Chapter 55 Nowhere to Go: Vegetable Bouquet

"First? My mom is number one?" Qin Zihang's eyes widened.

"We're number one here, but I don't know about other places," Fan Yani said with a smile. She had also seen the results and came over when she noticed someone talking to Qin Zihang. "This score is very high."

Fan Yani had long thought that Song Fenglan would be very capable, but she never expected Song Fenglan to be this capable.

Song Fenglan took the science exam, which included Chinese and Politics. The other subjects were manageable; Physics and Chemistry were tested together, along with Math and a Foreign Language. The specific subjects varied slightly from province to province, resulting in different score requirements. For Politics, Song Fenglan focused on memorization. The Politics exam didn't involve expressing political opinions; many sections followed predictable patterns—simply memorizing the first sentence of a long passage from the textbook was sufficient.

Ultimately, Song Fenglan didn't know what subjects would be tested at first. She had read many historical fiction novels, but they mostly focused on the restoration of the college entrance examination and the protagonist getting into university. They didn't mention the subjects, the question types, or even the total score for the exam.

After taking the exam, Song Fenglan felt she wouldn't do too badly, but she didn't expect to rank first in the entire region. To be precise, Song Fenglan ranked first in Nancheng City and third in the entire province. Song Fenglan's Chinese and Politics exams dragged down her overall score; if she had done well in those two subjects, she could have been the top scorer in the province.

There was nothing that could be done; Song Fenglan had to do other things. She got full marks in math, physics, and chemistry, and her foreign language score was also okay. However, her scores in Chinese and politics were much lower than the two people ahead of her.

With Song Fenglan's grades, she could certainly attend a university in the capital. However, since she needs to work at the Nancheng Research Institute, it's impossible for her to go to the capital.

"My goodness, my sister-in-law is really amazing," Fan Yani exclaimed.

"Did you hear that?" Mrs. Su looked at Qin Zihang. "Your mother is number one in our area. Your mother is very capable. You don't need to worry about your mother not being able to go to university."

"Really?" Qin Zihang was a little incredulous.

“That’s right,” Fan Yani said. “Are you worried that someone might share your mother’s name? Even if they do, no one could be more capable than your mother.”

"Mmm." Qin Zihang couldn't help but smile; his mother was just that amazing.

Among those looking at their scores, some were dejected, while others were quite happy.

That's how the college entrance exam is; it's like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge. Not everyone can make it; some will inevitably fall into the river. If you can't get through, then think about doing something else; you don't necessarily have to do these things.

Qin Zihang peeked out, still wanting to take a look.

“There are a lot of people now. If we come later, there won’t be as many people,” Madam Su said. “Since someone has seen it, that’s fine.”

"As long as it's not fake, that's fine," Qin Zihang said. "Don't try to fool me."

Qin Zihang thought that those adults just liked to fool children, and he didn't want to be fooled himself.

"I won't fool you. How could I fool you about something this big?" Fan Yani said with a smile.

Li Hui was also looking at her score. She thought she could rank higher, but she wasn't at the front, not in the middle, and by the time she got to the back, she felt like she was being slowly tortured. Li Hui and Fan Yani's names were only a few lines apart, and they both scored over 100 points, just two points apart.

This made Li Hui's expression contort. Moreover, Li Hui's name was after Fan Yani's, which was tantamount to telling others that Li Hui's education level was not as good as Fan Yani's.

Li Hui clenched her fists in anger and immediately turned to leave, but some busybodies pulled her back.

"Li Hui, Li Hui, is this you? Is this your sister's name?"

"You two are really destined to be together, your rankings are so close."

Wow, your sister-in-law scored higher than you!

"Isn't your sister-in-law from the countryside? Didn't they say she's uneducated?"

...

Those people didn't care whether Fan Yani and Li Hui's scores were good enough to get into university. What they knew was that Li Hui's score was even worse than Fan Yani's, and even a difference of two points was still a difference.

Li Hui didn't want to talk to these people; she had simply been careless and gotten a slightly lower score. Li Hui was unwilling to admit...

