92. 092 College Entrance Examination

Er Ya's marriage fell through, and Da Ya was divorced because she couldn't have children. Du Xiaojuan's family affairs suddenly became the talk of the town. Every night, Du Xiaojuan would curse and yell at the sky, and her eldest daughter would cry all day long, frequently running to her husband's house. She would go there in the morning and return in the evening with a face full of sorrow, which had become a common sight in the alley.

The eight hundred yuan that was almost in her mouth vanished, and Du Xiaojuan was furious. She was fed up with this troublesome girl. She took her to the countryside twice, got eighty yuan from Daya's mother-in-law's house, and then abandoned her. She didn't care whether her daughter came home at night or where she went during the day. She just locked the door as soon as it got dark, acting as if she didn't care whether her daughter lived or died.

Su Yu's head was throbbing from the intermittent sobbing from next door. Daya cried during the day and Du Xiaojuan scolded her at night. For a whole week, she couldn't concentrate on her studies. She tried to persuade Daya twice, but Daya wouldn't listen at all. She was at her wit's end. When she wasn't working, she would pack her things and ride her bike back to her parents' house to find a quiet place to study and do her homework.

It wasn't until October 12th that the radio broadcast the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination, and major newspapers also carried the news. Su Yu stood on the street pushing her bicycle, listening to the deafening celebrations and smiling. She had also witnessed the arrival of a new era.

"Did you know that the college entrance examination would be reinstated this year?" Old Su asked as he served water to Yang.

"I don't know. I just believe that the college entrance examination will definitely be reinstated, so I'm preparing in advance. I originally thought I would have to wait a few more years, but I didn't expect it to be reinstated so quickly. I wasn't even ready yet," Su Yu replied while answering the question.

Old Man Su was skeptical, but he didn't press the matter. He just sighed and said, "Of all your grandchildren, only your two and Xiaoxing are still in school. The others graduated from elementary school and refused to continue their studies. Now they regret it so much, but they can't seize the opportunity."

"There will be many more opportunities in the future; going to university is not the only way out."

Su Yu had just told her father this in the morning, and then gave it to Er Ya in the afternoon.

“My parents probably won’t let me go to high school. My two children don’t go to school, and they can’t stand that I’m better than them.” She stared at the ground and continued to list all sorts of improbable things: “And my older sister, she’s like she’s gone crazy. Every time I go to her in-laws’ house, she gets scolded, but she still goes every day. She’s so pathetic that she has to do their laundry and cook for them. I have to wait for her to come home every day, and if she doesn’t come, I have to go looking for her.”

Er Ya clenched her fists, suppressing her anger, but still couldn't help but say resentfully, "I don't want to deal with her either. I can't stand how spineless she is. Sometimes when I see my mom scolding and hitting her, I feel a sense of satisfaction. I wish I could beat her harder to wake her up, but she's always been like that." She bit her lip in annoyance and said weakly, "But she's also pitiful. I can't help but take care of her. I worry that she won't come home at night and will be taken advantage of by men, that she'll fall into the water and drown when she's out and about, that she'll be beaten." She sighed, "I'm so pitiful myself, yet I feel sorry for others."

Seeing her constantly fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, Su Yu remained silent for a while before saying, "You can't keep your sister tied to your waistband forever. Why don't you steel yourself and take care of yourself first, and then take care of Daya when your life is better? Right now, the two of you are tied together. She is still obsessed with trying to win over her man so he can take her home. If you keep watching her, you won't be able to do anything for a year, two years, or three years. In the end, she will still marry a man who offers a high dowry."

Er Ya hadn't thought about what the future might hold. Rather, she was looking forward to the future, so she subconsciously resisted speculating about what the future would look like given this current situation.

“I was raised by my older sister, just like I raised Xiaohu. The only difference is that my mother didn’t take care of my meals; my sister fed me with every grain of rice and every spoonful of water.” She said in a dry voice.

