July 20th.

Teachers' Family Quarters in Taipei City.

Most of the people living there work in educational institutions or are senior intellectuals and professors.

The entire family compound is surrounded by decades-old trees, and there are guards at the entrance of the community.

Apart from sending her youngest daughter back that year, Xu Fang hasn't been back for many years. If she hadn't received a call from her youngest daughter yesterday and learned that her college entrance examination results were out, she would never have come back.

Ji Ke was waiting at the gate early. When he saw his mother get off the rickshaw, he trotted over to meet her.

"Mom." He also threw himself into Xu Fang's arms.

Xu Fang stroked her daughter's head and said, "You seem to have grown taller, taller than your mother."

Ji Ke raised her head and said with a sweet smile, "Mom, I've been taller than you for a long time, okay? In our family, dad is the tallest, sister is second, and I'm third."

Hearing about her eldest daughter, Xu Fang frowned and changed the subject, "Did you go to school to check your grades yesterday?"

Ji Ke pulled Xu Fang towards the staff quarters and said, "Grandpa called a friend in the Education Bureau. We don't need to go to school to ask about the results. We already know."

Xu's father is a professor of architecture and once served as the head of the Taipei City Building Bureau. Although he has retired, his subordinates and connections are still there, so this connection still exists.

Xu Fang knew her daughter had passed the key score line, but she asked again, "Is the score estimate accurate? Isn't it wrong?"

"Don't worry, mom. I've already passed the key line. The scores are out today. I'll go fill out the application form tomorrow."

"It's been divided?" Xu Fang's heart beat faster.

"491 points." Ji Ke smiled sweetly, "I passed the key line, don't worry, mom."

Xu Fang poked her daughter's head lovingly and didn't know what to say.

There is a difference between the key line and the undergraduate line. You can choose a school from the key universities.

And it’s 491, just a few points away from 500. What a great result.

The Xu family, both Xu's father and mother are at home.

Back then, because his daughter insisted on marrying a poor boy and severed the father-daughter relationship, it was Xu's mother who tried to mediate. However, Xu Fang was stubborn and refused to give in, so the father and daughter remained in a stalemate. In the end, because Ji Ke was weak after birth and lacked nutrition, Xu Fang gave in and sent his little daughter to his parents, asking them to help take care of her.

Ji Ke is well-behaved and sensible, and was raised by the Xu family. The Xu family likes her, and Xu's father no longer feels angry with his daughter.

But Xu Fang was too embarrassed to do that, so she seldom went back to her parents' home.

"Xiao Ke scored 491 points, and the key score line is 460. I asked you to come here this time because I wanted to discuss filling out the application form with you." Mother Xu sat down on the sofa opposite with some fruit in her hand. "It's good for a girl to take the teacher training exam, but she has her own ideas."

Xu Fang picked up the orange and picked it slowly. "Xiao Ke grew up beside you. I will listen to your opinions on filling out the application form."

"It's not fate that determines life, but every choice you make. Every choice is a new life. Once you make a choice, you can't regret it. Your father and I have the same idea about matters that concern our entire life. Let her make her own decision and don't let her regret it for the rest of her life."

Xu Fang had no objection. Her youngest daughter had always been sensible and never caused any worry for her.

Ji Ke leaned on Xu's mother and asked, "Mom, how did my sister do in the exam this time?"

"She went to the zipper factory to take a job exam today." Xu Fang was polite and spoke tactfully in front of her biological parents.

This is why you can’t pass the exam.

Mother Xu was also troubled by the thought of Ji Ling, so she simply stopped talking about it and asked, "Is Ji Yong feeling better?"

When Ji Yong was mentioned, Father Xu said unhappily, "Why mention him? The child is immature, isn't he immature too? I told him not to repeat the grade last year, but did he listen? Now he comes to beg me, and everyone in the family compound is staring at him. Isn't he making things difficult for me?"

"Dad, Ji Yong loves his child the most. What can he do as a father if his child goes on a hunger strike?" Xu Fang always stands by her husband.

"Don't let Ji Ling come to our house anymore." Father Xu couldn't help but get angry again.

