Chapter 116 116

The acceptance letter arrived in the evening.

After a night's rest, Jiang Xi went back to the training team. When she came back to eat in the evening, she couldn't help but smile with tears in her eyes when she heard the good news.

She looked at Jiang Bai, who buried his face in his arms and cried silently, and wiped his face with the sleeve at his shoulder, and thought of their conversation many years later.

Many times, she asked him if he regretted it.

He always said firmly that he didn't regret it.

Only that time, she asked him if he regretted not repeating his studies to go to college?

He was silent for a long time and said that it was useless to regret.

He said that he was lying on the cold ground repairing the car in winter, and even if there was something underneath, he was still coughing from the cold.

He said his ears were frozen and bleeding, and the backs of his hands were all frozen and cracked. People in the barber shop next door were inside, looking at him outside and pointing and laughing at him.

He didn't know what those people were saying, but he knew they were laughing at him. He said that after so many years, I still remember that scene.

He also laughed and said that in the summer, when the sun was 30 or 40 degrees and the ground temperature was very high, he lay under the car while repairing it, and the sweat was as big as soybeans, rolling into his eyes, stinging his eyes and making him unable to open them. He was dirty and couldn't wipe it off.

But even such a life was the stability he had worked hard for a long time to get.

He had his own store, his own house, his own job, and he made his own money steadily.

She believed that what he said in the first few years that he had no regrets was true.

I also know that after many years of hardship in society, his regrets about the choices he made in his youth are real.

Maybe he will have fewer hardships and regrets in the future?

Thinking of this, Jiang Qi also smiled.

After receiving the university admission notice, they will prepare to go to Shanghai in advance to prepare for military training, but before that, he still called Jiang's father to tell him the good news.

After learning that his son got the acceptance letter, Jiang's father's heart was suddenly filled with something, as if some regret was finally filled. He smiled and said, "Good job, study hard. As long as you can study, I will support you to study for a master's or doctorate. Have you and your sister's savings books been opened? I will transfer them to you."

It was a big deal for her son to go to college. Jiang's mother was not stingy with her son's college tuition, but she was reluctant to give too much for living expenses: "Ten yuan a month is not enough, how much money will it cost? How much did we earn from working part-time in the past two years?"

"Besides, he is already 18 years old. Others get married and have sons at the age of 18. He is the mainstay of the family. He is now eating and spending money at home. Can't he make money during the winter and summer vacations? How much money can he spend at school?"

Jiang's mother is a very frugal person. How frugal is she? After Jiang's father salted duck feet, he thought that salting is convenient. Just wash them, add salting bags, put the ingredients in a large steel bucket, and cook them on the stove. This can bring him some extra income.

So he bought dried tofu, chicken legs, duck legs, duck heads and necks, chicken feet and duck feet, and salted them together in the pot.

Jiang's mother was responsible for cleaning the ingredients at home. Seeing that the chicken legs and duck drumsticks were big and plump, she would cut off a piece of meat the size of a thumb from the top of the chicken legs and duck drumsticks without affecting their complete appearance.

They have been selling salt for a few days now, and they can sell about a hundred duck legs and chicken legs every day, which means that she can cut out two large bowls of duck meat and muscle pieces from the duck legs and chicken drumsticks she sells. She pickled all these thumb-sized pieces of chicken and duck meat and made them into bacon and duck meat.

Jiang's father thought it was troublesome and asked her not to do it. Jiang's mother argued: "I can save two bowls of meat a day, and I can save at least several dozen kilograms of dried chicken legs and duck legs in a year." She glared at Jiang's father and said: "Don't think that we have made some money this year and spend it lavishly. This meat may seem small, but when you go back home for the New Year, you must bring something back. Whether I go back to my parents' home or visit relatives and friends, taking this bowl of dried chicken legs with me is more delicious than anything else!"

Jiang's father laughed. After all, it was Jiang's mother who did it and it would not be a trouble for him. He smiled and said: "Okay, cut it if you want." Jiang's mother cut the meat in a very clever position and the cut was not big. Others could not tell that there was a finger-sized piece of meat missing from the chicken or duck leg.

The same is true in life. The biggest conflict between her and Jiang's father is that Jiang's father spends one yuan or fifty cents more.

Jiang's father always thinks that it is not worth quarreling over such a matter of fifty cents. In order to avoid quarreling with her, he might as well keep some money for himself and not tell Jiang's mother how to spend it, so as to avoid quarreling.

