Chapter 54 The Results Announcement: My Mom is the Best

The doctor told Guo Peng the truth about the situation. He explained that these things had to be said; otherwise, it wasn't impossible for Li Hui to experience repeated miscarriages. Some things are mysterious and can't be explained by science.

Some dancers eat things they shouldn't, resulting in a cold constitution and difficulty conceiving.

The ancient sisters Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede used a drug called "Xi Ji Wan" (息肌丸) containing large amounts of musk to improve their figures and dancing. This is a typical example. It's not that modern medical technology is superior and can solve this problem; don't underestimate the ancients, who also had excellent doctors.

"This..." Guo Peng didn't know what to say.

The doctor didn't continue talking to Guo Peng; he had other things to do.

It was almost 11 p.m. when Song Fenglan finally got home. When she arrived, Qin Zihang was still awake, waiting for his mother to eat cake.

Qin Zihang was sleepy, and he rubbed his eyes. Seeing that Qin Zihang was so determined to wait for Song Fenglan to return, Qin Yizhou didn't tell Qin Zihang to go to sleep.

"Mom!" Qin Zihang ran over to his mother as soon as he saw her. "I've been waiting for you for so long."

Qin Zihang pinched himself several times to keep himself awake, because he had to wait for his mother.

"Our little darling has worked so hard." Song Fenglan wanted to hug Qin Zihang, but she was a bit tired, so she simply squatted down and hugged him.

"Mom, cake, cake!" Qin Zihang led his mother to see the cake. "Dad and I made it together."

"Not bad." Song Fenglan saw the cake on the coffee table. It was over six inches long and looked pretty good.

"Mom, let's eat cake," Qin Zihang said. "It's not my birthday, so we won't blow out the candles. We'll just eat it like this."

Qin Zihang looked at the cake and felt a little hungry. He rubbed his stomach.

"Okay, let's eat cake." Song Fenglan nodded with a smile. She took a knife and cut the cake. She gave the first piece to Qin Zihang, the second piece to herself, and then handed the knife to Qin Yizhou, "You cut it yourself."

"I'll cut it myself." Qin Yizhou wasn't unhappy; his wife had indeed been working very hard these past few days.

"Mom, eat quickly." Qin Zihang hadn't eaten yet; he was waiting for his mother to take the first bite.

"Hmm, it tastes good." Song Fenglan took a bite. "It's really not bad."

"I did it with my dad," Qin Zihang emphasized again.

"You did a very good job," Song Fenglan praised.

"We were supposed to eat earlier, but Mom ate it when she got home after the exam," Qin Zihang said.

“It’s not too late to eat now,” Song Fenglan said. “I have some things to do before I can come back and spend time with Zihang.”

"Mmm." Qin Zihang nodded. "I know, Mom is very good."

When Qin Zihang saw his mother, he wasn't as aggrieved as before. Having his mother by his side was more important than anything else. Qin Zihang took a bite of the cake. It tasted alright, but not as good as his mother's. His mother's mini cakes were much tastier.

Song Fenglan couldn't possibly beat the eggs herself, so she got a simple egg beater from her workplace. With the egg beater, they didn't have to beat them by hand anymore; they could use the egg beater. Of course, some of the ingredients Song Fenglan used were food-grade; she couldn't just use other grades of ingredients. Everything that came into contact with food had to meet food-grade standards.

"Eat up." Song Fenglan looked at Qin Zihang.

"Mom, are you hungry?" Qin Zihang asked. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I've eaten," Song Fenglan replied. She had eaten at work; how could she not eat? If she didn't eat, her stomach would be growling. People would also tell her to go eat something first, and then continue with other things.

"Mom, the cakes Dad and I made aren't as good as yours." Qin Zihang finally said this. "We put in sugar, honey, and other things that Mom put in, but it's still not the same."

“It’s normal for the taste to be slightly different from everyone’s,” Song Fenglan said.

"But..." Qin Zihang still felt that he had done a very bad job.

