Chapter 97: Preparing for the College Entrance Examination

This news was broadcast by the Central Broadcasting Station and shocked the entire country.

Wen Jiajia sat in her office, dazed. After a few seconds, she snapped out of it and breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she knew this part of history, she couldn’t help but feel excited at this moment.

“Jia Jia, did you hear? The college entrance examination is back!”

Dong Qi burst into her office, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with emotion.

She didn’t like her current job, despite it being one that many envied. She was eager to take the college entrance examination but was a bit panicked, unsure if she was even eligible.

Wen Jiajia stood in the corridor, looking down. “I heard.”

She saw everyone’s faces filled with smiles, or they were so overwhelmed that they sat on the ground and cried. At that moment, perhaps only children who had no concept of the college entrance examination could remain calm.

Dong Qi wiped away her tears and said, “I need to find out if students like me from previous years can take the exam.”

With that, she turned and ran off, joining many others who shared the same concern.

Wen Jiajia really wanted to tell her: Yes, you can. In this exam, you’ll even see parents taking it alongside their children.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Wen Jiajia headed back to her office. On her way, she ran into Director Gao, who greeted her with a broad smile. “Jiajia, did you hear? The age limit for the college entrance examination has been relaxed a lot this year. The notice just came in, saying that eligible migrant workers and educated youth who went to the countryside or are unemployed can all participate. The radio station is preparing to broadcast it!”

“Really? Then my sister can participate too.” Director Gao had a sister who was sent to the countryside. According to him, she had excellent grades in school, and it was a pity she missed the college entrance examination.

Director Gao laughed. “Yes! I just sent her a telegram. She’ll be overjoyed.”

Wen Jiajia reminded him, “You should also send her books for all the subjects.”

Director Gao looked nostalgic. “When she went to the countryside, she took as many books as she could carry. That was five years ago, and books were her most prized possession.”

“Try to send her some tutoring books, like the Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Series. It’s been a long time since many of us have been in a classroom, and supplementary books can be very helpful.”

Director Gao slapped his forehead in realization. “Oh, I didn’t think of that! Those books didn’t exist when I took the college entrance exam. Thank you for reminding me.”

Like Dong Qi, he hurried off without even entering the office. A while later, Wen Jiajia saw him downstairs, running out of the factory.

Even the leadership couldn’t resist skipping work to buy books at this time.

Wen Jiajia could foresee how crowded the bookstore would be, but fortunately, she had already obtained several sets of the “Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Series.”

She planned to give them all away, as she didn’t need them herself, except for solving math problems.

One set was sent to Wei Xin, who could also take the college entrance exam. Wen Jiajia had once asked her if she would take the exam if given the chance, and Wei Xin had said yes.

The second set was sent to her hometown, Fuyang, and the third set was left in the army by Wen Jiajia. The last set was in her possession, and she planned to ask Sha Yue and others if they wanted to use it.

On that day, almost no one in the factory had any intention of working.

Both leaders and employees were overwhelmed by the news of the college entrance examination’s resumption.

Even the researchers, who already had high academic qualifications, couldn’t concentrate on their work.

Professor Feng even came over to Wen Jiajia and said, “Xiao Wen, this is a great opportunity to improve your academic qualifications. You should definitely give it a try.”

In her opinion, if her education level only reached high school graduation, her career would likely stall at the position of deputy director. With the increasing number of college graduates, even holding onto the deputy director position might become challenging.

Professor Feng said, “If you don’t have the materials, just come to me. I may not be able to do much else, but I can certainly help you with mathematics.”

Wen Jiajia’s eyes lit up, and she quickly responded, “I will definitely take the exam! Aunt Feng, could you give me some math problems? I have all my textbooks and a study guide series, but I still want to practice more problems.”

Professor Feng looked at her deeply and said, “Girl, you must have figured this out a long time ago.”

Wen Jiajia chuckled, “I read about several meetings in August in the newspapers. So many educators and scientists gathered together. I didn’t know the results of their discussions, but I could guess the topics. If a meeting was held about education, it meant someone was advocating for changes. Even if there wouldn’t be changes this year, what about next year or the year after?”

