Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Wu Nian is suitable for studying mechanics...
In reality, Lin Xinghuo not only wanted to study agronomy but also had a preference for Chinese herbal medicine. This was due to her experience in a previous life. The most challenging aspect of her previous medical practice wasn't the difficulty of treating illnesses, but the difficulty of obtaining quality medicinal herbs. Wild medicinal resources were already scarce, and farmers needed to quickly generate economic returns from their production, rather than simply expending resources over years or even decades. Therefore, all sorts of exotic fertilizers, pesticides, and chemical plant growth regulators were used on medicinal herbs.
Medicinal herbs that take several years to grow in the wild only need one year to grow in the fields of medicinal farmers. You can imagine how effective they are.
Lin Xinghuo possessed a single tree spiritual root, giving her a unique advantage in planting. This was actually a completely different field from ordinary agricultural cultivation, and she would have very few opportunities to apply her acquired knowledge after graduation. However, as her two elders had considered, since she had the ambition to establish farms across China, she needed the necessary background and support.
You must take the college entrance exam, but you need to choose the right school carefully.
"While your uncle and I have connections to that circle, there are still several layers of distance. Sometimes the county magistrate is not as good as the current governor. You have to understand this principle," Fang Tongjian said. Furthermore, friends in that circle are the most difficult to make friends with. They are completely focused on their own research, unlike those in the cultural circle who enjoy getting together.
"I asked a friend and found out that the Agricultural College in Beijing is now under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Machinery Group. The college focuses on 'agricultural machinery', and planting is not too prominent." Fang Tongjian sighed. This is also one of the sequelae caused by that movement. In recent years, most people have paid attention to output and 'production □□'. Therefore, in actual conditions, mechanization that can effectively expand production should indeed be the focus.
There is nothing wrong with this. No one will complain about the bad food when they are not full. But Fang Tongjian knows that this emphasis is not in line with his apprentice's concept.
"Besides, the Agricultural College doesn't have a major in Chinese herbal medicine," Rong Bocen said succinctly. "If you want to develop in the field of Chinese herbal medicine, it's best to choose the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine."
"The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has been an old key university since the founding of the People's Republic of China. One of its best majors is Chinese medicine. Although the Chinese medicine major does not have a planting direction, it can be developed as an extracurricular hobby." Old Rong was smoking a golden tobacco, relaxing for a rare moment, and his tone was quite leisurely and cheerful.
Lin Xinghuo sat upright and listened, Wu Nian was also beside her. Like good students, they had already written down many entries on the notebook in front of them.
"If you choose the right school, your teachers and classmates will be your greatest support in realizing your dreams in the future. Going to university is also the best and most direct way for you to quickly integrate into this circle." Rong Bocen always speaks more bluntly than Fang Tongjian.
Although Fang Tongjian is more of a cultured person, he is not an idealist who is out of touch with the world. He thinks about his disciples' future in the long term: "If you want your good medicines and materials to benefit more people, don't you have to find a 'Bo Le' for them? After they enter the school, there will be good customers for your medicinal materials everywhere." Wild boars cannot eat fine bran. If the things that the young apprentice has worked so hard to grow fall into the hands of people who don't know how to use them, wouldn't it be a waste?
"Of course, there's no need for you to deliberately make friends with others. In their circle, they only respect 'skills'. You have great medical skills, so naturally teachers and classmates will take the initiative to approach you." Fang Tongjian knew the shortcomings of Xinghuo. She was not the kind of person who was good at socializing. Old man Fang felt sorry for his apprentice and was afraid that the child would go astray.
"Your uncle Ning will be back in Beijing soon. When he comes back, you and Wu Nian should go see old man Ning." The farm outside Beijing has begun to take shape. The two children have consumed a lot of energy in the past year. Fang Tongjian felt distressed and quickly pulled them into his apprentice's arms.
After all, the official entrance exam notice hadn't been released yet, and this year's harvest at the farm couldn't go to waste. Old Man Ning had benefited greatly from the girl's kindness back then, otherwise how could that stubborn old man be in such good health? After the movement, everything was in ruins, and it was time to hire people, but many of the veteran comrades simply couldn't sustain the physical demands of returning to their posts, and Ning Bangyan was immediately exposed. As soon as the old man returned to work, he didn't even have time to catch up with his old friends before he went straight to the army to take charge of the work. He was a hot commodity, taking care of a whole bunch of things.
