Chapter 27

Lin Yun didn’t expect to receive money from Zhao Lanxiu. After all, in a typically patriarchal family, girls were usually given very limited resources. Not to mention, when Lin Yun first arrived, she had already said she would earn her own tuition. At that time, Zhao Lanxiu’s attitude was completely different from now.

“Alright, I’m giving it to you, so take it. Your dad can earn money now. We’re not so greedy that we’d even take the little money meant for our children,” Zhao Lanxiu said, then insisted Lin Yun take the five yuan.

Seeing that she wasn’t joking and looked serious, Lin Yun didn’t argue and accepted the money.

The last few days of summer vacation passed quickly, and soon it was time for school to start.

Lin Yun’s home was located at the border of two provinces. In fact, it was closer to the county in the neighboring province. When she was selling centipedes before, she had considered going to that county, but ultimately didn’t. Even though it was closer in terms of distance, the road was much more rugged and difficult, requiring her to cross a mountain and possibly take more time. Plus, going through the mountains was always riskier.

Of course, Lin Yun didn’t say all of this directly—she just made up a casual excuse. Maybe it was because she had seen too many true crime cases in her past life, but she always paid extra attention to her personal safety.

Now, however, there was no choice. Their town didn’t have a high school—only the neighboring county in the other province did. Students from several towns on their side all went to that high school. Compared to others, Lin Yun was already quite lucky since her home was relatively closer.

Some students lived dozens of miles away from the school and would need to walk for more than half a day to get there. In comparison, a few hours didn’t seem so bad.

Lin Yun and Zhao Baozhu had already agreed to go to school together on August 31st. Zhao Baozhu’s older brother would accompany them.

“Er Ya, do you think I’ll be okay? I feel so unsure… What if the school doesn’t accept me?” Lin Yumei asked nervously.

“Don’t worry, sis. These days, most people are more interested in taking the entrance exam for vocational schools. Not that many choose to go to high school,” Lin Yun replied.

That’s right—back then, it was actually harder to get into a vocational school. Most students preferred to take the vocational school entrance exam after junior high because graduates could immediately secure a stable government job. That was much better than going through high school and potentially not passing the college entrance exam. High school graduates weren’t guaranteed job placements.

“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure something out. Worst case, you can audit the classes.”

“What does ‘audit’ mean?” Lin Yumei asked, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

Lin Yun realized that the concept of auditing probably didn’t exist yet. She didn’t want to explain too much, so she just said, “It’s nothing. Let’s give it a try first. If they don’t accept you, we’ll find another way.”

The next day, August 31st, Zhao Baozhu arrived at Lin Yun’s home early. Lin Yun and Lin Yumei were already packed. The three girls chatted excitedly as they walked toward the school, each carrying their belongings. They would all be living in the dormitory and returning home once a week.

As they made their way to school, Lin Yun couldn’t help but sigh—going to school was no easy task. The trip took just under three hours, and along the way, she saw countless wild “little” animals.

Now, Lin Yun started to believe the aunties in the village who claimed there were wild boars on the mountain. It might not have been just rumors after all.

There were a lot of people at the school. Although it was a high school, it looked about the same size as an elementary school Lin Yun had seen in her past life. She and Zhao Baozhu were in the same grade, while Lin Yumei’s registration would take more time, so they decided to handle Lin Yun and Zhao Baozhu’s enrollment first.

The teacher at the registration desk smiled when he saw Lin Yun. “Lin Yun, congratulations on returning to school.”

“Thank you, sir. I’d like to ask something—my older sister graduated from junior high a few years ago and now wants to attend high school. Is that possible?”

“I’m not sure about that. You can ask the principal in the office.”

“Okay, thank you, sir. I won’t take up your time.” The girls then placed Lin Yun and Zhao Baozhu’s things in the dormitory. Even though it was the only high school for miles, rural high schools didn’t have great facilities.

The buildings were low, red-brick houses. Still, the fact that they used bricks already made it better than Lin Yun’s own house. And surprisingly, they had proper dorms. Lin Yun knew that junior high students stayed in converted classrooms that served as both classrooms by day and dorms by night.

The dorm beds were metal bunk beds. The teachers had said in advance that two students would share a bed. Lin Yun and Zhao Baozhu picked a top bunk. Lin Yun brought a quilt, while Zhao Baozhu brought a mattress pad and sheets.

After making their beds, the two went to the cafeteria to hand over their rice. Lin Yun, based on past experience, knew that even though students were required to bring new rice, they never actually got to eat it. Since her family’s rice hadn’t been milled yet, she brought last year’s rice instead.

The three of them then went to the Grade 10 area to see if they could find a teacher to ask about Lin Yumei’s situation. After confirming that his sister was successfully enrolled and helping carry their things to the dorm, Zhao Baozhu’s brother left.

Lin Yumei hadn’t taken the high school entrance exam. At that time, admission to high school was selective and highly competitive, and there was no chance for her. If she had stayed in junior high a few more years, she might have had the chance to take the vocational school exam. But back then, the Lin family could barely afford to eat, let alone send a daughter to school.

Even when she was in school, she spent more time working than studying.

Once they got to the Grade 10 area, Lin Yun spotted her homeroom teacher from before and quickly greeted her. “Teacher Zhao!”

Teacher Zhao turned around. “Ah, Lin Yun! You’re back at school to continue studying?”

Lin Yun nodded. “Yes. I really want to thank you, Teacher Zhao, for visiting my parents and encouraging them back then. I’m very grateful.”

“That’s what I should do. If a school can produce a university student, that’s good for everyone. You have great potential—it would be a waste if you didn’t continue studying. It’s a shame I won’t be teaching Grade 11, or I’d still be your teacher.”

“You’ll always be my teacher. Teacher Zhao, I have a question. My oldest sister graduated from junior high a few years ago and now wants to attend Grade 10 and try to get into college. Do you know how that works? Can she just register like the other freshmen?”

“Haha, what a coincidence. She’s not the first to show up like this today. Last year, the school wouldn’t have known what to do, but this year the authorities gave the green light—she can enroll normally. She just needs to take a test, kind of like the high school entrance exam.”

Lin Yun looked at Lin Yumei, who nodded. They had already prepared themselves for this.

Teacher Zhao gave them a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry too much. It’s just to assess academic level. It won’t be too hard. But the exam—”