He admitted that he did not perform as well as Fan Yani, but the results that were released were like this.

It's true that Fan Yani attended a vocational high school in her previous life, but Li Hui only had a junior high school education. Li Hui was always thinking about dancing and such, so how could she possibly study those subjects properly? Li Hui never imagined that she was even worse off than Fan Yani. She lost her job in the performing arts troupe, couldn't have children, and her college entrance exam scores were even lower than Fan Yani's.

Li Hui feels that her life is shrouded in darkness. Will Guo Peng think that he married a good-for-nothing?

Li Hui looked at Guo Peng beside her. Before, Guo Peng hadn't picked Li Hui up and dropped her off every day during her college entrance exam. Li Hui even had a miscarriage after the exam. Guo Peng was worried that Li Hui would be upset, so he accompanied her to see her scores when they came out. Guo Peng had taken a day off specifically for this.

"It's only two points, not a huge difference," Guo Peng said coldly. Why were these people making such a fuss?

Guo Peng was worried about Li Hui's health, so he held her tightly behind him to prevent those people from touching her.

"Let's go back." Guo Peng turned to Li Hui and pulled her away from the crowd.

The couple walked down the street, and Guo Peng would glance at Li Hui from time to time, but Li Hui kept her mouth tightly shut and didn't say a word.

"It's nothing, just an exam," Guo Peng said. "You weren't feeling well at the time, so it's not your fault. You..."

“I did worse than your sister,” Li Hui scoffed. “She actually scored higher than me.”

"It's just two points, not much. Maybe she just guessed on one question," Guo Peng said. "It's not a huge difference in scores. Besides, you haven't been to school for many years."

"..." Li Hui reached out and rubbed her cheeks. It was one thing that she couldn't compare to Song Fenglan, but she couldn't even compare to Fan Yani. How could she ever show her face again?

“You’re a dancer, so you’re different from them,” Guo Peng said. “Don’t compare your weaknesses to their strengths. If we’re talking about dancing, none of them are as good as you.”

"No need to say anything more." Li Hui only felt ashamed. Dancing, dancing... she had stopped dancing altogether.

Li Hui still wanted to dance in the performing arts troupe, but they didn't want her anymore. At first, it wasn't that they didn't want Li Hui, but they were just marginalizing her. Then, Li Hui asked for leave and refused to cooperate, so of course they had to let her go, and Li Hui had no choice but to leave.

Now that things have come to this, she can't blame anyone else. When Li Hui was in the performing arts troupe, she wasn't particularly dedicated to dancing. What she wanted was to find someone of high status; she wanted to climb the social ladder. This was also the idea that Shi Guilan and Li Hui's family instilled in her. Now that Li Hui was in the army, and even more so in the performing arts troupe, she should cherish the opportunity and not just marry anyone casually.

Li Hui wanted to marry well, which wasn't wrong in itself. The problem was that she shouldn't have set her sights on married men, and she shouldn't have focused solely on marriage while neglecting to maintain good relationships with her colleagues. People thought she had character flaws and didn't want to associate with her.

Li Hui's current predicament is a result of her own actions, not something forced upon her by others. One wrong step leads to another, and she continues down this path of error.

Li Hui walked back quickly, unwilling to stay there at all.

At the research institute, Song Fenglan was still busy with her work and hadn't checked her scores. Since she hadn't checked, someone else did for her, and soon everyone knew that Song Fenglan had scored very high. Those people weren't surprised at all; it was perfectly normal. Song Fenglan was already so capable at the research institute, how could she not know how to answer those questions?

There are big shots in the institute, and I even asked the Education Bureau. Song Fenglan is ranked first in Nancheng City and third in the province.

If Song Fenglan's name were in the middle, it would be difficult to find, but if it were at the beginning, it would be very easy to find, and the ranking would be found immediately.

