Chapter 208 The College Entrance Examination Ends
Once she was actually seated in the examination room, she felt at ease.
The first day's exam subjects were politics, history, and geography, and she didn't feel any pressure.
Politics in the morning, history and geography in the afternoon—her pen never stopped, and the "productive forces and relations of production," "Silk Road," and "plate tectonics" that she had memorized countless times flowed naturally onto the exam paper.
Several candidates sitting next to me were nervously shaking their legs.
She strangely calmed down amidst the rustling sound of writing.
The math exam was on the second day, and the Chinese exam was on the second day.
When the math test papers were handed out, a collective gasp filled the classroom.
Nan Zhiyi focused intently on solving trigonometric function problems, her draft paper filled with auxiliary lines. The last application problem was seven-tenths similar to the example problem Gu Xiao had explained the night before.
When taking the Chinese exam, the composition is crucial because it accounts for 80 points out of a 100-point paper.
When she saw the essay topic, "My Year of Struggle," many images flashed before her eyes: Gu Xiao's earnest profile as he taught her to draw function graphs, Xiao Man's chubby little legs as she toddled after a ball, and herself writing furiously under her desk late at night...
The pen nib paused briefly on the manuscript paper, and soon inspiration flowed freely.
The writing space was quickly filled, and she had to squeeze the last few sentences into the border.
At 3:30 p.m., the bell rang for the end of the exam.
When the exam papers were being collected, the proctor glanced at her full page of essays a few more times, a smile playing on his lips behind his glasses.
Nan Zhiyi followed the other examinees out of the school gate and saw Gu Xiao in the distance. His coat and military cap were covered with a thin layer of snow, and he was tiptoeing through the surging crowd looking for her.
"Gu Xiao!" She jogged through the crowd, only to be enveloped in his open coat.
"Finished the exam?" He brushed the snowflakes from her hair with his gloves and noticed her eyes were red-rimmed. "Didn't you do well?"
Seeing his sudden outburst of emotion, Nan Zhi saw tears streaming down her face. "No... I'm fine..."
"Then why are you crying?" He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I guess you're missing me?"
She smiled through her tears and obediently hummed in agreement, "Perhaps it really is because I miss you."
Gu Xiao rubbed her cheek and helped her into the passenger seat. "Come on, let's treat my wife to some hot pot."
When they arrived at Donglaishun Restaurant, a steaming hot copper pot was served, and Nan Zhiyi realized she was extremely hungry.
A mountain of chive blossom sauce filled the sesame dipping sauce as she picked up a slice of tender mutton and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!"
Gu Xiao was scooping frozen tofu for her when he heard this and raised an eyebrow: "You only think of your son now? Don't worry, there's heating at home, food and drink, and Sister Zhang too."
He put the tofu into her bowl, saying, "Eat your food."
Nan Zhiyi chuckled and leaned closer, "Brother, I want to drink soda."
Gu Xiao was pleased and the corners of his lips curled up. "I can only hear sweet words when you're in a good mood."
He was happy to indulge her and called a waiter to bring her a bottle of Beibingyang soda.
The orange soda was bubbling with tiny bubbles. She had only taken two sips when Gu Xiao took it away: "It's cold. Just taste it."
Nan Zhiyi pouted but didn't insist. She watched as Gu Xiao drank the rest of the bottle from the rim she had just used, his Adam's apple bobbing under the light.
When the two returned home, night had fallen and the light in the entryway was warmly lit. Xiaoman was sitting on the carpet playing with his toys. When he saw his mother come home, he got up and walked over, opening his little arms to hug her.
Gu Xiao took off his wife's hat, t-shirt, and coat, and hung them in the entryway.
Nan Zhiyi quickly picked up her son and kissed him several times. The little guy was stunned by the kisses, then giggled and smeared her face with saliva.
Gu Xiao saw Sister Zhang off, saying, "Thank you for your hard work these past two days. The snow is heavy and the roads are slippery, so please drive carefully."
Sister Zhang waved her hand hurriedly, "It's no trouble at all, Xiaoman is such a good boy." Before leaving the door, she added, "After Xiaoman has eaten dinner, I put the warm milk on the radiator. Give it to him to drink later."
"good."
Gu Xiao closed the courtyard gate and went back to his room to find his wife and children.
The snow was still falling outside the window, and it was so warm inside that it made me sleepy.
Gu Xiao tidied up the scattered review materials and put the "Outline of History" with highlights back on the bookshelf.
While playing with her son, Nan Zhiyi watched his busy figure and thought that she would finally be able to properly celebrate their wedding anniversary while waiting for his admission notice.
But.
What's a good gift to give Gu Xiao?
Although he seems to lack nothing.
But she still wanted to give him something...
After agonizing for two or three days, Nan Zhiyi finally decided on the gift she wanted to buy.
She took some time to call Zhou Anping and invite him to go shopping together.
Zhou Anping readily agreed.
On the morning of Anping's day off, the two sisters wrapped themselves in hats and scarves, fully armed, and walked hand in hand toward the bus stop.
"Why didn't you let Fifth Brother send a car?" Arriving at the bus stop, Zhou Anping stamped his feet to warm them. "It's freezing cold..."
Nan Zhiyi pulled her woolen gloves down to her chin: "Okay, Anping, I wanted to surprise him! He said last night that I've been acting mysteriously lately. Oh, the car's here!"
As she spoke, she grabbed Zhou Anping's arm and squeezed onto the No. 103 trolleybus.
In the twelfth lunar month, breath turns to frost in Beijing, and ice flowers form on the tram windows.
The bus was too crowded; it wasn't a good place for private conversations. The two sisters didn't say much, just held hands and waited to reach their destination.
The ticket seller, wrapped in a military overcoat, called out, "Wangfujing is here!" The two sisters stumbled off the bus with the flow of people, and in front of them stood the Wangfujing Department Store with its blue brick dome.
Upon entering the building, you are greeted by warmth and the scent of face cream.
After walking only a few steps, both Nan Zhiyi and Zhou Anping had beads of sweat on their foreheads.
The two sisters helped each other untie their scarves and hats and held them in their hands.
"Zhiyi, have you decided what to buy?"
Nan Zhiyi: "I have one sure gift, but I still need two more... It's so hard to buy a gift for Fifth Brother, he seems to have everything he needs."
"Whatever you buy is a token of your affection. I think even if you bought him a brick, he'd treasure it..."
Nan Zhiyi smiled and pulled her along to stroll around casually.
As they passed the men's counter, Zhou Anping pointed to the wool scarves and suggested, "Why don't we buy Fifth Brother a new one? Military supplies are really rough..."
She touched the material of the scarves. "The new ones issued this year are military officer wool scarves. He treasures them like they're his most precious possession. I wouldn't dare add any of these."
Zhou Anping then suggested, "How about buying a fountain pen?"
Nan Zhiyi thought, "Okay, I'll buy a similar style to hers and have my name engraved on it too..."
The two walked straight to the stationery counter.
The glass case displays Parker gold pens, their nibs gleaming with a warm golden light under the lamp.
Nan Zhiyi carefully selected a black pen and asked the salesperson to engrave "Xiao 1977" on the inside of the cap.
"How meticulous!" Zhou Anping leaned closer to examine the inscription. "I doubt Fifth Brother will change his brush in the future..."
Nan Zhiyi carefully put away the pen box, then, on a whim, pulled her to the jewelry counter.
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