Professor Feng was surprised, “No wonder! That’s why people should read the newspapers more often. There’s always more news in them.”

She then gladly accepted Wen Jiajia’s request, saying, “It’s easy for me to give you problems. If you were a science student, I could even give you physics and chemistry problems. Since I don’t have much work today, come by before you leave work, and I’ll have them ready for you.”

Wen Jiajia glanced at the sun outside; it was almost noon.

Professor Feng said, “Don’t worry, if that’s not enough, I’ll give you more tomorrow or the day after.”

Wen Jiajia nodded, “Thank you, Aunt Feng.”

“You’re welcome,” Professor Feng replied as she left.

Feeling relieved to have new problems to work on, Wen Jiajia decided to find a collectible book to give as a gift to Professor Feng.

At noon, Wen Jiajia planned to find Sha Yue and the others.

However, before she could leave the factory, Lin Yunfei approached her and asked, “Are you planning to take the college entrance examination?”

Wen Jiajia nodded, “I am. You’re finally back. What have you been up to these past few days?”

Lin Yunfei smiled, “My brother got married in the countryside, so my parents and I went there to attend.”

“Congratulations! Are you taking the college entrance exam?” asked Wen Jiajia.

Lin Yunfei hesitated, “I… I was an average student when I was in school, and now I’ve been out for several years. Even if I participate, I’m just making up the numbers.”

It was difficult for Wen Jiajia to persuade her, knowing the effort required would be enormous with only two months until the exam in December.

Lin Yunfei took her hand and said, “You’re going to find Sha Yue and the others, right? Let’s go together and celebrate first. I’ll think about the exam later.” She was an optimist.

Halfway there, they met Sha Yue and Hao Qingying. Hao Qingying waved and said, “Let’s go to Wuyuanlou for dinner. I’ve already reserved a table.”

Wen Jiajia and Lin Yunfei instantly quickened their pace, almost breaking into a jog.

“When did you make the reservation? I heard the food is amazing,” said Wen Jiajia, visibly excited.

“I made it right after the broadcast ended,” Hao Qingying replied.

Sha Yue said helplessly, “Others went to the bookstore to buy books, but she went to Wuyuanlou to reserve a table.”

Hao Qingying laughed, “I wanted to go to the bookstore too, but it was so crowded that I couldn’t even squeeze in. I suspect all the books are sold out by now.”

As they were talking, the group passed by a bookstore.

It was packed with people, making it impossible to enter. Through the window, Wen Jiajia could see people’s faces distorted by the crowd, while the staff shouted at the top of their lungs for people to queue up.

Lin Yunfei murmured, “I doubt it will be any less crowded tonight.”

She suddenly felt a bit scared, and her enthusiasm for taking the exam waned slightly.

The group arrived at Wuyuanlou.

Wuyuanlou was a three-story building, clearly renovated but still retaining its old charm.

“The last renovation was over 50 years ago. They originally planned to rebuild it, but found it still usable, so they just renovated it and reopened,” Hao Qingying explained.

“If there’s no issue with safety, a renovated building can look better than a newly built one,” Wen Jiajia remarked.

As they spoke, they entered the building.

Hao Qingying led them to a table in the corner of the first floor. When they opened the window beside it, they could see a small stream with houses on both sides.

Wu Garden^[1]referring to a traditional Chinese garden. was not far away. Sitting upstairs might even offer a view of the garden.

Wen Jiajia couldn’t help but think of her own small yard again. She really wanted to turn it into a private garden…but the space wasn’t enough.

“Come, let’s see what we want to eat,” said Hao Qingying, grabbing the menu and ordering a dish first.

She then passed the menu to Sha Yue, who looked at it for a long time before saying, “I’ll have the sauce recipe.”

Wen Jiajia leaned over to take a look, “Then I want the crystal braised pork!”

She had never tried this dish before and was curious.

In this still relatively hot weather, even if you want to eat meat, it’s better to choose something lighter.

Lin Yunfei finally ordered a West Lake water shield soup, mainly because the other three had also ordered it, and she felt there should be a soup.

