086 Admission
Guan Yuehe's letter to her university classmates had just been delivered to the post office when Ding Xuewen, in the Sidaogou production team in Northeast China, also received a package.
Two portions, both from Beijing.
Clearly, these two people didn't communicate beforehand and sent the same message twice.
Ding Xuewen kept one set for himself and Chen Li, and placed the other set at the educated youth settlement for the other registered candidates to use.
"That's wonderful! This is a godsend!" one of the educated youth exclaimed excitedly. "Old Ding, if I have the chance, I must thank your childhood friends in person!"
Ding Xuewen's childhood friend first sent him high school textbooks, and now he's sent him review materials so they don't have to worry about reference books.
"Once you all pass the exam, we'll thank you in person," Ding Xuewen said, echoing his sentiment.
Whether or not he's grateful, it's hard to say in the future; he just hopes they can all pass the exam and get back.
"By the way, we need to submit our application materials tomorrow. Have you chosen your schools yet? Ding Xuewen, Chen Lizhong, are you going to apply to schools in Beijing?"
Ding Xuewen and Chen Lizhong exchanged a glance and nodded. "Yes, our family and friends are all in Beijing, and we still want to take the exam back there."
They grew up in Beijing, a city with people they didn't like and people who didn't like them, but also with people who hoped they would go back and reunite.
Ding Xuewen took a deep breath, cleared his mind of all other distractions, opened the brand-new book, and began to study at his desk again.
—
The ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley has lost all its leaves, but more and more students are gathering at the alley entrance in the evening to wait for Xie Zhenhua to start his class.
Finally, the neighborhood committee and the Zhuoyue Garment Factory agreed to borrow the factory's small auditorium for Xie Zhenhua's class in the evening, so that more students could attend and the auditorium would provide some shelter from the cold wind.
Guan Yuehe, who hadn't registered for the college entrance exam, had no interest in other people. The garment factory had been incredibly busy lately, and she had been helping out in the workshop quite often.
Before submitting her application form, she could hear people discussing which school so-and-so had applied to wherever she went.
Some kept it very secret, not letting out a single word. For example, her sister and He Shuangshuang, and Chang Zhengyi and Cao Lili from next door.
Although candidates from the same region take the same exam, the specific admission documents released by different provinces are somewhat different.
However, it is clear that key universities primarily admit recent graduates. The admission ratios for educated youth sent to the countryside, recent graduates, and graduates from the "Old Three Classes" of high school vary from province to province.
Therefore, when filling out college applications, especially older students, they are less willing to apply to top universities.
Guan Yuehua didn't say where she reported, but Jiang Guiying was so worried that she kept trying to get information out of Guan Yuehe.
Guan Yuehe sighed, "She doesn't even tell you, so why would she tell me?"
He then patted her back to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry about it. Bringing the stick is a big help. There's no point in you worrying about the exam."
"Tsk! I told you not to call me that! 'Club' is such an awful nickname!" Jiang Guiying covered Gu Yu's ears, who knew nothing about it, and coaxed, "We won't listen to your aunt."
Guan Yuehe didn't argue with her directly. When she went to do other things, she held Gu Yu and whispered, "Little stick, little stick..."
That day, Guan Yuehe happened to be leaving get off work with Bai Xianghong, and gave her a ride along the way.
The person in the back seat had just gotten in and was trying to doze off when they almost fell headfirst to the side. This startled Guan Yuehe.
Bai Xianghong's crazy dedication to working overtime surpasses even Xu Chengcai's back then.
But Xu Chengcai wanted to save more money so he could move out and live a simpler life, while Bai Xianghong wanted to keep herself busy so she wouldn't overthink things.
Before the college entrance exam results were released, Bai Xianghong started dating a man from the factory. They were both on the next housing allocation list, and if they got married, they could share a one-bedroom apartment. Aunt Bai was very happy with them being together.
Not long after they were satisfied and had agreed on a time for the two families to meet formally, news broke that the college entrance examination would be reinstated, and the man repeatedly postponed the meeting.
Aunt Bai felt something was wrong, so she asked her old friends to investigate. They discovered that the man was planning to register for this year's college entrance examination, which was why he didn't want to settle down about marriage so early.
Grandma Bai was so angry that she went to the gate of the garment factory to yell for several days, always choosing the time when the workers were going to and from work. She said that the man had a good plan: if he passed the exam, he could just go to school; if he failed, he could still get married and get a house.
After cursing at the factory gate, Aunt Bai even found a talisman seller and cursed the man every day at her doorstep, wishing him to score one point below the passing mark and die of anger.