"It's edible, not bad, and tastes pretty good." Song Fenglan praised Qin Zihang, "Our Hangbao can make such a delicious cake so easily, that's amazing. The first time Mommy made a cake, it was not very good, but our little Hangbao did a fantastic job. In the future, Mommy will want to eat the cakes that Hangbao makes again."

"Okay, Hangbao will make cakes for Mom from now on." Qin Zihang cheered up again.

Qin Yizhou looked at his wife and son. His wife really knew how to please their son; the son was so happy all of a sudden. It wasn't that Qin Yizhou hadn't said similar things to his son before, but Qin Zihang had never been this happy.

Before Song Fenglan returned, Qin Zihang was still wondering if the cake would taste bad, and whether his mother would be happy to eat it... Qin Yizhou could only tell Qin Zihang to watch TV and not to think about so many things.

After eating the cake, Song Fenglan told Qin Zihang to wash his face and brush his teeth, and to go to bed early. Song Fenglan took a hot shower before going back to her room to lie down.

Song Fenglan was really tired, but she still asked a few questions.

"Second Sister should have almost finished her exams. If she didn't finish today, she should finish tomorrow." Song Fenglan didn't quite remember the exact dates of Qin Erjie's college entrance exams, but they were usually a day or two before or after.

"Let's wait until the scores come out and then we'll see," Qin Yizhou said. "We won't call so early. My second sister won't answer the phone, and my brother-in-law doesn't know anything about these things, so calling won't do any good."

Song Fenglan had never met Qin Erjie, so she didn't know what kind of person she was. Song Fenglan knew that the capital was a good place, and Qin Erjie certainly wouldn't want to stay in the countryside. Let alone the capital, even in other cities, not many people wanted to stay in the countryside; life there was hard, much worse than in the city.

Early in the morning, Song Fenglan ate breakfast and sat in the courtyard to rest. She didn't go to work this morning; she was taking a half-day break before going to work later.

"Have you heard?" The plump woman arrived at Song Fenglan's house, and the two talked in the yard. "Li Hui had a miscarriage."

"She miscarried?" Song Fenglan asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's not just a miscarriage, I heard she can't have children anymore, apparently because she ate something she shouldn't have while dancing," said the plump woman.

The doctor spoke to Guo Peng outside the operating room. Some of the doctors and nurses at that hospital lived in the staff quarters, and one of them knew Li Hui. Coincidentally, that person overheard the doctor's conversation with Guo Peng, went home, and told everyone. This morning, the news spread.

When Fatty went to the canteen to get steamed buns in the morning, she overheard what others were saying.

"It's like...like...something flying..."

“Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s true that this world is a parallel universe; some of the histories overlap.”

"Yes, yes, it's those two sisters. They both said they were similar to this," said the plump woman. "They're definitely cultured; they even know how to use this description. But what's the story behind it?"

The fat woman didn't know the two sisters; she had only heard about them from others.

“Two sisters from the Han Dynasty,” Song Fenglan said. “The ‘Flying Swallow in the Palm’ refers to Zhao Feiyan. These two sisters were very skilled at dancing, and the emperor loved their dancing. In order to make their dancing look better, they used some medicine to maintain their figures, which damaged their health and made them unable to have children.”

"Is that so?" said the plump woman. "Every medicine has its side effects, so it's best not to take any medicine."

"Well... it's hard to say," Song Fenglan said. "Everyone has their own choices. Some people would rather have a better figure or a better career than think about whether their children are doing well. The important thing is themselves. If they are doing well, that's more important than anything else."

It's true that some dancers choose not to have children for the sake of their careers; it's not impossible.

Song Fenglan thought that Li Hui hadn't continued dancing, and Li Hui had even left the performing arts troupe. At this time, with Li Hui suffering a miscarriage and this other incident happening, she feared Li Hui would be extremely heartbroken. This had nothing to do with Song Fenglan; she hadn't caused Li Hui's miscarriage.

Fan Yani was shocked to learn this morning that Li Hui had miscarried, but thankfully she herself was fine. Fan Yani hadn't expected Li Hui to miscarry so easily; she hadn't gone to Li Hui's side yesterday to avoid upsetting her.

