[It seems everyone has become much wealthier; compared to the job application exam a month ago, many people are now using fountain pens.]
Indeed, everyone seems to have changed their clothes, and they all look great, full of energy. It even seems like they have more hair!
"Absolutely! They eat fresh, organic vegetables from the countryside every day, and the chickens, ducks, and fish are all raised right under their noses. They walk to and from get off work every day, and go to bed early and wake up early. No wonder they have so much energy! I'm so envious!"
[Seriously! I feel like their hair has gotten thicker too!!!]
[When will the park reopen?! My child's hair is almost completely gone!! We urgently need to get him into the park for emergency care!]
[The exam lasted three days! So long! And there was even an additional test! Was it really this similar to the original?!]
[They even have a mock college application simulation!!! It's so realistic! Enough said, when does it open?!]
[There aren't many schools, and the first one is Tsinghua University! Let me see what else is available. There's a teacher's college, although the application materials are a bit thin, but at least you can fill out the application form. I'm so envious of those who got selected!!! Why wasn't I chosen back then!!!]
Ouyang Weidong's car actually drove to the dock!!!
Is this the exit from the park I was thinking of?!
[Yes, just like you thought! It seems these souvenirs can finally be bought on Penglai Island!!! Heaven knows the foreign guest hotel is in such high demand!!! If you go early, it's fine, but if you go late, there's nothing left. The counter was so empty you could see the tears of regret in my eyes. I just hate myself for not coming sooner.]
Ouyang Weidong drove a large truck, finished checking the goods, and handed them over to Feiyang Entertainment's ship at the port.
This batch of goods was being transported to shops on the main island of Penglai. Ouyang Weidong hadn't left the park for two months, and when he suddenly saw the mobile phone in the crew member's hand, his pupils trembled.
Looking at the clothes people wear outside would make him momentarily dazed, but he quickly adjusted his mood. Life in the park was no worse than outside; on the contrary, it gave him a down-to-earth feeling, as if his feet were firmly planted in the earth. That sense of security made him relax unconsciously, without the restlessness and anxiety he had felt before.
Compared to the abundant supplies outside the park, the constant shortage of supplies inside the park creates an inexplicable feeling of scrambling for goods. It seems that people are more likely to cherish the items they buy than they can buy anything outside.
The fountain pen pinned to Ouyang Weidong's chest was a brand-name pen he bought just before the exam. He used to replace his ballpoint pens frequently, but he has used this one very carefully ever since he got it, as if it has been with him for a long time.
He also bought a large single-bar bicycle. Although Qu Lixin said he was wasting money and that the competition would definitely open up the individual economy later, so it would be more useful to save more money, Ouyang Weidong still bought it.
He could somewhat understand the sense of accomplishment his father used to describe when he was a child—the feeling of saving up a large item with a month's salary.
Unlike life outside the park, where a month's salary can't even buy a big item, let alone food and lodging.
This simple joy makes Ouyang Weidong ride his bike around the park every day after getting the big horizontal bar.
Xie Chunmei and Sheng Xiuqin's sister started by having only one customer, Ouyang Weidong, order lunch boxes from their trucks. Later, even the drivers from the freight factory started ordering from them, and they have accumulated quite a few loyal customers.
The two took turns going to the butcher shop before dawn to queue up for meat, using the time to make bento boxes.
The feeling of earning money little by little to fill their pockets made them both very happy.
Wang Cuihua initially helped, but later, feeling hopeless about the competition, she became their customer. Of course, she would occasionally come over to help, so the two men didn't charge Wang Cuihua any money.
"I passed the exam!!"
Wang Cuihua ran in with her admission notice. Xie Chunmei and Sheng Xiuqin put down what they were holding and looked at Wang Cuihua's admission notice with excitement.
"You're really amazing!"
"The postman said this is just the first batch, and there will be more to come."
The postman's voice came from the alley outside, "Sheng Xiuqin! Sheng Xiuqin, you have your acceptance letter!!"
Sheng Xiuqin ran out in a daze, took the admission notice with her name on it from the postman, and tears soaked her cheeks.
Xie Chunmei and Wang Cuihua congratulated her. Sheng Xiuqin stared at her teacher's college admission notice, crying and hunching over like a shrimp, from soft sobbing to a loud wail.
"Sister Xiuqin, what's wrong?"
Wang Cuihua panicked when she saw Sheng Xiuqin crying uncontrollably. Xie Chunmei, who had been in close contact with Sheng Xiuqin recently, guessed why she was crying and patted her on the back.
Sheng Xiuqin shook her head, muttering, "I passed the exam, I passed the exam..."
Only after she had completely stopped crying did she begin to recount her past.
Sheng Xiuqin grew up in the countryside with many children. She was neither a top student nor a struggling one. Her family was poor, and schooling was often by lottery. Although she was a better student than her younger sister, she drew a short stick in high school, meaning she couldn't continue her studies. No matter how much she begged her parents and sister to give her the opportunity, it was all in vain, and she had to drop out and return home.
She got married soon after, while her younger sister, who was chosen by lottery, was admitted to a teachers' college and became a teacher. The difference between the two seemed to have started from that small wooden stick.
She married into the next village, and her husband only knew how to farm. Every time she went back home for the New Year, she would see her younger sister dressed neatly and cleanly, with short, neat hair, clean hands, a watch on her fair and strong wrists, and a pen pinned to her chest, looking every bit the intellectual.
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