The booming era begins with the director of the Propaganda Department!

Chapter 295 College Entrance Examination!!

The breeze from the palm-leaf fan blew on his body. Zhang Shenfei ate the watermelon cooled by well water and felt comfortable and cool. It was even more comfortable than using air conditioning in later generations.

The couple chatted for a few words. Tian Xiaozao wiped the watermelon juice from Zhang Shenfei's lips with her fingertips, then put the finger in her mouth and sucked it for a while. Then she said softly:
"Da Fei, study hard. I'll go cook for us. Can we have sesame sauce cold noodles tonight?"

Zhang Shenfei put the watermelon peel on the table, picked up the pen and started writing again: "Okay."

Sijiuceng is located in an inland area with distinct four seasons. It is very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

Even though it is only the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the maximum temperature is already around 35 degrees. Even though it is already evening, it is still unbearably hot.

In weather like this, eating a bowl of cold noodles with sesame sauce can make people feel comfortable from the internal organs to every pore and hair.

Zhang Shenfei is a man with high aspirations. Since he wants to eat noodles, he cannot settle for less.

He kept telling Tian Xiaozao that the noodles must be rolled by hand and rinsed three times in water.

The cucumber shreds must be cut into thin pieces, and water must be added in small amounts and multiple times when the sesame sauce is released. Only in this way can the sesame sauce be released without any lumps and as smooth as milk.

What about the mashed garlic? The mashed garlic is not good enough...

Be sympathetic to the fact that he has to go to work every day and prepare for exams, and is so busy that he is exhausted.

Tian Xiaozao was patient at first and listened to him chattering with a smile.

Later, seeing Zhang Shenfei getting more and more excited, he put down his pen and kept talking. Suddenly, he got annoyed and pinched his waist:
"You bastard!!! You can just eat whatever I don't make for you, why are you still complaining about food like a kid? Is your mouth the waistband of an old lady's cotton pants?"

When his wife got the upper hand, Zhang Shenfei immediately shut up, rubbed the part that had been twisted aggrievedly, and muttered in a low voice: "Tigress."

"Who are you talking about as a tigress?" Tian Xiaozao raised her eyebrows and raised her hand to slap him.

"I'm not talking about you, I'm not talking about you." Zhang Shenfei immediately admitted his mistake.

This girl has a broken palm, it hurts when she hits someone!!

Tian Xiaozao snorted coldly, turned around and went to the kitchen to roll noodles.

The beating is real, and the pain is real!!

In the middle courtyard, in front of the faucet.

It was rare for Yi Zhonghai to kill a chicken here, which attracted countless people to watch in the yard.

They have been neighbors for decades, and Yi Zhonghai has never been involved in any household chores at home.

When eating, no matter what kind of food it is, the bowl will be brought to your hand by an old lady.

After finishing a bowl of rice, he never gets more rice himself, but always taps the edge of the bowl with chopsticks.

When an old lady heard this, no matter what she was doing, she would immediately put down what she was doing and give him some more food.

How could it not shock everyone that an old man in the family had to kill chickens himself and cook big dishes such as stewed chicken?
"Hey! Uncle, you have finally opened our eyes today.

Look at your hands, they are the hands of a seventh-level fitter, and your monthly salary is over 80! !

Now such a precious pair of hands can actually kill chickens." Yan Bugui approached and teased.

"It's not a big deal. Let me make it clear first, Old Yi. When Aunt Yi gives birth to a child, I will be the godfather of your child." The second uncle also came over and spoke to Yi Zhonghai, but his eyes were fixed on the big fat chicken and he swallowed his saliva.

Although he earned a high salary, he and Liu Guangqi were the only two people working in the family. Liu Guangqi was a temporary worker, and his rations were too small, so he didn't have much good food to eat.

Yi Zhonghai was in high spirits when he was happy, and with Lao Yan and Lao Liu helping him along, he almost laughed his face off:
"Well, giving birth to a child is not a big deal.

But you also know that my wife is weak, so I thought about sharing some of the housework with her and making some delicious food for her to eat.”

My wife is already 45 years old this year, a true elderly mother! !
When Yi Zhonghai thought about his daughter-in-law giving birth to a pearl, he was so excited:

"Well, tell your wives to stop cooking at home. When my chicken is ready, you can come over and eat."

