Chapter 15

Under the pillow, six red envelopes containing New Year’s money, wrapped in red paper, had already far surpassed the total amount that Chen Nongmo’s mother had spent on shoes for the family.

While she was touched, she also couldn’t help but feel both amused and helpless. At the same time, she had completely recognized the fact that, until she could earn money independently, handmade gifts would be more readily accepted by others.

However, the ‘surprise’ did not end there…

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, on the third day after Chen Nongmo had returned to her studies, the postman delivered a letter from Big Brother.

When she took the two 100-yuan remittance slips that Mom Qiuhua handed over, she was completely stunned.

So, even Big Brother and Comrade Shao… had used the excuse of giving New Year’s money to return the money they owed?

At this thought, Chen Nongmo felt the remittance slips in her hand burn with heat.

“Who told you, a little girl, to waste money? Now you know how serious it is, huh?” After reading her son’s letter, Cao Qiuhua noticed that her daughter looked as wilted as if frostbitten. Amused, she reached out and poked her.

This ‘lesson’ truly left a deep impression on Chen Nongmo, but… “Mom Qiuhua, I really want to thank Comrade Shao.”

Big Brother was a different story; they were siblings, so taking his New Year’s money was understandable, and she didn’t feel much pressure about it.

But Shao Zheng, Comrade Shao, had no such relationship with her.

Now, in her attempt to show her gratitude, she had given him a pair of shoes worth 28 yuan, only for him to return 100 yuan in New Year’s money. There was no better ‘deal’ than this.

Cao Qiuhua, however, was not as anxious as her daughter. “It’s fine, that kid Shao Zheng is as close to your brother as if they were real brothers. He probably just treats you like a Little Sister and has no other intentions.”

After saying this, seeing that her daughter’s furrowed brows hadn’t relaxed, she suggested, “How about making them both a couple of shirts? I’ll cut the fabric for you, and you can sew them yourself.”

Chen Nongmo, who had once worked as a summer intern and learned the skill of working on an assembly line, thought for a few seconds and then said, “Alright, but I want to decide on the style myself. I’ll make one set for each of them.”

“Alright! Just make the same ones. Those two boys are close, always together, so wearing the same thing will be festive. Your brother will definitely be happy…”

At this point, Cao Qiuhua had already started to look forward to the happy expressions on her son and little Shao’s faces when they received identical clothes. She eagerly suggested, “How about this afternoon, we ask Second Brother to ride you to the town? You can use the money on the remittance slip. Do you have fabric ration tickets?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo, realizing that her mother was right, responded cheerfully, “I’ve got the tickets.”

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After lunch, Chen Nongmo, wrapped up like a ball, sat on the back seat of Second Brother’s bicycle, as he took her toward the town.

Since New Year’s Eve, the snow had been falling without pause, day and night, for several days. It only quietly stopped the previous night.

The two siblings rode along, stepping on the fluffy snow blanket, which squeaked in protest with every step. They were already sweating by the time they reached the main road leading into the town.

On the way, they encountered a tractor from another village, with a man and a woman sitting on it, both wearing military coats and Leifeng hats. They sat upright, looking unfazed by the cold, exuding confidence, with several large bundles placed beside them.

The two of them knew Cao Liu. Amidst the tractor’s rumbling “thrum…,” they exchanged greetings.

Through this brief exchange, Chen Nongmo learned that these two were students from the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University, heading to the provincial capital to catch a train for school.

After the tractor drove off, she asked, “Second Brother, have you ever considered trying for a spot at the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University?”

No matter how much this university was criticized later on, at this time, it was still a place that many young people dreamed of.

Cao Liu didn’t dismiss his younger sister with a flippant answer, but instead explained seriously, “A family can’t have four university students. It’s more appropriate for me and Fifth Brother to compete for military recruitment opportunities and try for internal recommendations.”

Chen Nongmo was stunned for a few seconds before she understood the meaning of his words.

Third Brother and Fourth Brother had more lively personalities, and the competition for spots in the Military Unit was even more intense than for the local Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University. In theory, it was indeed more likely for Second Brother, who was more steady and had better grades, and Fifth Brother to have a better chance of securing spots.

She was about to ask if Third Brother and Fourth Brother knew, but the words were swallowed before they could leave her mouth.

This question was meaningless. With the careless personalities of Third Brother and Fourth Brother, they definitely wouldn’t know.

After spending these past few days together, Chen Nongmo had already noticed that Third Brother and Fourth Brother fit the carefree image of young men that she had seen in her past life.

On the other hand, Second Brother and Fifth Brother were already mature beyond their years.

So this decision was definitely one they had discussed and made themselves.

Once she sorted out this key point, Chen Nongmo pulled her coat tighter around her, unsure of how to respond.

She couldn’t tell her brothers that the college entrance exam would be restored in six years, but not saying it made her feel uneasy.

After a long silence, Chen Nongmo finally couldn’t hold back and cautiously asked, “What if the university entrance exam is restored in a few years? Didn’t you guys just comment on how quickly the policies change?”

She asked carefully, but Cao Liu responded firmly, “The university entrance exam will definitely be restored, just like Demao’s dad was temporarily out of power. But this is something for you to know; don’t tell anyone else.”

“I won’t say anything.” However, Chen Nongmo was truly stunned. “How is Second Brother so sure?”

Cao Liu didn’t elaborate, only vaguely said, “Every dynasty change involves political struggles; it’s nothing new. Just listen and remember it.”

It wasn’t new, indeed, but in this time when information was scarce, and even buying a book was difficult, Second Brother’s insight far surpassed that of most people.

