"Today is the college entrance examination."
Cheng Yaoyao was startled: "What time is it?"
Xie Zhao held her shoulders and said, "It's still early, get up and wash up. Grandma is cooking."
Cheng Yaoyao picked up the watch beside her pillow and looked at it. It was only 5:40 in the morning. She yawned and lazily lowered her head again, which happened to be pressed on Xie Zhao's palm.
Cheng Yaoyao's long black hair was draped over the pillow, and she looked lazy and cute like a sleeping crabapple. She buried her face in Xie Zhao's palm and smelled the scent of water vapor and soap.
Cheng Yaoyao said coquettishly: "It's still early."
"The other educated youth will take a tractor into the city, so we have to set out early today." Xie Zhao couldn't stand her coquettish look the most, and gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips.
Cheng Yaoyao glanced over and said, "I'll sleep a little longer, just for a little while."
Xie Zhaolang was determined: "Get up."
Cheng Yaoyao hooked his fingertips around Xie Zhao's little finger and stroked it across his palm like a kitten's paw pad: "Five minutes."
Xie Zhao looked at her with a stern face. Cheng Yaoyao was immediately frightened. Her charming peach blossom eyes half-closed, and she pulled her hand away and was about to get up.
His fingertips were held in a warm palm. Xie Zhao glanced at his watch: "Only five minutes."
Cheng Yaoyao hummed happily and put his face close to Xie Zhao's wrist. The naughty kittens grabbed the bed sheet and climbed up, but were taken down one by one by Xie Zhao. Only the long-haired little white cat was Xie Zhao's favorite, and it crawled to Cheng Yaoyao's pillow and curled up.
Cheng Yaoyao took the little white cat in his arms. Both the man and the cat were extremely beautiful, and they were sleeping in the same lazy and sound posture.
After dozing off for five minutes, Cheng Yaoyao sat up obediently. She yawned with her hands covering her mouth, and her sleepy look was extremely adorable.
Xie Zhao rolled up a hot towel and pressed it on her face. Cheng Yaoyao finally came to her senses: "I want to wear that skirt today!"
"It's too cold today." Xie Zhao took the sweater and socks from the heater.
Cheng Yaoyao grumbled in dissatisfaction, but when Xie Zhao grabbed her ankles and put the warm socks on her, her protest was not so strong.
Finally, Cheng Yaoyao wore a soft, thick sweater and trousers, and a thick coat with a fur collar, which made his snow-white face look even smaller.
When she walked out of the room, she realized that Xie Zhao had not lied to her. It was extremely cold today, and the wind was so cold that it made her head feel crisp.
Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin also came. They were wearing thick cotton jackets but were still shivering from the cold.
Grandma Xie cooked a pot of thick millet porridge, with a plate of snow-white and soft steamed buns, a plate of tender poached eggs fried in pork fat, and stir-fried green peppers and salted vegetables. Everyone gathered around the table and ate a hot breakfast, and only then did they feel their stomachs and bodies warm up.
It was not yet half past six. Everyone checked their admission tickets and prepared to leave.
Grandma Xie cooked a bag of boiled eggs and chased after them, asking Cheng Yaoyao to take some. She also stuffed a few eggs into Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng's pockets, and earnestly instructed them, "You'll be in the city today, so make sure you have a good lunch!"
"Don't worry!" Cheng Yaoyao said to Grandma Xie with a smile, "You stay at home and wait for our good news!"
Grandma Xie clutched her apron, smiled and nodded: "Hey! Grandma is waiting for you to come back! Do well in the exam, don't worry!"
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao walked to the alley. When they looked back, they saw Grandma Xie still standing at the door, looking out.
The tractor started up with a rumble, carrying a group of ambitious educated youth towards the city.
On December 10, 1977, 5.2 million candidates entered the college entrance examination hall that had been sealed off for ten years.
In the long river of history, this day may be insignificant, but for these 5.2 million candidates, it is the ladder for them to change their destiny.
The destinies of countless people intersect here, heading in completely different directions.
Two or three hundred candidates and their families crowded at the entrance of Lin'an County Middle School. A group of soldiers in military green uniforms were guarding the area around the examination room.
The educated youth from Tianshui Village were all crowded together. A list written on red paper was posted on the wall, and the names of the candidates were shuffled and randomly assigned to different examination rooms. Many people didn't know which examination room they were in, and they desperately squeezed forward to see, and the scene was in chaos.
Xie Zhao's tall figure blocked the crowd and the cold wind. Cheng Yaoyao hid in his arms and asked, "How is it? Where is our examination room?
"We are in an examination room." Xie Zhao had checked the spot yesterday and did not join the crowd. He walked to one side with Cheng Yaoyao, Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin, and said, "Just wait for the exam to start."
Han Yin was cramming, reciting the book in a mumbling voice. Zhang Xiaofeng looked calm, but Cheng Yaoyao said a few words to her without any response. Looking closely, the corners of her lips were tense, and she was obviously in a state of tension.
In fact, it wasn't just the two of them. The tense atmosphere spread throughout the venue. Cheng Yaoyao looked around and saw candidates ranging from dusty old educated youth in their thirties to teenagers in their teens and teens. Some came wearing factory uniforms stained with machine oil, and there was even a female candidate breastfeeding her baby outside the examination room.
