Chapter 82

Women’s Federation Office

The news of Su Ye’s college entrance exam results hadn’t yet reached the office, but during a post-meal break, the office started discussing it.

One of the women said, “Su Ye is really giving us a headache. Military wives with her level of education are all actively participating, but she’s not setting an example and is instead creating a bad impression!”

Many military wives eagerly signed up for night school, but Su Ye didn’t, causing some to lose interest in continuing their studies after hearing about it.

Another colleague said, “Su Ye cares about her face. If you ask me, there’s nothing shameful about studying.”

When Yao Chunyu heard that Su Ye had refused to sign up for night school, she thought to herself that this situation was exactly the same as in her past life. In her previous life, Su Ye had been too proud to attend night school. Her refusal had been seen as a negative example, and she and Gu Xiangqian had argued over it.

Yao Chunyu gently said, “The literacy class is something that should be based on personal willingness. If Su Ye doesn’t want to participate, then forget it. When you finish the class, just bring the study materials and notes to her so she can keep up with the group. It’ll just be a bit more work for everyone to take better notes.”

The military wives, after hearing this, agreed that Yao Chunyu’s approach was very considerate. This way, they could still support those who were too proud to join the literacy class.

“Giving her face, bringing her the study materials? If she doesn’t want to come, forget it!” said a hot-tempered woman.

As soon as she spoke, a burst of laughter rang out—it was the Women’s Federation director entering the office.

She laughed happily and said, “She doesn’t need to come to our literacy class! Haven’t you heard? Su Ye was the top scorer in the science section of the college entrance exam this year! Our Women’s Federation should organize a proper recognition for her and discuss how to set Su Ye as a role model for hard work and progress!”

Her words were like a bombshell, stunning everyone in the room.

Shock, surprise, and disbelief appeared on everyone’s face. Many didn’t respond right away and even rubbed their ears to make sure they hadn’t misheard. Su Ye… how did she become the top scorer in the college entrance exam?

If the person saying this wasn’t the Women’s Federation director, they would have assumed it was a joke of the century!

Seeing everyone stunned, the Women’s Federation director smiled and said, “Are you all in shock? You didn’t mishear, Su Ye from our community is the top scorer in the province’s science category this year!”

Yao Chunyu was also frozen in place.

In her previous life, Su Ye never took the college entrance exam, let alone became the top scorer in the science category! How could Su Ye possibly have such great exam results? Yao Chunyu’s involvement in the college entrance exam had been five years ago, when she was 17 and took the national unified exam. At that time, she got into a local medical university and became the pride of the community.

If Su Ye really became the top scorer in the science category… Yao Chunyu’s face suddenly turned pale.

The Women’s Federation director couldn’t stop smiling as she continued, “Comrade Su Ye, despite her busy work schedule, didn’t forget to improve herself. She participated in this year’s college entrance exam and proudly achieved the title of the top scorer in the science category in the province. This spirit is something we should all learn from. Recently, we’ve been working on the night school, and we can use Su Ye’s example as a model to encourage everyone!”

The praise from the director poured out like it was free.

If Su Ye had only gotten into a top university, that wouldn’t have been impressive. The community was full of talented people, and there had been students who had gotten into top-tier universities like Tsinghua and Peking University. But Su Ye was different—she was the top scorer in the province’s science category. This accomplishment would even make a name for the community when compared to other military districts!

Finally, the director hurriedly took out a ten yuan bill, stuffed it into an envelope, and said to the colleagues in the office, “I don’t have time to explain this in detail. I need to go to Comrade Gu Xiangqian’s house. You all stay here and discuss how to honor this achievement!”

After the director left, everyone was still in shock over Su Ye becoming the top scorer.

“Su Ye is the top scorer in this year’s science category? Pinch me, I must be hearing things!”

“You didn’t see the director earlier? She was rushing to wrap a red envelope for Su Ye’s family. There’s no way it’s wrong!” One woman glanced at the others who had been criticizing Su Ye earlier.

