With her father Liu Yongnian tutoring her in mathematics, physics and chemistry, especially mathematics, Liu Meiyu was confident that she could become the top student in the province.
Of course, 80% of her confidence can be attributed to the fact that her starting conditions were much better than others.
After tutoring his daughter for a few days, Liu Yongnian felt that there was nothing more to teach her. Every time he gave her a test question, she could answer it with close to perfect scores, and she did not miss a single point of knowledge that needed to be memorized.
Every day, he went back and forth to consolidate the knowledge he had already mastered. Just in case, Liu Yongnian even taught him some college mathematics.
After all, it was his first college entrance examination, and he didn’t know what the questions would be like, but it was always good to be more prepared.
"Dad, I want to discuss something with you." Liu Meiyu suddenly spoke after finishing a set of test questions given by Liu Yongnian without any pressure.
"You say." Liu Yongnian looked at the correct answers on the test paper and was very happy. He felt that his daughter would definitely be admitted to Huaqing University.
"Shall we move our study location to the Youth Farm tomorrow?"
"You want to help them review?"
"Yes," Liu Meiyu nodded, "I think the first college entrance examination questions will not be too difficult. As long as the basics are laid, it will be almost enough. There is only one month left, and I want to review it from the beginning. The conditions at the educated youth farm are not good enough, and even the textbooks may not be fully prepared. This exam concerns the fate of so many people. Let's go to the farm and review the knowledge points from the beginning. It will not delay my review, and it can also open another window for them."
"And dad, you've been neglecting your studies for so many years. You can learn other arts subjects by self-study, but math is too hard and time-consuming to learn by yourself. If the educated youth can get into college under your guidance, then your students will be all over the country in the future."
The college entrance examination is a key turning point in the destiny of many people, especially in this era. If you pass the exam, you can return to the city from the countryside, be assigned a job after graduation, and be stationed in units all over the country. When Liu Meiyu asked Liu Yongnian to come to the island, she was thinking of letting Liu Yongnian go to the educated youth farm to help.
Giving timely assistance is always better than adding icing on the cake. Liu Meiyun not only wants to help them change their fate, but also thinks this is a good opportunity to make connections.
"Okay," Liu Yongnian nodded without hesitation.
As a teacher, he certainly hopes that more people can be admitted to university. Knowledge can not only change the fate of individuals, but also change the fate of the country. Liu Yongnian has always firmly believed that only when there are more talents, their country will get better and better in the future.
The other people in the family had no objection to the father and daughter's idea and they supported it wholeheartedly.
Now the whole family is focusing on Liu Meiyun's college entrance examination. Zhou Huiru is responsible for cooking, Liu Bowen is responsible for taking care of the children and supervising their studies, Lu Wanjun asks someone to bring back a local chicken from the countryside to improve their diet from time to time, and Lu Changzheng is like a brick, moving wherever he is needed.
When Lu Changzheng went to the educated youth farm to communicate, the person in charge naturally had no objection. The farm was already very noisy anyway. There were not many people who actually worked every day. They all stayed up late at night to study with kerosene lamps.
Since the educated youth learned that the mathematics teacher from Shanghai Normal University was coming to tutor them, they were all so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
After Lu Changzheng and the farm had reached an agreement, Liu Meiyu and his daughter took the textbooks and headed for the educated youth farm. Halfway there, they saw the path was crowded with people.
The haggard and skinny faces were all looking at them with burning eyes, their eyes full of urgent desire.
"Teacher Liu! Thank you! Thank you!"
The educated youth representative held two hot eggs in his arms, his nose was red from the frostbite, and his hands were covered with frostbite from years of land reclamation work, making them red, swollen and rough. But he looked very energetic, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he bowed deeply to Liu Yongnian.
The educated youths behind him also bowed to express their gratitude. At this moment, everyone knew what Liu Yongnian's help at this time meant to those of them who had not touched a book in the farm for several years!
At this moment, Liu Yongnian was deeply shocked as he looked at the pairs of eyes in front of him that were thirsty for knowledge for their future and destiny.
