Chapter 25: Final Exams

The brigade school’s summer break started in mid-July.

Some children took exams seriously. After all, wherever people gathered, there was always competition.

Even those who didn’t care much had to be mindful. Bringing home two failing grades would likely earn them a hearty “bamboo stick stir-fry.”

Xu Lele was the only daughter in her family, and she was quite pampered.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this bold, frequently boasting that her mother’s spankings didn’t hurt.

It wasn’t that the beatings didn’t hurt—her mother simply couldn’t bear to hit her hard.

For Xu Lele, whether or not she got scolded had nothing to do with how much she hated exams.

She disliked them, no matter what.

But dislike or not, the exams had to be taken.

Mu Mian didn’t continue gossiping withShi Xiaolian. She picked up her bottle and shovel, ready to head home.

The half-bottle of earthworms she had collected would be enough for her chickens for one meal.

Xu Lele hadn’t dug up many worms, but she had gathered a handful of wildflowers instead.

Just moments ago, she had been sulking about the exams, but now she was chattering away, tucking a flower behind her ear and shaking her head playfully. “Sister Mianmian, does this look good on me?”

Mu Mian nodded. “Yes, it looks nice.”

And then, she too received two flowers—personally placed on her by Xu Lele.

With flowers adorning their ears, the two of them continued on their way and soon ran into Nie Sihui.

Mu Mian waved her hand. “Educated Youth Nie, are you fetching water again?”

Nie Sihui looked much better than she did yesterday. Yesterday, she had been covered in dust, but today, up close, her face looked much cleaner.

Carrying a bucket, she said, “There’s a lot to clean and wash, so I need plenty of water. What are you guys doing here?”

Although the girl in front of her was young, Nie Sihui didn’t know why she found it so easy to talk to her.

Compared to the unfamiliar older women in the brigade, this little girl made her feel much more at ease. She couldn’t help but want to chat a little longer.

She attributed this feeling to how smart and adorable the little girl was. When she first saw her yesterday afternoon, she had even thought she was a city kid visiting relatives in the countryside.

The little girl had a round, chubby face, which was very cute. Especially her eyes—dark, bright, and full of life.

One glance, and she just looked like a well-behaved child. The kind that made people feel happy just looking at her.

Nie Sihui was just thinking that when, in the next second, she saw the “well-behaved” child lift up a bottle.

Inside, a mass of earthworms wriggled, along with what looked like other bugs.

Then came a soft, innocent voice. “Digging up earthworms to feed the chickens.”

Nie Sihui hadn’t noticed the bottle before, but now that she had a clear view, her pupils shrank slightly, and she silently took half a step back.

Mu Mian immediately understood—she was afraid of bugs. Quietly, she moved the bottle behind her.

Nie Sihui subtly let out a breath of relief.

Since the newly arrived educated youths had a lot to settle—getting daily necessities, borrowing grain from the production brigade, and setting up grain registration—the three of them only exchanged a few more words before parting ways.

By late afternoon, Nie Sihui came by Mu Mian’s house again. At that moment, Mu Mian was inside reading a book with Xu Lele.

Then, she overheard Nie Sihui speaking with her grandmother outside. She had come to trade for some items like mats and straw hats.

City-born educated youths didn’t know how to weave such things, but every household in the countryside had them.

Zhao Meihua only took a small amount of candy in exchange, though Nie Sihui had also wanted to offer ration tickets. The elderly woman refused.

In the end, the candy ended up in Mu Mian’s pocket, and she shared it with Xiao Chengzi and Mu Wan.

—

Time quietly passed again, and soon, it was exam day.

The school didn’t bother with any special rules. It was as casual as a regular class.

The questions were so simple that Mu Mian finished the test in five minutes and scored full marks in both subjects.

Her performance caused quite a stir—not because a second-grader had aced the final exams, but because Shi Xiaozhu, on a whim while handing out test papers, asked Mu Mian if she wanted to try the third- and fourth-grade exams.

Mu Mian only thought about it for two seconds. It didn’t seem too showy, so she agreed and completed them as well.

The result? Another four perfect scores.

This shocked the parents who were still worrying over their children’s failing grades. Some asked how Mu Mian studied, while others discussed how Liu Shuangcui and her mother-in-law raised her.

Two days later, the gossip took another turn.

Word spread that Shi Xiaolian could also solve third-grade problems.

Now, that was truly astonishing—Shi Xiaolian had never even attended school. She had just studied at home with her sister and managed to learn that much.

Then…

The children who had failed their exams, or ranked at the bottom, soon had their backsides “blossoming” under their parents’ discipline.

But the kids were clever.

When their parents accused them of not studying hard enough, they protested while dodging the impending spankings. “It’s not our fault! It’s because their parents gave birth to smart kids. We didn’t do well because we weren’t born lucky!”

And funny enough, some brigaders actually agreed with that reasoning.

After all, everyone knew that Shi Xingfu was a capable man.

As for Mu Mian’s family—though both Mu Fugui and Liu Shuangcui got headaches just looking at books, they had Mu Zhuo in the household, who had made it all the way to high school.

Thinking of it that way, it all made sense.

Smart parents gave birth to smart kids.

Just as Mu Mian expected, the chatter only lasted a few days. It didn’t last as long as the scandal in Shi Xinggui’s family.

After all, while this was fresh news, it wasn’t anything shocking. It wasn’t like a seven- or eight-year-old had passed the college entrance exams.

Even adding Shi Xiaolian into the story didn’t change much.

What Mu Mian didn’t expect was that Shi Xiaolian had secretly been up to something too.

No wonder they shared similar experiences—apparently, their thought processes were quite alike as well.

