The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 454: The College Entrance Examination is Resumed!!!
That summer, Yang Xiaotong, who was sweating in the fields, heard an exciting good news on the radio - Xia Guo decided to restore the college entrance examination system from that year!
Yang Xiaotong was born in the mid-1950s. The year she graduated from high school, she responded to the country's call for "educated youth to go to the countryside to receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants" and came to Sbei to work in the countryside.

Yang Xiaotong was born into a family of senior intellectuals. Her father and mother were both university professors and teachers, so Yang Xiaotong's wish since childhood was to go to college.

Before going to the countryside, Yang Xiaotong's bag contained, in addition to some clothes for changing, several books on self-study for young people. She loved learning so much that she was unwilling to give up studying at any time.

At that time, she thought: As long as there are books around her, her thoughts will have something to rest on, and the days in the countryside will not be so empty and boring.

In fact, during her high school years, the studious Yang Xiaotong always ranked among the top students in her studies. Although she was full of talent, she had to bury her "college entrance examination dream" deep in her heart because...

At this time, Yang Xiaotong was doing boring farm work every day, feeling confused.

She once thought that the best job she could get in the future would be a salesperson, or she would have to spend her whole life in the countryside working with a hoe.

However, when chatting with other educated youth, she learned that if they performed well and accumulated a high number of work points, they could be rated as advanced and have the opportunity to go to university!

After hearing the news, Yang Xiaotong secretly worked hard. After more than a year of hard work, although she had accumulated far more work points than others, she still missed the only chance to go to college.

Therefore, Yang Xiaotong, who felt that his future was bleak before the New Year, gave up the idea of ​​going to college.

She chose to accept her fate and finally decided to marry Jia Banggeng, an educated youth who also came from Beijing, intending to stay there peacefully.

Although Banggeng has limited knowledge, he often has difficulty in synchronizing his thoughts with Yang Xiaotong, as if they are not on the same channel.

However, Bang Geng is born with the ability to make girls happy, and he can always please people easily.

It was with this unique charm that he successfully won the heart of the inexperienced Yang Xiaotong.

Bang Geng, who successfully married the beauty, was envied by all the educated youth and local young people.

Who is Yang Xiaotong?

She is the best among this group of young people. Not only is she outstanding in appearance, but she is also talented and is recognized by everyone as a talented woman.

Unexpectedly, such an outstanding woman was taken away by Bang Geng and successfully won her heart.

Bang Geng, feeling very proud of himself, decided to strike while the iron was hot and propose to Yang Xiaotong to avoid any further complications.

So, at the beginning of the year, after writing a letter to their families, they walked into the marriage hall hand in hand and officially registered their marriage.

In the early days of their marriage, the couple lived a harmonious life. They loved each other and were extremely sweet.

However, as time went by, Banggeng's true face gradually revealed himself: he was lazy and greedy!

All this made Yang Xiaotong feel deeply regretful. She never expected that she would marry such a man.

But now that things have come to this, the die is cast and there is no point in regretting. She can only accept this reality silently.

Until Yang Xiaotong heard the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination on the radio, she was so excited that she instantly had a new idea.

Yang Xiaotong, without hesitation, wrote a letter to her parents in order to learn more about the details of the resumption of the college entrance examination.

Soon, Yang Xiaotong received a letter from home.

In the letter, Yang Xiaotong's father told her that the first college entrance examination would be held in December of that year, and he strongly advised her to take the college entrance examination so that she could change her destiny.

Yang Xiaotong made up her mind. She quickly contacted several other educated youth in the team who were interested in taking the college entrance examination and paid the registration fee.

Afterwards, Yang Xiaotong returned home full of joy and couldn't wait to share this exciting good news with Banggeng.

However, what Yang Xiaotong did not expect was that Banggeng's reaction was beyond her expectations.

"I absolutely disagree!" Bang Geng said firmly, "Xiaotong, we live well here, why do you want to take the college entrance examination?"

"Do you want to leave this place?" Bang Geng was a little excited, and then added, "I tell you, that's absolutely impossible!"

Banggeng was filled with worries. He had managed to keep Yang Xiaotong by his side with great difficulty, but now she wanted to pursue higher dreams. What if she really got into university and never came back?
Bang Geng is selfish by nature. He would rather Yang Xiaotong stay with him forever than see her have a brighter future.

Yang Xiaotong had never expected that Banggeng would be so selfish. He only cared about himself and was indifferent to his own future.

This discovery instantly chilled Yang Xiaotong's heart. The atmosphere between the two of them dropped to freezing point and they eventually parted on bad terms.