Just a moment ago, they had been complaining about Su Ye dragging things down and setting a bad example, but now the director had praised her. It was beyond awkward.

The shock caused by Su Ye’s achievement of becoming the top scorer was even greater than when Gu Xiangqian quietly married a rural woman. People in the military community had looked down on military wives from the countryside, thinking they were unrefined, uneducated, and poor.

Especially since Su Ye had married a young, talented leader, she had been ridiculed a lot. But now… who could still look down on Su Ye? Even Gu Xiangqian hadn’t gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University back then.

—

Gu Family

At the Gu family’s home, everyone was filled with joy. Zhou Honghan took a while to process this incredible piece of news. After carefully thinking about it, she realized that Su Ye truly had the ability to become the top scorer.

Su Ye was hardworking and reliable, quick-witted, and not at all foolish. On weekends, she loved to borrow a bag of books to read…

Zhou Honghan thought more deeply about it. Su Ye had only studied for one year, preparing for the college entrance exam while working, and still managed to become the top scorer. What an excellent prospect! The fact that she just now got into university must be because she was delayed before. If Su Ye had been nurtured from a young age, with her talent, she might have already graduated from university by now. Fortunately, talent will never be buried. Su Ye is only nineteen this year, so considering her age, it’s not too late for her to get into university this year.

Neither Gu Xiangqian nor his wife were home, so Zhou Honghan took charge of the house. She smiled secretly and wrapped several red envelopes, handing them to the teachers who came to deliver the good news.

“A small token of my appreciation, may it bring good fortune to everyone.”

The teachers originally refused the red envelopes, but they couldn’t resist Zhou Honghan’s insistence, and they were forced into their pockets. When they opened them, they found only fifty cents inside. It wasn’t much, but they accepted it for the symbolic gesture.

The principal grinned and said, “It’s fine that we can’t find little Su, just let her know to come to school tomorrow. The reporters from the newspaper want to interview her.”

Zhou Honghan happily called Ning Xingdou, asking him to notify Gu Xiangqian that his wife’s college entrance exam results had come in.

When Ning Xingdou heard Su Ye’s shocking results on the phone, he immediately hung up and rushed to find Gu Xiangqian. At this moment, Gu Xiangqian was in the classroom teaching a military theory course to the trainees.

Ning Xingdou shouted loudly, “Xiangqian! Your wife’s college entrance exam results are out! The school principal even came personally to inform you, hurry up and go back to host them!”

Gu Xiangqian smiled at this and the young trainees in the classroom stirred with excitement. A bold soldier, not afraid of anything, asked, “How did Sister-in-law do?”

Since the school principal had even come in person to deliver the results, it must mean she did well enough for them to come. Wasn’t the exam result still not publicly announced?

Ning Xingdou, smiling widely, gave a thumbs-up, “Sister-in-law is truly amazing! She’s the top scorer in the science category this year!”

All the trainees gasped in shock, and the room erupted into excitement. “She’s the top scorer! No way, Sister-in-law, is that strong?”

“The top scorer in science, that must be such a good result, is she the school’s top scorer?”

Gu Xiangqian, hearing this, naturally curved his lips into a smile, revealing a row of white teeth. His dazzling smile seemed brighter than the sunlight outside the window. He closed the book, patted Ning Xingdou on the shoulder, and said, “Infantry Company 213, Commander Ning Xingdou, I am officially assigning you the task of teaching the trainees!”

Ning Xingdou stood up, puffed out his chest, and replied enthusiastically. Gu Xiangqian smiled as he quickly left the classroom. He had already prepared himself for this, if Su Ye had participated in the college entrance exam, she would definitely have done well.

When Gu Xiangqian returned home, he found the house full of people waiting for him and his wife.

The director of the Women’s Federation, glowing with joy, said, “Xiangqian, you’re finally back. We…”

The Women’s Federation director had just been discussing how Su Ye had been accepted into Tsinghua University and was about to start school. “You shouldn’t stop her from studying. As a husband, you should support your wife’s development,” she said.