Fortunately, Fan Yani was also a bit tired after her exam yesterday and didn't want to say anything. Fan Yani thought that this was all Li Hui's own doing. Li Hui ate things she shouldn't have for the sake of her figure, and she even took the college entrance exam. She could only blame herself.

"It's better for a woman to have a child," said the plump woman. "When we get old, we'll still rely on our children to take care of us."

“Some people don’t need to rely on their children for old age; they live comfortably on their own, and that’s fine too,” Song Fenglan said. “There’s nothing wrong with that; it just depends on the individual’s perspective.”

"..." The fat woman didn't quite agree with Song Fenglan's idea. Then she thought that she was too outdated and didn't know about these new ideas.

“When it comes to raising children, it all comes down to whether they are filial or not. If they are, that’s fine. But if they are not, it’s better not to have them at all,” Song Fenglan said.

"That's true," the plump woman nodded. "Is the college entrance exam easy?"

"It's alright," Song Fenglan said.

"I heard that the college entrance exam is extremely difficult, very hard to pass," said the plump woman. "Everyone looks dejected."

"The results haven't come out yet. We'll know when they are," Song Fenglan said.

"Yes, we have to wait for the results," said the plump woman. "You can definitely do it."

“That’s what I think too.” Song Fenglan nodded. “As long as I can get into university, that’s enough.”

Song Fenglan didn't say much else. She herself didn't know how many points she could get; she'd have to wait for the scores to come out. Song Fenglan didn't tell anyone how easy the college entrance exam was, lest she be proven wrong. Although she was quite confident, she was worried about falling behind others.

What others hear may not be what they think.

"Are you resting all day today?" the plump woman asked.

"No, I have to go to work this afternoon," Song Fenglan replied. "I took the college entrance exam a few days ago, and a lot of things were delayed. I still have to go to work and get those things sorted out as soon as possible; I can't let them drag on any longer."

“That’s true, that’s how it is when you have a job.” The plump woman then asked, “Will you continue working at your current company after you get into university? Or will you wait until you finish university before starting work?”

“I’ll work when the time comes,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s a good company. If I waited until I graduated from university to be assigned a job, I might not be able to get such a good one.”

Others don't know exactly what Song Fenglan does at her workplace, and Song Fenglan can't tell them. She'll inevitably have to continue working there, so there's no harm in revealing it.

"That's true, everyone has their own job," said the plump woman. "You already have a job, why not apply to a university in the south of the city and continue working there? Wouldn't that be great? Would your company allow that?"

"We'll know when the college entrance exam scores come out. There's no point in talking about it now," Song Fenglan said. "I can't register for the college entrance exam without my employer's permission."

"That's true." The plump woman nodded. She greatly envied Song Fenglan. Song Fenglan did whatever she thought of without having to consider other issues. But the plump woman wasn't jealous of Song Fenglan. She knew that Song Fenglan had suffered a lot. The Song family had even been sent to a farm. Not everyone could have the sharp minds of the Song family.

The phone rang in the living room, and Song Fenglan quickly answered it, so she didn't chat with her sister-in-law anymore.

It was a call from Song's mother. She had called last night, but Song Fenglan wasn't home. She called again today. Song's mother had originally planned to call in the evening, but then thought it best to call during the day to see if Song Fenglan was resting and not let her work so hard.

“Mom,” Song Fenglan said.

"I thought you went to work," said Song's mother. "You should take better care of yourself."

"I know," Song Fenglan said. "That's why I'm taking a break today."

"It's good that you know. Don't overwork yourself. Don't forget, you still have Hangbao and us." Song's mother reminded Song Fenglan.

"I know, I know," Song Fenglan quickly replied.

"I sent you some clothes and such, remember to pick them up when the time comes," said Song's mother. "It's getting cold, you'll need to wear warm clothes."

"Mom, don't worry about my clothes not being warm enough. My workplace provides us with warm clothes," Song Fenglan said.

“Work uniforms are work uniforms. Can work uniforms be that nice?” Song’s mother said. “You are a woman after all. Women should dress nicely. Your son-in-law also wants to see you looking nice.”

“It’s alright, he’ll make him look more dashing and masculine so I won’t dislike him,” Song Fenglan said. She does like pretty clothes, but she doesn’t wear them for Qin Yizhou.