From that day on, Yang Xiaotong, in anger, resolutely moved back to the female educated youth's cave and completely cut off contact with Banggeng. It seemed as if an invisible high wall was built between the two of them, and the cold war began.

Finally, Banggeng gave in, as he was afraid that in the end, nothing would be done.

However, he made an agreement with Yang Xiaotong that Yang Xiaotong must take the entrance exam to a university in Beijing.

Banggeng wanted to go back and take over, so the two of them had to stay closer to the ground.

Yang Xiaotong readily agreed, this must be the best solution.

After resolving their misunderstandings, the two became friends again.

During the day, Yang Xiaotong worked hard to do her job. At night, under the dim light, Yang Xiaotong opened an old book and immersed herself in absorbing knowledge, eagerly.

With still a few months to go before the exam, Yang Xiaotong and other educated youth preparing to take the college entrance examination began to take leave frequently to prepare for the exam.

Her parents in Beijing fully supported her. Not only did they try their best to provide logistical support, they also went through a lot of trouble to find several original college entrance examination papers from ten years ago for their daughter.

Yang Xiaotong cherishes time as if it were gold and studies day and night. She goes all out just to get into university as she wishes.

Although the educated youth were preparing for the exam with all their might, the candidates of this session were the most nervous.

There are no teachers to provide pre-exam tutoring and guidance, there is a lack of systematic review materials for various subjects, and most people have not touched a book, paper, or pen for a long time.

The country, which was in a state of disrepair, was in desperate need of talent, and the educated youth were full of expectations for the first year of the resumed college entrance examination.

For a time, thousands and thousands of aspiring young people like Yang Xiaotong from north to south of Xia country seized the time to sail in the ocean of knowledge, chasing each other, intending to successfully turn the rudder of their destiny in this examination hall that determines their lives.

…………

The State Council of the Xia State Council approved the Ministry of Culture and Education's "Opinions on the Enrollment of Colleges and Universities This Year", which stipulated that all workers, farmers, educated youth who went to the countryside or returned home, demobilized soldiers, cadres and recent graduates who meet the requirements can apply for the exam.

For a time, the whole country was in an uproar.

Countless young people who had been struggling in confusion and hardship finally saw hope: an era has arrived where they can change their destiny through fair competition!
An exam this year changed the fate of many people:

Zhang Yimou took the college entrance examination in 77 and was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy;

Painter Luo Zhongli took the college entrance examination in 77 and was admitted to Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts;
Qian Yingyi, the dean of Huaqing School of Economics and Management, also took the college entrance examination in 77 and was admitted to Huaqing University...

This year, as soon as a set of review materials for the "Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry" came out, the whole family immediately lined up to buy it overnight. The printing factory worked day and night to print it, but it was still in short supply.

Some people held small stools because there were so many people and everyone came to line up in the middle of the night.

In the past few years, the university enrollment plan in one province of Xiaguo was less than 2 people.

Since there was a break of more than ten years, there were many people applying for the exam this year, with approximately five to six million people participating.

It's really like a huge army crossing a single-plank bridge!
This was an unprecedented scene. What was interesting was that many fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers, sisters, teachers and students, and couples entered the same examination room hand in hand.

……

Last year, Xiaguo no longer required educated youth to go to the countryside.

Therefore, Zheng Chaoyang, a soldier, arranged for his son Zheng Haisheng, who was about to graduate from high school, to join the army in the fall.

Being a soldier is a pretty good career.

But when it came to graduation season in June, Zheng Haisheng still firmly chose to settle down and become an educated youth.

Zheng Haisheng said that he wanted to walk independently and practice hard on his own.

Perhaps he was greatly influenced by his mother Bai Ling, who required Zheng Haisheng to do everything he could independently after he was 8 years old, so he learned to mend clothes at a young age.

The scene of leaving school for the countryside is still vivid in my mind. Zheng Haisheng and two other male and three female classmates sat in a horse-drawn carriage with red flowers on their chests, and teachers and students beat drums and gongs and lined the streets to see them off. It was so lively and exciting!

However, neither Zheng Chaoyang nor Bai Ling were present, nor did they prepare bedding for Zheng Haisheng. They might have been disappointed in him.

Only after going to the countryside did I realize how hard life there is.

The youth center is a room on the west side of the tile-making house. It has a large earthen kang with a wooden partition in the middle. Two boys live outside and three girls live inside. They have to heat the kang themselves.

How to eat was the first problem to be solved. In the end, it was agreed that female classmate Sun Wen would cook and everyone would share the work.

Next to the youth center is a public toilet. When the steaming buns are served, flies swarm over them. A bell made of Japanese shells hangs next to the youth center. It is so loud that the captain's heart almost jumps out when he rings it!

