Chapter 25 The College Entrance Examination will be resumed soon

“Lan Yuchu~”

“Call me ‘husband.’ You’re not allowed to call me by my full name.” Lan Yuchu frowned, visibly uncomfortable at hearing his name like that.

Lin Qiyue: “…”

How was she supposed to call him that in public? In this era, almost no one used such intimate terms like “husband.” Most just used their husband’s name or called them “the father of the child” once they had kids. The word “husband” was too affectionate—she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Her cheeks instantly turned red.

“No~” she softly refused.

She didn’t dare shout it out. There were people everywhere—what if someone used it to stir up trouble and got her criticized in a struggle session?

“You’re not allowed to call me by my full name,” Lan Yuchu insisted again.

Lin Qiyue pursed her lips and finally compromised, “Alright, alright… Yuchu-gege.”

At the sound of “gege” (big brother), Lan Yuchu finally seemed satisfied, raising his eyebrows in approval. He clearly loved hearing that.

Lin Qiyue couldn’t help but feel that this man had changed—he’d started getting a little flirty and was making some rather unreasonable demands. And yet… she liked it. Ugh, how hopeless—she’d clearly fallen for it!

After finishing their shopping, they were ready to head home. Lan Yuchu bought her a small cake.

“Here, this is for you.”

He thought girls would probably like it. He held it out to her, and Lin Qiyue looked up at him with a gentle, shy smile tinged with affection. To her surprise, this man was actually blushing.

“Thank you, Yuchu-gege~” Lin Qiyue accepted it without hesitation and started eating. It wasn’t overly sweet, but it had a delicate texture—not quite comparable to future cakes, but enough to lift her spirits.

“Yuchu-gege, you have some too,” she said, breaking off a piece and offering it to him. Seeing his hands were full of shopping bags, she brought the cake straight to his mouth.

There were lots of people around. Lan Yuchu didn’t dare open his mouth to eat it and shook his head. “You eat it. I’m good.”

“Come on~” Lin Qiyue said sweetly, and Lan Yuchu couldn’t resist. He tried to free a hand to take it, but she stopped him. “Ah~ Just open your mouth. I’ll feed you. It’s just one second—no one will even notice.”

Sensing his concern about being seen, she tried to comfort him. Lan Yuchu glanced around, clearly helpless, and finally cooperated by opening his mouth. Lin Qiyue quickly popped the piece in and then turned away, satisfied.

“Let’s go home, then.”

Lan Yuchu followed behind her, his arms full of their shopping spoils.

“Yuchu’s back—took the wife out shopping, huh?” As they entered the family compound, an old lady greeted them with a cheerful smile.

Lan Yuchu heard the word “wife” and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “Yes, yes, Auntie Li. Are you heading out to buy groceries?”

Auntie Li nodded and gave Lin Qiyue a quick once-over.

Lin Qiyue greeted politely, “Hello, Auntie Li!”

Auntie Li smiled and nodded again, waving as she left. “Alright, I’ll head off now.”

“Take your time,” Lin Qiyue called after her with concern.

“I will.”

Once Auntie Li had walked off, Lin Qiyue glanced up at Lan Yuchu. His expressions were lively and genuine—it was obvious he was in a very good mood today.

When they got home, Lan Yusui had already returned from school and was doing her homework in the courtyard.

“Second brother, sister-in-law is back.” She looked up from her workbook and saw them carrying all their shopping. She couldn’t help but wonder—does Lin Qiyue not have to work?

“Yusui, when does your summer break start?” Lin Qiyue’s first move after walking in was heading to the kitchen for water. That cake had left her mouth dry and a bit cloying.

Lan Yuchu put the groceries in the kitchen and brought the rest of the things into their room. He also pulled out some soft candies and tossed a few to Yusui, putting the rest in the living room.

“I finish this week—just three more days. We’re taking final exams now,” Yusui answered honestly.

Lin Qiyue remembered that Lan Yusui was in her final year of high school. At this time, making it that far in school was an impressive achievement. Many high schools had shut down, and most intellectuals had been sent to the countryside to “build a new homeland.” Only a few urban families still had children attending high school.

“What do you plan to do after graduation?” Lin Qiyue asked.

That question clearly gave Lan Yusui some anxiety. She didn’t really know. Most likely, she’d be assigned to the countryside to teach.

“Maybe I’ll be sent to the countryside to work as a teacher,” she replied with some hesitation. Her tone made it clear that she felt uncertain and discouraged about the future.

