Liu Jin fell silent, lowered his head, and sat down to one side. Nan Nan knew he was really sad, so she quickly ran up to Liu Jin and said, "Liu Jin, Auntie promises that when you take the college entrance exam, Auntie will be waiting for you in Beijing. Also, you can come to Beijing with your father every year for the Spring Festival, and Auntie will take you out to play."
Liu Jin was a little listless. He knew in his heart that he couldn't go to the capital with Yan Xiaonan, but he had been used to following Yan Xiaonan since he was a child and he couldn't bear to part with her.
Yan Xiaonan took out a thick stack of letter paper and envelopes, as well as several sheets of stamps, and handed them to Liu Jin: "Liu Jin, if you miss your aunt, write to me. When I get to the capital, I will write to you and tell you my address. We can correspond in the future."
Liu Jin cried while holding the letter, carefully avoiding it so as not to let his tears fall on it and ruin the precious letter. This silent crying was completely different from his previous unreasonable behavior, which made people feel sad. Even Dongnan felt a little sad. This child has a heart.
Yan Xiaonan patted his back and said, "Liu Jin, don't cry. A man doesn't cry easily. You're a real man, how can you cry? Be good, your auntie likes to see you smile. Liu Jin looks so handsome when he smiles."
Liu Jin sniffed and nodded: "I'll listen to my aunt. I'm a man, I won't cry anymore. Also, you have to write to me when you get to the capital. I'll write to you every day."
Yan Xiaonan was startled. Writing letters every day would cost a lot of stamps. Just as she was about to speak, Xuemei spoke first: "Six catties, stamps are expensive. You can write every day and then send them out together every week."
Liu Jin thought about it and realized that his mother was right. His aunt had given him stamps, which she had bought by saving money. He couldn't just squander them. "Auntie, I'll write every day and send you a letter every week or two. That way, I can save on stamps."
Yan Xiaonan nodded: "Don't worry, I'll write back to you every two weeks." She was thinking of sending the boy extra stamps when she replied, since Xuemei didn't have a job.
Thinking about work, Yan Xiaonan pulled Dongnan into the room: "Brother, I want to tell you something. The college entrance examination was reinstated last year, and the reform and opening up should be implemented by the end of this year. Could you find a way to get Sister Xuemei to rent a house near the school and sell some food, drinks, school supplies, and daily necessities?"
Also, pay attention to the news regularly. If private individuals are allowed to buy houses, buy several properties as soon as possible, especially street-front shops suitable for business. Hold onto them for ten or twenty years, and you're guaranteed to make a fortune.
Yan Dongnan's eyes lit up. He was also a little anxious. There were four people in his family, and he was the only one with an income. His child was getting older and older. Liu Jin used to be raised by his parents. Although he and Xue Mei always bought things for him, it saved him a lot of money in total.
Now that they're going to the capital with Nan Nan, they'll have to rely entirely on themselves from now on. No matter how thrifty Xue Mei is, she can't keep up with spending. Nan Nan's advice is always right, and they need to remember it well.
At the end of January 1977 or 1978, the postman came to Mushroom Village and delivered the first university admission notice. It was from Ma Mingyuan, the eldest son of the village chief. The notice stated that Ma Mingyuan's college entrance examination score this year was 202 points, and he was admitted to the Agricultural University, which is where Yan Dongnan works.
Village Chief Ma was so happy he didn't know what to do. Sister-in-law Ma, being the clever one, took out a lot of candy and pastries and gave them to the postman and the villagers who were watching the spectacle. The villagers all clapped and cheered, saying, "This is the second college student in Mushroom Village! That's amazing!"
Excitedly, Ma Mingyuan grabbed his acceptance letter and ran towards Yan Xiaonan's house. He wanted to ask her which school she had been accepted to. Yan Xiaonan and Ye Chen'er were also running towards the village chief's house to ask the postman if he had their acceptance letters.
The postman shook his head. This was the only acceptance letter he had today. He looked at Ye Chen'er and Yan Xiaonan with a regretful expression. What a pity, such a pretty girl was going to be stuck in this remote rural area.
Ma Mingyuan was stunned, and Village Chief Ma became nervous. It couldn't be! His son could pass the exam, but Yan Xiaonan couldn't. He kept thinking about it and decided to go to town in the afternoon to find out what was going on.
The other educated youth also arrived. Upon learning that there would only be one admission notice today, they left disappointed. Wang Yan even shed tears, looking at Liu Limin and saying, "Limin, it seems we are going to settle down in the countryside."
Liu Limin thought it was impossible. He thought he had done well on the exam. He believed he could easily score 200 points, if not 300. He comforted Wang Yan, saying, "The admission notices might be issued based on scores or regions. There's no rush."
Wang Yan wiped away her tears. "What's the use of being anxious? If they're not coming, they're not coming. You can't force them to come." Tian Fang, listening nearby, agreed with Liu Limin's thoughts. It was freezing cold here anyway. "Never mind, they'll come eventually. Let's go back to sleep."
Ye Chen'er was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. If she didn't get into university, how many people would be disappointed? Not to mention Yan Aidang, even her grandparents would be the first to be disappointed. Especially her grandfather, who specifically told her and her older brother that this college entrance examination was a rare opportunity and they must make the most of it.
Ye Chen'er squatted on the ground and cried. Ye Chenming rushed over and pulled Ye Chen'er up, saying, "Chen'er, even if you don't pass the exam, you can't embarrass yourself like this. Come on, let's go back and I'll tell you why."
Ye Chen'er quickly stood up and wiped away her tears. How could she have forgotten all the education she had received since childhood? Her grandmother had always told her that whether she was happy or sad, it was her personal emotion and she had to keep it to herself. It was a matter of manners and upbringing.
The three of them arrived at Yan Xiaonan's house. At this point, Yan Xiaoqiang didn't care about whether they liked each other or not. He grabbed Ye Chenming's arm and asked, "You didn't pass the exam either? What happened?"
Ye Chenming glanced outside and, seeing no one else there, said softly, "Nan Nan's father, don't worry, all three of us will definitely pass the exam. It's just that Beijing and Shanghai are quite far apart, so the acceptance letters will take a few more days to arrive."
Yan Xiaoqiang looked at Ye Chenming suspiciously. Was this kid telling the truth? Yan Xiaonan nodded in agreement. Transportation wasn't as developed as it had been in his previous life; a few days' delay was entirely possible.
Two days later, Liu Limin, Wang Yan, and Tian Fang received their university admission notices. Tian Fang and Liu Limin were both from Jinshi, and Wang Yan filled out the application for Jinshi University based on Liu Limin's guidance.
The entire educated youth settlement was in an uproar. The three of them shouted and jumped around. Liu Limin and Wang Yan even hugged each other. They had agreed that they would get married once they were admitted to university. The two of them took their admission notices and ran to the village committee. They asked the village chief to issue a letter of introduction and fill out a file transfer form. They wanted to leave Mushroom Village as quickly as possible.
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