Chapter 192
The first candidate that came to Zhou Jiani's mind was Zhao Yuzhen. Zhao Yuzhen had work experience, and since she was transferred to the working group, she had done a good job, was serious and responsible, arranged production tasks very thoughtfully, and was able to resolve occasional conflicts and frictions.
The most appropriate thing to do is to promote Zhao Yuzhen.
But she was not sure whether Zhao Yuzhen would think of taking the college entrance examination.
Zhou Jiani thought about it and decided to wait until the news was announced.
After making the arrangements, she then reviewed while working.
After September, rumors began to spread sporadically from big cities to the countryside and farms.
But it didn't cause any waves. Rumors are just rumors, and many people don't believe them.
But there are also a small number of people who choose to believe this statement. However, they did not encourage those around them to pick up textbooks. Instead, they began to study in their spare time during the busy farming season and wrote letters back home asking their families to help send books and materials.
This is not only happening in Bin County, but all over the country.
Zhou Jiani received more information sent by Du Yunxin, including a stack of mimeographed compilations of college entrance examination questions from the 1960s, a set of "University Examination Questions" and a set of "Political Examination Questions".
This was valuable information that she did not have. Zhou Jiani spent several nights copying this set of information and took it to the Advance Brigade during her break.
After entering the village, she did not go to the factory, but went to Zhao Mei's house first. Zhao Mei had given birth to a son as her second child and was still in confinement. Zhou Jiani bought some things and went to visit her.
Zhao Mei had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law, so her mother came to take care of her during the confinement period.
Thanks to her mother's careful care and her son-in-law's willingness to spend money on food, Zhao Mei looks good and has gained weight. The baby in her cradle is also plump and plump.
Zhao Meiniang was very happy to see Zhou Jiani coming. While they were talking, she made a bowl of brown sugar water and two poached eggs and brought them to Zhou Jiani.
Zhou Jiani was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, so she quickly declined: "Auntie, it's not easy to save some eggs. Give them to Sister Zhao Mei."
Zhao Mei Niang: "Don't be polite to me, Auntie. Others may not know how much you have helped our family, but I do. This little thing is nothing."
If it weren't for the help of Comrade Zhou, my daughter would not be able to live the comfortable life she has today.
As for her son, if he hadn't helped Jiani collect things, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn how to make rice noodle soup from him, not to mention that Jiani took care of their family business, which required hundreds of kilograms of goods every year.
Zhao Mei smiled and said, "Jiani, just eat it."
Zhou Jiani couldn't refuse, so she drank a bowl of brown sugar water and ate two poached eggs.
Zhao Meiniang wanted to keep Zhou Jiani at home for lunch, but Zhou Jiani declined. She talked to Zhao Mei for a while, told her to have a good rest, and then got up and left.
I met Tian Yumei on the way to the factory from Zhao Mei's house.
"Jia Ni!"
"Sister Yumei."
Tian Yumei hurried over and asked hesitantly, "Jiani, have you heard about the resumption of the college entrance examination at work?"
Zhou Jiani nodded and smiled, "Some people are talking about this."
Tian Yumei really wanted to hear Zhou Jiani's opinion: "Do you think it's true? Can the college entrance examination really be restored?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "No one can say for sure right now, but I'm taking it seriously. My thinking is, if it's true, preparing early will make things easier; if it's false, it won't be a loss if you learn the knowledge yourself. If you want to prepare, why not buy some study materials before the news spreads completely, and have your family help you collect them. Otherwise, once the news is announced, buying materials will be a problem."
Tian Yumei's eyes lit up slightly, and the problem that had troubled her for many days suddenly became clear. She nodded decisively and said with a smile, "It's not complicated to explain, but I've been thinking about it for several days and still can't figure it out. Thank you, Jiani."
"You don't have to be so polite!"
The two went to the factory together.
Bai Haoyang was faintly excited when he spoke to Zhou Jiani. Previously, only they knew about this rumor, but now several educated youth in the village have mentioned it. He was puzzled and said, "I wonder if everyone is secretly trying to spread it, or if they really don't believe it and don't show it on the surface."
Anyway, he believed it, and he studied late into the night these days.
