After a month of continuous hard work, the day of the school-wide examination finally arrived.
Facing a top university with so many talented people, Liu Meiyu did not dare to take it lightly and checked her test paper three times before handing it in.
After finally finishing the exam, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
When Liu Meiyun came home after the exam, her mother had already cooked chicken soup for her. "Don't study so hard, your health is important. Look at you, you have lost a lot of weight since you went to school. Chang Zheng must be heartbroken to see you."
"Young people, it's good to work hard and endure hardships." The old man put down the newspaper and admired his grandson and daughter-in-law's spirit of constantly striving for progress.
Liu Meiyun drank the chicken soup and said to her grandfather with a smile: "Grandpa, I will go to school to pick up Dabao and the others later. I will also buy some meat and make braised pork for you and Aunt Wu to taste."
"Balcon?" The old man was flipping through the newspaper with great interest. He had eaten it once in the capital a long time ago, but it had been several years.
"Yes, I plan to visit him at Changzheng's school tomorrow and bring him some gifts."
She had promised the child’s father that she would go to see him after the exam. This time, Liu Meiyu dared not forget the man again.
Liu Meiyun arrived at Dabao's school just in time for school to be over.
Her triplets were the most conspicuous among the group of children. They were tall, with fair skin, and wore clothes that were not available at the supply and marketing cooperatives. Even from a distance, they had a dignified temperament, especially the eldest child, who had the most handsome eyes and eyebrows, and was followed by several little girls.
"Dabao, Erbao, Xiaobao" Liu Meiyu called out to the group of children.
The three brothers were walking out of the school arm in arm, playing and joking, when they suddenly heard their mother's voice and all looked up.
"Mom!" When Dabao saw his mother, his eyes lit up like stars with joy.
The young friend was surprised, "Lu Yunzhong, is that your mother? She is so beautiful."
"Of course!" Dabao looked proud.
"Our mom is pretty, and she's a college student." Erbao also proudly showed off his mom to his friends.
Xiao Bao's two brothers interrupted him and he quickly added, "My mom is a very good student. She got the first place in the exam. There are even reporters who want to interview my mom!"
After showing off for a while, the three brothers happily ran to Liu Meiyu.
"Mom, you're on vacation!" Erbao hugged his mother's hand and was very happy.
"Yes, Mom will come to pick you up when she is on vacation."
Xiaobao sniffed and said, "Mom, you lied. You drank the chicken soup!"
“…”
Liu Meiyun: "Then I have to go home to put my things away before I can come pick you up to go out and play together."
Erbao was curious: "Mom, where are we going to play?"
Liu Meiyun: "Go buy some meat and make brined meat for you guys. Let's go see dad tomorrow and bring some to him!"
"Mom, let's go." Xiaobao couldn't wait.
Liu Meiyu then led the three brothers to Xidan Vegetable Market. On the way, they met Liu Bowen who was riding a bicycle and preparing to go home. She waved and asked Liu Bowen to push the bicycle together so that she could help move things.
Xidan Market is one of the famous markets in Beijing. The entrance is crowded with people. Even though many stalls are sold out at this time, there are still many workers in simple clothes carrying baskets wandering around inside.
When Liu Meiyu came here in her previous life, the Xidan Vegetable Market had already been converted into the "Jun Tai" department store. A large state-owned vegetable market like this would be replaced by small vendors or privately contracted within a few years.
But right now, it's still very lively.
"Sister, all the meat is sold out." Liu Bowen looked around and saw that her sister's basket was empty and she didn't buy anything.
Liu Meiyun was not in a hurry. She took out a few dimes from her pocket and gave them to Liu Bowen: "I'll go around for a while. You can take Dabao and the others to buy some soda. Just wait for me at the door. Don't run around."
"Don't worry, sister!" Liu Bowen nodded.
The triplets happily followed their uncle to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy soda.
Liu Meiyu continued to walk around with her basket on her shoulder. After a while, a man in the crowd really started to talk to her.
"Girl, do you want to buy some meat? No ticket required."
The man clasped his hands over his chest, looked around, and pretended to bump into Liu Meiyu lightly.
Liu Meiyun stopped, looked at the man, and asked in a low voice: "How much?"
