Fang Meihao returned home after finishing her exams and waited for a notification.
Fang Dongqiang is three years old. Now that Fang Meihao is at home taking care of him, he has been living at his maternal grandmother's house.
The cicadas' chirping was so loud it felt like it was boiling the whole summer.
Fang Meihao often came out and looked at the dirt road at the entrance of the village, which was whitened by the sun.
In the days before the internet and telephones, news was like the stream beside the village, slowly flowing along the channels.
The village postman rode his green, old-fashioned bicycle into the village. As soon as the bicycle bell rang, Fang Meihao ran out of the door.
Fang Meihao had been eagerly awaiting this phone call these past few days. "Uncle, is there any news for me?"
The postman took several letters from a green canvas parcel on the side of the vehicle.
"What's your name?"
"Hello, Fang Mei."
He sorted through the envelopes with recipient names he had checked, putting the ones he had read at the bottom, and shook his head. "No."
"Is there anything else in the bag?" Fang Meihao craned her neck to look into the bag.
"All the letters from your village are here."
"Oh!" Fang Meihao responded and slowly turned to walk home.
"Are you waiting for a notification letter?" the postman suddenly asked.
"Mm." Fang Meihao nodded.
"Okay, got it!"
I waited for several days, but there was still no news.
Fang Mei was both looking forward to the bicycle bell ringing and unable to resist shrinking back behind the door when it did, fearing that she would still hear "nothing."
"Fang Mei, are you home?" the postman shouted from outside.
"Mom, there's news!" Fang Meihao called out as she stepped out the door.
Fang Meixiang's mother quickly wiped her hands on her apron, and Fang Meili picked up Fang Dongqiang and ran out as well.
The postman took a brown paper envelope out of his canvas bag. The corners were rounded, and the words "Zhejiang Provincial Higher Education Admissions Committee" were printed on it in bright red.
Fang Meihao took the letter, her hands trembling so much she couldn't even open the envelope.
"Our Meihao got into university!" Fang Meixiang's mother said, her voice trembling with tears. "Meili, go to the fields quickly and call Dad back. Tell him."
"Oh," Fang Meili put Fang Dongqiang down. "Dongqiang, your little aunt got into university. I'm going to call Grandpa."
Fang Meixiang's mother picked up Fang Dongqiang and said, "Auntie got into university! Dongqiang will go to university too." She nuzzled her forehead against Fang Dongqiang's chest and rubbed her nose with a smile.
The neighbors gathered around, praising him one after another.
"No more carrying a hoe!"
"Mei Hao Hao is so lucky, she's going to have a government job!"
"Amazing, truly amazing!"
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the village in the blink of an eye.
When Fang Meixiang's father and Fang Meili returned from the fields, the people at the village entrance were already talking about it.
"Go home quickly, your family has produced a college student."
"Yeah, what work are we still doing?"
Fang Meixiang's father smiled and nodded, then hurried home.
Upon hearing the news, Fang Damiao rushed home, grabbed Fang Meixiang, and ran to his mother-in-law, exclaiming, "My little sister got into university! She's the first female university student in our village!"
Inside the room, Fang Meihao held Fang Dongqiang in her arms and read the words on the notice to him one by one.
Fang Meixiang's mother sat to the side, watching and listening attentively.
Fang Meixiang's father and Fang Damiao entered the door one after the other.
"The college student aunt is teaching Dongqiang to read, hahaha!" Fang Damiao laughed when she saw this.
Fang Mei handed the admission notice to her father.
Looking at the notification letter, the wrinkles on his face seemed to have been gently ironed, his furrowed brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Fang Meixiang's mother couldn't help but tear up when she saw his rare smile.
After giving birth to Fang Meihao, she was unable to conceive again.
They also want to have another son.
He went to see a doctor and took Chinese medicine, but it didn't help. Then, influenced by superstition, he decided to pray for a son.
What we can tell them is that their family will not have sons, and even if they do, it won't last long. But they will have daughters who are more successful than their sons. Even without sons, their future lives will not be bad, and their descendants will prosper.
Later, Fang Meixiang's mother also failed to conceive.
Not having a son seemed to be a thorn in their side, but as they grew older, they reluctantly let it go.
