RYEY -Chapter 285 The College Entrance Exam

Chen Damao nodded. At a time like this, he was truly grateful to Li Huan for still willing to take him in, despite having been beaten badly by her earlier—it was deserved.

No one in the village was willing to let Damao build a house. He grew anxious; the weather was turning cold, and Gao Xiaohui’s pregnancy was still unstable. He had no choice but to kneel before Cuihua.

Cuihua looked at the pale-faced Gao Xiaohui and finally relented, though she would only allow them to stay for a month, since the doctor said Chen Weidang could go home after that.

Li Huan shook his head but still helped find workers, paying Chen Damao wages. Within half a month, the house was built. After airing it out for a few days and heating the kang for several more, they hurriedly moved Gao Xiaohui in.

Under Cuihua’s insistence, Xiaoniu helped move Damao’s former marital belongings over. These quilts and bedding were a timely help. Hugging the blankets, Damao resolved to turn over a new leaf.

He told Gao Xiaohui to rest at home and took up the hoe himself. He was determined to work hard to support his wife and child. His pockets were emptier than ever, but once he earned enough, he would visit his father in the hospital.

Yet, something in the village seemed different. It had been nearly a month since his return, and he hadn’t seen Zhang Yuefang even once. Was she avoiding him?

Perhaps it was for the best—seeing her might be awkward. Besides, Xiaohui was carrying his child. Any sudden excitement might cause a miscarriage, so avoiding her was safest.

Zhang Yuefang was making her final preparations for the college entrance exam. The exam’s time and location had been set: December 10, 1977, at the county primary school where Cheng Qiao had once taught.

Li Huan had already notified Uncle Niu to take the students to the county on exam day. Uncle Niu agreed immediately; it was a point of pride—once the children passed, he could brag for a while.

These days, he ate well and slept soundly. With no troublemakers in the backyard, life was peaceful. During free time, he would gather wood to make furniture or cook some food.

But he worried about Old Ox’s health. Considering his age, he might be nearing the end, and Uncle Niu felt very reluctant to part.

Finally, the day of the exam arrived. Uncle Niu looked at the old ox with tears in his eyes and encouraged him, “Can you hold on just a little longer and take the students from Xiangyang Village to the exam hall? That would be a great merit.”

Old ox gave a low, firm “Moo.” Uncle Niu drove the cart first to Cheng Qiao’s house. Seeing the old ox’s condition, Cheng Qiao’s eyes welled up.

She filled a bucket with water and fed it to an old ox. After a sip, the ox looked at Cheng Qiao with gratitude. With that bucket of water, it could endure.

In the end, everyone went on foot. On the cart were only Uncle Niu and Cheng Qiao’s three children. They were light enough for old ox to carry.

At nine in the morning, the first exam was Chinese. Cheng Qiao finished in less than an hour and stepped outside, seeing Li Huan looking nervous—she found it amusing.

“How did it go, Qiao?”

All three children looked up at her. Cheng Qiao picked up the youngest, Xiao Nuan. Under her spatial spirit water, the little girl had fully recovered, looking lively and healthy.

“Xiao Nuan, tell me, will Mama pass?”

“One hundred!”

“Oh, Xiao Nuan is right. Mama will try for a perfect score.”

Li Huan didn’t need to ask—Cheng Qiao’s expression told him she did well. Lele came out, her face glowing with joy. Second Sister-in-law was amazing; she even guessed some of the questions correctly.

“Let’s eat first. This afternoon is politics, the most important exam. After lunch, review it again. If politics goes well, the rest shouldn’t be a problem.”

Lele nodded. Zhang Yuefang and Han Chunmei arrived. From their expressions, they seemed to have done well, though Yuefang appeared somewhat unhappy. Cheng Qiao had no time to ask.

Qian Longkun, Zhao Xiaobao, and the others entered the state-run restaurant, chatting happily as if they had already received their acceptance letters, making Yuefang uncomfortable.

“Cheng Qiao, how did you do?”

Zhao Xiaobei ran over and hugged Cheng Qiao’s shoulder. Cheng Qiao smiled and nodded, hoping the afternoon politics exam wouldn’t be too difficult.

Zhao Xiaobei glanced at Yuefang but wisely said nothing. Meanwhile, Qian Longkun and the others’ voices noticeably lowered, losing their earlier smugness.

Li Le blinked and looked at Cheng Qiao, then suddenly smiled: “Second Sister-in-law, I understand now. Never lose confidence and always give your best until the end.”

Cheng Qiao was surprised. The little girl had grown quickly—just from this brief observation, she grasped the essence.

After the afternoon politics exam, Li Huan took them back to his house. With two exams left the next day, they decided to stay in the county overnight.

The next morning was math. Cheng Qiao finished without stress, but Lele came out looking unhappy—she didn’t finish the last two problems in time.

Lele realized her stubborn habit had caused the problem. Cheng Qiao had always told her to finish the entire paper before reviewing, yet she checked one question immediately after completing it, wasting time.

The afternoon exam was even worse. Li Le’s fountain pen ran out of ink halfway through the test. She didn’t dare look around, fearing the proctor would suspect cheating, and had no choice but to submit her incomplete paper. Li Huan was shocked when she came out; Cheng Qiao hadn’t finished yet.

Li Le’s face was downcast. Li Huan looked at his usually smart sister as if she were foolish:
“Why didn’t you tell the teacher? Isn’t there ink on the podium? And why didn’t you bring extra pens?”

Li Le: “……”

When Cheng Qiao finally finished, she realized Li Le had completely failed this time. She quickly retrieved paper and pen to recalculate the scores.

Chinese could score 80, math 60, politics 90 was guaranteed, history and geography 50 each was already good. Adding it all up, conservatively, she could still get into Chun Cheng Normal University.

“Second Sister-in-law, but I want to go to a university in the capital.”

Cheng Qiao stayed silent. Lele was normally one of Xiangyang Village’s brightest, but at the crucial moment, things went wrong. Perhaps it was fate.

“Second Sister-in-law, how did you do?”

Cheng Qiao nodded. She could definitely get into the Capital University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The problem was more complicated now: since Lele had failed, their original plan needed adjusting.

“Li Huan, I did pretty well this time. I can definitely get into a university in the capital. If Lele goes to school in Chun Cheng, you’ll have to stay there. I’ll take the three kids to the capital.”