WRS – Chapter 84

During the two days of He Yan’s college entrance examination, the whole family was extremely quiet. Even the usually loud and lively Liuliu knew she shouldn’t disturb her brother and spoke in soft whispers.

Jin Xiuzhu understood that the college entrance exam here was equivalent to the imperial examinations of the Dajing Dynasty, so she took it very seriously. She got up before dawn every morning to make breakfast for her son—either homemade dumplings or chicken noodle soup, both filling and delicious.

Although there were breakfast vendors right outside the school gate, this was an important time. Jin Xiuzhu worried that the food might not be clean and could upset his stomach. It wouldn’t matter on normal days, but right now it absolutely wouldn’t do.

Because of that, the two younger kids also enjoyed delicious breakfasts.

While eating, Liuliu said, “Mom hasn’t made breakfast for us in such a long time.”

Usually, they were told to buy steamed buns from the gate or wait for their older brother to cook noodles. His noodles only had eggs, unlike now when everything had meat.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled. “When you take the college entrance exam, Mom will make it for you too.”

Liuliu still wanted to say more, but her sister stopped her. Fu Yanyan signaled her to look at He Yan. Liuliu turned to glance—her brother was reading a book while eating dumplings with a spoon.

She immediately covered her mouth and didn’t dare speak again.

After finishing the dumplings, He Yan hugged his books and headed out. Before he left, Jin Xiuzhu packed water and biscuits for him, afraid he’d get hungry after the first exam and could fill his stomach with the biscuits.

Jin Xiuzhu and her two daughters walked him to the door. “Do your best. Don’t be nervous. If it doesn’t work out this year, we can always try again next year.”

He Yan couldn’t help laughing. “Mom, that’s some comfort you’re giving.”

Jin Xiuzhu patted his shoulder with a smile. “Of course. But it’d be even better if you pass on your first try. Once you’re done, I’ll take you to visit the provincial capital next door. You haven’t been there yet, right?”

“That’s great!”

Standing beside him, Liuliu quickly added, “I want to go too!”

“We’ll all go.”

He Yan practically floated toward school, walking briskly. He bought two steamed buns from the school entrance. Jin Xiuzhu saw it and knew they were for that girl, but she didn’t comment.

Liuliu saw it too and couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t Brother already eat? Why is he buying steamed buns again? Was he not full?”

Fu Yanyan’s expression grew complicated as she watched He Yan’s figure disappear at the school gate. “I wonder if the two of them will last.”

It wasn’t that she doubted her brother’s feelings or that sister’s feelings, but relationships that start too early rarely lasted. Especially that sister—her family situation seemed quite complicated.

Jin Xiuzhu took it lightly. “As long as they’re happy now, that’s what matters. As for the future, we’ll deal with it then. Some things don’t need to be defined by the ending.”

Fu Yanyan murmured in agreement.

At noon, Jin Xiuzhu made a full table of dishes in advance. He Yan returned first, and she told him to eat, but he refused, wanting to wait for his sisters.

During the meal, he calmly listened to his sisters share funny things from school. He wasn’t holding a book now.

But once he finished eating, he immediately picked up his book and notes again, reading and reciting at the same time.

Jin Xiuzhu knew she couldn’t help him academically, so she supported him in other ways—by cooking delicious meals or buying another electric fan for his room so he could study comfortably at night.

After two days of exams, even though he ate and drank well, dark circles still formed around He Yan’s eyes. After finishing his last exam, he collapsed onto his bed the moment he got home and slept straight through the evening without eating.

It wasn’t until the next morning that he weakly got up to find food. In the kitchen, Jin Xiuzhu had left him a meal. Only after eating a full bowl of rice and dishes did he feel alive again.

Jin Xiuzhu was in the living room painting, the electric fan blowing gently, making the paper rustle softly.

He washed his bowl and chopsticks, came out, plopped down across from her, and leaned on the table watching her, idly twirling a pen.

With the exam over, he suddenly didn’t know what to do and felt a little lost.

Jin Xiuzhu asked, “Got nothing to do now?”

He Yan shook his head. “I do, I guess. I plan to write letters to Wei Ningqing and Yang Yingxiong to ask how their exams went. And I made plans with a few classmates to go grill fish at the beach. I’ll probably read some books too… but right now, I don’t feel like moving.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. “Then rest for a few days. Before your dad left, he told me that once he finishes training and comes back, he’ll throw you into the army camp for a bit so you can get used to military life early.”

He Yan instantly perked up. “What? Dad really said that?”

Jin Xiuzhu laughed. “Why? You scared of your dad?”

He Yan pouted. “I’m not scared of him. I’m scared I won’t survive it.”

