Song Xia had promised to bring Wei Deng some wild vegetable pancakes, but she just made something haphazardly. The boy didn't deserve to eat the good things she made; it was just a pity about the wild vegetables.
Before dawn the next day, she packed her things and set off. Although her hometown was not a rural area, it was a remote and impoverished county town. To get to the provincial capital, she would have to take a bus to the neighboring county and then a train. There were direct buses, but the bus fare was higher than the train fare. Looking at her remaining savings yesterday, she decided that taking the train would be better, and the train would also be more spacious.
After boarding the train, she sent Wei Deng her information about when she would arrive at the train station, but Wei Deng did not reply. She didn't know if he was still asleep or if he was angry about the hundred yuan she had given him yesterday.
If she didn't reply, she didn't reply. When Song Xia was hungry, she ate wild vegetable pancakes. The ones she made for herself were naturally different from the ones she made for Wei Deng. As soon as she opened them, she could smell the fresh aroma of wild vegetables, which attracted the attention of several people on the train.
One of the girls had pale lips, which Song Xia noticed was probably due to low blood sugar. She was clearly craving something but was too shy to ask for it, so Song Xia smiled and handed her one.
The girl accepted it with delight: "Thank you, Auntie."
"You're welcome. Hurry up and eat, or you'll get dizzy if you're hungry for too long."
The girl quickly took a bite, then showed an expression of amazement, chewed a few more times and swallowed, saying to Song Xia, "Auntie, the pancakes you made are so delicious."
"I have more here, eat slowly, don't choke."
The girl continued talking to her: "I do have low blood sugar. Actually, my parents prepared breakfast and candy for me when I was on the train, but I forgot to take them in my rush when I was about to enter the station. Auntie, are you also going to the provincial capital?"
"Well, I haven't been feeling well these past few days, and the medical care in our county isn't very good, so I'm thinking of going to the provincial capital for a checkup."
"If you're not feeling well, you should get it checked out. But Auntie, are you going alone?"
“My son is studying in the provincial capital. I told him yesterday that he would pick me up.”
The girl nodded in relief: "That's good. There are so many procedures for hospital examinations these days, it's easy to get confused if you're alone."
When Song Xia had nothing to do, he chatted with the girl, Pei Xin, who was from the next county. Although her family was of ordinary means, she was an only child and didn't have any difficulties. After graduating from university this year, they didn't let her go out to find a job, but instead prepared for the national civil service exam. This trip to the provincial capital was for the exam.
Although her parents had repeatedly told her not to tell anyone about the civil service exam before things were settled, Pei Xin felt that the aunt in front of her was gentle and kind and had no intention of harming anyone, so she told her everything.
“My parents said that as a girl, I don’t have a strong major in college and my family doesn’t have any connections. If I look for a job, I can only find an ordinary job. They said I might as well work hard to take the civil service exam and then I can work for the government and not have to worry about anything.”
“Your parents are right, they love you very much.” As she said this, Song Xia’s expression became hesitant.
Pei Xin asked, "Auntie, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's just that Auntie also has a daughter who just graduated a few months ago and hasn't found a very good job. After hearing what you said, Auntie was thinking about whether she should take the civil service exam like you. Xiao Pei, is the civil service exam difficult?"
“It is certainly difficult, but anyone under 35 can take the exam. If you don’t pass in one year, you’ll have experience after two or three years.” Pei Xin didn’t say anything definitive because she didn’t think Aunt Song was rich. She might not be happy if her children had to miss a few years of work. However, she still wanted to try for that sister.
“Auntie, there are many benefits to taking the civil service exam. Not only do you not have to worry about being fired because you have a government job, but you also get regular holidays and can come back to visit you more often. For us women, having this kind of status means we don’t have to be afraid of being bullied, and outsiders will look at us with more respect.”
“Passing the exam is equivalent to becoming an official, which is naturally a great honor for the family. When I see my daughter next time, I will discuss it with her and see if she is willing to accept it.”
Despite saying that, Song Xia had already made up her mind that only by joining the Party and entering the Party organization could Wei Zhu be awakened. Moreover, just as Pei Xin said, after taking the civil service exam, she would no longer be afraid of being bullied, especially by Wei Deng.
Just when there was no excuse to get Wei Zhu to leave that factory, now it's perfect to use Pei Xin's excuse.
"Xiao Pei, after I've convinced my child, could I ask you for advice on how to take the civil service exam?"
“Of course.” Pei Xin immediately exchanged contact information with Song Xia. “You can ask me about how to register and what kind of study materials to buy.”
"Xiao Pei, thank you so much. Eat up, Auntie still has some wild vegetable pancakes. If I ever need your help again in the future, Auntie will treat you to another meal."
"No need, Auntie, you're too kind. I was already very happy that you offered me the wild vegetable pancakes. Otherwise, if I had fainted in the car due to low blood sugar and missed the exam, I would have been truly devastated!"
As the two chatted, the train slowly arrived in the provincial capital. Pei Xin did not leave immediately but insisted on staying with Song Xia until Wei Deng arrived.
However, after exiting the station, Song Xia did not see her son Wei Deng, and he did not answer her phone. She wondered what he was doing. Pei Xin frowned.
"Aunt Song, did you really agree on a time with your son yesterday?"
“I already told him. I even sent him the train ticket this morning, and he said he would be there on time.” Song Xia looked anxious. “I’ll try calling him again.”
The call finally went through on the third try, but Weiden on the other end seemed very impatient: "Mom, what are you doing?"
"Why are you asking me this? I'm asking you what you promised me yesterday. I'm already at the train station, why didn't you come to pick me up to go to the hospital?"
"You've arrived already?" Clearly, Weiden hadn't paid attention to the train's arrival time. "Don't wander off. I'll come over, or you can go to the hospital yourself. We can meet at the hospital."
"Then I'll go to the hospital first. I finally managed to get my neighbor to schedule an appointment for me. If I don't get there on time, I don't know when I'll be able to get another appointment. Don't dawdle, go to the hospital right away."
From the scattered conversation, Pei Xin also got the gist of what had happened. Aunt Song is such a good person, how come her son seems so unreliable?
She took a deep breath: "Aunt Song, shall I take you to the hospital?"
"No need, no need, I can take the bus myself, don't delay you."
"The exam is still a few days away. I don't have anything to do today, so let me take you. Otherwise, I'm worried about you."
Seeing that she insisted, Song Xia conceded: "Then how about this, you take me to the bus stop, and I'll get off at the stop myself. It seems that the stop is the hospital I booked, so there's no need to take me there."
Pei Xin hesitated for a moment, then thought it would work: "Auntie, if your son doesn't get there in time, please call me."
"Okay, Xiao Pei, Auntie wishes you a successful trip ashore."
Pei Xin smiled, pursing her lips: "Auntie, you even know the word 'going ashore'! Come on, let me help you carry your things."
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