Without even realizing it, I felt a heavy burden on my shoulders.
"Let's hurry up and get back to class, time is running out." Liu Meiyu brought people back to their senses in time.
There was only one blackboard on the wall of the educated youth's courtyard. In the middle of winter, Liu Yongnian stood by the wall, while the educated youth squatted in the courtyard, holding yellowed homework books in their hands, listening to Liu Yongnian's lectures.
Just as Liu Meiyu said, people can usually master some liberal arts subjects by memorizing them, but mathematics, physics and chemistry are like a fortress that is difficult to conquer for the educated youth who have not studied them for a long time.
Liu Yongnian raced against time every day to analyze and explain to them the knowledge points in the "Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry Self-study Series" page by page.
For a month, everyone tried their best to memorize knowledge points. Every day on his way home from teaching, Liu Yongnian was chased by the educated youth and asked questions. When he came to the farm in the morning, the educated youth were also waiting on the road, using those few short minutes to try to grasp a few more knowledge points.
In the last few days, Liu Yongnian saw that his daughter had finished reviewing and did not need any further consolidation, so he simply lived in the educated youth dormitory and taught them how to solve problems at night by lighting a kerosene lamp.
If Liu Meiyu had not seen it with her own eyes and experienced it personally, it would have been hard for her to imagine how hard people worked in the college entrance examination in 1977.
Finally, the two days of the December exam arrived. Lu Changzheng got up early and sent his wife to the city to take the exam.
It was too cold in winter, so he packed two hot water bottles in advance. Liu Meiyu followed Lu Changzheng to the examination room holding the hot water bottles.
"Wife, I'll wait for you to come out. Take your time to take the test. Rub your hands if they're cold. I'll fill the hot water bag for you when you're done, so you'll be warm when you come out."
Most of the people waiting at the entrance of the examination hall were candidates. Lu Changzheng kept chattering on and on, just like parents in later generations sending their children into the examination hall.
"It's so cold, why are you waiting here? Go find a place to stay and don't stand here in the wind. What if you catch a cold and infect me, affecting my performance tomorrow?"
Liu Meiyu knew the man's temper. Even if she didn't say that on purpose, there was no guarantee that the man would really stand at the entrance of the examination room for several hours waiting.
"Okay, I'll go to my comrade's house and get you some hot water. I'll come out when you want to finish!"
Lu Changzheng originally wanted to say that he was as strong as an ox, so how could he get sick? But at the critical moment, it is better to be safe than sorry, so he listened to his wife and after sending her to the examination room, he went to his comrade's house to get some hot water.
After Liu Meiyu entered the examination room and saw the test paper, she felt almost at ease.
Sure enough, the questions were simple, but in order to get into a prestigious university, she did not dare to be careless when answering the questions. She checked her answers several times before she dared to relax.
When the exam was finally over after two days, Liu Meiyu breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the charm of the college entrance examination should not be underestimated. No matter how well prepared one is, once entering such an environment, one will still be a little nervous.
But she was considered lucky. Some people might have been too stressed out during that period. After the last exam, they fainted before they even left the examination room. They squatted on the ground and cried, full of regret.
After the exam, Liu Meiyun didn't think about anything else. She first rewarded Lao Lu Changzheng for accompanying her for two days. She took him to a state-owned hotel for a big meal, and then the two of them packed some food to take back to the island. The whole exam was completely over.
Liu Yongnian and his wife had to return to Shanghai to report before Liu Meiyun announced her results.
After seeing her parents off, Liu Meiyu had completely free time every day, doing nothing but waiting for her grades to come out.
So I had plenty of time to research food at home, since I was free anyway.
However, among the people on the island who were taking the college entrance examination, very few were as idle as she was. Almost every day, someone asked her when the results would be released, and every day, someone checked her answers.
Da Ya and Er Ya from Wu Guifang's family, as well as Gangzi from Captain Zhu's family, all signed up for the exam in the countryside. Knowing that Liu Meiyu had also taken the exam, Wu Guifang admired her and would chat with her whenever she had time.
