Chapter 104 Xie Shan
Lin Qingqing's exam venue was at the No. 1 Middle School in the city, and it took nearly forty minutes to get there by car.
Therefore, on the day of the college entrance examination, Li Xingfang was afraid that Lin Qingqing would not be able to cook noodles before dawn, so she also added two eggs for Lin Qingqing, which meant that she would get a perfect score.
To help Lin Qingqing recover, the family has been serving steamed eggs and boiled eggs all the time, to the point that Lin Qingqing now dreads the sight of eggs. While Li Xingfang was in the kitchen getting noodles, she secretly grabbed an egg to give to Xie Wei. But the egg sitting in Xie Xi's lap, always looking for trouble, started yelling, "Egg, egg!"
Hearing the noise, Li Xingfang came out of the kitchen, asking as she walked, "What eggs?"
Lin Qingqing quickly picked up the egg that Xie Wei had been given to, took a bite, and said to her daughter, "Xixi wants to eat an egg, should I give this egg to her?" She pointed to another egg in the bowl.
"I'll cook for her later if she wants to eat, you don't need to worry about her," Li Xingfang said. Giving away one of two zeros would make it ten! That's so unlucky!
Lin Qingqing sighed and said, "I'll listen to my mother." She ate the egg with a bitter face.
Xie Wei took two days off specifically for Lin Qingqing's college entrance exam. So after breakfast, Lin Qingqing checked her backpack to make sure everything was okay before heading out with Xie Wei.
Li Xingfang carried her granddaughter as they left. Although Xie Xi was young, she was used to seeing her parents off. She nestled in her grandmother's arms, waved to them, and said in a childish voice, "Bye-bye!"
Lin Qingqing initially taught her daughter to say goodbye, but those two words were difficult to learn, so she changed it to bye-bye. The pronunciation of bye-bye is a bit similar to "dad," and Xie Xi often got confused at first, not knowing whether to say "dad" or "bye-bye," causing quite a few laughs. However, over time, she gradually learned to distinguish between "dad" and "bye-bye" and never made a mistake again.
Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei walked out of the family compound gate and saw a shuttle bus parked outside. A banner wishing the test takers good luck was hanging on the front of the bus, and it was signed by the Women's Federation. They asked in surprise, "What's this?"
She had no idea that Xie Wei spent little time at home, let alone know what was going on.
A staff member from the Women's Federation, standing beside the car, smiled and said to them, "Comrade Lin, are you also a candidate this year?"
“That’s right, this is…” Lin Qingqing said, pointing to the shuttle bus.
The staff member chuckled, "It's because so many family members in our compound signed up for the exam this time. Everyone's so hardworking and motivated, so our Women's Federation definitely wants to support them. That's why we arranged a car to take everyone to the exam." Then, realizing something was amiss, she added, "We've already announced this in the compound, how come you didn't know?"
Lin Qingqing guessed that Li Xingfang probably hadn't run into anyone promoting the matter, and others might have assumed she'd already heard about it from Li Xingfang, so they hadn't specifically mentioned it to her. Luckily, she'd run into them today and would know what to do when she got back this afternoon.
The staff member laughed, "That's perfect timing! Remember to come out early after your exam this afternoon so you can catch the bus back." They then told Lin Qingqing the meeting time for tomorrow morning and asked, "By the way, which exam room are you in?"
"The No. 1 Middle School of the City".
"Then you're in the second batch to get off." He then told Lin Qingqing the latest departure time.
There are three test centers in Jinshi for this year's college entrance examination: No. 1 Middle School, No. 2 Middle School, and a vocational school. No. 2 Middle School is the closest, so students get off at the first test center and return at the last test center. The vocational school is the furthest away, so students return at the opposite locations.
Lin Qingqing nodded after hearing this and asked what time they would leave. The staff member said, "We'll be leaving in ten minutes. You need to get to the exam venue early, otherwise we might be late and cause delays." They also mentioned that the Women's Federation had arranged for boxed lunches at a state-run restaurant, and told her to go directly to the Women's Federation's car to pick up her lunch when she came out at noon. Then they asked Xie Wei, "Commander Xie, are you also going to take the exam?"
“I won’t take the exam, I’ll take her,” Xie Wei said.
Many military dependents were taking the college entrance exam this year, but Xie Wei was the only one who specifically took leave to accompany them. As a result, he was teased for a while after the news spread. Some said he doted on his wife, while others said he was all bark and no bite, that his wife treated him like dirt. There were also people like Xie Wei who were in the process of getting promoted and went to Commander Zhai to badmouth him.
