Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 14 College Entrance Examination

Wang Xiaohong, her chopsticks still resting on her lips, stared blankly at Station Chief Wang, her mouth agape, before finally managing to say, "Is that so? Are you kidding me?"

Station Chief Wang glared at her and said, "Eat your food properly. Looking at you like that, you don't act like a girl at all! Didn't your teachers tell you that?"

Wang Xiaohong swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "She didn't say that? That old witch, she didn't say such an important thing, she's up to no good. I'm so angry."

Station Master Wang said, "It's probably not time yet. We'll arrange for you to fill out your college applications before the exam. We'll talk to you about the schools then and give you suggestions based on your usual performance. Listen carefully then."

Wang Xiaohong thought for a moment and said, "No, I'll apply to Northeast Institute of Technology, or Agricultural University. If I don't get in, so be it, I won't study there. At worst, I'll come back and study for a vocational college in metallurgy. I don't believe I can't even get into a vocational college in metallurgy."

University and vocational school entrance exams were separate. At that time, graduates could take the exams three times: for university, junior college, and vocational school. Junior high school graduates were also allowed to take the vocational school exams. There was also a type of small vocational school, which was a targeted enrollment program. Graduates generally became teachers or entered the medical system, similar to vocational schools in later generations.

After Wang Xiaohong finished speaking fiercely, her face immediately changed, and she looked at Xiaowei pitifully, saying, "Brother Guizi, what will I do if I fail all the exams? Will you support me?"

Xiao Wei blushed and said, "I'll raise them. They'll be well-fed, and I can work and farm at the same time."

Wang Xiaohong blushed, glared at Xiaowei, and said, "Look at your stupid face, all you know is farming, farming, you're useless."

Aunt Wang scolded, "How dare you talk like that?"

Wang Xiaohong immediately smiled and said, "Yes, I'm so touched." Then her face twitched, and she said, "But I really don't want to farm. It's so tiring. You're under the blazing sun, sweating buckets, toiling all year for just a few sacks of corn. It's so pitiful."

Station Master Wang put down his drinking bowl, stood up, reached out and patted Wang Xiaohong on the head, laughing and scolding, "You're such a rascal." Then he went inside.

Xiaowei said to Xiaohong very seriously, "It's okay, you don't need to do any work, I can manage on my own."

Xiao Hong blushed and glared at Xiao Wei, then happily ate her meal.

Aunt Wang glanced at this and that, shook her head with a smile, lowered her head to eat, and stopped talking.

……

time flies.

Before we knew it, the college entrance examination was here.

Back then, the college entrance examination didn't have the volunteer buses of later generations, no police to maintain order, no dense crowds of parents accompanying students, no policy of keeping the streets quiet, no answer sheets, no A/B versions, and no free popsicles and sodas. Everything was exactly the same as usual, except that senior high school students in schools went from attending classes to taking exams, while junior and sophomore students had a holiday.

Senior high school students were taking exams in the classrooms, while junior and sophomore students were playing soccer and having fun all over the playground. It was their hard-earned holiday, and they seemed to be using up all their energy. The noisy shouts echoed throughout the campus, and the students near the windows would occasionally stare blankly at the younger students running around on the playground.

However, there are still some differences. For example, during the exam, students sit alone, all graduating students are randomly assigned to exam rooms, and there is cross-invigilation between schools. In short, the atmosphere is still quite tense.

There was only one high school in the county town of this small city. The proctor was from the No. 3 High School in the city, and he carried a hint of arrogance and a condescending look from the students. This put some pressure on the rural students in the county, and some of them didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Children from rural areas often underestimate themselves and are born with a sense of inferiority, which is caused by their living environment.

The first time Xiao Hong asked Xiao Wei to take her to school, she sat on the back of Xiao Wei's bicycle, talking non-stop about what was happening at school. Xiao Wei could sense that the little girl was nervous, but he didn't do anything. He hadn't even finished elementary school himself, so he shouldn't try to comfort a high school student. All he could do was silently accompany her.

When they arrived at school, Xiaohong jumped off her bicycle, waved to Xiaowei, and said, "Okay, you can go back now. You finally got a day off, go back and get some more sleep. I'll go back by myself after the exam." Xiaowei smiled and nodded.

After the little girl entered the campus, Xiao Wei got off his bicycle, pushed it aside and locked it. Then he found a place to squat down at the school gate, lit a cigarette, and stared blankly at the students and passersby coming and going.

It's already very hot in the south this season, but in the northeast it's still the season for wearing whatever you want. You have to wear an outer layer in the morning and evening, and it's so hot at noon that you sweat. As the sun rises higher and higher, Xiaowei takes off his outer layer and holds it in his arms, continuing to squat there.

Waiting is tedious; time seems to stand still. It feels like ages have passed, but when I look at my watch, only five minutes have gone by.

The exam room was oppressive; time seemed to fly by like a waterfall. It felt like I'd only looked at a few questions and written a few words when I looked at my watch and, oh my god, an hour had passed.

There are few cicadas in Northeast China, and it's windy, so there's no stuffy heat. The sun feels warm on my skin, so Xiao Wei simply sat on the cement ground, leaning against the school wall, watching people come and go on the street.

The students playing football in the school were still running wildly, as if they had inexhaustible energy. Their shouts echoed throughout the campus. Xiao Wei stood up, stepped on the stones and climbed to the top of the wall. He lay there watching the students run all over the playground. Yellow dust rose up from the dry dirt playground from time to time.

Xiao Wei thought of his own family. The children of the same age were probably weeding, turning the soil, and planting seeds in the fields right now. It was the busiest and most tiring time of the year. In Northeast China, winters are long and summers are short. Planting and harvesting are like fighting a war. You can't be slow.

"The kids in the city are so lucky. They definitely don't know how to farm or do any other work," he thought to himself.

A bell rang out from the teaching building.

The children playing football paid no attention. Through the window, they could see the teacher collecting papers. Students who had handed in their papers packed up their stationery and started walking out. The morning exam was over, and there was another one in the afternoon.

Soon, the senior high school students came out of the building. Some were chatting in groups, some were dejected, some were excited, and some were calm. It was hard to tell how they had done on the exam, but Xiaowei still watched each person's expression with great interest.

Soon, I spotted Xiaohong in the crowd. She was carrying a schoolbag and talking to two female classmates as they walked. I couldn't tell what her emotions were, and she seemed very relaxed.

When Xiaohong and the others reached the school gate, Xiaowei jumped down from the wall and stood there waiting.

"I saw you perched on the wall from afar. Didn't I tell you to go back to sleep? What were you waiting for?" Xiao Hong complained.

Xiao Wei chuckled, scratched his head, and said, "Let's go out for lunch, have something good to eat, it'll help you recover from the exams."

Xiao Hong squinted at Xiao Wei, swayed her body for a moment, thought for a moment, then clenched her fist and said, "Okay, let's go eat something good. You work so hard, you should eat more meat."

The two of them laughed and rode their bicycles straight to the state-run restaurant, the county committee guesthouse canteen, which they could only peek into from the doorway normally.

Actually, there were already privately run restaurants at this time, but the county town was too small. There were a few breakfast restaurants, but no one dared to serve lunch. Few people were willing to spend a lot of money on a meal, so business was slow.

"I want to eat sliced ​​meat, and ribs, and more meat, and more meat."

"Okay, we'll eat meat today."

"It's so expensive."

"It's okay, I got paid."

"Buy yourself a few clothes, let's go home and eat."

"Listen to me today, let's go to a restaurant and eat meat."

"Okay, just this once, just this once."

"Okay, I won't go after you finish your exams, just this once."

……