Guan Yuehe noticed that Bai Xianghong was listless whenever she had free time.
"If you're still angry, wait until he finishes his exams and then find someone to put a sack over his head and beat him up to vent your anger."
Guan Yuehe made her move, then reminded him, "You can't go now. At this time, it's a small matter if he gets beaten up, but if it gets to you and you're accused of sabotaging the college entrance exam, you're finished."
Bai Xianghong couldn't help but burst out laughing when she said "putting a sack on top".
“I’m not working overtime entirely because of him. The pay for overtime is higher now, and I want to save more money so I can buy furniture when I get a new apartment.”
However, "Thank you, Sister Yuehe. After he finishes his exams, I'll find an opportunity to have my older brothers help him find someone."
“That’s right!” Guan Yuehe said cheerfully, “We shouldn’t be afraid to back down when we should, and we shouldn’t think about letting him off the hook when we can vent our anger.”
Upon entering courtyard number two, we saw that Aunt Bai had just finished burning talismans.
Well, with Aunt Bai's persistent curses, it should have some destructive effect.
Just as she was about to open the door, she discovered that Aunt Zhao's family had already prepared dinner.
Aunt Zhao's two children are now separated: one goes to the after-school program at the car factory with Uncle Chang, and the other goes to the scrap yard with Aunt Zhao. Chang Zhengyi and Cao Lili have become hands-off parents, spending their time either working or studying.
I come home early every day to cook so that the young couple can eat early and go to their review classes.
Aunt Zhao is exceptionally open-minded, fully supporting her son and daughter-in-law in taking the exam.
Unlike some families where the whole household tries to stop a daughter-in-law from registering for an exam, fearing she might look down on her husband's family if she gets into university.
For once, Song Gong's police officer got off work on time, a rare occurrence. Before he could even catch his breath, someone came to call him to leave again.
Song Xibei, that mischievous monkey, successfully joined the army, but Song Gong'an still had endless troubles to deal with every day.
With the resumption of the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) this year, universities across the country have basically resumed enrollment, including some military academies that had previously suspended enrollment.
When Song Xibei returned last time, Lin Yiku reminded him to seize the opportunity to participate in the military academy selection after joining the army, as the army now emphasizes that officers should be educated and have more advanced military management knowledge.
I wonder if that mischievous monkey listened to what I said.
"Yuehe, Yiku just called the neighborhood office and said she won't be coming home for the next couple of days," Aunt Erda said, bringing her grandson with her.
"Okay." Guan Yuehe looked at the ribs she was about to take to the front yard to process, too lazy to cook, and called out to the neighbor from the front door, "Aunt Fang, I'm coming over for dinner tonight."
"Yes!" Aunt Fang responded from the other side, then turned around and went back into the house to continue scooping rice.
Auntie Er clicked her tongue in admiration: "Look, it's so convenient and worry-free to live close to home. You can just go home to eat whenever you want."
Guan Yuehe thought to herself: Who could be more convenient and worry-free than Zhang Chaonan? He can bring his whole family to live at home, and she doesn't have to worry about anything.
Hao Daren's family used to come over from time to time, trying to persuade the young couple to move back home. But Hao Daren had his own plans. If they moved back home, there would be too many people and the house would be too small. They would argue over the smallest things. It would be better for them to live at his father-in-law's house. His mother-in-law would even help them take care of the children. He and Zhang Chaonan were living a very good life.
No wonder people can't help but say sourly when they talk about Jin Junwei: "It's so good to be a kept man."
Hao Daren now finds being a kept man quite appealing.
As soon as Guan Yuehe entered Courtyard No. 3 carrying the ribs, she felt that it was much more lively than Courtyard No. 2.
Aunt Ding and Aunt Xie were arguing by the tap, over who got there first.
Guan Yuehe suspected that they had other conflicts and were using this as an opportunity to cause trouble.
Yuanbao was helping Jin Junwei pick vegetables while rolling his eyes repeatedly.
"Zhou Xinxin, what are you doing?" Guan Yuehe found this chubby little girl particularly interesting. She was pretty but had a strong temper, completely inheriting the best traits from her parents. Guan Yuehe found her very endearing.
"I haven't watched TV for days!" Yuanbao rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Clearly, the target of this eye roll was Aunt Ding.
Even though Ding Laowu isn't home studying, Aunt Ding still won't let her family turn on the TV.
"My mom is away on a business trip and isn't coming back yet!" If her mom were home, she and her dad wouldn't put up with this humiliation.
