Chapter 31 Cancellation of the College Entrance Examination
Gu Yihan was unaware of what had happened in Gujia Village. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared.
She shuttles between the classroom, dormitory, and library every day, and mails out her submissions once a month.
Gu Yihan was sitting on the bed reading accounting-related books.
Su Nian, wearing a pink tutu and little leather shoes, walked up to Gu Yihan, took the book from her hand, flipped through it casually, and tossed it into her lap.
"Hey Gu Yihan, aren't you bored? You're reading in class, and you're still reading during breaks. What are you working so hard for?"
Su Nian ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Anyway, we'll all be assigned jobs after graduation."
Gu Yihan picked up the book again without looking up and said, "I want to stay and work in Jinyang City."
Su Nian scoffed, "Your ambition is quite considerable. Under normal circumstances, you would be assigned to a job near your registered residence."
"It's a pity you're too young. If you could marry a local, it would be easy for you to stay."
Gu Yihan pretended not to hear, but Zhou Tingmei in the upper bunk heard it all.
Soon it was early 1966.
This year, Gu Yihan didn't go back to her village for the Spring Festival. Instead, she rented a small single room in the city for 3 yuan, enough for her to live alone.
Then she would send Grandma Gu 5 yuan every month on time, and that was the most peaceful year she had ever had.
After the start of the semester, she dressed more and more modestly, patching up her clothes. When she opened the dormitory door, she saw everyone in the dormitory staring at her.
Su Nian looked at her in surprise and said, "Why are you dressed like this?"
An Ruo scoffed, "Su Nian, isn't what you're saying just ridiculous? She comes from a remote rural area; it's already a miracle she has clothes at all."
An Duo covered her mouth and laughed: "Gu Yihan, don't listen to An Ruo's nonsense. She's just straightforward and doesn't mean any harm."
Gu Yihan smiled at them but didn't say anything.
On July 24, 1966, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued a "Notice on Reforming the Enrollment Work of Institutions of Higher Learning," deciding to abolish the entrance examination for institutions of higher learning starting this year.
The news caused a huge uproar, and the entire school was abuzz with discussion and debate. Gu Yihan became even more transparent in her behavior.
She never makes any statements, nor does she form groups with anyone. She only checks in at the library, dormitory, and classroom. She doesn't even dare to write articles, for fear of saying something inappropriate and being caught red-handed.
Gu Yihan returned to her dormitory from the library. Su Nian, who loves to dress up, braided her curly hair.
She was dressed in ordinary black cloth clothes and sat absentmindedly on the bed.
An Duo and An Ruo weren't wearing floral dresses or dresses either. Their family circumstances were far worse than Su Nian's, but at this moment they were safer than Su Nian.
An Ruo covered her mouth and laughed. She glanced at An Duo and let out a faint smile with a soft hum: "Some people just don't know their own limitations. I have some good news to tell everyone."
"I'm engaged to Jinghe, who's majoring in mechanical and electrical engineering at our school. We'll get married after graduation, and everyone's coming to our wedding!" With that, she left.
An Duo's face was a little pale. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were clenched into fists. She found an opportunity to go out as well.
Only Gu Yihan and Su Nian remained in the room. Su Nian looked at her, and her eyes instantly reddened.
"Gu Yihan, I might not be able to go to school anymore. I'm getting married."
Gu Yihan's eyes widened in surprise: "Aren't you old enough?!"
Su Nian covered her face, tears streaming down her face: "I'll be 18 next month. Zhang Qiang from the municipal party committee said that if I don't marry her, my family will be labeled as capitalists."
"He's 40 years old, married twice, and has four children."
"He threatened my family. But all of my family's assets were donated at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, just because my family was rich?"
Gu Yihan looked at Su Nian, who was crying uncontrollably, and felt helpless.
Whether it's the Gu family or the Zhou family, they are both poor farmers, rural people, and they are not afraid of being investigated. This is why she still sends money to Grandma Gu every month to let her know she is safe, even if she doesn't go back.
Gu Yihan suddenly remembered An Jie from the TV series "Our Parents' Love".
She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak or not, worried that her good intentions might backfire. The main issue was that Su Nian wasn't a bad person, just a sharp-tongued one.
Seeing Gu Yihan's expression, Su Nian grabbed her hand: "You... do you have a way?"
Gu Yihan said with genuine difficulty, "I'm just a country girl with no connections, what can I do?"
Su Nian slowly loosened her grip on Gu Yihan's hand, unable to conceal the disappointment in her eyes.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Yihan asked, "Have you considered military officers?"
"officer?"
"Yes, the best officers who can accompany you are those who are capable, not afraid of Zhang Qiang, and can protect you."
This was a solution Gu Yihan came up with by thinking about the love story of her parents that she had witnessed in her previous life. Since she was going to get married sooner or later anyway, why not choose someone who could protect her?
"You can't get a marriage certificate right now, so use this time to delay and let your parents find someone suitable. Your parents' connections should be able to find someone suitable."
Su Nian suddenly realized and said, "That's right, how come I didn't think of that? Gu Yihan, thank you."
Gu Yihan smiled, and Su Nian didn't linger and went straight home.
She then took her notes to the professor who taught her major courses.
"Thump, thump, thump."
"Please come in."
Gu Yihan looked at Teacher Shen Zihan sitting at her desk; she was still as beautiful and gentle as ever.
"Teacher Shen, I don't quite understand this practical part."
Teacher Shen looked at Gu Yihan with a gentle smile and said, "If you haven't actually done accounting, you really won't understand. Our tutorials are all based on industrial enterprises, and it's very difficult to learn without a foundation."
"Teacher, are there any jobs that companies can't finish and that we students can do? I want to get some hands-on experience in this area beforehand," Gu Yihan said, looking troubled.
Teacher Shen covered her mouth and said with a smile, "You came at a good time. The school cafeteria's accounts were just handed over to me."
"There's no pay, but if you don't mind, you can use it for practice. I'll check it for you later."
Gu Yihan's eyes lit up: "Teacher Shen, thank you so much, I'll do it."
Gu Yihan happily walked out of the office, holding the cafeteria's account books in her hands.
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