"You said that Teacher Zhou is a really good stepmother. She sent several exercise books to Gangzi, many of which were summarized by her. My eldest daughter said that thanks to the materials provided by Teacher Zhou, they were able to answer many questions this time. She also said that they would definitely be able to pass the exam and return to Huludao. I don't know if it's true or not."
Wu Guifang is now looking forward to the results even more than Liu Meiyu. Her eldest and second daughters registered directly at the farm and said they would not go home until the results were out and they had the admission letters in hand.
Missing her daughters and hoping they could get into college, how could Wu Guifang, as a mother, not be anxious?
Liu Meiyu: "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Your eldest and second daughters have only been in the countryside for a year since they graduated from high school. They still have the knowledge. Besides, they are smart and obedient. They will definitely pass the exam."
Wu Guifang was very excited: "Thank you, Meiyun. If you hadn't reminded Daya and the others to bring their high school textbooks and study hard every day, I think my two kids would be so worried now that the college entrance examination has been suddenly resumed."
"Why thank me? They are the ones who are willing to make progress."
What Liu Meiyu said was the truth. Daya and Erya were both very hardworking and studious, and they had just graduated from school. Even if they forgot some knowledge, they could still get into a good university if they studied hard for a month. It was just that it was hard to say at the moment.
The child used to go to school like it was a toy, and he only passed very few exams.
But no matter how anxious they were, everyone still spent the Spring Festivals of 1977 and 1988 in anxiety and waiting.
Including Liu Meiyun's home, Lu Wanjun and Lu Changzheng did not show it on the surface, but they did not forget to go to the post office every day to keep an eye on the news.
On the contrary, Liu Meiyu is the calmest. She has free time at home every day to play with Dabao and the others.
After finishing the test, she knew clearly whether she could be admitted or not. The admission letter would be delivered to the island sooner or later. If she had not married Lu Changzheng, she might have to worry about not passing the political review. But now she didn't have to worry about anything and just had to wait for someone to deliver the admission letter to her home.
Moreover, with her achievements, even if ordinary people were to manipulate the situation behind the scenes, they wouldn't dare to surpass her!
The physical examination notice arrived before the notice.
Lu Changzheng rode his bicycle to the island post office that day and finally returned with something worthwhile, as he brought back his wife's medical examination notice.
"Meiyun! After the physical examination, can we go to the capital to attend university?"
Lu Changzheng excitedly hugged his wife in his arms, not paying attention to the three boys who were watching the fun nearby.
"Probably." Liu Meiyu replied calmly.
Dabao ruthlessly pushed his father away, squeezed into his mother's arms and asked, "Mom, is college fun? Why do you and Dad have to go to college?"
Liu Meiyun rubbed Dabao's head and said affirmatively: "Of course college is fun, otherwise why would mom and dad go there? Not only mom and dad, but also my uncle will go to college in the future."
Erbao was very excited when he heard this, "Mom, what is there in college?"
"Well, we have everything. We have everything you want." Liu Meiyun pinched her three sons' faces, drew big cakes for them, and then said with regret, "But only those who study well will have the opportunity to go to college in the future. You three brothers are so impatient when doing homework that you probably won't be able to go to college in the future."
Dabao expressed doubt and pointed at his father and retorted: "Dad doesn't do his homework, so how can he go to college?"
The corner of Lu Changzheng's mouth twitched, and he heard his wife say: "Who said Dad doesn't study? Dad is very hardworking every day. He has to work and take care of you during the day. When you fall asleep, he studies in the room."
Well, after listening to their mother's words, the three brothers Dabao, who were skeptical, all raised their hands in agreement and decided to study hard and get into university in the future.
Liu Meiyun did not really believe the triplets' statement. The three brothers were also skeptical and curious about what their mother said about their father studying late into the night.
In the evening, after Lu Changzheng washed up and went to bed, he was in a good mood and was about to do something with his wife in his arms. At this time, Liu Meiyuen, who had sharp ears, heard the stealthy footsteps at the door and quickly kicked Lu Changzheng aside.
"Wife?" Lu Changzheng covered his abdomen, looking puzzled.