The dishes were served quickly. Wen Jiajia couldn’t help but sigh at how aromatic the freshly cooked dishes were. When she leaned closer to the squirrel mandarin fish Hao Qingying ordered, she could even hear the sizzling sound.

This was the sound made when the marinade was poured onto the fried fish. She could only imagine how loud and tempting it must have been when it was just out of the pan.

In fact, the eel paste with crispy oil also had this phenomenon. Usually, there was a crackling sound when it was served, which was why it was called “crackling” eel paste.

But they didn’t order this dish this time. They had made the trip with great difficulty and didn’t want to eat something they could easily make at home.

The four of them had originally planned to discuss the college entrance examination, but once the food arrived, they were too engrossed in eating to talk about anything else.

The squirrel mandarin fish^[2]is a traditional Chinese dish, particularly popular in Suzhou and the surrounding regions, and it resembles a squirrel with its tail raised. was sweet and sour, coated in a layer of golden sauce that made it look very tempting. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sweet and sour flavor enhanced, rather than masked, the deliciousness of the fish.

The second dish was the sauce pork, served as a large piece and then cut into four smaller portions by the waiter. Wen Jiajia thought it resembled Dongpo pork but was less sweet, with a more salty and soy-based flavor complemented by a hint of sweetness.

Lin Yunfei liked to scoop the sauce into a bowl and mix it with rice. The dish was accompanied by boiled greens and crispy small vegetables, making it very refreshing.

Then came the crystal braised pork that Wen Jiajia had ordered. This dish consisted of pig’s trotters that were marinated and cooked with onions, ginger, and rice wine until tender, then frozen until the juices had solidified into a jelly. Wen Jiajia was intrigued by this dish, guessing that Wu Yuanlou must have a freezer.

True to her guess, the crystal braised pork had a cool texture in the mouth, with a salty and slightly winey aroma. Dipped in vinegar with shredded ginger, it was even more stimulating to the taste buds.

Everyone at the table enjoyed this dish immensely. Compared to the others, it was the most comfortable to eat.

The last dish was West Lake Water Shield Soup. Wen Jiajia had eaten it several times before, but after tasting it at this moment, she was certain that the West Lake Water Shield Soup at Wuyuanlou was the best she had ever had—smooth, tender, and fragrant!

When they had nearly finished eating, they began to chat. Wen Jiajia wiped her mouth and said, “I’m preparing for the college entrance examination. I have a set of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry books. If you’re interested in taking the exam, you can use them. I’m taking the liberal arts exam, and I bought these books to practice math problems.”

This announcement surprised everyone. They knew how hard it was to get the “Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Series” from the long queues at the bookstores.

Hao Qingying immediately said, “I want to take the exam.”

She had graduated only five or six years ago, had no family to support, and her grades had been good in school, so she felt she could give it a try.

Sha Yue hesitated, “Jiajia, if you pass the exam, what will happen to Yueming^[3]Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai’s kid’s name.?”

Wen Jiajia replied without hesitation, “Yueming will have a mother who is a college student. Of course, she will be proud.”

Children can’t stop her from moving forward; they can be a driving force, but never a stumbling block. She was studying for herself and had even chosen the right time to get pregnant with the college entrance examination in mind.

Sha Yue was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes sparkled, “You’re right!”

Lin Yunfei, who had been silent, finally said, “Then, I’ll take part too.” After a moment, she added, “I don’t have to pay for it anyway, so I might as well try.”

Yes, the college entrance examination was free this year.

Wen Jiajia encouraged her, “Since you’ve made up your mind, give it a try. Even if you get into a junior college, it will make you more competitive in the future.”

At that time, a junior college degree was valuable, and many researchers at the factory had graduated from junior colleges.

Lin Yunfei nodded, feeling more motivated.

Among the four of them, only Sha Yue was a science student, so Wen Jiajia gave her the physics and chemistry sections of the “Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Series.”

The rest of the group would share the mathematics book.

In the evening, when Wen Jiajia returned home, the family compound was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

The family compound had learned the news even earlier than the factory, as its information channels were better due to its military background.

After Wen Jiajia contributed her set of books, the demand was so high that people almost trampled over each other to get them.