Liu Qing stumbled slightly. "Nonsense! Many of us in the educated youth settlement are proper high school graduates from the 'Old Three Classes' (referring to students who graduated from high school in the late 1960s, 1966, and 1967). Would we be afraid of a bunch of junior high school students? That's absurd!"
Wang Qiuju: "If you weren't afraid, then why did you lie to the villagers and say that only high school graduates could take the college entrance examination? We need an explanation!"
Since it concerned the future of the village's students, the surrounding villagers stopped watching the spectacle and began to voice their support.
"Cheng Qiang's wife is right! If you can take the exam, you can take it! If you can't, you can't take it! Why lie and tell us we can't take it? Our village needs an explanation!"
Liu Qing retorted stubbornly, "So what if he can take the exam? The college entrance exam tests high school level material. Even if a junior high school student can register, he hasn't studied high school material. How can he pass the exam?"
Cheng Baidong: "Registration is one thing, whether you pass the exam or not is something that happens after you take the exam. It is unethical to deprive someone of their right to register just because of an unknown result."
“Brother Baidong is right!” Wang Qiuju said loudly, “As long as we can register, it’s our own business even if we don’t pass the exam, but you can’t lie to us and say we can’t register!”
Xiaojing added, "You're using a fallacy to mislead us."
Liu Qing's mind went blank, and she had no way to defend herself. After saying, "We didn't lie," she fled in panic!
The villagers were talking about it.
"Pah! Look at how guilty she is, she'd be lying no doubt about it!"
"I never imagined that these educated youths, who looked so respectable, would do such heartless things!"
“Our village has been very considerate of these educated youth. They are lazy and know nothing about farming. Every year their work points are among the lowest in the village, but when it comes to distributing grain, how could we have given them less? If it weren't for the village's consideration, how many kilograms of grain would they have received for the little work they did? And yet they've given us this!”
"What a waste of all that food over the years, feeding a bunch of ungrateful wretches!"
"Sigh, what's the point of saying all this now that it's already happened?"
“Now that the exam is open, I need to hurry home and tell Cheng Lin to go to the Party Secretary to get the registration form.”
After a short delay at the village entrance, the sun was already past noon when the donkey cart entered the village.
Smoke rose from the chimneys of every household, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooked food.
Cheng Baidong was sitting on the donkey cart when he saw the old lady standing at the door of her house with a cane in the distance.
The old lady is over ninety years old and still very healthy. She walks without anyone's help, and the cane in her hand is more like an ornament.
Cheng Baidong jumped off the donkey cart, went up to the old lady, shook her hand, and called out, "Grandma."
"Yes, yes." The old lady responded happily, taking Cheng Bodong's hand and leading him into the house: "It's getting late, you must be hungry. Come on in, let's eat first."
"Knowing you were coming back today, your third aunt killed a chicken early this morning and has been stewing it in a pot all morning. The meat is stewed until it's very tender and smells delicious."
The chicken stewed over a wood fire has a rich aroma that can be smelled from afar.
"It smells good. I think it even smells like mushrooms?"
"You have such a keen sense of smell," the old lady joked.
Auntie smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, I added some dried mushrooms that I sun-dried in the spring."
"Chicken stew with mushrooms, a classic!" Cheng Baidong rubbed his hands together and said in a cooperative tone, "Then I'm in for a treat today."
Soon, the mushroom stewed chicken, along with the braised pork and braised pork knuckle brought by Cheng Baidong, were served on the table. At the same time, Auntie San also prepared several cold dishes and a bowl of meatball sour soup. The staple food was Sanhe noodles.
This table of dishes would be considered lavish even in the city.
The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests.
After dinner, the family sat together and talked, mostly about Xiaojing.
The old lady held Xiaojing's hand and stroked it repeatedly: "My good child, you've made something of yourself, and I'm so happy for you from the bottom of my heart. Pack your things this afternoon, and I'll have your mother come to the city to be with you. She'll take care of the cooking and laundry, so you don't have to worry about anything. Just one thing: study hard, get into university, and make those who were waiting to see you fail look at you with new respect!"
Xiao Jing replied, "Okay. Don't worry, Grandma, I will work hard and I will definitely get into university."
"Good child." The old lady patted Xiaojing's hand, her eyes welling up with tears of relief.
This child is truly different.
He's more confident now, smiles more, and sits upright on the bench with a straight back, radiating energy and vitality. Where is the timid, hetimid way he left before? He's completely different from how he used to hunch over, head down, afraid to speak or look at anyone.
It's true that the feng shui of big cities is more conducive to health.
Not only did he save his granddaughter's life, but he also paved the way for a bright future.
It was worth it for her mother to shamelessly beg her granddaughter-in-law back then.
The old lady told Xiaojing, "When you finish your studies, remember to repay your sister-in-law. Without her, you wouldn't be where you are today."
I didn't approve of your brother's insistence on marrying her. Back then, I had a prejudice against city people; I thought they were all spoiled, prone to tears, incapable of housework, and only good at spending money. I believed such a person wouldn't last with your brother and would eventually divorce him. Later, after spending more time together, I realized I was blinded by prejudice. Your sister-in-law is gentle, down-to-earth, and knows how to manage a household. Most importantly, she's kind-hearted, generous, and tolerant of you—that's rare.
You need to understand, given the circumstances, even if she didn't take you with her, who could say a bad word about her? Even if she were her own sister-in-law, she had no obligation to do so. Let alone her husband's distant cousin? To put it bluntly, what does it matter to her whether you live or die?
"Remember what your grandmother said, okay? If you become successful in the future, don't forget the great kindness your sister-in-law has shown you."
Xiao Jing nodded with red eyes: "Grandma, I know everything you said. My sister-in-law has given me a second life, and I will definitely repay her in the future."
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