Women shouldn't spoil men too much, and shouldn't let men take advantage of them.

"Indeed," Song's mother nodded. "Someone like you, your son-in-law wouldn't dare to treat you badly."

"Yes, don't worry," Song Fenglan said. "Mom, how are you all?"

"Everything's fine," Song's mother said with a smile.

"Where's my second brother?" Song Fenglan asked. "Has he found someone yet?"

"Not yet. He said he hasn't met the right person yet, so we won't pressure him." Song's mother said helplessly. Song's second brother has encountered many things in the countryside, and they don't want to force him. The important thing is that Song's second brother is happy. "The right person hasn't come along yet. When the right person comes along, it will happen in no time."

It's alright for men. If a man is older and has money, there are still women willing to marry him.

Song's mother wasn't too worried about Song's second brother. He was quite attractive to young girls; besides Tian Keshu's younger sister, other girls were also interested in him. Song's second brother didn't like those girls and naturally didn't agree to anything. Even when some girls suggested giving it a try, he still refused.

“My parents are so open-minded,” Song Fenglan said, adding that she was afraid her parents would keep urging her, which made her feel uncomfortable.

"You should get some rest," said Song's mother. "Where's Hangbao?"

“They went to school,” Song Fenglan said. “They didn’t have classes for the past few days because the classrooms were used as test centers for the college entrance examination.”

"Okay, fine," said Song's mother. "I won't talk to you anymore, go and rest."

"Okay." Song Fenglan chuckled. "I'm going to rest."

Qin Zihang was very popular at school; many children asked him what the college entrance exam was like. Qin Zihang had no idea; he only knew that his mother had taken the exam.

"My mom said it's alright, not bad."

"Once we get into high school, we can also take the college entrance exam."

"My mom can take the college entrance exam, so can your moms. Did your moms go?"

...

Qin Zihang answered the children's questions and also asked some questions to the other children. The other children all thought Qin Zihang's mother was amazing; she had actually taken the college entrance examination!

Previously, some children went home and asked their mothers to take the college entrance examination as well. Most of the children's mothers had no intention of taking the college entrance examination, so they naturally refused, saying that they had to take care of their children and that they had other things to do at home, so they would not take the college entrance examination.

Some children pester their mothers to let them take the college entrance exam, and the mothers threaten their children: "If you say that again, I'm going to hit you!"

Then, the child didn't dare to say much, but kept glancing at his mother, thinking: Why doesn't Mom take the college entrance exam? Zihang's mother did take the college entrance exam!

Some mothers simply replied: Most of the children's mothers did not take the college entrance examination, so we have to follow the majority, you know?

The college entrance exam, the college entrance exam—if they had such good education, they would have taken it long ago. But they really don't have the ability, so they shouldn't take the college entrance exam; don't waste resources.

In the evening, Qin Zihang returned from school happily, and he talked a lot with Mrs. Su along the way.

"Auntie, my mom has finished her college entrance exam, so she doesn't have to do homework anymore. But when she goes to college, she'll have to do homework again."

"Auntie, when is my mom going to college? I'm already in school, does my mom have to go too?"

"Auntie, Mommy's started school. Can I go to Mommy's school?"

"Auntie, is Mom's school the same as mine?"

"Auntie, Mom..."

...

Mrs. Su was surrounded by people calling her "Auntie" and "Mother," but she didn't get impatient. She even talked to Qin Zihang and answered some of his questions.

After Mrs. Su took Qin Zihang home, she saw that Qin Yizhou had returned. She simply let Qin Yizhou take Qin Zihang with him, so that Qin Yizhou, as the father, could answer Qin Zihang's questions.

Then, Qin Yizhou kept hearing "Dad" and "Mom" in his ears, as Qin Zihang kept nagging.

Once Qin Zihang has something to say, he can talk nonstop. Qin Yizhou has no idea where Qin Zihang gets so many questions; kids really do have a lot of questions. Qin Yizhou thought that now that Qin Zihang is in first grade, he would have fewer questions.