"Tsk!" Liu Meiyu told him to stop talking, then pointed to the unclosed door, picked up the textbook beside the pillow and threw it into the man's arms.
Lu Changzheng responded immediately.
The kerosene lamp in the room was still on, and the door was ajar. Three shadows on the ground shone in, and a small claw accidentally appeared on the door wall.
"Meiyun, how do you solve this advanced math equation?"
"Also, what formula do you use to calculate the area?"
The three brothers, Dabao, Erbao and Xiaobao, did not believe that their father would secretly hide in the room to read every day, so they agreed to pretend to be asleep and secretly get up to read at night.
As a result, through the crack of the door, they saw their parents sitting on the bed, holding books and studying hard. The three brothers gave up and went back to their own room.
Dabao was the first to crawl back into bed and said to his brothers, "I will listen to the teacher carefully in class from now on and never play with you two again." After thinking for a while, he gave himself some leeway and said, "If I want to play, I can only play after class."
Erbao snorted and grabbed the quilt, "I don't want to play either, I want to go to college!"
Xiaobao climbed onto the bed and domineeringly squeezed in between his two brothers. He placed his little feet on each brother's stomach, and like a frog that had turned over, he hugged his brothers to warm their feet: "Then I'll go to college, too, and we'll take the exam together."
"Xiaobao, get out of the way. It's too cold! Do you want to be beaten?" Lu Dabao pried Xiaobao's stinky feet off.
After a while, the man came up again.
"You can't beat me!" Xiaobao relied on his own strength and held his two brothers tightly, acting very domineering.
Erbao didn't say anything, but secretly winked at Dabao, and the two of them worked together tacitly to press Xiaobao onto the bed, then grabbed the soles of his feet and started to beat him.
The three brothers were making so much noise on the kang that the quilt rolled to the ground. Finally, they were exhausted. Xiaobao begged for mercy, but Dabao and Erbao squeezed him to the side and made him sleep quietly. Only then did they finally calm down.
"Why do I feel like we are like spies taking care of a baby?"
As soon as the three brothers returned to the room, Lu Changzheng quickly closed the door tightly and even locked it.
Liu Meiyun corrected: "This is called a battle of wits and courage!"
Lu Changzheng blew out the kerosene lamp, climbed onto the bed, threw back the quilt, and smiled slyly, "Wife, it's time for us to compete with each other in wits and courage."
“…”
Not long after the physical examination, the acceptance letter came.
Liu Meiyu said nothing and got the admission letter from Huaqing University, which shocked everyone on the island. Moreover, within two days, someone from the city came to say that Liu Meiyu not only got admitted to Huaqing University, but was also the top scorer in Liaoning Province.
When someone brought reporters and people from the newspaper to the troops and wanted to interview them and write an article for the newspaper, Liu Meiyu low-key did not agree. The people from the newspaper looked disappointed, but they still gave the bonus and subsidies from the city to their family.
Of course, the reporter's trip was not in vain, because after arriving on the island, he found that nearly 30 people from the educated youth farm were admitted to university. You should know that according to statistics, in farms or schools in other places, it is considered a lot if five or six people can be admitted to university.
This piece of news was even more exciting than the interview with Liu Meiyu, the military wife and provincial top scorer. So after some inquiries, they found out that the educated youth farm was being tutored by a university teacher from Shanghai Normal University, and that the teacher was actually the father of the provincial top scorer!
After only one month of tutoring, he has already trained thirty college students. Where can you find such a teacher?
Of course it’s Shanghai!
So the reporters contacted Shanghai Normal University again, trying to interview Liu Yongnian. However, the father was even more low-key than his daughter, who was the top scorer in the imperial examination. He simply rejected the interview using the excuse of work and refused to take a single photo.
So the reporters had no choice but to take a photo at the educated youth farm, obtain the army’s consent, go through the review process, and write an article to submit.
When Liu Meiyu saw the newspaper, her family had already boarded the train to Beijing.
Because the school started so quickly, they had to pack their bags just a few days after receiving the admission letter. They were also busy arranging transfers for the triplets and Liu Bowen. Even Lu Changzheng himself had to report to the military academy and do a lot of handovers with the army.