Fang Tongjian doesn't know that his child's small hundred acres of land are full of good things. He has always been a person who takes advantage of others. He can't forget the old man Ning who took good care of him in the labor camp for such a good thing.
"That's good." Rong Bocen didn't know Ning Bangyan, but he had heard of the veteran. "The things at Xinghuo Farm are good, and good things should be provided to our people's soldiers." Someone else whispered something about 'special supply' in his ear, telling Rong Bocen that this system, which he had learned from the old Su brother in the north, was irrational, just as irrational as the Overseas Chinese Stores. Serving a small group of people with high salaries would inevitably breed a sense of privilege...
Rong Bocen's thoughts were spinning out of control, but he did not forget to remind his niece - that's right, ever since he had his big baby Lin Beiguo, Fang Tongjian didn't want people to misunderstand Lin Xinghuo as his granddaughter. Instead, he emphasized the master-disciple relationship, and that a teacher is a father for life... In a roundabout way, he meant that Lin Beiguo was the eldest granddaughter.
An old man's mind is like a needle in the sea. This man simply feels that his great-granddaughter is far superior to his granddaughter, and he also resents being called old: Just imagine, in the family photo, he sits in the middle holding his fat granddaughter, with Xinghuo and Wunian standing shoulder to shoulder behind them. It's clearly grandfather, daughter, and granddaughter—three generations—that look like a family, right? But if it became great-grandfather, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, the atmosphere would change, wouldn't it?
Old Rong never understood the weird things in his junior fellow's mind, but that didn't stop him from following his advice. Before Lin Xinghuo noticed that he was quietly "raising his generation", when he introduced Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian to others, he changed their names from nephew to niece and nephew.
"Your farm is well run, and the produce you grow is both nourishing and delicious," Rong Bocen told his niece. "Someone noticed it and suggested recommending your farm's produce to the special supply team. I declined and checked on the person. He's a manipulative individual, but there's nothing wrong with him."
"Who is that person with such a sensitive nose?" Fang Tongjian asked.
It wasn't necessarily a matter of good sense, thought Rong. Perhaps he was just looking to take advantage of the situation. With the planned changes to the admissions system spreading, rumors had spread, prompting a surge of speculators eager to climb the Education Department's already burgeoning tree. It wasn't just Rong Bocen; even the most junior staff members in the Education Department, with their junior qualifications and positions, had been having a rough time lately. It was rare for someone like him to snag a special quota, so he had the audacity to approach Rong Bocen directly.
Rong Bocen didn't want to say much, only saying, "He's a newly transferred section chief. Don't worry, there are people watching over him."
Fang Tongjian was a little worried and stopped throwing the bouquet with his eldest granddaughter.
Seeing this, Lin Xinghuo took the initiative to say, "I embroidered a peace amulet for Master. Shall I hang it up for you now?"
"Hang it up, hang it up," Fang Tongjian said hurriedly. He also had the amulet, and while he'd never used it, He Qing from Song County had often raved to him about its efficacy. Having lived in the same courtyard with his apprentice's family for so long, Fang Tongjian had gradually learned some things about cultivators, like how paper amulets weren't as good as wooden ones, which, in turn, couldn't compare to those embroidered on silk that felt like water... But the latter kind was the rarest. Old Man Fang had seen it happen several times. As the girl Xinghuo embroidered, the silk would erupt in black flames, instantly consuming the fabric and thread. If she couldn't dodge in time, the flames would follow the silk thread and burn away the ox-hair golden needles, then slip into the girl's hands, instantly revealing the veins in her hands, which would turn black and linger for days.
Rong Bocen was at a loss for words. He was busy with work and had only a limited time here. Although he had heard that his niece was raised by an elderly Buddhist nun with extraordinary powers, and that the locals called the two "fairy ladies," he didn't really believe in such things. But since the child was so kind, he could just hang it up.
Rong Lao came from a poor family. Although he was raised in luxury by the Fang family elders for a few years, he still didn't develop the habit of wearing dangling gongs as accessories like Fang Tongjian. So the old man felt through the four pockets of his cadre uniform, removed a fountain pen from the top pocket, and handed it to Lin Xinghuo, "Keep it for writing." He then took the finger-long embroidery piece from his niece's hand and placed it in the pocket.
Lin Xinghuo took the pen, but avoided his master's action of taking the amulet and putting it in his upper left pocket. It would be better to hang the amulet around his neck.
Seeing her embarrassment, Wu Nian stood up and took the talisman: "Let me do it."