Fortunately, Commander Zhai was not an unapproachable person. On the contrary, because he had a very close relationship with his wife, he appreciated Xie Wei's actions. After hearing about this, the Commander's wife spoke highly of the two of them to her husband.
The staff member didn't know what happened afterward, but she had heard the rumors. As a woman, she didn't think Xie Wei was spineless at all; on the contrary, she was quite envious. So, she had actually asked the question knowing the answer already. After hearing Xie Wei's reply, she covered her mouth and laughed, "I've heard that Commander Xie and Comrade Lin have a good relationship."
Not only were the staff envious, but the other military wives in the car who were also going to take the exam saw Xie Wei indeed going to see them off. They appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, they were feeling quite bitter inside.
These are all soldiers, how come there's such a big difference between them!
...
The subjects tested in the 1977 college entrance examination were different from those in later years. In later years, the subjects were Chinese, Mathematics, and English; humanities students took Politics, History, and Geography; and science students took Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. In the 1970s, Politics, Chinese, and Mathematics were compulsory subjects in the college entrance examination. Humanities students took History and Geography, and soon after, Physics and Chemistry were added. English was an additional test only for students applying to specific majors.
The first exam is on politics.
In the 1970s, politics was a compulsory subject in every unit. Lin Qingqing had put in a lot of effort in this area, so the political exam was not difficult for her and she finished it in less than an hour.
After finishing the exam, Lin Qingqing didn't rest; she checked the paper again. Because she was cautious, she checked it slowly, taking almost half an hour. With half an hour left before the deadline, Lin Qingqing thought she couldn't hand in the paper early since she had nothing else to do, so she checked it one last time.
Lin Qingqing checked the exam paper three times until the exam ended.
Everyone has different test-taking habits. Some people tend to doubt themselves when checking their answers, feeling that this is wrong and that is wrong, and they become more and more anxious as they check. Lin Qingqing, on the other hand, basically doesn't change her answers unless she is absolutely sure of them, so she becomes clearer and clearer as she checks.
Therefore, after the first exam, while the other military wives in the exam hall were all in tears, Lin Qingqing remained calm. Seeing her like this, someone couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you do on the exam?"
"It's alright," Lin Qingqing said.
What did that person mean by "it's alright"? Did they not want to talk about it, or did they think they did quite well on the exam? Not quite understanding, they turned to ask someone else.
Xie Wei didn't ask Lin Qingqing how the exam went; he simply handed her her lunchbox and, after she finished eating, asked if she wanted to study or take a nap. The exam ended at 11:00 AM, and it was only noon after lunch, so Lin Qingqing took out her textbooks for the afternoon's exams to study.
After reading until 12:30, Lin Qingqing closed her book and leaned against Xie Wei to take a nap.
At 1:30 p.m., Lin Qingqing entered the examination room again, this time for physics and chemistry.
Lin Qingqing had made long preparations for this college entrance examination, but when she actually entered the examination room, time flew by.
After finishing the exam, Lin Qingqing took a car home and fell asleep immediately, without even getting up for dinner. She didn't wake up until six o'clock the next morning.
While eating breakfast, Lin Qingqing felt that Li Xingfang and Xie Xi were acting a little strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. So, when Xie Wei finished breakfast and went back to his room to put on his coat, she asked, "Don't you think Mom is acting a little strange today?"
"Hmm?" Xie Wei raised his head slightly and buttoned up the top button of his military uniform.
Lin Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Mom looked at me with a bit of caution, like I was a piece of porcelain, afraid that I would get bumped, broken or damaged. Xixi is the same. She usually likes to hug me and act cute when she wakes up, but today she was particularly well-behaved and not as clingy as usual."
Xie Wei picked up the military overcoat from the foot of the bed, put it on, and said, "Maybe it's because I was worried you were in a bad mood."
"Feeling down? Why?" Lin Qingqing was even more puzzled.
Xie Wei suppressed a laugh and said, "You came back yesterday afternoon and went straight to sleep. I thought you did poorly on your exam and was afraid you would be unhappy, so I told Xixi to behave herself for a while."
Lin Qingqing suddenly realized, but then felt something was off: "Didn't you explain it to me?"
"I explained, but Mother thinks you're just trying to fool me so I won't worry. She even said I'm not attentive enough to notice when you're in a bad mood," Xie Wei said, both amused and exasperated.