"Sit down and do your homework. Dad will go cook. Mom will be back in a bit," Qin Yizhou said. "Mom needs to eat."

“Okay, Dad, you go cook, I’ll do my homework,” Qin Zihang said. “By the time Dad finishes cooking, I’ll have finished my homework too. When Mom comes back, she won’t have to do her homework.”

“Yes, Mom doesn’t have to do homework now.” Qin Yizhou nodded.

“Mom will still have homework to do when she goes to college,” Qin Zihang said.

“College students don’t necessarily do their homework at home. They might do it at school or in a lab,” Qin Yizhou said. “College students are different from elementary school students and high school students.”

Qin Yizhou had to emphasize this point to his son, lest his son urge his wife to do her homework again. Where would Song Fenglan get so much homework? Only Qin Zihang was so agitated that he insisted on watching over her.

Because Li Hui had a miscarriage, Fan Yani originally wanted to go see Li Hui, but Fan Yani was worried that Li Hui might hurt someone in a moment of impulse, so she simply asked her husband to go to the hospital instead.

When Yue Hongwei went to the hospital, Guo Peng was also at the hospital.

"This is chicken soup my wife asked me to bring for my sister-in-law," Yue Hongwei said, handing the food box to Guo Peng. "Don't be too sad."

"You all know?" Guo Peng asked.

"Okay, I understand." Yue Hongwei nodded.

The two stood in the corridor, not going into the ward. Guo Peng was extremely distressed. Li Hui had not only miscarried, but she would also be unable to have children in the future. This meant he could not have a child of his own. Either he divorced Li Hui and married another woman to have children, or he would adopt a child.

Guo Peng genuinely loves Li Hui and has no intention of divorcing her. If he were to adopt a child, he wouldn't want to adopt a child with whom he has no blood relation, so he'll probably have to adopt a child from his younger brother.

Guo Peng hasn't told his parents yet, he hasn't told him.

The younger brother said he didn't know what to do either, and he needed to discuss it with Li Hui.

Divorce is out of the question; they have no choice but to look for other options.

"Take this to your sister-in-law. If she's alright, I'll head back now," Yue Hongwei said. "Yani is home alone."

“Okay, you can go back now,” Guo Peng said.

After Yue Hongwei left, Guo Peng took the medicine to the ward.

Li Hui lay there looking haggard. She hadn't expected to miscarry; she didn't even know she was pregnant, and now the baby was gone. Li Hui's periods had always been irregular, and she had been bleeding a few days ago, which she assumed was her period and that she wasn't pregnant. Sometimes her periods were just a little bit, not much.

"Have some chicken soup first," Guo Peng said. "Yani had her brother-in-law bring it over."

"Do you want a divorce?" Li Hui asked, already knowing that she couldn't have children.

Guo Peng originally wanted to keep it a secret, but someone said a few words over there, which Li Hui overheard, and Li Hui's mood sank to the bottom.

"I have no intention of divorcing you," Guo Peng said truthfully. "We've only been married a short time."

“You can also get a divorce,” Li Hui said. “If…”

“I won’t divorce you,” Guo Peng said. He really loved Li Hui; otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited for her when she tried to break up Qin Yizhou and Song Fenglan. “We’re married, so we’re husband and wife. The doctor said it’s hard for you to get pregnant. If you can’t, then we won’t have children. I’ll talk to my brother about adopting a child from them sometime.”

"Adoption?" Li Hui hadn't considered this question before; she wanted to give birth herself. But now, she couldn't have children on her own, and it was very difficult for her to conceive, which was practically a death sentence.

“Yes, we’re adopting a child from my brother’s family.” Guo Peng poured out the chicken soup. “Here, have some chicken soup.”

"Why didn't your brother marry Fan Yani?" Li Hui suddenly thought of this.

"This..." Guo Peng didn't expect Li Huihui to ask such a question at this time.

"Why didn't your brother marry Fan Yani?" Li Hui asked again.

“My brother considers Yani his sister-in-law, and my parents don’t want Yani to marry him,” Guo Peng said. “My brother’s other wife was married earlier than me and had children earlier as well.”

