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

At the entrance of the Education Bureau, the sun was already high overhead, and waves of heat pressed down.

But no one left.

All eyes were on the long table.

The registrar opened the results book and slowly scrolled down the list with her finger.

Wang Xiulan stood at the front, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, her forehead covered in sweat, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.

"Did you find it?" someone asked from the side.

"Don't rush them, let them investigate."

In fact, it wasn't just Wang Xiulan; the entire Education Bureau was waiting for Lin Weidong's results.

He ranked second in the county in the mock exam. In the first year after the resumption of the college entrance examination, such a result would have made him a prominent figure in any commune.

Finally, the registrar stopped: "Found it."

The surrounding sounds seemed to have been muted.

The registrar bowed his head to check: "Lin Weidong. Chinese Language, 73."

Wang Xiulan immediately nodded: "Okay, I knew I'd be strong in Chinese."

Nobody paid any attention to her; everyone was staring at the registrar.

"Mathematics: Ninety-Three"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Ninety-three in math—that's quite high.

The registrar continued reading: "Politics 79, Physics and Chemistry 98."

This time, the surrounding area erupted in chaos. A score of 98 in physics and chemistry—just a hair's breadth away from a perfect score. Many test-takers' faces paled on the spot.

The registrar recalculated the total score, then looked up: "Three hundred and forty-three points."

Boom! The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Three hundred and forty-three? My God, that's so high?"

"No wonder he came in second in the mock exam; with that score, he's practically guaranteed a spot in a top university!"

The discussions grew louder and louder.

Wang Xiulan almost floated to the sky: "Three hundred and forty-three! My son is three hundred and forty-three!"

As if afraid no one had heard her, she repeated, "Three hundred and forty-three!"

Several acquaintances immediately gathered around: "Xiulan, congratulations! Your family is really going to have a college student this time. Don't forget about us old neighbors in the future."

Wang Xiulan smiled, her eyes crinkling with wrinkles: "No way. If you really pass the exam, my family will definitely throw a party."

Someone asked, "Is it possible to get into a top-tier university?"

"Needless to say? This score is definitely a top choice!"

Wang Xiulan tried to be modest, but her smile was already showing: "Whether it's important or not depends on the admission results. But Weidong has been smart since he was a child, and his teachers have said that he's academically gifted."

Lin Weidong stood in front of the registration table, and the grade slip was stuffed into his hand.

Three hundred and forty-three points, even higher than he had estimated.

He flipped the report card to the front and then to the back.

A thin sheet of paper, upon which lie months of late-night studying, practice questions, and mock exams.

Now, there's a number written on the paper that can shut everyone up.

He looked up, and everyone around him was looking at him with envy, praise, and amazement.

He was very familiar with those gazes; he had been watched like that since he was a child.

However, during this period, Lin Xiuhe stole those attention.

Now, it's finally back.

But he didn't go around talking like Wang Xiulan did, because there was still one result to be released.

Lin Xiuhe, that name is like a thorn, always remaining in my heart, never to be pulled out.

Outside the Education Bureau, the news spread like wildfire: "Three hundred and forty-three! Lin Weidong from Hongqi Commune! Ninety-eight in physics and chemistry! Ninety-three in math! Isn't that top-ranked? He's a shoo-in for the top three in the county, and could even be number one!"

The more it's spread, the more exaggerated it becomes.

As Wang Xiulan listened to these words, she felt as if she were walking on clouds.

She didn't even care that there were still many people in line, and pulled Lin Weidong a few steps away: "Come on, let your Teacher Wang take a look too."

"Mother," Lin Weidong pulled her back, "the rankings haven't been released yet."

"With grades like this, how could his ranking be bad?" Wang Xiulan looked at the report card again, her smile growing even brighter. "Let's wait here for the top ten list. I'm going to see with my own eyes today where my son ranks."

On the other side, Zhao Xiaomei stood at the back of the crowd, still clutching her grade sheet in her hand.

Two hundred and ninety-six, just now she was crying nonstop.

But now, hearing the number 343, she truly understood how vast the differences between people could be.

"He got a really high score," Zhao Xiaomei whispered.

Li Hongmei nodded in agreement: "That's indeed a high score; it's a score that can be cited anywhere."

Zhao Xiaomei turned to look at Lin Xiuhe: "Sister Xiuhe, could he really be number one?"

Lin Xiuhe folded up the score inquiry process sheet: "Wait for the ranking."

Zhao Xiaomei couldn't help but sigh, "Why aren't you in a hurry at all?"

"Even if you're in a rush, you can't afford to lose a single point."

"But I'm in a hurry."

"Then why are you in such a hurry?"

Li Hongmei burst out laughing.

Zhao Xiaomei was taken aback for a moment, but eventually she laughed along.

After laughing, the three of them looked at the notice board.

Because everyone knows that what truly determines who stands at the top is not a single subject score, nor the total score, but the ranking.