If most people could understand this, the tragic families of later periods during these special times wouldn’t be as numerous.

Thinking about this, Chen Nongmo blinked, brushing away the complexity in her eyes. She asked, “Since Second Brother knows the university entrance exam will be restored, haven’t you thought about waiting for it?”

Cao Liu smiled. “I won’t wait. Who knows how long it will take? Five years? Ten years? Maybe even longer. Becoming a soldier is also something I’ve always wanted.”

After successfully buying the fabric, Chen Nongmo and Second Brother tacitly agreed, and neither of them brought up the topic they had discussed on the way back.

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In the following days, she obediently stayed at home, studying and working on the clothes.

Most of the fabric available at that time came in three colors: black, white, and dark blue. Compared to the dark colors, white fabric was considered a rare commodity.

Although she had seen some white fabric in the town, Chen Nongmo didn’t buy it. While it looked nice, she felt it wasn’t practical since it was easy to get dirty.

Instead, she chose dark blue cotton fabric and made two identical Zhongshan collar shirts, along with two pairs of black pants.

To be honest, the cotton fabric wasn’t as comfortable as pure cotton, but she found that pure cotton tended to shrink and wrinkle easily, and ironing it was troublesome. So, she opted for the more durable and wrinkle-resistant cotton fabric.

Zhongshan suits weren’t rare at that time; many cadres liked to wear them, and if they added a couple of pens to their chest pockets, they looked like intellectuals.

However, making them into shirts was less common, as most were designed with a turned-down collar.

When the shirts were finished, Mom Qiuhua immediately suggested that when the weather warmed up, she would make one for every man in the family.

The day she sent the clothes out was also the first day of middle school.

Besides the twins, Chen Jun and Chen Yi, who were carrying their school bags and heading to report, Chen Nongmo also went with them.

A few days earlier, Chen Zong had already spoken with the principal.

Today, after mailing the clothes, the twins took their little sister to the principal’s office, where, as agreed, she was to take an exam.

In fact, nowadays, the school barely taught academic knowledge, and the teachers were all on edge. For Chen Nongmo, even attending school wasn’t much of an issue.

But her situation was special—she didn’t even have a primary school graduation certificate.

So, under the watchful eyes of the principal and her older brothers, she calculated her scores. She passed three of the four subjects, but one subject only scored 42 points.

In Chen Nongmo’s eyes, the results that were hard to bear were enough for the principal to agree to let her advance to the second year of middle school.

Meanwhile, Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother, proud with their little sister’s progress after just over twenty days of studying, proudly declared that she was a genius. They even said her score would place her in the middle-to-upper ranks of the class.

Thus, from that day on, Chen Nongmo, with her “remarkable” grades, shed the label of illiteracy and became a second-year middle school student once again.

Becoming a middle schooler again.

Chen Nongmo started going to school with Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother every day.

She didn’t even give them a chance to worry, quickly becoming adept at it.

The only thing she found hard to adjust to was the classmates’ attitude toward learning.

There were 36 students in the class, but fewer than a third actually wanted to go to high school.

Most of them were only after a middle school graduation diploma.

Of course, these discomforts didn’t bother Chen Nongmo for long. After attending school for three days, with two of those days being teacher absences and half the classmates skipping class, she soon calmed down.

Strictly speaking, her attention was diverted by other matters.

In early spring, the spring conscription began.

For young men in the rural areas, there were two main paths to a better future: one was education, and the other was joining the army.

So, when the conscription notice was issued, it wasn’t just Cao Liu who was excited; the entire county was abuzz.

Shanshun Village, also known as Shanshun Production Brigade, received two spots for recruitment.

The registration day was a Monday, and most of the classmates went to the county’s armed forces office to see the commotion.

The three siblings of the Chen family were among the few students who quietly listened to the teacher during class.

However, as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson, Chen Jun, whose personality was more carefree, couldn’t sit still. He suggested skipping class to go to the county.

Chen Yi didn’t mind and gently smiled, saying, “If you’re not afraid of getting in trouble with Dad or Big Brother, go ahead, but don’t drag me or Sixth Sister into it.”

Chen Nongmo, who also wanted to go, put on a serious expression and tried to discourage Fourth Brother, saying, “With Second Brother’s physique and brains, he’s definitely going to be selected since he’s a high school graduate. We just need to wait for the good news.”

Chen Jun pouted and lazily slumped on the old desk. “I know Second Brother will be selected. I don’t care about him,” he said.

What he was curious about were the soldiers who came to recruit new people, dressed in military uniforms.

There were so many soldiers, and maybe even a military truck with four wheels.

How impressive would that be? Just seeing them would be worth it.

And if he could touch one of those trucks, he’d have a story to brag about for a whole year.

The more he thought about it, the itchier he became. Chen Jun shifted uneasily in his seat, his eyes occasionally glancing toward his quiet younger brother, hoping he would change his mind.

Chen Yi couldn’t be bothered. He simply took a candy from his pocket, handed it to his little sister, and gently coaxed, “Don’t follow Fourth Brother. You should focus on your studies.”

Chen Nongmo took the candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. Then, she gave Fifth Brother a helpless look.

Seeing this, Chen Jun slouched in resignation, his eyes downcast.

Then, less than half a minute later, he slammed his hand on the desk in frustration, jealousy written all over his face. “Third Brother’s the lucky one. He’s in the county, going to high school. If he wants to go, all he has to do is lift his leg and he’s there.”

Chen Nongmo…