But for Jiang's mother, who has been used to spending every penny carefully for so many years, wasting money and spending money recklessly is a great sin for her. Not to mention quarreling over fifty cents or one yuan, she thinks it is worth quarreling even if Jiang's father spends one cent more.

She is really tired of the poor and difficult days in the past few years.

In order to save on vegetable costs, they not only had to ride ten kilometers every day to the wholesale market to buy food ingredients, but when Jiang's father went to sell lunch boxes, Jiang's mother cleaned up a piece of wasteland behind her house and planted potatoes, corn, peanuts, cabbage and other vegetables after washing and cutting vegetables.

In Jiang's mother's own words, it was a little tiring to open the field, but in the future it would just be watering every day, a simple thing, why bother?

The couple, one was thinking about how to make money all day, and the other was thinking about saving money all day.

After sending Jiang Bai's tuition and part of his living expenses to Jiang Bai, Jiang's father secretly sent Jiang Qing's tuition to her and told Jiang Bai to call him if he didn't have enough money.

Jiang Qing didn't say anything when he received the 800 yuan from Jiang's father.

She had every right to take the money. Not to mention that she was still a minor, it was his responsibility to support her. It was just that Grandpa Jiang had used all his salary to subsidize Jiang's father for so many years. Even if she didn't use the money, wasn't it her duty to honor Grandpa Jiang?

Jiang Xi had to attend the training class and couldn't leave, so Grandpa Jiang took Jiang Bai back to the village to worship their ancestors.

The people who were grazing cattle on the dike saw Grandpa Jiang coming back and asked him curiously, "Lao Fa Cai, you and your grandson Shuangduo can't come back. The Shuangduo is over, why did you come back? Shuangduo has too much work to do at your eldest son's house, and you have to hire people to do it."

Grandpa Jiang walked slowly on the dike with his back hunched, and shouted to the people grazing cattle below the dike, "I My grandson has been admitted to university, I must come back and tell my ancestors about it!"

The water in the Shahe River has receded, and after harvesting the rice and planting the rice seedlings, the pumps at the hydropower station have started pumping water day and night. However, because of the heavy rain this year, even after three days and three nights of pumping, the riverbed has not been exposed this year, so this year we can't go fishing on the river beach like last year.

The rain made the grass on this side of the riverbank lush and green. Every day, the old people and children drove the cattle to graze on the riverbank, and the children jumped into the river to fish or pick lotus.

The old people were not as energetic as the children, so they watched the children, making sure they didn't drown, and picked some water chestnuts and lotus to feed the children at home. Then they sat on the riverbank and chatted.

Hearing Grandpa Jiang's words, the old people sitting on the river bank couldn't sit still anymore. They stood up and ran towards Grandpa Jiang. They looked at Jiang Bai who was supporting Grandpa Jiang and said, "Is it true? Your little second son really got into college?"

Grandpa Jiang's face was as happy as a blooming chrysanthemum. His deep wrinkles were stretched out, and his hunched back straightened a little. He said proudly, "How could it be false? We are back to worship our ancestors this time, and we will report to the school when we go back!"

He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth. He wanted to pretend to be calm, but he couldn't.

The other old men all looked at Jiang Bai, who was now 1.82 meters tall and thin: "My dear, your second son seemed quiet when he was little, and everyone said that your eldest son was smart and a potential college student. Who knew that the eldest son failed the exam and the second son did!"

"Now your family has three college students!"

"There are only five college students in the village, and your family has three. This is really a blessing from your ancestors. It must be because your grandfather (the name for their father) was buried well and is blessing you. We will come back to pay our respects!"

In addition to Jiang Guoan and Jiang Guoliang, the son of the brigade secretary, the old man who has the best relationship with Grandpa Jiang, and the grandson of the old man who runs the old store at the entrance of the village also got admitted to college.

The old man's son is promising. He opened a kiln factory in the neighboring city. After a fierce competition for projects this year, his son was good at networking and took on the construction project of the neighboring city's expressway. Not only did he buy a house in the neighboring city, but his life is getting better and better. He has always been the only one among the old men in the village.

Now the old rich man has three college students in his family, which has suddenly stolen the limelight from his old man. Grandpa Jiang is so proud with his skinny chest puffed out!

When they arrived at the entrance of the village, the old men who were sitting under the locust tree on the waterproof platform of the old store at the entrance of the village to enjoy the cool air saw Grandpa Jiang walking back slowly. They stood up and shouted in surprise: "Oh! Old Facai is back!"

"Daguo! Daguo! Look, isn't that your old man back!"

Jiang Daguo, who had just had a break after the double robbery, was incredulous when he heard that his old man was back: "Why is he back now? The double robbery is over."

