Chapter 23 Preparing for the College Entrance Examination 03 You said you would take me away, and that was...
Yu Xingzhou could also hear the voice from the microphone. Lin Tingyue turned to look at him and saw the expected shake of his head.
"Let's talk about it when we're all reunited."
"Right, right, I forgot about that. Actually, it'll be soon..." Qin Hua didn't say the second half of the sentence, but they both knew it.
The two then chatted about Qin Hua's future plans before hanging up the phone.
The two were unusually silent on the way back, until they entered the house, when Yu Xingzhou turned around and hugged her.
"It's okay, everything will be alright," Lin Tingyue comforted her.
"But I feel like I owe you something."
"It's just a formality, it doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later." She rubbed her forehead against the man's and continued, "Besides, the most important thing right now is the college entrance examination."
Yu Xingzhou nodded, "Hmm... but Guangzhou is indeed very far away. How about we consider the northern part of the city?"
Upon hearing his question, Lin Tingyue belatedly realized that perhaps Yu Xingzhou didn't actually want to go to Guangzhou, and that her efforts might be wishful thinking.
She tentatively asked, "Do you want to go to university in Beicheng?"
"No, I'll go wherever you want. I'm just worried that if it's too far, it will be the same as now, where you only come home once a year."
Hearing that Yu Xingzhou was worried about her homesickness but the journey was long, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"University is only four years long, so it's okay to work a little harder." Besides, once civil aviation is available, they can fly back home, but for now, she can only keep these thoughts to herself.
Seeing that she was very determined about her choice, Yu Xingzhou also put in a lot of effort to study, hoping that they could both get into the same university.
Two months later, the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination was officially announced. The two looked at the contents of the newspaper and felt a sense of relief.
After hearing the news on the radio, Song Xue rushed over, her excitement evident. "Am I dreaming?"
“Look, this is the newspaper we just bought today; it can’t be faked.” Lin Tingyue pointed to the content on the front page. “It’ll probably take another two days before the notice is issued here.”
Song Xue continued to look at the newspaper excitedly, her hands even trembling slightly, "I'd even wait two months! I can finally leave here..."
Like Song Xue, many others wanted to leave this place. Most of them were educated youth sent to the countryside. Even those who got married and started families here wanted to return to the city.
So when the day came for the political review and stamping, long queues formed in the commune.
Lin Tingyue was getting bored and was starting to doze off when a crisp sound woke her up.
"Are you crazy?!" The man, seeing the stamped documents in his hand torn in two, immediately shoved the woman in front of him to the ground. He then stared blankly at the documents, muttering, "I queued all morning, finally got this, and I have to go to school to register this afternoon..."
The woman scoffed, "Don't even think about going! What will happen to me and the child if you leave?"
"Didn't I say I'd bring you to the city after you graduate from university?"
"You're talking nonsense! I heard what you said to those educated youth. We didn't get a marriage certificate, so we're not legally married at all..."
Since the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination was announced, such incidents have become commonplace. Not only did male educated youth want to abandon their wives and children, but female educated youth also insisted on getting divorced. In their village, couples like them taking the college entrance examination together were still a minority.
Lin Tingyue was initially worried that the commune director would obstruct Yu Xingzhou's political review materials, but fortunately everything went smoothly. After the two received the materials stamped with the commune's seal, they rushed to the county middle school to register. After everything was settled, seeing that it was still early, they went to the state-run restaurant for a meal.
It turns out this restaurant was the same one where she had saved someone before. Although they had the president's phone number, they had never contacted him.
Lin Tingyue thought that it was about time, and after someone had taken the lead, Yu Xingzhou could follow suit and publish his article.
"Have any of your recent articles been about educated youth going to the countryside?"
Yu Xingzhou pondered for a moment and said, "There are a few. Would you like to see them?"
“When we get back, find it and show it to me. Then we’ll pick the best one and submit it to the Chuncheng Daily.”
Will this work?
"As long as the content passes the review, there shouldn't be any problem."
These works would create a wave, and that pioneering work remained influential for many years to come. Since Yu Xingzhou loved writing, she felt she couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
A few days later, the two went to the post office in the county town again, first made a phone call, and then sent a registered letter to the address left by the other party.
The days spent waiting for a reply were far from peaceful; in the village, some families were overjoyed while others were filled with sorrow.
"Another family has recently divorced."
"Among the educated youth in our village, is Lin Tingyue the only one who hasn't gotten divorced?"
"Yes, they're going to take the college entrance exam together."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and when they saw Yu Xingzhou passing by, they even went up to ask, "How's your revision going, Teacher Yu?"
"Isn't that an unnecessary question? The couple started reviewing at the beginning of the year, and Old Song's daughter even had Lin, the educated youth, tutor her before!"
"This Lin Zhiqing is very knowledgeable. What if Lin Zhiqing passes the exam but Yu Xingzhou doesn't... and the two of them don't have any children, will it work out?"