Seeing that Liu Meiyu really wanted to buy it, the man secretly took out a piece of fat weighing several taels from his sleeve and said in a low voice: "90 cents a pound. If you have a ticket, I can give you a discount."
Liu Meiyu raised her eyebrows. This price was almost the same as that sold in the supply and marketing cooperative.
Since the nationwide wage increase not long ago, market demand has increased dramatically. Reselling pork is a sure-fire way to make money, especially in a place like Beijing. On the black market, even if pork is priced at one kilogram per piece, it is still in short supply every day.
"This is too little. I have a big family."
Hearing Liu Meiyu saying that there were many people at home, the man was neither suspicious nor surprised. After all, he had been watching Liu Meiyu for a long time. She had four boys by her side, and they were at an age where they were short of meat to eat, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to ask.
After carefully looking around, the man pointed in the direction of the side door and whispered, "I have more, too. Come with me."
Liu Meiyu felt that this man was very courageous in doing business, as he dared to attract customers directly in the state-owned vegetable market.
However, during this period, the news in the newspapers was overwhelming and different every day. The capital was also much more relaxed than other cities. Some shoe repairmen had secretly resumed their old business in the alleys, and some even secretly fried dough sticks and sold them at the doorsteps of their homes in the alleys.
Liu Meiyu followed the man out of the side door and walked around to an empty alley. The man asked her directly about her weight.
Liu Meiyun reported two or three pounds of pork, and then asked: "Do you have pig ears and pig head skin? I want these."
The man reminded her, "Pig ears and lean meat are the same price, how much do you want?"
Liu Meiyu's eyelids twitched, and she felt that their scale seemed quite large, so she tried to test them: "Three or four, or two more, I'm fine with that, and I want the pig's tail too."
The man didn't say anything, but just asked her for the basket in her hand. About ten minutes later, he came out carrying the heavy basket.
"Are these enough?" The man lifted the old newspaper covering it and showed it to Liu Meiyu.
My goodness, there are five pig ears alone!
"That's enough, thank you." Liu Meiyu paid the money readily.
I walked out of the alley with the basket in hand, and saw the man had slipped back in through the side door, continuing to look for potential customers.
"Sister, why did you come back just now? We've almost finished our soda!" Liu Bowen was craning his neck to look inside with the triplets.
Liu Meiyu picked up the basket, took the soda from his hand and drank it in three or two gulps. Liu Bowen then quickly took the empty bottle to return the money.
"Mom, what are you looking at?" Xiaobao not only drank the soda, but also pestered his uncle to buy a candy figure. He was licking it with relish. When he saw his mother staring at the uncles and aunts in the vegetable market, he couldn't help but feel curious.
"Nothing, it looks lively." Liu Meiyu stared at the busy Xidan Vegetable Market. After a while, she spotted several vendors who looked a little strange.
Those people from the patrol team probably saw it, but they just turned a blind eye. Liu Meiyu even saw the man who had just sold her pork go up to a patrol officer and start chatting and laughing.
Seeing that the market has shown signs of easing, it is hard for Liu Meiyun not to feel anxious.
But forget it this year, she has to focus on studying.
"Sister, you are amazing. You bought so much pork."
On the way home with the basket on his bicycle, Liu Bowen looked admiring.
Now that he has grown up and knows a lot, he knows where his sister got the meat from without asking.
"Go home and give you some halved pig ears to eat."
Dabao: "Mom, didn't you say it was salted meat? How come it turned into pig ears?"
Erbao also asked: "Yes, Mom, I want to eat brined pork."
Xiaobao accepted everything: "Mom, I want to eat them all."
"It's ok. Pig ears are tastier than pork. If you don't believe me, go home and try it and you'll know."
Liu Meiyu spoke directly from the facts. She took the pork and the brine that she had just prepared and went home to start boiling brine.
After a while, the fragrant smell of brine wafted out, making the old man and the uncle and nephew drool. Xiao Baokancai stayed in the kitchen the whole time, staring at the meat in the pot with eyes like a wolf.
After a lot of effort, Liu Meiyu waited until the brine was almost cooked, then she picked up a pig ear, cut it into a plate and let everyone taste it.