After speaking to Yan Bugui and the second uncle, Yi Zhonghai raised his head and looked at Sha Zhu again: "Zhu Zi, should we use hot water or cold water to cook the chicken?"

"It depends on whether you want to eat meat or drink soup." said Sha Zhu.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head, not understanding.

Sha Zhu told him that if he wanted to drink soup, he should add the chicken to cold water and simmer over low heat.

If you want to eat meat, put the chicken in after the water boils.

"There are certain rules for these. If you put the chicken in cold water, the delicious juice from the chicken will slowly seep into the water as the water temperature rises, so the soup will be especially delicious.

But if you want to eat meat, add hot water and the chicken skin will shrink suddenly, locking the delicious soup in the chicken and preventing it from evaporating. So the meat will taste better." Sha Zhu shook his head to show off his professional knowledge.

However, Yi Zhonghai no longer paid attention to him, but muttered in a low voice, "Should we put some red dates in the chicken soup to help the old lady replenish her blood?"

Around seven in the afternoon,
The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the eaves of the courtyard house, dyeing the already dilapidated yard a golden color.

The second uncle, Yan Bugui, and Zhang Shenfei each brought gifts for the first aunt and went to Yi Zhonghai's house, waiting for dinner.

An old lady sat at the dining table, looking at the malted milk brought by Zhang Shenfei, the eggs brought by Liu Haizhong, and the two heads of garlic brought by Yan Bugui, and she smiled with her eyes narrowed.

Their family is well off and they don't care about gifts at all.

But it’s a different story because these things were sent by the three highest-ranking uncles in the courtyard to visit her when she was pregnant.

The four of them exchanged pleasantries while Yi Zhonghai walked with a large casserole in his hand, shouting:

"The chicken soup is here. The chicken soup is here. Put something on the table quickly."

Yan Bugui immediately folded a piece of newspaper several times and used it as a pad.

With a bang, the casserole was placed on the table.

After opening the lid, one could see a thick layer of golden chicken fat floating on the soup.

"This old hen is a really good buy. When I killed the chicken, I took out a large piece of chicken fat from its stomach." Yi Zhonghai looked at the chicken soup with satisfaction.

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were both a little greedy. In an era of material scarcity, oil and fat represented nutrition.

After drinking this chicken soup, I will go home and practice javelin on the kang tonight???
Yan Bugui couldn't wait to pick up the big spoon and said, "I'll serve soup to everyone. Auntie, you are a great contributor to the Yi family. I'll give you a bowl first."

After saying that, he was about to take the bowl from the lady's hand.

The next moment, an old voice came from the door: "Give me a bowl too."

who? ?

Everyone couldn't help but look back, only to see the deaf old lady walking into the Yi family's gate tremblingly with a cane.

As soon as the old lady saw her, her brows immediately furrowed, and Yi Zhonghai's expression also turned unsightly.

There are so many residents in the courtyard, but he only invited Zhang Shenfei, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui to the dinner.

He deliberately did not inform the deaf old lady. Isn't it obvious that he was politely refusing to eat for free?

Why is this old guy still shamelessly trying to get closer? ? ?

When he looked at the cane in the deaf old lady's hand and her deliberately swaying body as she walked, he felt even more disgusted.

This old man is obviously only seventy years old. Although his body is not strong, he is not weak to this extent.

Isn't it just for yourself that you are acting like this today? ? Do you want to have some chicken soup from me?
In the past ten years or so, Yi Zhonghai had seen the deaf old lady use this trick countless times on other residents of the courtyard.

But this time when I used it on myself, why did it feel like I had eaten a fly, so disgusting???

Yi Zhonghai wanted to drive the deaf old lady away, but he was worried about what the other residents of the courtyard would think of him as a grown man if he really did so.

Finally, he could only put on a stern face and said to Yan Bugui:
"Uncle Yan, please serve a bowl to the old lady first, let her drink it and go back to rest.

Old people get hungry quickly, but we middle-aged people are not in a hurry."

"That's right, I'm old and need nutrition. Uncle Yan, please get those two chicken legs in the pot for me." The deaf old lady said while taking action.

