Finally, Lin Laosan's finger stopped. His name lay quietly on the list, a good ranking that would give him a chance to enter his ideal university.
Lin Li's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She turned her head and saw the complex expression on Lin Laosan's face, a mixture of surprise, relief, and a hint of unease.
"Mom, my name is here!"
"Yes, the results are quite good."
When Lin Laosan saw his name on the list, he began to worry, wondering if his score was high enough to get into Tsinghua University.
"Mom, I want to get into Tsinghua University. Is there any hope with this score?"
Lin Li shook her head when she saw the score.
The admission scores for Tsinghua University vary from province to province each year, and she didn't know if her score was high enough to get into Tsinghua.
"Let's not speculate. Let's go ask the county admissions office and see how Tsinghua University admitted students from our area in previous years. Maybe there's still hope." Lin Laosan nodded silently, and the two left the school with somewhat heavy steps.
In the sweltering summer of 1984, the electric fan creaked and groaned in the county admissions office, blowing scalding hot air.
Lin Laosan's back was already soaked with sweat, his shirt clinging to his spine, and he clutched the crumpled report card tightly.
The staff member in front of me wore reading glasses, and the yellowed files were being turned over with a rustling sound. The pen tip stopped on the line "Tsinghua University 1984 Local Admission Estimated Score Line", and the ink numbers seemed to be burning hot in the sweltering air.
"The cutoff score for science majors is 620, and Tsinghua University's estimated cutoff score this year is..." Before he could finish speaking, Lin Laosan suddenly leaned forward, the chair legs scraping against the cement floor with a sharp sound.
His tense hand loosened, and the report card floated lightly onto the wooden table piled with files. The scores of Chinese 115, Mathematics 118, English 98, and Physics 98 were combined into one number in the total score column—a full 23 points higher than the predicted score.
"Enough!" The roar seemed to burst forth from the deepest part of the chest, stirring the emotions within.
Lin Laosan suddenly stood up, the chair crashing to the ground, but he paid no attention. His eyes shone like two flames, and the corners of his mouth turned up uncontrollably. He rushed to Lin Li in three steps.
He gripped Lin Li's shoulders tightly with both hands, shaking her excitedly back and forth: "Mom! There's really hope! I can get into Tsinghua University! I really can get into Tsinghua University!" Lin Li was a little dizzy from being shaken, but her eyes were instantly filled with warmth.
She saw that Lin Laosan's messy hair clung to his oily forehead, and dark sweat stains stained his collar, but the smile on his face, which had been tense for countless days and nights, was bright and dazzling.
Lin Laosan suddenly turned around, punched the white wall covered with lists, and then jumped up and down as if he had won the lottery. He grabbed the report card and waved it in the air, making a rustling sound in the wind.
"Comrade! Please take another look!" Lin Laosan rushed to the desk like a whirlwind, his nose almost touching the staff member's glasses. "The cutoff score won't change at the last minute, will it? I applied for the Automation Department. Is this score safe?" He spoke very quickly, asking a series of questions almost without taking a breath, his voice trembling slightly from excessive excitement.
Lin Li stood aside, watching Lin Laosan lose his composure, and in a daze, she seemed to see again that stubborn boy who squatted under the kerosene lamp and exchanged all his pocket money for exercise books.
"That's right, don't worry!"
The staff at the county admissions office were also happy for him—he got into Tsinghua University! Some kids in their county had been admitted but didn't get into Tsinghua!
The office suddenly became lively!
...
As the two walked out of the county admissions office, the glaring sunlight hit them in the face.
Lin Laosan carefully stuffed the report card into his breast pocket, then wiped his face and was surprised to find his hands covered in sticky sweat.
He slowly turned to look at Lin Li, his Adam's apple bobbing violently a few times, then suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms. Lin Li heard his muffled voice on her shoulder, trembling with both tears and joy: "Mom, thank you..."
Suddenly, the chirping of cicadas in the distance surged in, carrying with it the heat rising from the asphalt road, but it couldn't drown out the wildly beating heart in Lin Laosan's chest.
"This is the result of your own hard work! Go back first, and tell everyone after you get your acceptance letter. Don't tell anyone now, I'm just afraid..."
"I know!"
The mother and son walked slowly back. On the way back, the villagers they met would all ask them how the exam went.
The mother and son would greet them with smiles and say, "You passed the exam!"
However, neither of them revealed which school it was!
The days seemed to slow down again, and the two began a new round of waiting.
That afternoon, Lin Li was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air, rocking back and forth in her rocking chair while looking at the iron gate.
I should receive my acceptance letter in the next few days!
A bicycle bell suddenly rang outside the courtyard gate, and Lin Li jumped up. It wasn't yet time for Lin Laosan to get off work, so the bicycle must belong to…
"Lin Laosan, Lin Laosan, your college admission notice!" A postman in a green uniform pushed his bicycle over, the brown paper bag in the basket scorching hot from the sun.
"I am Lin Laosan's mother, can I have it?"
"sure!"
The postman handed the brown paper bag to Lin Li, and after she signed it, he didn't leave immediately.
Hearing the noise from the Lin family, their neighbor, Aunt Li, quickly ran out and, seeing the postman and Lin Li, asked them happily.
"Has your acceptance letter arrived?"
"We've arrived! We've just arrived! I was just about to open it!"
Lin Li controlled her trembling hands and slowly tore open the kraft paper bag, revealing the light blue admission notice inside.
Wow! It's a Tsinghua University admission letter! This is the first time I've ever delivered a Tsinghua University admission letter!
When the postman saw the light blue admission notice with the large gold characters "Tsing Hua University" printed on it, he shouted excitedly!
"Tsinghua University! Lin Laosan got into Tsinghua University? That's amazing!"
When Li Sao heard the postman's exclamation, she also became excited!
"Aunt Lin, this is wonderful news! Tsinghua University is our best university! Lin Laosan is amazing! You're going to enjoy a comfortable life from now on!"
"Hahaha! Yes! Yes, it's a joyous occasion!"
Lin Li's eyes and eyebrows disappeared as she laughed!
"Congratulations, congratulations!" The postman said with a smile as he pushed his bicycle away, but Lin Li stopped him and gave him some candy.
"Thank you for bringing us such great news. Here, have some candy, it's very sweet!"
The postman accepted it without refusing, saying, "Thank you, ma'am. I won't be polite then, I'll share in the good fortune!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome! I'm so happy today!"
Before long, the news that Lin Laosan had been admitted to Tsinghua University spread like wildfire throughout the entire village...
Everyone rushed over to congratulate Lin Li and Lin Laosan!
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