When Song Fenglan went to lunch, many people saw her and congratulated her. Song Fenglan remained calm; what was the big deal? In her previous life, she had ranked among the top ten in the province in the college entrance examination. Back then, there were many test-takers, many of whom were products of exam-oriented education and scored very high. Now, many people were sent to rural areas, and their overall scores weren't high. Song Fenglan thought her Chinese and Politics scores must have been much lower, yet she still managed to achieve this ranking. This showed that many people were held back, which was why they didn't score very high.

"You've proven yourself, haven't you? Hangbao will be so happy to know." Professor Su brought over the food, and the director also came over.

“That’s a pretty good score,” the director said. “I asked around, and they said you got full marks in math, chemistry, and physics.”

“These are relatively simple,” Song Fenglan said. “We use them regularly, and if we don’t know how to do them or make mistakes, how can that be acceptable?”

“Indeed,” Professor Su said. “If you can’t even get such a simple question wrong, I’ll start to wonder if there’s something wrong with the question itself.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the questions,” Song Fenglan said. “The college entrance exam paper is designed according to the college entrance exam mindset.”

As long as they don't think about other conditions, the questions on the exam are generally based on an ideal state, which differs from reality. When they do the questions, they shouldn't always try to apply reality to them, or think that this is impossible or that is impossible, then there won't be much of a problem.

In her past life, Song Fenglan had taken the college entrance examination and attended high school. She had also attended high school in this life, so she naturally knew what these questions were all about. Song Fenglan answered carefully; she didn't underestimate the questions, fearing she might make a careless mistake, which would be very bad. One must be careful in everything one does and strive to do things better.

"Now that the exams are over, you're just waiting to get your diploma," Professor Su said. "You'll be studying in China from now on."

In the past, someone with Song Fenglan's grades would have been ideally able to study abroad and learn more about advanced foreign technologies. However, Song Fenglan cannot study abroad now. If foreigners knew about Song Fenglan's abilities, they would never allow her to return. They would treat her like her uncle, keeping her abroad forever.

“It’s fine here in China,” Song Fenglan said. “As long as we can do something, that’s enough. We don’t necessarily have to go abroad to study.”

“If your uncle were still alive, he would be very proud of you,” Professor Su said.

“Uncle…” Song Fenglan often wondered what kind of person her uncle was, since people often praised him. Song Fenglan only knew that her uncle was very capable in scientific research. Sometimes she would dream of him at night, and he would say very sternly: “You can’t even do this little thing right.”

Her uncle's face was blurry, and Song Fenglan thought she was confusing him with her mentor from her previous life. Her mentor in her previous life was a very serious researcher. He might say some things that were unpleasant to hear, but overall he was a very good person. When his students needed letters of introduction, he would provide them; when they had other problems, he would also help them.

Some people online often complain about their supervisors, saying they help senior students rush to publish papers. Song Fenglan didn't encounter this situation. Her supervisor's attitude was that if senior students couldn't write their papers, they should continue to graduate, instead of always trying to pressure junior students. If that's the case, pushing students down the academic hierarchy, do we have to wait for a genius to emerge so we don't have to keep pushing them?

Why not just let the less capable senior students extend their studies? That would save a lot of trouble.

As for whether the delayed graduation of senior students will affect their advisors, advisors don't concern themselves with such matters. It's not good to send out incompetent students who are harming their peers.

The mentor's ideas were simple and straightforward, and Song Fenglan found him to be a very interesting person.

“I also want to know what kind of person my uncle was,” Song Fenglan said. “If my uncle were still alive, that would be wonderful, and I could learn from him.”

"Let's eat." Professor Su felt a pang of sadness as he recalled the past.

When Song Fenglan got off work in the evening, she returned home to find Qin Zihang carrying a bouquet of vegetables. Qin Zihang had originally intended to pick a few chrysanthemums, but Madam Su stopped him, saying that chrysanthemums were not suitable for giving to living people.

So Mrs. Su made a bouquet of vegetables for Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang was very happy.

"Mom, flowers, vegetables." Qin Zihang presented Song Fenglan with a bouquet of vegetables.

