"The results are out. I did pretty well and came in second."
Ji Xia modestly declined to explain what "second place" meant, and Secretary Ji frowned upon hearing this: "Can your 'second place' even be considered?"
You can't blame him for that. Last year, only one person from the commune got into university, and the second person still didn't have a chance.
Oh no, the second one is from another brigade. I heard he got into a junior college or a teacher's college.
However, Ji Xia applied to an art academy in Beijing, which she heard was ranked number one in the country.
If I ranked second in this exam, can I still get in?
Ji Xia smiled slightly, while Chen Jing laughed loudly beside her, "Dad, didn't you understand? She got second place in the whole province. Not only will she get in, but she'll also have a chance to win a bonus!"
This wasn't him bragging; it was something Teacher Liu told them privately on the bus back home.
Of course, Teacher Liu didn't say anything definitive; he just whispered that the county would probably give out a bonus.
After all, this is the second in the province, which is more than 100 points higher than the first in the county last year. This time, not only has the commune middle school become famous, but the county has also gained prestige.
As for the amount of the bonus, Teacher Liu didn't say. It's estimated that since the results were just released, the county education bureau still needs to hold a meeting to discuss their thoughts.
Ji Xia touched her nose: "It shouldn't be a big problem."
The Department of Fashion Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts admits only eight students, which on average is not enough for even one student from a single province.
However, her professional scores are in the top eight, and her academic scores are already second in the province. Among the dozens of applicants, she shouldn't be ranked outside the top eight, right?
It is well known that art exam candidates, whether in music, fine arts, or drama, generally do not have very high academic scores.
That's why Teacher Rong specifically reminded her that her cultural score should be at least 150 points or higher. No, it's increased this year, so it should be at least 180 points or higher.
With this score, she's almost got two 180s, and her major score is also in the top eight. Now she's just waiting for her admission notice.
After hearing Ji Xia's analysis and explanation, Ji's mother was overjoyed: "Good, good, we'll kill a chicken at noon today."
"Mom, Dad and my brother have to go to the fields this afternoon. If we kill the chicken, when will we get here? Let's kill it tonight and have something simple for lunch."
Ji Xia quickly stopped her, and Ji's mother, finding the suggestion reasonable, readily agreed.
On the other side, Ji Zhijun inspected the fifteen fruit seedlings, read the planting method that Ji Xia had specially written down for him twice, and then picked up a hoe.
Ji Xia called out to him in surprise, "Brother, what are you doing? You want to plant it now? It's noon, the time when the sun is at its strongest, is that appropriate?"
July and August are the months with the most intense sunlight of the year, especially at midday. If you plant now, the roots won't even be able to hold onto the soil; they'll probably die within half a day.
The best time to plant fruit is generally recommended to be in March or April. Even if you want to plant now, you should at least do it in the evening.
Ji Zhijun smiled憨厚ly: "I didn't plan to plant it now. I just wanted to tidy up that plot of land, loosen the soil, build a sunshade, water it, and plant it in the evening."
Ji Xia felt relieved upon hearing this, knowing that it was all right.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing also grabbed a hoe from the corner of the wall: "I'll go with you, brother, and we'll come back as soon as we're done."
Secretary Ji smiled faintly with satisfaction, wiped the sweat from his hands with a handkerchief, and then extended his hand to his two grandsons.
That evening, Ji Zhijun planted fifteen fruit saplings in his private plot and the open space behind the house. He also built a makeshift sunshade over each sapling and watered them every evening to prevent them from being scorched by the harsh sunlight.
With such careful cultivation, all fifteen seedlings survived and sprouted new leaves in about a week.
This result thrilled Ji Zhijun.
The notices for the two educated youths in the brigade arrived one after another. After receiving the notices, Yang Cuiqin and another male educated youth went up to thank Ji Xia and asked Secretary Ji and Brigade Leader Yang to get the household registration transfer certificate. They packed all their luggage and went home excitedly.
Not only the two educated youths in the brigade, but also the educated youths from several surrounding brigades who applied received their admission notices one after another, as did other students.
Before leaving, all the graduates of the Commune Middle School held a dinner party at the school, inviting the school principal, director and several teachers from the graduating classes, and made a directory with everyone's address.
This year's college entrance examination pass rate was the highest in the county, and the school's 61% pass rate shocked the entire county.
The Education Bureau agreed to allocate a sum of education funds. This year, several teachers in the second year of high school were all awarded the title of outstanding teacher, and Ji Xia also received three bonuses.
One sum of money came from the province; I heard the top scorer got 200, the second-place score got 100, and the third-place score got 50.
Ji Xia received 100 yuan from the province, 150 yuan from the county, and 100 yuan from the commune.
Of course, since she only came in second place, Ji Xia didn't cause much of a stir in the commune.
Several teachers, the principal, and the director of the school received numerous requests from relatives and friends. The remaining educated youth in the brigade and graduates from previous years all asked to return to school to repeat their studies and prepare for next year's college entrance examination.
The brigade originally had only two or three educated youth left, who had already found partners in the brigade to marry, but they all regretted it and postponed the wedding, preparing to retake the college entrance examination.
Teacher Liu gave everyone a helpless smile. Last year there were only two graduating classes with less than eighty students, but this year the number has increased to more than two hundred.
Most of the students who scored above the cutoff line received their admission notices, but Ji Xia's still hadn't arrived.
Some of the gossipy women in the village couldn't help but start talking behind his back, and the one who talked the most enthusiastically was naturally Lin Haodong's mother, Aunt Lin.
Lin Haodong is doing well at his job in the city, and his relationship with the daughter of the grain station manager, Director Yu, is progressing smoothly. They have already discussed their wedding date and are planning to get married at the end of the year.
Her son has climbed to a higher social status and has a brighter future than Ji Xia before. Lin's mother's status has also risen accordingly, and she has gained many friends who share her views.
A group of people watched as two educated youths from the educated youth compound left carrying their luggage, whispering among themselves.
"I heard that many people have received their admission notices, so why hasn't Secretary Ji's notice arrived yet?"
"Hehe, who knows if he'll even be able to come?"
"But everyone says she did very well on the test! They say she came in second place."
"Who saw it? Wasn't it just her bragging? Is it that easy for a woman to get into university?"
Lin's mother's smile was tinged with schadenfreude, and her eyes seemed to bloom with the color of a bright chrysanthemum. After a summer of scorching sun, her skin had darkened a few shades and become dry and wrinkled.
Yu Qiongyu has some family wealth, but she has a carefree personality and doesn't know how to meet Lin's mother's needs.
The country women just chuckled when they heard this, not daring to chime in loudly.
It's fine to chat with Granny Lin and gossip, but few women would be so foolish as to talk about Secretary Ji's daughter in the brigade.
Seeing that no one agreed, Lin's mother scoffed sarcastically, "I heard that all the young girls in the brigade were lured away by the Chen and Ji families. I wonder what shameless things they do in the city?"
Hearing Lin's mother's words, some people couldn't help but become interested and were about to ask what was going on when they heard several teenagers at the village entrance excitedly shouting, "It's here! The notice is here! Ji Xia's notice is here!"
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