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

"It's a call from Beijing!"

The person rushed into the supply and marketing cooperative's courtyard before he had even caught his breath.

The people who had been chatting and laughing in the courtyard all turned their heads away.

Zhao Xiaomei hadn't even put her report card away yet when she heard the word "Beijing," and she took a step forward: "Beijing? Where's the phone number?"

The person who came in leaned against the door frame, his chest heaving: "It was transferred from the county education bureau. They said it's about college admissions and they want Lin Xiuhe to go to the county tomorrow morning."

The courtyard erupted in chaos.

"University admissions? Is it Tsinghua or Peking University?"

"They've even called the county government?"

"Being number one in the county really makes a difference."

The discussion grew louder and louder.

Li Hongmei quickly pushed people out: "Make way, let her hear clearly first."

Lin Xiuhe came out of the warehouse, the report cards just put into the drawer, the drawer lock still hanging in her hand: "What else did they say on the phone?"

The man shook his head: "I couldn't have heard everything. It was the broadcasting station. Captain Wang told me to come find you right away. He said to come to the county education bureau before nine o'clock tomorrow morning, and bring your report card, admission ticket, and application form."

Application form.

The moment those three words were uttered, the lively atmosphere in the courtyard took on a different flavor.

Just now everyone was still reeling from the shock of being ranked first in the county, but now it suddenly dawned on us that the results are out and the next step is to fill out college applications.

Where should I fill in "first in the whole county"?

This is almost more intriguing than the results themselves.

Zhao Xiaomei's eyes lit up: "Sister Xiuhe, are you really going to apply to Tsinghua University?"

After those words were spoken, the courtyard became even quieter.

Several people who were about to leave stopped in their tracks.

The four characters "Tsinghua University" are like a stone falling into water.

Everyone knows it's powerful, but no one can say for sure just how powerful it is.

Anyway, that's Beijing, a name that often appears in newspapers, a place that many people will never even step outside of their own door in their entire lives.

Lin Xiuhe locked the drawer: "We'll talk about it when we get to the county tomorrow."

Li Hongmei snapped, "What do you mean 'more later'? Didn't you already write the draft?"

Zhao Xiaomei immediately replied: "My first choice is Tsinghua University, my second choice is Peking University, and my third choice is Renmin University."

She remembers it very clearly because when she saw it that day, she was so frightened that she didn't dare to speak for a long time.

Another gasp rippled through the courtyard: "Applying to Peking University? Applying to Renmin University? This kid's got guts."

The moment someone uttered those words, someone next to them immediately retorted, "So what if she's carefree? She's number one in the county, can't she fill it in? If she doesn't fill it in, who will?"

Upon hearing this, many people in the courtyard nodded in agreement.

In the past, people might have thought Lin Xiuhe was arrogant and ignorant.

But now the list has been posted, and the broadcast has been repeated twice. The words "Number One in the County" are right there, and no one can pretend they didn't see them.

That night, the lights at the supply and marketing cooperative stayed on very late.

Zhao Xiaomei refused to leave, and neither did Li Hongmei.

Captain Wang came in person and repeated the county's notice: "I'll go with you tomorrow."

Lin Xiuhe was checking the materials—exam admission ticket, transcript, household registration certificate, application form, each item laid out on the table.

Captain Wang stood by the table, staring at the papers for a long time: "Xiuhe, have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind."

"Really filling out the form for Beijing?"

"Um."

Captain Wang took out his pipe, considered lighting it, then glanced at the pile of papers in the warehouse, and finally stuffed the pipe back into his waistband: "Alright. Fill it out once you've thought it through. Our Red Flag Commune has produced the best in the county; we can't back down now."

These words weren't harsh, but Zhao Xiaomei's eyes welled up with tears.

She remembered the first time she went to the registration point, how her father dragged her home, and how Lin Xiuhe said to her when she gave her two yuan and fifty cents, "Consider it a loan from me."

Some doors, once opened, can never be closed again.

The next morning, people were already waiting at the entrance of the county education bureau.

The list from yesterday is still posted on the bulletin board. The top line has been looked at so many times that the corners of the paper are slightly curled up.

First place: Lin Xiuhe, 379 points.

Many passersby would stop to take a look, and after looking at her, they would turn to look at Lin Xiuhe standing at the door.

Some people recognized her: "That's her, the one from Hongqi Commune, the one they talked about on the radio yesterday, the best in the whole county." Their voices weren't loud, but they kept coming.

Lin Xiuhe parked her bicycle and followed Captain Wang into the Education Bureau.

Two officials were sitting in the office, one of whom was the director of the admissions office from yesterday.

The materials were already laid out on the table. Seeing Lin Xiuhe enter, the director smiled first: "You've arrived? Have a seat."

Just as Captain Wang was about to sit down, the director pointed to the side and said, "Captain Wang, please sit down too. Today we're not just filling out forms, we also need to talk about the subsequent admission arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Captain Wang immediately sat up straight—this was the first time he had ever experienced something like this.

