The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in 1979 was held on July 7, 8, and 9.
At that time, there were no regional college entrance examinations; instead, it was a national unified examination with questions set by the Ministry of Education.
Humanities subjects: Politics, Chinese Language, Mathematics, History, Geography, Foreign Language!
It was a sweltering summer day, and Ning Yuan had exams for three days straight. Every day, Grandma Xia and Grandpa Tang prepared lots of delicious food for her, but they wouldn't let her eat anything cold, fearing that their little girl would get diarrhea.
Even Rong Zhaonan visibly became serious. Not only did he not overstep any boundaries, but he even acted like an older brother, afraid that she would be nervous and unable to sleep well. He even taught her a set of Taoist mantras for calming the mind.
Ning Yuan thought this young man was truly amazing. He joined the army before he was even sixteen, yet he knew a lot about 'bourgeois' things.
He even understands this kind of 'feudal superstition' stuff called Taoism.
However, the mantra Rong Zhaonan taught was indeed useful. Reciting it before bed or when feeling anxious calmed my mind considerably.
The three days of the college entrance examination were spent in the sweltering summer heat.
The proctor walked back and forth in the classroom, and time flowed forward slowly and viscously.
Some people scratched their heads in frustration, some wrote furiously, and some lay slumped over their desks, completely giving up.
For three days, math continued to give Ning Yuan a headache, making her realize that despite all her hard work, she was still a terrible science student.
She could only rely on the problem-solving techniques taught by Teacher Tang, trying to find shortcuts so that her math score wouldn't be too much of a drag.
But Ning Yuan was very relaxed in the other subjects.
On the third day, the last subject was English. After checking the English paper three times, she even had time to stare out the window for a while.
In July, the sky, which had not been polluted on a large scale decades ago, was as blue as the sea.
Cicadas were buzzing outside the window, and an old three-bladed fan was swaying, bringing a cool breeze.
Ning Yuan felt somewhat dazed. The river of time... seemed to have truly flowed through her fingers, as if all of this was nothing but a delusion in her dream.
It wasn't until the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam, that she snapped back to reality.
After handing in her paper, Ning Yuan walked out of the examination room.
The people around me were all college entrance exam takers who had just finished their last exam. Their expressions varied: some were happy, some were uneasy, and some looked miserable.
Ning Yuan immediately spotted the tall figure riding a bicycle to pick her up, and that sense of reality returned.
Rong Zhaonan...
He was dressed in a white shirt and blue trousers police uniform, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He was so eye-catching that he stood out as a role model.
For the past three days, the elusive Boss Rong has been picking her up and dropping her off at the exam venue every morning and evening.
"How did the exam go?" As Ning Yuan walked over, Rong Zhaonan took out the tangerine peel and mung bean soup that Grandma Xia had cooked from the bicycle basket and handed it to her as usual.
Ning Yuan wiped her sweat wearily with a handkerchief, took the drink, and said, "It's not a big problem!"
"Finished your drink? Get in the car. Old Tang cooked steak himself today." Rong Zhaonan smiled and patted her head again.
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan was immediately delighted: "Really!"
Besides making suits, Mr. Tang can also cook several excellent Western dishes.
In the past, out of caution, he wouldn't dare to do such capitalist things even in his own dilapidated outhouse. Now, the environment is much more relaxed, and Old Tang occasionally cooks.
Ning Yuan happily jumped onto the back of Rong Zhaonan's car and gripped the back seat tightly: "Let's go!"
Rong Zhaonan said calmly, "Hold on tight, don't drop him."
Ning Yuan was taken aback. A couple of days ago, he didn't say anything when she didn't hug his waist.
But... seeing his long legs supporting him on the ground, showing no intention of moving at all, Ning Yuan could only bite her lip and reluctantly hug his slender waist.
Rong Zhaonan felt the girl's soft arm against his waist and chuckled softly, "Let's go."
The trees swayed in the breeze as I rode my bicycle through the bustling streets of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a cool summer evening breeze blowing in my face.
The streets were filled with people who had just finished get off work, chatting and laughing.
Although most people still wear blue, green, black, and gray-white work clothes, some other bright colors have already appeared.
