While Liu Meiyu was preparing for the college entrance examination in advance, the twin daughters of Wu Guifang's neighbor, Daya and Erya, graduated from high school and were going to the countryside.
Wu Guifang has four children. The eldest, Song Tianlei, was drafted into the army a few years ago and has never returned. Now the eldest and second daughters have to go to the countryside, and Song Jinbao is the only one left to accompany them. She is inevitably a little sad. When she works at the supply and marketing cooperative, it is difficult for her to smile at others every day.
When Liu Meiyu went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two bags of salt, she saw Wu Guifang sighing several times behind the counter.
"Sister-in-law, don't be so sad. Da Ya and Er Ya are not far from home. They may come back one day."
"Alas, this is the first time they have left me since they grew up. I wanted to stop worrying, but they are two girls..." The children were going to leave the next day, and Wu Guifang would secretly wipe away tears whenever she mentioned it.
The place where Daya and Erya went to work in the countryside was not far away, but it was also in an unfamiliar rural area. The two girls had finally managed to leave their hometown and live a good life for a few years, but as soon as they finished this book, they had to go to the countryside again.
"It's useless to worry so much, sister-in-law. Da Ya and Er Ya are leaving tomorrow. You might as well prepare some things for them to take with them. Remember to let them take a look at the exercise books I gave them when they have time. It's best to let them bring their high school textbooks so that they can remember to study wherever they go."
When Daya and Erya left, Liu Meiyu didn't know what to give them, so she simply gave them an exercise book that she bought from a scrap recycling station, and a box of cookies.
Wu Guifang nodded and was always very obedient to what Liu Meiyu told her to do. Even though she felt that her daughter-in-law might not have time to study when she went to the countryside to do farm work, she still repeatedly reminded her daughter-in-law according to Liu Meiyu's instructions.
"By the way, Zhu Gang, the son of Captain Zhu, is also clamoring to go to the countryside. I heard that he secretly went to register yesterday and is in the same place as my daughters. He will leave in the next few days."
"Gangzi also went to the countryside? Isn't he too old?" Liu Meiyu was surprised.
Wu Guifang regained some spirits when she talked about gossip. "He started school late just now, just a month or two late. I don't know how he told others, but his name was registered anyway. He made headmaster Zhu so angry that he almost got into a fight outside yesterday. Fortunately, teacher Zhou stopped him."
Wu Guifang thought that Zhu Gangzi was making a fuss about going to the countryside because of the fact that his father, Captain Zhu, was dating Teacher Zhou.
Zhu Gangzi's mother died early, and he and his grandfather have been living on their own for so many years. Suddenly, there is a new mistress in the family. Others think it's a good thing, but no one knows what Zhu Gangzi thinks. Everyone on the island knows that Gangzi has a bad temper, so no one dares to ask him anything in front of him.
Not long ago, Team Leader Zhu and Teacher Zhou had just decided to get married, but now he is clamoring to go to the countryside. Anyone would think too much about the reason behind this.
"Children have their own ideas when they grow up." Liu Meiyu didn't want to talk about what happened to Captain Zhu's family. Last year, her three children took Teacher Zhou to visit Captain Zhu's home. Who could have thought that they would end up in a relationship.
It's not a big deal that Captain Zhu and Teacher Zhou are in love freely, but the key is Gangzi. Suddenly, the teacher becomes his stepmother. Although Zhou Qiuhe is divorced, she is only in her thirties. There is no guarantee that Gangzi will have younger brothers and sisters in the future.
Not only is it difficult to be a stepmother, it's also not easy to be a stepson!
"mother!"
Liu Meiyu then chatted with Wu Guifang for a while at the supply and marketing cooperative. When she returned home from school and didn't see her mother's triplets, she ran to look for them as soon as she dropped her schoolbag.
"What's wrong?" Liu Meiyu thought something was wrong with them. Seeing the three brothers running like they were in a 100-meter sprint, they rushed over and said, "Run slower. Don't cry if your front teeth fall out."
When Xiaobao heard this, he quickly covered his mouth, and was one step behind his two brothers.