Su Yu understood what she meant and went along with it, saying, "It's because you have a conscience and know how to be grateful."

"If only I were as ruthless as my parents," she said, frowning in distress. Her heels rubbed against the hard ground as she resignedly added, "Never mind, that's enough for now. Auntie, you keep going. I'm going home."

“There will be many more opportunities in the future. Going to university is not the only way out. Just like before, no one dared to say that the college entrance examination would be reinstated. Maybe the black market will be opened up in the future, and anyone can do business.” Su Yu did not want to see her dejected and resigned to her fate.

Er Ya's spirits lifted upon hearing this, and her face relaxed a little. Her eyes shifted to the woman at the table, as if she had made up her mind. She clenched her knuckles, looking somewhat uneasy. Her gaze then moved from the woman's face back to the ground, and she stammered, "Auntie, I want to thank you. If I hadn't met you, if you hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to go to school. I would be like my older sister, someone who doesn't understand anything, a simple-minded and stubborn person who wouldn't dare to run away when beaten or scolded, and who would still try to please her enemies even when disliked."

Whenever she saw her sister working herself to the bone for others and getting no appreciation in return, she felt fortunate that she had met Su Yu. Su Yu went to school, learned to read and write, and was not satisfied with the present; she had ambitions to choose her future life.

“I didn’t help much. You’ve changed so much because you’ve worked hard step by step. Even if you don’t continue your studies, don’t give up reading. If you don’t read for two or three years, the words will feel unfamiliar. You’ve worked hard for seven years to learn this, and it wasn’t easy. Don’t lose it.”

Er Ya nodded thoughtfully, then stood up and said, "Auntie, I'm going back now. I won't bother you anymore. You can continue with your work."

She hurried outside, patted the two dogs that came over and rubbed against her legs, stopped their heads from trying to squeeze out, and deftly opened and closed the door.

She walked into her house in a few strides, leaning against the door, her face flushed. She had wanted to say those words to Aunt Su for a long time, but she had never confided in anyone. When the thought first came to her, she didn't dare to open her mouth; just thinking about it made her mind go blank. After the college entrance examination was reinstated, she realized that if she didn't speak up now, she would never have the chance again. She procrastinated for several days, writing down what she wanted to say, and practiced speaking to a tree for two days while gathering firewood before she could finally say it fluently.

Daya emerged lifelessly from the low-ceilinged hut, her neck hunched as if she were about to leave again. Erya blocked the door and asked, "Where's Xiaohu?"

"She's asleep, sleeping."

"Where are you going? If Xiaohu wakes up and doesn't see you, he'll cry again. If I can't soothe him, I might hit him."

Daya glared at her, raised her hand and said, "If you hit him, I'll hit you."

“I hit him, he definitely won’t dare to tell on me,” Er Ya said in a somber tone.

Daya hesitated for a moment, then turned around twice before reluctantly turning back and sitting on the threshold of the bedroom, staring blankly at the sky.

Er Ya pursed her lips, locked the door from the inside, and went inside to shake Xiao Hu awake. If he fell asleep now, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night, and if he was awake, Da Ya would keep circling around him.

It was terrifying. She saw Xiao Hu suddenly become energetic, and the woman who couldn't have children was happy to see a child and treated him well without any principles, as if she couldn't live without the child.

"How terrifying," Er Ya repeated. "Thank goodness I'm not like her," she thought to herself.

Along with the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination, the examination time also came. Two months later, in the winter of 1977, the college entrance examination came suddenly and urgently. The examination was not a national unified examination but a provincial examination. Su Yu always felt that she had not reviewed well and that there was not enough time. She asked Qiu Fuli to resign from her job in the orchard.

"You're going to take an exam too? You must be in your thirties or forties this year?" Qiu Fuli asked incredulously.

"I was exactly thirty-six. The country doesn't restrict the age, education, or background of candidates, so I wanted to give it a try. Otherwise, with only a junior high school education, no matter what achievements I make in the future, I'll be suspected."