It's just that his foundation was not good to begin with, and he had been away from school for too long, so it was difficult for him to learn.
Fortunately, Sun Ping had good grades when she was in school, and Xiao Min's grades were also very good, so the two of them could lead the three of them.
Zhou Jiani would also give them lectures when she came over, and Bai Haoyang could barely keep up with the progress.
Zhou Jiani: "Don't worry about others. I brought some new study materials. You can study them tonight."
After having lunch with Yu Wanxia and others at noon, they discussed their learning situation during this period. After lunch, she went to the brigade headquarters.
When she arrived, the office door was still locked. After waiting for a while, Liu Tong and Zhang Baosheng came over one after another and greeted Zhou Jiani happily.
The factory has started preparing for the Canton Fair in October. Zhang Baosheng thought Zhou Jiani came for this matter, but it turned out to be a rumor that had been circulating in the village in recent days.
They had both heard about it before, but neither believed it nor took it seriously. Now that Zhou Jiani mentioned it, and it seemed like she had come specifically for this matter, they couldn't help but become serious and asked, "Is what they said true?"
Liu Tong took a seldom-used pot, scalded it with hot water, and made a cup of tea for Zhou Jiani. He pushed it over and said, "I heard the educated youth at the factory complaining about it a few days ago, but they themselves don't believe it. Do you have a more reliable source of information?"
Zhou Jiani, of course, wouldn't admit it directly. She simply analyzed, "I treat you two as close friends, so I'll be honest. This isn't groundless news. Meetings on whether to resume the Gaokao have been held several times since August, and they were held again this month. I think with such intensive discussions, it's very likely they'll be returning to the regular Gaokao format."
"Let's assume the college entrance exam will be resumed. Once the news is announced, it will be the best springboard for the educated youth to return to the city. You need to consider the manpower problem at the factory."
Zhang Baosheng and Liu Tong were both stunned. Liu Tong patted his thigh with emotion and said admiringly, "Otherwise, it would have been Comrade Jiani. We just thought it was a joke, but we didn't expect Jiani to think about the production problem affected by the departure of educated youth after the resumption of the college entrance examination."
Zhang Baosheng nodded in approval. He hadn't taken it seriously at first, but now he felt a little nervous.
Zhou Jiani blushed and felt a little uncomfortable. She said, "In fact, not only the village, but also the entire commune and even the entire county need to make preparations early."
She also did not forget to speak up for Bai Haoyang, saying, "If the college entrance examination is reinstated, Bai Haoyang will probably be able to take the exam. The village should also make preparations early on to appoint someone to take his place."
Zhang Baosheng scratched his head. "We only started discussing this this year, but I don't know for sure if I'll be able to take the exam this year. I remember the college entrance exam was always held in the summer..."
Moreover, what if it is not restored in the end and remains the same?
Zhou Jiani said obediently, "Yes, it's hard to say for sure, but we have to prepare for possible emergencies and think of plans in advance so that we can deal with any situation calmly."
Liu Tong: "Jiani's point makes sense, but many people are still skeptical about this matter, so it's not appropriate to discuss it publicly." He looked at Zhang Baosheng, "But Jiani has given us a reminder. We need to be aware of this and discuss it privately."
Zhang Baosheng nodded.
The next day, Zhou Jiani went to Binxian Weaving Factory again and discussed the same issue with Li Jingdang.
Li Jingdang had already heard the news. Some cadres from the factory came to him to inquire about the truth. He was confused at first, but later he saw that his subordinates did not seem to be joking. Just as he was about to find a way to inquire about it, Zhou Jiani came over.
"You heard about it too? Where did this come from?"
Director Li was so busy overseeing production and preparing for the Canton Fair that he was completely swamped. If the factory's management hadn't wanted to get the news from him, he wouldn't have known about this.
Zhou Jiani told Li Damangren the news she knew and her analysis, and Li Jingdang's expression gradually became serious.
I originally thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems it might be true.
"If the college entrance examination is resumed, you will also prepare to take the college entrance examination, right?"
Zhou Jiani nodded.