Lin Qingqing couldn't help but laugh, hugged Xie Wei and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll go explain to Mom later."
“I bet she won’t believe you even if you explain,” Xie Wei said.
"Why?"
"She probably thinks you're trying to comfort her."
Thinking about it, this really is Li Xingfang's style. Lin Qingqing shuddered: "What if Mother keeps watching me like this?"
"Just bear with it for now, Mom will know when the results come out," Xie Wei comforted her, patting her shoulder.
Lin Qingqing: "..."
...
In fact, there was no need to wait for the results to be released. On the second day of the college entrance examination, Lin Qingqing organized all the candidates in her unit to estimate their scores.
The reason for estimating scores is not only for the benefit of the employees themselves, but also for the benefit of the company. If an employee passes the exam, they will definitely go to university, and the position will become vacant. Although most family members will fill in at this time, Lin Qingqing does not agree with this system of filling in positions, because it is easy to recruit people who do not meet the recruitment requirements or those who are just coasting along.
However, on the other hand, family members filling in for employees is a common practice in society, and being too unconventional is not advisable. Therefore, Aoyama Department Store allows family members to fill in for employees, but they must pass a recruitment exam and complete onboarding training. Onboarding training is a unique feature of Aoyama Department Store, which helps to filter out unsuitable employees and improve the overall quality of the workforce.
However, this also presents problems. For example, in this year's college entrance examination, other companies simply assign replacements to employees who pass the exam. But this isn't the case at Qingshan Department Store. From the recruitment exam to completing the onboarding training, it takes as long as half a month.
This year's schedule is particularly tight. As far as Lin Qingqing knows, they will finish their exams in December and won't receive their admission notices until February. Those who pass will have to start school in March. Time is precious, so they need to prepare in advance.
However, scores weren't as easy to estimate as they are in later years. Firstly, they didn't have exam papers or correct answers, so they had to rely on memory to determine the questions and then check their own answers. Secondly, scores were difficult to estimate; for example, the Chinese exam was out of 100 points, with the composition alone accounting for 70 points, and the composition score largely depended on the examiner, so only a rough estimate could be made. Furthermore, while they were slightly stronger in science subjects, scores in humanities subjects like history and geography were equally difficult to estimate, and many students still chose humanities for the college entrance exam.
However, Lin Qingqing didn't want to estimate the exact score; knowing the approximate score would be enough. Since college applications were submitted in advance at this time, once the cut-off scores were released, comparing everyone's estimated scores with the schools they applied to would give a rough estimate of who got in and who didn't, allowing her workplace to make further work arrangements.
After estimating their scores, Lin Qingqing felt she should get around 300 points. Two others, including Deng Lingling, were conservatively estimated to be above 250. Three others were less certain, two in science and one in humanities. There were four people around 200 points; three were conservatively estimated to be above 150. The scores of the other three were uncertain because they were in humanities and didn't remember much of what they answered. A difference of several tens of points could exist between good and bad scores.
Although the score was estimated, there were too many uncertainties, so Lin Qingqing decided not to tell Li Xingfang after considering it.
Lin Qingqing felt that rather than making overly confident statements now and getting slapped in the face, and being looked at with pity by Li Xingfang for a year or two, it was better to spend the New Year enduring Li Xingfang's gaze as if she were looking at porcelain.
...
Because they had to wait for their college admission notices, they didn't go back to Shicheng for the Spring Festival that year.
They originally planned to go back home for the Chinese New Year last year, but Xie Xi caught a cold and had a fever before the New Year and was hospitalized for a while. Although Xie Xi had recovered by the time they got off work, Lin Qingqing was worried that the journey would be bumpy and crowded, and that the child might catch a cold again. So she said she would stay in Jin City with her daughter and let Xie Wei accompany Li Xingfang back.
Although Li Xingfang wanted to go back to her hometown, she couldn't bear to leave her daughter-in-law and granddaughter alone in Jinshi for the New Year, so she called her daughter to come to Jinshi for the holiday. As for the Xie brothers, Xie Baoshan and Xie Qingshan, they were both married, so she let them celebrate the New Year separately.
They originally planned to go back as a family this year when Xie Xi was older, but the college entrance examination was reinstated, and the admission notices were due around the Lunar New Year, making it inconvenient for Lin Qingqing to go back. Xie Wei was also concerned about Lin Qingqing's college entrance examination and wanted to stay with her in Jin City.
