of the line.

Chuxia found a place to park and lock her bicycle, then came back and queued up with Feng Jingzhi.

Because everyone got up early, and those in the front might not have even slept yet, so yawning sounds could be heard from the queue from time to time.

Some people brought sacks and slept on the ground while waiting in line.

Chuxia and Feng Jingzhi were also yawning because they were so sleepy.

Fortunately, the two of them had each other to keep them company, and chatting together helped them keep away their sleepiness.

Both of them have experience of going to the countryside to work in the fields, and now they are in the same position, so naturally they have a lot to talk about.

As we chatted like this, the stars in the sky gradually became dimmer.

The sky in the east began to lighten up, the darkness of night was gradually diluted by the morning light, and the dark figures around also became clear images.

After daybreak, everyone began to look forward to the bookstore opening.

When the bookstore clerk came to open the door, everyone, whether sleepy or not, suddenly perked up.

Chu Xia and Feng Jingzhi also looked a hundred times more energetic than before.

But when I was standing in the line waiting for it to move forward, my spirit was gradually worn away by the torment of waiting.

But every time I walk forward a little, I feel more energetic.

In this repeated process, Chu Xia and Feng Jingzhi waited in line for another half an hour.

Since the bookstore opened, people who had been lining up in front of it have bought books and walked away with the books in their hands amid everyone's envious and jealous gazes.

Chu Xia and Feng Jingzhi were at the back.

If someone walked past them holding the stolen information, they would look at them with envy.

I saw several people walking over with the information they had snatched.

Feng Jingzhi said expectantly but anxiously: "I don't know if we can get it today."

Chu Xia continued her words: "I hope I can get it smoothly."

Then, just as she finished speaking, another person who had grabbed the review materials came over.

Chuxia and Feng Jingzhi looked over with envy again, but when her eyes fell on the face of the person walking over, Chuxia was suddenly stunned.

Lin Xiaohan?

When Chuxia recognized that the person walking towards her was Lin Xiaohan, Lin Xiaohan happened to see her and their eyes met hers.

When their eyes met, Chu Xia subconsciously smiled and wanted to wave and greet him with a smile.

As a result, before the smile in her eyes overflowed from her pupils, Lin Xiaohan had already retracted his gaze, and without any change in his eyes or expression, he walked straight past.

Chu Xia: “…”

She froze, and with a little embarrassment she put away the smile that was about to burst out of her pupils.

The hand that had not yet been raised was curled up and tucked into the sleeve.

Feng Jingzhi noticed the change in Chuxia's expression.

She turned back to look at Lin Xiaohan again and asked doubtfully, "Do you know the person who just walked by?"

Chuxia came to her senses and shook her head at her.

He said in a relaxed tone: "I don't know him. It seems I recognized the wrong person."