Guan Yuehe invited her to her house to watch TV that evening, and only then did she stop rolling her eyes.
Just as the bowls and chopsticks were set out, Guan Yuehe and Aunt Fang were waiting for Grandpa Lin to return when Yuanbao brought over a bowl of fish and meat. "Dad said we should thank Auntie's TV."
The chubby little girl brought fish and took pork ribs with her. After taking a bite at home, she exclaimed, "Auntie's pork ribs smell so good!"
Guan Yuehe ate at the Lin family's house, helped clean up the dishes, and then sat at her parents' house for a while before heading home with her little tail.
Those who registered for the college entrance exam went out to tutoring classes that evening, so Guan Yuehe was at home watching TV without having to turn down the volume, which was quite pleasant for her.
It would be even better if Lin Yiku were at home.
Yuanbao was sitting at the other end of the sofa, watching TV for half an hour, when Guan Yuehe noticed that the chubby girl had moved up to sit next to her.
Seeing that she didn't move, Yuanbao's hand reached up and hugged her arm, his chubby body leaning closer...
"My aunt doesn't have any small pillows at home."
Okay, fine, he's using her as a pillow and hugging her.
That day set a precedent, and from then on, Yuanbao would come over to watch TV every day at the same time.
When Lin Yiku wasn't home, Guan Yuehe felt everything was fine. But when Lin Yiku was home, she felt like she was sandwiched between two large and small objects, like the filling in a cookie.
Fortunately, just as Lin Yiku began to protest, Zhou Hongqi finally returned from his business trip.
With Zhou Hongqi as his backer, Yuanbao started turning on the TV at set times every day.
Perhaps feeling that the child was hindering their continued relationship development, Lin Yiku silently approached other comrades and used their share of family planning supplies as well.
When Guan Yuehe first noticed that there were several more boxes of family planning supplies in the drawer of the cabinet next to the kang, her face instantly turned hot. She quickly pretended not to have seen anything and pushed the drawer back.
The storage room at home was piled with sauerkraut jars again. Taking advantage of her time off at home, Lin Yiku tidied up the storage room and borrowed a tricycle from the neighborhood committee to transport coal briquettes back.
One day, Guan Yuehe remembered that she needed to find a plank of wood in the storeroom. When she opened the door, she saw that coal briquettes were neatly piled up to form a small wall. A new shelf had also been built in the storeroom, and all the odds and ends were neatly arranged, making everything inside easy to see.
Guan Yuehe stood at the door with her hands on her hips, beaming with satisfaction.
I discovered that the rice container was full again, two extra bags of flour were in the cupboard, and the soy sauce bottle that had been empty yesterday was full again. Only the cash in the drawer was missing.
These days felt so peaceful and reassuring to her, and she could enjoy them for many days.
The college entrance examination date is fast approaching.
Zhuoyue Garment Factory has lost almost a third of its workers, and the canteen is much quieter at lunchtime.
Gu Mannian, who didn't take the exam, even asked for leave.
The exam location assigned to her sister was far from the clothing factory's residential compound. Gu Mannian booked a nearby guesthouse in advance, but it wasn't enough. Fearing other problems might arise, she took leave to accompany her sister to the exam for two days.
Some people in the factory took leave because their family members had to take exams, saying they needed to stabilize the rear area.
Thankfully, the factory leaders were understanding and the personnel department approved my leave. But a pay cut is definitely unavoidable.
Red banners were hung at the entrance of the Zhuoyue Garment Factory and in the staff quarters, wishing the test takers good results.
This serves as a reminder that the exam is just around the corner.
Guan Yuehua and Gu Mannian were busy with their exams, so Gu Yu was taken home by Jiang Guiying.
A six-month-old baby either drinks formula or rice water.
"Guiying, the daughter your Yuehua gave birth to looks quite quiet, unlike Yuehua's temperament."
Jiang Guiying glanced at the person in front of her and remembered that this person had previously tried to match Guan Yuehua with her son. No wonder he spoke so strangely.
“Gu Yu and Yue He had similar tempers when they were little, and they were also very strong. Look at those little fists, they're quite powerful.” Jiang Guiying said, “Unlike Yue Hua, who was better. It saved us the trouble of talking, we just hit her and that was it.”
"......" That's really choking me.
"Your Yuehe and Yiku aren't planning to have children yet? They're both cadres, so they can only have two. It would be better if they had one sooner."
Jiang Guiying was really annoyed by these people. Why did they keep staring at what was going on in other people's homes?
