October arrived quickly.
The whole country was in an uproar because of one piece of news.
On October 21, 1977, the autumn sun shone brightly.
Bai Yajing sat at her desk, holding a book with curled edges, reading lazily in the afternoon sunlight.
"Ya Jing! Ya Jing! Come here quickly!"
Old Master Bai suddenly rushed out of his study, his face filled with excitement. "The radio! Listen to the radio!"
Bai Yajing closed the book suspiciously: "What's wrong? What kind of supreme directive is it now?"
"No! It's...it's the college entrance exam!" Old Master Bai was so excited he was incoherent. He grabbed Bai Yajing and dragged her into the house. "It's going to be reinstated! The college entrance exam is really going to be reinstated!"
Your dad received the right message!
At first, he believed Bai Yajing when she said that the college entrance examination would be reinstated soon, but as the news was delayed, he couldn't rest easy until the news was confirmed.
Bai Yajing's heart skipped a beat, and the book in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.
She didn't bother picking them up and rushed into the study in two strides.
The two of them held their breath and focused intently on the radio.
On the radio, the announcer's strong and clear voice pierced through the noisy airwaves:
"...According to the central government's decision, the national college entrance examination system will be reinstated starting this year. All workers, farmers, educated youth who went to the countryside or returned to their hometowns, demobilized soldiers, cadres, and graduating high school students who meet the admission requirements may voluntarily apply..."
The room was eerily quiet; Bai Yajing could hear her own heart pounding in her chest.
The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is finally here!
"Grandpa, time is running out, I need to hurry up and review!"
"Okay, go quickly!"
Grandpa Bai urged her to hurry up and review, afraid that it would delay her studies.
The situation in Xinghua Village is similar at this moment.
"Oh my god..." Kang Juan was the first to burst into tears. She covered her mouth, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "We...we have the chance to go to university..."
"Ya Jing didn't lie to us! Waaaaaah..."
Like a spark falling into dry tinder, the whole village instantly erupted in excitement.
Some people jumped up and bumped into the low roof beams without even realizing it; some hugged each other, crying and laughing; Qiao Yu punched the earthen wall, choking and unable to speak.
Ma Pingchuan stood there, feeling a surge of emotion welling up from the bottom of his heart to his eyes. The grievances, resentment, and hope of the past years surged up together, blurring his vision.
"Folks! Quiet down!" the village chief raised his voice. "We haven't finished listening yet!"
The radio broadcast continued: "...This year's college entrance examination will be held simultaneously across the country in a month. The subjects are politics, Chinese, mathematics, and physics and chemistry...Students can choose to take either arts or sciences based on their strengths..."
"One month? There's only one month left to prepare?" Zhao Liang muttered to himself, feeling a surge of panic.
There are quite a few people who share his panic.
Ten years have passed. I haven't touched a high school textbook in ten whole years. How much of that knowledge is left? Mathematical formulas, chemical reaction equations, classical Chinese texts... they've all become distant memories.
Even though Bai Yajing informed the village in advance and brought back textbooks, they really couldn't pick it up again so quickly in just four or five months!
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