Chapter 73 (First Update)

In spring, Yan Ruyi planted a row of chives in the yard. In the morning, after the dew, the glistening dewdrops hung on the chive leaves, making them look fresh and tender.

Ye Hongzhen thought she would cut some chives to make scrambled eggs for her daughter for lunch.

She went inside to get a small knife. Just as she reached the vegetable patch, she heard a "whoosh" sound. Something flew from next door, almost grazing her face, and then fell to the ground with a "thud."

Caught off guard, Ye Hongzhen's heart pounded in her chest. She patted her chest and exclaimed, "Oh my god, that scared me to death!"

Yan Ruyi hopped to the door on one leg, "What's wrong, Mom?"

Ye Hongzhen came to her senses and, following the sound she had just heard, found a broom handle on the ground.

The broom flew over from the west yard.

Ye Hongzhen: "A broom was thrown from the west."

She had just heard an argument in the west courtyard.

She had also heard about the family living next door from her daughter.

Although she thought that old woman Zhao was a terrible person, she had no interest in interfering in other people's business.

However, it's a different story when the broom flies into her own house and almost hits her.

Ye Hongzhen said to her daughter, "Ruyi, sit in the room and don't move around. Mom will go check on the neighbors."

Ye Hongzhen picked up the broom and went next door.

Early in the morning, Granny Zhao and Yushu's wife started arguing.

The incident started when Yushu's wife washed her clothes and hung them out to dry in the yard.

She went back inside, and when she came out again, she saw that the clothes that had been hanging up were now on the floor.

When she entered the house, she caught a glimpse of Granny Zhao heading in that direction and suspected that Granny Zhao had thrown her clothes on the ground.

Granny Zhao refused to admit it, and the two women started arguing again in just a few words.

Granny Zhao was holding a broom handle in her hand. In the heat of the argument, she threw the broom handle at Yushu's wife.

Yu Shu's wife shrank back, missing the broom handle, which flew over the wall and into Yan Ruyi's house.

Knowing she had gotten herself into trouble, Granny Zhao was afraid that Ye Hongzhen would come looking for her, so she tried to slip away.

Yu Shu's wife grabbed her and wouldn't let her leave. The two women were struggling when Ye Hongzhen came to their door with a broom handle.

Before Ye Hongzhen could even ask, Yu Shu's wife pointed at Granny Zhao and said, "Auntie, this has nothing to do with me. She's the one who threw the broom handle. If you want to find someone, go find her."

Yushu's wife stopped holding onto Granny Zhao and let go, standing aside to watch the commotion.

Granny Zhao was still stubbornly insisting, "So what if I threw it? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and it didn't hit anyone..."

Suddenly, Ye Hongzhen grabbed a broom handle and hurled it at Granny Zhao.

The broom bristles missed Granny Zhao, but grazed her face as they flew past.

Granny Zhao cried out in fright and fell to the ground with a thud.

Ye Hongzhen said, "You just said that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You didn't hit anyone, so what are you afraid of?"

Granny Zhao was still in shock, her lips trembling as she couldn't utter a coherent sentence.

“My daughter sprained her ankle and can’t walk. She wasn’t in the yard at the time, otherwise, if you had hit her with this broom, she wouldn’t have been able to dodge it. If it had hit her on the head, she would have gotten a big bump on her head, or even a concussion. And you’re saying that you didn’t hit anyone. If you had, it would have been too late.”

"You old woman, at your age, you do nothing productive, all you think about is how to make your son and daughter-in-law suffer. Other elderly people are afraid their children aren't doing well, but you're the opposite, you're afraid your children aren't doing well. What are you trying to achieve? Someone like you, when you die and go to the underworld, you'll be steamed like a bun. Just imagine how that feels."

People of Granny Zhao's age are very superstitious.

Anyway, when Granny Zhao heard this, she shuddered.

Ye Hongzhen also saw it and was very satisfied with Zhao Pozi's reaction.

"I won't say anything if you make a scene in your own home, but you're disturbing the neighbors. I'm telling you this now: if this happens again, I won't talk to you so nicely. Believe me, I'll smash your house up."

Old Mrs. Zhao mustered her courage and replied, "Your son-in-law is a member of the People's Liberation Army. The People's Liberation Army cannot bully ordinary people."

“My son-in-law is, but I am not. If you don’t believe me, you can try me.”

Ye Hongzhen gave Granny Zhao a good scolding, and only went back satisfied when Granny Zhao didn't dare to utter a sound.

When he got back, he saw Yan Ruyi hopping into the yard and said anxiously, "Didn't I tell you to stay inside? Why did you come out again?"

"I got tired of reading and wanted to come out and take a look."

Ye Hongzhen checked the time. "It's just about time to apply the medicine."

She moved a recliner over and said, "Sit down, I'll put some medicine on your feet."

