Chapter 80 Quota Just then, the door of the ward was pushed open...
Just then, the door of the ward was pushed open and Hou Xianjun in a white coat walked in.
When Hou Feifei saw her brother, she felt like she had grabbed a life-saving straw, and the grievance in her heart was magnified. But she immediately became alert again, and her eyes nervously scanned back and forth between her brother and Cheng Xin, fearing that Cheng Xin would take the opportunity to show off or that her brother would notice her.
However, a scene that made her even more frustrated occurred. Her brother, whom she was so proud of, seemed to be no different from an ordinary doctor in their eyes.
Hou Xianjun glanced sharply at Cheng Xin and the other two. There was no expression on his face, but his tone was scrutinizing: "Are you Feifei's roommates? Thank you for visiting her. I am her brother."
His eyes stayed on Cheng Xin for a moment. The girl in front of him was tall and slender, wearing a beige windbreaker, with a skin as white as jade. A section of the collar of a light gray cashmere sweater was exposed under the windbreaker, paired with indigo blue flared jeans. The whole person was clean and refreshing, with a calm temperament beyond her age.
What his sister complained about the most at home was her country roommates, saying that they were scheming and pretentious. This image and temperament were completely different from what he imagined his sister would say about country people.
Chen Yuan gritted her teeth and said, "Fei Fei, how do you feel? Is it in a lot of pain?"
Hou Feifei uttered "hmm" in a muffled voice.
Guan Shengnan nodded to Hou Xianjun as a greeting: "Doctor Hou."
Cheng Xin also called out politely, "Doctor Hou." Her expression was calm, without any gloating or enthusiasm.
Hou Xianjun was somewhat surprised by Cheng Xin's neither humble nor arrogant attitude, which seemed different from the scheming woman he had imagined.
He did not show any emotion on his face, and briefly introduced Hou Feifei's injury: "It's a closed fracture in the middle of the left tibia, not too serious, she has been fixed with a plaster cast, she needs to be hospitalized for a week for observation, and then go home to recuperate for two to three months. Mainly rest, don't move around."
Chen Yuan responded stiffly: "Oh, then you have to take good care of Feifei."
Cheng Xin was not upset at all, she just came to visit her as the dormitory head and classmate.
She said calmly, "Hou Feifei, if the school needs any help, such as asking for leave or course notes, we can help convey or organize them."
Hou Xianjun looked at Cheng Xin's clear and frank eyes. He nodded slightly and thanked her on behalf of his sister in a gentle tone: "It's thoughtful. Thank you."
The visit didn't last long. The three of them said some words of comfort and then left.
Walking out of the ward, Chen Yuan muttered softly: "Hou Feifei's brother looks so serious."
Guan Shengnan said disapprovingly: "Her brother is still an actor with this kind of attitude. He can be a clown."
Chen Yuan said matter-of-factly, "She's not that ugly, with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a square face. She can be considered a village beauty in our village. It's a bit exaggerated to be an actress."
Cheng Xin stared at the floor in a daze. It was good that Hou Feifei had a fracture. At least she could have some peace and quiet for a while, instead of making the dormitory environment so smoky and polluted.
The door of the ward was closed, blocking out the sounds from outside.
Hou Feifei's grievance instantly turned into resentment and anger, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Hou Xianjun didn't notice his sister's emotions. He walked to the bed, his eyes still fixed on the door.
He casually asked his sister, "Fei Fei, that tall girl in a white windbreaker just now, is she the country girl you mentioned?"
This sentence was like igniting gunpowder.
Hou Feifei raised her head and her voice became sharp: "Brother, why are you asking her?! She is the Cheng Xin I told you about. She is just a country girl. My parents will never agree!"
She excitedly grabbed her brother's arm and said, "Brother, you have to find a local girl who is of the same social status as you. Country girls are very cunning and just want to climb up the social ladder and stay in Shanghai. Don't be fooled by them!"
Hou Xianjun was shocked by his sister's intense reaction and prejudiced words.
He frowned, staring at her face distorted by excitement, and said in a deep voice: "Fei Fei, what are you thinking about all day? What country people and city people? Who instilled these messed up regional discrimination concepts in you?"
