091 Passed the exam (by catching bugs)
Just as I finished moving the desks and chairs in the classroom, the candidates who had been notified to come for the re-examination began to arrive one after another.
Just as Guan Yuehe rolled up her sleeves, a student came up to her and asked, "Hello teacher, is the re-examination for the Spanish Department being held in this classroom?"
Forced to become Teacher Guan, Guan Yuehe nodded, "That's right. A teacher will come over later to draw lots to arrange you. Go sit in the classroom in front and wait. A teacher will remind you to come for the retest according to your number. I am not a teacher."
They weren't teachers; they must be students at the school who were called in by the teacher to help.
"Oh, okay." The candidate breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Guan Yuehe was easy to talk to, he continued, "Excuse me, are there many people applying for graduate programs in Spanish?"
They knew when they registered that the entire department would only admit thirty students, and that the number would be even smaller if they were assigned to different majors.
Guan Yuehe said helplessly, "I'm also here for the retest, so I don't know either."
The candidate exclaimed in surprise, not expecting to be a competitor. However, many of them had been working for at least several years, and based on the principle that even if they didn't pass the exam, they should still make some friends to help them understand the admissions situation in the future, they soon started chatting in the next classroom.
“I heard that not all graduate students in the Spanish Department study languages; some also study foreign literature.”
"Oh? I'm aiming to become a translator. Which specialization should I choose?"
Regardless of the direction, you must pass the retest first.
When the time was announced, the classroom was already full, and some people didn't even have a seat.
Guan Yuehe glanced around and saw that there were about fifty people who had made it to the second round of the exam.
Guan Yuehe drew a lot, and when she looked at the number, it was neither before nor after, but in the middle.
Those who went to the retest cannot return to this classroom, and the remaining people have no way of knowing what the retest assesses.
It only took Guan Yuehe a few minutes from entering the classroom for the re-examination to leaving.
She thought smugly that it must have been her fluent and smooth self-introduction at the beginning that caught the teachers' attention!
Of the eight teachers inside, only two had taught her. These two teachers didn't say a word to her from beginning to end. This should be considered as avoiding suspicion.
But she felt she had just performed very well.
She has excellent language skills and can hold her own in conversations with both teachers. Over the past six months, she has read many foreign language books recommended by her teachers and can offer some insights. She also has experience as a translator at the Canton Fair twice and even managed to speak a few words of German...
Guan Yuehe became increasingly convinced that she would definitely be one of the thirty spots!
"Guan Yuehe, what are you grinning about?" Guan Yuehua knew that she had come to take the re-examination today. She passed by after class and took a look. Unexpectedly, she saw Guan Yuehe standing in front of the teaching building with her hands on her hips, laughing to herself.
Such a grown man, yet so unreliable in public!
Guan Yuehua clicked her tongue in disdain. Seeing that someone else was coming out from behind, she glanced at her watch and said, "Come on, I'll treat you to a meal at the cafeteria."
Guan Yuehe had just happily agreed when, after her sister got on the back of her bicycle, she put her feet on the ground and asked suspiciously, "You just think it's too far to walk to the cafeteria, so you asked me to give you a ride, right?"
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. I have classes this afternoon, I'm busy."
Guan Yuehe snorted, but still started pedaling and headed towards the cafeteria.
"The food in the cafeteria is so much better now." It's definitely much better than when she was studying here.
Guan Yuehua: "You could afford a television seven years ago?"
Oh, that's true. Over the past few years, her life has improved significantly.
When will the results be available?
"In June, the school will send the admission notice to your home or workplace."
Guan Yuehe suddenly remembered something else and reminded her, "Go home and visit your family if you have time on Sunday."
"Is something wrong at home?" Guan Yuehua put down her chopsticks. Gu Mannian would bring Gu Yu to the school to see her almost every Sunday. They would either stroll around the school or take Gu Yu to the park. She had never heard Gu Mannian say that something had happened at home.
"Not really." Guan Yuehe sorted out the information she knew and concluded, "Since you're in school and don't live at home anymore, your brother-in-law takes care of the child by himself at night. Someone is thinking of finding a stepmother for Guyu."