Dabao and Erbao ran to Liu Meiyun and hugged one of her legs. Erbao smiled happily, "Mom, Xiaobao failed the exam! My brother and I both passed!"
"Don't say that!" Xiaobao chased after Erbao and covered his mouth angrily.
Dabao pushed the second and third children away and hugged his mother, his face full of pride: "Mom, the teacher praised me for my progress!"
"Really? Dabao is awesome."
Liu Meiyu rubbed her eldest son's face, and the second and third sons did not leave out either, praising the three brothers in various ways.
After knowing the scores of the three brothers in the first grade of elementary school, Liu Meiyu praised and encouraged them on the surface, but she was worried in her heart. Although Dabao and Erbao passed, their scores were really terrible. Not to mention Xiaobao, he was far from the passing line.
Although we cannot measure children by scores, there is such a huge gap between them at the starting line. The three brothers are used to being clever at home, but they act wildly at school. With such low scores, it is obvious that they did not listen to the teacher carefully in class.
However, since they had made progress compared to last time, they still needed encouragement. Liu Meiyu bought some bubble gum as a reward for the three brothers, and simply tricked them into doing some work, asking them to help carry back the bag of potatoes that Wu Guifang had sent.
"Your three are still the most lively ones."
Wu Guifang was watching with envy behind the counter. Unlike her own children, who were all grown up now and were either joining the army or going to work in the countryside, even Song Jinbao had grown into a little adult and was not as crybaby and spoiled as he was when he was a child.
"Sister-in-law, I'm going back first. I'll come back to send Da Ya and Er Ya off tomorrow." Liu Meiyu was distracted by the chattering of the three brothers and couldn't hear what Wu Guifang was saying. She just wanted to go home quickly to have some peace and quiet.
Xiaobao and Erbao carried a bag of potatoes together and walked slowly in front, while Dabao held two bottles of soy sauce.
"Has your aunt come back?" Liu Meiyu followed slowly behind with empty hands.
"Yeah," Dabao nodded, "My aunt said we should have tomato and egg noodles tonight."
Liu Meiyun fried the tomatoes and eggs before she came out to make soy sauce. Lu Wanjun went back and started making noodles directly. When the mother and her two children returned home, the hot noodles were ready on the table.
Liu Bowen quickly put away the homework and helped to get the dishes and chopsticks.
"You finished your homework so quickly?"
Liu Bowen shrugged and replied to his sister with a relaxed expression: "It's too easy. It will be done in ten minutes."
Cyndi Lau: "So are you going out to play after dinner?"
Liu Bowen shook his head, "I'm not going out today. We just finished the exam. Jinbao failed and has to go home to correct his paper. The teacher will check it tomorrow."
Liu Bowen started the first grade of junior high school this year. He has grown very fast, and his facial features are handsome. His academic performance is also well-known, especially in mathematics. He has never failed to get full marks. He has long gone from being called a burden to being the child of other people in the eyes of his parents.
When Liu Meiyun heard that he couldn't leave, she quickly said, "If you have nothing to do, teach Dabao and the others some lessons and help them correct their papers. They will listen to you more."
Liu Bowen's mouth twitched. His sister started to fool people again. When they were young, she tricked him and the triplets who couldn't understand what they were saying into talking to themselves for several months. Now she was using the same trick again.
He is in junior high school and he is not stupid.
"Sister, why don't you teach yourself?"
It’s not that Liu Bowen was unhappy, he just didn’t understand.
"I still have work to do after dinner, and I want to read a book or something." Liu Meiyun has been reading and studying during this period. She made excuses and even offered tempting conditions: "If you help me teach them during this winter vacation so that they can make more progress next semester, I will reward you with a pair of Warrior sneakers."
"No problem! Sister, I will definitely teach you well!"
In order to get a pair of new sneakers, Liu Bowen confidently agreed to tutor the triplets.
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Liu Meiyun thought for a moment and added, "Then let's make a deal. Your Aunt Lu will be a witness. Once you've promised, you are not allowed to regret it, let alone give up halfway."
"Don't worry, sister!" Liu Bowen assured, patting his chest.
So after dinner, the triplets were taken back to the room by their uncle to do their homework.