He keenly thought of his sister's interpersonal relationships in the dormitory and asked directly: "Are you also talking about these things all day long in the dormitory, so your roommates don't want to pay attention to you, and they are perfunctory when they come to visit you?"
Hou Feifei was speechless under her brother's stern gaze and pointed questions. She lowered her head guiltily, her fingers grasping the quilt, as if she had acquiesced. Tears finally fell, but this time they were a mixture of shame, anger and grievance.
When Hou Xianjun saw his sister like this, he felt angry and helpless.
He sighed, sat down on the bed, and said in a more gentle tone: "Fei Fei, listen to me. When looking for a partner, the first thing to look at is the person himself. Look at his character, ability, and whether the two of you are compatible. External conditions such as region and household registration should be put at the back of the list."
"Especially your discriminatory attitude towards others is completely wrong! Don't be led astray by your parents' old ideas. You should learn to judge a person with your own eyes and heart."
Hou Feifei sobbed, and she barely listened to half of her brother's words. What kind of character and ability? All that swirled in her mind were the discussions and real-life examples of the neighboring aunts.
"But... but everyone says so!" She defended herself weakly, "Auntie Wang's sister in the alley was an educated youth sent to the countryside. Wasn't she deceived by the country people's sweet words and married into the countryside? Now she can't even go back. She can only get her child's household registration back to take up a place, and she is still farming in the countryside! Auntie Wang cries every day, saying that her daughter is hungry and cold in the countryside, how miserable. Brother, country people are just not good enough!"
She stubbornly used the case, whose authenticity she didn't know, as an argument, trying to convince her brother and herself of the correctness of her prejudice. Seeing that his sister was unmoved, Hou Xianjun knew that it would be difficult to change her mind in a short time, so he could only rub his brows tiredly, feeling deeply powerless.
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It was very cold in the library. Cheng Xin rubbed her red hands, picked up the hot water bottle on the table that was no longer warm, and went to the hot water room at the end of the corridor to refill it with water.
She held the scalding hot water bottle in her arms, the warmth penetrated through her thick cotton coat, and she sighed comfortably.
When she came back with the reheated hot water bottle, she found a neatly folded envelope on her notebook.
She sat down. Chen Yuan raised her head from her book, winked at her and whispered, "The boy at the opposite table just put it there. As soon as you left, he came over, put the letter down and left. Look, he's the one wearing a blue work jacket."
Cheng Xin didn't even look at the other person, she just picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a page of neatly written letter, which said that he noticed that she was studying hard and wanted to make friends with her, study together, and make progress together.
She read it calmly, folded the letter, stuffed it back into the envelope, and put it in the side pocket of her schoolbag.
"Who is it? Who is it? What's written?" Chen Yuan came over, her face full of curiosity.
"I don't know him." Cheng Xin opened the book and picked up a pen. "I wrote that I want to study together."
"That's it? Don't you want to see who it is? Aren't you curious?" Chen Yuan was a little disappointed.
Cheng Xin didn't even raise his head: "No need, I just want to study well."
She said seriously, "If I do well in the final advanced English test, I heard that I can be selected to work as an interpreter for foreign guests at the Overseas Chinese Hotel. I want to seize this opportunity."
Chen Yuan understood Cheng Xin's thoughts: "Yes, that opportunity is rare. Don't worry, I don't know that person. He sat opposite me reading a book for a long time and only let me go after seeing you leave."
"Okay, I see. Thank you for telling me." Cheng Xin smiled at Chen Yuan and then went back to her book.
A few days later, on a cold afternoon.
Cheng Xin saw Huang Cai, who was wrapped in a thick cotton-padded jacket and carrying a large bag, at the school gate.
"Sister Cai!" Cheng Xin walked over quickly and helped her carry her bag. "Why are you here in such a cold day?"
"Send some thick clothes to Jingming. The village has a batch of cotton, and everyone has bought some to make cotton-padded clothes to keep warm." Huang Cai's face was red from the cold, and she was breathing out white air. "I thought you were also in Shanghai, so I came to see you. Let's go to my house and sit for a while."
Cheng Xin followed Huang Cai through several busy streets and turned into a maze-like alley. The narrow corridor was lined with mottled brick walls, and overhead were clothes hanging out to dry, still dripping with water.
Huang Cai's home is in an old Shikumen house, with dim lighting. As soon as you enter the door, the smell of damp wood hits you in the face.