He laughed and said, "My brother-in-law was so scared that he packed his bags and came to stay at our house overnight. The next day, Mom took all the old men and women in our alley to the family compound to catch him. Your mom's mouth isn't as sharp as yours, so you have to go back every now and then to quell any bad ideas that come up."
Guan Yuehua was so angry that she wanted to go back immediately and teach the person a lesson. She ate as if she were eating an enemy. "Wait, I'm going back this Sunday. I'll see who's blind enough to find a stepmother for my daughter!"
"Make sure you have time next Sunday and come to my house!" Guan Yuehua gave her a direct order.
“…I’m a cadre in the factory, I can’t openly fight with family members!” Guan Yuehe said seriously, but then she whispered to her sister, “I’m good at taking sides.”
Guan Yuehua restrained herself from laughing, "Eat breakfast and go back."
Guan Yuehe returned to the factory that afternoon to cancel her leave.
When Tao Cheng saw her, his eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, "Section Chief Guan, did you pass the exam?"
"You have to wait until next month. If you receive the notification letter, then you've passed the exam."
Tao Cheng broke out in a cold sweat. Why did he have to wait until next month? He had been talking about it every night before going to sleep, hoping that Section Chief Guan would pass the exam and leave as soon as possible.
Section Chief Long glanced at Tao Cheng and sighed silently.
He still preferred junior colleagues like Section Chief Guan, who were enthusiastic about everything they did and didn't sullenly say "I can't do it" when they didn't know how.
But both the factory director and the party secretary said: We must support talents to improve their abilities through universities and various training courses.
—
With the postgraduate entrance examination over, Guan Yuehe has completed another stage of her mission.
I feel more at ease watching TV at night.
The number of children coming to her house to watch TV has gradually decreased. Now, only Weiwei and Jingjing, the Wu brothers, Jinhua and her brother, the Baoan and Baoning twins, and Song Xinan come to her house rain or shine.
But before watching TV tonight, Wu Jiawang proudly announced, "My dad is going to buy a TV this Sunday, and we'll have a TV in our house!"
The other children looked on with envy, except for Song Xinan.
Both Song Gong'an and Cai Ying have jobs, and Song Xibei has even joined the army. Although they don't receive much in subsidies now, with both working and only supporting one child, they can live a very comfortable life.
They also bought a television, but Song Xinan preferred to go to Guan Yuehe's place because there were more children there and it was more lively.
After a while, Guan Yuehe remembered to ask him, "You're in high school now, right?"
Wu Jiawang, who had to repeat a year of junior high school because he couldn't get into a vocational school or even a high school: "...I'm almost finished with my first year of high school!"
Jin Hongchang and Wu Erni completely gave up on his dream of getting into university. They just wanted him to get his high school diploma. It would be best if they could find him a job. If not, they would have to let him take over the family business so he wouldn't have to go to the countryside.
Wu Jiawang waited anxiously for Aunt Yuehe to interrogate him about his studies, but after Aunt Yuehe finished asking, she didn't mention it again and focused on watching TV.
Wu Jiawang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After watching TV, Guan Yuehe was about to start her studies for the day when Zhang Desheng and his wife came over to ask her about the process of the re-examination.
Guan Yuehe explained the process of the re-examination for the Department of Western Languages at Peking University, and then said, "It may be different for each school and each major, so you should do more preparation."
Zhang Desheng applied to a history graduate program at a normal university, while Guan Yuehe applied to different schools and different majors, so there is no reference value between them.
He could only go home and continue preparing for his re-examination tomorrow.
Finally, only she and Lin Yiku were left at home.
Guan Yuehe then said, "Ding Xuewen said he wants to treat Xu Cheng and me to dinner, and we can bring our families. Are you free this Sunday?"
Before the start of the school year, Ding Xuewen and Chen Lizhong earned more than 700 yuan in less than a month by tutoring the children of Chen's relatives and friends!
This sum of money was considerable, and Ding Xuewen was much more financially comfortable. Before Lin Sitian even finished her studies and returned, upon learning that she would be finishing her postgraduate entrance exam at the end of the month, he said he would treat her and Xu Chengcai to dinner.