During the busy season of land shoveling in the summer, Zheng Haisheng and his colleagues have to get up at 2:30 in the morning and must leave the village to reach the fields by 3:30, otherwise their work points will be deducted.

Sun Wen got up at 11: the night before to cook. At o'clock the next morning, she packed the noodles and pickles with newspapers, put one portion for each person on the table, and then went to bed.

The food Sun Wen cooks is very delicious, especially the steamed buns, which are so tasty.

In the summer, there were many mosquitoes, and Zheng Haisheng didn't sleep well all night. He held the paper bag and carried the hoe, almost sleeping while walking.

While I was working, the weather suddenly changed.

The heavy rain soaked me thoroughly, and the hail made me cover my head with my hands. Because the road was long and the wilderness was vast, I could only endure it. There were a lot of mosquitoes in the rural areas of the north, and that's how I learned the bad habit of smoking.

Once when they were pulling wheat, the girls had to help because they were unable to tighten the rope. When Zheng Haisheng helped the second classmate, he suddenly felt darkness and fell down. He was rushed to the brigade clinic and realized for the first time that he had heatstroke.

In the cold winter, when the temperature is more than 30 degrees below zero and the smoke is so strong that we can't open our eyes, we still have to go out into the wild to dig manure and make fertilizer.

Liu Haisheng has done everything from planting in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in autumn to delivering crops in winter, leaving him with countless scars and cuts. Going to the countryside has made him develop a character that is not afraid of hardships.

Since going to the countryside, he has never asked his parents for money, and at the end of the year he had more than 100 yuan left from his work points and dividends, which was a lot in those days.

Zheng Haisheng joined the party in high school and was also the leader of the youth team. He was a person of "good family background and good seedlings" and was soon selected to join the county's "basic education team."

The conditions in the countryside are very poor, with several people sharing one quilt.

The basic education team has strict "three sames" requirements: eating, living and working together, so Liu Haisheng has a basic understanding of the farmers.

This hard life is a lifelong one for farmers, but they remain optimistic, hardworking and helpful.

Farmers would only kill a pig to eat meat during the Chinese New Year, but they would often invite Liu Haisheng to their homes to eat "pig-killing dishes" and chat about family matters. It was common for him to help the educated youth with their daily work.

After a year in the countryside, Zheng Haisheng realized that life there was too hard and he regretted his decision.

Until a rumor came out that the college entrance examination would be resumed, Liu Haisheng was overjoyed!

Everyone was very excited and ready to take the exam. After hearing the official broadcast announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination, Liu Haisheng and five other educated youth began to study late into the night.

We worked hard together and finally gathered the textbooks together, but the truth is that no matter how you ask me or I ask you, no one knows how to do it! I was only six months away from my senior year, and my foundation was not good. In addition, I had almost forgotten everything, so I had no choice but to go back to school to ask the teachers for help.

Zheng Chaoyang and Bai Ling had already forgiven their son in their hearts. When they learned that Zheng Haisheng was about to return to take the crucial college entrance examination, their joy was beyond words.

"Haisheng, Dad will find a good place for you to review your lessons. I guarantee that the effect will be much better than if you study hard alone!" Zheng Chaoyang said expectantly.

When Zheng Haisheng heard this, a smile immediately broke out on his face: "That's great, Dad, where do you plan to let me go to review?"

Bai Ling, who was standing nearby, also cast a curious look and waited quietly for Zheng Chaoyang's answer.

Zheng Chaoyang smiled slightly and said confidently, "Where else could it be? Of course, I'll go to your Uncle Liu's house!"

Zheng Haisheng was stunned when he heard this, and then he reacted: "The Uncle Liu you are talking about, do you mean Uncle Liu Zhiye?"

Bai Ling was the first to react. She nodded and said, "Oh, that's right. He has a high school teacher and a university professor at home. He can tutor Haisheng. It's easy for him!"

Then, she urged Zheng Chaoyang: "Hurry up and call Lao Liu and tell him about this!"

Liu Haisheng was also very happy to hear this, he was familiar with Uncle Liu's house and had often gone there when he was a child. There were all kinds of delicious food and fun things there, which was much better than his own home.

Zheng Chaoyang responded, "Okay, I'll call right away!" After that, he stood up, walked towards the study, picked up the phone from the table, and skillfully dialed Liu's home number.

Coincidentally, Liu Zhiye was relaxing at home that day, enjoying his rare leisure time.

The phone rang suddenly, Liu Zhiye picked up the receiver and asked lazily, "Hello, who is this?"

