RIRW – Chapter 139

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The provincial college entrance examination was scheduled for December 12th, 13th, and 14th. The timing of the exam varied across the country, and even the exam papers were created independently by each province.

Zuo Dan’s maternal grandparents had already been secretly taken to a secluded place to prepare the exam papers. To avoid suspicion, neither Zuo Dan nor Shen Yiming went to visit them before they left.

Zuo Dan felt she had reviewed everything thoroughly and wasn’t worried at all about doing poorly. What bothered her now was which major she should choose. Her first choice for university was Beijing University, but she hadn’t decided on a major yet.

Zuo Cong wanted to become a scientist, so he planned to apply for a physics major. Shen Yiming was even more surprising — he wanted to go into economics and had chosen to major in that.

When it was finally Zuo Dan’s turn to choose, she had no clear idea. Previously, she had been so focused on getting into Beijing University that she hadn’t thought much about her major. Now that it was time to make a choice, she found it a bit difficult. Having already experienced college once, she felt that either you went into research seriously, or the major you studied wasn’t very useful in real work. Of course, back then she didn’t have great ambitions, so she had just drifted along. And if it really came down to doing research, she didn’t think she had the talent for it.

She looked at little Youyou lying in the rocker, sucking his tiny fists and gazing at her. His big round black eyes were absolutely adorable.

“I’ve decided — I’m going into education, so I can teach you well in the future. Comrade Youyou, Mom is doing this for you!” Zuo Dan said with a devoted expression.

She would absolutely never admit that she was just suffering from decision paralysis when it came to picking a major.

Zuo Dan felt that an education-related major was a great choice. She could continue her studies and get a higher degree, and eventually become a university professor.

Being a teacher sounded great — paid summer and winter breaks, respected everywhere you go. Besides teaching some professional knowledge, she’d just be guiding (or fooling) students. That sounded like a great deal.

Plus, the schedule would be flexible, giving her time to pursue a side hustle.

Perfect, really.

On the day of the exam, the three of them set off together to take the test at the provincial high school.

Technically, Zuo Dan’s household registration was in the countryside, so she should’ve gone back there to take the test. But thanks to some connections in the education bureau, she was able to take the test in the provincial capital instead.

Once inside the classroom, Zuo Dan quickly regained the same focused state she had during past exams.

As a student from the 21st century who had gone through countless big and small tests, Zuo Dan wasn’t nervous at all. She looked around at the other students, whose faces were either flushed or pale, and even started to worry a little for them.

Soon, the exam began.

Drawing on her many years of exam experience, Zuo Dan first filled in her personal information, then skimmed through all the questions to get a sense of the difficulty level.

She picked out the easier ones and started writing.

The first subject was Politics — which tested one’s political awareness and memory.

For someone like Zuo Dan, who had already memorized the textbook thoroughly, this subject was a piece of cake.

With a smooth hand, she began writing quickly with her fountain pen.

After finishing the exam at noon, Zuo Dan had just stepped out of the school gate when she saw Shen Yiming.

She ran over with a smile. “Comrade Shen Yiming, how did the test go?”

Just as Shen Yiming was about to speak, Zuo Dan waved her hand. “No, no, no — the worst thing you can do after an exam is discuss the questions. It’s a big taboo. Let’s not think about it, just focus on the afternoon test.”

A little while later, Zuo Cong came out too, looking relaxed, which clearly meant he had done well. Zuo Dan reminded him again not to think about the previous subject and just concentrate on the next one.

At noon, little Youyou needed to eat, so Zuo Dan had to head home.

Shen Yiming picked up food from a restaurant and brought it back. The whole family ate together.

While feeding the baby in her room, Zuo Dan said, “Shen Yiming, do you see this? This is how hard it is to be a woman — to be a mother. If you and your son ever betray me, you’re both heartless traitors!”

Shen Yiming, who was feeding her at the time, twitched his mouth when he heard that.

After lunch, little Youyou took a nap. Zuo Dan casually flipped through the materials for the afternoon Chinese exam and then went to sleep.

At 1:30 PM, they headed out again for the exam.

After three straight days of testing, the examinees all looked exhausted, but there was a brighter gleam in their eyes.

After the final subject, everyone felt as if they had completed a grand mission.

Zuo Dan, Shen Yiming, and the others went to a restaurant to pick up food and returned home to celebrate. When they got back, not only were Grandma and Youyou at home, but Song Gang and his family of three, as well as Xu Xiaoqiang, Xu Dapeng, and other young people, had also come over.

Everyone shouted about wanting to celebrate together.

They hadn’t taken the college entrance exam themselves. After all, they already had good jobs and had never thought they were cut out for studying back in school. So they had no intention of taking the test this time either.

Once they found out Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan had taken the exam, and today was the final day, they decided to come over and celebrate together.

“Man, I’m really happy today,” said Song Gang, slapping the table. “From now on, Shen Yiming is going to be a college student! Hahaha.”

Shen Yiming said, “The results aren’t out yet.”