"I have a meeting in the morning, but I'm free in the afternoon." It's rare for Lin Yiku to have the same day off as her.
“Okay…” Guan Yuehe quickly made a decision: “Ding Xuewen said to have lunch, so I’ll have lunch with them and then go to the movie theater at the car factory to wait for you.”
They haven't been to the movies in a long time either.
"good."
After arranging things, Guan Yuehe told him to hurry up and wash up, and patted his desk, "You can't fall behind in your studies today!"
As Lin Yiku went to the wardrobe to find clothes, she laughed and said, "Okay! I'll follow Political Commissar Guan's instructions!"
The political commissar who partners with Lin Yiku often says "We can't fall behind in our studies," and Guan Yuehe, who cheers herself and him up every day, is quite similar to the political commissar. So Lin Yiku jokingly calls her "Political Commissar Guan."
Commissar Guan chuckled, "When I went to take the re-examination today, someone even mistook me for a teacher!"
"Teacher Guan, where did you put your clothes? I'll wash them too."
Guan Yuehe continued to laugh, "On the shelf in the bathroom."
—
The next day, as soon as she got off work, Jiang Guiying came over with Guyu in her arms. She learned that Guyu was still waiting for the results of her re-examination and also mentioned that Zhang Desheng had also taken the re-examination that day.
This news sparked considerable discussion in Ginkgo Hutong.
Most people were surprised that Zhang Desheng was able to get into the second round of testing! The neighbors were stunned.
Jiang Guiying relayed the words of an older woman: "Zhang Desheng is an interesting person. Knowing that he can't rely on his eldest son and his youngest son is still young, he simply decided to take a chance on his own."
After saying that, he sighed and said, "He used to try to curry favor with the factory leaders to become the school director, and everyone said he was wasting his time. But if he really gets into graduate school, he might even get a job at the Education Bureau."
Guan Yuehe had a so-so impression of Zhang Desheng, but she admired his drive to seize any opportunity.
Guan Yuehe said, "Anyway, it's better than some people who just daydream."
This is Ding Laowu. With his level of education, he hides at home every day to study by himself, and shamelessly says that he will definitely get into university this year. It's a miracle if he gets in.
Only someone as biased as Aunt Ding would believe his nonsense.
"Mmm!" Gu Yu said at this moment, as if agreeing with her aunt, and reached out to her for a hug.
"Little stick...baby, Auntie will take you out to play." Guan Yuehe picked up Gu Yu and walked out, asking Jiang Guiying to help close the door.
"We're almost ready to cook, where are you taking her?"
"Go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy matches."
Guan Yuehe took Gu Yu to the supply and marketing cooperative next to the clothing factory and bought a cream popsicle.
As the weather gets warmer, everyone has taken off their light jackets, and the supply and marketing cooperative is now selling popsicles.
She used to only buy regular popsicles, but now she buys cream popsicles every few days. After taking a bite, she thinks to herself, "I'm living a good life now."
But Gu Yu, who was being held by her, couldn't help but drool. The baby was not even a year old yet and couldn't speak. He would get greedy when he saw others eating and could only shout "ah ah" and "ooh".
"Oh! Isn't this Section Chief Gu's daughter? Who are you?" A kind-looking middle-aged woman looked at Guan Yuehe warily.
Needless to say, this woman must be a family member of a worker who has just moved to the garment factory's residential compound, so it's normal that she doesn't recognize Section Chief Guan.
Guan Yuehe thought the person was asking out of kindness because they were worried the child would be taken away by a stranger, so she explained, "I am her aunt."
Hey! As soon as she finished explaining, the middle-aged woman's previously friendly expression vanished instantly. She gave her a disdainful look, turned around, and called to the people next to her to leave.
"Something's wrong with you!"
Guan Yuehe now understands the frustration of Gu Mannian arguing with the workers' families. If she weren't a factory cadre or a party member, she would definitely have retaliated.
"Mmm!" Gu Yu, drooling, stared at the cream popsicle in her hand and nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"You little idiot, all you can do is grunt!"
