It's past midnight!

For the first exam in class, the teacher brought in a huge stack of test papers, all covered in ink, so sticky you could get them all over your hands. I used to have those kinds of papers when I was in elementary school. Back then, my mom even made me a pair of arm sleeves, otherwise we couldn't keep up with all the washing.

The first test was on arithmetic, which was slightly more difficult than the last test, but there were no questions beyond the syllabus. It took about half an hour to finish. There was no such thing as handing in the paper early now, so Zhang Hongmei sat obediently in her seat with her eyes fixed on the paper, but she was secretly planning to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy all kinds of candy before going back in the afternoon, so that they wouldn't sell us any candy.

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. The last student in each row collected the papers from back to front and placed them on the teacher's desk.

The break between classes is ten minutes. The second period is a Chinese exam, which is much more difficult than arithmetic, but Zhang Hongmei feels confident that she will have no problem with it.

The third period test was on history, and the fourth period test was on geography.

She finished all four exams in the morning, and as soon as get out of class ended, she stopped the teacher, "Teacher Li, I want to go home first this afternoon, otherwise there won't be any buses left."

"Okay, you can go now. Remember to come back for the exam on the last day of every month."

"Okay, thank you, teacher. I'll tell my friends in the village and then I'll leave."

"Go ahead, be careful."

Zhang Hongmei found Er Ya and said, "Er Ya, I'm going home first. I'll leave you some food coupons and money. Don't be stingy with them, you can't go hungry."

"You can go now, but I don't want the money or food coupons. I have them in my hand. Be careful on the road. We'll go back together after the exams at the end of the month."

"Okay, I'll head back then." Zhang Hongmei walked out of the school and headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Comrade, I want to buy brown sugar. Do you have rock sugar or white sugar?"

"We only have brown sugar. How much do you want?"

How far are we going?

"We can't sell you all of them, no matter how many there are, otherwise others won't be able to buy them."

How much can you sell it to me for?

"At most three jin."

Zhang Hongmei pursed her lips and said, "Three catties it is." She took out sugar coupons and money and handed them over.

After buying the goods, I went to the bus stop to wait for the bus. I still had to walk back from the village, and it would be completely dark by the time I got back.

Finally, they arrived home. Li Cuihua had helped feed the chickens. They were too tired to light a fire, but as soon as they entered the house, they could feel the warmth; Li Cuihua must have also helped heat the kang (a heated brick bed).

My heart felt as warm as the room. Once inside, I quickly prepared something delicious for myself: rice, steamed fish, and a dish of boiled sliced ​​pork.

I finally got to eat the meal I wanted, and I felt extremely satisfied.

The next day, she went to work, and spent the rest of her time teaching her children. She lived a pretty carefree life.

It's already past the first month of the lunar calendar, but it's still the off-season for farming, so everyone is just doing odd jobs.

Looking at the dried-up river, everyone's face was full of worry; this year was even more difficult than last year.

But life had to go on. They tidied up and repaired the farm tools, gathered the weeds and leftover straw in the fields together, and set them on fire.

Er Lengzi's conscription notice finally arrived. The old lady and Liu Maocai didn't want him to join the army, but he was determined to go.

The crowd couldn't persuade him otherwise; they cursed and even hit him. So they just let him be.

Three days later, they were to meet in the county. Zhang Hongmei felt she should prepare some food for him to take with him, so he could at least eat on the way.

I've saved up thirty eggs, and I'll make them all into tea eggs. The weather's cold now, so they won't spoil.

If you can't keep eating pancakes out of the air, then make pancakes.

The next day, they told Er Lengzi that they would stew meat for him for lunch the following day.

Er Lengzi was indeed thinking of having Zhang Hongmei stew meat for him before he left, but before he could even speak, the girl came over to ask him. She was really sensible.

I steamed two large bowls of sliced ​​meat. I also stewed quite a lot of ribs; these are for him to take on the road.

There was plenty of rice. They also stir-fried some cabbage with vinegar to cut through the richness.

Er Lengzi finally got to eat the stewed meat he had been craving before leaving. Zhang Hongmei had also prepared something delicious for him, and he was very grateful to her.

I haven't taken good care of this girl; she's always the one helping me. I feel embarrassed when I think about it.

I will never forget Zhang Hongmei's kindness, and I will repay her in the future.

The clothes, shoes, and socks were all issued by the army, but Li Cuihua still prepared two sets of underwear for him, as well as a pair of shoes with multi-layered soles.

Those in the village who were close to Er Lengzi, as well as his peers, all envied him for being able to join the army. Soldiers are highly respected these days, so everyone wanted to join, but not everyone can.

Zhang Hongmei took him to the county on her bicycle, which was much faster than using an oxcart. She also brought Er Ya and Zhu Zi a meal; even though it was just cornbread, Zhu Zi was incredibly touched. He'd been eating porridge every day and his mouth was already tasteless.

After Er Lengzi left, life didn't change much. The only change was that the food they gave us became less and less, and the porridge became thinner and thinner.

Now that it's the off-season for farming, it's okay to eat less, and no one complains. Life goes on like a flowing river. The old folks say that you won't get poor from eating or dressing, but from not being careful with your money.

Zhang Hongmei could eat extra food herself, and she even secretly gave food to Shi Tou and San Ya, so the only people in the village who weren't thin were the three children and the old lady.

At the end of the month, Zhang Hongmei rode her bicycle to school at five o'clock. She arrived at seven o'clock and gave Er Ya and Zhu Zi the vegetable pancakes with dried radish shreds that she had brought from home, so she didn't have to go to the cafeteria for porridge for breakfast.

The first period was the exam at 7:20, and it was over in the morning. Now, the young people in the class truly admire Zhang Hongmei. She only lost two points in Chinese; all the others were perfect scores.

Everyone was paying attention to her during the exam, and seeing her finish so early put even more pressure on her. Is this some kind of life-or-death situation?

The teacher noticed their behavior but didn't stop them. She wanted to put pressure on the boys. They felt ashamed that they were inferior to a girl four or five years younger than them.

After finishing the exam, I said goodbye to the teacher and went to find Er Ya. "Er Ya, I won't wait for you anymore. I have something to do, but I'll wait for you two in the village."

"Go if you need to, we can walk back."

"I'll wait for you guys. Next time, the three of us can walk home from school together."

Zhang Hongmei wanted to visit the old principal and bring him some food.

When she arrived at the school, the gatekeeper cheerfully opened the door for her. "Hongmei's here. The principal is in his office. Go ahead."

"Okay, sir, I'm off."

Zhang Hongmei carried the half-sack of dried pumpkin from the car into the office.

"That's all we have now, plus three jin of brown sugar, which I bought in the county."

"I don't need the brown sugar, but the dried pumpkin is a lifesaver."

"Go back and make some water for your aunt to drink; it's nutritious."

"You should replenish your own nutrition! We're content as long as we have something to eat."

"Hehe, someone like me doesn't need to supplement my nutrition, otherwise I'll become fat. How ugly!"