The director was concerned about this matter. While Su Ye’s admission to university was a good thing, she was also a military wife, and living apart from her husband could affect their family. Moreover, this was a newlywed couple, perhaps in the next few years, they would want to have children. Living in separate locations wasn’t ideal.

Zhou Honghan was also thinking about this. Gu Xiangqian wasn’t young anymore, and people his age already had children. But Su Ye had performed excellently, getting into university. If she gave up her education for the sake of family and marriage, that would be a great loss.

Gu Xiangqian wore a faint smile. “I’m very proud of her for getting into Tsinghua University.”

He then changed the subject. “Actually, recently there were a few spots for training in the capital. The military may need to stay in the capital for a few years. For various reasons, I didn’t agree to it immediately, but now I can apply for it.”

Once Gu Xiangqian finished speaking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and congratulated them.

In the evening, Su Ye returned to the military housing compound. She was immediately surrounded by an overly enthusiastic group of neighbors, who crowded around her as if she were a rare animal on display.

The aunties looked at her in awe, one by one, exclaiming, “Little Su, you’re amazing! You’ve really brought honor to our compound!”

“Little Su is not just lucky, she’s clever and capable. I never noticed before. She quietly achieved something so big—it almost scared us to death!”

“Come, come, Little Su, stand still for a second, let me have my child touch you. He needs to get some of that ^[1]“Wenchu star” (文曲星) refers to a star in Chinese astronomy, often associated with Wenchang, the God of Culture and Learning, in Chinese mythology. Wenchang is believed to govern … Continue readingWenchu star’s good luck, he’ll be taking the high school entrance exam next year.”

Su Ye was thinking to herself that she had kept a low profile recently and hadn’t done anything like collecting wild ducks to stir up hatred. She cleared her throat and asked, “Why is everyone gathering here? Didn’t we already say not to indulge in superstitions?”

That’s when everyone realized that she didn’t yet know about her top scorer status, and they all burst into laughter.

One aunt excitedly said, “Su Ye, you’re the top scorer in science! The principal came to our compound to announce the good news. The political commissar is probably at your house right now. Go home quickly!”

“That’s right, I just saw that the Women’s Federation has posted your results on the bulletin board. You’ll probably get a reward from the military for this. You’ve made us proud!”

“Su Ye, you must have studied really hard, staying up late every night? I always see you walking so quickly, you really value your time!”

When Su Ye estimated her score, she had some confidence in her performance in science, but she never imagined she would be the top scorer in science. After all, there were many talented people in this era, and many of them could score full marks. Perhaps it was her strong performance in the humanities that made the difference and created a gap between her and the others.

In the early years of the college entrance exam, both science and liberal arts students had to take history, geography, politics, as well as physics and chemistry. The difference was only in the weight of each subject for the two groups of students. With so many subjects to cover, the exam really tested the students’ grasp of all the subjects, which is why she was fortunate enough to achieve first place.

Su Ye humbly said, “It was all just luck, I was lucky to get it.”

When everyone heard her say “luck,” they felt a sharp pang in their hearts. They could accept that collecting wild rabbits, chickens, ducks, and wild boars might be considered luck, but could the college entrance exam also be about luck? They didn’t know how to react anymore.

Being around a person with such incredible luck was really too much, it often made them question their own lives.

While everyone was stunned, Su Ye happily ran back home.

The Women’s Federation had discussed it for a while and quickly decided on the recognition details. By noon, the announcement had been posted on the bulletin board. As for the rewards—

In these times, when every household was struggling with food and clothing, the best rewards were naturally food and clothes. Three pounds of eggs, five pounds of flour, three pounds of soybean oil, a pound of white sugar, and so on, were sent to Su Ye’s home.

In previous years, these rewards would have seemed poor, but this year, such fine food was particularly rare. When a member of the Women’s Federation brought a bag of white flour to the Gu family’s home, the neighbors in the yard couldn’t help but envy them. The white flour, through the snake-skin bag, seemed to have a fresh fragrance that could almost be smelled.