Therefore, Liu Meiyun has been extremely busy these days and has no time to accept interviews.
Besides, if she had passed the provincial exam based on her true ability, she would definitely not be humble. But after all, she had used cheats to pass the exam, and she didn't want to be in the spotlight.
Liu Yongnian in Shanghai has similar ideas to his daughter.
In the final analysis, he was just following what Liu Meiyu said and tutoring the educated youth on basic test-taking questions. Somehow, he accidentally came across the college entrance examination questions. And, according to him, the test questions this time were not that difficult, just as the lady had guessed.
However, when he heard that his daughter not only got admitted to Huaqing University, but also won the provincial top scorer, Liu Yongnian, the old father, was extremely proud.
The old men in the capital are equally proud.
Whenever I meet old comrades in the compound, I always mention them.
"My granddaughter-in-law and her family will be back soon to go to college. My granddaughter-in-law was admitted to Huaqing University. How come the little girl is so outstanding? And I have three little great-grandchildren. When they come back, I will bring them to you to see."
The old man retired completely last year. When he had nothing to do, he would walk around the yard and bask in the sun. He would show off to everyone he met, showing off to his grandson's wife and his great-grandson. He always had a smile on his face all day long.
Unlike Grandpa Lu who was happily waiting for his great-grandson to reunite with him, the small building of his grandson's family at the other end of the compound was already deserted.
The old man stood in the yard, looked from afar, sighed, hummed a tune, and walked slowly home.
When we got home, we saw Lu Changzheng and his wife standing at the door with their triplets, looking around.
"Grandpa!"
In recent years, Dabao, Erbao and Xiaobao would be brought back to Beijing by their mother to visit their great-grandfather during the winter and summer vacations. The three brothers loved staying with their great-grandfather, listening to his stories about fighting the Japanese invaders and the countless fun and delicious things in Beijing.
"Grandpa"
Liu Meiyu and Lu Changzheng walked over and saw that the old man was in the same good spirits as in the previous two years and was in good health.
"Good, good, good! Good to be home! Good to be home!"
Mr. Lu was not the kind of person who would be sentimental. His way of expressing his love might be to tap Lu Changzheng on the back with his cane and nod: "You kid, you didn't bring shame to your parents!"
What the old man was talking about was naturally the fact that Lu Changzheng had been able to get a place in the military academy for further studies, and that the school he was attending was very unusual. After staying there for a few years, Lu Changzheng would have a bright future when he came out.
Lu Changzheng was also used to the way his grandfather expressed his love, so he went over and gave him a hug, "Grandpa, I didn't embarrass you, did I?"
Mr. Lu coughed twice in discomfort, tapped his cane, and quickly pushed the person away.
Although he was obviously happy in his heart, he said, "Where did you learn that? It's not right for a grown man to be so clingy!"
Lu Changzheng curled his lips and said, "I learned it from your grandson's wife!"
The old man immediately smiled and changed his tone, "Then don't block me, I want to go hug my little grandson!"
Dabao and his friends have grown up quite a bit, and are growing fast. They look much taller than their peers. When they see their great-grandfather greeting them, they stand still and no longer run around and make noise like they did when they were little, rolling on the ground if they were not careful.
The old man stroked the heads of the three boys and could only sigh that time passed by so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the three little kids have grown up to be sensible.
The triplets' and Liu Bowen's transfer to other schools were all arranged by their grandfather. Liu Meiyu didn't get involved at all. She just went along to get acquainted with the route.
The primary school is not far from the compound, and most of the children from the military compound study there.
Liu Bowen lives a little further away than the triplets because he attends middle school, but it is still very convenient for him to go to and from school by bicycle.
Even the bicycle was prepared in advance by the old man, a brand new Forever brand bicycle.
This made Liu Bowen very happy, because it was his first bicycle!
He had been coveting his brother-in-law's bicycle on the island for a long time, but the school on the island was close to home and no one rode a bicycle to and from school. Now, he could finally ride a bicycle every day!
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