It was still daybreak and Cheng Yaoyao was sleeping in a warm quilt. Hearing a faint, shrill cry coming from afar, he could not help but cover his ears.
They are killing pigs again. Nine out of ten households in Tianshui Village have captured piglets to raise, and now is the time when the pork is ready to be slaughtered. This sound can be heard almost every few days.
She turned over and hid under the quilt.
The door creaked open. Familiar footsteps approached the bed, and a pair of warm hands covered her ears, blocking out the mournful screams.
"Don't be afraid." Xie Zhao whispered, his voice reassuringly calm. He was only wearing a vest and a coat, and he had obviously gotten out of bed in a hurry.
In the early spring morning, water freezes into ice, and the silent countryside is filled with the howling of pigs before death, which is as miserable as if they were sawing at one's nerves.
The first time Cheng Yaoyao was awakened by the sound of pigs being slaughtered, he was so frightened that he called for Xie Zhao for a long time, but Xie Zhao had gone out to help slaughter pigs. He came back at dawn with a load of pork.
After that, Xie Zhao no longer went out to help, and every time he would go to Cheng Yaoyao's room first to coax her.
Anyway, there are many people raising pigs in Tianshui Village now, and a few men have started to specialize in butchering pigs. They don't charge for killing a pig, just a pack of cigarettes and a few pounds of pork.
The sound continued for a long time, and the village returned to peace. Xie Zhao let go of his hand and stroked Cheng Yaoyao's smooth and slender back like a cat: "Okay, no more sound."
Cheng Yaoyao lazily rested his head on Xie Zhao's arm, and with the help of the light from the window, he looked at his sharp chin: "Are you cold?"
Xie Zhaogan simply took off his coat and pulled the quilt to wrap himself and Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao pushed him hard and said, "You are being a hooligan again..."
"Be good." Xie Zhao hugged her and whispered, "I'll take a nap. I have to go into the city at 5:30."
Cheng Yaoyao raised his head and said, "I'm waiting for the acceptance letter today. Are you still going out?"
"Well, the foreign businessmen are coming to sign the contract, so I have to go there in person." Xie Zhao closed his eyes and his breathing quickly became even.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaoyao stopped struggling and fell asleep again, resting his head on Xie Zhao's warm and strong arms.
The factory that Xie Zhao was talking about was a newly established canning factory.
Last year, there was a pig-raising craze in rural areas, which resulted in extremely low pork prices this year. The lack of transportation and preservation methods for pork in rural areas has caused the price to plummet even further.
Xie Zhao bought a canning factory that was about to go bankrupt, purchased some equipment, and started the factory with great fanfare.
The main products of the factory are canned pork and some canned vegetables, and the target customers are foreign businessmen. Cheng Yaoyao personally formulated and adjusted the taste according to the preferences of foreigners. Among them, pork sauce, braised pork elbow, soybean pig's trotter and smoked sausage are the most popular products.
After tasting the food and touring the workshop, the foreign businessmen immediately placed an order, with the quantity increasing by 30% over the expected amount.
Xie Zhao calmly escorted the customer out the door, then turned around and met Huang Liu's excited gaze: "Brother Xie, this deal is worth the profit of our wood processing plant last quarter!"
Xie Zhao also had a look of joy in his eyes. The export of canned food earned foreign exchange, and the profits were incomparable to those of the timber factory. However, the timber processing factory had made a lot of money by taking advantage of the private economy, and was still receiving orders continuously. If it continued to operate for a long time, the profits would be considerable.
After hearing what Xie Zhao said, Huang Liu nodded in agreement and raised a number of questions to ask Xie Zhao for his opinion.
Xie Zhao said, "I'm going to Shanghai to study soon. You can manage the factory for a while, and you can handle it on your own. You don't have to ask me for everything in the future."
Huang Liu scratched his head and said, "Brother Xie, you are going to Shanghai, you can't leave me here forever..."
Xie Zhao said: "Don't worry. Once we have established ourselves in Shanghai, I will let you come over."
Huang Liu was relieved, patting his chest and saying, "Brother Xie, you and your sister-in-law can go to school without any worries. I'll take care of our grandmother and sister!"
Huang Liu had been wandering without a father or a mother for twenty years, and he was particularly attached to the warmth of the Xie family. He shamelessly asked Xie's grandmother to be his godmother and called Xie Fei his sister.
In the future, when Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao went to Shanghai, it would be inconvenient for Huang Liu, a man from outside the family, to come and go in the Xie family home. But after paying respects to Huang Liu, they could avoid gossip. Xie Zhao accepted it.
Grandma Xie was full of love and really asked Cheng Yaoyao to prepare a sumptuous meal, invited the team leader and village party secretary to be witnesses, and solemnly acknowledged this godson. From then on, Huang Liu treated Grandma Xie as his own grandmother and respected her even more. This is a story for later.