The medicine smelled a bit strong, and Yan Ruyi felt a headache coming on from the fumes. She didn't really want to apply it. "It's almost healed, you don't need to apply it anymore."

“No, you have to apply it. Yiping specifically told me to apply it every four hours before he left. You applied it at 8 o’clock last time, and it’s 11 o’clock now. It’s time to apply it a second time.”

Yan Ruyi sprained her ankle. Ye Hongzhen was worried that Song Yiping was inexperienced and wouldn't be able to take good care of her daughter, so she came a day early.

Unexpectedly, Song Yiping took even better care of her than she did.

Otherwise, my daughter wouldn't have recovered so quickly.

Ye Hongzhen applied the medicated oil to her daughter's feet and then massaged them as Song Yiping had taught her.

The mother and daughter chatted idly about what was happening next door.

Yan Ruyi said, "Last month, the neighbors had a fight and threw a clothes hanger at Sister Wan's house."

Granny Zhao not only argued with Yushu's wife, but she also frequently used weapons.

Despite her age, she's quite strong, and her weapons inevitably fly over the boundary and into the neighbor's house.

"That's because Sister-in-law Wan has a good temper. If it were me, I would have hit her with a clothes hanger and see if she would dare to do it again next time."

Yan Ruyi thought her mother was still the most powerful.

With her mom putting on such a show today, the neighbors will probably have some peace and quiet for a while.

Dong Yingxue called Yan Ruyi and said that the postgraduate entrance examination schedule had been set: registration would be this Friday, the preliminary examination would be on December 20th, and the re-examination would be around March of the following year.

On Friday morning, Yan Ruyi took half a day off to go to the Education Bureau to register.

While the mother and son were having breakfast, they heard a car honking outside.

I pressed it several times.

Ye Hongzhen put down her bowl and went outside to see Yan Mingtao getting out of the car.

Ye Hongzhen exclaimed in shock, "Ertao, you bought a car? Where did you get so much money?"

“I didn’t buy it. I borrowed it from Chen Feiyong. Yesterday, Yiping called me and said that Ruyi was going to register at the Education Bureau today. He was worried that Ruyi’s leg was still immobile, so he asked me to take Ruyi there. That’s why I borrowed a car from Chen Feiyong.”

Yan Ruyi: "Second Brother, when did you learn to drive?"

"I learned it a long time ago."

He used to drive a truck, but this time he was taking his sister to the Education Bureau, so he felt that driving a car would make his sister look better, and borrowed a car from Chen Feiyong.

Ye Hongzhen said, "I'll just take Ruyi with me. It's not worth you asking to borrow someone's car."

Yan Ruyi only rested at home for one day before going back to work.

During the few days she went to work, Ye Hongzhen pushed her bicycle to the company.

Ye Hongzhen was quite confident that she could also get her daughter to register at the Education Bureau.

"The Education Bureau is too far away, and you can't ride a bike. By the time you get there, the registration process might already be over."

Ye Hongzhen slapped Yan Mingtao, "How can you talk so disrespectfully about your mother?"

Yan Mingtao chuckled and dodged away, then said to Yan Ruyi, "After you finish eating, pack your things and make sure you don't forget any of your documents. Your second brother will take you to experience the real Yan-style flying car later."

Ye Hongzhen scolded him, "That's not a pedicab, is it a joke to hit someone like that?"

After finishing her meal, Yan Ruyi put the certificate of being a graduating student issued by the school, her university graduation certificate, her household registration booklet, her work permit, and the certificate of consent to apply for the exam issued by the Cultural Relics Bureau into her handbag.

Yan Mingtao was already waiting for her in the car.

She got into the car, and Ye Hongzhen leaned against the window and told her, "Keep an eye on your second brother on the road. Tell him to drive slowly. If he doesn't listen, tell me when you get back, and I'll deal with him."

Yan Mingtao: "I was just saying that. Ruyi is in the car. Even if you gave me the guts, I wouldn't dare to speed."

If his sister gets hurt, he won't be able to explain it to her husband when he gets back.

Yan Mingtao was indeed not driving fast on the road.

And it's very stable.

Yan Mingtao patted the steering wheel, "This car is just different to drive. Sis, when your second brother makes money, he'll buy a car too, and then he'll take you for a spin around the city."

Song Yiping has taken her around the city several times already.

However, Yan Ruyi was still very supportive, saying, "Second Brother, you can take us to Xiaobeiling to play later."

Xiaobeiling is located directly north of Beijing, about 200 li away. The scenery is beautiful, but transportation is inconvenient. There is no direct bus, and you have to transfer three times to get there from Beijing.

Yan Mingtao readily agreed, "No problem. Once your second brother buys a car, wherever you want to go, your second brother will take you there."

"Second brother, how much would a car like this cost?"

