Chapter 34 He's back.
Chapter Thirty-Four: He's Back.
Lin Su's senior year of high school was a very busy one.
She bought an alarm clock and gets up early every day to go to school for morning reading, only returning home after evening self-study. Occasionally, when she feels sleepy, she will go back for a short nap at noon. She usually eats all three meals at the school cafeteria, but sometimes she eats at restaurants outside.
Now, without cell phones or internet distractions, her concentration is excellent, and she immerses herself in her studies every day.
Because the teachers hadn't checked her learning abilities beforehand, and because she was a former sent-down youth returning to the city, they had no expectations of her. It wasn't until a small math quiz where she only lost a few points that the teachers noticed her. Later, she got a perfect score on an English test. The teachers initially wanted to find some flaws in her English essay, but found nothing; the vocabulary, grammar, sentences, and overall structure were all impeccable.
All eyes were on her, and after the monthly exam, she ranked first in the humanities.
Her deskmate, Zhang Wenqiu, was filled with admiration for her and said incredulously, "Have you been studying all these years?"
Lin Su nodded: "More or less."
"Then why didn't you take the college entrance exam before?"
"I just happened to be sick."
She was the only one in her class who had returned to the city as an educated youth; the rest were recent graduates. Everyone was full of curiosity about her, and whenever they had free time, they would ask her about her experiences as an educated youth. Lin Su was happy to share, talking about their time on the farm, the local ethnic minority customs and traditions, and the Torch Festival...
Beautiful, top of her class, with a great personality, and an inspiring background as a sent-down youth... Lin Su quickly became the center of attention, and was chosen to speak as a student representative at the school's 100-day countdown rally for the college entrance examination.
Standing on the stage and looking at everyone with their thick hair, Lin Su almost burst out laughing.
However, everyone's hair looked really thick at that moment.
Lin Su delivered a passionate speech on stage, following the prepared script, which won thunderous applause.
In her real life, she was actually quite academically gifted, but back then everyone was incredibly competitive, and there were always classmates who were even more outstanding than her. Here, however, she had a special advantage, instantly becoming the most dazzling presence.
April has arrived, a time of warm spring weather and blooming flowers.
After shedding her thick winter clothes, Lin Su put on lighter spring attire.
The magnolias in the school were in bloom, their large, pure white blossoms adorning the campus. Amidst the fresh fragrance of the flowers, Lin Su received the second letter from Zhou Yunqi.
This man wrote such a simple letter.
She wrote to him in the letter about everything that happened at school, including her test scores, the new friends she made, and how her teachers and classmates treated her. He would reply with "I have read your letter. I've been busy lately," and then briefly say a few words before telling her to take care of herself and get some rest.
This old-fashioned man.
Upon receiving the letter, Lin Su decided to follow his example and write a simple reply.
But this time the letters were quite thick. Just as I was feeling smug, I unfolded them and found there were two letters, one of which was written by Xu Yaodong.
Although Xu Yaodong's handwriting wasn't as beautiful as Zhou Yunqi's, he was very talkative, almost like a chatterbox. He said that most of the educated youth had left, and the eldest brother was no longer the farm manager. Instead, the deputy manager was promoted to manager, and he now lived and ate at the factory, focusing wholeheartedly on running the sugar factory.
Xu Yaodong also wrote in the letter: "One night, I saw the eldest brother standing alone at the door smoking. He looked very lonely. I asked him if he missed you. For the first time ever, he didn't deny it. He said that there are a lot of flu cases in spring and he didn't know if you had caught a cold. He also said that you only reported good news in your letters... Sigh, look, look, how much the eldest brother cares about you."
Lin Su read the letter with a smile, feeling that this was the most useful letter Xu Yaodong had ever given her.
They estimate their scores and fill out their college applications as soon as the exams are over. Her deskmate, Zhang Wenqiu, once asked her, "Lin Su, what major do you want to study?"
Lin Su was truly in a dilemma. She realized a problem: she didn't have a particular major she wanted to study. Although her teachers assessed her grades and said that as long as she maintained her current level, she could choose any university and major she wanted.
But the problem is, you should at least study a major you like and find a job you enjoy.
She's always been like a jack-of-all-trades, seemingly capable of anything and willing to dabble in everything. But she can't seem to find anything she truly wants to do.
Compared to other time travelers, some want to make money through business, some want to become scientific research giants, and some want to lead everyone to prosperity. But for her, scientific research has nothing to do with her, and she doesn't have a strong desire to make money.
Soon after, Lin Su saw a major she had never seen before in the admission brochure of Peking University this year. She suddenly thought, why not fill in this as my first choice? It's quite novel.
That major is called "National Economic Management," and it was just established this year; it's a product unique to this era.
When her homeroom teacher learned that this was her first choice, she had no objections. She said that she was calm and composed and could consider working in a related field, doing academic research, or going to a government department to contribute to the country's economic development.
Lin Su hadn't thought that far ahead. She said, "Teacher, I'll try my best to pass the exam first."
...
Time flies so fast, it's already May.
During the Labor Day holiday, Lin Su went home.
She had returned home once before, but her stepmother and stepsister were not home, and her stepsister had also gone out. Only her younger brother was there, so Lin Su asked him about the situation briefly. She learned that they were quite happy after she left, saying that the two children had a bed to sleep in.