Material rewards for the college entrance exam? Neighbors who witnessed this were deeply shocked. Su Ye’s family didn’t lack these fine foods, but at the same time, they were impressed. Not everyone could become a top scorer, so if they were dissatisfied, they should try and get the same result themselves.

Su Ye pushed open the door to her home and found a group of people all staring at her. Their intense gazes almost made her want to turn around and run away.

The political commissar kindly said to Su Ye, “Comrade Su Ye, this year, you’ve represented our army’s military wives and become the top scorer in the college entrance exam. Your perseverance and hard work have brought honor to our unit. These modest rewards are a recognition from the army. We hope that after you go to university, you will study hard, and come back to contribute to the country’s development!”

Su Ye immediately stood up straighter, smiled, and gave a standard salute. “I will not disappoint the army’s expectations!”

Her gaze swept over the table filled with fine food, and then she changed the subject, saying, “But I would rather decline these material rewards. Bringing honor to the army is my duty!”

The material rewards were so generous they were almost shocking, almost comparable to the care packages the army had sent when Gu Xiangqian was recuperating.

After she finished speaking, everyone laughed, especially Gu Xiangqian, who gave her a lingering glance. Beneath his calm and reserved demeanor, there was a fiery intensity in his eyes that made Su Ye feel embarrassed.

Su Ye, with a clear and crisp voice, suggested, “I recommend that these rewards be given to the students in the compound who were admitted to university this year, to encourage more military wives to engage in studying, contribute to the country’s development, and pursue their life goals!”

The Women’s Federation members were surprised by Su Ye’s words and finally started to look at her seriously.

It’s important to know that refusing these material rewards was not easy—this time, the fabric coupons alone totaled fifty city feet, equivalent to a soldier’s fabric allowance for a whole year. Not to mention that there were also valuable items like flour, cooking oil, and eggs. Any of these would be rare enough to require waiting in line all day outside! Looking at Su Ye, her eyes were bright and righteous, and her attitude was resolute.

What an unselfish act! They remembered how she had previously helped impoverished villagers and assisted dropout children in returning to school. Thinking of these things, they felt ashamed of their past prejudice against Su Ye.

The head of the Women’s Federation immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Good job, Little Su! You truly embody the straightforward and generous spirit of our military wives! But these things are rewards for you. If it’s yours, you should take it.”

Su Ye didn’t lack fine food, she had rice for every meal, and taking this additional food would make her feel guilty.

She politely refused the reward but finally picked up the fabric coupons on the table and said, “These fabric coupons are enough. They’ll be just right for me to make a set of clothes for school. Thank you for the army’s recognition!”

After the two leaders left, Zhou Honghan, with a smile, asked, “Those supplies were originally meant for you to have a celebratory banquet, but who knew you wouldn’t want them? Now that you’re going to school and Xiangqian is going to further his studies, it seems you won’t even get to have a banquet.”

Upon hearing the word “further studies,” Su Ye furrowed her brows and looked at Gu Xiangqian.

Zhou Honghan repeated what Gu Xiangqian had said earlier. “Since you’re going to study in the capital, and Xiangqian is also going there for further studies, you two will be able to look after each other, and I can rest easy. If you could give me a grandchild soon, that would be even better.”

Su Ye felt a bit conflicted after hearing this. Gu Xiangqian had never mentioned further studies to her before. For an officer, further studies were a great opportunity for advancement, and with Gu Xiangqian’s qualifications, this time he would probably be going to the capital for a Ph.D. It was highly likely that he would be promoted to a senior general in the future.

Su Ye glanced at Gu Xiangqian, then turned back to Zhou Honghan with a smile and said, “There’s no need to rush. Let’s do this—while everyone’s in a good mood, I’ll cook a meal and invite you all to drink some wine. Grandma Zhou, please do me the honor.”

“Is it a celebratory banquet or a graduation celebration?” He Meimei teased.

Su Ye cleared her throat and, with a slightly reddened face, replied, “You can have whatever kind of wine you want.”