But something about those words sounded a bit odd, like they were implying she was bad at cooking? Song Fenglan looked at the smile on her son's face. What could her son have done wrong? He didn't understand these things. Even other adults wouldn't necessarily expect Qin Zihang to say such a thing.

"Hangbao wanted to give you flowers. He took a liking to the chrysanthemums by the roadside, but I said no, so I made him a bouquet of vegetables instead," Madam Su said with a smile.

“Yes, it looks great. Thank you, Auntie,” Song Fenglan said.

"Me? Me?" Qin Zihang said.

"Thank you, our Hangbao." Song Fenglan lowered her head and kissed Qin Zihang's cheek.

Qin Zihang smiled happily, "Mom, are you going to college?"

"Waiting for the admission notice, waiting for the New Year, waiting for the start of school," Song Fenglan said.

"Wow," Qin Zihang said, "My mom and I both have to go to school, but my dad doesn't."

Qin Zihang felt that he and his mother were the closest. Look, both he and his mother had to go to school, but his father didn't. His father was different from them. His mother was the best.

That evening, Mrs. Su stayed for dinner. Professor Su was working overtime, and since Mrs. Su was alone, it would have been better for her to eat at Song Fenglan's place. Professor Su felt that he was getting old and wanted to do as much as he could; he still had some students to teach to help them fill in their gaps in knowledge.

Seeing Professor Su's demeanor, Song Fenglan thought that the country could develop better because of people like Professor Su.

After dinner, Madam Su sat there for a while longer before going back. She didn't ask many questions about Song Fenglan's schooling; she just wanted to look after Qin Zihang.

After Madam Su left, Qin Yizhou stared at Song Fenglan for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Song Fenglan asked.

"It's nothing," Qin Yizhou said. "I went to university on the recommendation of the military. You, on the other hand, got in through the actual exams, and with such high scores, you're much better than me."

“Everyone has their own expertise,” Song Fenglan said. “We’re not on the same path, but we’ve reached the same goal through different means.”

They all want to protect the country and contribute to it, so they are essentially the same.

Song Fenglan was fairly satisfied with her college entrance examination results this time; it was impossible for her to get an even higher score.

Zhang Xiaohu from next door was clamoring for boiled eggs and asking his mother to boil two more.

“Mom, Auntie didn’t get a zero on her test, so she can eat eggs,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Cook two more, and I’ll go find Zihang and eat with him.”

If it were someone else, they would definitely say to Zhang Xiaohu, "Eggs are precious, how can you give them to others like that?"

The plump woman didn't say anything; she went to get three eggs and boiled them. Song Fenglan and her husband had given Zhang Xiaohu plenty of food, so how could they possibly begrudge an egg? The plump woman thought Song Fenglan was truly remarkable; the score was too high.

Many people are no match for Song Fenglan. Before, some people even said they would pass the exam to surpass Song Fenglan, but what happened?

Tsk tsk tsk, those people are all talk and no action. They don't have that much ability at all. They are not as good as Song Fenglan.

"It's cooking, it'll be ready soon," said the plump woman.

"Mom, eat more eggs from now on," Zhang Xiaohu said. "You need to eat more eggs to nourish yourself. Aunt and little brother Zihang eat a lot of eggs."

"I'll boil you some eggs," said the plump woman. "Don't say you won't get any eggs. We have plenty, we have plenty."

“I mean in the future, we’ll need it in the future too,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"We'll have more from now on. We've caught a few more chicks at home." Seeing that Grandma Fang had no problem raising so many chickens, Fatty Sister-in-law decided to raise a few more for herself as well.

Anyway, the policies are gradually being relaxed, and no one is coming to interfere, so there's no problem. Just be careful and don't let more people know. Most people are raising chickens quietly and not gossiping. As long as you don't talk about it, those who know will pretend they don't. Don't go around telling everyone and try to get others to raise chickens too; that's just asking for trouble.

"Wow!" Zhang Xiaohu looked at his mother. "I want to eat eggs, and I want to eat chicken too."

"Yes, we have them all," said the plump woman. "But you can't tell everyone. If you do, you won't get any food."