"It's really your old man. Your nephew is home too!"

Everyone on the platform stood up. Jiang Daguo also stood up. Seeing that it was Jiang Bai who brought Grandpa Jiang back, he couldn't help but mutter, "This old man is really something. He didn't come back early or late. He just finished the double robbery yesterday and he brought the second kid back. I don't know what he came back for."

Seeing Grandpa Jiang wearing a thin polo shirt and black pants without patches, his complexion was obviously better than the last time he came back for Qingming Festival. The old men on the platform couldn't help but say, "Old Fa Cai has been out for a year, but he looks good."

"Can picking up rags outside support people? Not only does he look better, but he's also in good spirits."

"Seeing him smile like that, I know it's a good thing." Thinking that Jiang Bai would also take the college entrance examination this year, the old man who ran the old store at the entrance of the village asked Grandpa Jiang with a smile: "Did your second son get into college?"

Grandpa Jiang walked up to the platform step by step with a proud expression on his face. He sat on the stone pier on the platform with his big horse and golden sword, and said happily: "My little grandson got into college! Hahahaha!" Everyone

on the platform, including the nearby neighbors, heard it and laughed happily: "The second son got into college? This is really great news!"

"The big guy has finally gotten his wish. There is another college student in his family!"

"How come their family has so many college students, three already? Could it be that the ancestral tomb is a good place to bury them?" For a while, many people thought of finding Taoist priests or monks to relocate their ancestral tombs. Those who had elderly people in their families also coveted the ancestral tomb of Jiang's father's family, and wanted to be buried next to the tomb of Jiang's father's grandparents after they died.

Grandpa Jiang smiled even more proudly. Seeing him so proud, the old man in the store also smiled proudly and said, "You have three college students in your family. Don't I have one in my family? Maybe there will be two soon!"

The old man has two grandsons and one granddaughter. The eldest grandson also passed the college entrance examination last year. The eldest granddaughter is the same age as Jiang Bai and is studying in a high school in the neighboring city. She will also take the college entrance examination this year. His son's family has settled in the neighboring city and only comes back for two days during the Chinese New Year. Therefore, the village is not familiar with his grandsons and granddaughters, so they don't have much feeling.

But Jiang Bai grew up in front of them. Seeing the beautiful girl who was raised as a little girl when she was young, she suddenly grew so tall, grew into a big man, and became a college student. For a while, they all sighed that time passed so quickly.

Someone else said, "Your second son is about 18 or 19 years old this year, right? Is he going to find a partner? My mother's side has a niece who is very pretty. She can earn more than 300 yuan a month in the factory and bring back 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a year to her family. Maybe she's doing it. When she comes back for the New Year, I'll introduce her to your second son!"

"Come on, your second son is a college student now, and he will look for a college student in the future. Even if he doesn't look for a college student, he'll at least want a high school student, right?" said the old man who ran the shop.

He said to Jiang Bai earnestly: "Second boy, you are still young, don't rush to find a partner. When you go to college, do your best to study hard. If you meet a suitable person in college, try to find one in college. Your parents have finally supported you, so don't come back again!"

It is not easy for people here to get out of the mountains.

A sand river divides the people on both sides of the river into two. It has been many years since the charcoal mountain on the other side of the river was electrified, and it is their turn to have electricity here. There are power outages every two or three days. For many years, many people have looked at the brightly lit charcoal mountain on the other side of the river at night when there is a power outage, hoping that electricity will come soon.

The roads and bridges were blocked, and people drove tricycles. They still had to rely on boats to get out. Without boats, it would take more than an hour to walk along the river bank to reach Tanshan on the other side. If they rode bicycles, they had to carry their bicycles across the river.

So his son was able to buy a house and settle down in the neighboring city. He only came back a few days a year, and the old man would not let them come back.

What were they going to do? Stay in this remote mountain village forever and dig for food in the fields?

All of a sudden, the news that Jiang Bai was admitted to Shanghai University quickly spread throughout Jiangjia Village.

At this time, the villagers did not mind the Jiang family's small and shabby house. They came to the Jiang family with vegetables, meat, eggs, chickens, fish, etc. People from the third branch of the family would come to give red envelopes to the Jiang family, two yuan from your family, three yuan from my family. Even the brigade secretary, brigade leader, and village head heard about it and came to the Jiang family.

The brigade also specially gave Jiang Bai a cash reward of 50 yuan, asking him to study hard, not to forget the cultivation of the motherland, not to forget his hometown, not to forget our Linhe Brigade, and forget the village.

