Chapter 14

September 1, 1960.

The Hongqi Soap Factory was officially established.

The factory is located in the houses left by the former landlords. Since the landlords were long gone, the houses naturally became the property of the village. After a bit of tidying up, they proved to be quite useful.

However, currently, there are only six employees in the entire factory, with Su Chengzhong serving as the factory director.

Except for the workers’ wages and material expenses, the rest of the profits went to the public funds of the commune.

This kind of good news is undoubtedly a godsend for the villagers.

After learning that the soap formula was donated by Su Xi, almost all the villagers, to varying degrees, brought gifts to express their gratitude.

Some brought two eggs, others brought a bunch of vegetables. Even families with meager resources would pick up a few bundles of firewood to send over.

And all of it happened in a joyful scene where people wouldn’t wait for a refusal but would leave the items and quickly run away.

The villagers cheered and celebrated as if it were the New Year. 

Su Xi had already packed her bags and set off for the county town to begin her high school life.

High school life turned out to be less hectic than Su Xi had anticipated. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, young boys and girls were in the prime of their adolescence. Even in those challenging times, the youthful stirrings of attraction between the sexes remained undiminished.

Moreover, female students in high school were scarce, making Su Xi the coveted target of admiration among male classmates.

At this time, people did not have the concept of Xiaohua and Xiaocao, but if anyone were asked who was the most beautiful girl in the school, Su Xi would undoubtedly be the first person that came to mind. ^[1]Xiaohua/School Flower – prettiest girl in school; Xiaocao/School Grass: most handsome boy in school

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, “King Xiang has intentions, but the divine maiden is indifferent.” Su Xi, beautiful like a delicate flower, was a student who seemed devoid of emotions, a mere studying machine.

While others discussed which outfit looked best, Su Xi focused on her studies. 

While others blushed sneakily when making eye contact with a crush, she remained immersed in her books. 

While others engaged in romantic relationships and discussions of marriage, she persisted in her studies.

In this way, after a year of continuous dedication to her studies, she, having completed only one year of high school, skipped a grade and participated in the college entrance examination!

She not only passed with flying colors but also secured the top spot in the provincial rankings, gaining admission to the First Military Medical University, the equivalent of the future Southern Medical University.

This news caused a sensation throughout the county.

On the day Su Xi received her acceptance letter, the Su family gathered, attracting villagers who were lured by the sound of firecrackers set off by Su Chengzhong.

Upon inquiry, some villagers learned that the delicate and pretty girl from the Su family had actually been accepted into university at the age of 16, skipping a grade. How impressive! People couldn’t help but envy her accomplishments.

“Oh, our Xixi is truly amazing, just like her brother, she’s a genius or something.” On this celebratory day, the extended family once again gathered to rejoice. Su Xi’s aunt praised her loudly.

As Su Xi’s aunt, Wang Guizhi naturally became the envy of the villagers.

Now, basking in the admiration of others, she felt a mixture of joy and bitterness.

She was delighted because all the children in the Su family were excelling, bringing honor to their names. However, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness, wondering why the two children from the second family, even the wolf cub, were admitted to college. Now, with three university students in the Second Family, their eldest branch is left with none.

Grandma Chen, equally pleased but pretending not to be, quickly waved her hand. Though she couldn’t read many characters, she knew better than to overly praise a child. “There was no such thing as’she’s genius.’ XiXi had worked hard over the past year, and they had all seen it. Day after day, she held a book, studying tirelessly without rest.” 

“Yes, yes! My niece is a diligent child!” Su Chengzhong responded with a smile, then gave a stern look at his wife, who had spoken out of turn.

Su Chengzhong turned around, then grinned, and started distributing candies to the villagers.

It’s not possible to host a grand banquet at this time, but giving a few candies to each family was still doable. Fortunately, with the child working at the supply and marketing cooperative, they could afford to distribute so many candies at any time.

……..

Su Xi sat on the side, watching each family member enjoy the moment with smiles on their faces. She couldn’t help but join in the laughter.

Having a family was truly wonderful!

According to Su Xi, she could have managed on her own, but no one in the family agreed. After much discussion, it was decided that her fourth brother, who had free time during the summer vacation, would go and escort her sister.

From their Hongqi commune to the First Military Medical University, they took several buses, spending a total of thirteen days.

When Su Xi stood at the university gate, holding bags big and small, she felt completely drained.

Feeling emotional, she was glad she hadn’t let her eldest uncle accompany her. Traveling by train at this time was too troublesome, especially for Su Xi, who had experienced the comfort, luxury, and speed of high-speed trains in future times. After thirteen days, she was on the verge of going crazy.