She laughed again. “It’s fine. Your dad won’t be back for another ten days or so. In the meantime, Mom will nourish you well.”

And she delivered on her promise. Over the next few days, she made all kinds of tonics for He Yan. By the time Jiang Mingchuan returned, He Yan had grown a bit taller and sturdier.

The second day after Jiang Mingchuan got back, he took the fun-seeking He Yan to the army. This time, he was gone for a full month. If it weren’t for the admission notice arriving, He Yan probably wouldn’t have been allowed to return.

The admission notice was delivered personally by his teacher. Jin Xiuzhu received it. That night, when He Yan came home and saw the bright red name of the school, he jumped up excitedly. “I got in! Mom, I got in—!”

Each shout was louder and happier than the last.

Jin Xiuzhu was happy for him too.

He Yan ran to tell Jiang Mingchuan, then picked up Liuliu and spun her around. Liuliu giggled foolishly.

Fu Yanyan stood nearby, watching the crazily excited He Yan, genuinely happy for him from the bottom of her heart.

In his previous life, getting into a military academy had been even harder for him. He didn’t have the good living conditions he had now, nor a mother who loved him. No one knew how much psychological pressure he had endured to rise from a poor student to one accepted into a military college—only to have his hopes crushed shortly after.

This time, things should be different.

He Yan carefully stored the admission notice, afraid insects would chew on it. He wrapped it in multiple layers of oiled paper and placed it in a box, setting mothballs beside it.

Early the next morning, he went out to make phone calls, asking how Wei Ningqing and Yang Yingxiong had done on their exams.

By the time they returned, it was already noon. The bright smiles on their faces made it clear they had all done well on the exams. Sure enough, he said, “Wei Ningqing and I got into the same school, and Yang Yingxiong got into the city’s Industrial University.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded nonstop. “Not bad, not bad. Everyone did great.”

He Yan grinned broadly, happy as could be. “Right?”

Jin Xiuzhu added, “Your teacher told me that if you have time, you should come to the school and share some study tips.”

He Yan responded without even thinking, “Then I’ll go tomorrow.”

That evening, knowing he was coming home, Jin Xiuzhu prepared a whole table of dishes. They hadn’t seen each other for a while, and she didn’t know how much hardship her son had endured outside. She could clearly tell that he had lost weight and grown darker, with many new and old scars on his face and hands.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t say anything. She only urged him to eat more. But later, lying in bed, she couldn’t stop herself from asking Jiang Mingchuan, “Why does our son have so many injuries? Are you training him, or beating him?”

Jiang Mingchuan knew she was distressed for the boy, but still replied, “That’s how it is for soldiers. How could they not get hurt? If they don’t, how can they train well? Once on the battlefield, people die.”

Jin Xiuzhu spat twice. “Don’t talk nonsense! And don’t train him like he’s going to die. That’s your son.”

Jiang Mingchuan grunted a couple of times, knowing that if he said anything more, they’d start arguing.

Jin Xiuzhu’s heart still ached. After all, she had raised him since he was little. He Yan was even better than a biological son. When Wu Xiaojun was young, he was ignorant and troublesome, but He Yan wasn’t—he had helped her with chores since childhood, took leave to care for her when she was pregnant, and handled all the housework during her confinement. Sometimes she even thought that even a real son might not be as considerate.

“I don’t know if this path is good for him. Just thinking about how he won’t be home often makes my heart hurt.”

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t know how to comfort her. Before, she was the one telling him that children grow up and have to become independent, that they couldn’t stay by their side forever. And now she was the one saying she couldn’t bear it.

Suddenly Jin Xiuzhu said, “Forget it. To spend more time with him, let’s buy a place in the provincial capital. Then I can go see him every few days. Otherwise, we really won’t see him much in the future.”

Jiang Mingchuan: “…If you go see him every few days, what about me?”

Jin Xiuzhu: “Aren’t you busy?”

Then she began planning the possibility of buying a house in the neighboring province. The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Houses in the provincial capital were cheap—she could buy several and rent them out later to cover the kids’ expenses.

Otherwise, with just her salary, she might not even be able to support the family. The children had grown up eating well and wearing well, spending money freely. If she didn’t help them prepare some assets, who knew how hard things might be for them in the future?

The next day, He Yan went to school to share his experience with the next batch of students.

Although school hadn’t officially started, many students came voluntarily to study. After hearing this, teachers also came on their own to teach.

This year’s exam results were very good. Among the two Grade 11 classes, eleven students had been admitted to universities, and seven to vocational colleges.

He Yan had the highest score. He spoke for an hour, sharing study methods as well as problem-solving techniques and ways of thinking. After finishing, he went to the teachers’ office to hang out. Since he didn’t see Lin Zhaodi today, he wanted to ask how she did. He remembered she wasn’t there the day they filled in the applications either.

