Translated by Serena Love

LF: editor~

He Songbai did not understand even after he listened. He even smiled and asked his elder sister, "Is Grandma hungry? I just dug a little lotus root here. She likes to eat this."

He Songbai did not understand the concept of college entrance examination at all. At most, he had a very shallow understanding of the college entrance examination. No one had ever mentioned the college entrance examination in front of him for more than ten years.

But He Songye, who often chatted with her grandmother, understood the college entrance examination was and what it would mean to them!

He Songye was so ecstatic that He Songbai stopped talking and asked, "Why are you very happy?"

He Songye took a deep breath and said to him, "Grandma said, you can go to college!"

At this moment, He Songbai's laughing face became serious, and he said slowly, "What, what?"

He can go to college?

This is probably a joke.

"I haven't gone to any serious school to this day. What college?"

As he said that, he entered the house with a bundle of black lotus roots in his hand, carrying a pole and the dung bucket. He Songye, who was stunned in place, was left speechless for a while.

Her grandmother taught her younger brother. He was clever and had a good memory. Because she was deaf, her old grandmother had difficulty teaching her, and she only learned a little bit of knowledge. Therefore, among the three siblings, He Songbai had the best education.

He Songye shook her head helplessly. She felt funny and happy.

But soon, He Songbai understood what it meant when the college entrance examination resume.

Young people in this era have very few entertainment activities. Probably listening to the radio is the happiest time of the day for them. The news of the restoration of the college entrance examination came from the loudspeaker on the radio and from the newspaper. It seemed crazy. It flew all over the country and Hezi village in a few days. The educated youth who wanted to return to the city saw hope.

The educated youths on the brigade in the brigade looked for ways to find old textbooks. They went to old bookstores to find books and ran to the city library early in the morning to line up to borrow books and copy test questions to each other. Even He Songbai, who had to work hard every day, felt the charm of the college entrance examination.

With beams on their faces and the excitement, as if what they hold in their hands are not books, but hopes for a lifetime.

Grandma Li also asked He Songbai to find old textbooks. She told her grandson, "Although I have taught you some culture, after all, it is not comprehensive. Don't miss this precious opportunity. Go and find a middle school textbook to review! There is not much farm work at home, so you don't need to work."

He Songbai responded sloppily, but his mind floated to the other side. He was thinking... As a landlord descendant, he could actually have the opportunity to take the college entrance examination and go to university. Does this mean that the country has begun to accept them?

After his old grandmother finished talking, Zhao Lanxiang dragged him into her own room. She also said, "Come with me to take the college entrance examination this year. If you go, I will go too. We all strive to be admitted, OK?"

He Songbai's eye sockets were a little warm, and his heart surged for a long time before he could calm down. He nodded.

After being slow for a whole day, he revealed his emotions in front of his girlfriend. He murmured excitedly, "It's good...the country has not abandoned us."

"I never dare to think about this day. The university is also something that people like me can reach out to."

This has always been something he didn't dare to think about. What a wonderful place university is... He was very impressed. When he was young, his grandmother mentioned her university years, and her deep eyes contained nostalgia and beauty. Even the poems she read had a happy feeling.

"The golden willow on the riverside is the bride in the setting sun; the beautiful shadows in the waves are rippling in my heart.

The green grass is swaying under the water; in the soft waves of the Kang River, I am willing to be a water grass! "

Hearing how beautiful it was, even He Songbai couldn't help but envy her old grandmother.

She could study, live in such a beautiful school, and make so many like-minded friends... When he was back to reality, he could only take dark charcoal and write and draw on the cursive paper cherishingly.

Zhao Lanxiang took over his words and said, "You have to appreciate the policy of national tolerance and cherish this opportunity."

She said that she had brought up a thick stack of books and handed them to He Songbai. "Well, these books are now loaned to you for now."

He Songbai stroked these old textbooks, and his heart was warm.

...

In late autumn, under a cold rain.

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The educated youths at the educated youths' dormitory worked tirelessly under the dim oil lamps after they finished their farming work. Zhou Jiazhen liked to go to the He family to talk to Zhao Lanxiang to discuss her studies.

She has a very poor foundation and only finished elementary school, but Zhao Lanxiang suggested that she give it a try.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "Remember last year you cried on the street and said you want to go home? If you want to go home, then take the exam. Everyone is in the same situation now. They have spent so many years with a hoe, and it's not easy to pick up knowledge."

In this way, Zhou Jiazhen was full of inspiration and ambition. When she was free, she read and studied. Wu Liangping, who accompanied Zhou Jiazhen and loved her all the way, finally had the opportunity. He took full advantage of his book collection. He summarized the chapters and copied the questions. It seems that even the most difficult topics are as simple as drinking water in his eyes.

Those who insist on learning will always surprise you when their destiny comes.

Wu Liangping is such a person. He usually sleeps, goes shopping, and plays cards after work, but he was crazy about studying. All the money he saved was spent on buying books. At this time, Wu Liangping and his book collection became the most sought-after person in the entire brigade. In order to get his counsel, the young female educated youths are even willing to be his girlfriend.

Zhao Lanxiang looked at Wu Liangping's ease and self-confidence when coaching Zhou Jiazhen and then looked at He Songbai's appearance when he flipped through the books for fun.