"I won't say, I won't say," Zhang Xiaohu quickly covered his mouth.

After the eggs were cooked, Fatty asked Zhang Xiaohu to take two eggs, one of which was for Qin Zihang. Fatty also gave Zhang Wen an egg; she hadn't forgotten her eldest son.

Zhang Xiaohu happily handed the eggs to Qin Zihang, almost losing his balance and falling, but thankfully he didn't. Zhang Xiaohu had fallen quite a few times before, and when he did, he would just get up immediately without crying much.

"Little brother Zihang, here's an egg for you," Zhang Xiaohu said. "Auntie didn't get a zero on her test, so Mom said she'll give me more eggs from now on."

Zhang Xiaohu thought that his mother said he couldn't talk about it everywhere or tell others, but Qin Zihang wasn't an outsider, so he could talk to Qin Zihang more.

Qin Zihang took the eggs, and the two children started tapping them.

Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou, who went to peel the apple and sliced ​​it, enough for the two children to eat. After the eggs, they could drink milk, which Qin Yizhou had heated up.

"Come on, let's toast," Qin Zihang said. He had seen the adults toasting before, and now he held up his glass of milk and toasted Zhang Xiaohu as well.

"Cheers," Zhang Xiaohu said.

“It’s done, all done,” Qin Zihang said.

"Let's do it," Zhang Xiaohu said.

The two of them were drinking milk in big gulps, seemingly competing to see who could drink it faster.

"Slow down, don't choke." Song Fenglan was afraid that the child would choke, but fortunately the child did not.

"Mom, I'm done drinking." Qin Zihang showed the cup to his mother.

“I’ve finished my drink too.” Zhang Xiaohu handed his cup to Song Fenglan.

“Okay, that’s good. You can sit down. There are apples to eat.” Song Fenglan said.

"His belly is so big," Qin Zihang said. "He could even play the drums."

"Me too, me too." Zhang Xiaohu patted his stomach. "I'm so full."

“Then sit down and watch TV,” Song Fenglan said.

Song Fenglan wasn't particularly fond of these TV dramas, perhaps because she had watched far too many different kinds of dramas in her previous life, so watching them now didn't feel particularly novel to her. However, having no other form of entertainment, sitting here and watching TV was quite nice.

I'm always reading and thinking about work, which makes me easily irritable.

Song Fenglan ate a slice of apple. The apple was a bit sour, but she saw that Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu were eating it happily. Children prefer sweet and sour fruits, and they thought it tasted delicious; none of them thought it was bad.

Around 8 or 9 o'clock, Fatty Sister came to pick up Zhang Xiaohu. Sometimes Zhang Xiaohu would go by himself, but most of the time, Fatty Sister would come to pick him up.

When children play together, they don't have a sense of time; they all want to play a little longer.

Fatty thought it was better that Zhang Xiaohu lived next door. He was always causing trouble at home, but he became very well-behaved at Song Fenglan's house. Sometimes Fatty even wondered if the Zhang Xiaohu at Song Fenglan's house was still the same Zhang Xiaohu. How could he be so different?

"Xiao Hu, it's time to go back." Fat Sister said to Zhang Xiao Hu. Then, Fat Sister looked at Song Fenglan and said with a smile, "Fenglan, I haven't congratulated you yet on getting such a good score."

"It's alright," Song Fenglan said. "I can get into the school I want."

"That's good," said the plump woman, as she took Zhang Xiaohu back.

Song Fenglan's situation is relatively good. For university entrance exams, some majors require political vetting, which is quite strict. Given Song Fenglan's abilities, no one can prevent her from getting in. However, other families who have just been exonerated have been affected in their university applications, with some even being denied admission.

Even if the scores aren't low, if two people in a family apply to university, only one might get in, while the other doesn't. When the family goes to the relevant departments, they either pass the buck or say the process is complicated and that only one of the siblings can get in. In the end, it's almost always the male in the family who gets in, and the female doesn't. There are other similar situations, all sorts of things.

