Chapter 255: College Entrance Examination
First, the leaders of the commune went to the county to hold a meeting, followed by a meeting of commune cadres, a meeting of school teachers, and a meeting of the various brigades. Radios and loudspeakers started blaring one after another, announcing the good news.
"The college entrance examination has been resumed, and I can apply for university now!"
The culturally impoverished villagers in the mountain villages didn't react much to the idea of college entrance exams. College seemed too far away for them. All they cared about was better weather and a better harvest. It would be even better if they had to pay less grain to the government. The bumper harvests of spring and autumn would not only provide for the stored grain, but also provide more food for their bellies.
Zhang Hongying sighed a few times: "If we had taken the college entrance examination two years earlier, maybe our family would have had a college student!"
Lu Mingjiang chuckled, "I'm content with just having a high school student. I've never thought about having a college student, and I don't dare to think about it."
Life was good now. He could still work, earning work points. His son, daughter-in-law, and daughter all had jobs. Not to mention the salary, even the subsidies they received during the holidays were more than enough to support them. Who else could have such a life? This kind of good life was something he could never have imagined during his earlier years of hardship. He was content.
The members of the team didn't pay much attention to the matter of taking the college entrance examination, but the educated youth in the team were extremely excited.
Everyone can take the college entrance examination, which is equivalent to opening a new road for them to return to the city.
The few educated youth at the educated youth site were fine, but the worst hit were those who had married local people here. They had already thought about returning home and were planning to settle down here for the rest of their lives, but they were devastated by this sudden news.
Who wants to stay here if they can go back?
There was no comparison between the city and the countryside. Especially since this time he was taking the college entrance exam, returning as a university student would not only bring honor to his family but also a promising future.
But is the college entrance examination really that easy? Is it really that easy to pass? No one considers this question. A single spark can quickly start a prairie fire.
The educated youth in the production team began asking for leave, as did the teachers in the school, and even the factory workers. Everyone, regardless of whether they had studied in junior high or high school, used the remaining time to frantically absorb knowledge from books. The deserted scrap collection station in the county town was bustling with people, piles of rat-gnawed and incomplete books being flipped over and over by a group of educated youth.
Lu Chun'e also took leave and returned to Lujiazui. When she returned to Lujiazui, Liu Chaoxing's house was in chaos.
Because Hu Xiujuan is going to take the college entrance examination.
Hu Xiujuan was a man with many calculations, but Liu Daquan was sincere and devoted to her. Before this, she had planned to stay here forever. After all, she was dispensable in her original family, and it was impossible for them to use their connections to take her back. That's why she chose to marry a man from a seemingly well-off family with an honest character.
She gave birth to two children. The first one was a girl who was about the same age as Chuyi, and the younger one was a boy who was two years old. A boy and a girl made up a perfect family, and her life was happy and fulfilling.
She had accepted her fate and planned to live like this for the rest of her life, but who knew that such good news would come out of nowhere.
The thought of returning home suddenly grew, like a tornado that swept away everything else in her mind. She didn't care about home, her man, her children, she wanted to take the college entrance examination, she wanted to go back to the city!
The idea of having two children and going to college was a joke. Regardless of whether they would pass or not, Zhou Meiying knew that her daughter-in-law had become unruly and no longer cared about the family.
Although she is uneducated, she knows how to inquire around. If she goes to college, her food supply will be transferred along with her, and then the family will be completely broken up.
She absolutely would not allow it.
Hu Xiujuan didn't care whether she allowed it or not, she just tried her best to coax Liu Daquan. However, she didn't expect that Liu Daquan, who usually obeyed her in everything, was unusually difficult to talk to when it came to his family. It was the first time in all the years of their marriage that he got angry.
The two had a big fight, and Hu Xiujuan packed her clothes and bedding and left that day, going to the educated youth site. She didn't want her husband or her child anymore. She wanted to study, review, take the college entrance exam, and go back to the city.
Liu Daquan went to the educated youth site to pick up the people but couldn't get them back. Zhou Meiying took her two children to the educated youth site to make a fuss, and everyone in the team watched the fun as if they were watching a big show.
As time went by, the fire in Liu Chaoxing's house spread quietly to Lu Mingjiang's house.
After all, they also have a daughter-in-law who is an educated youth.
Zhou Meiying grabbed Zhang Hongying in the field as if she had found a soulmate and wouldn't let go: "Tell me, what kind of fate did we have to give birth to such a troublesome thing. We can't even find a partner in the whole country. We have to like people from the city, people with culture. These cultured people in the city are opinionated and wild. When they can use you, they cling to you more than anyone else, but when they're no longer needed, they kick you away. For so many years, Daquan has treated her like the apple of his eye. Our family has never wronged her in the slightest, but she is so cruel. She doesn't want her husband anymore, and she doesn't want her own child either. Even cats and dogs, after so many years of coddling a litter, should be warmed up, but why can't she be warmed up?"
Zhang Hongying was extremely anxious after hearing her tearful words.
Although Wen Wan didn't make a fuss, she was also an educated youth from the city. A group of people, whether married or not, were clamoring to take the college entrance examination like crazy. It was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't be moved.