Although the children of the five groups are allowed to apply for the college entrance examination, the discrimination in the composition is deeply entrenched. In many places, even because of the prejudice of their background, people would find an excuse to reject the black five candidates.

Back then, she knew a person of a bad background who went to university because he was the only one who could pass the exam. But looking at He Songbai, it would be impossible for him to pass the exam just by relying on himself.

Whether it is Tang Qing or Wu Liangping, each one of those educated youths has a good cultural performance. Their chances of being admitted to the exam are great.

Only by striving to improve yourself and reaching a certain level can everyone see him. Zhao Lanxiang only hopes that He Songbai will be ranked first, and even the first in the county and the city. Only then will he have the opportunity to enter university. But... Looking at Wu Liangping's state of mind and comparing it to He Songbai's state of mind, Zhao Lanxiang deeply thought that the university was estimated to be hard to reach.

At night, Zhou Jiazhen and Wu Liangping left the He family with a satisfied face. Zhao Lanxiang's room was finally vacated.

She was cruel and took out the remaining test papers in one breath and said He Songbai, "If you can't do everything right, I'm afraid there is no hope for you to go to university."

He Songbai thought about it and revealed his white tooth, "On the contrary, I think it should not be difficult. They only reviewed halfway through. We are ahead of them for more than half a year!"

Speaking of which, He Songbai couldn't help but feel lucky. If it weren't because his girlfriend brought these textbooks and because of something that had happened on his pig farm, he wouldn't look at these textbooks at all.

Zhao Lanxiang heard He Songbai's calm tone and couldn't help but feel anxious.

She said, "If you are discriminated against because of your background, can you go to college?"

He Songbai heard the words and smiled unhurriedly. "Don't worry, Lanxiang, don't panic."

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In the following days, He Songbai continued to review in a stable manner. Although he didn't tie his hair to the beams and poke himself with an awl, he also worked hard to review.

However, in Zhao Lanxiang's view, he has not made half of Wu Liangping's efforts. She heard that Wu Liangping was burning the midnight oil to read at night. When he was working during the day, he carried a book and read at any resting time. He Songbai ran to his pig farm every day, keen to make money. After that then he reviewed.

The busy and fulfilling days are like running water. People tear off the last page of October in their calendar, and here comes the cold November.

When Sister He chewed the pig's trotters, there was a feeling of water turning over in her stomach. She vomited unexpectedly, and Li Dali next to her suddenly tightened.

He quickly patted his wife's chest and asked her, "Did you sleep too late last night? Uncomfortable?"

Sister He shook her head.

Soon, Li Dali's mother-in-law Li Hongying came. She was carrying a bowl of pickles, smiling while accusing her eldest son, "What are you worried about? Maybe it's in her stomach? You've been married for almost a year, and Songye's stomach should move."

Sister He heard it, her face flushed, and she shook her head shyly.

Li Dali scratched his head, and when he remembered carefully, his wife's monthly affairs were really a few days late. He was overjoyed, clapped, and decided, "Wait for a rest day to go to the clinic to check if she is pregnant."

"But whether pregnant or not, you cannot sleep too late in the evening." He told his wife with a black face.

He Songye is greedy. She was always thinking about making a few more clothes so that she can earn some more fees. The money for her ear surgery was borrowed from her brother. She wanted to pay it off earlier. However, the pickles brought by her mother-in-law were more and more addictive. She unknowingly ate up a whole jar of pickles.

Li Hongying looked at the clean pottery bowl with satisfaction. She said nothing, but she became more and more certain in her heart.

She instructed Li Dali, "You are such a big man. You should also look at your hands and don't let your wife do heavy work. I've lived until such an old age. In the village, I have a baby sister who has embraced her grandchildren a long time ago. You have to give some effort for me!"

Li Dali responded in a muffled voice, happy and excited, and only hug his wife. It's not easy for him to hold a child at his age. The child may not have a shadow yet, but his wife's flat stomach can already evoke his fatherly heart.

Li Dali silently decided to make his wife gave up her work!

---

[T/N: Stories behind the idiom "Tie your hair to the beams and poke yourself with an awl."]

Tie hair to the beam

In the ancient Han Dynasty, there was a student named Sun Jing. He was young and eager to learn. He worked hard and often studied until late at night.

When Sun Jing was studying, he took notes anytime and anywhere. In the middle of the night, after a long period, he could not help but doze off when he was extremely tired. When he woke up, he regretted it. One day, when he raised his head to meditate, his gaze stopped on the beam of the room, and his eyes lit up. Then he found a rope and tied one end of the rope to the beam of the house, and the lower end was tied to his hair.

So whenever he was sleepy and wanted to doze off, as soon as he lowered his head, the rope would yank his hair. The pain would drive away sleepiness. From then on, he used this method to study hard every night.

Poking yourself with an awl

During the Warring States Period, there was a man named Su Qin who was a very famous politician. When he was young, he went to many places to do things, but he was not taken seriously due to his little knowledge. After returning home, his family was also very indifferent to him, and they all looked down on him.

This was a great stimulus to him, so he was determined to study hard to increase his knowledge. He often reads late at night, and when he is too sleepy, he takes an awl, and as soon as he dozes off, he uses the awl to prick his thigh. In this way, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, so he woke up and kept reading.

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