Chapter 44
Tao Zhi received the good news from the principal: Cheng Man had scored first in the county on the exam, securing her place in the military academy. Unable to contain her excitement, she urged Tao Zhi to throw a lavish banquet, to which Tao Zhi readily agreed.
When Cheng Xiangqian received the news, he didn't even look at the house and hurried home with his family.
Before the college entrance exam, Cheng Man had already taken her "Political Assessment Form" to various units to complete the preliminary procedures. Now that her score had passed, she was just waiting for the notification from the military examination.
The next day, Cheng Man received a notice that read: "Student Cheng Man, please gather in front of the outpatient building of the Municipal People's Hospital on an empty stomach at 7:30 a.m. on July 25, 1996, with your ID card, admission ticket, and a one-inch photograph, for the military academy physical examination. Failure to do so will be considered a waiver."
Being one step closer to her dream, Cheng Man was so happy that she couldn't sleep at night.
Cheng Man's high-scoring college entrance exam results spread like a gentle breeze throughout the county. Even distant relatives sent congratulations over the phone. Suddenly, the phone at home kept ringing. Not only from family and friends, but also from Cheng Man's classmates, and even from her husband's suppliers and clients.
Tao Zhi had been answering calls from morning till night, her mouth nearly dry. She felt exhausted from talking. With Cheng Man's physical exam still two days away, she decided to throw a thank-you dinner first.
Tao Zhi had booked an entire floor of the best restaurant in the county. They had made a grand entrance, with several inflatable red arches lined up along the main entrance, with inscriptions reading, "Congratulations to student Cheng Man on her success in the college entrance exam."
Cheng Man felt very ashamed and lodged a serious protest, but it was unfortunately ruthlessly suppressed by Tao Zhi.
Because no one was free to welcome guests, Tao Zhi took a look at it from afar and thought that this archway was the best for guiding people, so she requested that it must be preserved.
The day of the banquet, starting at noon, was abuzz with activity. The crackling sound of firecrackers filled the street surrounding the restaurant. Children chased and played amid the smoke, their laughter rising higher and higher. Greetings and warm congratulations emanated from all sides, each filled with joy and excitement, making the place extraordinarily lively.
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law arrived early. They all had to come out today to help entertain the endless stream of guests.
Many people came with their children, all wanting to get some of Cheng Man’s spiritual energy, so she was forced to be a mascot for half a day.
It was normal for brother-in-law Li Qi Ze to arrive, but surprisingly, he also brought the third son of the Li family. The main table was occupied by teachers, and Tao Zhi did not intend to change them, so she arranged them to the second table.
The old man waved his hand and gave each of the workers in the machinery factory a two-month bonus, so they also came specially to celebrate for Cheng Man.
Tao Zhi had said early on that no gifts would be accepted, so Cheng Man also invited her classmates and friends.
The restaurant was packed, and the corridors were also crammed with guests. It was truly a bustling place. Cheng Xiangqian was overjoyed. He instructed the staff, "No matter how many people come today, they are all our honored guests. We must treat them well."
The delicious food, accompanied by fine wine, and the guests' smiles and compliments, their faces filled with satisfaction, declared the banquet a complete success.
As the whole family was eagerly waiting, the day of the physical examination finally arrived.
Cheng Xiangqian got up early in the morning and packed up. He wanted to take his daughter for a physical examination in person.
After Cheng Man had sorted everything out, Tao Zhi also checked to make sure nothing was missing, and then the father and daughter set off for the hospital.
Cheng Man lined up for the physical examination as scheduled, including surgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology, and everything went very smoothly.
When it was time for an X-ray, the doctor asked directly, "Have you ever had any head injuries?"
Cheng Man's heart skipped a beat, and the color drained from her face. She pursed her lips and said, "I've had a skull fracture."
The doctor looked up at her, asked her to sit over, and carefully felt her scalp. Sure enough, at the back of her head, he felt a patch of uneven skin with a slight bulge on the bone.
The doctor didn't say anything, but asked Cheng Man to take an X-ray. He took the X-ray and saw a clear, high-density line at the back of her head, completely different from normal bone texture. He saw it was a callus healing line, no doubt about it.
The doctor asked Cheng Man, "Do you have a medical certificate?"
Cheng Man came to her senses and hurriedly dug into her backpack to find the "Recent Medical Evaluation Report" and handed it to the doctor. The report stated: "Certification of Cheng Man's skull fracture, complete recovery and no sequelae."
The doctor ignored her concerns, kept the report, and told Cheng Man, "The results of the physical examination will be out in 3 to 7 days."
Cheng Man nervously finished the rest of the project and followed her father home without saying a word. When she got home, she burst into tears as soon as she saw Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi was so scared that he hit the old man: "What's wrong? What's wrong? Who bullied you?"
Cheng Man sobbed and said, "I might not pass my physical examination."
"Why?"
"When I mentioned skull fractures, the doctor looked at me with a strange look in his eyes."
Tao Zhi felt like she was splashed with a basin of ice water, and felt cold from head to toe.
She comforted Cheng Man, "Don't worry, I'll help you find out the situation after dinner."
Cheng Man raised her tearful eyes and said, "Mom, can't you ask now?"
"Do you think it's polite to disturb people during their meal?"
