Zhao Chunhua went home, found her daughter, whispered something in her ear for a while, and then turned around and went back to her own home.
He Meizhu, along with her three children, arrived at Gu Tiezhu's house.
Huang Tingxiu was drying corn in the yard, and their daughter Gu Taotao was helping her.
Seeing He Meizhu arrive with Sanbao, Gu Taotao immediately let go of the corn kernels in her hand and staggered towards Sanbao.
"Brother, brother..."
Gu Taotao is only one and a half years old and her speech is not very clear yet. When she calls out "brother" in a slurred way, it is very cute.
When Sanbao saw Taotao, he immediately let go of his grandmother's hand and ran over to her.
"Tao Tao".
"Candy."
Sanbao likes this little sister. She is fair-skinned, tender, and clean, unlike the little sister next door who only knows how to cry.
They didn't like the younger sister because she was dirty and had a runny nose. They preferred the clean younger sister.
Well, I have to say, these three kids have inherited some of their mother's obsessive-compulsive habits, though not to her extreme degree.
As for liking good-looking people, that's something they inherited from their father.
When Huang Tingxiu saw He Meizhu and the others, she smiled, put down her shovel, and stood up.
"Auntie."
He Meizhu exclaimed "Oh!" and walked in, saying, "I heard from Jiaojiao that you're going to take the college entrance exam. Why aren't you studying?"
Other villagers who said they wanted to take the college entrance exam are now not even interested in eating, let alone helping their families dry corn, for fear of missing their study time.
Unexpectedly, Huang Tingxiu was still drying corn.
This surprised He Meizhu.
Moreover, those who want to take the college entrance examination and return to the city all think they can definitely return to the city, so no one cares about the affairs of the village, unlike Huang Tingxiu, who not only keeps her house clean and tidy, but also dries corn at home.
So they plan to stay here long-term?
"My head started to hurt from reading for so long, so I got up and moved around for a bit before going back to reading."
Huang Tingxiu said with a smile.
He Meizhu nodded: "It's good to balance work and rest. My Jiaojiao is the same. I also tell her not to just focus on studying all the time. As for the college entrance exam, if you can pass, you should take it. If you can't, you can't just give up on life, right?"
He Meizhu said this intentionally to Huang Tingxiu.
To be honest, she wasn't worried about Huaijiao, but she didn't know what Huang Tingxiu was thinking.
If Huang Tingxiu, like everyone else, thought about returning to the city after the college entrance exam and abandoning Tiezhu and his daughter, He Meizhu would feel that she had misjudged her.
However, she still has a relatively high opinion of Huang Tingxiu's character.
Huang Tingxiu naturally sensed He Meizhu's probing.
She smiled and said, "Yes, Auntie is right. The college entrance examination is just a process and an experience. We've studied for so many years. Before, there was no college entrance examination, so we had no choice but to participate. Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, we should take it."
"As for whether I can pass the exam, that depends on luck. In short, I've tried my best, so I won't regret it later."
Huang Tingxiu has a very good mindset.
She didn't say that she absolutely had to go back to the city.
However, if she can get into university through the college entrance examination, she will still go to university.
It's okay if I don't pass the exam.
In short, as long as you've done your best, that's enough.
He Meizhu paused for a moment, then quickly laughed.
“I’m relieved that you think this way, Tingxiu. Things have been really messy in the village lately. Your uncle has to deal with fights caused by the college entrance exams every day. I was just saying this because I was worried about Tiezhu and Taotao. Don’t mind me.”
He Meizhu is an open-minded person. Since the other party knows what she means, she will just explain it frankly.
There's no need to hide it.
“I know, Auntie.”
Huang Tingxiu wasn't angry.
Although their home was a bit far from most of the other houses in the village, it was easy to imagine what kind of uproar would occur if the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came.
Their family was doing well; when the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came, Tiezhu was the first person to tell her.
He then told her to focus on preparing for the college entrance exam and that he would take care of everything at home.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Gu Tiezhu didn't show any sign of worry that she might never return. Their family life continued as usual; no matter how noisy it was outside, their home remained the same.
In the end, Huang Tingxiu spoke first.
She will take the college entrance examination. If she passes, she will go to university; if she fails, she will not regret it.
Gu Tiezhu simply hummed in response without saying anything.
This left Huang Tingxiu feeling somewhat frustrated.
Listening to He Meizhu chatting with her, she learned that Huaijiao had asked Gu Changzheng to register for the college entrance examination as well. She felt a little envious, but she also knew that this was not suitable for their family's situation.
Tie Zhu only has an elementary school education and is rather simple-minded, not as quick-witted as Gu Changzheng. Asking him to memorize college entrance exam material would be asking too much of him.
Huang Tingxiu couldn't bear it.
But the thought that if she passed the exam, she would be separated from Tiezhu and her daughter for several years made her very sad.
"Sigh, I wonder if the fourth brother will pass the exam? But my Jiaojiao said that even if he doesn't pass, she wants Gu Changzheng to come to the city with her."
He Meizhu spoke to herself from the side.
Huang Tingxiu's eyes lit up.
"Did the Long March also go to the city? How did they get there?"
"I don't know either. I just heard Jiaojiao say that the college entrance examination has been reinstated now, and society will definitely open up in a couple of years. At that time, there will be no more food supplies. As long as the village finds someone to take them in, they can go to the city freely."
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