Guan Yuehe quickly looked left and right, then swiftly took the popsicle and let Gu Yu lick it. Gu Yu grimaced from the cold but then smacked her lips in lingering pleasure.
"Is it tasty?"
In response, Gu Yu reached out her hand to grab the popsicle.
"Auntie!"
Guan Yuehe looked back and saw Weiwei and Jingjing getting off the factory's special worker bus, and a group of children running towards the supply and marketing cooperative.
These kids even know to get off near the garment factory so they can buy food at the local supply and marketing cooperative.
Jiang Guiying started scooping rice to cook. Just a second ago she was wondering why Guan Yuehe hadn't returned yet, and the next second, Weiwei and Jingjing rushed back, each holding an ice pop. "Auntie treated us."
Gu Mannian carried Gu Yu into the No. 3 courtyard. Gu Yu's lips were red and plump, clearly from being frozen, and she kept reaching out to Weiwei and Jingjing for popsicles.
Jiang Guiying was both amused and annoyed. She pinched Gu Yu's chubby hand and teased her, "What delicious food did you eat with your aunt again?"
Jingjing also liked to pinch Guyu's chubby hands and feet, saying, "My aunt took my little sister to eat roast duck legs last time."
Jiang Guiying laughed in exasperation. No wonder Gu Yu was so close to her aunt, rushing into her aunt's arms and insisting on going outside. It turned out they were used to eating well outside.
"Mom, what are you making tonight?"
Lin Yufeng came out of the kitchen and invited Gu Mannian to sit down first.
"Then I'll help too." Gu Mannian said, putting Gu Yu on the sofa and asking Weiwei and Jingjing to watch over her so she wouldn't fall.
—
Before going to bed that night, Guan Jianguo reminded her, "My brother-in-law said he wants to celebrate Guyu's first birthday. What do you think we should get as a gift?"
Lin Yufeng asked, "What will Yuehe give?"
Guan Jianguo was taken aback by the question, "How would I know what she wants to give? She can give whatever she wants, we'll just give our own."
After not hearing Lin Yufeng's response for a while, Guan Jianguo sat up and nudged her, "What's wrong?"
Lin Yufeng quickly sat up as well, and said in a low voice, "The two sisters have a good relationship. If their parents pass away, their relationship will fall apart sooner or later."
Thinking of some small things in daily life, Lin Yufeng couldn't help but pour it all out in one breath, "Yuehe and Gu Mannian are colleagues and friends. They share all the good things with each other, but they never thought of telling us. Not to mention anything else, Yuehe and Yuehua are close, and Yuehe treats Guyu differently from us Weiwei, Jingjing, and Yangyang."
"Let's not talk about Weiwei and Jingjing. Before, everyone's conditions weren't very good. And what about Yangyang later? Look at Yuehe, she loves to hug Guyu and buy her this and that to coax her."
Glancing at Yangyang, who was fast asleep beside her, Lin Yufeng lowered her voice again: "Yuehua is a college student now, and Yuehe is going to pursue a master's degree. After they graduate, the two sisters will be more and more successful than the other, and the gap between our families will only widen..."
They didn't realize there was much of a difference before, since they were both working in state-owned factories. Even though they were both deputy section chiefs, their income might not be as high as Guan Jianguo's, who was a transport driver.
But in the past year or two, national policies have undergone tremendous changes, and even if she is not knowledgeable, she knows that he will be much more than just a deputy section chief in a state-owned factory in the future.
Guan Jianguo knew this all too well.
Outsiders only praise his two younger sisters for being successful, and they only say a few good words when they want to ask him to bring things back from other places. Most of the good words they say are about how capable his daughters are.
But overthinking only creates more trouble for yourself.
"Forget it, everyone has their own destiny. I'm just not destined to become a successful official."
Guan Jianguo knew she was upset about the housing issue, so he patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, "Wait a little longer. The master talked to the leader of the housing management department. I've worked in the factory for more than ten years and I have three children. My parents were allocated three rooms, but I'm not their only son. It's about time I got my share of the housing."
