"But wouldn't it be too conspicuous if so many of us went together? And what about the children?"
Suddenly, Zhao Chen asked with a hesitant expression.
Lin Qing lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Chenchen is right. It would be too conspicuous if all of us went together. Why don't we send a few people tomorrow? Those who stay behind can take care of the children."
"Then who should go?"
Zhao Xi asked.
"Why don't Sister Xianghong and Chenchen stay and look after the children? I'll go with Xixi, Fengjiao, Brother Nanxun, Third Brother, Haoran, and the rest of you. The rest of you can help Sister Xianghong and Chenchen look after the children."
"Okay, let's do it this way!"
Xu Fengjiao and Zhao Xi said happily, and the others nodded in agreement, agreeing to Lin Qing's arrangement.
...
The next morning, Lin Qing, Gu Nanxun, Xu Fengjiao, Wang Haoran, Zhao Xi, and Lin Qing's third brother Lin Yunfeng gathered at the village entrance early to prepare for their trip to the county town.
"Everyone, be careful on the road and pay attention to safety," Lu Xianghong reminded him worriedly.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen," the others replied.
The six of them rode together in the sled made by Gu Nanxun, heading towards the county town. The sled was a new one made by Gu Nanxun, much larger and more comfortable than the original. Leiting and Shandian were still pulling the sled, but now there were two of their children with them.
Over the past decade, Thunder and Lightning have grown even more powerful and imposing, their bodies now resembling small calves. They have also had many offspring over the years, some of whom Lin Qing has raised in his space, while others have been given to his friends. On the surface, Lin Qing has only kept two by his side.
Thunder and Lightning are already ten years old. It's estimated that in another two years they won't be able to stay outside anymore. Although Thunder and Lightning are very healthy now, dogs only live for a little over ten years. Staying outside for too long is not suitable. The two dogs that Lin Qing keeps in the open are to replace Thunder and Lightning. When that time comes, Lin Qing will put Thunder and Lightning in his space and say to the outside world that they have grown old.
They walked for several hours along the snow-covered mountain road before finally arriving in the county town.
Perhaps because of the weather, the county town wasn't as bustling as usual. Without giving it much thought, the group headed straight for the bookstore.
"Excuse me, ma'am, does your bookstore have any books for junior high and high school?"
With a smile on her face, Lin Qing asked the bookstore owner.
"They're over there, find them yourselves!" Following the direction the eldest sister pointed, everyone arrived behind the bookshelf.
Sure enough, there was a pile of all kinds of books there.
Lin Qing and the others picked and chose, and found a total of five sets.
"Excuse me, is this all there is?"
Zhao Xi asked the woman selling books.
"That's all we have. Why do you need so many books?"
The older sister asked with a puzzled look.
"This is for our village's literacy campaign, ma'am. How much does it cost in total?"
The textbooks they chose included Chinese, Mathematics, English, History, Geography, Politics, Chemistry, and Physics for junior high school, and Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, Politics, Geography, Chemistry, and History for senior high school. Each set consisted of 16 books, and five sets would make 80 books.
The older woman carefully examined the books they had chosen, then counted the number of books and said, "Junior high school textbooks are 50 cents each, so a set is 4 yuan. Senior high school textbooks are 1 yuan each, so a set is 8 yuan. You ordered five sets of junior high school textbooks and five sets of senior high school textbooks, so that's 60 yuan in total."
Lin Qing took out 60 yuan and handed it to the older sister. Then, together with Zhao Xi and Xu Fengjiao, they packed the books into the sacks they had brought, and Gu Nanxun carried them as they left the bookstore.
The older sister scratched her head in confusion as she watched the group leave, and it took her a while to realize, "That's right, why do we need to buy so many junior high and high school textbooks for literacy education! Elementary school textbooks are enough!"
After thinking it over, the eldest sister put the matter aside again, since it had nothing to do with her. However, she was still cautious and prepared an extra set for herself to keep at home. Not long after, when the news of the college entrance examination came out, the eldest sister thought of the scene at that time and couldn't help but slap her thigh hard. No wonder! Luckily, she had also kept a set, which was just right for her daughter to use.
"These textbooks should keep us busy for a while," Zhao Xi said happily, holding the sack.
"Let's go to the scrap metal yard again! If we can find some more, great; if not, five sets will be enough for us."
Xu Fengjiao and Zhao Xi nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
Then the group found two more sets at the scrap metal recycling station, so they had lunch at the state-run restaurant, and then went to the department store to buy some daily necessities and food before embarking on their journey back to the village.
Along the way, they kept discussing how to allocate time for review, how to help each other, and how to improve learning efficiency.
"You're back, how are things?"
As soon as they arrived at the courtyard gate, they were spotted by the people inside the house, and they hurriedly ran to the courtyard gate.
"We found seven sets in total, which is enough for us."
Xu Fengjiao said with a smile, and it was clear that she was in an extremely good mood.
"I've tidied up the west room for you, so you can study there from now on."
At this moment, Zhao Xuan walked out of the house with a big smile. Ever since Zhao Chen and Zhao Xi got married, the house they lived in had been empty. Today, Zhao Xuan and everyone cleaned up that room and put in some tables, chairs, and a bookshelf for them to use for studying.
"Thank you, Mom!" Lin Qing said with a smile.
"Thank you, Auntie!"
The others also expressed their gratitude.
Next, everyone began to study diligently and busily, and Zhao Xuan was very happy every day. While taking care of the child, she would also occasionally make some snacks for everyone.
If we were to ask who was happiest about this news besides the children, it would be Zhao Xuan. If the college entrance examination were to be reinstated, it would mean that the children could go back home, and she could go back to reunite with her husband. How could she not be happy?
However, she had to keep quiet about the college entrance exam news and not tell anyone. She didn't know where the two kids got the news from, and even her own father didn't know about it.
The other members of the educated youth settlement, as well as some of the more intelligent people in the village, saw Lin Qing and the others studying and, although they didn't know why, they all started studying as well. For a time, the learning atmosphere in Chaoyang Brigade was exceptionally strong.
Time passed day by day, and Lin Qing and his classmates studied hard every day, looking forward to the resumption of the college entrance examination.
...
Finally, one day, while everyone was studying, the village loudspeaker suddenly blared.
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