Everyone gasped in surprise and looked at Su Ye with excitement. Gu Xiangqian also smiled and looked at her. Su Ye, smiling brightly, said, “I’ve been running around all day delivering admission notices to the students, so I haven’t had time to prepare anything. I’ll invite you all for a feast another day!”

Everyone chatted with Su Ye all day at her house, drinking tea and having casual conversations. By the time they noticed Su Ye’s tired expression, they all knew it was time to leave and gracefully said their goodbyes.

In the evening, Su Ye took a comfortable hot shower, washing away the fatigue from the day.

Although she had relied on her experience of doing practice problems to score high and ended up as the top scorer in the exam, which was a pleasant surprise, Su Ye was still quite happy.

What made her even happier was when He Meimei told her that all the other students in the senior class had done well on their exams. The students who had review materials, especially Lu Siyuan’s group, all got into universities. This meant that a large amount of fine food was heading toward Su Ye.

Su Ye imagined the full warehouse of food and couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing.

She had just finished dressing and was coming out of the bathroom when her foot slipped, and she fell to the floor. Coincidentally, Gu Xiangqian entered to grab her dirty clothes and take them to be washed. Unprepared, he saw his young and beautiful wife lying on the floor with her legs up in the air.

Gu Xiangqian couldn’t help but smile, and when Su Ye saw him laughing, a surge of anger welled up inside her.

After a moment, Gu Xiangqian bent down and gently asked, “Did it hurt? Let me take a look.”

He extended one arm under Su Ye’s armpit and, with the other arm, circled her legs to gently lift her into his arms in the most classic princess carry. Gu Xiangqian walked steadily, carrying Su Ye to the bed, and then turned to rummage through the medicine cabinet for ointment.

His handsome profile, bathed in the warm light, had an almost ethereal beauty. His long eyelashes cast a shadow on his high nose. Fresh from his shower, he wore a simple white shirt, exuding a faint scent of cedar—cool and crisp.

Gu Xiangqian’s dry, warm thumb rested on Su Ye’s shoulder as he unbuttoned her shirt, seriously applying the medicine. It seemed like he had heard something urgently and hadn’t had time to button his shirt before rushing to the bathroom to check on Su Ye.

His normally neat shirt was now casually opened, making Su Ye look away to avoid letting her thoughts wander.

Gu Xiangqian smiled and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Su Ye shook her head, saying it didn’t hurt. She had instinctively protected herself when falling, but before she could explain, Gu Xiangqian had already picked her up, and it was rare for him to show such strength, making it hard for Su Ye to even describe the situation.

Before Su Ye could finish speaking, a gentle, cool kiss landed on her lips, and her clothes were slowly removed.

Gu Xiangqian, in a deep, muffled voice, said, “I had someone buy something new in Hong Kong City. Want to give it a try?”

Su Ye saw his long fingers awkwardly tearing open the packaging. He used his white teeth to bite open a condom, and instantly, her nosebleed couldn’t be stopped, rushing up. This is… truly a new thing.

When the dark clouds meet the bright moon, thunder strikes the clouds.

Outside the window, heavy rain was pouring down.

—

After everything was done, Su Ye was so exhausted that she couldn’t even move a single finger. Gu Xiangqian kissed her several times with affection, saying, “I’m sorry, I acted a bit like a naive brat.”

Su Ye talked to Gu Xiangqian about the opportunity for further studies, asking if he had ever considered giving it up.

Gu Xiangqian smiled gently, his eyes full of warmth, and replied calmly, “Maybe you didn’t notice, but I was studying missile engineering in the Soviet Union. The country was far behind internationally in this area, and there was a serious lack of talent. After graduation, with the uncertain situation at the border, I was sent by the military to the frontlines for several years to serve as a commander. It was tough, but I managed to get by.”

“Although I prefer being on the battlefield, if the country needs me, I can also go for further studies. Su Ye, this matter has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to feel guilty.” He gently patted Su Ye’s head.

Su Ye thought to herself, this is what a true soldier is—going wherever the country needs him. Her gaze grew even clearer and brighter as she softly kissed him a few times.