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

Eight days after the college entrance examination ended, the county issued the college application confirmation forms.

When the news reached Hongqi Commune, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Many people are seeing this for the first time in their lives—just a few thin sheets of paper that determine where they will go in the future.

At nine o'clock in the morning, staff from the Education Bureau delivered the application forms to the commune. Captain Wang received them personally and then notified all candidates to collect them.

In the supply and marketing cooperative's warehouse, Zhao Xiaomei held the forms she had just received and looked at them over and over again more than a dozen times.

First page: Name, age, and exam number.

Page 2: Application Form - First Choice, Second Choice, Third Choice, with the major listed after the school.

Zhao Xiaomei became increasingly nervous as she looked at the document: "Sister Xiuhe, I suddenly feel that even filling out college applications is harder than taking exams."

Li Hongmei laughed from the side, "Haven't you always wanted to go to university?"

"I may think about it, but if I really had to choose, I wouldn't know which one to pick." Zhao Xiaomei scratched her head.

After she finished speaking, she carefully unfolded the form: "How about teacher training? Nursing? Accounting?" Questions came one after another, and the warehouse became lively.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door. Zhou Zhiyuan had returned.

He was noticeably thinner than when he last left. The cuffs of his military green shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and he was carrying a file folder in his hand.

"Comrade Zhou!" Zhao Xiaomei exclaimed as if she'd seen a savior. "Quickly, help me figure out how to fill out my college application!"

Zhou Zhiyuan took the form and looked it over carefully: "What do you like?"

"Me?" Zhao Xiaomei was stumped. From childhood to adulthood, very few people had ever asked her what she liked.

After a long pause, she finally said, "I like my teacher."

Why?

"Teachers can not only teach, but also help others read."

After Zhao Xiaomei finished speaking, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Then fill in teacher's college." Zhou Zhiyuan handed the form back. "You'll be a teacher in the future."

Zhao Xiaomei's eyes lit up immediately, as if she had finally found the right direction: "It really works?"

"Why not?"

One sentence made her hold the form and grin like an idiot for ages.

Li Hongmei, who was standing next to her, laughed and said, "Then we'll have to call you Teacher Zhao from now on."

Zhao Xiaomei blushed immediately. The atmosphere in the warehouse became much more relaxed.

At this moment, Zhou Zhiyuan took out the "Compilation of Majors in Key Universities Nationwide" from the file bag and placed it in front of Lin Xiuhe.

"Have you finished watching?"

"I've finished watching it."

"Have you decided?"

Lin Xiuhe nodded, then opened the drawer and took out her application form.

The first page was already filled out, with name and exam number in neat handwriting. All eyes turned to it.

Zhao Xiaomei was the first to come over: "Let me see."

The next second, she froze on the spot.

The first choice section only had four words: Tsinghua University.

Li Hongmei was the first to gasp: "Really filling in this?"

"Um."

"The one in Beijing?"

"Um."

"The most outstanding one in the country?"

"Um."

The three answers were all calmer than the last.

But Zhao Xiaomei has almost forgotten how to speak.

Although Lin Xiuhe ranked first in the county in the mock exam, and everyone knew that Lin Xiuhe was outstanding, the words "Tsinghua University" were still too impactful.

That was a school that only appeared in newspapers, a place that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Outside the window, the June sunlight streamed into the warehouse, landing on the application form and making the words "Tsinghua University" exceptionally clear.

Zhou Zhiyuan glanced down, unsurprised. Because in his past life, Lin Xiuhe was meant to stand there.

Zhao Xiaomei swallowed hard: "What about the second choice?"

Lin Xiuhe picked up her pen and wrote a few words in the next column: Peking University.

Zhao Xiaomei was completely convinced. Holding her application form, she sat back down in her chair and suddenly felt that a teacher's college wasn't so bad after all; at least it wasn't as scary as she thought.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the supply and marketing cooperative. Someone ran into the courtyard.

"Something's happened! The Lin family is throwing another banquet!"

Several people in the warehouse looked up at the same time.

The visitor, panting, said, "Wang Xiulan is telling everyone that Weidong listed a top university in the provincial capital as his first choice. She even said—'Once the results come out, we'll show everyone what a college student really is.'"

Zhao Xiaomei rolled her eyes. Li Hongmei couldn't help but laugh, "The results aren't even out yet, but she can't wait even a day."

Lin Xiuhe gently closed the application form and tucked it into the file folder.

The cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window. There were still nineteen days until the results were announced.

The entire Hongqi Commune was already waiting to see the results.

The day after the volunteer forms were handed out, Hongqi Commune was more bustling than a market day.

Under the poplar tree at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, there is an old square table. It used to be a place where several old men played chess, but now the chessboard has been pushed aside, and a piece of red paper is spread out on the table.