"Hey, those with kids still got divorced, didn't they?"
With everyone offering their opinions, they quickly came to a conclusion about Yu Xingzhou, concluding that the relationship between the two of them wouldn't last long.
At first he didn't care, but as more people talked about it, it affected his mood. Some even whispered in his ear about divorce, giving him foolish advice to have children as soon as possible.
Yu Xingzhou had no expression on his face, but he was quite disdainful in his heart. He knew that even if the two of them were to be destabilized by external forces, the child might not be able to keep Lin Tingyue's heart.
Moreover, they simply don't understand that they attracted their wives with their good looks.
However, when night fell, Yu Xingzhou still couldn't resist trying to sow discord among others.
Has anyone said anything unpleasant to you lately?
"What did you say?" Lin Tingyue sat down next to the man while drying her half-dry hair. He naturally took the towel from her hand and took over the rest of the work.
"It's about the college entrance exam. We'll probably break up sooner or later anyway."
"You actually believe that?" Lin Tingyue laughed as she leaned back into Yu Xingzhou's arms. "They just can't stand seeing others do well."
Yu Xingzhou simply gave a low "hmm" and said nothing more, but his hands didn't stop moving until the hair stopped dripping with water droplets, then he tossed the towel aside.
Lin Tingyue turned around and straddled his lap, cupping his increasingly beautiful face in her hands. "Are you still upset because of those words?"
The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned his head slightly to kiss her palm, grabbing it before she felt ticklish and tried to pull away. With a forceful pull, he drew her into his arms, his other hand tightly gripping her slender waist. "If I said yes, how would you comfort me?"
"...It wasn't me who said it, why should I comfort you?" Lin Tingyue protested, her face flushed, but her eyes darted around and she didn't dare to look directly into those captivating eyes. She didn't know when this man had become so good at flirting, always lingering for a long time before getting down to business.
Yu Xingzhou used to flirt with blind men, but now he wanted Lin Tingyue to look away. The more she wanted to get to the point quickly, the more he would do the opposite.
For a moment, the world seemed to spin around. Lin Tingyue looked up at the man supporting her above her, her expression broken, and even her voice trembled slightly, "You said you would take me away, does that still stand?"
She was taken aback at first, then her ears turned red. "You...you heard everything?"
"I didn't eavesdrop on purpose; my older brother was outside the door at the time."
"Of course I keep my word, and there's no way you can fail the exam. You have to believe in yourself..."
Lin Tingyue finally managed to hold him and comfort him for a while before she could stop her tears from falling. But this man was ungrateful; he caused her to cry frequently in the following days, even wetting the sheets she had just changed that day.
She was covered in sweat, and the man helped her drink a large glass of water halfway through. "I'm so full... I can't drink anymore."
Yu Xingzhou looked at those lips, which he had made slightly red, felt pity for only a second, and then kissed them again.
After several hours of this, both of them were exhausted, both mentally and physically. As expected, they both overslept the next day, but the one who started it all got up first to prepare breakfast and then ate it in bed.
Lin Tingyue was still a little swollen from yesterday's commotion, so she stayed in bed after dinner and didn't want to move. Yu Xingzhou silently cleaned up the soiled sheets and blankets. The daytime was even quieter than the nighttime.
When Song Xue came over, she thought no one was home. Seeing the sheets and blankets drying in the yard, she casually remarked, "Why does it seem like you wash your sheets so often?"
Lin Tingyue couldn't help but glare at the man who was pretending to be serious. "He's a germaphobe; he can't stand not washing himself often."
"That's good. We have some unclean kids at our school who can suffocate me with their stench during class." Song Xue said as she entered the main room. Before she even sat down, she continued, "By the way, I came here to tell you that the exam dates are out. They're on the 27th and 28th of next month. Which school are you planning to apply to?"
Lin Tingyue: "Yangcheng University, what about you?"
"Actually, I originally wanted to go to Beicheng. I had agreed with Xu Xingyi back then, but now we've broken up, so I haven't decided where to go."
"But why does it seem like he's still pursuing you?"
"It's his business if he pursues me. Anyway, I don't go back to an old flame. Besides, didn't you say that once I get into university, there will be plenty of young and cultured men for me to choose from?"
Yu Xingzhou frowned slightly upon hearing this, but said nothing.
Lin Tingyue didn't notice any of this; instead, she was thinking about how to persuade Song Xue to go to university in Beicheng. According to the original plot, she would meet her biological parents at that university in Beicheng and would later change her surname to Min Xue.
Lin Tingyue considered carefully and said, "Beicheng is the capital after all, so its educational resources must be the best."
Song Xue: "Wouldn't that mean a lot of people would want to go to Beicheng? What if I don't pass the exam?"
Lin Tingyue: "If you don't pass the exam, there's always next time."
"No, I want to pass the exam on my first try." Song Xue slammed her hand on the table after saying that, then looked at her with bright eyes and said, "How about I take the exam with you guys and go to Guangzhou?"
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