Cheng Man was still worried and had no appetite at all. She just mechanically put rice grains into her mouth.
Tao Zhi had no choice but to put the dishes into her bowl. Although she didn't know the taste, as long as she ate it, it was fine.
Tao Zhi went to her best friend and told her about Cheng Man's situation. She asked Principal Jiang directly, "Is it possible that Cheng Man will be rejected?"
Principal Jiang was also very direct: "It is very likely that he will be judged as unqualified."
"But the hospital certified that she was already well."
"But military training is very intense, and you can't deny that there are still certain potential risks to the brain after an injury."
Tao Zhi was very upset: "I should have asked you earlier."
Principal Jiang was also quite humorous: "Who told you to keep it a secret so well? Even I didn't know that Cheng Man had a skull injury."
Tao Zhi was filled with regret: "Is there any way to remedy this?"
Principal Jiang said seriously, "It's too early to say anything now. Let's wait until the results come out."
Tao Zhi hung up the phone, feeling not very happy.
A matter that was set in stone suddenly turned out to be so unexpected. Tao Zhi blamed herself for not doing her homework well.
She had no choice but to lie to Cheng Man: "The principal said the probability is fifty-fifty. No one can say for sure until the result comes out."
Cheng Man's eyes were filled with hope: "So, I still have a chance?"
Tao Zhi nodded against his conscience.
"Then why did the doctor say it would take 3 to 7 days?"
"This shows that the military academy doesn't treat everyone specially. It treats everyone equally and only announces the results when the time comes."
Cheng Man thought about it and it seemed to be true. The others also went home to wait for notification.
Ms. Tao never lied, so Cheng Man felt relieved: "Then I'll just wait for the results."
Tao Zhi nodded randomly, "Then you read some more. I'm going to wash up and get ready for bed."
Cheng Man waved: "Good night, Mom."
Tao Zhi tossed and turned in bed. Principal Jiang's words were not groundless. She must have seen such cases before, which proved that Cheng Man's chances were indeed very slim.
If Cheng Man were a genius, a prodigy, some kind of special talent desperately needed by the military, Tao Zhi felt she could still strive for advancement. But she was just an ordinary high school student, with only slightly better test scores at best, and no apparent special talents. Even with the filter of her mother, Tao Zhi couldn't deceive herself into thinking Cheng Man was a rare talent.
Tao Zhi recalled the origin of the matter: Cheng Man was beaten, saw the Li family's indifference, saw the police being manipulated by power, and saw Tao Zhi running around for her. Based on these things, she came up with the idea of applying to a military academy.
Tao Zhi had a feeling that Cheng Man possessed a strength, a spirit that never gave up. Suddenly, a sudden realization struck her: Could it be that Cheng Man had decided to apply to the military academy after witnessing the power of authority?
Tao Zhi fell asleep with a heavy heart. When she woke up the next day, her face was sallow and she looked extremely haggard.
Cheng Man was shocked when she saw it: "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
When Tao Zhi heard the concern in her daughter's words, she suddenly had an idea and said in a hoarse voice, "Mom can't bear to leave you. When I think about you suffering, my heart is broken."
Cheng Man put her arm around her shoulders and said, "That's not what you said before."
Tao Zhi's face was filled with bitterness. "Before, there was the college entrance examination, the physical examination, and the political review. It was still a long way off. You see, things don't feel real until they're right around the corner. Now that you've taken one step at a time and completed all these things, Mom can finally feel it deeply: my daughter, you're about to fly away."
Cheng Man comforted her: "Mom, no, I will come back as soon as I have a holiday."
"The annual family leave?"
Cheng Man was speechless. It seemed to be true. Winter vacation was her own time, and she basically had to train during summer vacation.
Tao Zhi took Cheng Man's hand and said, "Daughter, can you tell me why you wanted to apply to the military academy?"
"Mom, I've said it before. First, protect yourself. Second, protect your family. Third, protect your country."
Tao Zhi first affirmed her: "You are so young and have such great love. Mom is proud of you. I understand protecting my family and my country, but what does it mean to protect myself?"
"It's to prevent others from bullying me."
Tao Zhi dared to swear that she was not acting. Her tears had their own thoughts and they came down as soon as she said they would.
Cheng Man was startled. She quickly went to get a tissue and wiped Tao Zhi's tears: "Mom, it's not like I won't be coming back."
"Mom, that's not the reason. I just thought it was all my fault for not protecting you."
Cheng Man hugged her and rested her head on her shoulder: "Mom, this has nothing to do with you."
"If your mother had done her job, you wouldn't have been beaten."
Cheng Man was heartbroken. It turned out that this matter had never been resolved with her mother.
"Mom, no one wants an accident to happen. You couldn't have done a better job. The bad guys have been brought to justice."
But I can't compensate you for your future. Tao Zhi could only apologize silently in her heart.
"Mom will find you a teacher, a very good and powerful teacher, to teach you martial arts, okay?"
Cheng Man smiled: "Mom, no need. When we go to the military academy, the teachers will teach mixed martial arts."
Seeing the light in her eyes, Tao Zhi almost couldn't bring herself to speak. But due to objective factors, she had no choice but to continue to persuade her, "Mom would be happier if you went to a regular university. You could also find other teachers to teach you martial arts."
"Mom, there's no chance. I've already got one foot in the military academy."
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