"Sister, this is so delicious!" Liu Bowen was the first to praise.
The three brothers were so busy eating that they had no time to talk.
"Meiyun, where did you learn this skill? It's really good." Mr. Lu took two bites of the pig ears and liked it very much. He also asked Mrs. Wu to pour him some wine and had a couple of drinks.
"The sisters-in-law on the island taught me a little, and then I figured it out on my own." Liu Meiyu explained shamelessly.
She had seen this broth on the Internet in her previous life. It was actually in no way comparable to the broth sold in the popular chain brothel shops across the country. She had tried it herself and the taste was not that exaggerated. Her husband and the others said it was delicious, but that was simply because they had not eaten enough.
"Meiyun is really good at everything she cooks!" Mother Wu had never tasted brined pork that tasted so good, and she couldn't stop praising it.
"This needs to be blanched for a while so that it can be more flavorful. Just leave it in the pot and take it out tomorrow. Aunt Wu, if you like it, I'll teach you how to blanch it next time we buy some meat. It's very simple."
Mother Wu nodded, "Okay!"
Mr. Lu couldn't wait for the pig ears to be ready tomorrow, so he asked Liu Meiyu to pick one, slice it, prepare the dipping sauce, and then sent it to his old friend's house to show off.
Thanks to her grandfather, Liu Meiyu gradually became "someone else's granddaughter-in-law" in the military compound.
She passed the imperial examination at Huaqing University, was the top scholar in the province, was beautiful, sensible and filial, and would go home to see her grandfather as soon as she had a holiday and cook delicious food for him.
The triplets were also taught to be very polite. They would shout at people when they saw them. Although they were a little naughty, they were cute.
After tasting the brined pork made by Liu Meiyun, Mr. Lu's old comrades-in-arms were full of praise. They surrounded Mr. Lu, saying good things about him and asking when they could eat it again.
"You're dreaming. It's good enough that I let you have a taste of it, but you're never going to stop talking about it. My grandson's wife is so busy every day, how can she have time to take care of you!" Mr. Lu refused mercilessly.
"Oh, if only we could have had such a bite of meat on the battlefield back then..."
Seeing that all his friends had to come out because of stuttering, Mr. Lu snorted and went home with his hands behind his back in anger.
When Liu Meiyun found out the next day, she smiled and said, "Grandpa, my brine is not a secret recipe. I'll write down the recipe and you can send it out."
"Hmph, they got it cheaply." Old Master Lu curled his lips.
The brined pork made by Liu Meiyu was not only popular in the military compound, but was also snatched away by his old comrades and classmates at the Long March School.
Lu Changzheng himself hadn't even taken two bites, and everyone was like a hungry wolf cub, leaving only a little for him.
"I made less the first time, just to try it out. I'll bring you more next time." Liu Meiyu didn't expect that Lu Changzheng's comrades-in-arms were so tough.
"I want to run away after eating!" Lu Changzheng quickly grabbed a comrade and threw his three sons to him, "Take them to play ball!"
The triplets had just seen their father and before they had time to show any affection, they were thrown into the hands of their uncle and taken to the playground to play basketball.
But playing ball is also fun.
The three brothers patted their butts and left without saying anything about missing their father.
There was a telephone in the communication room of the main military compound. Although Lu Changzheng could not go out often, he would call every now and then to ask the three brothers about their studies. He also kept asking the old man not to get used to them. He was much more verbose than Liu Meiyun.
Lu Changzheng, who was abandoned by his three sons, took his wife around the school and talked a lot.
Liu Meiyu has become accustomed to the habit of men being particularly nagging whenever they have been apart for a few days, so she patiently listens to him and agrees with him from time to time.
When the two of them went to the cafeteria, Lu Changzheng served her food. When the cafeteria chef saw the couple, he smiled with a shovel in his hand and said, "This is my braised eggplant. Deputy Colonel Lu is really supportive and has been eating it every meal. Now he has brought his wife to eat it again!"
"Not every day, just occasionally." Lu Changzheng made an awkward expression to his master, but the master didn't notice and continued in a loud voice, "Why not every day? Deputy Captain Lu, do you have a bad memory? I remember it clearly. I even wonder if my skills have improved by leaps and bounds!"