Xie Zhao glanced at his watch and said, "I have to go back."
Huang Liu said: "No, brother, I have reserved a table at the newly opened restaurant, and we will have dinner with the guests later."
Xie Zhao said, "The acceptance letters will be sent out today. I have to go to the village and wait."
Huang Liu hurriedly said, "This is a big deal, Brother Xie, please hurry back. I'm here!"
Xie Zhao nodded, straddled his bicycle, and hurried back to the village.
Before entering the village, I could hear the deafening sound of firecrackers.
Two strings of big red firecrackers were hung high at the entrance of Tianshui Village. They exploded with a crackling sound, and red paper and smoke filled the sky, making the village more lively and festive than the Chinese New Year.
"Hey! Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao is back! You passed the exam!"
Although he was very confident in his performance, Xie Zhao's heart was still filled with joy when he heard this. His first reaction was to look at the crowd and meet Cheng Yaoyao's delighted eyes.
The villagers and children of Tianshui Village gathered at the entrance of the village, surrounding seven or eight young people with happy faces. Cheng Yaoyao waved two admission letters excitedly at Xie Zhao, shouting something.
The team leader Lin Dafu beamed with joy: "Fellow villagers! Our Tianshui Village has produced twelve college students! Twelve! Our Tianshui Village has never been so glorious since our ancestors! We have to thank the country's good policies!"
Xie Zhao didn't listen to Lin Dafu's speech at all, he threw down his bicycle and ran towards Cheng Yaoyao. The two of them seemed to have their own aura in the boiling crowd, isolating everything around them.
"Look! The acceptance letter! I'm from the Chinese Department, and you're from the Finance Department!" Cheng Yaoyao held up the letter, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
Xie Zhao wiped his hands on the hem of his clothes before solemnly accepting the admission letter. On the ink-scented paper were printed the words "Higher Education Student Admission Notice" in large letters. The main text read:
"Comrade Xie Zhao, the Provincial Admissions Committee has approved you to study economics at the Department of Economics of XX University. Please bring this letter of notification and report to the school before April 3."
The red seal of the Provincial Admissions Reform Committee was clearly visible, and the date was stamped on it: March 5, 1978.
Xie Zhao was a little dazed until soft fingers secretly held his. He then realized that his fist was clenched so tightly that wrinkles were left on the notice.
Cheng Yaoyao couldn't stop smiling. She looked up at him with attachment and joy: "We are going to college together!"
"Yeah." Xie Zhao lowered his eyes and looked back, joy and love in his eyes no longer concealed.
Lin Dafu was still speaking happily. Five of the ten or so educated youths from Tianshui Village passed the exam at once, which made him, the team leader, very proud.
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao held hands, left the crowd and ran home.
Grandma Xie and Xie Fei had heard the good news from Goudan a long time ago. Now, seeing the two acceptance letters with her own eyes, Grandma Xie was so excited that she kept wiping her eyes.
Xie Fei wiped her hands and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on the admission letter. She was excited but also worried: "Brother and sister, aren't you in the same department? Can you take classes together in the future?"
Cheng Yaoyao was from the Chinese Department and Xie Zhao was from the Economics Department, so Xie Fei had this question.
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhao also looked at Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, "We took some elective courses together in college. Besides, our schedules were not too busy, so we could see each other often."
Xie Zhao breathed a sigh of relief without making a sound. Everything he knew about the university came from Cheng Yaoyao, so he naturally had no doubts about what Cheng Yaoyao said.
But Cheng Yaoyao had never attended a university in this era, so he just took it for granted based on his own experience.
Grandma Xie suddenly snatched the notice from Xie Fei's hand and turned back to the house.
Cheng Yaoyao asked curiously, "What is grandma doing with the notice?"
Xie Fei smiled and said, "Grandma took it to show grandpa and ancestors."
Superstition is strictly prohibited in this era, but my grandmother still offers rice wine and small dishes in her house during festivals.
Grandma Xie placed the two admission letters on the table and murmured to the wall, "Old man, Zhaoger and Yaoyao have both passed the exam. I will definitely make their marriages as splendid as Zhaoger's father. By the way, the newspaper has removed our labels. Landlords are no longer part of the "five black categories" that cannot hold their heads up. We can live uprightly again..."
That evening, the Xie family celebrated again. The village also held a commendation meeting to commend the educated youth who were admitted to the university.
In that year, 5.7 million people took the college entrance examination, but only 270,000 passed, with an admission rate of 4.7%. There were 13 educated youth left in Tianshui Village, and 12 of them were admitted to universities or colleges. No wonder Lin Dafu was so proud. Not to mention Xie Zhao, who had never been to school but was admitted to Shanghai University.
