Chapter 161
On Monday, Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi returned to school.
Chu Jiujiu was like a radio station. Soon, everyone who knew her knew the news. Word of mouth spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Rumors spread everywhere, saying all kinds of things. Chu Jiujiu then took out the same attitude as when she took the college entrance examination and started studying hard again.
There were four people in their dormitory. Shen Dongkui was not interested in it. Cao Lu wanted to take the exam, but she didn't dare to review with Chu Jiujiu. In the end, Song Xiaoying was the only one left to accompany Chu Jiujiu.
Similar to Chu Jiujiu, Song Xiaoying also wanted to keep taking exams until she could no longer pass. Since she learned about the recruitment of graduate students, the two of them got up the earliest every day. Chu Jiujiu ran fast, so she went to grab a seat first, while Song Xiaoying was strong, so the task of buying meals fell on her.
The library is a good place. Almost everyone around is studying hard. Whenever Chu Jiujiu feels tired, she raises her head, looks around, and then she can replenish her energy.
They don't study so hard every minute. They combine work and rest. After studying for a few hours, they stand up and go out for a walk.
Song Xiaoying said to Chu Jiujiu, "My husband wrote me a few days ago, saying he'll definitely pass the exam this time. Ha! I know him, he always says that, but when it comes to actually trying, it all depends on luck."
The weather had warmed up, and Song Xiaoying stood comfortably in the sun, squinting at the sky. "Anyway, I told him I'm going to take the postgraduate entrance exam soon. If he doesn't pass this time, the gap between us will get bigger and bigger. If he's not afraid that I'll run away with another young person, then keep bragging."
Chu Jiujiu looked at her with a smile, "Big brother isn't angry when you say that?"
Song Xiaoying sneered, "He dares! Jiujiu, let me tell you, you have to be careful with men. Most men in the world are evil, and they are the ones who can fly to the sky with just a balloon. If you don't use a needle to pop their balloon, they will still think they are the best in the world."
Applying this to Han Shengyi, Chu Jiujiu laughed, "You know what, that makes some sense. Brother Shengyi used to have this bad habit too."
"Isn't that so?" Song Xiaoying said proudly, "I haven't lived these years in vain, it's all based on experience. Don't look at your Xiao Han as a decent man now, he actually has this side to him, but he hides it from you."
Chu Jiujiu nodded in agreement, "I think so too."
Song Xiaoying looked at Chu Jiujiu and found her more and more curious.
Unlike other little girls, Chu Jiujiu listens to advice. As long as what is said makes sense, she is willing to listen. Unlike some girls who are in the passionate period of love, they will immediately get angry with you if you say that her lover is wrong.
Sitting on a bench next to the trees, Song Xiaoying stopped talking and changed the subject, "Is Xiaohan still so busy?"
Chu Jiujiu hummed, "He has to attend classes when he has them, and he has to supervise the factory when he doesn't. In the early days of starting a business, he has to do everything himself. His friend can't do much to help."
Sighing, Chu Jiujiu continued, "I went to see him last night, and he was so tired and thin."
Song Xiaoying recalled silently. The morning before yesterday, when she and Chu Jiujiu came to the library together, she also saw Han Shengyi. It was exactly the same as before.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
…
"He's so busy, how can he still have time to review? Didn't you say he's going to take the postgraduate entrance exam just like you?"
"He doesn't need to review."
Song Xiaoying looked at Chu Jiujiu blankly, not understanding why she said that.
"No need to review... Could it be that he has been selected?"
Chu Jiujiu was drinking water when she heard this. She choked and said, "What are you talking about? How could Brother Shengyi do this?"
"He doesn't need to review because he reads every now and then. Even if he does review, his grades are very good. He even crammed for the college entrance exam at the last minute and ended up being the top scorer in science in the capital."
Song Xiaoying: “…”
It would be better to say that he was internally selected, so that Song Xiaoying would feel more balanced.
