The day the results were announced was already the twelfth lunar month, and the festive atmosphere was getting stronger.
There is not much farm work to do nowadays, so everyone stays at home.
That morning, the people from the commune almost flew to the Niutouwan Brigade on their bicycles, their faces flushed and panting, their excitement evident in words.
Secretary Li thought he had something urgent to do, so he quickly welcomed him in. He waved his hand and said, "No, just give me a drink of water. I'm here to announce the good news."
He took out a piece of paper and unfolded it. "The results will be announced today. This is the list of people who were admitted to universities that I copied from the county."
Secretary Li asked his wife to get a bowl of hot water. He took the list and took a look at it. His eyes widened and his face trembled.
"Yuan Zheng got first place?"
The man nodded, "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. On the red list, the first one was Meng Yuanzheng's name, and this one, Zhu Wanqin, is also an educated youth from your brigade."
He pointed at Zhu Wanqin who was in the middle.
Secretary Li's hands were shaking as he held the list. He nodded excitedly, "Yes, yes, yes. Our team has made a name for itself!"
He instructed his son beside him, "Hurry up and use the team's radio to announce this. I'll go and tell the Lin family the good news."
"Hey, I'll go right away." Secretary Li's son went there immediately after receiving the order. Secretary Li and the man from the commune hurried to the Lin family. Halfway there, the loudspeaker in the brigade sounded.
"Dear members, please take note."
Generally, this loudspeaker is used to announce important events. It is hung on a tall electric pole in the middle of the team. Once the sound is heard, every household can hear it.
Everyone went out to listen to the announcement.
"Dear members, a great event has happened in Niutouwan. Comrade Meng Yuanzheng, an educated youth from our team, has achieved the best result in the county in this year's college entrance examination... Comrade Zhu Wanqin from our team has also..."
The good news spread throughout Niutou Bay along with the sound of the loudspeaker. Everyone cheered and celebrated that their small mountain village had produced two college students, and they were the first ones.
Lin Miaoyin and the other person naturally heard it as well.
Lin Miaoyin was so happy that her mouth was about to be crooked with laughter. She pulled Meng Yuanzheng's arm and shook it, saying, "That's great, that's great, you got first place!"
Although Meng Yuanzheng was also happy, he managed to remain calm and said with a smile, "I heard it, I heard it."
As he was laughing, Secretary Li, Lin's father and others had already arrived outside the yard, followed by many villagers who were watching the fun.
Nowadays everyone is very simple and honest. If someone from your team gets admitted to university, it's like a golden phoenix flying out of a chicken coop. Everyone is happy and no one says anything sour.
Besides, Meng Zhiqing looked like an educated person, different from ordinary people like them, so no one was surprised that he was admitted to university.
Lin Miaoyin quickly opened the gate and found a lot of benches for everyone to sit on. Secretary Li and others did not sit down, but stood in the yard and talked with Meng Yuanzheng and others.
Auspicious words came out of everyone's mouth one after another, and the whole courtyard was bustling with activity.
Mother Lin said that she had asked Lin Miaojun to ride her bicycle to the commune to buy meat and wine. Not to mention other people, at least the person who brought the news and Secretary Li had to stay for dinner.
Cui Fen carried the child on her back, and the three women began to prepare lunch.
Compared with the bustling Lin family, the educated youth dormitory was much quieter.
Even the atmosphere is a bit subtle.
Last winter, the dormitory for the educated youth was expanded, and the educated youth who were living in their fellow villagers' homes moved out and into the dormitory.
The same is true for Zhu Wanqin.
Logically speaking, everyone should be happy for her because she was admitted to the university, but at this moment everyone in the dormitory looked a little unnatural, and some even winked at each other, but no one dared to speak.
Here's what happened. Zhu Wanqin started reviewing a long time ago. Since everyone lived together, she couldn't hide it. Everyone asked her why she was reading all day long. She explained that she was too bored and reading could calm her mind and keep her brain at a level so that she wouldn't be assimilated by the locals after living in the countryside for a long time.
