Time flies by so quickly that it leaves no trace, leaving us only to follow its tail step by step.

In a small courtyard on the west side of Guangming Brigade, Brigade Leader Sun Shengli sat upright at a table, writing and drawing on paper with a serious expression on his face.

"Old Sun, here's your letter." The brigade leader's wife, an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman, placed a clean letter in front of Sun Shengli and then turned to go about her business.

"A letter?" Sun Shengli was puzzled. His relatives and friends were all in the village. Who would write him a letter when they had nothing better to do? But the address and name on the envelope were indeed his. Sun Shengli opened the letter with some doubt.

“This…” Sun Shengli’s pupils contracted slightly, his hands trembled slightly, and he almost dropped the paper in his hand. His eyes darted back and forth over the words on the paper, and he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Old Sun, come help me peel peanuts." The team leader's wife's loud voice rang out, and she appeared at the door. Startled by Sun Shengli's appearance, she dropped the peanuts she was holding and ran over. "Old Sun, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

"Phew... I'm fine, I was just too excited, don't worry." Sun Shengli let out a long sigh of relief and patted his wife's shoulder reassuringly, his eyes glancing at the paper in his hand from time to time, still showing the shock that had not yet subsided.

"What exactly happened?" The captain's wife asked in surprise, muttering to herself.

"The college entrance exam results are in." Sun Shengli let out a long breath, his voice drifting over as if he had fallen into a dream, floating on clouds.

Clang... The peanuts in her hand fell to the ground again. The village chief's wife's eyes showed the same shock as her husband's, and her expression was indescribably complicated.

The entire Guangming Brigade, or rather the entire country of China, was shocked by the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination, followed by ecstasy.

Especially for those educated youth who had spent many years in the countryside, he was seen as their only hope for returning to the city. Whether married or unmarried, they were all eager to try, but they didn't know whether it would bring good or bad things to their families.

After the initial shock came panic. With the college entrance examination drawing ever closer, they were completely unprepared and inevitably felt like they had been told by the teacher that they were taking a regular class instead of a test.

College entrance exam materials suddenly became the target of everyone's scramble, and market prices skyrocketed. But no matter how high the prices rose, there was only so much of it; it was impossible for more to appear out of thin air, resulting in a situation where there was demand but no supply.

Sun Xiaoying was overjoyed to hear this. The faster the market price rose, the happier he was. He had been saving up his things for so long, and finally they had a use. It was worth all the time and effort he had put in.

Looking at the books piled in the corner, Sun Xiaoying felt as if she had seen a huge pile of small bills. She imagined the educated youth in the village must be frantically searching for information, but unable to find any relevant materials. She thought that when he appeared out of nowhere, they would be eternally grateful.

The news of the resumption of the college entrance examination had been circulating for a month, and Sun Xiaoying estimated that the time was about right, so she began to take action. Even if she had the information, she still needed to let the right people know, otherwise it would all be in vain.

He needs to choose someone to pass on the information he has, and do it naturally and smoothly, without seeming too deliberate.

Like Wuyou, they all chose Xu He, the senior member of the educated youth compound. That day, Sun Xiaoying specially prepared some homemade snacks and delivered them to the educated youth compound, intending to have a good chat with Xu He.

Seeing his expression, Zhou Jiajun remained silent, not saying much. He was still somewhat disappointed in his wife; she was completely different from his previous impression of her. The marriage was already arranged, what else could he do? Marriage was about mutual tolerance, and he couldn't bring himself to abandon his wife.

When Sun Xiaoying found Xu He, he was working in the fields. Although everyone was busy with the resumption of the college entrance examination, they still had to do their farm work because they needed to fill their stomachs.

Compared to before, Xu He's face no longer had the gloom of the past. It was as if the dark clouds had dispersed and the sun had broken through the clouds. The smile on his face had become more genuine and real.

"Xu Zhiqing, these are some snacks I made myself. Please try them! This is to thank you for helping me carry things last time." Sun Xiaoying led Xu He aside and handed him the pastries.

What's presented here, though called a snack, is really just small pastries made with cornmeal, which is considered quite good for this era. After all, she's relying on the other party for the job, so Sun Xiaoying is willing to invest.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Zhou." Normally, Xu He would have declined, but seeing Sun Xiaoying smile, he accepted the food and ate it.

He's not stupid; he knows what the other party is up to. Since they've already plotted against his group, there's no need for him to be polite, is there?

“Xu, the resumption of the college entrance examination is indeed the best news for you educated youth. I heard that the textbooks for the college entrance examination are extremely rare. I wonder if you have any?” Sun Xiaoying asked casually, her eyes fixed on Xu He.

Xu He ate attentively, occasionally offering a word of praise. Sun Xiaoying's cooking skills were indeed quite good; after all, she had been a nanny for so many years, and in this era, she could be considered one of the best in Guangming Brigade.

"Sigh, these books related to the college entrance exam are indeed very rare. The market price has already risen to one yuan per book. I'm really worried about it!"

Xu He sighed. He was quite shocked when he heard about it. One yuan could feed a family well for two or three months. These book sellers were really too greedy.

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaoying immediately covered her mouth, her wide eyes showing her shock. One yuan! My goodness! She had expected even more; this was truly a windfall.

"Ahem, Xu Zhiqing, I also have some books about the college entrance examination here. I wonder if you would be interested?" Sun Xiaoying asked cautiously with a mysterious look on her face.

"Oh?" Xu He raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, showing a hint of interest. He continued, "What price does Sister-in-law Zhou want? It's too expensive; I can't afford it, after all, our family isn't well-off."

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoying was somewhat displeased. Why was this person trying to bargain right off the bat? It was clearly trying to harm her interests. But it didn't matter; she could simply not sell to Xu He.

"I got these books by chance. You can ask around and see if anyone is interested. I'll give you a discount. But you have to let me make a little profit, right?" Sun Xiaoying pretended to be nonchalant.

"Xu Zhiqing, what are you still doing here? Yan Zhiqing is calling us to class, let's go!" A young educated youth walked over, grabbed Xu He's arm, and said as he walked away.

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaoying's expression changed, and she inexplicably had a bad feeling.