Finally, after drinking the hot chicken soup, the deaf old lady squinted her eyes and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The atmosphere of a banquet suddenly became less harmonious because of the appearance of the deaf old lady.

Yi Zhonghai and his wife looked at each other repeatedly, and their eyes were extremely subtle.

The couple have no relationship with the deaf old lady, but they have been helping her a lot over the years.

It’s just because I can’t have children, and I want to set an example so that I can morally blackmail my neighbors when they are old.

"My husband and I have taken care of the childless deaf old lady for decades. Now it's our turn to be childless. Why can't you take care of us?" The deaf old lady understood this in her heart. Because she wanted to gain benefits, she had been cooperating tacitly.

From this point on, the two extinct families reached a delicate balance that lasted for many years.

But now the aunt is pregnant. No matter whether it is a boy or a girl, the Yi family will have a successor.

With younger generations, they have someone to rely on. When the couple looks back at the deaf old lady who is no longer of any use to them, they feel that her nose is no longer a nose and her eyes are no longer eyes.

Seeing the deaf old lady eating two chicken legs and three bowls of chicken soup, Yi Zhonghai felt even more upset:
"Old lady, it's great that you came. I just wanted to talk to you about something.

In the past, Cuilan helped with all the housework in your house, even emptying the urine pot was done by her.

But now she is pregnant and an elderly woman, so the doctor told her to rest more.

I see that you are in good health now, and you can drink three bowls of chicken soup and eat two chicken legs for one meal. How about you do the housework yourself first???

After Cuilan gives birth, if she is not busy, she can do your housework? ? ? "

That being said, who doesn’t know that raising a child is busier than being pregnant? ? ?

Yi Zhonghai's words clearly showed that he was not going to serve the deaf old lady anymore.

The deaf old lady naturally knew this, and she was about to lose her temper.

But I also know that Yi Zhonghai now has a child and has someone to rely on, and he no longer needs to do things on his own like before.

In a word,

Now the delicate balance that she and Yi Zhonghai and his wife had previously established based on their retirement care has been broken.

If I don't make trouble, maybe we can still be neighbors on the surface.

If we make a fuss, we won't get any benefits in the future.

After assessing the situation, the deaf old lady nodded slowly: "I don't need to, so let's do it this way."

finished,

He walked out of the Yi family with his crutches.

The pace and posture when he walked were much more vigorous than when he came.

……

Time passed day by day, and midsummer was here in the blink of an eye.

It is the hottest time in Beijing. It is so hot that if someone dies, you can just leave the body on the street for two days and save the money on cremation.

In the blink of an eye, it is the most important day of the year, the college entrance examination.

Three days before the college entrance examination, Zhang Shenfei had already asked for leave in advance.

He didn't go to work these days, but just reviewed his knowledge at home every day.

On the day of the college entrance examination, the whole Zhang family was facing a formidable enemy.

Early in the morning,

Zhang Shenliang bought a pot of soy milk and two kilograms of fried dough sticks from the canteen, and asked the old lady to cook a pot of eggs for him.

He personally served his brother a bowl of soy milk, and also took a fried dough stick and two eggs, put them on a plate and handed them to him.

Zhang Shenfei looked at his elder brother in confusion.

Zhang Shenliang scratched his head and chuckled: "One fried dough stick and two eggs, that adds up to 100 points.

Dafei, you must eat it, we have to hope for good luck."

"But even with just this little bit of food, I can't feel full." Zhang Shenfei curled his lips.

Although he is no longer a grown man physically, his appetite is no different from that of a grown man.

"Then have another fried dough stick and two eggs." Zhang Shenliang took another fried dough stick and arranged the two eggs into the shape of a hundred points. "But you can't drink a second bowl of this soy milk. If you drink too much, you will easily pee during the exam, which will affect your performance."

"Da Fei, this is Fengyoujing, if you feel sleepy during the exam, apply it on your temples.

I also asked someone to get some mints from the department store. You can melt them in a cup of water before you arrive at the exam room and drink them to refresh your mind. "Tian Xiaozao said, and stuffed the wind oil and mints into Zhang Shenfei's pocket.

