Chapter 64: Didn’t Meet the Exam Requirements, Frustrated

So it turned out to be her eldest brother-in-law’s son. She nearly got a scare—she thought the child was hers for a moment.

“Little one, what’s your name?”

Zhang Jianguo was still a bit timid, but he was doing much better compared to when Lin Bingwei first arrived.

He hid behind Lin Bingwei and whispered, “My name is Zhang Jianguo.”

“Oh, Jianguo! That’s a great name,” Gu Siyun coaxed him over with a smile and played with him so Lin Bingwei and Li Yurong could get their work done.

After breakfast, Lin Bingwei got ready to head out with her bicycle.

Gu Siyun stopped her and asked, “Weiwei, where are you going?”

“I need to go into town. I’ve arranged to pick up a house,” Lin Bingwei replied.

Pick up a house?

Before Gu Siyun could ask for details, Lin Bingwei had already pedaled away.

Li Yurong explained, “Weiwei rented a place in town. She’s going to collect the keys today.”

“Huh? Why did she rent a place?”

“To sell clothes. These days, farming alone is just enough to fill your stomach, but not enough to eat well. If you want a better life, you have to find another way to earn money.”

Gu Siyun was surprised. She hadn’t expected Lin Bingwei to have such insight, especially since she hadn’t received much education.

“How does she know all this?”

Li Yurong said proudly, “I told you, she’s smart.”

—

When Lin Bingwei arrived in town, she headed straight for the shop owned by the elderly couple.

This old street was slated for demolition in the future, but it was still only 1981—there was plenty of time left, at least until the late ’90s.

Until then, this old street would remain an economic hub.

Right now, with the recent economic reforms, the advantage of this area wasn’t too obvious yet. But soon enough, business here would be booming, with crowds squeezing into the shops.

This trend would last until a new commercial district took shape, and that new district would thrive until e-commerce took over.

As long as she seized every opportunity, she’d never have to worry about wealth in this lifetime.

“Young lady, you’re here!”

Lin Bingwei quickly parked her bike at the entrance and smiled. “Grandpa Niu, have you been waiting long?”

“Not long, not long. As long as you’re here, that’s what matters. Our train isn’t until five in the afternoon, so there’s plenty of time.”

The couple had already packed up their belongings. That was how elderly folks were—always preferring to get things done early to avoid causing trouble for others.

Once the keys were handed over and the first year’s rent was paid, they were ready to leave.

However, since their train wasn’t until 5 PM, Lin Bingwei figured they’d just be waiting at the station if they left now. So, she persuaded Grandma Niu to give her a proper introduction to the house.

Grandma Niu was more than happy to oblige. After all, she had lived there for decades and knew every single plank and beam like the back of her hand.

As she excitedly explained everything, Grandpa Niu sat at the entrance, smoking a cigarette and watching the bustling street with a touch of reluctance.

But there was no choice. His health was failing, and his son had been urging him to go to a major hospital in Beijing for a check-up. If they didn’t leave soon, their son would take time off work just to drag them there himself.

Not wanting to trouble their son, they had agreed to go on their own. He would be picking them up at the train station.

At noon, the elderly couple had a simple noodle meal across the street, and Lin Bingwei ate with them.

Afterward, they insisted on heading straight to the station to wait for their train.

Lin Bingwei carried their luggage and accompanied them there.

At the station, she found them a quieter place to rest. “Wait here—it’s less noisy. When the train is about to depart, someone will announce it over a loudspeaker. But still, keep an eye on the time so you don’t miss it.”

Grandpa Niu lifted his wrist to show his watch. “Don’t worry, I have a watch.”

“Let me check if it’s accurate.”

“Sure.”

Lin Bingwei glanced at his watch, then ran over to the large clock at the station entrance to compare the time before running back. “Grandpa Niu, your watch is five minutes fast.”

“Oh? It’s fast?”

“Yeah. But you don’t need to adjust it. Just prepare five minutes early—that actually works out well.”

Realizing this made sense, Grandpa Niu chuckled. “Alright, young lady, thank you.”

“No problem. You two stay here and wait. I’ll be heading back now.”

“Wait, young lady.”

They stopped her again.

“About that house, we probably won’t be needing it anymore. Since you seem like a good person, we’d rather sell it to you.”

“Huh? Renting suddenly turned into buying?”

“I doubt you have enough money right now.”

“I don’t,” Lin Bingwei admitted. “Otherwise, you would have mentioned selling it earlier.”

Grandma Niu nodded. “How about this—save up first. Once you have enough, just give us a call.”

She took out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it and stuffed it into Lin Bingwei’s hand. “This is my son’s number. Call us when you’ve saved enough.”

Lin Bingwei was momentarily stunned.

“How much are you selling it for?”

Grandpa Niu raised three fingers. “Three thousand.”

Three thousand? The house was old, sure, but the location was fantastic. That price was worth it just for the land alone.

Earlier, when discussing rent, the couple hadn’t even been willing to shave off a few bucks. But now they were offering it for three thousand—clearly, they were giving her a good deal.

Lin Bingwei nodded repeatedly. “Alright, I’ll let you know once I’ve saved up three thousand yuan.”

Instead of heading straight back to the shop, she went to the exam registration office to check if she could sign up.

This time, they didn’t tell her to come back in a few days. A young clerk gave her a form to fill out on the spot.

But as she looked at the required information, the corners of her mouth twitched.

And when the young clerk saw what she wrote, his mouth twitched as well.

“Are you serious? You didn’t even graduate elementary school, and you want to take the college entrance exam?”

Lin Bingwei nodded firmly, her expression serious.

The young man opened his mouth, probably intending to scold her.

But when he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he swallowed his words.

“Come with me.”

She had come at a lucky time—it was lunch break, so the office wasn’t officially open yet.

But the clerk seemed new and enthusiastic about his job, so he decided to help her out during the break.

He led her to the adjacent office and pulled out a document listing the exam requirements.

“Can you read all of this?”

Lin Bingwei nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright, then check if you meet the requirements.”

Lin Bingwei shook her head. “I don’t.”

The young clerk chuckled. “So tell me, where do you get the confidence to try for college without even finishing elementary school?”

Lin Bingwei sighed. “I actually wanted to study, but my family favored boys over girls. They pulled me out before I finished elementary school. I only started teaching myself after I got married, using my husband’s textbooks. He says I’m already at the level to take the exam.”

The young clerk: “…” So you’re serious about this?

Lin Bingwei let out another heavy sigh. “But looking at these requirements, it’s clear I don’t qualify. Am I really going to be held back my entire life just because of gender discrimination? Is there any way to meet the requirements faster?”