Siheyuan: Return to the Era of Prosperity

Chapter 60 Exam
Before we knew it, it was already summer 1959.

His younger sister Shen Zhifang is about to face the entrance examination, so Shen Zhiyu thought he would make something delicious for them today to nourish them.

Shen Zhiyu first went to the central courtyard to fill the water tank with water, and then closed the doors and windows. This way, the aroma of the rice would not spread throughout the courtyard, causing jealousy from others and ultimately causing trouble.

He decided to make some braised lamb chops for his younger brother and sister. As for where the lamb came from, it was naturally raised in the space.

Once he went to the village, bought two lambs and put them in the space.

The ratio of system time to outside time is one to three. The sheep he bought in the early spring of this year have now grown into fat and strong sheep.

It's a pity that both of them were breeding sheep. He kept one of them, and the other one was fanned into a mutton sheep. He slaughtered the mutton sheep some time ago.

Shen Zhiyu first put water in the pot, cut the lamb chops into pieces, put them into the pot with cold water, and added onions and ginger to remove the fishy smell.

After the water boils, skim off the foam and take out the lamb chops.

Then pour a little bit of oil and add pepper, chili and other condiments and stir-fry until fragrant.

Then add the lamb chops and start stir-frying. After a while, you can smell the aroma of lamb.

At this time, my younger brothers and sisters came back and started knocking on the door.

Shen Zhiyu opened the door and said, "Come in quickly and close the door from the inside."

The three of them also knew that as long as they had something delicious to eat, the elder brother would ask the door to be closed. Otherwise, someone might come and give him food, leaving them with nothing to eat. It would be impolite not to give him food, so closing the door was the best way.

"Brother, did you cook mutton?" Shen Zhihua asked excitedly.

"Well, the meal will be ready in a while, you three should go study first." Shen Zhiyu said.

The younger sister Shen Zhiwen said: "Brother, how can I concentrate on studying when I smell such delicious meat?"

Shen Zhifang and Shen Zhihua also nodded in agreement, which was rare.

Shen Zhiyu looked at his younger brothers and sisters and knew that they were not focused on studying, so he stopped forcing them.

Seeing that the mutton had been fried, Shen Zhiyu poured some water into the pot, and then began to add long strips of onion, ginger, salt and other condiments, and then simmered it over low heat.

Shen Zhiyu sent Shen Zhihua to cut some potatoes and radishes, waiting to cut them into pieces and put them into the mutton.

He kneaded the dough evenly and started steaming the buns.

The mutton became more fragrant as it stewed. Shen Zhiyu closed the door and windows, but the good ingredients and cooking skills still made the mutton so fragrant that the aroma still filled the yard.

The third uncle Yan Bugui is distributing the fried dough twists that he had obtained from Yi Zhonghai.

Suddenly, I smelled a fragrance. I stood up, opened the door, and followed the smell. It was Shen Zhiyu's house.

It smells really good, with a strong flavor of mutton. The third uncle's family starts to salivate, as they haven't eaten meat for a long time.

"Dad, how often can we eat meat? We haven't had any oil or water in our family for two months. Look, we have all lost weight." Yan Jiecheng said as he smelled the mutton from Shen Zhiyu's house.

"Go, what's the point of eating meat? With your dad's salary, it's good enough that he was able to raise you guys." The third aunt said with a look of disgust.

"Leave the door open and smell the mutton as if it were meat." Yan Bugui said.

Shen Zhihua was standing in front of the stove, waiting for the mutton in the pot, his saliva almost all over the floor.

"Brother, I feel like I can eat now."

Shen Zhifang looked at his brother with disdain and said, "You've said this at least eighty times. Can you show some promise?"

Shen Zhiyu was very happy watching his brothers and sisters joking around. They had finally come out of the shadow of their parents' death, and his efforts of dropping out of technical secondary school had paid off.

"Zhifang, clean up the dishes and prepare to eat."

"I'll do it." Shen Zhihua was quite enthusiastic about eating.

"Brother, the food you cook is really delicious." Sister Shen Zhiwen was eating meat and kept talking. "If it's delicious, eat more." Shen Zhiyu picked up another piece of good meat for his sister.

"Zhifang, you will have an exam in two days. How are your preparations going?" Shen Zhiyu asked with concern.

Shen Zhifang wiped his mouth and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely pass the exam."

Even though he knew his sister was a good student, Shen Zhiyu still felt nervous.

It has become a habit for the four brothers and sisters to study together after dinner.

……

Jia Dongxu briefly told Yi Zhonghai what had happened in the steel rolling mill and the compound in the six months since Yi Zhonghai left, so that Yi Zhonghai could have an idea.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Dongxu, who was so thin, and gave the old lady a reproachful look. He then took out half a bag of corn flour from the jar and handed it to Jia Dongxu.

"Dongxu, take this little bit of noodles back."

"Master, what are you going to do then?" Jia Dongxu asked despite his desire in his heart.

Yi Zhonghai smiled and said, "It's okay. The master has more money than you."

As soon as Jia Dongxu left, Yi Zhonghai began to criticize the lady, saying, "Dongxu has become so thin, and you didn't help him."

"Yes, I helped. I would occasionally give Huairu some cornmeal. The old lady said that she wanted to train Dongxu and let him be self-reliant. I thought about it and it made sense. Later, I gave less."

"You! Dongxu is our elderly caregiver. How can we not eat enough? What should we do if something happens?"

"The deaf old lady said that Sha Zhu is reliable. I also think Sha Zhu is good. He is a chef and he won't starve."

"Shazhu is a sincere kid, but he is also very reckless. Who knows when he will cause a disaster? He is not a good person."

Nothing major happened on the first day of Yi Zhonghai's return.

The only thing that changed was the Jia family, who finally dared to eat a full meal.

The next day, the four brothers and sisters had breakfast and went their separate ways.

Shen Zhiyu rode his bike to Sijiucheng Vocational and Technical College. He was going to take an exam today. After passing the exam, he and his classmates would obtain a secondary technical school diploma.

When Shen Zhiyu arrived, the students were still in class. He did not disturb them and went straight to the office of the head teacher Wu Maozhen.

Wu Maozhen was very happy to see that it was Shen Zhiyu.

When Shen Zhiyu dropped out of technical secondary school, everyone felt sorry for a while, but it was also understandable. After all, not everyone can adjust in such a short time.

Now he has special permission to take the exam, and as long as he passes, he can get a diploma. This can be regarded as a disguised teaching reform.

Wu Maozhen brought Shen Zhiyu to the office of the Dean of Studies Wei Guoyong and told the Dean that the exam could begin.

Shen Zhiyu took the exam in the teachers' office. More than a dozen teachers were staring at one person. Most people would be alert, but he did not react at all and answered the questions asked seriously.

Shen Zhiyu’s self-study during this period was not in vain. The exam content was quite simple and he finished all the courses before the morning.

After saying goodbye to his teacher, he returned to school and the classroom for the first time since his time travel.

Seeing that it was Shen Zhiyu, everyone quickly gathered around him and asked him about his situation over the past year.

Everyone was very happy to learn that Shen Zhiyu was coming to school for an exam today and would get a technical secondary school diploma as long as he passed the exam.

We are all students, there is not so much dirtiness and twists and turns, the main focus is on intimacy and purity.

He had lunch in the school cafeteria at noon, so he had to wait until the afternoon to know his grades.

(End of this chapter)