Xie Zhao followed Cheng Yaoyao's line of sight and looked away immediately, coughing softly: "Are you tired of standing?"
Cheng Yaoyao looked up and said, "Not tired."
In a crowd of people who were frozen, hunched over, and full of anxiety, Xie Zhao walked straight and calm like a pine tree. This calmness infected Cheng Yaoyao, and she moved closer to Xie Zhao, smelling his warm masculine aura and said, "I'm a little nervous."
"Why are you so nervous? You've learned everything you need to learn. It doesn't matter if you don't pass the exam." Xie Zhao touched her furry collar and said, "Are you cold? Do you want some water?"
Cheng Yaoyao nodded. Xie Zhao took out a military green kettle from his arms and opened it for her. The kettle was still warm as she was holding it in her arms. Cheng Yaoyao took a small sip to moisten her throat and stopped drinking. She would be taking the exam soon and it would be troublesome to go to the toilet if she drank too much.
Xie Zhao closed the kettle and put it back in his arms, and then pulled Cheng Yaoyao back into his arms. He turned his back to the crowd, shielding Cheng Yaoyao from the crowd's sight and the cold wind. The two looked at each other, and both were happy and at ease.
Looking back on this day thirty years later, the noisy crowd and the cement buildings in the dim cold wind have all faded into a blurry background. Cheng Yaoyao, with her snowy skin, red lips and peach blossom eyes, is deeply imprinted in Xie Zhao's retina and in his heart.
When the whistle blew, the fence opened, and the candidates entered the venue one after another, the atmosphere became chaotic again. Some people were crying, some people said goodbye to their families loudly, and some people even forgot to bring their admission tickets.
Influenced by the atmosphere at the scene, Cheng Yaoyao also panicked: "Where is my admission ticket?"
"In my pocket."
"Where is our examination room?!"
"Follow me."
Xie Zhao held Cheng Yaoyao tightly with one hand, and blocked the crowd with the other hand, leading the three girls to the examination room.
The middle school in Lin'an City is a three-story cement building. A staircase divides the teaching building in the middle, and there are three classrooms on both sides. The classroom doors are labeled with numbers and names. Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao were assigned to the same examination room, the one at the end of the corridor on the second floor.
Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng were on the third floor. They said goodbye to Cheng Yaoyao reluctantly at the stairs.
Han Yin was so scared that she started to cry. She held Cheng Yaoyao's hand tightly and said, "What should I do? I need to go to the restroom later. I always want to go to the restroom when I'm nervous! Why didn't I study hard before..."
Cheng Yaoyao said, "It's better to sharpen your weapons before the battle, especially since you've been reviewing for half a year earlier than the others! Don't be nervous, you can do it."
Zhang Xiaofeng also comforted her; "It has come to this, let's take a look at the mule and the horse. We agreed to take the exam together and go to Shanghai!"
The three of them hugged each other tightly, encouraging each other. When they separated, Han Yin wiped away her tears and went upstairs with Zhang Xiaofeng.
Cheng Yaoyao perked up and turned around. Xie Zhao was standing behind her, looking at her: "What are you doing?"
Xie Zhao said: "I am nervous too."
Cheng Yaoyao was puzzled: "Huh?"
Xie Zhao said seriously: "I want to encourage too."
Xie Zhao was a tall man, and when he said this with a stern face, the sense of incongruity was extremely strong.
Cheng Yaoyao held back his laughter and hooked his finger at him: "Come here."
Xie Zhao lowered his head slightly and approached her. All around were candidates coming and going to find their examination rooms, and at this moment no one noticed the extremely good-looking young couple.
Cheng Yaoyao's rosy lips were shining with water, and Xie Zhao knew how good those lips tasted. Those lips were getting closer and closer, and suddenly they were close to his ears, and she said in a sweet voice: "I'll give you a reward after the exam."
Xie Zhao's shoulders shook, he looked deeply at Cheng Yaoyao without saying a word, the passion bursting out of his deep eyes was worth more than a thousand words.
Cheng Yaoyao didn't mean that at first, but when he looked at her like that, her cheeks turned red, like a white rose dyed red: "... Come in quickly."
Cheng Yaoyao rushed into the examination room first, and Xie Zhao followed closely behind her, never taking his eyes off her. When Cheng Yaoyao ran to the door of the classroom, she suddenly turned around and hooked her finger at Xie Zhao: "Good luck."
Xie Zhao smiled and said, "Come on."
The simple classroom only had three rows of five desks, which were spaced far apart. The mottled blackboard had been wiped clean, with only a few lines of exam instructions written on it.
The two found their seats and sat down. Cheng Yaoyao's seat was in the back row near the window, while Xie Zhao's seat was in the middle row on the other side. Everyone also found their seats and sat down.
Two invigilators came in with the papers, escorted by the soldiers. They first checked the candidates' admission tickets and their appearances, and read out the college entrance examination precautions before tearing open the seals on the papers.
