After lunch, Cheng Baidong chatted with the old lady while Xiao Jing went to the village secretary to get the registration form. Aunt San was worried that some ignorant people might gossip about Xiao Jing, so she quickly put down her work and offered to go with her.
"Mom, the brigade headquarters is just to the south, it's only a short walk, I can go by myself." Xiaojing persuaded her to go back.
Auntie San was still a little hesitant when Wang Qiuju stepped forward, holding the child, and said with a smile, "Lele and I will go with his aunt. It'll be good for the child to digest. Lele ate two pieces of meat at noon. Children have weak stomachs, so walking around helps with digestion."
"That's fine too." Auntie San nodded, and Xiao Jing didn't refuse again.
As Xiaojing and Wang Qiuju stepped out of their house, they ran into Cheng Lin, who lived across the hall, who was also about to leave.
They were all relatives within five generations of marriage, and lived across the hall from each other. The two families often visited each other and had a very good relationship.
Wang Qiuju greeted Cheng Lin with a smile: "Cheng Lin, have you eaten yet? Why are you going to work so early?"
Cheng Lin is the village's scorekeeper, and he is always conscientious in his work.
"Sister-in-law, I've already eaten," Cheng Lin replied. "I'm not going to work; I'm going to the Party Secretary to get my college entrance exam registration form."
Wang Qiuju: That's perfect, we're going to the Party Secretary's place too, let's go together.
After Cheng Lin finished speaking, he smiled and greeted Xiao Jing, then turned to Wang Qiuju and asked, "Sister-in-law, is this my sister Xiao Jing?"
Wang Qiuju: "Yes. What? You don't recognize me?"
Cheng Lin hummed in agreement, scratching his head sheepishly, "It's been so many years since I last saw you. Sister Xiaojing has changed so much, I hardly recognized her."
“It’s normal that you don’t recognize me. You were just starting junior high when I left, and I haven’t seen you since, for five or six years. I remember you were only this tall back then.”
Xiaojing first gestured at the position of her ear, then raised her hand and gestured upwards twice, saying, "Now it's half a head taller than me. If it were me, I wouldn't recognize it."
Wang Qiuju: "Cheng Lin is 19 now, and he's grown tall."
Cheng Lin nodded and said, "Bo Dong and Qiang are both taller than me."
“You’re quite tall too, one of the tallest people in the surrounding area,” Wang Qiuju laughed heartily. “None of the men in our Cheng family are short.”
Wang Qiuju has a cheerful personality, and with her in the middle of the conversation, the atmosphere became very harmonious.
When Cheng Lin talked about the college entrance examination, he said, "I have to thank Sister Xiaojing. If Sister Xiaojing hadn't come back, I wouldn't have known that junior high school students could register for the college entrance examination. I almost missed the opportunity and regretted it for the rest of my life."
"I didn't do anything." Xiaojing shook her head and said, "You've always been a good student. I believe that even if I hadn't come back, you would have found a way to continue your studies."
Cheng Lin has indeed been trying to find a solution these past few days.
In the two years since graduating and returning to his hometown, he has never stopped learning on his own, because he doesn't want to waste the knowledge he has acquired.
He's even considering quitting his job as the village scorekeeper, going back to junior high to repeat his senior year, taking the high school entrance exam first, and then spending a few more years in high school before taking the college entrance exam.
But that would be taking too many detours.
Cheng Lin said sincerely, "Sister Xiaojing, I still want to thank you. Otherwise, I would have taken many detours and wasted a lot of time."
"In that case, I'll accept your thanks." Xiaojing smiled gently. "I wish us both good luck and that we get into university."
The two looked at each other and smiled, feeling a sense of mutual appreciation.
Along the way, the two chatted and laughed, discussing their respective strengths in arts and sciences subjects, as well as the mock exams that would be held in a month.
Wang Qiuju unknowingly fell behind by two steps.
Although she only understood part of what she was hearing, her face remained beaming with a smile.
Because she knows that even though everyone's life path is different, they will all be heading towards a happy and beautiful future.
She was happy for herself, and happy for them.
That's great!
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