Jingjing is ten years old this year, and it is no longer suitable for her to sleep in the same room with Weiwei in a bunk bed. So, Weiwei and Aiguo will sleep in the room with the bunk bed.
But Aiguo wasn't happy and asked them several times when they would be allocated housing.
The gossipy neighbors outside also spread rumors, saying that the older brother and sister-in-law were taking advantage of the situation and that Aiguo was being squeezed out of even having a room.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yufeng's anger subsided considerably.
"Let's break up. The sooner we get a place to live and move out, the better. Maybe our relationship will be better if we live far apart."
Yuzhen had repeatedly advised her to be more generous to Yuehua and Yuehe at home, saying that if they maintained a good relationship now, she might be able to benefit from it in the future.
But she was generous to others, and they immediately found excuses to repay the favor. Over the past six months, she had figured it out. There had been a rift between them years ago, and they still harbored resentment. It was better to stay out of sight of them and move out sooner rather than later, so she wouldn't be envious of others' good lives and feel helpless.
"That's fine then," Lin Yufeng sighed again.
Guan Jianguo changed the subject, saying, "Weiwei will be graduating from elementary school this year. My brother-in-law said he'll transfer him to the junior high school affiliated with the machinery factory, so they can arrange for him to attend the factory's technical school later. He won't have to worry about finding a job after graduating from technical school. We can work our way up, and things won't be bad."
Only after hearing this did Lin Yufeng's mood improve.
"Yuzhen reminded me to make sure Weiwei studies hard in junior high school and gets at least above average grades, otherwise it will be difficult to get along with my brother-in-law."
Speaking of grades, Guan Jianguo sighed. He wondered which way the Guan family's ancestral graves were emitting smoke, because the daughters' grades were always better, while the boys' grades were simply unbearable to look at.
—
On Sunday, Guan Yuehe was spared from burying herself in studying. In the morning, she saw Lin Yiku off at the hospital, saying, "Go straight to the car factory cinema after your meeting!"
After giving her instructions, she lay back down and took a nap.
It was almost nine o'clock when I got up, ate something quickly, and then went to the agreed intersection to wait for Xu Chengcai and Qin Zilan.
Where's Niu Niu?
"I sent it to my mom's." Qin Zilan laughed. "Yesterday, Niu Niu saw you carrying Gu Yu to the supply and marketing cooperative from afar, and she insisted on dragging her grandma to buy a cream popsicle before she would leave."
Guan Yuehe chuckled shyly.
The last time she went out to buy popsicles to quench her thirst at midday, she happened to see Qin Zilan's mother preparing to take Niu Niu home for lunch, so she casually gave Niu Niu one, but she didn't expect Niu Niu to have her eye on it.
Xu Chengcai mimicked Niu Niu's words, saying, "Aunt Yuehe's house has lots of delicious food, I want to stay at Aunt Yuehe's house."
"She probably wanted to watch TV, right?"
"You guessed it! She talks about buying a TV every day and goes to your sister's house every night."
Gu Mannian bought a television set for his family, and many children in the residential compound ran to his place.
Guan Yuehe thought to herself: No wonder someone has their eye on me.
"Nobody's trying to sweet-talk my brother-in-law anymore, right?"
"How could we dare! Aunt Jiang even came to our door, and the factory's women's federation director even came to give us some ideological education. The women's federation director said in the staff quarters that workers with corrupt ideas cannot be kept, and if anything like this happens again, we'll report it to the police and fire them!"
Xu Chengcai sighed, "I thought that people who live in apartment buildings would be more respectable and there would be fewer problems. Well, it turns out they're just as prone to fighting as people in our alleyways."
"Then you'll move back to Ginkgo Alley?"
“No way!” Xu Cheng immediately shook his head. If he switched back, the house would probably be coveted.
The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the state-run restaurant that Ding Xuewen had mentioned. Ding Xuewen and Chen Lizhong were already there.
Although the state-run restaurants next to the car factory have better food, it's easier to run into acquaintances there. Ding Xuewen should be in the Sidaogou Production Brigade in Northeast China right now.
"You guys keep an eye on things." Ding Xuewen was very generous now, telling them not to worry about saving him money.