Fang Tongjian watched the two children playing with it with great interest. Rong Bocen knew from his smile that his junior fellow apprentice was up to something again and wanted to make a fool of himself. But he didn't think hanging a small piece of cloth could cause any embarrassment.
Rong Lao straightened his neck, letting Wu Nian uncomfortably tie the red string around his neck. His expression, old-fashioned yet restrained, made Fang Tongjian burst into laughter. But that wasn't the end of it. Rong Bocen saw with his own eyes that after the red string was put on, the small embroidery piece hanging from the knot, which should have been light but actually had some weight, disappeared at the touch of Wu Nian's hand!
It was gone, but if you felt carefully, you could still feel something hanging around his neck. Rong Lao fumbled in his collar but felt nothing.
Wu Nian smiled and said, "Look here." He pointed to a blurry pattern on the inside of the shirt and showed it to Rong Bocen.
Rong Bocen lifted his collar and took a look. Sure enough, he could see a light red mark. He was speechless and looked at his junior brother for a long while: "This...?"
"You'll be fine once you get used to it!" Fang Tongjian stood up his snow-white collar and showed his senior brother, "Don't be afraid of changing clothes. As long as the talisman is still effective, it won't be revealed." Old man Fang didn't say that he was also shocked at first, but the difference was that Mr. Fang immediately changed into several sets of clothes and looked for the mark of the talisman with great interest.
Fang Tongjian raised his eyebrows to his senior brother, meaning, you must believe that my good disciple has real skills.
After witnessing Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian's extraordinary abilities, even Rong Bocen was stunned for a long time before calming down. Many of the mysteries he had been holding back finally had answers. Rong Bocen looked up at the glass house they were in. He had previously wondered how such large pieces of glass were obtained. Zhong Qin had said Wu Nian had refined it, but he still had doubts, because even the Beijing glass factory rarely produced such icy, smooth, fine products... But now, Rong Bocen truly believed that Wu Nian's strange furnace, not much bigger than a pot, could truly produce these things, and that this was probably the secret to the delicious food grown on his niece's farm.
Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian exchanged a smile. It wasn't that they deliberately concealed their close elders, but rather that Elder Rong was different from Master Fang. Master Fang's mind was full of wild imaginations, daring to think of anything, but Uncle Rong was too rigid and formal: just to point out that all the utensils and ornaments in Master Fang's room were Wu Nian's handiwork. Anyone else would have been suspicious and asked how they were made, but Uncle Rong wasn't. He paid special attention to the wishes of the younger generation. He was clearly puzzled, but he didn't ask. Master Fang said Wu Nian was skillful, and after carefully observing that these treasures were deliberately without antique seals, he calmly accepted the reason of "skillful hands".
The whole family was at a loss as to what to do with him.
How to reveal his difference naturally and unobtrusively, so that he could see it directly without startling the old man, was the challenge Fang Tongjian had recently posed to his young apprentice. Of course, Fang Tongjian had no intention of revealing these particularly profound secrets to his senior brother. The old man had even solemnly warned his apprentice not to tell a single person. Even if he couldn't hide it from those closest to him, they knew it, but they were forbidden to admit it. The millennia-old belief in "not being one of my kind" was no joke. This matter must be kept secret until his theory that "all humans have demon blood" came true and everyone walked the streets sporting various animal ears, cat eyes, and wolf tails. Only then could the ban be lifted.
However, Rong Bocen felt much more at ease after receiving the filial gift from his niece.
Don't think it's just an admissions reform, with no discernible profiteering involved, that it wouldn't be enough to make even a high-ranking official like him feel insecure. To think so is sheer folly. Leaving aside the subsequent examination and admissions processes, both prone to error throughout history, the current undetermined enrollment targets alone present a significant challenge: Should we narrow the scope of the first year's exams and admissions, as a test? For example, could we allow those workers, peasants, and soldiers who have a solid foundation and haven't yet graduated to take the exam? These people have already studied at the university for a while, have a solid foundation, and their background has been proven by the people to be both red and expert...
Those who put forward this opinion represent the interests of workers, peasants and soldiers, because once the examination and enrollment are fully liberalized, the situation and treatment of workers, peasants and soldiers will decline, especially those groups of students who have not yet graduated from school.
There are also various restrictions such as age restrictions, composition restrictions, etc., which are intended to further narrow the scope and avoid excessive competition.
Whether they were selfish or not is another matter, but these suggestions do have their own merits, so all kinds of suggestions are flying around within the education group itself, and the specific examination and enrollment regulations have not been finalized.