"Your third son can't have children? I think you've got the problem in the wrong place. You should have your third son see a doctor and take medicine. It has little to do with your daughter-in-law."
"Your family is fighting again over the room? You two are something else. The old couple takes up the biggest room, how can the young couple sleep in the living room? Do you two want to cause trouble and have another son?"
"And your house..."
Jiang Guiying talked on and on, driving everyone away, and finally she got some peace and quiet.
But once she had some peace and quiet, she started thinking: How did the exam go?
After two and a half days of exams, the college entrance examination in Beijing finally came to an end.
As soon as Guan Yuehe got off work, she saw a group of young people gathered at the entrance of the alley, comparing answers to each other.
For every question answered correctly, someone would wail and beat their chest in frustration. Before they'd even finished half, someone would crouch down, burying their face in their hands, and sob uncontrollably: "I'm doomed! I'm failing the exam!"
If it were any other time, and someone were shouting loudly, people would have come to yell at them long ago, and Guan Yuehe would probably be clenching her fists, wanting to punch them.
But now, everyone is very tolerant of these test takers, and it's rare that they don't reopen old wounds when people are already sad.
In the evening, the neighbors from Courtyard No. 2 gathered at Aunt Zhao's house, all wanting to hear Chang Zhengyi and Cao Lili talk about their college entrance exam experiences.
Zhang Desheng, from Courtyard No. 3, was holding his youngest son in one arm and pulling Zhang Quanbin along with the other, as he also listened to the "experiences" of the regular test takers.
Ding Laowu, who lives next door, is an abnormal test taker. What normal person would run back and say they're not taking the test after just one day?
Zhang Desheng, an outsider, was angrier than Aunt Ding and wanted to go over and give Ding Laowu a beating.
“In our exam room, someone was late and they wouldn’t let him in. He was making a huge fuss outside, and it was so noisy. Luckily, the police were there and dragged him away.”
"After the first exam, some people gave up. By the time the last exam came, a quarter of the people had dropped out."
Cao Lili said with a wry smile, "It's too difficult. I didn't answer many of the math questions, and I didn't even understand the questions. There was one question that looked familiar, but I just couldn't remember how to answer it."
Chang Zhengyi also had the same sour face.
Both of them felt they had no chance, but they weren't too disappointed. After all, they had a good idea of their own abilities before the exam, and they just wanted to give it a try.
Now that I've tried it, I have no regrets. I'm going to go back to work tomorrow.
"With so many people applying, it's only possible to recruit so few; it's bound to be difficult."
Everyone has also come back to reality from the excitement of the resumption of the college entrance examination: the college entrance examination has been resumed, but it is not easy to pass it!
After the exam, the atmosphere in the factory remained gloomy for a while, and the workers' morale was much lower than before.
But not long after, on New Year's Day, the broadcasting station notified the workers to collect their benefits, and the factory was filled with lively and festive cheers once again.
Comrade Guan Yuehe also received a notice that her salary, which had remained unchanged for three years, would be increased, and she would be able to receive forty-six yuan per month from now on.
When Lin Yiku returned home with rice, flour, and cooking oil, the items given to them by their workplaces were piled together, looking quite impressive.
"Sitian should be back from her holiday soon, right? Has the family received the telegram?" Guan Yuehe calculated the time; she and Sitian hadn't seen each other for almost a year!
They've never been apart for this long since they were little!
As she rummaged through what Lin Yiku had brought back, she muttered, "I wonder when the college entrance exam results will come out. I really want to know now!"
Her sister and He Shuangshuang were notified to go for a physical examination, but Chang Zhengyi and Cao Lili did not receive the notification. It is said that Chang Zhengyi hid behind the public toilet and cried for a long time, and was almost mistaken by sensitive residents for doing something bad.
She was itching to ask, but she was also afraid that if they didn't do well on the exam, they would cry loudly.
But those who took the exam were remarkably composed; as soon as they returned, they threw themselves into their work, seemingly having completely forgotten about the college entrance exam.
Lin Yi waited until she finished rambling before asking, "When are we going to have dinner together?"
Oh, she almost forgot, they've been married for so long, but haven't had a wedding banquet yet.
If it were someone else who was in a hurry, they might already be pregnant.
Ding Xuewen said that whether or not we pass the exam, we should come back for the New Year, on the first Sunday after the New Year. Can you free up the time in advance? If not, we can move it to the next day.
"I'll submit a report first and try my best to get it done." Once Lin Yiku had confirmed the matter, she planned to discuss it with her family, and then they would all have to prepare the food and drinks for the banquet together.