The small courtyard was filled with miscellaneous items. Huang Cai's uncle, parents, brother and sister-in-law were crowded into two rooms downstairs.
Huang Cai led Cheng Xin carefully up the steep wooden stairs. The attic was lower, so they could only bend over to get in.
In Huang Cai's parents' room, there was an iron bed against the wall, and her son Wu Jingming was sleeping on the upper bunk.
"Jingming, come down quickly and see who's here!" Huang Cai called softly.
A thin boy climbed down from the bed and glanced at Cheng Xin timidly. He was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket that didn't fit him well, and his pale face made his eyes look particularly large.
Cheng Xin's heart ached when she saw the skinny child. She thought of Xiaolei. When she was a child, she always took care of her younger brother during the busy farming season. At that time, her younger brother was skinny and small and followed her. Now that the family conditions are better, her younger brother has grown up.
She took Jingming's cold little hand and said, "Jingming, are you hungry? Auntie will take you to eat something hot, okay?"
Huang Cai waved her hands quickly: "No, no, it's too expensive!"
"Sister Cai, why are you being so polite to me? The child is still growing." Cheng Xin didn't say anything and walked out holding Jingming's hand.
A private snack shop opened at the entrance of the alley, with steam rising from the door.
Cheng Xin bought Jing Ming a bowl of hot wontons, ordered a tray of freshly steamed dumplings, and even asked the boss to heat up a cup of milk.
Jingming took small sips of the warm milk and ate wontons and buns in big mouthfuls, and his cheeks were soon filled with stuff.
Cheng Xin felt relieved when she saw that he was eating with relish.
"Eat slowly, don't burn yourself." Cheng Xin reminded carefully.
Huang Cai's eyes were fixed on her son, with red circles around her eyes.
Cheng Xin asked her softly: "Sister Cai, is a Shanghai hukou really that important? There is a girl from Shanghai in our dormitory who talks about her local hukou every day, as if she is superior to others." Sometimes she even didn't understand where Hou Feifei's sense of superiority came from.
Huang Cai sighed, her voice bitter: "It's important, of course it's important. Your brother-in-law and I lost our hukou, so we can only stay in the countryside. Jingming is different, his hukou is in Shanghai, so he can study, work, and get a house in the future. It doesn't matter if we suffer a little, as long as he can stay in Shanghai."
She looked at her son, full of pity and helplessness.
After eating, Cheng Xin and Huang Cai sent Jingming back to the alley.
When they reached the door, Jingming suddenly hugged Huang Cai's legs tightly, his little face flushed red, and he burst into tears: "Mom, I don't want to go back! I want to go back to the countryside with you and Dad, I don't want to be here alone, I don't want a Shanghai hukou anymore, I want my mom..."
Huang Cai's tears fell instantly. She squatted down and hugged her son tightly, choking with sobs: "Jingming, be good. Jingming, be obedient. Mom will be back to see you soon. You must study hard."
Cheng Xin stood aside, watching the mother and son hugging each other and crying, feeling upset and her nose was sore.
Huang Cai finally hardened her heart and stuffed her son, who was crying out of breath, back into his grandmother's arms. She wiped her tears and walked out, looking back every few steps.
Cheng Xin supported her trembling arm and just walked out of the alley, she ran into a figure walking cautiously with a cane. It was Hou Feifei. Her leg was still in a cast, but she could already walk slowly with the help of a cane.
Hou Feifei didn't expect to meet Cheng Xin here, and she didn't expect that Cheng Xin was supporting a woman with red and swollen eyes, who had obviously just cried.
She looked carefully and recognized that it was the daughter of Aunt Wang next door. She was stunned for a moment, her eyes swept back and forth between Cheng Xin and Huang Cai, with surprise and inquiry on her face.
How did Cheng Xin know Huang Cai? How did the two of them end up together? Why was Huang Cai crying?
"Cheng Xin?" Hou Feifei greeted with confusion, her eyes quickly swept over Huang Cai, which was an unspoken signal between neighbors, "Why are you here?"
Cheng Xin was a little surprised to meet Hou Feifei, but when she noticed Huang Cai beside her with her head down and not wanting to talk, she instinctively protected Huang Cai's privacy and her fragile emotions at the moment.