Liu Meiyu was standing nearby and understood what was going on as soon as she heard it.
"Lu Changzheng, when did you start liking eggplant so much?"
Lu Changzheng laughed and said, "You like it, don't you? Come and try it. I'm not exaggerating. It's really delicious."
Liu Meiyu took a sip and nodded, "Not bad."
"Yeah, the heat is just right. I'll cook it for you next time I go home." Lu Changzheng was in a good mood after receiving recognition, even if it was just a dish of braised eggplant.
The two have been married for such a long time, and passion does not come every day, but Lu Changzheng also likes this kind of ordinary little happiness very much.
"How did you do on the exam?" Lu Changzheng finished his meal in a few bites and sat there watching his wife eat in small bites.
"I think it's pretty good. It depends on others to perform."
Liu Meiyun is quite confident in herself, but there are still people who are better than her.
Lu Changzheng praised sincerely: "Anyway, my wife, you are great at everything you do."
"If I'm not strong, how can I be the daughter-in-law of your Lu family?" Liu Meiyu said casually.
"She is not the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, but the daughter-in-law of Lu Changzheng!"
Liu Meiyun bit her chopsticks and asked, "What's the difference?"
Lu Changzheng couldn't explain why, he just said, "It just feels different."
“…”
Liu Meiyun: "By the way, Grandpa gave me the key to the old house. I plan to renovate it in two years. Do you have any suggestions?"
Lu Changzheng: "Wife, I have no objection."
Well, Liu Meiyun didn't expect him to have any constructive opinions, so she just asked out of curiosity: "Grandpa, why did you say that the old house was left by your grandmother?"
"That house was my mother's dowry. My mother liked that yard, so we have lived there ever since."
Liu Meiyun understood: "I think Grandpa likes it very much. When I finish the renovation and he wants to live there, we will take him there to live for a while."
The old house bears traces of the life of Lu Changzheng's parents, so the old man must still miss it. But now it is in such a dilapidated state and things and people have changed, so it is inevitable to feel sad. Liu Meiyu has already made up her mind to renovate and design the house well, which can be regarded as a surprise for her grandfather and his family.
"Well, wife, you have the final say."
“…”
Liu Meiyu, who had the final say on everything, only stayed with the man for a while and then went back.
She has classes tomorrow morning, and it takes two hours to get back to Beijing from Lu Changzheng School by bus, and Lu Changzheng also has classes in the afternoon.
"Dad, we are going home. Don't miss me too much." Lu Xiaobao was sweating profusely after playing and waved goodbye to his father.
"Dad, don't miss mom so much. I'm always here with her." Lu Dabao said with a grin.
Erbao nodded, "That's right, Dad, you need to be more successful. Mom is very busy all day and has no time to take care of you."
Lu Changzheng: “…”
Liu Meiyun: "..."
The officers and comrades who gathered around to join in the fun and watch Deputy Colonel Lu bid farewell to his family were all grinning from ear to ear.
Someone even shouted directly to Liu Meiyun: "Sister-in-law, please write more letters to our Deputy Group Leader Lu. He has a lot of manuscripts piled up in his drawer, and he's afraid that if he sends them to you too frequently, it will bother you!"
“…”
Lu Changzheng was hurt by his son, but also laughed at by his comrades. Being bullied on both sides, he had no choice but to bully his own sons. He rubbed their heads and sternly warned them: "Go back and study hard. Don't just eat and play every day. Look at how powerful your mother and uncle are..."
The three brothers, Dabao, Erbao and Xiaobao, pouted and ran away impatiently.
What annoys me most is that my dad keeps talking too much.
Every few words are about learning!!!
Before Liu Meiyun returned to school, she didn't know that she had already become famous in the teacher's office of Huaqing University.
Because this unified examination of Huaqing is of great significance. First, it is for awarding scholarships. Second, it is for testing the students’ learning level in Huaqing over the past month. Third, the school plans to hold a grand opening ceremony for the first semester after the resumption of the college entrance examination, and it wants to select outstanding student representatives to give speeches.