When He Yan entered the office, many teachers were gathered, chatting. When they saw him, they warmly asked about his plans and about his younger sister’s grades—whether she would be coming to this school in the future.

“My sister is much smarter than me. She’s been first in the whole school since she was little. It’s never changed, and she barely studies.”

“That’s impressive. Another future top university student.”

He Yan smiled proudly. Once the class bell rang, the teachers headed out with their books. Only then did he ask about Lin Zhaodi.

When the homeroom teacher heard his question, he sighed. “What a pity. She overestimated her score. She missed her first choice by one point. Her second choice was too low. She could’ve gotten into a much better university with her grades. Still, this isn’t bad—she got into a normal university. She can be a teacher in the future. Who knows, maybe we’ll be colleagues someday.”

He patted He Yan’s shoulder. “You kid, I didn’t misjudge you. This is a good school—you’ll have a bright future, just like your dad.”

He knew about He Yan’s family background—a leader for a father, a painter for a mother, a well-off home. From his clothes and food, you could see the difference from most students.

He also knew something about the subtle feelings between the two kids, but since their grades were good, he pretended not to see it. Still, he didn’t think it would work out. Their family backgrounds and school environments were too different. Especially given Lin Zhaodi’s situation—you could tell she wanted to save money from the way she filled in her school choices.

“What normal university?”

“The one here in our city.”

He Yan nodded, chatted a bit more, and left.

When he got home, he told Jin Xiuzhu, “Mom, I want to go visit a classmate.”

She didn’t think much of it and gave him five yuan. “Buy some fruit. Don’t show up empty-handed.”

He Yan agreed. He bought lychees and grapes before heading out. He had never been to Lin Zhaodi’s house, but he had heard a vague description of the location.

Following his memory, he kept walking toward the outskirts of the city. He didn’t find her home, but instead found a classmate from a neighboring class. Fortunately, that classmate knew where she lived and guided him there.

They climbed two mountains. By the time they arrived, it was already past one in the afternoon.

At home, Lin Zhaodi was cooking. She had just come back from labor work. Her mother was disabled, and her younger siblings were still little. Her father was the only one working, so during school breaks, she helped the production team, earning five work points a day.

After a morning of hard work, she was covered in mud. She didn’t even have time to clean up—she washed her hands and immediately started cooking. She hadn’t even picked up her admission letter herself—it was a classmate who had collected it for her.

Thinking about the letter made her heart sink. She regretted it. If she had known, she would have put the provincial capital as her second choice. That way, she and He Yan could have been in the same city.

But the provincial capital only had two top universities with very high cutoffs, and the rest were similar to their city’s schools. She felt it would be a waste of travel money.

Her heart ached. As she was thinking this, she suddenly saw a familiar figure walking from afar—He Yan. She recognized him instantly.

But just as quickly, she realized her situation and panicked, darting back into the house.

Seeing her daughter rushing in, her mother frowned. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Zhaodi shook her head, then bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Seeing how dirty she was, her eyes slowly reddened.

Soon, a voice called from outside: “Lin Zhaodi, are you home?”

Her mother was about to answer, but Zhaodi looked at her pleadingly. “Mom, just say I’m not here.”

Her mother frowned. Zhaodi looked frightened and pitiful. “Please.”

Her mother stared at her for a while, then said to the outside, “Zhaodi isn’t home. What’s the matter?”

The classmate was about to speak, but He Yan cut in, “We’re her classmates. We came to congratulate her on getting into university. Since she’s not home, we’ll head back.”

He put down the fruit. He had seen the pot boiling in the kitchen, but pretended not to notice.

The classmate nodded. “Then we’ll go.”

Outside, they heard—

“You heading back now?”

“Mm. If I don’t, it’ll get dark.”

“All right then.”

As the voices faded, they walked farther away. Once they were out of the courtyard, He Yan couldn’t help turning back. The house was small, with yellow mud walls—some parts had crumbled, leaving uneven patches.

The classmate whispered, “I think I saw her just now.”

He Yan paused. “You must’ve seen wrong. It didn’t look like her.”

“Maybe.”

Inside, Zhaodi waited a long time before stepping out. When she saw the fruit at the door, her eyes flushed. Suddenly, she felt her earlier thoughts were ridiculous.

Even if they studied in the same class, some gaps could never be crossed. Just like now—she didn’t even have the courage to face him.

Jin Xiuzhu: My son is amazing.

Jiang Mingchuan: Your eyes only see your son.

He Yan: Mom loves me most.

Liuliu: No! Mom loves me most!

Fu Yanyan: Stop fighting—Mom loves everyone. She’s just a big flirt.