The brigade secretary patted Jiang Bai's arm with emotion. He looked at him and could hardly recognize him. Jiang Bai was so handsome that he looked like someone from a TV show, and his height was almost as tall as his father. "Your father called me to ask for your contact information before, wanting to know if you were admitted to the university. Only a few days later, the good news came." He patted his arm again: "Good boy!"

"You and my family's Shengzhi and Hehua are all brothers and sisters. The future belongs to you young people. You young people should get together more often in the future. Come to my house more often during the Chinese New Year. You are all college students, so you will have something to talk about when you are together."

He already knew that Jiang's father and mother were good-looking. From the previous generation to this generation, the Jiang family has been better than the previous one. Jiang Song is not to mention. From the small village, from the grandparents in their seventies and eighties to the boys and girls of a few years old, who doesn't like him?

Jiang Bai was not obvious when he was a child, but who knew that now he is really... How do you say that? Bright as the moon!

Looking at Jiang Bai, who was now standing quietly beside Grandpa Jiang and smiling shyly in the face of everyone's praise, the brigade secretary had only this thought in his mind: he was just like the bright moon rising slowly into the sky. He had just been admitted to the university, and he looked like he was from a different world from them.

After these people dispersed, Uncle Jiang also took out fifty yuan and gave it to Jiang Bai, saying to Jiang Bai with emotion: "You will be the most promising of your generation in the future! Your three brothers will be like me in the future, working as bricklayers in the village. You have a skill that will not make you rich even if you starve to death. I don't know what your eldest brother will be like in the future. Since you have been admitted, you should study hard. This generation depends on you."

Who would have thought that among the five boys in his and his younger brother's generation, he, the youngest and most inconspicuous one, would be admitted.

He originally wanted to give 30 yuan, but the brigade gave 50 yuan. As Jiang Bai's uncle, facing a nephew who obviously has a promising future, he couldn't give less than the brigade, so he simply gave 50 yuan, which made Jiang's uncle very distressed.

Jiang's aunt reminded him, "It's such a big event that the second boy got into college. Don't you have to go to your uncle's house to announce the good news?"

Getting into college is really a big deal for them. Families with a good financial situation will hold a banquet.

But for some reason, Jiang's mother was not at home, and Jiang Bai had no desire to go to his uncle's house to announce the good news. However, it was a courtesy, and he had to announce it, so he had to say, "I will go back to Wucheng tomorrow to register for school, and I have to go through military training first."

Uncle Jiang and his aunt Jiang didn't know what military training was, so they said to Jiang Bai, "Go to the brigade headquarters and call your mother to see how to announce the good news."

This announcement was not a simple announcement, the people there were going to give red envelopes here.

Jiang Bai had really never experienced such a thing, and he didn't understand it, so he listened to his aunt Jiang and called Jiang's mother.

After listening to Jiang Bai, Jiang's mother patted her head and said, "Look at me, I only worry about Songzi's affairs and forgot to announce Jiang Bai's admission to university."

She called her brothers and sisters one by one.

Jiang's mother has seven brothers and sisters. Except for her older brother, she raised all the younger brothers and sisters. When she heard that Jiang Bai was admitted to university, she was very happy and shouted, "Oh my God, Jiang Bai was admitted to university!"

Their news was notified to each other, and everyone was very surprised.

They thought that among the three children in their aunt's family, someone might be admitted to university, but no one thought that it would be Jiang Bai who had been quiet and had no sense of existence.

But whether it was Jiang Song or Jiang Bai, their nephew's admission to university was a great event that brought them glory. They all agreed to go to Jiangjia Village together to announce the good news. If there were brothers or sisters who were working outside, they would help to make red envelopes together.

My uncle’s family was well-off because my grandfather had always been the captain. When he was young, he was the junior captain. Later, he became the senior captain of the village and then the captain of Tanshan. They respected Jiang’s mother and agreed on the amount of red envelopes. Each family gave Jiang Bo a red envelope of 28.8 yuan. During the period, there was a lot of praise and courtesy.

Jiang Bo not only had no sense of existence in the Jiang family, but also in my uncle’s family.

My uncle’s family valued the eldest son and grandson, so they always valued Jiang Song more. No matter what happened, they would call Jiang Song. Jiang Bo was either a little tail behind Jiang Song, or he seemed to be able to turn himself invisibly. Everyone could not see him and ignored him.

Now this boy who could turn himself invisibly has finally eliminated his invisibility spell and officially stood in front of everyone. Everyone began to look at him squarely.