“I asked Chen Feiyong, and he said his car was imported and cost a little over 100,000 yuan. He said the domestically produced one would be cheaper, costing 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.”

Chen Feiyong mainly does import and export business, and his customers are mostly foreigners.

Buying a nice car is also about saving face.

Yan Mingtao doesn't need a fancy car to show off; his goal is to buy a domestically produced car.

With his current income, he can't afford even a domestically produced car right now.

However, all members of the Yan family share one characteristic: they are all exceptionally confident.

Anyway, Yan Mingtao felt that he would be able to buy a car sooner or later.

Yan Ruyi, however, was considering whether she should also buy a car.

Having a car is so convenient; you can go wherever you want with just a step on the gas.

Song Yiping does have a car, but it's a military-issue vehicle, which is somewhat inconvenient.

Yan Ruyi then put buying a car on her agenda.

Yan Mingtao parked his car in front of the Education Bureau.

Yan Ruyi opened the car door and got out. "Second brother, wait for me in the car. I'm going to fill out a registration form. I should be out soon."

Remembering his brother-in-law's instructions, Yan Mingtao said to Yan Ruyi, "I'll go in with you. If anything happens, I can lend a hand."

The brother and sister went to the Education Bureau together.

Registration was done at the Education Bureau's Admissions Office, which was on the second floor. Yan Ruyi and her second brother saw Dong Yingxue as soon as they went up to the second floor.

Dong Yingxue said, "I thought you should be here soon. There are quite a lot of people registering today, and the place is packed. I've given you a registration form; you can fill it out in my office."

Dong Yingxue was about to lead Yan Ruyi and Yan Mingtao to her office.

Yan Mingtao felt that he couldn't help his sister with the registration process.

Besides, being a rough and uncultured man, he felt somewhat uncomfortable in front of these scholars.

With Dong Yingxue by my side, everything will be fine.

He then said to Yan Ruyi, "You go inside with your sister-in-law, I'll wait for you outside."

"Okay, then find a place to sit for a while, I'll be done soon."

Yan Mingtao went downstairs and squatted down in the open space in front of the building, drawing circles.

Yan Ruyi followed Dong Yingxue to her office.

Dong Yingxue's office consists of two rooms, one inside and one outside. As the section chief, she works in the smaller inner room.

The outer room was occupied by staff members. When Yan Ruyi and Yan Mingtao entered, Dong Yingxue introduced them to the staff members sitting outside, saying, "This is my sister-in-law. She's here to apply for graduate school."

The tone was very proud.

Yan Ruyi felt that if she didn't get into Peking University, she would be letting down Dong Yingxue's pride.

Dong Yingxue led Yan Ruyi to her small office and gave her the registration form.

The application form requires you to fill in your name, gender, age, place of origin, political affiliation, and university you graduated from...

These are all relatively simple.

The most important thing is the application information, including the university, major, and research direction you want to apply to.

Yan Ruyi has already decided on the university she wants to apply to; she is determined to apply to Peking University.

Moreover, the desire to apply to Peking University was stronger than ever before.

Because Song Yiping studied for his postgraduate degree in Beijing.

As for my major, I'll definitely choose cultural heritage and museum studies.

Peking University's cultural heritage and museology program has two research directions: archaeology and museology.

Yan Ruyi naturally wanted to study archaeology.

However, according to information provided by Dong Yingxue's Peking University classmate, the admission scores for archaeology are higher than those for museology.

Dong Yingxue, "Did you bring the letter of commendation and the newspaper I asked you to bring?"

Yan Ruyi helped the police arrest three antique dealers, one of whom was from Japan.

Following this lead, the police dismantled a criminal gang that trafficked in cultural relics.

The Public Security Bureau wrote a letter of commendation to the Cultural Relics Bureau, and the Beijing Evening News also reported on it.

Yesterday, Dong Yingxue called her and told her to bring the letter of commendation and the Beijing Evening News when she came to register.

Yan Ruyi didn't know why she brought all these things, but she still took them all.

"I've brought them all over."

She took out everything Dong Yingxue wanted from her handbag.

"Put all of these together with your application materials and submit them. You might get extra points, or at least you'll make a good impression."

Although the document does not mention any bonus point policy, it does state that priority will be given to those who have made outstanding contributions to their work or to society.

Intercepting a national first-class cultural relic and assisting the public security bureau in cracking down on a criminal gang that trafficked in cultural relics is definitely an outstanding contribution to society.

Archaeology differs from other fields of study; schools place greater emphasis on students' political awareness than on grades.

In the case of identical scores, those with correct ideology and progressive thinking will definitely be given priority for admission.

There's even a possibility that they'll be admitted with lower admission scores.

Yan Ruyi then realized that doing good deeds could potentially earn her extra points.

She quickly put the letter of commendation, the newspaper, and other application materials together.

Regardless of whether it will earn points, I'll submit it first.