Chapter 96
Seeing the commotion outside through the window and Pei Xingzhi's worried look, Meng Wanqiu curled her lips.
This little girl has a good physique. After her bones have healed in two years, she plans to teach her martial arts. Day by day, she's as energetic as a bull. Her personality is also getting more and more naughty. If you're not paying attention, she'll jump up a tree.
Meng Wanqiu was not too worried, but in Pei Xingzhi's heart, his daughter was a delicate and soft little baby, and he was afraid that she would accidentally fall.
Seeing Pei Xingzhi still trying to coax her in a gentle manner, she lost her patience. She packed up her books and walked outside. "Pei Jingxi, get down here right away. If these pants get worn out again, you'll have to wear your old, torn pants from now on."
The little girl was even more naughty than when she was little, a ripped-up version of her and Meng Mingxia. Summer was here, and her pants were thin, so they kept getting torn. And the problem was, she was so picky, she refused to wear her worn-out pants a second time.
Hearing her mother's words, Pei Jingxi pouted and said in a baby voice, "I don't want to wear torn pants."
"Good boy Xixi, we won't wear it. Come down, please. Daddy will catch you." The little legs were shaking, and Pei Xingzhi's heart was tense.
Meng Wanqiu glanced at him, then glared at Pei Jingxi, "If you don't behave, there will be no fried tofu balls tonight."
After saying that, he didn't even look at the father and daughter and went back to his room to read.
This girl has been spoiled by her family since she was born. She is very brave and is not afraid of anyone except Meng Wanqiu. Fortunately, she is just a little naughty and is sensible and polite otherwise. This is one of the reasons why Meng Wanqiu tolerates her.
Apart from being afraid of her mother, the only way to control this girl is to eat, and tofu balls are her favorite dish recently.
These tofu balls are not just simple tofu. They are made by grinding up white tofu, then mixing it with minced meat, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, eggs, and starch. They are then formed into two-finger-sized balls, deep-fried until golden brown and crispy, and sprinkled with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. They are absolutely delicious.
Hearing her mother threatening her with delicious meatballs, Xixi pouted and looked at her father aggrievedly.
Pei Xingzhi said in a gentle voice, "Dear Xixi, come down quickly. After you come down, Daddy will make you something delicious tonight."
"I want more." Xixi asked in a baby voice.
"It's a lot. I guarantee it'll be enough to fill you up." Pei Xingzhi promised.
"But mom doesn't allow me to eat too much." Xixi glanced at the room and said in a low voice.
Who told you to have a bloated stomach every time you eat?
The little girl was still young and didn't know how to control her eating. She had a big appetite and couldn't control her mouth when she saw something delicious. The first few times they didn't pay attention, she ate too much and was too uncomfortable to sleep in the middle of the night.
Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and knocked on their door crying. The couple thought something was wrong, but when they asked, they found out that she had eaten too much and her stomach was bloated and uncomfortable. They were at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Then I gave the little girl some medicine and rubbed her stomach for half an hour before I finally coaxed her to sleep.
After that, Meng Wanqiu started to take care of Xixi's meals.
The more she was forbidden to eat, the more anxious she became, and she ate even faster, which made Meng Wanqiu unable to help but punish her.
After much persuasion, he finally coaxed the little girl down. Holding his daughter in his arms, Pei Xingzhi looked at her pants.
Sure enough, the bottom of the pants was worn out.
Pei Xingzhi didn't dare tell Meng Wanqiu, otherwise the girl would be scolded again. He thought about taking his pants to a tailor shop outside to get them mended.
It is now 1977.
Last October, the once-powerful "Siren Gang" officially collapsed, and the movement that had plagued the country for ten years was finally crushed.
The shadow that weighed on the people finally dissipated. That day, the entire July 15th was filled with laughter and joy, and the sound of gongs and drums shook the sky.
At the beginning of this year, Pei Zhongyuan's farm management became increasingly relaxed. In May, Pei Zhongyuan was brought back to the capital under the pretext of recuperation, and his movements were relatively free.
Before leaving, Pei Zhongyuan called directly and told the couple not to worry, and at the same time implicitly told them to read more books.
After hearing this, Pei Xingzhi was already 100% sure.
When they sent letters home again, they sent Meng Fengdong several sets of self-study books on mathematics, physics and chemistry, and asked him to distribute them to Pi Jingxuan and his wife. They didn't say it explicitly, but with Meng Fengdong's intelligence, it was not difficult for him to guess the information.
Sure enough, the dates in the yard turned red and started to fall. Xixi and her little friend Xiaohui were picking dates under the tree with their little butts sticking out.
A voice came from the radio in the study: "... the college entrance examination has been resumed... the enrollment targets are workers and farmers, educated youth who went to the countryside and returned home, demobilized soldiers, cadres, and recent graduates. The meeting also decided that when enrolling students, Jiang would give priority to key universities, medical schools, normal universities, and agricultural schools. After graduation, students will be assigned by the state."①
At the same time, Meng Wanqiu and Pei Xingzhi were both working at the July 15th office when a voice came from the radio.
The entire July 15th was silent, whether in the office, workshop or staff dormitory, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen carefully to what was just broadcast.
After the broadcast ended, the sound of red songs rang out again.
But no one listened. Everyone was excited. Some were crying, some were laughing.
The older people in the office were also laughing. They were no longer young, but they were still happy for the young people of this generation who had been delayed.
