The large canteen was built inside the brigade headquarters, complete with stoves and pots; all the utensils were readily available.
But it's going to get cold soon, and it's not good to keep eating out, so everyone discussed building a large hall that can hold twenty tables.
The allocation of manpower became a problem, and in the end, it was the old lady who spoke up. "It's impossible to pick everything from the mountains, but without a hall, we'll suffer."
The materials were readily available, so the hall was completed in just two days.
The first meal in the canteen officially started on December 5th. It consisted of sorghum rice, pickled wolf meat, stewed potatoes, and radishes.
Eight large, round pots, steaming hot; as usual, bring your own bowls and chopsticks.
Liujiatun did not strictly follow the documents; at least, they did not eat whatever they wanted.
But everyone understood; seeing those around them starving was like a constant reminder. They felt both relieved and afraid.
The cafeteria stipulates that adults should have three large spoonfuls of rice and two spoonfuls of vegetables per person, while the elderly and children should have two spoonfuls of rice and one and a half spoonfuls of vegetables per person.
This was the first time, but these cafeteria ladies were really something else; they did a great job. Wang Hongxi highly praised their work.
Zhang Hongmei and Liu Maocai's family sat at a table. Looking at the thin bowl of rice, she realized she really couldn't finish it, so she didn't rush to eat. Instead, she waited until Er Ya and the others had eaten half before dividing the rice among the three of them.
Even so, she still ended up stuffed. Now she knew her appetite. She didn't finish the dishes, but no one complained; they shared them all.
Zhang Hongmei thought that although the food wasn't very good, at least she didn't have to cook it herself, which was nice.
With little work available during the off-season, the women made clothes and shoes, and aired out bedding. The men tidied up farm tools and wove mats. The children learned to read and write under Zhang Hongmei's guidance.
Er Lengzi was assigned to feed the cows. He took extra care of the old cows.
Because there are many people in the family, it's inconvenient to feed the sheep bean stalks. In the end, I thought of learning to read in the canteen hall, so that nothing would be delayed and I wouldn't be exposed.
It's almost the end of the month again, and the old principal has informed me that I can take the eighth-grade exam, but my score must be above 80. The exam date is the same as the first day of the twelfth lunar month for those taking the eighth-grade exam.
Now I've figured out the school schedule, which is different from my previous life. There are no winter or summer vacations here, only wheat harvest holidays, busy farming holidays, and annual leave.
On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Hongmei arrived at school early in the morning. She didn't wait for Zhu Zi and Er Ya; they could have arrived at the usual time. But she still had to go to the county.
The former principal accompanied us, and when we arrived at the county middle school, it was still early.
The two principals sat in their office drinking tea from large mugs, while Zhang Hongmei sat to one side.
"Old Qian, are you really that confident?"
"Hmm. I guarantee it'll surprise you?"
We'll wait and see.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Principal, the exam is about to start. Which grade and which class are you going to proctor?"
"Class 2 of Grade 7 is fine, little girl, let's go."
Zhang Hongmei stood up and followed them out. Inside the examination room, she sat at the first single table in the first row, as assigned.
Four subjects were tested in one day, the first of which was Chinese.
Zhang Hongmei took the test paper and glanced through it. It was alright, not difficult. The essay might be a bit off-topic, as it was about her views and suggestions on communism.
When the bell rings, you begin answering the questions. After writing clearly at the beginning of the paper, start answering from the basics without pausing.
The principal sat at the front watching Zhang Hongmei answer the questions, nodding inwardly. Her handwriting alone was impressive. Moreover, her basic knowledge was very solid, with no mistakes.
The interpretations of the poems and lyrics were somewhat problematic, but not entirely wrong. The essay writing session began in half an hour.
She took a sheet of white paper from her bag and began to carefully draft her points. Her wording was very cautious, but her arguments were precise, supported by numerous classical references and current political events. This was worthy of publication in a newspaper.
After finishing the draft, I revised it a bit before copying it onto the exam paper.
She stopped writing twenty minutes before the exam ended. She checked the entire exam paper from beginning to end, and then checked the beginning of the paper again before packing up her belongings.
Instead of handing in the paper early, I sat in my seat and waited.
This girl can get 95 points in Chinese this time.
Arithmetic was even simpler. There were no questions beyond the syllabus this time; it was just that the questions in the book were more advanced, so Zhang Hongmei answered them very quickly.
After the morning exams ended, Zhang Hongmei ate the goat milk buns she had brought with her and the old principal.
I got full marks in geography and history in the afternoon.
The two principals sat together. "Old Qian, this child can go to the second year of junior high school."
“Old Sun, I knew there wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s not realistic for her to come to the dormitory to study. The pension the government gives is only enough to eat at home.”
“I can make an exception for her, but she must score above 90 in every subject during the fall semester exams.”
"I have faith in this child. Let's go back now, or we'll stay up all night."
Seeing Principal Qian's smiling face, Zhang Hongmei knew it was a success, and a weight was lifted from her heart.
It was pitch black when Zhang Hongmei got home. Er Ya was waiting for her outside the door.
"Sister Er Ya, you haven't put on your cotton-padded coat yet. It's so cold standing outside. Hurry up and come inside. What's the rush?"
"It's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is dying of anxiety. No, I'm not a eunuch at all. So, how did it go? Did you pass the exam?"
"If I pass the exam, I can study at home just like before."
"So you don't need to stay at the hotel?"
"No need. What will happen to the animals at home if I go to school? The chicks have already laid eggs, I can't bear to leave them."
Liu Erya looked at Zhang Hongmei speechlessly; this brat was just trying to annoy her.
"Sister Erya, if you get into junior high school, you'll have to live on campus."
"I know, I still want to keep you company."
"Even if I were to stay in a dormitory, I couldn't share a room with you!"
"Is that so?"
"Of course that's the case. You should also hurry up and review. Since you've been given this opportunity, you should seize it."
Watching Liu Erya leave with high spirits, Zhang Hongmei felt that this girl had potential.
I'm completely relieved now, and all that's left is to review the textbooks for the second year of junior high and high school.
A week later, Zhu Zi and Er Ya also took the exam.
Zhang Hongmei didn't ask them, but judging from their expressions, they seemed to be doing well. Anyway, the results would be out the day after tomorrow.
Liu Erya has been staying at Zhang Hongmei's house for the past two days, only going back to sleep at night. She was feeling nervous, but Zhang Hongmei didn't point it out and even asked her to teach the children to read instead of her.
On the day the results were released, Zhu and his companion went to the school together. When they returned, they were both beaming with joy; they had both passed the exams.
Now that three people from the village have passed the junior high school entrance exam, everyone feels that the village has good feng shui and is very proud of it.
The village children were even more envious, and thus cherished their current learning opportunities even more. An unprecedented surge of enthusiasm for education swept through the village.
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