She was indifferent to Hou Feifei: "Well, I just happened to pass by." Then she stopped looking at her and said to Huang Cai in a gentle voice: "Sister Cai, let's go. I'll take you to the station."
Cheng Xin supported Huang Cai and walked straight past Hou Feifei without stopping or explaining.
Hou Feifei stood there with her crutches, watching them walk away.
Her family lived next door to the Huang family. The layout of the house was similar, with several generations living together. In her own small room, there was only a bed and a desk. She could hardly turn around, and she had to walk very carefully, for fear that she would collapse the thin floor if she moved too much.
The alley was filled with an old-fashioned atmosphere, and she usually felt suffocated there. But now, when she saw Cheng Xin appearing here and bumping into her on her way home, she suddenly felt inexplicably embarrassed and inferior.
"Why did she come here? Has she seen my house? Does she know that I also live in such a shabby place?" Hou Feifei was guessing wildly in her heart, feeling that there was a mockery hidden in Cheng Xin's indifferent glance just now.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Cheng Xin must have discovered something. Her face turned red and white, and she stood there suspiciously for a long time with her crutches, then moved towards her own narrower alley with a unhappy heart.
The voices of neighbors greeting each other in the alley sounded to her like they were talking about her family and her embarrassment at being seen by Cheng Xin.
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Huang Cai's eyes were red and swollen, and she looked in the direction the car was coming from in silence.
Cheng Xin sat next to her on the cold iron bench. She recalled Jing Ming's heart-wrenching cry and Huang Cai's distraught all the way. How could a mother not love her child? As a mother, Huang Cai must have felt even worse.
She felt sad for Huang Cai.
She turned sideways and asked softly, "Sister Cai, is there really no other way for you and your brother-in-law to return to Shanghai? Can we only wait for the policy?"
Huang Cai shook her head and smiled bitterly, "It's not that easy to wait for the policy. My family did tell me about a solution." She lowered her voice, "They said that as long as I divorce Wu Kai, my household registration can be moved back, and there will be room for me to live alone in the house."
"Divorce?!" Cheng Xin was shocked. "How can this be possible!"
"Yeah, how could I possibly agree to this!" Huang Cai's voice became excited, "Wu Kai is a very nice person, and we are truly together." She became depressed again, "But his family... ah."
Huang Cai seemed to have opened up her mouth, perhaps because she had been holding it in for too long and needed someone to talk to: "Wu Kai's house was allocated to employees, but it wasn't very big. Originally there were five of them, but later his eldest brother and younger brother got married, and the whole family squeezed together, with people even sleeping in the kitchen."
"Wu Kai is the second child, and he has been disliked by his parents since he was a child. He is the best student in the family and has the highest level of education, but what's the use? When they went to the countryside, his elder brother and younger brother took over their parents' jobs and stayed in Shanghai to get a stable job. He was the only one left, and no one cared about him, so he was forced to go to the countryside."
"The last time we went back, we wanted to see if we could stay there temporarily. His parents pointed at us and scolded us, saying that we were ungrateful and that we were going to kill them. They were just short of threatening us with death with a kitchen knife."
Huang Cai's voice was trembling, full of grievance and injustice for her husband: "His parents said that unless they die, don't even think about going back to take up space."
Cheng Xin felt cold at heart. She never thought that a local hukou could make her relatives so heartless. It was not enough to sacrifice a son, but they even blocked her son's way home.
"Just for a household registration." She murmured, feeling indescribably heavy and absurd.
The cold wind made my cheeks hurt.
Cheng Xin looked at the gray sky in the distance and suddenly remembered what her teacher had said at school.
She turned to look at Huang Cai, her eyes lit up: "Sister Cai! There is another way, you can pass the exam yourself!"
"Exam?" Huang Cai looked at her blankly.
"Yes! Take the college entrance examination!" Cheng Xin's tone was filled with excitement.
"You graduated from high school, so you have a solid foundation! If you take the college entrance examination and get admitted to a university, your household registration can be moved back with you. When you graduate from university, you can also take the postgraduate entrance examination. I heard from my teacher that the country will assign jobs to graduate students, and many good companies can stay in Shanghai! When the time comes, you can come back naturally, with a job and a household registration. The company will allocate you a house, and you can take Jingming back to take care of him!"