Now, Fang Meihao has become the first female college student in the village. This honor has finally made up for the regret in her heart.
"Da Miao, you and Mei Xiang can have dinner here. I'll cook a few dishes."
"Okay, okay, okay! We should celebrate!" Fang Damiao quickly agreed.
"Da Miao, you must work hard too, and support Dong Qiang to go to university as well."
"Okay, I'll go to the fields in a bit. Meixiang will stay here with my little sister and the others." Fang Damiao grinned, his eyes full of joy.
In the evening, Fang Meixiang's father killed an old hen.
He always says, "I'm raising them to lay eggs," but today he didn't say a word and plucked the chicken feathers himself.
At the dinner table, one chicken leg was given to Fang Dongqiang and the other to Fang Meihao.
"Give it to my older sister." Fang Meihao picked up the chicken leg and put it into Fang Meixiang's bowl.
“You eat it. We only have chicken today because of you,” Fang Meixiang’s father said.
They were shoving each other, while Fang Dongqiang had already happily gnawed on half a chicken leg.
"Come on, Dad, let's have a drink to celebrate today." Fang Damiao poured a drink for Fang Meixiang's father.
Seeing everyone's joy, Fang Meixiang knew there was good news in the family and shared in their happiness.
Fang Meixiang's family treated her well, and Fang Damiao didn't bully her either, so her emotions remained stable.
"Okay, no work tonight, let's all have a drink." Fang Meixiang's father picked up his bowl.
After dinner, Fang Damiao greeted everyone he met on his way home.
"Da Miao, are you going to your father-in-law's house for dinner and drinks?" Everyone was much more polite to him now.
“Yes, my sister-in-law got into university, so the whole family is having a meal together to celebrate.” Fang Damiao puffed out his chest, his voice booming.
The cicadas' chirping gradually subsided.
Fang Meixiang's parents were chatting on the bed, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans. "Meihao got into university, so her household registration will be transferred. We need to discuss with Meili about finding a son-in-law to live with her."
"She was so resolute last time, and now that the situation is certain, I don't know what she's thinking."
"Someone has to come to us eventually, and right now it can only be her."
"Can you persuade Mary, who's so stubborn?"
In another room, Fang Meihao looked at the ceiling above her bed, her heart filled with anticipation for university life.
Fang Dongqiang slept next to Fang Meili, who fanned him and whispered, "Dongqiang, come to Grandma's house. I don't want to spend my whole life here..."
At Fang Damiao's house, Fang Damiao took off Fang Meixiang's pants and climbed on top of her.
"You really are asleep. With such an accomplished sister-in-law, if it weren't for the one-child policy, we should have had more children. Hehe, our two aunties can help us take care of our son."
From then on, Fang Damiao felt proud and upright in the village, as if it was himself, not his sister-in-law, who had been admitted to university.
He always flocks to where there are crowds. Whenever he comes over, he inevitably starts talking about his sister-in-law going to university.
"Da Miao, you are so lucky to have married Mei Xiang. Now your sister-in-law is a college student."
"After graduating from university, you'll get a job, and you can marry a government official in the city. Da Miao, if you ever need anything, you have to put in a good word for us!"
"I can do it. We're all from the same village, so of course I'll help!" Fang Damiao patted his chest and agreed. He enjoyed the feeling of being envied and praised.
Fang Shugen's mother was so angry she was panting. "They always seem to have all the good things happening to their family. If they were to marry into our family, it would mean they would be connected to us."
"Mom, why are you bringing this up again?" Fang Shugen glanced at Hua Mei beside him.
“Tell me what’s wrong? She’s getting more and more insane. It’s alright if she can still understand what’s going on! Her family is like they don’t exist. After her mother passed away, she took care of her younger brother like a mother, but now they don’t even bother to bring her anything during holidays.”
Hua Hua sat on the mat on the ground, while Hua Mei sat beside her feeding her, as if she hadn't heard anything and it was as if everything in the outside world was irrelevant to her.
She only had eyes for her daughter.
Fang Shugen's mother glanced at Hua Mei and said, "She's really useless. She can't even do a simple job now. We should get her pregnant sooner rather than later. She'll still be able to take care of the child she gave birth to."
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