Chapter 207 Liberal Arts
On the morning of October 21, 1977, Nan Zhiyi and Xiaoman were having breakfast quietly when they suddenly heard the sound of a jeep braking sharply outside the courtyard gate.
Orderly soldier Xiao Liu ran in, holding a newspaper: "Sister-in-law! The commander ordered it to be delivered immediately!"
It is the People's Daily.
The headline on the front page read, "Major Reforms Underway in College Admissions."
It's really here!
Both she and Yue Ran are eligible to go to university!
Xiaoman curiously grabbed the newspaper, but her mother picked her up and spun her around: "Baby! Mommy can go to college now!"
Gu Xiao made a special trip back for lunch and found her hunched over her desk with a pile of draft paper filled with calculations next to her.
He smiled and took the pen away: "Eat first, I knew you'd be working yourself to the bone."
“There’s only a little over a month left…” Nan Zhiyi said anxiously, tugging at his sleeve.
Gu Xiao pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase: "There's still time. You have a good foundation, so just focus on reviewing politics and history and geography. I already asked around for you. For humanities students, the exam includes Chinese, math, politics, history and geography, with math only accounting for 100 points."
Nan Zhiyi was relieved and followed him downstairs to eat.
After finishing her meal, she went back to her room to read without stopping, leaving Xiaoman in the care of Sister Zhang.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Anping arrived in the afternoon carrying several large and small bags of local specialties.
She had lost some weight, but was in good spirits. "Zhiyi, did you see the newspaper? I've been waiting for you!"
Nan Zhiyi nodded, took her hand, and sat her down on the sofa: "You really don't want to take the exam? It's not too late to register now."
"I won't take the exam; I'm not interested."
Sister Zhang cut some pears, arranged them on a plate, and placed them on the coffee table. Xiaoman sat on the floor, hugging a pear and munching on it, the juice dripping onto her chin.
Zhou Anping took a handkerchief to wipe his chin, saying, "Our Xiaoman is so cute, she can eat by herself now."
Nan Zhiyi noticed the bruises on Anping's wrist: "Did you get them from dancing?"
"I fell during the last performance for the benefit of the people," Anping said nonchalantly, waving his hand dismissively.
She recounted how, when performing at the border outpost, the soldiers used shell casings to fill bouquets with wildflowers, their eyes shining brighter than the autumn sun.
Nan Zhiyi felt a little sorry for her and asked if she was tired.
"Tired but exhilarating!" Zhou Anping straightened his back. "When I danced 'The Red Detachment of Women' in the army auditorium, the soldiers below clapped so hard their hands turned red... Now that I'm back in Beijing, the leaders have asked me to lead more teams to rehearse a new program, 'Tea Picking Dance'!"
Nan Zhiyi handed over a cup of hot tea: "That's wonderful. Women should be like this, shining brightly in their own roles."
Zhou Anping wholeheartedly agreed, picked up a pear from the plate, and began to eat it with gusto.
Nan Zhi was pleased to see that she was still carefree and easygoing, so she didn't ask any more questions and just talked about Xiaoman's funny stories.
Zhou Anping left in the evening, waving his hand to stop her from seeing him off.
Xiaoman followed reluctantly to the courtyard gate, then swayed back.
By November 6th, the "Admission Brochure for Higher Education Institutions in Beijing" was plastered all over the streets and alleys.
Nan Zhiyi specifically asked Gu Xiao to go around to Xidan to look at the bulletin board, which stated in red paper and black ink that the liberal arts exam would include four subjects: politics, Chinese, mathematics, history and geography.
She breathed a long sigh of relief, finally able to put away her physics and chemistry textbooks with peace of mind.
The registration office is located in the old building of the district education bureau.
Gu Xiao accompanied her, and when Nan Zhiyi filled out the form, he solemnly wrote "Liberal Arts" in the "Application Category" column with his pen.
When the staff checked her household registration booklet, they glanced at her a couple more times: "Twenty-five years old? Your child is already so big, and you're still taking the college entrance exam?"