"Are you regretting it?" Li Hui closed her eyes. "Fan Yani is pregnant. She didn't miscarry. She was able to give birth to the child safely, but me..."

“She is her, and you are you,” Guo Peng said. “Hurry up and drink your soup. Yani and I are siblings, so don’t say things like that. It won’t sound good if others hear it. Yani has a husband, and I have a wife.”

"..." Li Hui opened her eyes and stared at Guo Peng, wanting to see if Guo Peng regretted it.

Li Hui never imagined she wouldn't be able to conceive. She thought she was perfectly healthy; how could she possibly have these problems? This was causing Li Hui a great deal of distress. Not having a child… Li Hui remembered her cousin's words. Her cousin urged her to get pregnant quickly; that's what her family all said. They all believed that only after a woman carries a man's child and gives birth can the couple truly become family.

"Drink the soup." Guo Peng held the spoon and personally fed Li Hui. "Open your mouth."

Li Hui opened her mouth wide. No matter what, she still needed to recover her health first. In the future, regardless of whether she could get pregnant or have children, she couldn't let her body develop any health problems at this time.

Two days later, Li Hui was discharged from the hospital. She had miscarried and needed to recover during her postpartum period. Shi Guilan wasn't there, and no relatives were helping Li Hui with her recovery. Fan Yani was pregnant, so it was even less likely that Fan Yani would take care of Li Hui. Li Hui had to take care of herself on her own.

Guo Peng couldn't find anyone to help him, mainly because Shi Guilan and her cousins ​​had offended people before, and no one was willing to come and take care of Li Hui at this time.

Song Fenglan didn't pay much attention to Li Hui. When she got home from get off work, she heard Qin Yizhou say that he had contacted Qin Erjie.

"Did your second sister speak to you?" Song Fenglan asked.

"I did," Qin Yizhou said. "My second sister said we shouldn't interfere in her affairs."

Qin Erjie spoke in a cold tone, as if Qin Yizhou had done many things he shouldn't have.

"Just this sentence?" Song Fenglan asked, puzzled.

"My second sister also said that I haven't even managed my own affairs properly, so how can I be qualified to interfere in hers?" Qin Yizhou said.

“That makes a lot of sense.” Song Fenglan nodded. Qin Yizhou had indeed not handled some things well. “Think about it, how did your parents treat us when Zihang and I were in the capital? Your second sister probably knows about these things. It’s right that she told you not to interfere in her affairs.”

"She's finished the college entrance exam. I wonder what the outcome will be," Qin Yizhou said.

"Just wait," Song Fenglan said.

Lately, Qin Zihang has been asking his mother a lot: "Mom, have the results come out yet?"

Song Fenglan told Qin Zihang that he hadn't come out yet and they would have to wait a while.

When the college entrance exam results are released is not up to Song Fenglan to decide, and she couldn't possibly know her scores in advance. Song Fenglan did not cheat, nor did she ask anyone to give her extra points.

Professor Su and his colleagues didn't intend to help Song Fenglan cheat; they all believed in Song Fenglan's abilities.

"Mom, haven't the results come out yet?" Qin Zihang asked his mother after watching TV for a while.

"Not yet," Song Fenglan said.

"Mom, I'm almost on vacation, winter vacation!" Qin Zihang said. "Why haven't my grades come out yet? How can we celebrate the New Year if they don't come out? We won't be able to have a proper New Year."

Song Fenglan and her family did not return to the capital this year; they would spend the Spring Festival in the southern part of the city. Returning to the capital was too troublesome and took too long. High-speed rail would be much better than regular trains, and even now, airplanes are not as good as the ones Song Fenglan had in her previous life.

"Are you nervous?" Song Fenglan asked.

“I’m not nervous, but Mom is,” Qin Zihang said.

“Mom isn’t nervous. Mom is sure of the result,” Song Fenglan said. “Mom is confident in her grades. Mom will definitely get into Nancheng University.”

"Is it possible?" Qin Zihang asked. "I don't even dare to tell anyone."

“Just tell me that your mother will definitely get into Nancheng University, she definitely can,” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t worry about these things. You can worry about them when you take the college entrance exam. At that time, you will understand what it’s like.”