A true top student doesn't need to review. Chu Jiujiu, who is also a top student but is always unsure, needs to use review to reassure herself. All in all, the only one who really needs to rely on reviewing for exams is Song Xiaoying.
Back at the library, looking at Chu Jiujiu who looked relaxed, Song Xiaoying began to doubt again why she had chosen to review with Chu Jiujiu in the first place.
Isn't this just asking for trouble?
…
This postgraduate entrance examination did not include medical school, so they still had to start from their freshman year and study steadily. Qi Baozhu did not give up and asked her grandfather to inquire about the information. She found out that there was really no such thing as their medical school, so she had to give up this opportunity.
She had to give up, and Dabao, also known as Nie Songlan, took the initiative to give up this opportunity.
Chu Jiujiu was very surprised when she heard about it. She wanted to ask Dabao why he didn't take the exam, but after the start of this semester, Dabao didn't go home and stayed in school on weekends. They were not in the same college, one in the south and the other in the north, and they hardly met each other during normal times.
At first she always remembered this incident, but later she became busy and forgot about it.
Later, she felt at peace.
Never mind. Everyone has their own ideas. Maybe Dabao just doesn’t like to continue his studies. That’s fine too. Dabao won’t take the exam, so she doesn’t have to worry about no one to accompany Qi Baozhu for dinner.
The news about applying for postgraduate studies was officially released at the end of April, along with the form of the exam.
There will be no special written examination. The students' various grades in this academic year will be used as a reference. Three times the number of graduate student places will be selected based on the grades, and then interviews will be arranged.
When the news came out, the whole school was in mourning.
In the first half of the year, no one knew that the country would resume the postgraduate entrance examination so soon. Some people studied very hard, but some people became restless, thinking that it would be enough to pass the exam and that there would be no time to study hard later.
Now, maybe because of this, they can’t even get the interview.
Thankfully, the school wasn't quite so brutal. While the written exams included a number of quizzes, the real brunt of the competition was the final exams in the second half of the semester. For some, this was their last chance, and suddenly, the entire school was swept up in a frenzy of studying, making library seats even harder to find than usual.
The school was in full swing, and the outside world had also heard the news. There had been no news related to the exam in the previous ten years, but now newspapers, radios, and televisions were everywhere promoting the upcoming college entrance examination and postgraduate entrance examination.
Grandma Han sat in her home, making shoe patterns while squinting her eyes and watching TV.
To be honest, she doesn't really care when the postgraduate entrance examination will be held. Anyway, all her children are excellent and they will definitely pass the exam. What she cares more about is when this class of postgraduate students will start school and when they will graduate.
Shengyi said it would be three years later. Grandma Han became anxious when she thought of this number.
That's three years! There's no telling what might happen in the meantime!
At this moment, Grandma Han really wanted Grandpa Han to submit an application to the higher authorities, asking them if they could advance the doctoral exam a few years, just like the postgraduate exam.
The two children discussed that they would get married after Chu Jiujiu passed the doctoral exam. Grandma Han could not influence Chu Jiujiu's thoughts, so she could only secretly persuade her superiors, hoping to influence their ideas.
…
Grandma Han complained that the doctoral exam was coming too slowly, while Chu Liqiang felt that the postgraduate exam was coming too quickly.
He wanted to marry his son as quickly as possible, but he wanted to marry his daughter as slowly as possible.
Chu Liqiang looked melancholy as he held the newspaper. At this moment, the guard came in and told him, "Political Commissar, a female comrade came to see you and said she wanted to apologize to you."
Chu Liqiang's eyebrows twitched. Even he himself was prone to overthinking what the guard said. But then he thought again, he had remained a virgin for more than ten years since his wife died, and he was not afraid of being scammed.
Reassured, he asked, "Did she say who she was?"
The guard replied: "She said she was your second brother's wife."
Chu Liqiang: "..."
All of a sudden, he remembered the business card. Chu Liqiang wasn't as good at studying as Zhang Fengjuan, so he only knew one language, Chinese. The English on the business card, as well as the transliterated Japanese, were all told to him by Chu Jiujiu.