Later, when the college entrance examination was resumed, she pretended to express her happiness and surprise with everyone, as if she had no idea about the news before.
Because everyone was busy preparing for the exam, no one thought about it that much.
Until today, among the educated youth in the entire brigade, only she and Meng Yuanzheng passed the exam. After all, Meng Yuanzheng's mother used to be a university teacher. But what about Zhu Wanqin? Why did her score so much lower than everyone else? They had obviously reviewed together, and she was incapable of solving difficult problems when she encountered them.
Why did everyone else fail the exam except her?
Jealousy between women is terrible.
So some people began to connect the past events together, suspecting that Zhu Wanqin had learned from somewhere that the college entrance examination would be resumed and had started reviewing secretly.
But there was no evidence, so no one said it directly. However, everyone had their own standards. No one treated Zhu Wanqin well, and no one congratulated her. Some people even said, "This is really great. Our team can even get the first place in the county."
"Yes, if I had known this earlier, I would have taken the initiative to find him a date. Who would have thought that he would marry Lin Miaoyin so soon."
"Lin Miaoyin will enjoy a happy life in the future."
Everyone was sighing and didn't notice that Zhu Wanqin was standing quietly by himself with an unpredictable look in his eyes.
In the Lin family's yard, Lin Miaojun came back quickly. After giving the meat and vegetables to Lin's mother and others, he took out the firecrackers he had bought, propped them up with a bamboo pole, and lit them at the gate of the yard, making a series of crackling sounds.
After the crowd gradually dispersed, many children came to pick up the unexploded firecrackers to play with.
With the busy work of several women from the Lin family, a large table of dishes was quickly prepared. Secretary Li and the messenger could not refuse, so they sat down and ate together.
The men sat at one table, and the women sat at a small table. At the table, Lin's mother said, "I told you before that Yuan Zheng had a promising future. You wanted to divorce him then, but I had foresight and persuaded you to stop."
Lin Miaoyin...
Cui Fen held the child and said, "You should be nicer to him in the future and stop being so mean to him."
Lin Miaoyin seriously suspected that her family status had declined sharply.
Mother Lin said, "Niutouwan hasn't had a college student in many years, and this is the first in the county. We have to hold a banquet to make it lively."
Upon hearing this, Lin Miaoyin recalled the graduation banquet in her previous life. It was indeed necessary to hold one, and they were not short of money now.
"By the way, wait a moment and send a telegram to your in-laws to tell them the news." Lin's mother advised.
Lin Miaoyin nodded, and the few of them started chatting about the banquet while eating.
After a busy day, the two sat opposite each other and soaked their feet in a large basin.
"After I go to college, do you want to follow me?" Meng Yuanzheng asked.
Lin Miaoyin thought, "I probably can't go. My businesses are still here, and I can't stay in other places for long now. I have to wait a few years until they are fully open before I can go."
Meng Yuanzheng was a little disappointed when he heard that. He lowered his eyes, grabbed her feet and put them on his thighs, wiped them dry with a towel, and massaged them as usual.
Lin Miaoyin withdrew her foot.
"My mother and sister-in-law both scolded me today." She snorted.
"What?"
"She said that I would coax you, provide for you, and pamper you in the future, and that I couldn't be mean to you. You are the treasure of the whole family now." She said sourly.
Meng Yuanzheng smiled when he heard this.
"What are you laughing at?"
"It's okay." He grabbed her feet and held them down, gently kneading the soles of her feet. "You are the golden nugget. I need to coax you, provide for you, and spoil you. Otherwise, if you get angry, you won't let me sleep in your bed. How dare I mess with you?"
"Tsk, you're so smooth-talking." Lin Miaoyin held back her laughter and began to enjoy his service.
The author has something to say: The map will be changed in the next chapter, and there is only one major plot left to be completed, which is estimated to be about 10,000 to 20,000 words. Go for it!
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