The admissions director pushed a document in front of Lin Xiuhe: "Your grades are outstanding, and the county has already reported it to higher authorities. They've also called from Beijing to inquire about the situation. However, the admission process still needs to be followed according to regulations. The application form must be filled out and signed by the applicant herself; it cannot be filled out by someone else."

At this point, he glanced at Captain Wang—clearly, the county already knew about what had happened with the Lin family.

Captain Wang immediately said, "Don't worry about that. She'll fill it out herself today; no one can make the decision for her."

The director nodded: "That's good."

Then, he spread out the blank application form: "First choice, have you decided?"

Lin Xiuhe picked up the fountain pen and gently scratched the nib against the mouth of the ink bottle.

She looked at that column.

In her past life, she had heard others talk about Tsinghua University countless times.

At that time, that name was very far away from her, as far away as another world.

In the ward, she listened to the young nurses talk about the campus, the cafeteria, the library, and the snow in Beijing.

She always listened with a smile, never interrupting, because it wasn't her story.

But in this life, a blank sheet of paper lies before me, and a fountain pen is in my hand.

She can finally write that name into her own path.

In the first choice section, she wrote down: Tsinghua University.

Several people in the office were staring at those words.

Captain Wang straightened his back a bit.

The admissions director zoomed in on the form and asked, "What's the major?"

Lin Xiuhe opened the "Compilation of Majors in Key Universities Nationwide," and the page already had a bookmark; she had read it many times before: "Automation."

The director looked up: "Not many women apply for this major."

Lin Xiuhe wrote down the name of her major: "The country needs technology."

The director looked at her for two seconds, then smiled: "That's well said."

Second choice: Peking University, majoring in economics.

Third choice: Renmin University of China, majoring in Finance.

With each name he wrote, Captain Wang's eyes lit up a little more.

After filling in all three columns, he stared at the form for a long time, as if looking at an award certificate: "If this is really recorded, our commune will be in big trouble."

The admissions director laughed, "This is a big deal. First in the entire county, good enough to be on the radio. Once the acceptance letter arrives, it won't just be a broadcast."

Lin Xiuhe signed her name in the last column.

Lin Xiuhe – the three characters landed clearly and neatly in the confirmation area.

The director picked up the seal and stamped it with a red stamp in the lower right corner of the volunteer form.

Snapped.

Once the red stamp is applied, the form officially becomes effective.

Lin Xiuhe looked at the red seal, and a certain place in her heart felt gently tapped.

From the application form to the transcript to the college application form, every signature is a reclaiming of what was lost.

Captain Wang looked at the form again and again, and finally carefully handed it back to the director: "You must keep it safe."

"Don't worry." The director put the application forms into a file folder. "We'll send them to the county admissions office this afternoon, and then report them to higher authorities."

After finishing their business, the group left the Education Bureau.

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance.

Someone saw Captain Wang and immediately asked, "Where did you fill it in?"

Captain Wang couldn't help but laugh, his face crinkling with wrinkles: "Beijing, Tsinghua University."

The moment those two words were uttered, the crowd erupted: "Really applying to Tsinghua University? First choice? My god, no one in our county has ever gotten in before, right?"

"We're number one in the county, of course we dare to fill it in."

The news spread like wildfire.

Soon, people were saying at the street corners of the county town, in front of the post office, and outside the state-run restaurant: Lin Xiuhe from Hongqi Commune has applied to Tsinghua University.

When the news reached the Lin family, Wang Xiulan was washing clothes in the yard.

The clothes in the basin weren't wrung out yet.

Aunt Liu stood at the door, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Xiulan, have you heard? Xiuhe applied to Tsinghua University."

The clothes in Wang Xiulan's hand fell back into the basin with a thud, splashing water onto her shoes.

She stared at the courtyard gate for a long while before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence: "Beijing is so far away, why would a girl go so far?"

Aunt Liu smiled and said, "That's Tsinghua University, so what if it's a bit far?"

Wang Xiulan bent down and scooped the clothes up again, using much more force than before, wringing out the water until it gushed out.

Lin Weidong also heard it at the door of the east room.

He held his college application form in his hand, with the first column stating "key universities in the provincial capital".

It used to look very stable and respectable, but now it has suddenly become somewhat glaring.

Someone else passed by outside the courtyard, saying as they walked, "Tsinghua University, Lin Xiuhe is really going to Beijing."

The sound gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Weidong folded the application form, and the crease pressed right onto the first choice column.

Meanwhile, in the county admissions office, a stack of application forms was neatly arranged.

The top one: Name: Lin Xiuhe. First choice: Tsinghua University.

The staff member picked up a red pen, made a special mark next to it, and then sealed the file folder.

The moment the seal was pressed down, a wait for the acceptance letter officially began.