It stands to reason that a business card cannot convict a person, but the impression has already been formed. In addition, she is Chu Lijun's wife. To be able to marry Chu Lijun, even if she is not a bad person, she is definitely a confused person.
Frowning, Chu Liqiang said, "Tell her I'm not here. Also, this is the Military Commission. Don't let her come here to see me unless it's business."
"yes!"
The guard left.
Zhang Nan was waiting outside. The person who greeted her at first was not a guard, but the person who came out to relay Chu Liqiang's words was a guard. Zhang Nan had a good memory and would never forget someone she had met once. When she found out that he was one of the people who dragged Chu Lijun away, Zhang Nan subconsciously stood up.
After listening to the guard's words, Zhang Nan was silent for two seconds. She didn't argue too much, but just put the things down and didn't take them away.
Looking at the inconspicuous bag that Zhang Nan brought, Chu Liqiang didn't even open it and asked the guard to throw it away.
I thought the matter was over, but a week later, Zhang Nan went to his house to find him again.
And went there several times.
She was so persistent that Chu Liqiang thought she wanted to take advantage of the Chu family. However, after meeting him, Zhang Nan didn't mention anything related to the Chu family. She just apologized for Chu Lijun. Her topics all revolved around Chu Lijun. She seemed to be a wife who cared deeply about her husband.
Chu Liqiang patiently stayed with her for a while, and when he found that he couldn't see her purpose, he politely asked her to leave. No matter what she wanted to do, he was not interested in responding. If it were five years ago, he might be willing to fight with Mrs. Gao's children, but now, his status has improved, his wealth is stable, and his children are on the right track. He is too lazy to waste time with these unworthy people.
Ever since he lost interest, Zhang Nan couldn't see him no matter what.
There was no choice but to go back to Mrs. Gao first.
Chu Lidi's house was too small, so Zhang Nan and Chu Lijun still lived in the hotel. However, she came to Chu Lidi's house on time every day, sometimes doing some housework for Mrs. Gao, and sometimes talking to her.
Mrs. Gao was annoyed with her at first, but soon she was moved by her attitude and money.
Lying in bed, it was obvious that nothing serious was happening, but Mrs. Gao was trying to act weak. "Second brother, did you buy the fried liver I asked you to buy?"
Zhang Nan sat aside with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes lowered. "I bought it. I made you a stewed meal at noon. You can eat it later."
Old Mrs. Gao snorted, "Why didn't you buy some rice when you went shopping for groceries? The richer you are, the more stingy you become."
Zhang Nan didn't get angry after hearing this. She even smiled and said, "Next time I'll remember, Mom, you drink some water."
After taking a few sips from Zhang Nan's hand, Mrs. Gao felt relieved and praised her, "You are quite filial."
"Look at what you're saying. If I'm not filial to you, who else can I be filial to? My parents are gone, Lijun's father is gone too. There are four elderly people, and now only you are left. Of course I have to treat you like an old Buddha and worship you like this."
This flattery made Old Lady Gao feel very comfortable. "That's right. An old man in the family is like a treasure. You are sensible. The third son's family doesn't understand these things."
Zhang Nan smiled and said, "My sister-in-law has her own advantages."
Not wanting to tell her about Gao Meiyin anymore, thinking of what Chu Yue said yesterday, Mrs. Gao suddenly asked Zhang Nan: "Second brother's family, you and the second brother are both American citizens now. When do you two plan to go back? I haven't been to the United States yet. I heard that there are a lot of rich people there. Is that true?"
This old lady thought she would take her back, right?
Zhang Nan laughed inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged. She didn't answer the latter question, only the former, "I'm not going back for now. Lijun hasn't seen his family in so many years and wants to stay in China for a while longer. This time I came back, in addition to seeing our family, I also have things to do."