This is the first college entrance examination since its resumption, and many policies and regulations are still imperfect. Many people are unwilling to bear the consequences and are worried about being implicated. As a result, some people are blocked in one place or another.

Qin Erjie wasn't blocked. She came from the capital, and her father was a veteran, so there were no issues with her political background check. Qin Erjie was admitted to a junior college in the capital. She knew her grades weren't that good, and she didn't dare dream of attending a top-tier school; a junior college specializing in teachers' education would be quite good.

Just then, the university acceptance letter arrived before the Lunar New Year, so Sister Qin Er took her husband and children to the Qin family home in the capital. Sister Qin Er had three children: two daughters and a son. Her eldest daughter was eight years old, her second daughter was six, and her youngest son was three. Sister Qin Er took her husband and the others back to the city. She didn't have a key, so she rang the doorbell.

At the time, You Yun was at home, cleaning and doing housework. You Yun was pregnant, and her belly was already showing. You Yun didn't intend to act like a tyrant at home; she needed to behave herself properly, lest she forget her place after getting pregnant.

“You are…” You Yun did not recognize Qin Erjie.

"You must be my eldest brother's second wife, and I am his second sister," said Qin Erjie.

You Yun looked at Qin Erjie, who did indeed resemble the Qin family members somewhat. You Yun quickly ushered Qin Erjie and the others inside, saying, "It's cold outside, come inside quickly, come inside quickly."

Since marrying into the family, You Yun hadn't heard the Qin family mention Qin Erjie (Second Sister Qin), but that didn't mean she didn't exist. When You Yun married into the family, she knew that Qin's parents favored Qin's eldest brother's branch of the family, and even their youngest son didn't receive much attention. Qin's parents were very traditional, even somewhat feudal.

I got into university

"We're going to study at a university in the capital, so we won't be going back." Qin Erjie asked immediately upon entering the living room, "Is my room still available?"

When Qin's mother saw her second daughter, she was stunned for a moment. She hadn't seen this daughter for many years. Her daughter hadn't contacted them, and they hadn't contacted their daughter either. The two sides had fallen out, and Qin's mother had thought she would never see her daughter again in this lifetime.

The room… Qin’s mother looked at You Yun, wondering what to say.

"There are still empty rooms in the house, let my second sister and her family stay here first," You Yun said. Why was her mother-in-law looking at her? Her mother-in-law's own daughter had brought her family back, and it was almost New Year's; they couldn't just kick them out. There were plenty of empty rooms in the house.

You Yun is not like Tian Keshu; she doesn't despise people like Qin Erjie as much.

Although the family property has been divided, in a truly egalitarian sense, Qin Erjie should also have received something. As far as You Yun knows, Qin Erjie didn't receive anything, while the eldest son's family received more; they even have a house outside. That house has long been rented out, and You Yun couldn't possibly suggest that Qin Erjie move into it.

You Yun had considered what would happen if Qin Erjie's family moved in and didn't move out later. You Yun thought that these people had families to support, and they would need to eat and drink, and she would probably have to solve the problem of Qin Erjie's husband finding a job.

"Eldest sister-in-law is right," said Second Sister Qin. "If we don't stay here, we have nowhere else to go."

Seeing Qin Erjie's state, Qin's mother was not pleased.

"It's a good thing that my second sister is coming to study in the capital." You Yun thought that the fact that her second sister Qin was able to get into a junior college showed that she had some ability. Later on, the government would also assign her a job, so her future wouldn't be too bad.

You Yun could tell that Qin's second brother-in-law was rather reserved; he was a typical country farmer. He had considered not coming with them, but if he didn't, would he let his wife run off with someone else? Qin's second sister had stated clearly in the countryside that she was going to bring them back with her; if they didn't, she would divorce them and marry someone else.

The Qin family's house is large, and there are other empty rooms. If other families didn't have empty rooms, there would be a lot of trouble.

"I was expecting guests to come, so the rooms were all tidied up," You Yun said with a smile. "Second sister, let me take you to your rooms first. You can put your things down and we'll be eating in a little while."