Rong Bocen himself held a completely liberal stance, but his stance of "not solely judging by class background, but admitting students based on merit" had drawn the ire of many, and Rong Bocen knew this. Consequently, the old man's visits to Sajin Hutong had become increasingly rare. If it weren't for his junior brother personally waiting for him after work, saying he wanted him to persuade his niece to choose a university, he wouldn't have bothered to come.
The old man felt that he was "too prosperous" recently, and that working too hard was not a good thing. He was afraid of bringing trouble to this side. When someone came to him to "negotiate a deal" with the price of having his niece's farm produce on a special supply list, the old man became even more alert.
But now with the talisman, Rong Bocen patted his collar, his calm expression sharpening. He said to his niece, "Alright, stop trying to coax me along with your master. The rules for resuming the college entrance examination will be finalized soon. Send a telegram to the village in Xue Province and tell them to work harder so they can reunite with you next year... Wu Nian, please lend me your services for a few days. Pack up the vegetables and meat for Master-Uncle and have him drive the cart home for me."
He had no idea that Xinghuo was just playing double duty with her master, that she must have already decided to attend the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and was just using this as a pretext to lure him in. Zhongqin had many friends and a keen ear, so he must have heard about the unsettling news in the department. His junior brother was worried, afraid he wouldn't believe in such supernatural things... But what he said to his niece was well-considered, and the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine was indeed more suitable for realizing the girl's dreams.
Rong Bocen had once considered his nephew's ideals lofty and broad, a characteristic of youth. He admired their broad-mindedness, which sought to "bless all the poor and bring joy to the world," but they were indeed difficult to achieve. Rong Bocen, fearing his son's ideals would become mere dreams, was concerned about Lin Xinghuo's future, which was why he spoke of "relying on" and told Lin Xinghuo that "university was a shortcut to integration." These were all utilitarian statements.
Rong Bocen was pleased that his niece and her husband were extraordinary people. His mind was no slower than Fang Tongjian's, he simply hadn't opened up to the fullest. In a short moment, Rong Bocen reflected on many things. The most urgent task, and the one he could fulfill within his responsibilities, was to open up the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) as quickly as possible, allowing talented individuals to grow and find their place...
"You've wasted half a day." Elder Rong looked at his watch and said with a smile, "Go on with your composition. I heard from your master that your writing is still not very good."
"Work hard and show your composition to Uncle next week."
Lin Xinghuo put away his little notebook for pretending to be good with a wry smile, and looked at Wu Nian with resentment and envy. It was great that he didn't have to take the college entrance examination.
Rong Bocen saw her little look and couldn't help laughing. He turned around and patted Wu Nian who had already started working. "Your master said you have a cat-like temperament and can't sit still? Don't worry, I have experience! Your second brother Rong has a monkey surname, and I also changed it. I will watch over you from now on. Go and get a school to study next year!"
Wu Nian was tortured a lot by Xinghuo this month. She even asked him to study with her. Uncle Mao was satisfied as long as he learned to write, but he felt uncomfortable when he saw those messy formulas and symbols. In order to avoid studying, Uncle Mao, whose magic power was obviously enough to last for more than ten hours in transformation, still shamelessly used the excuse of insufficient magic power to transform into a young human form, and then turned into a little rabbit caracal to please someone.
"I..." I originally thought that I could escape by helping Old Man Rong, but I didn't expect that there was a deep pit dug directly underground.
Wu Nian glanced at Old Man Rong, but still didn't dare to say "no study, no exam" directly.
Rong Bocen smiled and said, "Xinghuo has a solid foundation. Her essay may have a lower score, but she will definitely pass the exam. Once she becomes a university student, things will be different. There will be so many like-minded classmates in the university..."
Fang Tongjian chimed in with a smile, "Of course not. Didn't Lao He resume her work? She's teaching at a university now. I heard from her that quite a few of those worker-peasant-soldier students got divorced... and this is after they were collectively evaluated for their moral character before being recommended for university. And such people still abandon their partners... But it's understandable. Most of these people haven't necessarily changed their hearts, they just can't get along. Their ideological level and perspectives are different. To put it bluntly, the two sides are not people climbing the same mountain. It's sad, but there's nothing we can do about it."
Fang Tongjian had deliberately exaggerated his words to frighten some die-hard student who hated studying, but what he was describing was a phenomenon that was bound to occur after the resumption of the college entrance examination. The old man curled his lips. When he was a child, the drama of "educated men abandoning their original wives to pursue female students" was popular. Several of his father's young friends had introduced him to them, causing unrest in the family for a long time. Fang Tongjian hated it deeply.