To them, she was definitely an outsider.
All of this was within Lin Su's expectations. She didn't linger, gave her younger brother a dollar, and left.
When she came home today, her stepmother saw her downstairs. As always, the stepmother put on a great show in front of people, asking her if she had eaten and if she had been busy with her studies lately.
When she got home, her stepsister and stepsister were both there. Lin Su sat at home, feeling a bit strange.
The stepmother continued her hypocritical act: "I heard from your Grandpa Gu that Xiao Zhou is a good person, capable, and now he's helped you find a place to live and go to school. We really have to thank him, otherwise our house would be too small."
She chatted about this and that, but never mentioned whether she had enough money, as if she was afraid that Lin Su would come back and ask her for money.
Lin Su didn't want to stay too long, so she ate lunch and left.
As I was going downstairs, I realized that since I rarely come back, I could take all my personal belongings, such as photos, with me, so I turned back.
Before she even reached the door, she heard her stepsister say, "What kind of skill is it for her to rely on a man?"
The stepmother replied, "If you can find a reliable man that you can depend on, spend his money, and live in his house, I will admire you."
“You didn’t want your previous partner, and now that someone has introduced you to a new one, you’re being picky again. If you have someone you like, go find them yourself. I’m not stopping you.”
The stepsister said, "Everyone around me is ugly and unattractive; I don't like them."
At this moment, the stepbrother sneered: "You want to find someone like Susu? That's going to be difficult."
The stepsister said angrily, "No one will think you're mute if you don't speak. Besides, they're not in a romantic relationship. Grandpa Gu said he's still single."
The stepbrother continued to mock, "Oh, so you think you have a chance? Do you think it's possible?"
"Whether it's possible or not is none of your business. Mind your own business."
Lin Su felt nauseous listening to this. This stepsister had been like this since she was a child, with a bit of a narcissistic personality. She felt that all the good things belonged to her. The original owner's pretty little jewelry and dresses from when she was a child were all taken away by her in various ways. There were only a few dresses that the original owner's mother had worn, which she was wary of, so she didn't take them.
Now you're eyeing Zhou Yunqi again? How disgusting.
Too lazy to cough, she simply appeared at the doorway. Everyone inside paused for a moment, but said nothing.
The stepmother asked, "Is there anything else you haven't taken?"
Lin Su: "Mm."
She went into the room, found her suitcase, and after thinking for a moment, decided to move it back home to solve the problem once and for all. But the suitcase was a bit heavy, so Lin Su said, "Xinxin, help your sister carry the suitcase away."
Lin Xin obediently agreed.
The stepmother asked her son for help, but the stepbrother was lazy and sat there without moving, saying, "It's just one box, it's not heavy, two people can carry it, they can carry it."
So the mother and her two children just watched coldly as they carried the box away.
The suitcase wasn't too heavy. Lin Su and her younger brother carried it downstairs. Later at the bus stop, she gave her brother a dollar and told him to wait for the bus himself.
Lin Su felt uneasy even though her younger brother left happily. She later realized that the energy field of this house would affect her, so she decided not to come back before the exam and to come back less often in the future.
While waiting for the bus, a boy walked by, glanced at her several times, and finally couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "Are you... Susu?"
Lin Su looked at the other person, but didn't recognize him at first.
"It's me, Cheng Zetao."
Lin Su was stunned. It was her childhood friend!
As he grew up, Cheng Zetao looked quite different from how she remembered him. He was also quite intelligent and was among the first batch of students admitted to university after the resumption of the college entrance examination.
Lin Su had wanted to talk more, but the bus arrived, so she had to get on.
...
Time seemed to be on fast-forward, and everyone faced the college entrance examination amidst the daily tension.
In the sweltering heat of July, Lin Su, like all the other students, entered the examination hall.
Their exam venue was on campus. Lin Su was worried that she wouldn't be able to get up, so she specially bought two alarm clocks and a watermelon for the gatekeeper, asking him to knock on the door if he saw that she hadn't come out by the time it was time.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
After finishing the last exam, I walked out of the exam room and returned to my classroom.
The teacher called everyone together to talk about the arrangements for filling out college applications, and the classroom was noisy.
Lin Su felt that Zhou Yunqi must have returned and was probably waiting for her at the school gate, so she didn't stay to chat with everyone and went straight down the teaching building.
Sure enough, as soon as I arrived at the gate, I saw that familiar figure.
He was still tall and upright, wearing a white shirt, which made him particularly eye-catching in the crowd.
Lin Su walked quickly to him, smiling as she looked at him: "Have you been waiting long?"
His eyes and brows remained as gentle as ever, but his tone was somewhat affected: "It wasn't long, just three days."
Lin Su seemed not to understand and asked blankly, "What? What three days?"
He smiled and straightened the collar of her dress: "I came back three days ago. Thanks to a friend, I was able to buy a plane ticket at half price. I've been staying at my uncle's house for the past three days. I didn't dare let you know because I didn't want to bother you."
Lin Su was surprised and said, "You're too secretive, like an underground worker."
He scoffed, "I wonder who was worried that seeing me would affect them, so they made me wait until after the exam to show up."
"Now that I'm right in front of you, am I affected?"
"Received it."
"What has affected you?"
"He was frightened."
"Tsk."
...
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