Both he and his wife stayed in Jin City, so Xie Xi didn't need to worry about where to go. Only Li Xingfang was a little conflicted.
Li Xingfang has been in Jinshi for more than two years. Although Song Yan brought her two children to visit for a while in the summer, she still misses her son and her second son's two grandsons! But she also cares about Lin Qingqing's grades. If Lin Qingqing gets into university, she will be the second college student in the Xie family!
Just as Li Xingfang was hesitating, Xie Shan sent a letter asking if she was still spending the Spring Festival in Jin City this year, as she wanted to bring her boyfriend to meet her.
Li Xingfang was stunned after reading the letter, and asked her daughter-in-law in a daze, "Shanshan has a boyfriend? Her boyfriend is in Jin City?"
Lin Qingqing was also taken aback: "Jin City? Is he a person from Jin City, or does he live in Jin City?"
Li Xingfang was completely bewildered after reading the letter, having no idea what it contained, and immediately showed it to Lin Qingqing. Lin Qingqing quickly read the letter; Xie Shan hadn't mentioned her boyfriend's name, but the words implied that he was in Jin City and likely a soldier.
"A soldier? How would she know a soldier?" Li Xingfang asked.
"You forgot, she came to Jin City last summer and during the Spring Festival," Lin Qingqing reminded her.
Li Xingfang still couldn't understand: "But aren't all the people who come to our house married? So who is she dating?"
Lin Qingqing thought that although her family members were married, Xie Shan didn't always stay at home when she came. Whenever she went out, there was always a chance of bumping into people. There were tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in Jin City!
After hearing Lin Qingqing's idea, Li Xingfang was both anxious and angry: "That brat, she hasn't given a hint at all about meeting the parents!" She was afraid that her daughter would run into a bad person and be deceived.
"You don't need to worry too much. Even engagements can break up, and meeting the parents doesn't guarantee a relationship. If the person isn't reliable and you don't agree, we can persuade your sister again." Lin Qingqing thought it would be easier to handle her since she was a soldier. At this time, people's lifestyles are strictly monitored, so anyone who dares to date someone must at least be single. As for the others, Xie Wei is keeping an eye on things, so they won't let their sister fall into a fire pit.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing comforted her, "If you're really worried, we can ask Xie Wei when he gets back. Maybe he knows something."
Upon hearing this, Li Xingfang sighed: "I hope so."
When Xie Wei returned over the weekend, Li Xingfang showed him the letter Xie Shan had written and asked, "Your wife said that Shan Shan's boyfriend is likely a soldier. Do you have any suspects?"
After reading the letter, Xie Wei's face darkened. He asked, "Didn't she tell you anything beforehand?"
After reading the letter, Li Xingfang scolded her daughter harshly, but when she was in front of her son, she still protected her daughter and said vaguely, "It's not like she didn't reveal anything at all."
Lin Qingqing smoothed things over, saying, "The most important thing now is to find out who they are so we can come up with a plan before they arrive. You know a lot of people in the military, have you seen anyone suspicious lately?"
"There are so many people in the military camp, how could I..." Xie Wei said, then swallowed the word "know" back, as if remembering something.
Lin Qingqing asked, "Have you figured it out?"
"Who is it? Where is he from? How old is he? What kind of person is he?" Li Xingfang asked hurriedly. Seeing Xie Wei's unpleasant expression, her face immediately turned pale. "What, is that person not a good person?"
Xie Wei frowned and said, "It's not that it's not good, it's that it's too good."
Li Xingfang was taken aback: "Isn't it good if it's too good?"
Seeing that Li Xingfang was not getting to the point, Lin Qingqing said, "Hurry up and tell me, don't keep me in suspense."
"He's the chief of staff who was just transferred to our division last year..."
Lin Qingqing remembered: "The one surnamed Jiang? I heard he's particularly young?"
Li Xingfang asked, "How young?"
"I heard he's only twenty-nine years old and already at the deputy division level," Lin Qingqing said.
Li Xingfang had been in Jinshi for two years and already knew what a deputy division commander's rank was, and that becoming a deputy division commander under the age of thirty was a remarkable achievement. But considering her own family's comfortable circumstances—her son was a regimental commander, her daughter-in-law a department store general manager, and her own daughter a key member of their performing arts troupe—she calmly asked, "Where is he from? What do his parents do?"