Song Fenglan thought that when Qin Zihang took the college entrance examination, it shouldn't be a parallel application system. However, as long as he got a high score, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't a parallel application system. With a high score, he would be admitted to his first choice, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

"That will be a long, long time," Qin Zihang said. "Mom will take the college entrance exam first."

“Yes, Mom will take the college entrance exam first.” Song Fenglan gently patted her son’s head. “Mom is not in a hurry, and you are not in a hurry either. The results will be out in a while.”

That's what he said, but Qin Zihang didn't go around bragging that his mother would definitely get into Nancheng University. He'd already said that before, so there was no point in saying it again now. Qin Zihang just wanted to know his mother's score and whether she was really that good.

Seeing her son so quiet, Song Fenglan worried that he might be too nervous.

"What is our little Hangbao worried about? Is he worried that his mother will not pass the exam, or that his mother will embarrass him?" Song Fenglan asked.

"No, Mommy would never embarrass Hangbao," Qin Zihang said. "Mommy would embarrass herself."

"..." Song Fenglan thought to herself: Little devil.

"Mom, they all say it's not over yet, no one has come out, we can't say things like that." Qin Zihang overheard people outside saying that he was just a kid and didn't know any better, that he just blurted it out so casually, and that he wasn't afraid that his mother might not pass the exam or be laughed at.

When Qin Zihang heard those words, he was reluctant to say them, worried that his mother would be laughed at. But he still said loudly: My mother will definitely pass the exam!

"It's nothing," Song Fenglan said. "It's just talk, it won't hurt you. Don't worry, Mom is confident, Xiao Hangbao doesn't need to worry."

"Mom," Qin Zihang hugged his mother, "Mom, you can definitely do it."

Seeing Qin Zihang like this, Song Fenglan knew she had to tell her husband to keep a closer eye on the child. She herself, who was taking the college entrance exam, didn't have anxiety, but her son was definitely developing it.

This wasn't a big deal, at least not in Song Fenglan's eyes. She was already working at the research institute and was capable. Song Fenglan wasn't worried about failing the exam; if her score was low, it would probably be due to something like Chinese.

There's no way around it. Song Fenglan is a science student; she excels in science and engineering, but is weaker in Chinese language. Just because everyone understands Chinese doesn't mean everyone can do well in reading comprehension.

Some authors say they didn't mean it that way; they just wrote it casually at the time. But when students do reading comprehension exercises, the answer key provides those answers, and even the authors themselves might not pass.

Song Fenglan didn't expect to get a high score in Chinese; she was content with a decent score. The important subjects were math and physics.

That evening, Song Fenglan and her husband were in their room, and Song Fenglan nudged Qin Yizhou's arm.

"Are you worried about me failing the exam, just like Zihang?" Song Fenglan asked.

"No, I believe you." Qin Yizhou grasped Song Fenglan's hand and pulled her into his arms.

“I’m not home, so please keep a close eye on Hangbao. Don’t let him frown all the time at such a young age,” Song Fenglan said. “He wasn’t this nervous when I didn’t take the college entrance exam. Now that the exam is over, he’s worried about his score. I’m not worried, so why is he?”

"I already told him," Qin Yizhou said. "I told him not to worry about you, Mom is the best."

But Qin Zihang just liked to ask those questions, and Qin Yizhou really couldn't do anything about it.

One evening, Qin Yizhou and his wife took Qin Zihang for a walk. Someone even joked with Qin Zihang, "Did your mother get into university?"

"The scores haven't come out yet." Qin Zihang held his mother's hand. "My mom will definitely pass the exam."

"What if your mother doesn't pass the exam?" someone else asked.

“There’s no chance of anything happening!” Song Fenglan said before Qin Zihang could speak. “You shouldn’t joke like that with him. He’s just a kid. Don’t put too much pressure on him. It’s me taking the college entrance exam, not him.”

"Just kidding, just kidding, I'm not going to say anything more." When the person heard Song Fenglan say that and saw Qin Yizhou looking at her with a serious expression, she left dejectedly.