Lin Qiyue understood—it was a difficult era for most people. But this year would bring a major shift, and a new wave of reforms was on the horizon. After a few people were defeated politically, real change would follow.

“It’s okay. I believe you’ll go to university one day. Even if you can’t right now, that’s alright. Just keep reviewing and strengthening your knowledge. Who knows—maybe in a couple years, you’ll be able to go. Knowledge stays in your mind. It’s never useless.”

She knew the next couple of years would usher in a new beginning—the kind of life people had long hoped for.

Lan Yusui stared blankly at her books, thinking about her uncertain future.

After finishing her water, Lin Qiyue washed the bowl and poured another for Lan Yuchu, who just happened to be coming into the kitchen. She handed it to him, and when he saw his wife had poured him water, his face lit up as he gratefully drank it.

“Don’t talk to her about this stuff,” Lan Yuchu said. “She won’t be able to take it in anyway. Once she graduates, she’ll be subject to the national assignment system. The only question is where she ends up. Hopefully it’ll be somewhere decent—that’s all we can hope for.”

Lin Qiyue looked at Lan Yuchu and asked, “Do you think Yusui can get a university recommendation spot?”
She remembered that at this time, there were recommendation quotas for university. With a family background like the Lan family’s and Yusui’s excellent grades, she should be able to get one.

Back when she read this novel, she hadn’t paid much attention to Lan Yusui’s ending—in fact, she only read half of it before stopping.
Who would’ve thought she’d suddenly die and transmigrate into the book?
Had she known, she would’ve at least finished the story so she could offer some advice to Lan Yusui.

Lan Yuchu glanced at Lin Qiyue with a meaningful look and said,
“If it were possible, wouldn’t you have gone to university back then too?”

Lin Qiyue was speechless.
“Mom and Dad treated you and us equally. If you had gotten a university spot, or if Yusui gets one, it might not actually be a good thing.”

Lin Qiyue wanted to argue—being a biological daughter and being an outsider weren’t the same.
But Lan Yuchu’s words reminded her: the Lan family had to keep a spotless reputation.
Even if Yusui could get a recommendation, she shouldn’t accept it.

Feeling a little sulky, Lin Qiyue pouted and muttered,
“Still, going to university is better. Yusui has such good grades! Even if she doesn’t get into college, she shouldn’t be sent to the countryside. She’s so pretty—what if those people target her?”

Those people—their true nature had already shown.
When they saw a beautiful girl, they didn’t want to let a single one go.

Lan Yusui was indeed very beautiful. In this era of scarce resources, it was rare for someone to maintain such a full and healthy figure.
And it wasn’t a superficial kind of beauty—it was the kind that drew you in more the longer you looked.
She had a naturally attractive, classic face—very pleasing to the eye.
Though she looked a little soft and curvy, all the curves were in the right places.

“Don’t worry. Our family will protect Yusui. We won’t let her be sent to any remote place.”
Since Lan Yuchu had said this, Lin Qiyue couldn’t say much more.

She had been paying attention these past few days—at this time, there was no way to start a business independently, and everything was strictly controlled.
Translation jobs were hard to find too. She figured she’d have to wait until the reforms began before making plans.

Right now, the most important thing was just to survive.
Living with Lan Yuchu wasn’t bad—he was a pretty good guy.

In Lin Qiyue’s view, she wasn’t some tough career woman. She couldn’t just start “winning at life” like those female protagonists in transmigration novels who instantly make money.
Still, as a modern woman, earning a living was necessary.
Since she hadn’t yet found the right path, she would just take things step by step.
After all, you had to walk your own path.

As the saying goes: If you don’t understand the situation, you have no right to speak.

Before the reforms began, she might as well enjoy a relationship, focus on living well, and deal with the rest later.
Life was long—she had to keep living it.

That evening, after dinner, Lan Yuchu went out for a run, and Lin Qiyue started working again on the fabric she had bought.
By the time he came back, she had already showered.

Lan Yuchu couldn’t help but remind her,
“Don’t forget to quit your job tomorrow. The train ticket is for the day after tomorrow. Mom and I have already packed everything you need.”

He mainly wanted to test Lin Qiyue’s attitude.

“I know, I already called in earlier and told them. I’ll go complete the resignation procedures tomorrow—don’t worry,” she replied.

Lin Qiyue could hear the test in his tone—he was just afraid she’d change her mind.

Now that he had the answer he wanted, Lan Yuchu didn’t say anything more.