Lin Qingqing had never met Chief of Staff Jiang before. She had only heard that he was very young and unmarried. When he was first transferred here, many people in the family compound had designs on him, but so far no one had succeeded. So she shook her head and said, "I don't know much about that."
Xie Wei rubbed his temples and said, "They're from Beijing. As for their parents..." He mentioned two names, but Li Xingfang didn't recognize either of them, so he had no choice but to tell her their job titles.
Li Xingfang's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she stammered, "Oh, is that so? Then why is he dating Shanshan?"
Xie Wei had no idea about any of this. He only knew about the other person dating his sister from Li Xingfang, and only dared to guess it was him because Li Xingfang's attitude had been a bit strange lately. However, Xie Wei didn't say anything too definitive, adding, "It might not be him. Maybe I'm wrong."
After hearing this, Li Xingfang nodded repeatedly: "You must be mistaken."
Unlike many people who hope their daughters will marry into wealthy families, Li Xingfang simply wants her daughter to find an ordinary person and live a stable and happy life. What's the point of marrying into a very good family? Take Xie Qingshan, for example; his wife wasn't from a wealthy family at all, just a minor leader in a county government office, and she was very arrogant when they got married.
It was only when Xie Wei became successful and later became the regimental commander that the Xu family showed some smiles when they saw her.
With such a prestigious family background, Chief of Staff Jiang is clearly not a good person.
Because of Xie Shan's letter, Li Xingfang made up her mind to stay in Jin City. She wanted to see who had managed to lure her daughter away without her noticing!
...
Xie Shan arrived in Jin City on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Last year when she came, Li Xingfang was afraid she wouldn't be able to find her, so she specially went to the train station to pick her up. This year, because she was holding a grudge, she not only refused to pick her up herself, but also wouldn't let Lin Qingqing take time off to pick her up.
However, they didn't go to pick them up, but others did.
When Lin Qingqing returned home from get off work that evening, she saw Li Xingfang beaming with joy. Upon asking, she learned that Chief of Staff Jiang had brought Xie Shan back.
"Are you sure it's Chief of Staff Jiang?" Lin Qingqing asked, observing Li Xingfang's attitude. "Are you very satisfied with him?"
“His surname is Jiang and he’s the chief of staff, so there can’t be anyone else, right?” Li Xingfang pondered. “Besides, he looks quite young and handsome. He and our Shanshan look so well-matched! He’s also very nice. He called me Auntie! I think he’s quite serious about Shanshan. He said he would visit her on Sunday when his family is all home. Tsk tsk, city people are so polite.”
Seeing her praising people so highly, Lin Qingqing understood everything. She didn't say much, only asking, "Is Shanshan home?"
"Yes, she's on the train all night. She didn't have a sleeper ticket, and she was tired, so I let her go inside to rest." Li Xingfang said, glancing at the time. "She should have had enough sleep. I'll go wake her up." It was getting dark, and if she didn't get up soon, she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
After Xie Shan came out, Lin Qingqing didn't ask her much about her boyfriend. She knew that asking too few questions would be pointless, and asking too many would annoy her. Anyway, he was coming over on Sunday, and Xie Wei was coming back, so she might as well talk about it then.
However, she didn't ask, and over the next two days she learned quite a bit from Xie Shan.
For example, she met Chief of Staff Jiang last summer when she went to the department store to find Lin Qingqing and met him on her way back. On a whim, she wanted to stroll along the way she came, but she accidentally took the wrong turn and couldn't find her way back. Unfortunately, she twisted her ankle. Just as she was worrying, Chief of Staff Jiang drove by. He originally just wanted to drive her to where the shuttle bus passed, but after hearing that she was Xie Wei's sister and was temporarily living in the family compound, he took her directly to the family compound.
They met again later in the back hills. She wanted to apologize to someone, but the other person was busy, and they didn't exchange more than a few words. After that, Xie Shan returned to the provincial capital. They met again around the Lunar New Year. He came to the family compound to wish people a Happy New Year but didn't know the way. Xie Shan happened to know the way, so she took him there, and the two chatted for a while on the way.
Lin Qingqing sensed something was wrong and asked, "Doesn't he know the way to whose house he's visiting for the New Year?"
Xie Shan asked, "What happened at Commander Zhai's house?"
Lin Qingqing sighed. She had never met this Chief of Staff Jiang, but she had heard that Commander Zhai's wife intended to play matchmaker for him and invited him to her home for dinner.
I don't know the way, huh.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