Qiu Fuli remained silent. He was reluctant to let Su Yu go. Before Su Yu appeared, he relied on Yu Yuan'an, who was the pillar of his orchard management. But after Su Yu figured out how to graft fruit trees, he became somewhat dependent on Su Yu. Now that Su Yu was leaving, he worried whether Yu Yuan'an could manage such a large orchard by himself.

“I’ll approve your leave, and pay you half your salary like in winter. I’ll keep your job for now, and we’ll talk about it after the college entrance exam results come out. You should focus on preparing for the exam now.” After saying that, he frowned, thought for two seconds, and changed his mind: “Forget it, it’s only two months. I’ll pay you based on the full month’s salary. You’ve made a significant contribution to the orchard, so I won’t be stingy and cut it in half.”

Qiu Fuli thought that if Su Yu got into university, she would definitely achieve even greater things in the future, so he would try to build a good relationship with her. If she didn't get into university, he would still be a warm-hearted leader so that she could stay and work steadily in the future.

"Alright, Manager Qiu is finally being generous this time." Su Yu accepted it readily; it would be foolish to turn down a salary that's practically handed to her.

From then on, Su Yu stayed home and studied desperately by the stove. The crying and sobbing of the neighbor girl gradually subsided, and Su Yu no longer had to brave the wind and snow to go to her parents' home.

She had already decided on her subjects. In her previous life, she took the humanities exam, but this time she chose the sciences. After December, Ning Jin took leave from the factory to stay at home and take care of the older student. He did all the housework, including laundry and cooking.

"Mom, what major do you want to apply for?" Xiao Yuan asked during dinner.

Ning Jin didn't understand anything about majors or anything like that, and when she heard Xiao Yuan's question, she looked at her too.

Su Yu had an idea, but hadn't decided yet. There were too many options, and she hesitated. Having missed the college entrance exam for 11 years, and with her modern memories as a foundation, it meant she wouldn't be a failure no matter which major she chose. She said she hadn't thought it through and would decide after the exams.

The exams started on December 11th. Su Yu took a bus to the provincial capital two days in advance. Ning Jin said he wanted to take care of her and go with her. Xiao Yuan and Ping An said they wanted to go to broaden their horizons and gain experience, so they also wanted to go. She was taking her family with her to take the college entrance exams, leaving only two dogs at home to guard the house. Ning Jin had to go to his father-in-law's house to bring his mother-in-law to stay for a few days, just to feed the dogs.

Er Ya stood outside the door watching the family of four next door leave laughing and joking. When Xiao Yuan waved happily at her, she waved back, but her heart ached and she couldn't smile.

This is the difference. She wasn't this upset when she decided not to go to high school. She and Xiaoyuan and Ping'an studied together, and now they have been in high school for half a year. She is staying at home. In two or three years, they will be as excited as they are today to take the college entrance examination, while she is still staying at home. Oh, maybe she will be married by then. She won't even be able to see them off to the college entrance examination.

She thought of Xiao Dan two years ago; she seemed no different from him back then.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to cook?" Du Xiaojuan frowned and called out to Er Ya.

"Let my sister do it. I have something to do outside, I'll be back in a bit."

Er Ya hurried to Xiao Dan's house. When she arrived, there was a fight going on inside. He was squatting outside the door with his younger brother and sister.

"Have you eaten?" she asked dryly.

"Why are you here?" Little Egg asked in surprise.

"The college entrance examination has been reinstated."

Little Egg remained silent, looking confused.

"Do you regret it?" Er Ya asked, staring at him.

"I heard you didn't go to high school," Xiao Dan replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

"You regret it," Er Ya said firmly. She turned and left. Just as she was concerned about Xiao Yuan and Ping An, Xiao Dan was also concerned about her and Xiao Yuan and Ping An, so she also regretted it.