Chapter 153 Pressure
The lead type beneath her fingertips seemed to carry warmth, soothing Gu Qiuyue's throbbing heart. Her name was clear and eye-catching on the journal, like a small medal, testament to countless late nights of toiling at her desk.
She raised her head and met her husband's gentle yet firm gaze. The moonlight outside the window blended with the warm light in the room. The support and unspoken meaning in his words intertwined in her heart into an unprecedented courage.
"Shi Yu," she said softly, her voice still trembling with excitement, "I...I want to try."
The smile in Xie Shiyu's eyes deepened. He took the journal from her hand and carefully put it back on the table, as if it was a fragile treasure. "Okay." He only answered with one word, but it weighed a thousand pounds.
He picked up the chopsticks again and put the poached egg in her bowl into hers. "Eat first. Only when you're full will you have the energy to fight this tough battle."
The heat from the noodles began to rise again, and the warm food dispelled the chill of the night and the last trace of hesitation in her heart. Gu Qiuyue felt much more at ease as she ate the egg her husband had brought her.
"But, Huahua and Shuangshuang..." After all, she was still worried about the two children.
"Didn't Mom say she can come over?" Xie Shiyu said calmly, having clearly thought it through. "Or, you can take them back to Beijing to prepare for the exam. Mom and Dad are both there, so they can take care of them. And as far as I know, the army now has policies supporting family members' further education. You can apply for a subsidy. It's not much, but it will definitely help."
Don't worry about being apart. I'll visit you whenever I have a vacation. Transportation is much more convenient now than it was a few years ago. He paused, lowering his voice. "And, like I said, it's always a good idea to learn more. For yourself and for the future of our children."
He mentioned the "situation" and "future" again. Gu Qiuyue understood what he meant and did not ask any further questions. She just kept this deep concern and precautions in mind.
"Yes!" Gu Qiuyue nodded heavily, her eyes gleaming with longing and determination. "Then I'll call Mom back tomorrow and ask Professor Zhu in detail about the specific admissions requirements and review materials."
"That's right." Xie Shiyu smiled with relief.
Late at night, the two of them simply washed and lay side by side in bed. Xie Shiyu naturally extended his arm for her to rest her head on, whispering, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what the outcome, you are the wife and mother that my child and I are most proud of." Gu Qiuyue leaned into his arms, her nose lingering with a reassuring scent. At this moment, she felt that she could do anything.
In the next few days, Gu Qiuyue's life seemed to be wound up. She taught at the town middle school during the day and was still conscientious in her duties, but she made full use of the breaks between classes and lunch breaks.
She had specially prepared a small notebook, densely packed with English vocabulary and literary theory points, reciting them whenever she had the chance. Seeing her hard work, her colleagues joked that it felt like she was back in the days of the college entrance examination.
She smiled but didn't respond. She spread out the letter paper and wrote to her mother and Professor Zhu in Beijing, asking in detail about the application details and making a long list of books, asking them to help find and buy them - in this era, postgraduate entrance examination materials are scarce and often require a lot of effort to collect.
After work that day, she went to the only Xinhua Bookstore in the county. She searched among the narrow bookshelves and finally found only two theoretical books that were slightly related. She bought them without hesitation. When she walked out of the bookstore with the books, the setting sun cast a layer of warm gold on her body, and her steps were firm and eager.
However, practical challenges also emerge.
A few days later, in the evening, Gu Qiuyue was in the kitchen, cooking and memorizing some theoretical terms. Her daughters hugged her legs and said coquettishly, "Mom, it's been a long time since you played hide-and-seek with us."
Although her son Huahua didn't say anything, he leaned against the door and looked at her eagerly.
Gu Qiuyue's heart suddenly softened, and she felt guilty. She squatted down and hugged the two children: "My dear, mom is a little busy recently. When mom is done with this, I will spend more time with you, okay?" She patiently explained that mom had to study and take exams, just like they would go to school in the future.
"Does Mommy have to do homework too?" Shuangshuang asked, tilting her head. Gu Qiuyue couldn't help but laugh at her childish words. "Yes, Mommy has to do a lot of homework too." She kissed her daughter's soft cheek. "Once Mommy has learned well, she can teach Huahua and Shuangshuang more interesting knowledge."
The children nodded as if they understood, but the ignored disappointment on their little faces still pricked Gu Qiuyue's heart like a needle. She realized that the pursuit of her dreams would inevitably be accompanied by a sense of indebtedness to her family, and how to strike a balance would be a problem she had to face.
At school, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Sister Wang, with whom she had a good relationship, noticed that she had been in a hurry recently. She kindly asked about it. Gu Qiuyue did not hide it and told her about her plan to take the postgraduate entrance examination. Sister Wang was surprised at first, then said tactfully, "Qiuyue, I'm not saying anything bad about you. You have a stable job, a happy family, and your lover is so successful. Why would you go through that hardship again? In the end, women should always put their families first."
Although these words were not malicious, they represented the general view of some people. Gu Qiuyue just smiled and did not argue much, but she felt even more motivated in her heart to achieve results.
Xie Shiyu noticed her busyness and occasional fatigue, and without saying much, he expressed his support with actions.
He came home earlier than usual that night. As soon as he entered the door, he tied an apron and went into the kitchen to take over the dinner preparation: "You go read a book, I'll do this." After dinner, he took the initiative to take over the task of bathing the two children and telling them bedtime stories.
The living room fell silent, with only the sounds of washing dishes coming from the kitchen and the low and gentle voice of her husband telling stories in the bedroom. Gu Qiuyue sat at the desk, flipping through the review materials that had just been sent from the capital, still smelling of ink, her heart filled with emotion.
His support is never just empty words.
She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, opened her notebook, and immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge. The halo of the desk lamp enveloped her, and her profile was calm and focused.
Suddenly, she noticed a small note stuck in the review materials. It was Professor Zhu's handwriting: "Qiuyue, I am very relieved to know that you are determined to prepare for the exam. This is an analysis of the test question trends in recent years. I have specially compiled it and hope it will be helpful to you. In addition, I recently learned an important news about the enrollment quota. Please call me back as soon as possible." The last line of the note made her heart skip a beat.
At this moment, the phone in the living room suddenly rang, breaking the tranquility of the night.
Gu Qiuyue was startled and subconsciously glanced at the wall clock. It was almost nine o'clock. Who would be here at this time?
She stood up and walked towards the living room. Just then, Xie Shiyu also walked out of the children's bedroom. The two looked at each other with the same confusion in their eyes.
Xie Shiyu nodded at her and motioned her to answer it.
Gu Qiuyue picked up the receiver: "Hello, how are you?"
A slightly anxious yet familiar voice came from the other end of the phone...
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