Second Sister Qin glanced at You Yun again, thinking that You Yun was being sensible. If You Yun hadn't let her stay, Second Sister Qin wouldn't have refused; she would have made a scene.

“I’ll take them there,” Qin’s mother said. “Go and take a look in the kitchen.”

Although You Yun was easier to talk to than Tian Keshu, Qin's mother was still worried that You Yun would be unhappy.

After arriving at their room upstairs, Qin's mother pulled Qin's second sister aside and asked, "Why are you back at this hour?"

"Of course I had to come back now to get my acceptance letter," the second older sister said. "Luckily, the letter arrived before the Lunar New Year. If it had been any later, I would have had to wait until after the New Year to come see you. Mom, what's wrong? Don't you want your daughter to spend the New Year with you?"

"No, it's..."

"Are you afraid I'll affect my elder brother and sister-in-law?" Second Sister Qin sneered. "You underestimate me, your daughter. You didn't give me a share of the family property, so I can't come back and stay for a while? By the way, you'd better find my husband a job, temporary or permanent. If he doesn't have a job, we'll just have to rely on our parents and wait for food in this house."

"Jobs aren't that easy to find," Qin's mother said.

"Why is it hard to find a job?" Sister Qin said. "There's always a way. I don't necessarily need you to find him a formal job. Of course, as I said, it's fine if you don't help him find one. We can just live here and eat here. Mom, you can't let us starve to death."

"What a tragedy," Qin's mother couldn't help but think to herself, "How could I have such a daughter?"

"Mom, are you planning to resolve these matters with Dad, or should I go to my eldest brother?" Qin Erjie asked. "Is my eldest brother in charge now?"

"No need to look for your older brother." Qin's mother frowned. "I'll go ask him for you."

Qin's mother dared not let her daughter visit her eldest son, fearing it would upset him. She knew her eldest son had already faced immense hardship; because of Tian Keshu's affair, his future was ruined, and it would be difficult for him to get promoted again. All she could do was try to ease his worries. She had originally planned for him to remarry, as You Yun seemed like a suitable match, but then her second daughter returned.

“That’s right,” said Sister Qin. “We are all family.”

"You all rest first, then come down for dinner." Qin's mother took a deep breath; she didn't want to stay there any longer.

Seeing this, Qin's second sister's husband felt a little embarrassed. He looked at Qin's second sister and asked, "Is this a good thing for us?"

“Good, very good!” said Sister Qin. “If I don’t say this, they will drag their feet, refuse to help us, and even try to drive us away. We need to make our stance clear to them as soon as possible.”

"Are you really going to stay here?" Qin's second brother-in-law asked.

“We don’t have a house. Are we going to sleep on the street instead of staying here?” Sister Qin said. “Even we adults can’t stand this freezing weather, let alone the children. If it’s really unbearable to stay here, we can move out when I get a proper job and can get a room.”

As for renting a house, Qin Erjie hadn't considered that renting a house would cost money. Living in her parents' house didn't require any money.

In the past, Qin Erjie had fallen out with these people and become very stubborn. But now, having been admitted to a university in the capital, her heart has changed somewhat. Qin Erjie may not consider herself, but she cannot ignore her children; she still has to find a way to ensure their family's well-being.

Qin Erjie didn't bring up Qin Yizhou's matter for the time being. Qin Yizhou didn't owe her anything, and she didn't need to involve Qin Yizhou and his family of three in her affairs.

When Qin's mother arrived in the living room, she felt distressed, wondering who to talk to about what had happened. But who could she talk to? Should she tell Qin Yizhou? Their relationship had long since faded. Should she tell her eldest aunt? Her second sister didn't live with her eldest aunt; her eldest aunt would probably just speak well of her.

After all, Qin Erjie got into a school in the capital, which meant she had a relatively secure future. Given Qin Da Gu's personality, she would naturally want Qin's parents to treat Qin Erjie better.

A woman in the countryside is nothing to worry about; but a woman attending a college in the capital is someone to be cared about. Especially in this era, college graduates are a rare breed, so how could Aunt Qin possibly speak ill of Second Sister Qin?

