Aunt Zhang: "You were in the wrong first."
Fang Qiao was annoyed and tightened her grip: "The one who starts it is the one who's cheap, don't you understand?"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Be gentle, be gentle."
Aunt Zhang was grimacing in pain, her face contorted in agony.
Fang Qiao showed no mercy: "You started this."
Aunt Zhang: "I, I already said, I mistook you for someone else. This is all a misunderstanding."
Fang Qiao: "Then do you know that Cheng Jing is my sister?"
"ah?"
Aunt Zhang froze, remaining dazed for several seconds before stiffly forcing a smile: "Is...is that so?"
Fang Qiao suddenly felt annoyed, so she let go of his hand and shoved him forward hard.
Aunt Zhang lost her balance and fell headfirst to the ground again.
She didn't dare to say a word, mainly because Fang Qiao had silenced her.
That brat really went all out!
She's skilled; just that one move she made, she didn't even know how she was pinned down.
She's ruthless; she twists people's arms like they're twisting a pretzel, almost breaking them.
My old arms and legs can't take another round.
Fang Qiao: "Don't let me find out you've been causing trouble for my sister."
Aunt Zhang waved her hand: "I'm not looking anymore, I'm not looking anymore."
This is a tigress, and her sister must also be a tigress.
She's someone you can't afford to mess with.
Fortunately, it didn't happen back then, otherwise her son would definitely be controlled by his mother for the rest of his life, poor thing.
The current one is better.
They're slow-witted and easy to manipulate.
At this moment, Aunt Zhang had long forgotten her resentment at her son being rejected when she arrived; her mind was filled with relief at being away from her tigress.
Fang Qiao: "Swear it."
Without hesitation, Aunt Zhang raised her hand: "I swear."
Fang Qiao: "Content."
Aunt Zhang: "I swear I will never cause trouble for Fang Qiao again."
Fang Qiao: "Who is my sister? She doesn't have a name."
Seeing Fang Qiao's expression change, Aunt Zhang quickly added, "Cheng Jing, Cheng Jing."
Fang Qiao: Say it again.
Aunt Zhang: "I swear I will never cause trouble for Fang Qiao or Cheng Jing again."
Fang Qiao: "If there is any violation."
Aunt Zhang followed suit, saying, "If there is any violation..."
Fang Qiao raised an eyebrow, signaling her to stop. "Why are you stopping? Continue."
Aunt Zhang pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, saying, "May I be struck by lightning if I violate this rule!"
Fang Qiao nodded in satisfaction.
She didn't care whether Aunt Zhang was sincere or not; all she needed was this one promise.
It's a good opportunity to test her newly learned lightning technique and see if it works well for striking people.
Fang Qiao went to and from get off work as usual.
When Xiao Jing returned home with her child at noon, she thanked Fang Qiao, saying, "Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry you had to suffer for me. Thank you for helping me solve this problem. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been able to find me this time, and she would definitely have caused me trouble again in the future."
Fang Qiao: "You found out?"
Xiao Jing nodded: "I ran into Zhou Fang while grocery shopping, and she told me about it."
Qi Miao and Zhou Fang got along quite well. Thanks to Qi Miao's mediation, Zhou Fang's misunderstanding of Xiao Jing had long been resolved.
The two weren't exactly close, but they could still chat and have a pleasant conversation when they bumped into each other.
Fang Qiao patted her shoulder and comforted her, "It's alright, she won't dare to cause you any more trouble."
Xiao Jing said with emotion, "Thank you, sister-in-law, you are so kind to me."
"You're so good to me too," Fang Qiao said with a smile. "I come home to a hot meal waiting for me, and you even help wash the dirty clothes of these little rascals. If it weren't for you, I would be working myself to the bone every day and wouldn't even have a hot meal. I wouldn't be living such a leisurely life now."
"This is what I should do."
Xiao Jing dared not take credit.
She remembered the kindness of her brother and sister-in-law. If it weren't for them bringing her out of her hometown, feeding her, and teaching her to read, she might have been driven to death by the gossip in her hometown.
“There’s no such thing as 'should' or 'shouldn’t. You’re my sister, not my nanny.”
Not wanting to put Xiao Jing under any pressure, Fang Qiao jokingly said with a smile, "If we're talking about what you should do, there is indeed something you should do."
Xiao Jing was confused: "Huh?"
“That means you should study hard and go to university when you have the chance,” Fang Qiao said. “You’re such a good tailor, you can make patterns and embroider, why don’t you go to a textile university, study fashion design, and become a designer! Wouldn’t that be great!”
Xiaojing lacked confidence: "Can...I do it?"
"Of course you can," Fang Qiao said solemnly. "Trust me, you're very capable."
Fang Qiao's gaze was firm; she believed that Xiao Jing could definitely do it.
Looking into Qiao Fang's trusting eyes, Xiao Jing seemed to suddenly have boundless courage.
"...Okay, I will try my best to do so."
*
Spring goes and winter comes, winter goes and spring comes.
Another spring and summer passed, and finally the fragrant autumn of 1977 arrived.
This autumn, rumors of the resumption of the college entrance examination quietly began to circulate. Although there was no official confirmation, there were quite a few well-informed people among them.
People all around are trying to find study materials.
Anyone who intends to go to university, regardless of whether they will pass or not, is extremely enthusiastic.
But the college entrance examination has been suspended for ten years, and textbooks are scarce while there is a great need for them.
For a time, review materials were in short supply.
Fortunately, Fang Qiao had planned ahead and started looking for study materials with Xiao Jing several years in advance. Now they have all the review materials they need, so they don't have to compete with others for books now that this opportunity is here.
By the end of October, a thunderclap seemed to rise from the ground—the official news of the resumption of the college entrance examination finally appeared in major newspapers, becoming the front-page headline and causing a sensation throughout the country.
Because of the "Opinions of the Ministry of Education on the Enrollment Work of Institutions of Higher Learning in 1977," this document clearly states that workers, farmers, educated youth who have gone up and down the mountain or returned to the city, demobilized soldiers, and recent graduates who meet the requirements are all eligible to apply!
No more restrictions on family composition.
This caused an uproar across the country!
In Beijing, all sorts of night schools and college entrance exam preparation classes sprang up like mushrooms after rain. At this point, they didn't care whether they complied with regulations or not; everything was made to accommodate college entrance exam students.
Xiao Jing was extremely nervous. After receiving the news, she went to the newspaper reading board in the family compound and read all the newspapers that contained information about the resumption of the college entrance examination.
She asked Fang Qiao somewhat nervously, "Sister-in-law, the college entrance examination has really been reinstated. I... I only graduated from elementary school, can I register to take the exam?"
"Yes, you can." Fang Qiao encouraged Xiao Jing, "Don't worry, this is the first enrollment after the resumption of the college entrance examination. The conditions are very lenient. There are no restrictions on family background, and admission is based on merit. Think about it, even people from families with bad family backgrounds can apply. So what if you only graduated from elementary school? As long as you study well and do well on the exam, you can still go to university!"
To keep things going and prevent Xiao Jing from backing down, Fang Qiao grabbed her hand: "Come on, let's go find Sister Ling and get the registration form together!"
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