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

Three days. Not a long time, but not a short time either.

But for those taking the college entrance exam, these three days are more difficult than three months.

The atmosphere in the Red Flag Commune grew more tense day by day.

Even the supply and marketing cooperatives are seeing fewer customers.

The first thing people say when they meet is no longer "Have you eaten?" or "How many work points did you earn?", but rather, "When will the results come out?"

"Soon, right?"

"I heard it'll be in the next day or two."

All sorts of news are flying around.

There are rumors that the county has started compiling statistics, and there are also reports that the education bureau is verifying the data. Some people even say that the report cards have already been printed.

As for whether it's true or not, nobody knows.

The red paper with the betting slips still sticks up at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The only difference is that there are more and more words on it.

There is an extra circle after Lin Weidong's name, and an extra checkmark after Lin Xiuhe's name.

There are new discussions every day.

Zhao Xiaomei even went to take a look, and when she came back, she said angrily, "Weidong has two extra fruit candies."

Li Hongmei laughed: "You actually counted them?"

"Of course I counted them. My hard candy was almost crushed to the point of having no room left."

A burst of laughter erupted from the warehouse.

Only Lin Xiuhe was still organizing the materials.

Since the end of the college entrance examination, she has set aside time every day to reorganize her notes. One book for Chinese, one for math, one for politics—a thick stack. Zhao Xiaomei gets a headache just looking at it.

"Sister Xiuhe, your results are almost out, why are you still looking at these things?"

"It can be used later."

"Afterwards?" Zhao Xiaomei was taken aback. "Haven't all the exams been finished?"

Lin Xiuhe packed the last notebook into a cardboard box: "Someone will need it eventually."

In her past life, she had suffered because no one gave her directions.

In this lifetime, this information might be of help to others.

Zhao Xiaomei only half understood what she was hearing. But she quickly turned her attention back to her grades.

She found herself unable to concentrate on anything; she couldn't read, she had no appetite, and at night, lying in bed with her eyes closed, all she could think about were her grades.

The next morning, she arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative with dark circles under her eyes. Li Hongmei almost didn't recognize her: "Did you steal a cow last night?"

"I couldn't sleep."

Why?

"I'm afraid I won't pass the exam."

Li Hongmei was both amused and exasperated: "The results haven't come out yet."

"What if I don't pass the exam?"

"Then take the test again next year."

One sentence left Zhao Xiaomei stunned.

After a while, she suddenly laughed: "That's true. I can even think about next year now."

Six months ago, she wouldn't have even been able to get into the exam hall. Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaomei suddenly felt a little relieved.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Lin family home was completely different.

Wang Xiulan has been walking with a brisk pace these past few days.

When she went to the well to fetch water, she would chime in when others were talking about their grades; when she went to the production team to collect tools, she would still chime in when others were talking about their grades. In the end, it all boiled down to one thing: "My son Weidong performed exceptionally well."

It was as if the report card was already in their hands.

At noon, a few neighbors came to the courtyard. Everyone sat under the shade of the trees to cool off, and the conversation quickly returned to the college entrance examination.

"Xiulan, when will the results be released?"

"Soon."

"How much did Weidong estimate?"

Wang Xiulan looked around, not bothering to lower her voice: "Anyway, getting into university is a sure thing, and there's also hope for a top university."

The neighbors exchanged glances, and no one objected.

After all, Lin Weidong ranked second in the county's mock exam, so he certainly had the confidence.

But just then, Aunt Liu suddenly asked, "What about Xiuhe?"

The atmosphere in the courtyard changed slightly.

Wang Xiulan waved her fan loudly: "Her? Girls don't have much staying power in their studies. They might do well in the beginning, but that doesn't mean they'll do well later."

Several neighbors frowned, while others simply remained silent.

Because now the whole commune knows that Lin Xiuhe came in first place in the mock exam.

The more defiant Wang Xiulan was, the more curious everyone became—who would win?

On the other side, the county machinery factory.

The equipment workshop was as hot as a steamer.

Since the machine was shut down, the entire project team has been working non-stop for several days. The floor is covered with disassembled parts, and blueprints fill an entire table. The deputy factory manager stands beside him, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Did you find it?"

No one answered.

Several technicians are still inspecting the lines.

Zhou Zhiyuan squatted behind the equipment, holding a flashlight in his hand. The light shone along the pipe and finally stopped in an inconspicuous spot.

It was a connecting valve section. It looked fine on the surface, but there was slight wear inside, which was hard to spot.

He reached out and touched it, then stood up.

"The cause of the outage has been found."

Everyone in the workshop turned around. The deputy factory manager strode over: "Where are you?"

Zhou Zhiyuan handed over the flashlight: "Here."

The deputy factory director looked down for a long time before finally spotting the problem. The next second, he let out a long sigh of relief: "Finally found it."

The machines had been shut down for forty-eight hours, and the entire factory was in a state of panic.

Now that the problem has been identified, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a young clerk ran in through the workshop door, holding a piece of paper: "Deputy Factory Director! The Education Bureau has sent a notification!"

The deputy factory director was taken aback: "What notification?"

The release date for the college entrance examination results has been set.

"When?"

Three days later.

Many people in the workshop laughed. It was the first year after the resumption of the college entrance examination; almost every family had someone taking the exam.

The deputy factory director took the notice, glanced at it, and suddenly remembered something. He turned to Zhou Zhiyuan and asked, "Did Lin Xiuhe from your commune also take the college entrance examination?"

Zhou Zhiyuan put the tools back in the box: "I'm in."

"Your grades must be pretty good, right?"

"should."

The deputy factory director smiled and said, "When the results come out, our county might have another college graduate."

In the evening, the news finally reached the Red Flag Commune.

The Education Bureau officially announced: scores would be released in three days. The broadcast station announced this three times in a row, and the entire commune was in an uproar.

There were even more people gathered in front of the red paper at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative than a few days ago.

"It's really going to be released!"

"Finally!"

"I haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

"Who isn't?"

The discussions grew louder and louder.

Zhao Xiaomei stood in the crowd, her palms sweating with nervousness.

She turned to look towards the warehouse. The windows were lit, and Lin Xiuhe was still organizing documents, seemingly oblivious to the commotion outside.

But Zhao Xiaomei knew that three days later, that report card would completely change the fate of many people.

At night, the supply and marketing cooperative closes early, and the courtyard gradually quiets down.

Lin Xiuhe carefully put away the last document and then opened the drawer.

The estimated score sheet was still lying there quietly. She took it out, glanced at it, folded it again, and put it back in its place.

Outside the window, moonlight fell into the courtyard, making the red betting paper appear white.

Three days.

Only three days left.