Cheng Yaoyao was forced to stand on the stage with a big red flower on her head to receive commendation. If Xie Zhao had not stood beside her, she would have escaped long ago.
Some are happy, while others are sad. The educated youth standing on the stage to receive the commendation were beaming with joy, while Liu Minxia, who was standing below the stage, had a very complicated mood.
Liu Minxia failed to get into college. She bit her lip and couldn't help looking at the man not far away. Next to the honest man stood a shy young woman. He watched the excitement while carefully protecting his wife.
Liu Minxia shuddered, her eyes were stung by this scene, and she could no longer bear it and left this lively occasion. A few days later, Liu Minxia was introduced by a matchmaker and hurriedly married to a neighboring village.
Although the educated youth were happy, they did not forget their mentor in the cowshed.
The villagers have always respected scholars. Even during the most severe years, these teachers who were sent down to the countryside never suffered any persecution. Today, teachers Li Xiangming and Qian Fu are the most respected people in Tianshui Village.
The two teachers read the twelve acceptance letters one by one, their eyes reddened: "I teach you carefully without asking for anything in return. I just hope that you study hard and serve the motherland in the future."
Half a month later, the newly purchased Dongfeng tractor, carrying thirteen prospective college students, left Tianshui Village.
The train station was particularly busy today, filled with cheerful college students and their families. Everyone was carrying rolls of blankets and bags, except Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao, who traveled light, carrying only a suitcase and a duffel bag.
Cheng Yaoyao said goodbye to Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin on the platform.
They both got into college, Zhang Xiaofeng got into Peking University's history department with high scores, and Han Yin got into a university in Guangzhou. Han Yin's grades were far worse than the other three, so she couldn't go to the universities in the capital or Shanghai. Her brother had been an educated youth in Guangzhou, so she could be taken care of there.
Han Yin kept reminding them, "You must write to me! I will come to see you when I have time! I haven't been to Shanghai or Beijing yet!"
"Zhang Xiaofeng, I heard that it's very cold in Beijing, so I'm giving this cotton jacket to you. You can't wear it in Guangzhou anyway."
"Yaoyao, when you go to college, don't be so outstanding. There won't be anyone for me to fight with you there. Oh, and you have Xie Zhao to protect you. When you two get married, you must tell me in advance, and I must be the maid of honor, understand?"
Cheng Yaoyao chuckled and said, "You've said this so many times that I'm about to grow cords on my ears! Take this pack of orange peel tea with you. It's very humid in Guangzhou, so remember to drink it, okay? If I make something delicious in the future, I'll send you a copy..."
As Cheng Yaoyao was talking, his nose felt sore. Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin also cried, and the three girls hugged each other and cried.
Even when he got on the train to Shanghai, Cheng Yaoyao's eyes were still red.
A warm hand held her hand under the cover of the coat: "Don't be sad. I will accompany you to Beijing and Guangzhou to see them in the future."
"That will take a long time." Cheng Yaoyao was really reluctant.
Since she came to this world, besides Xie Zhao's family, these two friends have been with her all the time. They are also the few connections between Cheng Yaoyao and this world.
Cheng Yaoyao cried so much that the tip of her nose and eyes were red, and she looked extremely cute.
But there were people all around, so he couldn't hold her in his arms and comfort her. Xie Zhao thought for a moment, reached into his pocket, and took out a piece of beautifully wrapped chocolate: "Eat candy, don't cry."
"Chocolate!" Cheng Yaoyao happily opened the package and put it in his mouth. The rich chocolate melted in his mouth, and it was a long-lost mellow fragrance: "This brand is very expensive. I couldn't buy it in the Friendship Store in Shanghai. Where did you get it?"
Xie Zhao watched her eat and said with a smile in his eyes, "It was given to me by a foreign customer."
"Then why didn't you give it to me earlier?"
Of course, I keep it to coax you. Xie Zhao smiled slightly: "Sister, look out the window."
Cheng Yaoyao turned around and looked. There were endless green mountains, and a large area of peach blossoms in full bloom, like smoke and mist, occupying the spring scenery of the world.
The best time of the year is spring.
In the spring of 1978, the spring breeze of reform swept across China with overwhelming force. The people's living standards were greatly improved, and while the reformers vigorously supported the private economy, the cultural industry was also quietly rising.
Cinemas introduced several translated foreign films, and martial arts films and movie videotapes from Hong Kong also spread wildly among young people. A window was suddenly opened in front of people, allowing them to glimpse the colors and fresh air of the new world. Conservative criticism and repeated inspections by the inspection team could not curb this.
Under this enthusiastic trend, people in the literary and art circles also took active actions. Film works that had been shelved and sealed for various reasons over the past ten years were resubmitted for review.
Thousands of miles away on the train, Cheng Yaoyao had no idea the impact this subtle change would have on him.
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