Looking at the menu hanging up, Guan Yuehe joked, "You owe me three meals, this isn't the first one, is it? Sitian isn't back yet."
“No, that won’t do.” Ding Xuewen: “Once Sitian comes back, just send me a telegram whenever you want to have dinner.”
Seeing his current wealthy and powerful demeanor, Guan Yuehe exclaimed that she was envious.
Xu Cheng: "Come on, you and your husband's combined salaries are quite high. I'm the one who should be jealous."
After a few words of laughter and conversation, they quickly ordered their food.
Chen Lizhong is now used to the amount of food they eat.
The day they returned to Beijing from Northeast China, they went to a state-run restaurant for a meal. Guan Yuehe's appetite surprised him. So, after ordering, Chen Lizhong realized there wasn't enough staple food and asked Guan Yuehe if she wanted to order more.
"I'll add more if it's not enough." She was going to have a meal with Lin Yiku later.
After ordering the food, Chen Lizhong finally got down to business.
It's already June, and they're considering continuing the tutoring program during summer vacation, renting a small courtyard near a university of science and technology or a normal university.
Guan Yuehe reminded them, "You should reconsider whether this is appropriate."
Strictly speaking, these tutoring centers are essentially a business. These days, aside from state-run businesses, no one dares to operate a private business openly. If someone reports them, the trouble will be immense.
"So we're still considering it." These two didn't make a decision on a whim.
"Oh, right," Guan Yuehe reminded Ding Xuewen, "Zhang Desheng applied to your school's graduate program. If he gets accepted, you might run into him, and then..."
"He couldn't find the classroom when he went to take the re-examination that day, so I had to show him the way." Ding Xuewen said helplessly. Beijing is not a big city, but he didn't expect to run into his old neighbor from the alley while he was at school.
Chen Lizhong asked in confusion, "Who is it? A relative of yours?"
Xu Chengcai almost forgot to breathe: "How could I be so unlucky!"
"Huh?" Guan Yuehe was shocked, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "There's no gossip about you circulating in the alley."
“My neighbor in the courtyard, I took him to the classroom, and he told me to just pretend he didn’t see me and not to worry.”
Ding Xuewen sighed and said with a wry smile, "Our neighbors in the alley are quite nice."
His blood relatives didn't wish him well, but his neighbors, with whom he usually had little contact, offered to keep it a secret without him having to ask, so he could focus on his studies at university.
The group remained silent for a while, unsure how to comfort him.
Soon, Guan Yuehe picked up her bowl and said earnestly, "I wish Teacher Zhang success in his postgraduate entrance exam!"
The others laughed, clinked bowls with her, and sincerely wished Zhang Desheng success in his exam.
No one expected that this prediction would come true so quickly.
"Ah! Ahhh!" Zhang Quanbin helped the messenger push his bicycle into the alley. "Dad! Zhang Desheng! Your letter!"
"Hey, Zhang Quanbin, you really have no manners! What kind of kid calls his father by his full name?" The elderly folks sitting in the alleyway, enjoying the cool air, pointed and whispered at him with their palm-leaf fans.
Zhang Quanbin was so happy that he didn't take their words to heart at all. As he passed by the No. 2 courtyard, he casually called out, "Sister Yuehe, your letter!"
He continued pushing the messenger's bicycle forward, calling out, "Zhang Desheng! Your letter!"
Zhang Desheng ran out with a stern face, "I think you're asking for a beating!"
"Comrade, this is Zhang Desheng, my dad! Where's the letter? Hurry up and bring it out." If the messenger hadn't insisted that the letter had to be signed by the recipient, Zhang Quanbin would have brought it back himself long ago.
Zhang Quanbin is very happy now. Although he didn't get into university, he's about to have a father who's going to be a graduate student!
Zhang Desheng suddenly realized that the letter in the messenger's hand might be a notification letter, and his palms were sweating.
The mail carrier leisurely rummaged through the letters from Ginkgo Alley, reading out the names one by one:
"Guan Yuehe, which courtyard does Guan Yuehe belong to?"
"And Zhang Desheng and Xie Zhenhua, which department are they from?"
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