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

"List of vocational college admission cutoff scores!"

As soon as those five words were shouted, the crowd at the entrance of the Education Bureau surged forward.

The staff member stood in front of the wooden board holding the list, sweat streaming down his face.

"Don't push! Stay close to the line! This isn't a leaderboard!"

But at this moment, who cares about such things?

Some stood on tiptoe, some held onto the wall, and some stood directly on the back of the bicycle.

Everyone wants to see clearly at a glance—how many points are needed to get out this year.

Zhao Xiaomei stood outside the crowd, gripping the straps of her schoolbag with both hands, her fingernails almost digging into the fabric.

She's not very tall, and there were so many people in front of her that she couldn't see anything.

Li Hongmei stood beside her, stamping her feet in frustration: "Don't just stand there, push forward!"

Zhao Xiaomei shook her head: "My legs are a little weak."

Li Hongmei pulled her forward, saying, "What's with the 'soft'? If we don't push now, will others have worn out the list?"

The two of them finally managed to squeeze into the middle when someone in front of them suddenly shouted, "It's on! The cutoff score for vocational college is 295!"

295.

This number hit Zhao Xiaomei like a hammer blow.

She stopped walking, and her schoolbag slipped off her shoulder.

Two hundred and ninety-five. Her final estimated score was two hundred and ninety.

The highest price is 298, and the lowest price is 280.

All the numbers hovered around 295.

Now that the cutoff scores for vocational colleges are out, she feels like she's standing on a thin wooden stake, one step forward is the shore, and one step back is the water.

Li Hongmei heard this too, and turned to look at Zhao Xiaomei: "How much did you estimate again?"

Zhao Xiaomei's lips moved slightly: "Two hundred and ninety."

Li Hongmei's smile vanished instantly.

Several other test-takers nearby also started calculating: "Oh no, I estimate it to be over 270."

"I'm about 290."

"Two hundred and ninety-five? How can that be so high?"

"If a vocational college degree costs 295, how much would a bachelor's degree cost?"

The discussions piled up one after another.

Zhao Xiaomei was squeezed in the crowd, and the color in her face gradually faded.

She used to think that as long as she could get into the exam room, she had won.

But at this moment, seeing that line still made my heart jump.

She really wanted to leave Zhao Family Village, to become a teacher, to stand on the podium, instead of being taken away by a dowry of 180 yuan.

Lin Xiuhe walked over from behind, holding a newly received score checking process sheet: "What's wrong?"

Zhao Xiaomei slung the backpack strap back over her shoulder, but she didn't use the right amount of force, and the backpack tilted to one side: "The cutoff score for vocational college is 295."

Her voice was trembling when she said the number.

Lin Xiuhe folded the process sheet and stuffed it into her cloth bag: "I haven't checked the results yet."

Zhao Xiaomei nodded, but didn't move her feet.

People ahead of me have already started queuing up to check their individual scores.

The Education Bureau temporarily set up two long tables, with registration staff sitting behind them. One person was responsible for reading out the exam numbers, another for flipping through the grade books, and the third for stamping the records.

The line stretched from the steps all the way to the street corner.

Everyone held their admission ticket in their hands, repeatedly calling out their exam number, writing it into their palms, and asking their family members to help them queue up.

Zhao Xiaomei stood at the end of the line, took out her exam admission ticket, and then put it back. She took it out, then put it back.

Lin Xiuhe stood beside her: "Don't tear the paper."

Zhao Xiaomei quickly tucked her admission ticket into her books.

The queue time was extremely long.

The sun beats down on people's backs, and sweat drips down their necks, yet no one leaves.

Every now and then, a sound would come from ahead.

"Two hundred and eighty-nine." Someone immediately squatted down, and their family members rushed over to help them up.

"Three hundred and one!" someone screamed, and the relatives next to them immediately clapped.

"Two hundred and ninety-four."

When this number was announced, everyone in line stopped for a moment.

Two hundred and ninety-four, just one point short.

The examinee was a young man in his early twenties who had been sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He stood in front of the table, clutching his admission ticket, for a long time.

Finally, I folded my admission ticket, put it in my shirt pocket, and turned to leave.

No one laughed at him; even the most talkative person fell silent.

Because even a single point can truly block someone's path.

Zhao Xiaomei looked at that retreating figure, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Li Hongmei quickly pinched her arm: "Don't cry, it's not your turn yet."

Zhao Xiaomei wiped her eyes with her sleeve: "I didn't cry." As soon as she finished speaking, another tear fell down.

Li Hongmei felt both sorry for him and amused: "You call this not crying?"

The line moved forward little by little. Finally, it was Zhao Xiaomei's turn.

The registrar didn't even look up: "Exam admission ticket."

Zhao Xiaomei handed over the admission ticket, her hand still sweaty, the paper crumpled from her grip.

The registrar took it: "Name."

"Zhao Xiaomei".

"commune."

"Red Flag Commune, Zhao Family Village".

The registrar opened the results book.

The pages were thick; turning each page felt like turning one's life upside down.

Zhao Xiaomei stared at the booklet, not daring to blink.

Lin Xiuhe stood a step behind her.