Zheng Chaoyang's familiar and slightly teasing voice came from the microphone: "Commander Liu, it's me, Old Zheng!"

When Liu Zhiye heard that it was Zheng Chaoyang, he couldn't help but laugh and jokingly said, "Hey, Old Zheng, you called me at this time, are you here to report to me about your work?"

Zheng Chaoyang was speechless: "..."

“Hahaha…” Liu Zhiye laughed heartily for a while, then asked calmly, “Okay, stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me what’s going on.”

Zheng Chaoyang pretended to be relaxed and said jokingly, "Why, can't I just give you a call to reminisce about the past?"

Hearing this, Liu Zhiye curled his lips slightly, and said in a teasing and busy tone: "Don't tease me, Chaoyang. Let's get down to business. I'm busy here. If there's really nothing else, I'll really hang up. Let's talk another day!"

Zheng Chaoyang smiled helplessly and said, "Okay, okay, there's really nothing I can do about you. The thing is, the college entrance examination is about to be resumed, but Haisheng hasn't touched a book for more than a year..."

When Liu Zhiye heard this, he immediately understood the whole story. He nodded and responded straightforwardly: "Oh, so that's what happened. This matter is not difficult to handle. I will talk to my parents at home tomorrow. You wait for my reply!"

A few days later, Zheng Haisheng moved into the Liu family compound.

I usually attend classes as a transfer student in the senior class of Liujiazhuang High School. In the evenings and on holidays, I have to receive extra lessons from Professor Cui, Liu Jingzhai and other seniors, so my schedule is fully scheduled.

However, he is not alone, because there is also Liu Shuxian, the younger sister of the Liu family who is about to enter her third year of high school, in the same situation.

This made Zheng Haisheng feel a little secretly happy. He didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain.

Liu Shuxian, who is about to become a senior high school student, has really changed a lot as she grows up. She has become more and more outstanding and her appearance has become more and more beautiful. She is exactly like her aunt Gan Ning when she was young, and is very beautiful.

Liu Shuxian is excellent in all aspects except for one thing which is slightly lacking, that is her temper, which is indeed a little bit docile.

Liu Shuxian has inherited her father Liu Zhiye's temper since she was young and is very competitive in everything.

The only thing is that she doesn't like studying very much.

This matter made her mother Gan Ning very worried. Whenever she mentioned her daughter's learning attitude, Gan Ning always frowned and had a headache.

As she is about to enter her third year of high school, Liu Shuxian's academic performance is still mediocre.

Coincidentally, Zheng Haisheng came to Liujiazhuang to ask the child’s grandfather for extra lessons.

It doesn’t matter whether you let one sheep go or a flock of sheep go!
This child could no longer be left alone, so Gan Ning got ruthless and forced Liu Shuxian to go to the cram school with her.

With her father not at home, Liu Shuxian had no one to support her and felt helpless!

Autumn is coming soon, and Liu Zhiye is even busier at this time.

Because it is the time of year again for new recruits to join the army.

One day in early August, Liu Zhiye and his party came to the "Guard of Honor Camp" of the 1st Guard Division for inspection.

This battalion was the predecessor of the later famous "Guard of Honor".

Today, a group of soldiers in their twenties are marching in step while shouting slogans on the training ground of the Guard of Honor Brigade under the scorching sun.

The commander of the "Guard of Honor Battalion" told Liu Zhiye and other leaders that most of the soldiers in front of them were first-year soldiers who joined the army at the beginning of this year.

They are participating in the second batch of backbone training team this year.

These days, the training conditions in the army are somewhat poor.

These first-year soldiers spend their training time on a farm in Huangcun.

It was freezing cold at the time. There was a fire in the bungalow and we slept on a large bunk bed. I washed my face in the yard in the morning. If I was slow the towel would freeze hard. I brushed my teeth three times each, up, down, left and right, and then I was done with the towel.

The training of the honor guards is boring and harsh, and their cotton coats are wet from the inside out after a whole day.

After the recruit training, they are assigned to the company for gun training. It will take at least half a year to meet the requirements for carrying out the mission.

The three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight. One minute on stage is the result of ten years of hard work off stage. Training in holding guns, goose-stepping, marching in unison, saluting with guns, and parade, a pair of leather shoes can be worn out in two months.

Hands, shoulders, and hips were swollen and blue, a common occurrence.

When athlete's foot flared up while training in leather shoes, I would use a needle to scratch my feet until they bled.

If you have bow legs, tie your legs with backpack straps before sleeping.

Anyone with poor military posture should practice standing at the foot of the wall, put a stone under the right arm when carrying a gun, and put a small wooden stick on the waist...

(End of this chapter)