When Lu Changzheng came back, he saw a commotion in his sons' room, so he pushed open the door and looked inside. The three brothers were sitting there like thieves, and they immediately straightened up. Next to them, Liu Bowen was lying on the table with his head down, and he had not even finished half of the test papers on the table.
"Wife, we are both so smart and eager to learn, why are our three sons lagging behind me in terms of academic performance after just entering the first grade?"
Lu Changzheng was surprised. He always thought that these three boys of his were quite smart and should not be stupid, but they got such a score in the exam.
"They just started school, the novelty hasn't worn off yet, and they treat studying as a game." Liu Meiyu flipped through the textbook and solved the test questions on the manuscript paper.
They are only in the first grade, and Liu Meiyun hopes that they can develop a good learning attitude and method rather than good grades.
"I'm going crazy reading the blog post." Lu Changzheng felt a little sympathy for his brother-in-law after just taking a look.
"Then go and set a good example for them." Liu Meiyu raised her head and encouraged.
"I think Bowen can hold on for a while longer!" Lu Changzheng shook his head and quickly changed the subject: "I'm going to take a shower. I have to train tomorrow."
Seeing the man running away as soon as he heard about tutoring, Liu Meiyu couldn't help but hit him with a pillow, "Do you think being a father is that easy?"
With Liu Bowen, their uncle who is a top student, Liu Meiyun and Lu Changzheng can really breathe a sigh of relief.
At least when it comes to tutoring her children with their homework, Cyndi Lau doesn't have to age several years all of a sudden.
As for her brother's injured heart, Liu Meiyun had no choice but to buy him all kinds of delicious new clothes and double his pocket money to compensate him.
In October 1977, Liu Meiyun, who had already finished the entire set of "Self-study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry", asked Lu Changzheng to bring the latest newspapers from the army every day and listened to the radio on time.
She didn't remember the exact day when the college entrance examination was announced, but after preparing for so long, Liu Meiyu found that she was even more nervous than when she took the college entrance examination in her previous life.
The old man in Beijing has been attending various meetings during this period. When Lu Changzheng talked to the old man on the phone some time ago, he vaguely heard some clues.
When I got home and told my wife about it, I thought Liu Meiyu was so nervous and concerned because she listened to what I said.
But after half a month there was still no news, Lu Changzheng became a little unsure.
That day, he was riding his bicycle home with old newspapers from the day before on his bike. When he passed the educated youth farm, the farm's loudspeaker suddenly sounded, announcing the news that the national college entrance examination would be resumed in December.
Lu Changzheng stopped his bike and listened carefully. Before he could react, deafening cheers came like an ocean wave, overwhelming him.
The educated youth on the farm suddenly rushed down the hillside, shouting with tears on their faces, rolling around in the snow and mud. Some even buried their faces in the snow, their bodies shaking violently.
It was not until this moment that Lu Changzheng deeply realized what the restoration of the college entrance examination meant to some people.
With his feet dazed, Lu Changzheng rode his bicycle quickly towards home.
"Meiyun!"
Lu Changzheng was in a hurry to get home and he couldn't even help his bicycle which had fallen in the yard. When he got home, he unexpectedly saw his wife calmly changing the coal briquettes in the coal stove.
"Wife, did you hear the broadcast? The college entrance examination has been resumed!"
Lu Changzheng was self-sufficient and did not take the college entrance examination. He was also inspired by the educated youth on the farm. At this moment, he was much more excited than Liu Meiyu. He rushed over and hugged her.
Liu Meiyu wasn't paying attention and the coal ball broke into pieces, and the fire tongs in her hand almost poked the man's thigh.
"Oh, I heard it! Put me down now!"
"Wife, why aren't you excited?"
Lu Changzheng knew that Liu Meiyu definitely wanted to take the college entrance examination, and she would definitely pass!
"I just came from the educated youth farm. You didn't see it, but people over there are going crazy. If you don't believe me, go out and listen. We can hear the cheers from the farm here!"
"I know. I was already excited when you didn't go home." Although Liu Meiyu didn't see it, she was familiar with history and could naturally understand the feelings of those educated youth better than Lu Changzheng who saw it with his own eyes.