Li Jingdang: "Resuming the college entrance examination is definitely a decision of great significance. The fact that they've held repeated meetings to discuss it shows that the possibility of its resumption is very high. Your analysis is correct. If the college entrance examination, which has been suspended for such a long time, is to be resumed, the admission requirements will definitely be relaxed. Perhaps even employed people can participate. In this case, the factory really needs to prepare countermeasures."
"I'll ask someone to see if I can get some more accurate information. Once confirmed, I'll go find County Magistrate Wang and we'll hold a meeting to discuss it." Li Jingdang said.
Zhou Jiani: "Okay!"
After Li Jingdang confirmed that the news was not groundless, he went to see County Magistrate Wang, but County Magistrate Wang did not organize a meeting immediately, so he also started to ask people.
During this period, Zhou Jiani worked and studied as usual until the end of the month, when she was called to the office by County Magistrate Wang while at work. Li Jingdang was also there.
County Magistrate Wang smiled. "A few days ago, another meeting was held regarding the resumption of the college entrance examination. I suspect it's basically confirmed. It will most likely be announced before or after the New Year. I heard they're already rushing to print review materials in Shanghai."
Zhou Jiani matched the look of surprise and said, "Really?"
County Magistrate Wang nodded: "It can't be fake!"
He inquired carefully and learned the relevant application conditions. It was not limited to recent high school graduates, but also workers, farmers, educated youth, cadres, and demobilized soldiers could participate.
Seeing Comrade Xiao Zhou’s expectant look, I guess he also wants to study in college for a few more years.
Once the news is confirmed, the county must also make preparations. Not only the weaving factories, but many other companies will probably experience shocks of varying degrees.
County Magistrate Wang waved his hand. "Resuming the college entrance examination is a major and positive event. You all know this, but the official announcement hasn't been made public yet, so we won't be holding a general meeting to discuss it for now. First, take care of your current tasks and make some preliminary plans. We'll discuss them in detail when the general meeting is called."
"Okay, County Magistrate!"
The two left.
The meeting was temporarily postponed, but County Magistrate Wang thought about it and went to the secretary's office to report and discuss the issue.
The Canton Fair had to be attended, so Li Jingdang sent Director Meng out again to do the preparatory work together with Zhang Wenfeng from Qianjin Weaving Factory.
The advantage of paying attention to gossip is that you can be prepared in advance and avoid being in a rush.
The same goes for the Forward Brigade. Bai Haoyang will stay at home to take charge, Zhang Wenfeng will be the main force, and Liu Tong will lead people over in a few days.
Bai Haoyang still didn't know that the resumption of the college entrance examination would be announced in October, but he felt that since he had to let go, he should let Zhang Wenfeng lead the team himself and give it a try to gain some experience.
More than half a month later, Bai Haoyang was busy like a top in the factory, and he exclaimed "Oh shit" very loudly.
Then the whole village was in an uproar.
Even though the production task was tight, Zhang Laosi and his colleagues were extremely tolerant and smiled as they watched everyone in the workshop drop their work, cry and laugh, and roar with joy.
Yu Wanxia hugged Bai Haoyang without caring about her image and screamed, "The college entrance examination has been resumed, it's really resumed!"
Meng Jiandi and Sun Ping couldn't stop crying.
Zhang Baosheng broadcast three times in a trembling voice and turned off the speaker. He felt that he also had to slow down.
He has been so busy with the Canton Fair and the autumn harvest recently that he hasn't listened to the radio for several days and didn't hear the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination at all.
The phone rang when he entered the office. He originally thought it was news from the Canton Fair, but it turned out to be Zhou Jiani calling to tell him that the news broadcast at six o'clock this morning had reported the resumption of the college entrance examination. Zhou Jiani also read back to him word for word what she had written down. Zhang Baosheng confirmed it several times in a daze, and checked the date carefully several times. After hanging up the phone, he waited for ten minutes before turning on the village loudspeaker.
Zhang Baosheng murmured in a trembling voice: "He's really recovered!"
Just as he finished speaking, the office phone rang again. It was Zhai Xiangqiang calling. He said, "This morning's news broadcast announced that the college entrance examination will be resumed this year... Come to the commune for a meeting at 9:30."
In the county, Zhou Jiani hung up the phone, picked up her notebook and pen, and rushed to the meeting room.
The news of resuming the college entrance examination has finally been officially announced!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