"Yes, these are all useful things." Tang Danniu interrupted as she helped Zhang Shenfei pack the things he would need for the exam, "This is your admission ticket, pen, and ink for the exam. I prepared them all for you and put them in this cloth bag. I also brought you some extra ones as a backup."

Just last month, when the sixth child took the midterm exam, I reminded him many times, but he still forgot to bring a pen, and he ended up getting a bad score, which really pissed me off."

Tang Danniu became angrier and angrier as she spoke, so she grabbed the fourth brother Zhang Fenjin who was eating fried dough sticks and gave him a big slap.

Zhang Fenjin covered his head, aggrieved: "..."

Second uncle took the exam, sixth brother got nothing, and then you beat me???
Zhang Shenfei rolled his eyes speechlessly: "Sister-in-law, Lao Liu is only eight years old this year, why are you comparing me with him?"

He is already such a grown-up, why does his family treat him like a child just because he is taking an exam? ?
But Tang Danniu didn't care about that and kept saying that she was only afraid of the worst.

He packed up the things needed for the exam and asked Zhang Shenliang to personally take his brother to the exam.

"That's not necessary, right? It only takes me about ten minutes to ride my bike to the examination room." Zhang Shenfei muttered while chewing on a fried dough stick.

"That won't work. There are so many ox carts, donkey carts, horse carts and even trucks on the road. What if you ride a bicycle and accidentally hit a cow?
We won’t talk about what happens if someone gets hit, but it will be troublesome if the exam is delayed.” Tang Daniu waved her hand.

Her husband had already taken a leave of absence yesterday to serve as his brother's driver during the exam period.

Zhang Shenfei was about to argue a few more words, but Grandma Zhang took away her pipe, blew out a smoke ring and said: "Your sister-in-law is right, listen to your sister-in-law."

have to,
Zhang Shenfei was completely speechless.

He stuffed the last bite of the fried dough stick into his mouth and drank the remaining half bowl of soy milk.

Zhang Shenliang stood up hurriedly when he saw this: "Let's go, Dafei, let's go to the examination room now."

Zhang Shenfei looked at his watch speechlessly, then stretched out his wrist to his elder brother: "Take a look!!"

The exam starts at 8 o'clock and it's only 6:50 now.

"It's better to arrive early than late. Even if you arrive early and have to wait at the entrance of the examination room, it is better than being late." Zhang Shenliang grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him out without saying a word.

The two brothers rode their bicycles towards the examination hall in the cool breeze of the summer morning.

While pedaling his pedals, Zhang Shenliang asked his younger brother how his volunteer applications were going and whether there were any problems.

"I applied half a month in advance. I applied to three schools: Yenching University, Qinghua University, and Imperial University of Peking."

"They are all good schools. Can you get in?" As soon as Zhang Shenliang said this, he wanted to slap himself a few times.

Today is the day of my younger brother's college entrance examination. How could I have accidentally told the truth?
Isn't this destroying people's mentality?

Zhang Shenfei smiled indifferently: "It's not a big problem. I think I can get into the Imperial University of Peking at least this time."

Imperial University of Peking, what a great place!!!

Because of Zhang Shenliang's urging, the two brothers only showed up at seven o'clock when they arrived at the examination room.

Even though it was still early, the place was already bustling with candidates and their families.

Zhang Shenliang couldn't help but feel proud when he saw this, and he looked like a prophet:

"See? I told you that you can't be late for such an important exam."

Zhang Shenfei ignored his elder brother and instead observed the candidates coming to take the exam.

In this era, there is no such thing as fresh graduates and repeaters. Anyone who wants to take the exam can sign up.

But looking at the scene, most of the people taking the exam are high school graduates of that year.

Their young faces are filled with nervousness and uneasiness, but their youth cannot be hidden.

In this era where graduating from junior high school is considered a high level of education, these people are the pillars of the country. Zhang Shenfei couldn't help but sigh.

"Hello, are you Comrade Zhang Shenfei?" A girl with pigtails and a white dress with red flowers suddenly came over and asked.

Zhang Shenfei recalled in his mind, but still couldn't remember who this person was, so he replied a little embarrassedly: "I am Zhang Shenfei, do you know me?"

The girl smiled with her eyebrows curved: "Comrade Zhang Shenfei, have you really forgotten me? How about you think about it carefully again?"

(End of this chapter)