Aunt Qin would only say that Second Sister Qin was only temporarily in trouble, and that once this period passed, Second Sister Qin wouldn't be in such a difficult situation anymore, and everything would be alright.

In Nancheng, Qin Yizhou and his wife were unaware that their second sister, Qin Erjie, had returned to the capital. They had called her earlier and learned that she had passed the exam, but that was about it. As for other matters, Qin Yizhou and his wife didn't need to worry about them too much; they simply focused on living their own lives.

Song Fenglan has already received her admission letter from Nancheng University. Since it's so close, in the same city, the time it takes to receive the admission letter is naturally faster.

Song Fenglan showed Qin Zihang the admission notice briefly, then carefully put it away. This was an admission notice, not something else; Qin Zihang couldn't be allowed to take it around and show it to others.

Although Song Fenglan's status is what it is, even if her admission notice is torn up, she can still find a way to go to university, but it's always good to be a little more careful.

"My mom got accepted, she received her acceptance letter."

"Has your mother received her college acceptance letter?"

"My mom is going to school. Is your mom going to school?"

"Mothers also need to go to school so they can be better mothers."

...

Song Fenglan was hesitant to let her son go out, fearing he might get beaten up by other mothers. Not all mothers can go to university, and this would put immense pressure on the other mothers. Oh well, at least she wouldn't be going out with her son.

If anyone is going to lose face, it's not just himself, but also Qin Yizhou's.

Children are so innocent; they are pure. They don't want to show off or embarrass others. They simply feel it's a very happy thing and want everyone to share in the joy.

Zhang Xiaohu was also very happy, just like his own mother was going to college.

A child said to Zhang Xiaohu, "Your mother isn't going to college."

“Zihang’s mother is going to college,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’m so happy that my aunt is going to college.”

Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu are really not afraid of getting beaten up at all.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, many people will return to their hometowns, but most will stay here. Soldiers, especially during the holiday, have many things to be mindful of, and most don't get time off.

Since Fang Xudong started working at the police station, he often has to deal with some trivial matters. Sometimes, after handing over his shift, he still has to go to the police station.

Grandma Fang noticed that Fang Xudong had been working overtime a lot lately, and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you get off work?"

"The New Year is approaching, and there's a lot to do," Fang Xudong said. "I'll just take a walk around the area."

"Aren't there people patrolling?" Grandma Fang said, "Those soldiers..."

“They are them, and we are us,” Fang Xudong said. “I work at the police station now, and I’m responsible for this area. There are a lot of people setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival, and some people get injured by accident, with one even having a hole blown in their clothes. I walk around more, take a closer look, and resolve any problems on the spot.”

“This is not as good as you were before,” Grandma Fang said.

"Different positions have different responsibilities." Fang Xudong doesn't think his current life is bad; he thinks it's alright.

Early in the morning, Fatty took the soaked soybeans to grind. Besides making tofu, she also needed to make fried dough sticks and other fried foods. Fatty had already prepared the red bean paste early on, and Zhang Xiaohu secretly ate several pieces. Fatty slapped Zhang Xiaohu's little hands several times.

"You've been sneaking food again," said the plump woman. "If you've eaten it all, what are we going to use for the filling later?"

Fatty Sister-in-law had seen Zhang Xiaohu's actions earlier, but she still let him eat. Zhang Xiaohu ate one after another, making Fatty Sister-in-law unable to stop him. Fatty Sister-in-law had originally made extra red bean paste, but she underestimated Zhang Xiaohu's appetite. Zhang Xiaohu could eat too much, one red bean paste after another. Fatty Sister-in-law suspected that there was not enough red bean paste for Zhang Xiaohu.

“Use air, we’ll use the Emperor’s New Clothes as a new filling for buns.” Zhang Xiaohu looked at the red bean paste dumplings in the basin, then at his own hands. How many could he hold in his hands? How many could he put in his mouth at once? “There’s so much red bean paste, I’ll just eat one or two… I don’t eat much. I don’t even have one in my left hand and one in my right.”