Like a dormant old tree gradually regaining its vitality, this ancient country is embarking on a new journey, uncertain yet moving towards a future full of hope and vitality.
That's great...
Ning Yuan liked this feeling, just like how she was trying to grow back.
She looked up at the swaying shadows of the almond tree, couldn't help but smile brightly, and unconsciously wrapped her arms around the waist of the person in front of her.
Rong Zhaonan could sense Ning Yuan's joy, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling happy as well.
Did the curly-haired rabbit do very well on the exam?
The two went to the courtyard together, where Grandma Xia and Grandpa Tang had prepared dinner early in the morning.
For dinner, Grandma had beef ribs that she had exchanged with her meat coupons, and Old Tang carefully pan-fried them into four portions of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside beef ribs.
With the remaining two cents, I bought an unwanted oxtail from the market, along with potatoes and tomatoes from my own plot in the yard, and stewed it into a thick, sweet and sour tomato oxtail soup.
Since there was no butter available, Old Tang added some milk and his own rendered butter for seasoning, and it still smelled delicious.
Next comes steamed creamy mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree, sprinkled with black pepper, and then plated.
The four enamel mugs on the table, each marked with the words "Production and Construction," were filled with homemade sparkling water or coffee.
Grandma Xia solemnly took out four handkerchiefs and asked everyone to tuck them into their collars as napkins.
Rong Zhaonan looked at the worn handkerchief printed with colorful peonies, and under Grandma Xia's stern gaze, silently stuffed it into the collar of his police uniform.
Ning Yuan looked at his reluctant yet patient expression and forced herself to suppress her laughter.
There were four fruit knives on the table next to the dishes... I don't know where Grandma Xia found them.
Forks... there won't be any forks.
But with spoons and chopsticks, it's a fusion of East and West.
Miss Xia stood up. There was no glass, so the old lady tapped the enamel mug with her spoon and cleared her throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to celebrate Xiao Ning's success in the college entrance examination!"
For a moment, Ning Yuan was puzzled. She seemed to have seen this scene in a movie called "The X Era" decades later.
However, while the protagonists are in a magnificent banquet hall, they are sitting on the ground in a yard where hens with chicks and wolves are running around—Miss Xia raises chickens, and Ah Hei and Ah Bai become chicken-herding wolves.
“Her results haven’t come out yet, it’s too early to celebrate. What if her results aren’t ideal…” Comrade Rong Zhaonan frowned.
As a former military commander, he pointed out Miss Xia's mistakes in a fact-based manner.
Before she could finish speaking, she was met with two unreasonable spoon blows to the forehead by MISS Xia—
"Pah! What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat? You look down on my old man? My old man's last disciple failed the exam and couldn't get into a good school!"
Rong Zhaonan pressed his flushed forehead, his delicate eyes twitching with anger: "..."
Luckily, he hadn't taken off his police hat, otherwise he might have gotten hit several more times.
Ning Yuan forced back her laughter, sat obediently, and raised her glass: "Grandpa Tang, Grandma, don't worry, I think I did pretty well on the exam this time!"
She underwent intensive training from renowned teachers for a year, and she knows her own level.
The overall difficulty of this year's questions was similar to that of the second and third mock exams, and they were all within her control.
Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province... should be an option!
Old Tang looked at Ning Yuan with satisfaction: "I believe in our little girl."
Ning Yuan smiled, her big eyes crinkling: "Mmm!"
The family enjoyed this unusual Western meal happily in the yard.
Who says she doesn't have family members who are happy for her?
Grandma Tang and Grandma Xia are like her maternal grandparents or paternal grandparents, and even Rong Zhaonan, who has recently been acting like an older brother to her...
They were all people who genuinely cared about her and were happy for her. Although they were not related by blood, she secretly regarded them as her family.
certainly……
If Rong's occasional, enigmatic gaze didn't seem to be directed at her like he was looking at beef ribs, perhaps she would feel even warmer.
...
Night fell.
Ning Yuan lingered in Grandma Xia and Grandpa Tang's room, pestering them to talk, and dared not go back to her own room.
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