Song Fenglan felt that these people were just too interested in other people's affairs; whether others could pass the exam had nothing to do with them.

That's normal, though. The college entrance exam is a big deal, and this is the first one since its reinstatement. Many people are paying close attention to it, wondering what the final results will be and whether the scores will be disregarded later on.

Song Fenglan wasn't nervous at all. She knew this was a real college entrance exam, not one where the score wouldn't count later. When writing her Chinese essay, Song Fenglan didn't just write randomly. She didn't think about writing poetry, classical Chinese, or expressing any political opinions.

Once, Song Fenglan watched a TV series where a young intellectual sent to the countryside wrote an essay expressing his views on politics. The examiners disagreed, some saying it should be given zero marks, others saying it should be given full marks. Coincidentally, the young intellectual's own mother was one of the examiners. She didn't recognize the paper and insisted it should be given zero marks.

Later, this controversial exam paper was passed on to higher authorities, and the essay was ultimately awarded full marks. However, the college entrance examination admissions process had already concluded, and the educated youth could only attend a less desirable school.

The Song family had been sent to a farm, and Song Fenglan herself preferred a stable life, avoiding being too ostentatious, trying not to show off, or standing out. This was just a regular college entrance exam; expressing political opinions on the exam paper wouldn't have much effect and would only negatively impact her admission results.

As the family walked along the road, they could hear people talking about the college entrance examination. They heard that so-and-so from so-and-so's family had taken the exam, and that some educated youth from the nearby streets had returned to take the exam. They were all waiting for the exam results, and some people were just staying in the city and refusing to go back to the countryside, insisting on waiting for the outcome.

"Want some roasted sweet potatoes?" Song Fenglan asked Qin Zihang. "Let's go back and roast some sweet potatoes."

"Eat, I want to eat," Qin Zihang said quickly, "sweet roasted sweet potato."

"Then let's go back." Song Fenglan didn't want Qin Zihang to hear others talking about the college entrance exam. They talked about it every day, and his ears were getting calluses. "Let Xiaohu come along too."

"Little Tiger Brother loves roasted sweet potatoes," Qin Zihang said. "Roasted sweet potatoes are tastier than steamed sweet potatoes."

“Of course, I also prefer roasted sweet potatoes.” Song Fenglan nodded. “Roast a few more, but not too big ones. Big ones don’t taste good, and the middle is easy to not cook through.”

"Undercooked food doesn't taste good," Qin Zihang said. "Dad's baking doesn't taste good."

"I only gave you a bite of the one that wasn't fully cooked, and you remembered it," Qin Yizhou said with emotion. "Dad can also roast very delicious sweet potatoes. So, Dad will roast some sweet potatoes and show you how well this time is done."

"I'll pick sweet potatoes," Qin Zihang said.

“Okay, you choose.” Qin Yizhou nodded.

There were some sweet potatoes at home, some given by Sister-in-law Pang, and some by other people. The sweet potatoes were left there, but Song Fenglan's family hadn't eaten them yet. Some people like to slice the sweet potatoes and cook them with their rice, but Song Fenglan and Qin Zihang don't like that kind of rice, so they didn't cook them that way.

Around the end of January, scores were released one after another in various provinces.

Song Fenglan was genuinely not in a hurry. She was busy at the research institute and needed to get things done before she would have time to think about other things.

These days, grades are still written down and posted. On the day the results were released, Qin Zihang went to see them with Madam Su. There were many people looking at the results, and Madam Su even held Qin Zihang to take a look. Qin Zihang didn't quite understand, and he wanted to squeeze into the crowd, but Madam Su pulled him along.

"Let's wait a bit, no rush," Madam Su said. "We'll see after they've finished reading."

"When are they going to finish reading?" Qin Zihang asked again. "Can't they finish reading faster? They only read their own names, not other people's names, they..."

"Wait a minute." Seeing how anxious Qin Zihang was, Madam Su was also helpless.

"Zihang, your mother got first place! First place!" People who knew Mrs. Su and Qin Zihang saw Song Fenglan's name. The scores were arranged from highest to lowest, and Song Fenglan's name was at the very top. "Your mother is first! First place!"