Lin Xinghuo, who was worrying about her composition book, blushed for some reason when she heard this. She was no fool and had long known that her master and uncle considered her and Wu Nian a couple. But for Lin Xinghuo herself, it was natural for her to live with Mao Anian day and night, but falling in love and getting married? As soon as Lin Xinghuo thought about it, her mind flashed back to the silly look that Mao Anian had shown in front of her over the years. The charming heartbeat that had finally started to beat a little faster for Wu Nian's face was instantly ruined... But facing the teasing of the elders, Lin Xinghuo thought she was very thin-skinned, so it was natural to feel a little hot, right?
"You're suited to studying agriculture," Fang Tongjian said, adding, "You're good with your hands, so you're perfect for studying machinery." The old man's abacus beads clicked loudly. His beloved apprentice's farm was excellent; they could grow anything, and the yields were quite high. Wasn't that a good time to prepare for a rainy day? Xinghuo's professional research was one thing; it could serve as an excuse for improved seed production. On the other hand, Wu Nian had to take over. As long as the agricultural machinery he developed was always more advanced and user-friendly than others, then high yields and low labor costs would be a natural outcome.
Just like Xinghuo, he has a photographic memory. This kid Wu Nian is smarter than that girl. He can make even the most complicated structure look about 70% similar after explaining it to him once. Old man Fang has long felt it was a pity that the kid had no ambition!
I was just thinking about how to deal with this school-weary brat, but it turns out Senior Brother has to step in. Old Man Fang thought, when his parents were still alive, they'd always said Senior Brother was more kind and loyal than him, and his friends always respected him more. He was the only one who felt Senior Brother had a dark heart, but no one believed him...
Wu Nian's mouth opened and closed, closed and opened again. Finally, the young man with drooped shoulders lowered his head and admitted defeat, saying, "Just learn it."
"Hehe" "嘤嘤", Lin Beiguo's chubby little hands covered his own little mouth while pinching his brother Hu San's fox mouth without any hesitation, revealing a shallow dimple on his chubby little face.
Fox Er jumped directly onto Wu Nian's legs, grabbed the corner of his clothes and started pulling him.
Wu Nian glared unhappily at the three cubs who were gloating over his misfortune. With the corners of his tightly pursed mouth, a shallow dimple, the same as the one on Fox's face, appeared on his left cheek...
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The author has something to say: Today is the second day of the 19th day of the lunar calendar. It’s really cold. I’m asking for a collection and a favorite:
Seven Fallen Phoenix
Lin Jianlu is the granddaughter of Chou Laojiu. It is better to have a good family background than to be beautiful.
She was despised, had her engagement broken off, was framed, and coveted. In order to protect herself, Lin Jianlu had no choice but to quickly marry an older forest ranger from her grandfather's hometown.
But Lin Jianlu didn't expect to pick up a treasure!
The young couple firmly believes that knowledge is power!
She also farmed like others, but she would find ways to read agricultural books, seek help from agricultural technicians, and work tirelessly on experimental fields. The yield of her private plot was several times higher than that of other families.
She knitted sweaters like others, but she would look for knitting books, think about it, draw pictures, and improve new styles. The city's department stores all asked her to be a technician.
She cooks when others cook. This educated young woman who had never cooked before, through learning and practice, finally became a generation of... no, she finally guided others to become a generation of great chefs.
It even inspired the widow, husband, sister-in-law, and the whole family. Gradually, the poor family turned around!
From now on:
Other families plant fruit trees, but she also plants fruit trees. Other families collect herbs to supplement their household income, but she also collects herbs. Other families raise chickens and ducks, but she raises bees...
The result: Her fruit trees were so heavy with fruit that they bent their branches. The supply and marketing cooperative came to collect and sort the processed herbs. The honey was harvested again and again, and it made her sister-in-law, who had low blood sugar, have a rosy face...
The college entrance examination was resumed, my grandfather was rehabilitated, and the Lin family courtyard was returned. The neighbors in the alley couldn't help but sigh, wondering what kind of country woman the beautiful and quiet girl had become.
Old man Lin is so pitiful. He has been in poor health to begin with, and I’m afraid that his rude grandson-in-law and his family will have to suck his blood to make a living in the future.
Unexpectedly, there was no country woman or rustic guy. Lin Jianlu, her husband and sister-in-law were admitted to Beijing University. Even she, a widow in her forties, started attending night school.
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