Two rows of names were written in calligraphy on the red paper. Left: Lin Weidong. Right: Lin Xiuhe. In the middle was a smaller line: Who did better on the exam?

It started as a joke.

After buying the salt, Aunt Liu stood under the tree and said, "Guess who got the higher score this time, the Lin siblings?"

Someone immediately chimed in: "Is there even a need to guess? Wei Dong is second in the preliminary assessment, and Xiu He is first. They're not that far apart."

Some people shook their heads: "Mock exams are just mock exams; the real college entrance exam is where the true test comes in."

After a few words, someone brought over red paper, someone moved a square table, and someone else grabbed a handful of melon seeds and sat down to watch the spectacle. In less than half a morning, a crowd had gathered in front of the red paper.

"I'm betting on Wei Dong."

Why?

"Boys are bolder and more composed in the exam room."

"I'm betting on Xiuhe. She's the best at mock exams."

"So what if you got first place in the mock exam? The actual college entrance exam questions are different."

"Then Lin Weidong's second attempt was also a simulation."

"But they're good at math."

"Xiuhe is strong in Chinese language and politics."

"What's all the fuss about? We'll know when the results come out."

Everyone said they were placing bets, but nobody actually put any money in. At most, it was just a handful of sunflower seeds, a piece of fruit candy, or two cigarettes—just for the fun of it.

But behind the excitement, the flavor gradually changed.

Because everyone knew that this comparison was not simply about the siblings' grades—it was about the Lin family's favoritism over the years, and a show that the whole commune had been watching for a long time.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Hongmei stood behind the counter, wrapped half a pound of brown sugar, and handed it to a customer: "Here you go."

The customer took the paper package and looked towards the door again: "Hongmei, who are you betting on?"

Li Hongmei raised an eyebrow: "I'm betting on Xiuhe."

"Are you so sure?"

"She never boasts."

The customer laughed: "That's true."

Someone chimed in, "Lin Weidong isn't bad either; he came in second in the whole county last time."

"So what if I'm second?" Li Hongmei clicked the abacus beads loudly. "Isn't there first place above that?"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the counter.

Inside the warehouse, Zhao Xiaomei leaned against the window, watching the commotion while munching on a cornbread bun.

"Sister Xiuhe, they really made a bet."

Lin Xiuhe is copying a draft of the college application form.

First choice: Tsinghua University. Second choice: Peking University. Third choice: Renmin University of China.

He wrote each word very slowly, and after finishing, he used a ruler to press down the edge of the paper and folded the draft neatly.

"Let them take custody."

Zhao Xiaomei turned around: "Aren't you angry?"

"Why are you angry?"

"They're comparing you to Lin Weidong."

Lin Xiuhe put the pen back into the pencil case: "The test paper has already been handed in, so there's no point in saying anything now."

Zhao Xiaomei thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true."

But after a while, she leaned closer again: "So what do you think? Between you and Lin Weidong, who scored higher?"

Lin Xiuhe put the application form into a file folder and placed it at the back of the drawer. The wooden drawer slid back in with a soft thud.

"Wait for further notice."

Zhao Xiaomei took a bite of her cornbread and mumbled, "It's that line again."

After noon, the red paper was passed to the Lin family.

The first person to hear about it was Wang Xiulan. She was picking vegetables in the yard. Aunt Liu came running in, clutching a handful of sunflower seeds.

"Xiulan! It's so lively outside. Everyone's betting on whether your Weidong or Xiuhe will score higher on the exam."

Wang Xiulan slammed the vegetable leaves in her hand into the basin: "Does this even need to be pledged? My Weidong is definitely better than her."

Aunt Liu sat down on a small stool: "Ke Xiuhe got first place in the mock exam."

Wang Xiulan snorted: "What's a mock exam? Girls can have an advantage in the early stages of schooling by rote memorization. But when it comes to the real college entrance exam, the difference becomes apparent when the questions are difficult."

Several neighbors at the courtyard gate heard this and stopped. Someone asked, "So, what score do you think Weidong can get?"

Wang Xiulan immediately perked up: "Weidong himself said it was even better than the mock exam. He was second in the whole county in the mock exam, how could he do worse in the actual exam?"

The neighbor asked with a smile, "What if Xiuhe gets an even higher score?"

Wang Xiulan put the vegetable basin on the ground, the enamel basin hitting the stone slab with a crisp sound: "If she's really taller than Weidong, I'll cut down that old locust tree at the gate of the courtyard for firewood."

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard gate immediately became lively.

Some people slapped their thighs and laughed, while others craned their necks to look at the old locust tree.

That tree was older than Lin Weidong, and in the summer it could shade half the yard. Wang Xiulan dared to bet on it, which shows how certain she was.