Gu Xiao was holding Xiaoman and waiting at the door. When he heard the staff member's impolite words, his face immediately turned cold. Just as he was about to speak, Nan Zhiyi pointed to the slogan on the wall: "Comrade, didn't you say you would 'recruit talents without being bound by convention'?"
His brows finally relaxed.
After leaving the Education Bureau, Nan Zhiyi carefully put the registration certificate into the inner pocket of her wallet.
Gu Xiao freed his hand to take hers: "My wife will be a college student from now on."
"The exam hasn't even started yet..." She chuckled, kicking a pebble away with her toe. "And you're already praising me?"
"If you don't pass, try again next year." He squeezed her hand.
Back home, Nan Zhiyi immersed herself in the ocean of humanities knowledge.
She had completely forgotten their third wedding anniversary.
Gu Xiao went home early on purpose, took out a velvet box, inside was a Hero 100 gold pen, the nib gleaming with the faint light of 14K gold, and the name Nan Zhiyi was engraved on the inside.
Nan Zhiyi was busy memorizing history chronologies, and quickly kissed him on the cheek: "Thank you, brother. Wait until I finish my exams..."
Gu Xiao looked aggrieved and wanted to hug his wife: "Mrs. Gu, is all we got for our third anniversary was a perfunctory kiss?"
She shoved a political science workbook into my hand: "Good brother, help me memorize the three laws of materialism!"
Her single-minded focus on studying left Gu Xiao helpless, so he could only help her memorize the material.
Since Nan Zhiyi enrolled, time has flown by like a clockwork toy.
The night before the exam arrived in the blink of an eye, and the temperature in the capital city suddenly dropped.
Gu Xiao scheduled his days off for these two days, and before going to sleep, he whispered to Xiaoman, "Tomorrow Mommy is going to be a soldier, how about we be the logistics team?"
Xiaoman nodded as if she understood, and clenched her fist in agreement.
On the morning of December 10th, before the alarm clock rang, Gu Xiao quietly got out of bed.
He brought over warm water, wrung out a hot towel, and placed it on Nan Zhiyi's sleepy face: "Wife, it's time to get up."
"Sleep for another ten minutes..." She shrank into the blankets, but Gu Xiao picked her up, blanket and all, and helped her get dressed, comb her hair, and wash up.
The two went downstairs, where Sister Zhang was arranging the food in the shape of "100," with two hard-boiled eggs lying next to the golden fried dough sticks.
Nan Zhiyi smiled knowingly: "Sister Zhang, you're too particular!"
"Just for good luck!" Sister Zhang smiled as she wiped her hands, adding, "You and Deputy Division Commander Gu can rest assured that Xiaoman is in my care!"
Nan Zhiyi politely finished the fried dough sticks and eggs, and then drank a glass of warm milk.
Gu Xiao, carrying a bag he had prepared beforehand containing documents and stationery, pulled Nan Zhiyi into the car.
As the jeep drove towards the examination hall, frost flowers clung to the branches of the sycamore trees.
The examination venue was set up in a middle school in the southern part of the city, a half-hour drive from the Army Compound.
A hundred meters from the school gate, the jeep could no longer move. Bicycles, jeeps, and buses filled the street, and people surged toward the school gate like a tide.
A middle-aged man in work clothes was reading a book aloud, a young man who looked like an educated youth was breathing out white breath and stamping his feet to keep warm, and a pregnant woman wrapped in thick clothes was being helped forward.
Gu Xiao parked the car at the entrance of an alley. "Let's rest for a while. It'll be a while before we leave the school."
Seeing that his wife was a little nervous, he held her slightly cool hands and comforted her, "You've reviewed thoroughly, so stay calm."
Nan Zhiyi calmed herself down and nodded.
A surge of people rushed in when the school gates opened.
Nan Zhiyi looked back and saw Gu Xiao standing not far away, waving at her. The hem of his military overcoat fluttered in the wind like a flag.
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