Mrs. Gao asked, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing much, just buying some antiques. Aren't the policies being relaxed? I've loved antiques and heirlooms since I was little. I couldn't buy them before, but now I think it's a good time to buy some, so I'm planning to look around the capital." She smiled shyly. "You know, my family has nothing but money. Some heirlooms people won't sell easily. I've got tens of thousands of yuan, so I think I can buy one."
Old Mrs. Gao almost jumped up from the bed.
Tens of thousands of dollars! For a crappy antique?! She really has a lot of money to burn!
When Old Mrs. Gao got angry, she wanted to point at Zhang Nan and scold her. In her opinion, since Zhang Nan married into their family, her money also belonged to their family.
However, as soon as she raised her hand, she remembered Chu Lijun's words. Zhang Nan was not Chinese, and she could divorce if she wanted to. If Zhang Nan was unhappy, she could still leave Chu Lijun here. By then, no one could follow her abroad.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Gao put her hand down, but her tone did not improve. "Why spend money on those things?! With this money, you can buy something for the second son. It's better than anything else!"
"I just like this," Zhang Nan said, looking docile but actually speaking in a very firm tone. "Don't think I'm wasting my money. If you have it, I can buy it from you, and I can even double the price for you."
Mrs. Gao was shocked: "Really?!"
Zhang Nan smiled, "Of course it's true."
Old Mrs. Gao moved her lips and was about to agree, but then she thought, how could she have any antiques? When she got married, she didn't have any dowry. Chu Xinghua was also a poor man. His family had such a little fortune, and he kept it tightly, saying that it was left by his dead wife and could not be touched. It had to be left to Chu Liqiang.
It was only after Mrs. Gao cried, made a fuss, and even threatened to hang herself that he was able to take out a little money from the family's savings. Apart from that, he could not take out anything else.
Whenever Mrs. Gao thought of this, she got angry.
She had no concept of keeping dirty laundry in the family private. Moreover, Zhang Nan was her daughter-in-law and not an outsider.
She complained to Zhang Nan for a long time, almost starting from the time when she first married Chu Xinghua. Fortunately, Zhang Nan was a very patient person, otherwise she would have fallen out with Old Lady Gao long ago.
"...Meng Xiaoyu has been dead for so many years, and this old man has been annoying me for so many years. His son was taken away, and the old man was still thinking about leaving that box to him. How could I let him take the box with him?! Then I wouldn't be named Gao! I threw the box in front of him, and a bunch of jewelry rolled out of it. Unfortunately, the people from the Revolutionary Committee came too quickly, and I only picked up two pieces!"
Even today, Mrs. Gao is still very distressed. Zhang Nan asked her, "Where are those two pieces of jewelry?"
Mrs. Gao replied, "Yes, I did. The old man said Meng Xiaoyu was the daughter of a landlord. I thought her things were very valuable. A bracelet and a ring, and they only pawned them for a few dozen yuan!"
Zhang Nan: "A few dozen yuan, it can't be a good material, right?"
Old Lady Gao snorted, "Yes, it's true. Only the ring is of good quality. The bracelet isn't even pure gold. I don't know what else is mixed in it."
Zhang Nan looked at Mrs. Gao's expression and felt that she didn't seem to be lying. "What a pity! Landlords back then were all very wealthy. Dad's attitude is so nervous. Logically, there should be something more valuable in that box."
"Yeah! Later I went back to look for it, but I don't know who took it. I clearly remember more than two things rolling out of it, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find anything else. Someone must have stolen it!"
Zhang Nan listened and felt that he had found out almost everything. Old Mrs. Gao was not presentable and she would not lie. It seemed that this was all she knew.
Mrs. Gao talked for a long time and felt thirsty again. She habitually ordered, "Second wife, pour me another glass of water."
Before she could finish her words, Zhang Nan suddenly stood up and said, "Mom, I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do. I'll be leaving now. Please ask Chu Yue to cook for you. She should be back in an hour."
She left after she finished speaking. Old Mrs. Gao sat on the bed in a daze, not reacting for a long time.
Eh?
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