Huang Cai's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed.
"Take the college entrance examination, take the postgraduate entrance examination?" She shook her head, with deep inferiority and hesitation on her face. "Cheng Xin, you're talking too far-fetched. I can only teach elementary school knowledge now. I have forgotten all the high school textbooks. I may not even be able to get into college, let alone postgraduate study. Only the top students among you genuine college students can get in. How can I possibly do that?" The reality of the predicament made her hesitate.
Cheng Xin grabbed Huang Cai's cold hand and said anxiously, "How do you know if you don't try? Let me calculate it for you. It takes four years to get into college, and another three years to study for a master's degree, a total of seven years. Think about it, how old will Jingming be in seven years? He just started junior high school. If you work hard for seven years, you can come back with dignity, have a job and a residence permit, and be able to grow up with him!"
"But if you do nothing and just wait for Jingming to grow up and become independent before finding a way to bring you back, how long will it take? Fifteen years? Twenty years? Jingming will spend his entire childhood and adolescence without his mother. Can you bear it? Which one is more promising, seven years or fifteen years or even longer?"
Cheng Xin’s words struck Huang Cai’s heart.
Seven years later, her son was in junior high school and she was able to accompany him.
A faint hope ignited in Huang Cai's dead eyes. She grabbed Cheng Xin's hand with her backhand, her voice trembling with excitement: "Is it really possible? Can I really pick up my books and go to college?"
"Yes! You can!" Cheng Xin nodded vigorously, her eyes full of encouragement. "You have a high school education, which is a higher starting point than many people. We studied English together, and your English level is not bad. If you forget the textbook knowledge, you can start from scratch. Anyway, knowledge is dead. You teach the children in class during the day and study on your own in your spare time. If you are really unsure, you can sign up for night school. I will lend you my notes, and you can write to me if you encounter any problems you don't understand. Sister Cai, for Jingming, for your family, and for yourself, give it a try! It's worth it to spend seven years to reunite the family."
"Yeah!" Huang Cai nodded heavily, tears welling up again.
"I'll try! For Jingming and for myself. Cheng Xin, thank you, thank you for showing me the way."
In the distance, the bus whistle sounded as it entered the station.
Huang Cai wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and her eyes became firmer than ever before.
"I can do it."
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When the final exam results were announced, Cheng Xin unsurprisingly took first place in her major.
In the dormitory, Chen Yuan was holding her report card, happier than if she had gotten a high score herself: "Cheng Xin, you're in luck. Now you can go meet the foreign guests!"
Cheng Xin was not surprised at her own results. She didn't show it on her face, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards: "Well, wait for the official notification."
However, the final list posted on the bulletin board a few days later surprised everyone, as Guan Shengnan's name was clearly written on it.
"This... How is this possible?" Chen Yuan pointed at the list and stuttered, "Guan Shengnan's professional course scores are only in the upper middle level, and you are the first!"
Guan Shengnan was stunned by the news as soon as he entered the dormitory.
She squeezed to the bulletin board to confirm it, her brows furrowed, her face full of disbelief and offended anger: "What's going on? Anyone who wants this crappy spot can take it." She went straight to the Academic Affairs Office.
In the Academic Affairs Office, the counselor was having a headache dealing with Professor Zhang, Cheng Xin's professional teacher, who also came to inquire about the situation.
"Teacher Wang, what's wrong with the list? Cheng Xin's grades and oral skills are both top-notch, why is she not on the list?" Professor Zhang said in a serious tone with dissatisfaction.
The instructor looked embarrassed: "Professor Zhang, this... this is a comprehensive consideration of the institute. I don't know the specific arrangements..."
Before he could finish his words, the office door was pushed open, and Guan Shengnan rushed in like a gust of wind, demanding, "Teacher Wang, what's wrong with the list? Why is it me? Cheng Xin ranked first in the exam, why didn't you choose her!"
Teacher Wang was even more anxious about this situation: "Student Guan Shengnan, don't get excited. This is what the school leaders want."
"Dean of the hospital?" Guan Shengnan turned around immediately and said, "Okay, I'll go find the dean!" After saying that, he rushed out again in a hurry.
Professor Zhang saw this and said to Teacher Wang with a serious face, "I have to go and ask the dean for clarification too!"
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