Li Hongmei squeezed in as well, muttering under her breath, "Two hundred and ninety-five, just over the line, just over the line."

The registrar finally stopped, her finger hovering over one of the lines: "Zhao Xiaomei. Chinese 76, Math 56, Politics 82, Physics and Chemistry 82. Total score—"

Zhao Xiaomei gripped the edge of the table, where there was a crack in the edge of the wooden table, and her fingernail got stuck there.

The registrar checked the scores: "Two hundred and ninety-six."

The surrounding sounds suddenly seemed to fade into the distance.

Zhao Xiaomei was still gripping the table. "Two hundred and ninety-six," she heard clearly, but her mind didn't process it.

Li Hongmei was the first to react, slapping her on the back: "You've crossed the line! Zhao Xiaomei! You've crossed the line!"

The slap was quite forceful; Zhao Xiaomei was thrown forward slightly before she abruptly looked up and asked, "Did I pass?"

The registrar laughed: "You passed. The cutoff score for vocational college is 295, and yours is 296. Even one point makes it a pass."

One point! Just this one point!

Zhao Xiaomei's tears welled up instantly. She covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling violently.

Li Hongmei quickly pulled her aside: "Don't block the way, there are still people waiting to check."

Zhao Xiaomei was pulled down the steps, still feeling like she was walking on cotton: "Did I really go too far?"

"Passed."

"Can I go to school now?"

"able."

"I don't need to get married anymore?"

Li Hongmei paused for a moment, then put her arm around her shoulder: "No need."

Zhao Xiaomei finally burst into tears. This time, no one laughed at her.

A person who was almost betrothed by a dowry, a person who couldn't even afford the registration fee, a person who almost couldn't even get into the exam hall—now, she has passed the test.

Although she was only one point ahead, that one point was enough for her to cross that courtyard gate, enough for her to pay the 180 yuan dowry, and enough for her to take her name back from the Zhao family's marriage list.

Lin Xiuhe stood to the side, watching Zhao Xiaomei cry, and handed her a handkerchief.

Zhao Xiaomei took it, wiped her face twice, and then cried even harder: "Sister Xiuhe, I really overdid it."

"Um."

"I'm not dreaming."

"no."

Zhao Xiaomei hugged the report card to her chest, as if she were holding an acceptance letter.

Someone nearby asked, "Zhao Xiaomei from Hongqi Commune? The girl her family almost betrothed her to? Did she pass the test?"

"Passed, one point."

"Even one point is a matter of fate."

After this statement was spread, it quickly reached the entire entrance of the Education Bureau.

When the people of Hongqi Commune heard this, they all came over to offer their congratulations.

Captain Wang was also in the crowd. When he heard Zhao Xiaomei cross the line, he tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe and smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes: "Good, good! Our commune has another hopeful one."

Holding her report card, Zhao Xiaomei bowed to Captain Wang and said, "Thank you, Captain."

Captain Wang waved his hand: "Don't thank me, thank yourself. You got this score yourself."

Zhao Xiaomei's tears started falling again, and she quickly covered them with a handkerchief.

On the other side, Zhao Guofu also arrived.

He was originally standing at the back of the crowd and didn't dare to push forward.

Upon hearing Zhao Xiaomei's name, "296," he took two steps forward, his expression complex.

Someone nearby deliberately asked, "Old Zhao, your Xiaomei has crossed the line, are you still going to marry her?"

People around immediately laughed.

Zhao Guofu's face turned bright red, and he mumbled, "We'll talk about it when the results are out."

"Isn't this a good result? They've passed the vocational college entrance exam; they'll be college students in the future."

Zhao Guofu turned and walked out quickly.

Today, the matchmaker's 180 yuan has finally become too much for Zhao Xiaomei to bear.

When Zhao Xiaomei saw her father leave, the hand holding the report card loosened slightly.

She didn't chase after him or shout; she simply folded the report card again and put it into her inner pocket.

Just then, another commotion came from the score checking table in front.

Someone shouted, "Where's Lin Weidong from Hongqi Commune? Has Lin Weidong arrived?"

The moment the name was mentioned, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the entrance of the Education Bureau.

The people who were just congratulating Zhao Xiaomei suddenly looked towards the score checking table.

Wang Xiulan squeezed out from the other side of the crowd: "He's here! My son is here!"

She grabbed Lin Weidong, her smile barely concealed, and said, "Investigate him first, then investigate my son."

The registrar glanced at her: "Get in line."

Wang Xiulan quickly pushed Lin Weidong to the front of the line: "They just called his name, so there must be a result."

Lin Weidong stood in front of the table and handed over his admission ticket. The registrar took it and opened another book of score records.

At this moment, the area in front of the Education Bureau is even more bustling than before.

Everyone is waiting—how did he actually score on the college entrance exam, given that he ranked second in the county in the mock exam?

Zhao Xiaomei clutched Lin Xiuhe's handkerchief, her face still streaked with tears, but her eyes were already fixed on the score-checking table.

Li Hongmei also stood on tiptoe. Wang Xiulan went straight to the very front.

The registrar's finger hovered over a line of scores.