One by one, the test papers smelling of ink were distributed to everyone and also landed on Cheng Yaoyao's desk. The paper quality of these test papers was not good, and the ink would stain your hands. Who would have thought that such a light test paper would carry the future of countless candidates?
Cheng Yaoyao took the test paper, glanced through it quickly, and almost laughed out loud. It was too easy!
The first test was in Chinese, which was divided into three parts: writing an essay on the topic of "good harvest"; translating a passage about "the snipe and the clam fighting"; and explaining the meanings of several idioms such as "sinister intentions", "slander" and "far-sightedness".
These questions were very simple for Cheng Yaoyao, who had attended college, but he didn't know about Xie Zhao... Cheng Yaoyao couldn't help but glance at Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao was also looking down at the test paper seriously. After two or three minutes, he picked up his pen and started writing. Cheng Yaoyao looked at his tall and broad back, and his heart could not help but calm down. He also picked up his pen and started answering questions.
These questions were simple, and Cheng Yaoyao finished them in a very confident manner. After checking them to make sure they were correct, he rested his chin on his hand and looked at Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao lowered his head and wrote carefully, slowly and seriously. Cheng Yaoyao had taught him: writing neatly and beautifully can get a lot of points on the test paper. Xie Zhao always remembered it.
Cheng Yaoyao was wondering in his mind how many points Xie Zhao would get.
The snipe and the clam were only reviewed a few days ago, and the idioms were not difficult to understand. The composition might be a little more difficult, but Xie Zhao's handwriting was very beautiful, and she asked Xie Zhao to memorize many famous prose works, so he could apply some of them... But Xie Zhao wrote so slowly, would he have enough time?
Cheng Yaoyao was thinking wildly, and he became very nervous. Fortunately, Xie Zhao stopped writing 20 minutes before the end of the exam and started checking the test papers.
When the exam time was over, several students had not finished writing their papers and were rushing to write. They were severely reprimanded by the invigilator and their papers were taken away.
Cheng Yaoyao walked out of the classroom holding Xie Zhao's hand, chirping, "Why are you writing so slowly? I was worried that you wouldn't be able to finish the paper!"
Xie Zhao asked back: "Sister has been looking at me?"
"...I just want to see if you have finished the paper!" Cheng Yaoyao raised his little face proudly.
A smile flashed across Xie Zhao's eyes.
Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin also ran over and asked impatiently, "How did you do on the test? I almost couldn't finish my composition. I was so scared!"
Zhang Xiaofeng said, "Don't think about it. Just forget about it after the test. Don't let it affect the test in the afternoon."
Cheng Yaoyao also said: "Let's hurry to the restaurant to grab a seat, there will be a lot of people here soon."
As Cheng Yaoyao expected, the restaurant was very busy today, and most of the people eating there were candidates and their families. However, many candidates were reluctant to go out to eat, so there was free hot soup at the entrance of the restaurant, which was specially provided for the students and their families who were taking the college entrance examination today. They drank two bowls of hot soup and ate it with the dry food they brought with them.
The four of them occupied a table on the second floor facing the street, overlooking the entire Lin'an Ancient City. They ordered stir-fried pork with chili peppers, braised spareribs, stir-fried Chinese cabbage, tomato and egg drop soup, white rice, and eggs cooked by Grandma Xie.
Concentrating on the exam also consumes physical energy. Cheng Yaoyao was very hungry and ate more happily than usual. While eating, Xie Zhao and Zhang Xiaofeng also discussed an additional question in the math review materials.
During lunch, a small incident occurred: Liu Minxia's in-laws came and asked her to go home and not to take the exam again. Liu Minxia got married with a country man the day before the college entrance examination announcement, and she regretted it very much. But she received a hundred yuan in betrothal money and sent it all to her brother for his wedding, and she couldn't pay back a penny. Her attitude was: I don't have money, I want a divorce, and I must take the college entrance examination.
After a long quarrel, Liu Minxia decided to stay and take the exam. Her honest husband from the countryside only said: "We will get a divorce certificate after you finish the exam."
Liu Minxia was stunned for a moment, then she was ecstatic after a brief sour moment. Being able to get a divorce and go to college without having to pay back a penny was like a godsend! Her ecstatic expression made everyone despise her, and they all felt sorry for her husband.
But no one cared about her business. After dinner, she lay on the table to take a rest, so that she could have enough energy to take the exam in the afternoon.
Cheng Yaoyao was not sleepy, nor were Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin. They ate eggs from home, and Cheng Yaoyao secretly gave them some spiritual spring water to drink, which was enough to keep them energetic.
In the afternoon, the four of them entered the examination room in high spirits. The math test was more difficult than the Chinese test, but Xie Zhao finished the test half an hour earlier than Cheng Yaoyao. Cheng Yaoyao pondered over the additional questions for a long time and finally solved them after adding an auxiliary line.
Cheng Yaoyao has no memory of the following exams. He only felt that the English exam was too simple: answer two simple questions in English and translate a few common words. Politics was not difficult either. Just memorize a few quotations and thoughts. Physics, chemistry, history and geography were divided into arts and science.
When finishing the last exam, Cheng Yaoyao was actually a little dazed: Is this the end?
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