The first to arrive was Aunt Wang, clutching freshly picked tender cucumbers still glistening with morning dew: "Aunt Lin! Third Brother! This is a joyous occasion for our village!"

Before he finished speaking, the courtyard gate was already crowded with people, and the handles of hoes and carrying poles thumped against the door frame.

Lin Li stood at the entrance of the courtyard, pushed back by the enthusiastic villagers.

Grandpa Li tremblingly handed over two jin of his homemade rice wine, his cloudy eyes gleaming: "Third son has been promising since he was a child. I knew this day would come when he was reading by moonlight in the threshing ground!"

Holding her newborn baby, Sister Chen insisted on shoving a handful of roasted peanuts into Lin Li's hand: "Give this college student some brain-boosting nutrition!"

Surrounded by people, Lin Li blushed and thanked them repeatedly.

"Don't leave today, everyone! I'm bringing out all the best cured meat I've been saving, let's have a good time!"

"Great! Today is a wonderful day, we'll definitely come!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers all loudly agreed!

Lin Li asked the villagers to pass on a message to Lin Laosan, telling him to go home as soon as he got off work.

Before the villagers had even run a few steps, they saw Lin Laosan riding his bicycle almost to their doorstep.

"Mom, I heard the acceptance letter will arrive today! Did you receive it?"

Lin Laosan looked at Lin Li with sweat dripping down his face and his eyes full of anticipation!

"Lin Laosan, you've been admitted to Tsinghua University!" The villagers shouted excitedly at him.

"Really?" Lin Laosan leaned his bicycle against the wall, walked quickly to Lin Li's side, and smiled broadly when he saw the light blue admission notice in her hand.

"It's really Tsinghua University's acceptance letter! I got in! I really got in!"

Lin Laosan picked up Lin Li and spun her around in circles, excitedly shouting, "Mom, I got into Tsinghua University!"

...

The entire area in front of the Lin family's house was filled with joy, and the able-bodied men in the village spontaneously got busy.

Zhang's eldest brother brought over an eight-immortal table, Li's wife brought over some pickled cabbage from her own home, and even Uncle Zhao, who is usually the stingiest, slaughtered an old hen.

The children chased each other around the yard, sneaking handfuls of sunflower seeds into their pockets.

Lin Li directed several women to knead the dough, the dough slapping against the board with a loud rhythm. "If only the third son's father were still here..." someone whispered, which brought tears to the eyes of several women.

As the sun began to set, five tables were set up for a continuous feast in the courtyard.

Standing on a high place, Lin Laosan picked up a rough porcelain bowl and said, "Uncles and aunts, I am so grateful for your help over the years. I, Lin Laosan, am able to get into Tsinghua University today thanks to the kindness of the villagers!" After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the rice wine in the bowl in one gulp.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, laughter, and children's cries mingled together, startling the sparrows in the treetops.

Lin Li moved among the guests, placing food in everyone's bowls. She especially gave the largest piece of braised pork to Grandma Liu, who was on welfare, saying, "Grandma Liu, try this meat, it's easy to chew!"

Grandma Liu held the bowl, tears falling into the oil. "Good child, when you become successful in the future, don't forget our poor mountain village!"

As night deepened, the moonlight climbed onto the haystacks in the threshing ground.

The drunken old man Li started singing a Bangzi opera at the top of his lungs, and a few young people joined in the commotion.

Lin Laosan sat on the threshold, looking at the lively scene in the courtyard, and suddenly his eyes reddened. He was really happy today!

The Lin family mansion, which lives in the same village, is now so deserted that it seems as if no one lives there.

Suddenly, a series of crackling sounds came from inside the house, accompanied by incessant cursing.

A villager who was passing by his house heard the noise inside and couldn't help but spit at his door, saying, "You beast, you deserve it!"

Then he quickly left his doorstep, as if staying there any longer would bring bad luck.

Whether it was the bustling Lin family home or the quiet Lin Lao Da family home, they all slowly disappeared into the night!

Early the next morning, Lin Li got up with Lin Laosan, straightened his clothes, patted him on the shoulder and said, "When you go to work today, be sure to thank your colleagues, your boss and your mentor, okay?"

"Mom, I know!"

Seeing Lin Laosan's increasingly composed demeanor, Lin Li smiled with satisfaction, "Go!"

"Okay!" After saying that, he finished his milk, got on his bicycle, and headed towards his workplace.

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Lin Laosan stood outside the iron gate of the power company.

The dark blue work clothes still had traces of machine oil left from yesterday's wiring repairs on the shoulders, and the admission notice in his hand was worn rough from being repeatedly rubbed.

He looked up at the slogan on the wall that read "Safe power supply, serving every household," took a deep breath, and stepped through the heavy iron door.

"Third brother! Why are you here so early today?" Old Sun, who was on duty in the office, was pouring strong tea into his thermos when he noticed the envelope in his third brother's arms. He immediately shouted, "Come and see! It's true that the third brother got into Tsinghua University!"

The noisy shift change room fell silent instantly as several colleagues who had just finished their night shift gathered around, their safety helmets still damp with dew.

"It really is an admission letter from Tsinghua University! Third brother, you're amazing!"

"I heard you studied automation? Our substation's equipment upgrades will depend on you in the future!"

"Show me what Tsinghua University's admission letter looks like, so I can brag about it when I get home!"

"I want to see it too!"

...

Hearing the happy congratulations and discussions from his comrades, Lin Laosan's uneasy heart gradually calmed down.

"Third brother, are you going to see the leader?"

Lin Laosan nodded.

"Then go quickly, we won't bother you any longer!"

Lin Laosan's mentor stopped talking loudly. His colleagues handed him the notices they were holding, their faces beaming with smiles that left only wrinkles on their faces. "Well done, you've made your mentor proud!"

Lin Laosan took the notice, his face flushed, nodded to his master, and said in a choked voice, "Thank you, Master!"

"Go quickly!" The master's eyes also began to redden, and he patted his shoulder.

Lin Laosan left the duty room, walked through the corridor with the circuit map hanging on it, and the old-fashioned fluorescent lights crackled overhead.

Lin Laosan gently knocked on the door of the stationmaster's office. Stationmaster Wang was studying the load curve in front of the dispatch screen. Hearing the sound, he turned around and drew long marks on the drawing with his red and blue pencils.

"Third brother..." The stationmaster took the notice, and when his eyes swept over the words "Tsinghua University", even the roar of the transformer outside the window seemed to weaken a bit. "With you gone, the maintenance team will lose a capable member."

Before the words were finished, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Old Li from the line crew rushed in, carrying his work boots, his work pants still stained with mud: "Station Chief! Lao San is the first Tsinghua University graduate in our bureau!"