At noon, the number of people in front of the Education Bureau increased.

The popsicle vendor from nearby also arrived, carrying a wooden crate and walking back and forth through the crowd: "Popsicles! Two for a dime!"

Many people bought it to cool off in the summer, but as they ate it, their attention returned to the bulletin board.

Some people sat under the roots of trees, fanning themselves with straw hats, looking at their report cards over and over again, and some even started writing letters to send their grades back to their hometowns.

In the first year after the resumption of the college entrance examination, every score was like a pebble falling into a family's water tank, and the ripples it created took a long time to disperse.

At 1 p.m., someone finally came down from the Education Bureau office building again.

This time, the director of the Education Bureau's Admissions Office came out, carrying a manila file folder.

The moment the file folder was seen, the crowd automatically moved forward.

Everyone knows that the ranking list is about to be released.

The director walked to the bulletin board, checked with several staff members, then opened the file bag and took out the list inside.

Wang Xiulan was already standing at the very front, craning her neck as far as she could.

Someone nearby laughed: "Xiulan, prepare to invite the bar in advance."

Wang Xiulan waved her hand, but couldn't suppress the smile on her face: "Let's wait for the list to come out. What if it's not that high?"

A burst of laughter immediately erupted around her; everyone could tell that she had already decided that her son would be first in line.

Just then, the staff posted the list on the bulletin board.

Red paper covered the four corners, revealing rows of names. The crowd instantly surged forward.

"Don't push! Move back!"

Those trying to maintain order shouted desperately, but no one listened.

Everyone's eyes were scanning the list.

The next second, someone shouted, "Found him! Second place! Lin Weidong!"

Boom! The entire entrance to the Education Bureau was completely shattered.

Second place! Second in the entire county!

Wang Xiulan immediately covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her face.

This time she wasn't faking it; she was genuinely happy, so happy she could barely stand: "Weidong! Did you hear that? Second! Second in the whole county!"

Lin Weidong stood in the crowd, looking at his name on the list—second place: Lin Weidong, 343 points, Red Flag Commune.

These words, placed side by side, were like a blindingly bright light.

He finally stood in front of everyone.

No, there's still one missing.

He couldn't see the first place column clearly because there were too many people ahead of him.

But the congratulations from the surrounding crowd were already overwhelming: "Second in the whole county! My God! A big shot has emerged from Hongqi Commune! A top university is secured! This is really secure!"

Zhao Xiaomei saw it too, standing in the crowd.

The second place column clearly states Lin Weidong's name.

Just as she was about to turn back to find Lin Xiuhe, she suddenly realized something: the list had already been posted, the top ten list.

She started looking from the tenth place upwards—tenth, ninth, eighth… all the way to the second place, but Lin Xiuhe was nowhere to be found.

She looked down from the first place, but the first place column was blocked by the people in front, with only a corner showing.

"Make way!" Zhao Xiaomei hurriedly pushed her way forward.

People nearby had already started whispering, "Where's Lin Xiuhe? Why haven't we seen her? Wasn't she first in the mock exam? Could she have failed to make the top ten? The actual college entrance exam is definitely different from the mock exam."

These words spread quickly.

Wang Xiulan heard it too. She wiped away her tears and immediately looked up at the list.

The second place was Lin Weidong, the third place was not Lin Xiuhe, the fourth place was not Lin Xiuhe, the fifth place, the sixth place... all the way up to the tenth place, none of them were Lin Xiuhe.

Wang Xiulan's smile gradually widened.

She turned around, her voice suddenly rising: "What did I tell you? I said it long ago, girls don't have the stamina for studying. What are mock exams? The real college entrance exam is where they'll show their true abilities!"

The people around were a little embarrassed, but no one objected, because Lin Xiuhe was indeed not on the list.

At the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Hongmei also started to panic: "What's going on? They're not in the top ten?"

Zhao Xiaomei's hair was all messed up from the crowd: "I haven't even seen the first place yet! There are too many people in front of me!"

Just then, another staff member ran out of the Education Bureau office building, holding another piece of paper, and quickly walked towards the director of the admissions office.

The director's expression immediately changed after he took it.

He first looked at the list, then at the paper in his hand, and then quickly walked to the bulletin board and, in front of everyone, peeled off the newly posted list of the top ten.

The crowd erupted in protest: "What happened? Is the list wrong? Is the ranking incorrect?"

Wang Xiulan's smile froze halfway through her walk. She grabbed a staff member next to her: "Comrade! Isn't my son Lin Weidong the second one? You can't be mistaken!"

The staff rushed over, only saying, "The final list hasn't been posted yet; the one you saw earlier was the preliminary list for each group."

Preliminary group rankings?

These four words were like a bucket of cold water, poured directly into the crowd.

All discussion came to an abrupt halt.

The director of the admissions office picked up the new list again, looked at it once more, and then looked at everyone: "Everyone step back. The county-wide final list is now being announced."