Wen Wan was a little moved, but even though she was moved, she did not put it into action.
She knew the news about the college entrance examination before it reached Ganling, the news that Xu Qingming brought to her.
The Xu family sent a telegram to Xu Qingming and then wrote a letter.
Xu Qingming told her about it in early September, and when the news spread, he came to Lu's house to find her.
Under the pretext of borrowing books, Lu Chun'e had a complete set of junior high school textbooks. After she entered the textile factory, this set of textbooks was taken away by Wen Wan for use.
At this moment, the members of the team had not yet finished work, but Xu Qingming did not go to work. The educated youth at the educated youth center did not go to work either. They were all trying to find high school textbooks, whether they could understand them or not.
He didn't join in the fun over there, but went straight to Wen Wan.
Wen Wan was also aware of the team's recent situation. She invited him into the house and poured him some water before asking him, "Are you planning to take this opportunity to go back?"
Xu Qingming looked at her several times, and nodded after a long while. "I will be 25 after the Chinese New Year, Anbao. I can't stay here with you forever. One reason I came here was that the trend in the capital was not right, and the Xu family had to consciously take a step back, so I had to go to the countryside. Another reason was that my grandparents and my father asked me to come here to watch over you and not let you suffer any harm. If the Xu family doesn't fall, I will take you back safely when the time comes."
Wen Wan was stunned for a moment, staring at him blankly, unable to speak for a long time.
Xu Qingming gave a bitter laugh: "I don't have any prejudice against the countryside. If my father and my family were here, there would be nothing wrong with me settling down here. However, my home and my relatives are over there, so I have to go back."
"Originally, I've been watching, waiting, and wondering if Lu Dongping from the Lu family is really good to you. I've been waiting for the day when you regret and want to go back. Until the last time my uncle came, I finally understood. You want to stay here and not go back, right?"
Wen Wan felt a little uncomfortable and nodded slowly: "I'm sorry, Seventh Brother." It was difficult to make a decision, but she had already made it and didn't want to waver.
Xu Qingming sneered, "Don't tell me you're sorry. None of us can be with you forever. What you choose is what matters most." He sighed deeply and said, "When my uncle left, he asked me when I would go back. I was actually quite confused at the time. I was thinking, what can I do if I go back like this? Joining the army means I've missed my best years. Even if I can make connections and get other arrangements, I won't be able to get a high-end job, nor a low-end one. Now I have finally made my goal clear. I want to go back, not by relying on my family's support, but by taking the exam to go back and use this opportunity to create a good future for myself."
The room was quiet for a moment, and then Dandan ran in. He bravely caught a bug and showed it to Wen Wan in his palm: "Mom, bug, bug."
Wen Wan's sore eyes eased a little, and she grabbed his hand and said, "I'm going to lose it, it's going to bite my hand, it hurts!"
Seeing that she looked serious and didn't seem to be faking it, Dandan quickly ran out and threw away the worm that had been squeezed to death and had even its shit squeezed out.
Wen Wan got some water to wash his hands before continuing to talk to Xu Qingming. "Seventh Brother, it's great that you've made this decision. You're already twenty-five, and you shouldn't waste any more time. We're all adults now, and we all have our own lives to live. You can see I'm living well here. The conditions in the capital are good, but they're not necessarily as comfortable as here. Besides, even if it's a little far away, the policies are getting better and better, so it's not impossible for me to go back to see you in the future."
Wen Wan stood up and went into the house. When she came out, she had a stack of books in her hands. "These are all Chun'e's. I sorted them out. In addition to the notes she made earlier, I also took some notes when I was studying later. Now that the wind has just blown, everyone is like crazy. I guess it will be difficult to get the books. Just look at these."
Xu Qingming didn't answer. "I have the books. I started preparing them after I received the telegram from home. I went to the county scrap yard and found a whole set. After all, I finished high school. If I familiarize myself with them a little more, there shouldn't be any problem."
Wen Wan was confused about his purpose in coming here. To say goodbye to her? The exam hadn't come yet. Besides, even if he passed, he wouldn't be able to return to the capital until the end of the year. Wasn't it too early to say goodbye now?
Xu Qingming took the initiative to clear up her doubts: "I came here to tell you that even if you don't go back, you can still consider taking the college entrance examination."
Wen Wan looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
Xu Qingming continued, "When we went to school before, high school was the end of the school life. Back then, high school graduates were the highest diplomas they could get. But now, suddenly, you can take the college entrance exam again. No matter if you were a high school student or a junior high school student, you have to try, like passing a level. There are so many educated young people in the country. In the future, college will be the highest diploma. When there are more college students, high school graduates will no longer be popular. You who are working in education now should also understand that no matter where you are, no matter when, you must make progress. If you don't make progress, you will regress, and if you fall behind, you will be punished."
"I really can't leave Lu Dongping and the kids behind. It would be nice to get into a university closer to here so I can come back during the holidays. This is the first year, and the level of the educated youth varies. I don't think it's too difficult. But as more people go to university, it will definitely get harder. Besides, you're still young, and if you don't strive for progress year after year, it will be even harder to make further progress later."
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