Zhang Yue, the cashier of the accounting department, held Meng Wanqiu's hand and kept saying, "I've finally waited for it."
She is also a high school student who was delayed by this movement, and this time she will be able to take the college entrance examination.
Meng Wanqiu smiled. Although she already knew it in advance, she was still very happy at this moment.
After she regained consciousness, Grandma Meng often talked to her about the college entrance examination. Although the college entrance examination has not been held for nearly ten years, Meng Wanqiu is still full of longing for it.
In her previous life, the only such exam should be the imperial examination, but only men could take the imperial examination. The college entrance examination is different. Here, both men and women, young and old, can take it.
They came to the window and saw men and women in the dormitory rushing out and coming to the square to hug each other, telling each other their feelings and shedding tears of excitement.
Meanwhile, the bookstore is even more lively.
The Xinhua Bookstore was packed with people. After get off work, Meng Wanqiu wanted to come and buy a few more books, but was discouraged by the situation.
Parents and children crowded in, preparing to send money to their children at home or in the countryside.
The college entrance examination is on December 10th, and today is October 21st, less than two months away. It is a test where thousands of troops have to cross a single-plank bridge.
Even Meng Wanqiu didn't have enough confidence to pass the exam, so during this period of time, Meng Wanqiu used the same desperate spirit as in her previous life, working during the day and staying up late to study at night.
As if sensing the tense atmosphere at home, Xixi became quiet and no longer as noisy as before.
Grandpa Feng and Grandma Feng next door would also tell her not to disturb her parents and to play over there if she wanted to.
Xixi didn't want to leave her parents, so she became more and more well-behaved.
Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu often studied in the study. Xixi would always hold Xiaohui's dog head and look into the room, watching her parents lowering their heads and writing something with pens in their hands.
Children over three years old have already learned to imitate, so Xixi also took out paper and pen from the study, squatted at the door, lowered her head and wrote and drew.
By the time the couple realized it, Xixi had been doing this for more than a week.
Suddenly, the couple realized they had neglected their responsibilities, neglecting their child for the Gaokao. Seeing Xixi becoming increasingly quiet, carefully controlling her voice when playing with Xiaohui, and looking cautiously at them if she got even slightly louder, Meng Wanqiu couldn't help but tear her eyes apart.
Pei Xingzhi also felt very guilty.
That night, the couple talked all night and decided that no matter how busy they were, they would make time to spend with their child, and nothing was more important than her.
At first, Xixi thought her parents were weird, and they told them like little adults not to play around and to study hard.
Pei Xingzhi was so soft-hearted that he discussed with Meng Wanqiu and decided to take the children out for a picnic.
After going out for a while and talking to the child, Xixi returned to her former self.
In the college entrance examination, one has to choose between liberal arts and science. The subjects for liberal arts and science are different. Meng Wanqiu didn't know much about this, so she went to ask Bai Fengyao for advice. After he helped her analyze the differences between the two, she still chose science.
At the same time, Pei Xingzhi also chose science.
The first college entrance exam after the Cultural Revolution was still heavily political. Having experienced the events of her past life, Meng Wanqiu's thinking was different from that of people in this era and this movement.
Therefore, for fear of causing other impacts, Meng Wanqiu did not dare to choose liberal arts.
At the same time, this exam did not require foreign languages, which made Meng Wanqiu very happy.
The subjects of the liberal arts examination are: politics, Chinese, mathematics, history and geography. The subjects of the science examination are: politics, Chinese, mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Foreign language is a subject that candidates who choose foreign language majors need to take an additional test. Meng Wanqiu did not choose foreign language major, so she did not need to take the foreign language test.
Seeing Meng Wanqiu's saved expression, Pei Xingzhi laughed at her and cruelly told her that even if she went to college, she still had to learn foreign languages. If she failed the exam, she would fail the course, and failing the course meant she could not graduate.
Meng Wanqiu: ...
Finally, she frowned and punched Pei Xingzhi.
In addition to other subjects, Pei Xingzhi was most worried about Meng Wanqiu's Chinese and politics. He got the People's newspaper of that year from Bai Fengyao and asked her to read it every day.
"Read this carefully. Remember the current affairs and political issues on the test. Don't be too radical. Got it?"
Meng Wanqiu nodded. Bai Fengyao told her that the teachers who were marking the papers had not completely changed their mindsets, so they had to be more cautious.
The weather turned cold and the first snow fell.
Pei Xingzhi no longer forced Meng Wanqiu to study. He took her to the factory's musical instrument room, where there was a piano, and began to teach Meng Wanqiu how to play the piano.
"Don't be nervous about the exam. It doesn't matter if you don't pass. We can just take it again next year." Pei Xingzhi said this with such earnestness that Meng Wanqiu felt like he was her father.
Meng Wanqiu snorted. This guy really looked down on her. She had seen all sorts of thrilling and exciting things in her past life. Although she took this exam seriously, she wouldn't let it get her so nervous that she lost her composure.
"You're really worrying about nothing. Why are you still learning a musical instrument at this time? I might as well go back and read a few more articles."
After giving him a look, Meng Wanqiu calmly stood up and sorted out her clothes slowly and methodically.
"I'm going back to the office first. After get off work, I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative with Sister Gao and the others. You can go home by yourself."
What do you mean she is nervous? Meng Wanqiu thinks he is the one who is nervous!
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