"If I had known, I would have come back earlier!" Lu Changzheng regretted that he was not with his wife at such a critical moment and missed such an important moment.
"Oh, come on, stop being so disgusting." Liu Meiyu complained, but the corners of her mouth were raised uncontrollably.
"Meiyun!" In the yard, Lu Wanjun's voice was also excited.
"Meiyun, did you hear the broadcast? The college entrance examination has been resumed! You can take the exam!" Lu Wanjun took a leave and came back early. Upon hearing the news, not only the educated youth farm, but also many nurses in their hospital could not sit still.
Ever since the triplets started primary school, Liu Meiyun has never put down her books whenever she has free time in the past two years. Lu Wanjun naturally knows that once the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination is announced, Liu Meiyun will definitely take part in it.
If she is lucky enough, she can pass the exam and return to Beijing. Lu Changzheng will also go to a military school for further studies for a few years next year. She can then apply for a transfer to Beijing, and their family can finally be truly reunited!
"Yes, aunt, I heard it. I will participate. I will go to register tomorrow!"
Lu Wanjun couldn't stop laughing, "Yes, yes, Meiyun, you have a good foundation, you will definitely pass the exam! Even if you don't pass, it doesn't matter, we can go back to Beijing and continue to take the exam next year!"
The foundation that Lu Wanjun mentioned was of course her usual hard work, but Liu Meiyun did not go to junior high school or high school properly, and Lu Wanjun was afraid that speaking too firmly would put pressure on the child.
Anyway, the college entrance examination has been resumed this year, so we can’t not take it next year.
From the time the news came out to the time of the formal examination, it took less than two months.
Over the past month, the hottest topic on the island has basically revolved around the college entrance examination. School teachers are extremely busy. Not only do they have to teach children who are taking the college entrance examination, some of them also have to take the college entrance examination themselves. They are so busy that they can't handle it all at once. Children in lower grades simply have their classes suspended and go home. The whole school focuses on those who are going to take the college entrance examination.
What’s even more difficult is that there are no teaching materials.
The situation here at the school is a little better. We can piece together one or two complete sets by doing some digging. But the situation at the educated youth farm is not so optimistic.
Moreover, I had to work and study, and I only had a short time to study every day. When the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came out, within just a few days, I had to work during the day and study at night, and stayed up all night for several days. Finally, my body couldn't bear it anymore and I was sent to the hospital.
Even when working during the day, most of the educated youths were absent-minded while reciting their lessons.
There was no other way. The people on the farm were afraid of accidents, so they simply stopped asking us to go to work during the day. Those who needed leave to go home to review could do so, and those who couldn’t go back could work half a day, and the afternoon and evening were free to arrange what they wanted.
Liu Meiyun was accompanied by Lu Changzheng to the city to register two days ago, and she was not so nervous when she came back.
She prepared for two years. She memorized all the knowledge points and went over in her mind every day what needed to be recited.
Although she didn't remember what was on the first exam after the college entrance examination was resumed in 1978, she remembered that she had heard from seniors that the test questions that year were not difficult, it was just that the candidates had not studied for a long time and had forgotten many knowledge points.
With Liu Meiyu's current preparations, it should be a sure thing for her to be admitted to the capital. All she has to fight for in the end is just the school's admission threshold.
"Sister, hurry up! Mom and Dad are calling!"
Liu Bowen's classes were suspended recently, so in order not to disturb his sister's studies, he was responsible for taking care of the triplets. Moreover, his sister kept asking him to wait at the post office these past two days, saying that there might be a telegram from his parents. Unexpectedly, he didn't receive a telegram, but a phone call instead.
He had just said a few words when his parents urged him to go and find his sister to answer the phone.
Lu Changzheng happened to be riding back on his bicycle and saw them. He took the siblings to the post office, one on the front bar and one on the back seat.
"Meiyun, your father has returned to work!" Zhou Huiru and her husband held the phone with shaking hands.
Both of them listened attentively with red eyes.
