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

Before dawn, some people in the Red Flag Commune were already up.

As soon as the rooster crowed for the first time, Zhao Xiaomei opened her eyes.

The room was gloomy, but outside the window it was still a patch of green.

She lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) staring at the roof beams for a long time before finally sitting up.

I can't sleep. To be precise, I barely slept last night.

Her mother was exhausted from her tossing and turning, and in the middle of the night she even cursed, "Your grades aren't going to grow legs and run away."

But Zhao Xiaomei couldn't control herself.

Check your scores today.

She had been waiting for this day ever since the announcement was broadcast.

Thinking of this, she simply got dressed and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

The courtyard was still damp with dew, and the wooden bucket by the well was wet.

She had just finished fetching water when she heard noises coming from the neighboring yard. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

Meanwhile, at the supply and marketing cooperative's warehouse.

Lin Xiuhe had finished washing up.

The documents on the table were neatly arranged, with the application form on top and the book "Compilation of Majors in Key National Universities" next to it. She poured herself half a tub of hot water and sat down at the table to drink it slowly.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened.

Today has finally arrived.

In her past life, she didn't live to see this day. In this life, she's already standing at the door.

Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Zhao Xiaomei had arrived, an hour earlier than usual. Her hair was neatly tied up, and she had changed into her best outfit.

"Sister Xiuhe."

"Um."

"I feel like I can't breathe."

Lin Xiuhe pushed the hot water over: "Have some water."

Zhao Xiaomei picked up the glass and took a big gulp, then put it down again: "It's no use, I'm still nervous."

Li Hongmei heard this as soon as she entered the courtyard and burst out laughing: "You look like you're going to a wedding."

Zhao Xiaomei blushed: "It's scarier than getting married."

A burst of laughter rang out in the courtyard.

Not long after, Zhou Zhiyuan arrived. His bicycle tires were covered in mud he had brought back from the county town, indicating that he hadn't returned early the night before.

"What's the situation in the county?" Li Hongmei asked immediately.

"There are a lot of people." Zhou Zhiyuan parked his bicycle. "There was a line of people outside the Education Bureau yesterday."

Zhao Xiaomei's eyes widened: "Yesterday?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid we won't get a good spot today."

Zhao Xiaomei suddenly realized that she hadn't gotten up early enough.

Just after seven o'clock, many students from the commune were already heading to the county town. Bicycles, oxcarts, and people on foot filled the streets. Everyone was going to the same place—the county education bureau.

On the way to the county town, Zhao Xiaomei rode very fast and almost kicked the chain off her bike.

"Slow down," Li Hongmei called from behind. "You won't get two more points just because you ride faster."

Zhao Xiaomei slowed down, but the tension on her face didn't lessen at all.

As we approached the county town, we could see a large crowd gathered in front of the Education Bureau, a sea of ​​people, like a scene from a temple fair.

Bicycles were parked everywhere, under trees and walls, and people were waiting for news.

"My God." Zhao Xiaomei was completely dumbfounded.

She had never seen so many people before.

In the first year after the resumption of the college entrance examination, the entire county was waiting for this report card.

Outside the Education Bureau, people were craning their necks to peer inside, and quite a few were constantly checking their watches. Several even surrounded the staff, asking, "When are you coming out?"

"immediately."

"What time exactly?"

"Wait a little longer."

The staff members were almost hoarse from talking, but people kept asking questions.

Lin Xiuhe and her group found a shady spot to stand. The sun gradually rose higher, and the temperature grew hotter, but the crowd showed no sign of dispersing.

At 10 o'clock, there was still no news.

By 11 o'clock, there was still no news.

Zhao Xiaomei had been pacing back and forth more than ten times: "Why haven't they come out yet? Is there a problem? Could the statistics be wrong? Could the list be lost?"

Li Hongmei felt a headache coming on: "If you keep going like this, I'll faint before the results are even out."

Laughter immediately erupted from the side.

Just then, several officials walked out of the Education Bureau office building, and the crowd fell silent instantly.

All eyes turned to that direction, and some people even stood on the bicycle seats.

"It's out! Isn't it out?!"

The sounds rose and fell.

The leader at the front raised his hand: "Quiet down, everyone! The results have been tallied!"

Boom! The crowd erupted in chaos.

Countless people pushed forward, and staff quickly maintained order: "Line up! Everyone line up!"

Zhao Xiaomei felt her heart pounding in her throat. The results were finally out.

Just as everyone was preparing to check their scores, someone suddenly ran down from the second floor of the office building. He looked hurried and quickly walked up to a few cadres and whispered a few words to them.

The next second, the expressions of several officials changed simultaneously. Their movements, which were about to announce the results, stopped.

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder: "What's going on? What happened? Why aren't they reading anymore?"

The air outside the Education Bureau felt scorching hot under the sun.

And everyone's hearts were in their throats.