Father Xu left angrily.

Xu's mother didn't care and comforted her daughter, "Your father has such a bad temper. Don't take anything he says to heart."

What could Xu Fang say? She took a stern note of her eldest daughter.

In Bei County, Ji Ling did not go to school to ask how many points she had. She had just finished wiping herself after returning home from a day of moving bricks when Tian Jing came.

Tian Jing held her hand and said, "Ji Ling, I was admitted to the zipper factory. You booked the exam for tomorrow, right? Don't worry, it's easy, you will definitely pass."

Ji Ling said, "Congratulations."

Tian Jing smiled shyly, "My mom said that after college, you can go to work in a factory. It's the same if I get in now. Besides, I know my college entrance examination results. I can't even pass the junior college entrance examination. By the way, do you know how many points you got?"

Ji Ling poured the dirty water outside the door, turned around and closed the gate, "I didn't go to school today, I should be able to find out when I go to school tomorrow to fill in the application form."

Tian Jing asked, "Aren't you in a hurry?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Your grades won't go away."

Tian Jing nodded, as if she suddenly remembered something, "Ji Ling, you should go to the zipper factory to take the exam tomorrow. The earlier you go, the earlier you can finish the exam, and you will have enough time to go to school. Otherwise, when you come back from school, I'm afraid you won't have time to take the exam. Just listen to me, I'm doing this for your own good."

She added, "By the way, Liu Zili told someone at the family compound today that you and he were dating. Everyone in the compound knows about it now. You always rejected him before, and I was afraid he was just spreading rumors, so I thought I'd come and tell you."

Ji Ling thought that she must have scared Liu Zili last night, and Liu Zili came to his senses after returning home, and was so angry that he spread the rumor during the day.

"I understand. Thank you for telling me this. I have already rejected Liu Zilii. If anyone talks about this, please help me explain it." Ji Ling thanked him sincerely.

Tian Jing comforted her, "I knew he was talking nonsense. You don't have to worry. Everyone in the family compound knows he is talking nonsense."

The Ji family is well-off, Ji Ling is good-looking, and devoted to study. She wants to marry to Taipei City, so how could she possibly be interested in Liu Zilii?

It was getting late, so Tian Jing left.

Ji Ling went to the cupboard and took out a handful of noodles, put a tomato in it and cooked herself a bowl of hot noodle soup. Then she brushed her teeth and went to bed early.

Yesterday she earned another twenty yuan. This money was too easy to earn, so Ji Ling didn't dare to be happy. Today, the whole day passed and no one came to see her. Only then did Ji Ling feel relieved.

She got twenty from her eldest brother and father, plus one dollar and twenty from selling books, thirty dollars from two car repairs, and two dollars from moving bricks in two days. Now she has 53.2. When she goes to school tomorrow, she can pay back the money she owes Li Baozhu.

Li Baozhu was the boy who had previously paid back one dollar and fifty cents.

Ji Ling hopes to get news from the police station soon so that she can settle all her other debts. The fact that Liu Zili spread rumors proves that the repayment of the debt can no longer be delayed.

***** July 21st.

Ji Ling got up early in the morning and bought a fried dough stick for two cents on the street. She ate it while walking to school.

In the 1980s, when taking the college entrance examination, students had to submit their application forms and physical examinations on the same day, and submit their qualified reports together with their application forms.

When she arrived at school, two students had already arrived.

One of them is Dong Manhua, the "university leaker" in the Agricultural Machinery Family Compound.

The other is Ma Hui.

Ma Hui saw Ji Ling and raised her voice, "Ji Ling, why didn't you come yesterday? The principal and the teachers went to your house, and your door was locked. No one was home. I met Tian Jing coming back from the zipper factory after taking an exam, and asked her if she knew where you were, and she said she didn't know."

Ji Ling's eyes moved and she explained, "I was not at home yesterday because of something."

Ma Hui was even more excited than herself when she mentioned Ji Ling's results. "Ji Ling, you are amazing. Did you know that you are the top scorer in the liberal arts in our Bei Province's college entrance examination? You scored 621 points."

(End of this chapter)