After bidding farewell to his fourth brother, Su Xi embarked on her college life.

……………

The Military Medical University was quite different from the university Su Xi attended in her previous life. Here, one had to not only become a doctor but also a qualified military officer.

At the end of her freshman year, Su Xi approached the professors directly and, with almost perfect grades in every subject, managed to skip ahead to her junior year.

From then on, she proceeded with her studies in a systematic manner. While everyone was still waiting for any remarkable achievements from her, her pace slowed down.

She didn’t really want to be so conspicuous, but she had to graduate before the year 1965.

Now, it was October of the year 1964, and at the age of 19, Su Xi had just started her fifth year. Finally, she could afford to take things slow.

“Student Su Xi, there’s someone looking for you at the school gate,” a fellow student informed her, blushing. It was a Sunday, and Su Xi, along with a few high-achieving classmates, had been called by the teacher to help in the laboratory.

At lunchtime, Su Xi had just stepped into the cafeteria. She was informed by a familiar-faced girl, her cheeks flushed.

Su Xi didn’t know many people here. She spent every day buried in her studies, almost turning into a bookworm, unable to recall who could be looking for her at the school.

Perhaps sensing Su Xi’s hesitation, the girl approached her and whispered, “It’s a very tall and handsome boy. Is he your partner?”

After speaking, she stared at Su Xi’s face without blinking and screamed in her heart. ‘Classmate Su Xi was really too beautiful, and she couldn’t bear to move her eyes.’

Take a look at her, with skin as white as snow and a figure as delicate as jade, set off by ink-black hair, red lips, and phoenix-like eyes with finely arched eyebrows. Every glance and subtle movement seemed to possess a captivating charm. Yet, what truly held one’s gaze was the flower-shaped birthmark beneath her eye—utterly unique.

It’s difficult for someone to get a tear mole, but she’s lucky enough to have a tender pink peach-shaped one.

How unfair! The heavens must be playing favorites!

What’s more, despite her exceptional beauty, she didn’t neglect her studies. In every exam, she ranked first. It was so overwhelming that jealousy couldn’t find a foothold. The gap was just too wide, leaving others lamenting.

Listening to her classmates’ descriptions, Su Xi unconsciously thought of her brothers Nannan and Big Brother Dongdong. After all, a tall and handsome man was looking for her; it could only mean it was her own brother.

With this in mind, a smile spread across her face, as radiant as a blooming white flower.

She thanked her stupefied female classmates and happily skipped towards the school gate.

Just as she approached the gate, Su Xi slowed down her steps as she noticed an unfamiliar man from a distance.

Reaching the gate, she hesitated, scrutinizing the handsome man in front of her. After checking her surroundings and finding no one else, she was about to ask if he was looking for her.

The man spoke first, his gaze fixed on the girl, who had transformed into a stunning beauty over the past few years, especially the distinctive flower-shaped birthmark in her eyes. “Su Xi, we met four years ago. Do you remember?”

Upon hearing these words, Su Xi carefully examined the man’s appearance before realizing—wasn’t he the unlucky soldier entangled by Su Sanya a few years ago?

The man dressed like a normal civilian, so she truly didn’t recognize him.

“Are you… Xie Zhen?” Su Xi asked uncertainly.

“Do you know my name?” Xie Zhen raised an eyebrow.

Su Xi smiled. “I caught glimpses of it a few years ago in the hospital records.”

“Your memory is really something,” Xie Zhen remarked.

However, these details were not important. Thinking about comrades awaiting rescue, a sense of urgency filled his sharp eyes. “Can you take a trip out of the school now? I have a patient who needs your medical attention.”

Worried that Su Xi might hesitate to accompany him, he quickly pulled out a note from his pocket and handed it to her. “This is from your brother, Xi Yannan. He asked me to give it to you and told me to find you.”

Su Xi took the note and quickly glanced at it, her expression turning serious. “Is my brother also there? Why didn’t he come here with you?”

“Your brother suffered a minor injury and couldn’t come here.”

Upon hearing this, Su Xi’s heart tightened. She wanted to ask more, but seeing Xie Zhen’s anxious expression that he couldn’t hide, she knew it wasn’t the time to dig deeper.

Immediately, she said, “Wait for me a few minutes. I’ll go back and get a permission note from the professor.”

With that, she rushed into the campus, leaving Xie Zhen looking grateful. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared.

Xie Zhen “…..”

She was indeed a promising military doctor.