Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

On the day of the mock exam, before dawn, lights were already on in the backyard of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Zhao Xiaomei sat on the steps with her books in her arms, reciting political texts aloud.

Last night, she reviewed the last big question four times, and as a result, she dreamt about fill-in-the-blank questions in the middle of the night.

"Still carrying it?" Li Hongmei came out yawning.

"Memorize another half page." Zhao Xiaomei held the book up high. "We'll leave after you finish this page."

Li Hongmei laughed: "You said the same thing yesterday."

The sky gradually turned white.

The warehouse door opened, and Lin Xiuhe pushed her bicycle out. Her cloth bag was already packed—exam admission ticket, pen, pencil, eraser, everything was there.

She checked it again and buttoned it up again.

Zhao Xiaomei immediately stood up: "Sister Xiuhe, I've finished reciting."

"Then let's go."

Two bicycles drove out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, but students could already be seen on the road. Some walked, some cycled, and some parents accompanied them all the way to the highway entrance.

No one dared to take the first county-wide mock exam after the resumption of the college entrance examination lightly.

The entrance to the county's No. 1 Middle School was packed with people.

In front of the bulletin board, many people were looking for their exam venue.

Examination Room 1, Examination Room 2, Examination Room 3—the list of names covered the entire wall.

Zhao Xiaomei carried her admission ticket and searched all the way there. She quickly found her name: Third Examination Room, Second Row.

She let out a long sigh of relief: "Found it."

After saying that, she became nervous again, and the admission ticket in her hand was already creased from being squeezed.

Lin Xiuhe walked straight towards the teaching building.

The first examination room is on the second floor.

A proctor was standing at the stairwell, checking the list.

As soon as she reached the door, she saw a familiar figure—Lin Weidong.

He was wearing a new shirt today, and his hair was styled nicely. Several students who knew him were standing around him, talking to him.

"I heard you got first place in the last assessment?"

"almost."

"Was that close to a perfect score in math?"

"good."

Lin Weidong spoke casually, but he couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

Just then, the proctor began calling roll.

"Lin Xiuhe".

"arrive."

"Lin Weidong".

"arrive."

The two names appeared one after the other.

Many people in the corridor turned their heads because the recent turmoil in the commune had already reached the county.

Some people recognized Lin Xiuhe, and others recognized Lin Weidong.

After looking at the list, the proctor waved his hand and said, "Go in."

The classroom door opened. The first examination room was officially revealed, filled with top students.

Almost everyone in the front and back rows had a book in their hands—some were memorizing formulas, some were looking at essay materials, and some were trying to recall key points with their eyes closed.

Lin Xiuhe found her seat: first row, by the window.

Lin Weidong was right next to him; the two tables were separated only by an aisle.

After he sat down, he took out his math notebook from his bag and turned to the last page.

It had a line of text written on it: "Number one in the whole county."

The bell suddenly rang.

Ring ring—

The entire teaching building fell silent at the same time.

The proctor started curling his hair. First subject, Chinese.

The exam papers were passed down one by one, the sound of paper rubbing together creating a continuous chorus.

Lin Xiuhe took the test paper and first turned to the last page—the essay question.

The moment she saw the title, her pen stopped next to it.

She had seen this topic before in her past life, more than once.

Outside the window, the May wind blew across the playground, rustling the treetops and the red flag on the back wall of the classroom.

The proctor stood in front of the podium, glanced at the clock, and then announced, "The exam begins."

brush.

The sound of pens falling filled the classroom at the same time.

In the first row, Lin Xiuhe had already written the first line of text.

A few minutes later, Lin Weidong stopped writing—because the last question in the reading comprehension section on the third page was different from what he had expected.

*******

The only sound in the classroom was the scribbling of pens across paper.

The first page.

Page 2.

Page 3.

Lin Xiuhe's speed has always been very steady.

One problem after another was solved.

There was no pause, no going back to check.

Because she had practiced many things countless times.

Beside him, Lin Weidong flipped to the reading comprehension section.

The first few questions went smoothly.

Author background.

Central idea.

Paragraph function.

The answer requires almost no thought.

But the last question...

His pen stopped in the blank space.

The question consists of only one sentence: Based on the entire text, discuss your understanding of "road".