“Come on, it’s obvious. I think you both will get in. So, which universities did you apply to?” Song Gang asked with a smile.

Zuo Dan pointed to herself and Shen Yiming, “We both applied to Jing University,” then pointed to Zuo Cong, “He applied to Hua University.”

“…” Everyone fell silent for a moment.

This whole family is really something else.

Song Gang patted Shen Yiming on the shoulder, “Yiming, about that marriage alliance I mentioned last time—you really ought to think it over.”

His family lacked good students. To change the future of their own kids, Song Gang felt it was necessary to maintain close ties with Shen Yiming and let the two kids grow up together as childhood sweethearts.

Shen Yiming smiled and pointed at Shen Youyou in Zuo Dan’s arms, “As long as he’s willing, I have no objections.”

Song Gang immediately turned to Shen Youyou, “Youyou, you’re willing, right? Your sister Huahua is great, isn’t she?”

Maybe Song Gang’s smile was a bit too exaggerated, because Shen Youyou’s lips curled and he let out a loud cry, “Waaah waaah waaah…”

“…” Song Gang felt like he’d just been slapped in the face again.

After the meal, Xu Dapeng chatted with Shen Yiming about something: Wei Jing from the coal yard also took the college entrance exam this time.

Wei Jing had made quite a scene at the coal yard before, but surprisingly, she still managed to stay and keep working there. She had been doing it for a while now, ending up all dusty and worn.

Even Zuo Dan hadn’t expected her to stick it out.

Shen Yiming had no interest in the Wei family’s matters. He had even heard some things about Wei Guohua.

Ever since Li Jianghe fell from power, Wei Guohua had been jumping around trying to make a comeback. But he didn’t realize that it wasn’t just Li Jianghe who wanted him gone—others disliked him too. So even with Li Jianghe out of the picture, there was no chance for him to return for now.

Shen Yiming wasn’t worried about him having any chances in the future either.

A week after the exams, Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li returned home and made a special visit to check on how the three of them had done on the test.

When they heard Zuo Dan had applied for an education major, the elderly couple were deeply pleased.

They felt that Zuo Dan was following in their footsteps, carrying on the proud Li family tradition.

They also analyzed the exam situation and concluded that all three had performed well. What surprised them the most was that Zuo Dan had only graduated from middle school but didn’t seem any worse than the two high school graduates, Shen Yiming and Zuo Cong.

Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li were both proud and regretful. They thought Zuo Dan should have continued her education earlier—such a promising student had been delayed. But at least now she had the opportunity to go to college.

Even Zuo Cong said, “If my sister had gone to high school back then, she’d be even better than now.”

Zuo Dan quickly waved it off, “It’s all in the past. It’s great that I can go straight to college now.”

Grandfather Li said with a smile, “We must always look forward to broaden our horizons. Although our Zuo Dan is a girl, her vision and courage are no less than any man’s. She’s clearly talented in academics—definitely someone with a bright future. Very good, very good.”

He suddenly thought of someone.

Someone who had been very promising back then. Scored high and got into Hua University, then came to the provincial capital for further studies.

But in the end, this person had hurt his daughter.

After dinner, Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan drove Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li back home. On the way back, Zuo Dan called Zuo Dacheng and planned to go back to Zuojia Village with Shen Yiming.

She hadn’t been back in over a year. Now that the baby was born and the college entrance exam was done, it was definitely time for a visit.

It was Li Hui who answered the phone.

After just one sentence, Zuo Dan heard arguing in the background.

It sounded like Grandma Zuo’s voice, along with Zuo Chengcai’s.

“Mom, what’s going on at home?”

Li Hui said, “It’s nothing, really. We’re just discussing something. Zuo Dan, what’s up?”

Zuo Dan frowned, “Mom, what’s really going on at home?” Even a fool could tell something was wrong.

Before Li Hui could say much, the background noise got louder again. Grandma Zuo said, “You silly boy, you believe whatever people say? If she was really going to college, would she still come here?”

Hearing that, Zuo Dan immediately guessed that something had gone wrong with Zuo Chengcai’s marriage plans. Otherwise, Grandma Zuo wouldn’t be so agitated.

The old lady had long been hoping for a daughter-in-law.

Since things at home were a mess and unclear over the phone, Zuo Dan didn’t press Li Hui. After hanging up, she immediately told Shen Yiming about the situation.

Shen Yiming said, “Why don’t we drive back tomorrow and take a look? It’s easy enough now with the car.”

Zuo Dan nodded, “I’ll go pack. Is Youyou coming?”

“Of course. He hasn’t even been to his maternal grandma’s house yet. We’ll just wrap him in a blanket—he’s a boy, not that delicate.”

So the couple hurried home to pack.

They didn’t have much stuff themselves, but Shen Youyou had a ton. Food, clothing, supplies—just his things alone filled a big suitcase.

Seeing his parents packing like they were going on a long trip, Shen Youyou excitedly waved his arms, looking like he was dancing. His chubby little mouth stretched into a wide smile.