The two roughly calculated what they needed to buy, and checked their savings again. They had more than enough money to feed seven or eight tables.
Their combined salaries are quite substantial, and they don't have many expenses. In the half year since they got married, they've saved a large sum of money.
After Guan Yuehe finished counting, she locked the deposit back in the drawer, satisfied. Counting the deposit together was faster than counting it by herself.
Of course, the main reason is that the majority of the savings come from Lin Yiku's salary and subsidies.
"There's actually someone selling a house near Xie Dongxue's house! This is the first time I've ever heard of houses being bought and sold!" Guan Yuehe suddenly remembered this, which was mentioned unintentionally by a colleague in the planning department while gossiping.
Of course, the premise for this house to be sold is that the property rights belong to an individual and it is not a worker's dormitory allocated by a work unit.
Lin Yiku saw the light in her eyes and knew that she must be interested in "buying a house".
Guan Yuehe was indeed thinking about this matter.
She's interested in all good things, and in a time when people can fight over half a room, having more houses is definitely a good thing.
Moreover, although she now owns an apartment, it ultimately belongs to her work unit, and even more specifically, to the Five Star Automobile Factory!
If the house belonged to her personally, she could go to work every day with a straight face!
Lin Yiku also became interested, "Are our savings enough to buy a house as big as ours?"
Guan Yuehe shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'll ask around some more."
After saying that, she cupped Lin Yiku's face in her hands, looked him in the eye, and said seriously, "If there really is something I can buy, I will definitely buy it."
"Okay." Lin Yi nodded with a sigh, then joked, "Just don't arrange for me to sleep in the storage room."
Guan Yuehe: "......"
Oh dear! She'll have to keep her and Sitian's letters safe next time, and make sure he doesn't see them.
Without warning, Guan Yuehe pounced on him, hugged him tightly, and immediately changed the subject of "sleeping in the storage room," exclaiming, "Lin Yiku, you're so wonderful!"
It's the same old set again.
Although they had the idea of buying a house from someone else, there were many difficulties in reality, the biggest of which was that there was simply no one selling houses.
If you can't even fit your family in your house, who would be crazy enough to sell it? If you're really short of money, you can always apply to the finance department at your workplace to get your salary for the next few months in advance.
Based on Guan Yuehe's observations, generally no one would sell their house because they are short of money.
Even if Guan Yuehe were truly short of money to sell her house, she couldn't afford someone else's big house.
So, after she brought up the idea, Guan Yuehe almost never mentioned it again.
The Guan and Lin families began discussing inviting relatives and friends to their home for a wedding banquet after the New Year. Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku listened from the sidelines, while the chef, Uncle Ming, decided what dishes to buy.
Guan Yuehe also started making a list of the friends she wanted to invite.
"Guifang! Luo Guifang!" someone outside shouted excitedly, "Guifang! Your Baoyu has passed the exam!"
"Ah! They passed the exam? Who passed?" The neighbors all rushed out of the yard.
When Luo Guifang went out, she forgot to put on her coat. Her face was flushed, and it took her a while to find her voice, whether from the stuffiness inside or from the excitement of hearing the news. "Where did Baoyu get into?"
"Oh dear!" said the street office staff member who came to deliver the news. "The Fengshou Brigade called to say that Baoyu passed the exam. I was just about to ask where he got in when the call dropped and I couldn't get through when I called back. Go and call back to ask."
Without saying a word, Luo Guifang took off running outside. Aunt Bai exclaimed and reminded the twins, who also wanted to run after her, "Go back and give your mother her coat!"
The two silly geese, stunned by the good news, obediently went back inside to get their coats, and then ran out again.
"Is this the first person in Ginkgo Alley to receive an acceptance letter? Baoyu actually passed the exam, that's really great!"
"Guifang's hard times are finally over!"
After the first piece of good news arrived, the messenger brought two more pieces of good news.
The two families who received the acceptance letters were so excited that their doorsteps were practically worn down by everyone trying to see which school their children had been accepted into.
Jiang Guiying paced anxiously at home.
Guan Yuehe was also worried for her sister.
"Mom! Dad!"
Jiang Guiying suddenly perked up her ears, "Is that the sound of Man Nian?"
Guan Canghai ignored the pipe he had shaken off and took a few steps toward the door to listen carefully. "It seems so."
A moment later, Gu Mannian finally rushed in, having parked his bicycle outside the yard. The bright red cover of his admission notice was the first thing that caught everyone's eye.
Although she didn't get into university on her own merit, Guan Yuehe couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
Her sister's dream has finally come true; she can go to university!
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