Since they are representatives of outstanding students, how can they not have excellent grades? Therefore, teachers from other schools were seconded to work overtime overnight to mark the papers and give the grades.
After the results came out, the teachers sat in their offices and compared the score sheets of each professional department. They found that the professional performance of a student in the Economics Department was particularly outstanding.
He ranked first in every subject in the department, and got full marks in many of them.
If it was just the overall score that ranked first, the teachers might not have been so surprised, but Liu Meiyun scored full marks in so many subjects that it was really eye-catching to look at the rows of them. What was even more incredible was that Liu Meiyun also scored full marks in English, her second elective major.
"Old Yu, is Liu Meiyu so good in your class?" Principal Hua Qing looked at the report card and asked Liu Meiyu's head teacher.
Yu Hengsheng pushed his glasses and nodded, "Yes, it's amazing. I have a student who works in the Liaoning Provincial Education Bureau. He called me and asked me that the top student in their province applied for the Huaqing Economics Department. It was Liu Meiyu. She is a very low-key person. When a reporter went to her home for an interview, she refused. I asked about her college entrance examination score. It was third in the country, and she also got full marks in mathematics!"
The math teacher nearby raised his eyebrows and rushed to the principal and said urgently, "Principal, Liu Meiyun is talented in math. We should transfer her to our math department and train her well!"
The English teacher was not convinced. "That student Liu just didn't take the English college entrance examination. She only studied for such a short time, but her test scores were better than those of our classmates in the same major. If she wanted to transfer, she should transfer to our English department."
The math teacher rolled her eyes and said, "She was already choosing English as her second major, but she switched to your major. Is she stupid or are you stupid?"
“…”
The principal was annoyed by the teachers' arguments. He slammed the table and said angrily, "Why are you talking so much? They have already chosen economics, which means they have considered it. You two are arguing here. Have you asked Liu Meiyun for her opinion? Have you asked Teacher Yu for her opinion?"
Yu Hengsheng stood aside. Having such a popular student in his hands, he did not dare to express any opinions for fear of arousing jealousy.
"Old Yu, please dig out Liu Meiyu's student file for me to see." Several teachers valued talent, and the principal was not willing to be stingy. They felt that a student with such excellent grades, if her character and morals were similar, should be a representative of the freshmen and spread excellent and progressive ideas to every corner of Huaqing.
Yu Hangsheng found the file that Liu Meiyun filled out when she first enrolled and gave it to the principal.
Seeing that Liu Meiyun was married and that her family members included her husband and three children, the principal felt even more that this student had a difficult life.
"Old Yu, you are Liu Meiyun's homeroom teacher. You should know more or less how she interacts with her classmates. If there is no problem, let her speak on behalf of the outstanding freshmen. We should cultivate as many outstanding female comrades as possible who are diligent and hardworking, and who constantly pursue progress and acquire new knowledge at any time and in any environment!"
Yu Hengsheng nodded and replied, "I think she gets along well with her classmates and studies very hard. Her family conditions may be good. I heard that her husband is a soldier."
Upon hearing that Liu Meiyun was a military wife, the principal immediately made the decision, "Then notify her on Monday to prepare her speech!"
Yu Hengsheng nodded in agreement.
After the meeting, many teachers came to inquire about Liu Meiyu and marveled at her grades.
Yu Hengsheng finally sent away the teacher who wanted to steal his students. He looked tired but happy in his heart.
Maybe this is the happy worry of being a teacher!
He felt that Liu Meiyu, who had scored the top score in the college entrance examination, was unwilling to accept an interview from the city, and that she must not be a person who likes to show off. So if he asked her to go on stage to give a speech, he didn't know whether she would be rejected.
"Thank you teacher for giving me this opportunity. I will go back and prepare now."
The next day, when Liu Meiyun went to school, she had just found out her test results when her teacher called her to the office to inform her that she would be giving a speech at the opening ceremony on behalf of the outstanding freshmen.
Of course Liu Meiyun would not refuse!
Her score as the provincial top scorer in the college entrance examination was somewhat exaggerated.
But in this unified examination of Huaqing University, except for mathematics and English, in which she had some foundation, she passed the other professional courses with her own hard work over the past month!
She felt at ease and happy to be in the limelight!
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