"That's great! Mom and Dad! We can go home!" Although Liu Meiyu had been waiting for this day for a long time, she was still moved when she heard the sobbing voices of Zhou Huiru and her husband in the microphone.
"Yes, I can finally go home!" Zhou Huiru had been holding back her tears for a long time, and finally couldn't stop her tears from falling.
Liu Yongnian was not in a much better situation, but his daughter was still on the phone. He wiped his face with his sleeve, took the phone from Zhou Huiru, and spoke a few more words to his daughter while holding back his tears. He was surprised to learn that his daughter was also going to take the college entrance examination.
"Girl, are you serious? You want to take the college entrance examination? Are you sure?"
After being surprised, Liu Yongnian quickly calmed down. After listening to his daughter's thoughts on the phone, as an old father, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.
Zhou Huiru had just calmed down and hadn't even said a few words to her girlfriend when she saw Liu Yongnian hang up the phone.
She was so angry that she slapped him, "Why did you hang up? I haven't told you yet! What did the girl tell you? Is she going to take the exam?"
Liu Yongnian didn't feel any pain, and nodded to Zhou Huiru with an unstoppable smile on his face, "Yes! Our daughter has never forgotten to study in the past two years. She has already registered and will also take the exam!"
Zhou Huiru was not surprised to hear this. Anyway, she now felt that whatever her daughter did was good.
"If the daughter wants to take the exam, she will definitely pass. Look at what you are saying! She is so outstanding, she will definitely pass the exam!" Zhou Huiru always thinks her daughter is the best.
Liu Yongnian was scolded by his wife again. He quickly apologized and dragged her back to the farm to pack her luggage. He explained as he walked: "Yes, yes, I know my daughter is capable, but do you know what she told me? Not only does she want to take the exam, she also has a school she wants to apply to. She wants to apply to Huaqing University! Huaqing University!"
As a father, he is of course happy that his daughter has great ambitions. He was so proud when he heard her say over the phone that she wanted to apply to Huaqing University.
Zhou Huiru was stunned for a moment. She had just blindly worshipped the lady, but now she became practical and said worriedly, "Huaqing University, the score must be high. Can our Meiyun do it? I don't doubt her ability, but she didn't go to junior high school or high school properly. She relied on the two of us to tutor her at home, and she studied on her own. To get into such a good school, she must have worked hard to prepare. She has to take care of the children and study all day. What if she gets sick?"
"So she wants us to live on the island for two months, right? Hurry up and pack your bags, we'll leave this afternoon, you help take care of the child, I'll help her with her homework, our daughter is smart, I believe she can do it! We'll go back to Shanghai after she finishes her exams, just in time for the report!"
Liu Yongnian couldn't wait any longer and just wanted to fly to his daughter's side immediately to tutor her with her homework and help her get into her ideal university. This was the only way he could help his daughter as a father in all these years.
"Hey! Come on, I'll collect the luggage, and you go to the farm office to handle the formalities!"
After hearing what her husband said, Zhou Huiru was even more anxious than Liu Yongnian.
The couple packed their luggage in a hurry, said goodbye to the people on the farm and left.
Principal Zhang, who had worked on the farm with Liu Yongnian, was transferred back last month, and took Widow Zhang and Dou Miao with him.
"Meiyun, are you going to take the entrance exam for Huaqing University?" Lu Changzheng asked in surprise after his daughter-in-law and father-in-law hung up the phone.
It's not that he questioned his wife's ability, but at that moment everyone was still worried about whether they could pass the exam, and his wife was already choosing a school, a top school at that. This step was a bit too big, and he couldn't react for a while.
"Yeah," Liu Meiyun nodded, not being modest: "I've been self-studying high school courses for the past two years, and I feel like I've mastered them pretty much. Besides, the college entrance exam has just resumed, so the questions shouldn't be too difficult, right? My dad is a college teacher, so I'll have him come and tutor me for a month. I'm working hard for Huaqing anyway, so it doesn't matter if I don't pass, as long as I get a high score."
She had it all, including the right time, the right place, and the right people. She also had one-on-one tutoring. If she still couldn't get into her ideal university, Liu Meiyu would really feel that her brain might not be as smart as she thought.
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