She figured they should have a good chat about it sometime.

For now, though, as the gossip died down, an important matter was coming up for the Mu family.

Well, it wasn’t directly related to Mu Mian, but it involved her fourth uncle’s family.

Her cousin, Mu Qiu, was about to take the junior high school entrance exam.

At that time, there was no standardized exam. Each school arranged and conducted its own.

Only a handful of students in the brigade were planning to take the test.

Most parents—and even the students themselves—believed that just learning to read was enough.

Continuing education wouldn’t get them anywhere, and it would only be a waste of money.

Not to mention, studying took time away from working in the fields and earning work points.

Besides, jobs in the city weren’t easy to come by. Every position was already occupied, and even those with middle or high school diplomas struggled to find work.

But the Mu family believed in letting their children study as much as possible.

The old lady often said, “If you have the chance to study but don’t take it, what if a good job opportunity comes along in the future and they have academic requirements,? You’ll just have to watch others take it.”

In short, more education meant more options.

Mu Qiu herself also wanted to continue her studies.

Mu Mian often saw her cousin carrying small notes in her pocket while working, studying whenever she could. She was truly dedicated.

The junior high school exam at the commune was scheduled for the morning. Since the brigade was some distance away from the commune, walking there would require setting off early.

However, Mu Qiu could leave a bit later since Mu Fugui now had a bicycle and could take her.

For this day, Mu Fugui even took half a day off from work.

Technically, Mu Xingwang could have taken her as well, but Mu Fugui was worried that his fourth brother’s riding skills were not proficient enough. If his niece fell along the way, it would be a disaster.

If she injured her right hand, that would be even worse—she wouldn’t be able to write, let alone take the exam.

As Mu Fugui put it, among the three brothers, he was the most agile and coordinated. Compared to him, the fourth and fifth brothers were still a bit lacking.

Hearing this, Mu Xingwang and Mu Xinglong both rolled their eyes in response.

—

On the morning of the exam, Mu Qiu arrived early at Mu Mian’s house.

The family of four was having breakfast when the old lady looked at her granddaughter and asked, “Why are you here so early? Have you eaten?”

Mu Qiu nodded. “I have. Mom boiled me an egg.”

Mu Fugui casually picked up a corn pancake and handed it to his niece. “Eat some more. No rush, I’ll make sure you get there on time.”

Mu Qiu shook her head. “Uncle, you eat. I’m full.”

Without hesitation, Mu Fugui stuffed the pancake into his mouth in just a few bites. “Then sit for a while. Did you bring everything?”

Mu Qiu sat next to Mu Mian and patted her backpack. “Yes, I checked everything carefully.”

There wasn’t much to bring—just the admission slip and some pens.

Mu Mian was almost finished eating, with only a little soup left in her bowl. As soon as she put down her bowl, she noticed that her cousin kept absentmindedly picking at the fabric of her backpack—clearly showing signs of nervousness.

Mu Mian reached out and tugged on her cousin’s hand. “Sister Xiao Qiu, you’ll be fine! Don’t worry!”

Then, she lifted Mu Qiu’s hand and placed it on her own head. “Rub some luck off me! Everything will go smoothly from start to finish. Grandma says I have good fortune in my future!”

“You should trust Grandma. The old saying goes—listen to the advice of elders, and happiness will be right before your eyes!”

“Pfft!”

“Ahh, cough cough cough…”

The three adults who hadn’t finished eating burst into laughter, and even Mu Qiu couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably. “I’ve never heard that saying before.”

Mu Mian replied confidently, “That’s normal. I just made it up.”

Mu Qiu’s hand slipped, and she pinched her little cousin’s cheek. It felt much softer than her head, and Mu Mian usually didn’t let people pinch her face.

Instantly, her lips puckered into a little fish mouth. “……………”

Fine. Since her cousin had an important exam today, she’d sacrifice herself just this once.

—

Perhaps Mu Mian’s pre-exam relaxation technique really worked.

That afternoon, when Mu Qiu returned from the exam, she looked delighted and said the questions were quite easy.

The results were posted quickly. Just two days later, the score sheets were up.

Mu Qiu ranked among the top scorers with an impressive score.

From their brigade, only two students passed the exam—besides her, the other was Xu Zhiyong, the second brother of Xu Lele.

For a family, having a child pass the junior high entrance exam was certainly a joyful event.

That evening, they had a small family gathering to celebrate. There wasn’t any meat, just some stir-fried eggs.

Mu Wan was quick-eyed and snatched a big piece right from under her brother’s chopsticks. Her little face was full of pride. “Hehe, not as fast as me, huh!”

Gutou felt indignant.

Tang Cuixiang couldn’t help but mutter, “You always focus on snatching food. When will you compete with your sister on who’s smarter?”

Mu Wan was carefree. “That’s impossible. My sister’s head is round and smooth, so she thinks faster. My head isn’t as good—it’s a little flat.”

She even leaned forward to show everyone. “Look, isn’t it flat? It must be because you guys didn’t take care of me when I was little and let my head get caught in a door. That’s why I’m not as smart now.”

The ten-year-old girl earnestly analyzed why she wasn’t as good at school, making Mu Mian laugh so hard she started choking, patting her chest while coughing violently.

Tang Cuixiang looked exasperated. “That was clearly because you slept too much when you were a baby!”

Mu Wan touched her head. “Really? I thought I got my head caught in a door.”

For a moment, laughter filled the entire dinner table.

And the meal eventually ended with a heated debate—was a round head smarter, or a flat head smarter?

The whole family chirped and chattered but never came to a conclusion.