There is no standard answer.

There is no fixed format.

These types of questions are the easiest to differentiate between candidates.

Lin Weidong read the article again.

I watched it a second time.

Time passed little by little.

The proctor stepped down from the podium.

Footsteps moved back and forth in the classroom.

The people in the first examination room are all very strong.

But the more this happens, the easier it is to get stuck on a single question.

Lin Weidong wrote the first sentence.

Crossed out again.

Rewrite it.

Cross it out again.

Several black lines quickly appeared on the paper.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuhe had already turned to the essay.

The title is: "Choice".

She looked at those two words, and then her pen fell to the ground.

The first sentence fills the entire first line.

In her past life, she actually hated this word.

Because many times, she had no choice at all.

Give up the job.

The salary is handed over.

Time will give it a chance.

Life is also given away.

But this life is different.

She was finally able to choose for herself.

The sunlight outside the window moved little by little.

The air in the classroom was getting hotter and hotter.

People in the back row were already wiping their sweat.

The pressure in the first exam room was greater than anyone imagined.

When the bell rang, there were still thirty minutes left before the exam ended.

The proctor reminded students: "Pay attention to the time. Those who haven't finished their essays yet, hurry up."

Lin Weidong looked up at Zhong, then lowered his head again.

I haven't finished answering the last question of the reading comprehension.

I only wrote half of the essay.

For the first time, he felt a sense of urgency.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuhe had already begun her examination.

Reading comprehension, appreciation of classical poetry, and correction of spelling errors in composition.

Let's look at them one by one.

The speed was not fast, but nothing was missed.

A gust of wind blew in through the window, lifting the corner of the exam paper slightly.

She reached out and pressed it down.

My gaze fell on the last sentence of the essay, lingering for two seconds.

Then add a line afterward.

Time continued to pass.

The last ten minutes.

The breathing in the classroom became heavier.

Someone is flipping through the exam papers.

Some people are frantically rushing to finish their essays.

Some people are even staring blankly at the reading comprehension passages.

The proctor reminded them again, "There are five minutes left."

This time, Lin Weidong finally finished writing the last question.

As the pen tip wrote the last character, sweat beaded on his forehead.

He put down his pen and looked to the side.

Lin Xiuhe's exam paper had already been turned back to the first page, indicating that she had checked it a long time ago.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.

"Please stop answering questions."

The proctors began collecting the exam papers.

A long sigh of exhalation suddenly filled the classroom.

Many people simply lay down on the table.

Some people were rubbing their wrists.

The Chinese language class is over.

But what was truly frustrating was that reading comprehension question.

After the exam papers were collected, the students left the classroom one after another.

The corridor quickly became lively.

"How did you write the last question?"

"I write about the path of life."

"I write about national development."

"Oh no, I wrote it as an ideal."

Answers are being compared everywhere.

As soon as Lin Weidong stepped out the door, he was surrounded by several students.

"What direction should we choose for the last question?"

"You definitely write well."

"Tell me quickly."

Lin Weidong stuffed his exam admission ticket into his backpack and walked down the corridor toward the stairwell.

"We'll talk about it after the results are out."

The students had no choice but to follow.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaomei ran out of the third examination room.

The first thing I said to Lin Xiuhe was, "I know how to write the essay!"

After saying that, he laughed first, and laughed very happily.

I practiced similar problems a while ago, so I can use them today.

"What about the last question?" Lin Xiuhe asked.

Zhao Xiaomei's smile froze instantly. She scratched her head: "Um... I went off-topic."

The two walked together toward the playground.

The crowd surged out like a tide.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out at the other end of the teaching building.

Many students ran over there.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Xiaomei asked on tiptoe.

"Has someone fainted?"

"No. The grade predictions have been posted!"

The news spread instantly.

More and more people rushed toward the bulletin board.

The mock exam had just finished one subject when the county's No. 1 High School actually released a prediction list in advance.

Zhao Xiaomei grabbed the book and ran over there, but turned back after a few steps.

"Quick, quick! Go check it out!"

At the very top of the bulletin board, a blank sheet of paper had just been pasted up.

The title consists of only one line:

List of Key Candidates to Pay Attention to in the First Examination Room

First line: Lin Weidong.

Second line: Lin Xiuhe.