Before we knew it, it was December 10th, 1977, the day of the college entrance examination. The weather that winter was exceptionally cold, and the window frames were covered in frost.
Wen Ruan was half asleep when Song Yan brought a basin of hot water into the room, wrung out a wet towel, and pressed it to her face.
Wen Ruan squinted comfortably: "It's so cold, I don't want to eat anymore, I want to sleep a little longer."
"Sweetie, get up, it's the college entrance exam today!" After wiping her face with a towel, Song Yan placed the clothes he had prepared the night before beside the bed.
Wen Ruan sat up abruptly: "What time is it?"
"It's still early. Get up, wash up, and then have breakfast. Your parents are here, waiting to take you to the exam hall."
Wen Ruan finally came to her senses. She had been tossing and turning until midnight last night, so she had indeed woken up a little late this morning.
When Wen Ruan finished getting ready and came out of the room, she was startled to see the three elders looking at her. After finally finishing breakfast with their warm care, she and Song Ling were able to leave the house.
Because it's the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) today, Mr. Song has important work arrangements, and his entire workplace is very busy, so he can't come to send his child off to the exam.
The four escorted Wen Ruan and Song Ling to the entrance of the examination hall and told them that they would pick them up here at noon to take them home for lunch.
Thus, amidst everyone's anticipation, more than 5.7 million students returned to the college entrance examination halls that had been closed for ten years.
In the long river of history, this day is undoubtedly a turning point for the era and the nation, a spring breeze of respect for knowledge and talent sweeping across the land...
For the more than 5.7 million test takers, it is also a ladder that changes their destiny; countless people's fates intersect here, leading them in completely different directions...
Wen Ruan and Song Ling were coincidentally in the same examination room, both at Beijing No. 2 High School.
A tense atmosphere permeated the entrance to the examination hall. Some candidates were muttering to themselves, seemingly reciting key points; others looked tense, sweating profusely despite the cold weather...
Even Song Ling was very nervous. Wen Ruan could clearly feel her holding her hand, and her palm was very wet. Wen Ruan could only squeeze her hand back to comfort her.
Wen Ruan looked around and saw candidates ranging from educated youth in their thirties to recent graduates who looked young at seventeen or eighteen. Some were wearing workers' uniforms, some were wearing clothes covered in patches, and there was even a female candidate breastfeeding her child just before entering the examination room.
But without exception, everyone was full of expectations for this college entrance examination.
Wen Ruan couldn't help but feel tense as she watched.
"Would you like some water?" There were many examinees and people seeing off the examinees at the entrance of the examination hall. Song Yan was afraid that someone would push Wen Ruan, so he kept blocking her in front of him.
"Yes." Wen Ruan nodded.
Watching Song Yan take out a military green water bottle from his clothes and unscrew it for her.
He kept the kettle close to his chest. Wen Ruan took a sip; the water was still hot.
After Wen Ruan finished drinking, Song Yan took the water bottle, tightened the cap, and stuffed it back into his arms. His tall stature protected him from the gusts of cold wind coming through the gaps.
Wen Ruan thought that many years later, she would probably never forget this scene. Their eyes met, and the noisy, surging crowd and the cement background in the dim cold wind gradually faded into a blurry background.
When the whistle blew, the police opened the fence, and the candidates entered the examination hall one after another. Wen Ruan and Song Ling took the exam in different classrooms. The two followed the flow of people for a while and found that Wen Ruan was on the second floor and Song Ling was on the third floor.
They bid each other a reluctant farewell at the stairwell, encouraged each other, and then went into their respective examination rooms.
Wen Ruan walked into the classroom, which was very simple. Some instructions were written on the mottled blackboard. Before long, the proctor entered the classroom with the test papers in his hand, escorted by soldiers.
One by one, the scrolls, still smelling of ink, were distributed to the people.
These exam papers were printed in very poor quality, and the paper was even blackened. After an exam, the candidates' hands would be stained black with ink. But this thin sheet of paper bore the weight of countless people's futures.
The first subject was Chinese, and the questions were relatively simple. Apart from the large amount of text that needed to be written, there was not much difficulty.
Everyone in the examination room was writing furiously, and the entire exam was conducted in complete silence.
Finally, twenty minutes before the end of the exam, Wen Ruan finished the test paper, rubbed her slightly sore wrists, and then repeatedly checked the answer sheet.
When the exam time was over, several candidates were still writing on the paper, making the most of every second. They were sternly reprimanded by the invigilator, who then collected their papers, and only then did they stop.
One of the girls couldn't help but cry, but the proctor, in order to be fair, remained unmoved.
As Wen Ruan walked out of the gate of Beijing No. 2 High School, he immediately saw that tall figure. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree and looked very calm, but his constant looking into the examination room betrayed his mood.
As if sensing something, Song Yan's gaze pierced through the crowd and met Wen Ruan's eyes, his eyes instantly filled with joy.
So he strode towards Wen Ruan, met her, and then protected her through the noisy and surging crowd to the outermost point where the group had agreed to meet earlier, waiting for Song Ling to come out.
"Are you cold?" Song Yan held Wen Ruan's hand, which felt a little cold, and then put her hand into his arms.
Before Wen Ruan could react, she felt her fingers touch something warm, and she unconsciously stroked it up and down.
When she came to her senses, her face flushed slightly. She glared at Song Yan and tried to pull her hand back, but he held it firmly.
"Don't move, your hands are too cold, let me warm them up."
After waiting for about ten minutes, Song Ling finally came out of the examination room. Wen Ruan, who had sharp eyes, saw her and quickly and awkwardly pulled her hand away.
"Sister-in-law, how did your test go! I almost didn't finish my essay, it scared me to death." Song Ling was almost crying as she spoke.
Seeing this, Wen Ruan quickly comforted her: "The exam is over, don't think about it anymore. Anyway, you finished answering the questions, so don't worry about it anymore. There's another exam this afternoon, so don't let it affect you."
Afterwards, escorted by Song Yan, the three of them walked together towards the courtyard. When they returned home and felt the warmth inside, they breathed a sigh of relief. This winter seemed particularly cold.
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