Chapter 24

Wang Chunlan Was So Angry She Went Numb

At this moment, people were gradually gathering in the courtyard, all inquiring about the exam results of the students from the residential compound.

The Li family was overjoyed. Li’s mother proudly announced her son’s score to everyone she met, while modestly saying, “It’s nothing, just the result of my child’s hard work and dedication.”

“Oh wow, Wei Guo’s mother, why are you being so humble? There’s no one in the compound who did better than Wei Guo.”

“Exactly! Wei Guo is the pride of our residential compound.”

“Amazing, truly amazing.”

At this moment, Uncle Wang from the compound had already hung up a red banner that read:

“Railway Champion Li Wei Guo – Bringing Glory to the Nation, Honor to Us All!”

They cheerfully displayed the banner in the most prominent spot in the compound.

Some people were envious, some shared the pride, some were astonished, and some even used Li Wei Guo as an example to educate their children. The scene was lively, an unprecedented celebration.

Hu Jing Sheng clapped her hands excitedly and shouted, “See? Li Wei Guo is the true pride of our compound. And you? You’re nothing!”

Just then, Hu Da Quan came back.

He was trembling with anger as he scolded, “Hu Jing Sheng, do you even know how many points you scored?”

Hu Jing Sheng didn’t even want to check her score.

She knew she hadn’t done well and was planning to retake the exam next year.

But when Hu Da Quan announced her score, she instantly felt utterly humiliated, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

“You got a total of 98 points, with 0 in math! Tell me, what exactly did you learn? Did you feed all your knowledge to the dogs?” For the first time, Hu Da Quan lost his temper at his younger daughter.

If Hu Ou Hua had relied entirely on herself, then Hu Da Quan had done everything he could for Hu Jing Sheng these past few months—cooking for her, giving her the best food and drinks, even borrowing money to buy malted milk powder to boost her nutrition.

And yet, this was the result.

The entire courtyard burst into laughter at Hu Jing Sheng’s score, and she instantly became the negative example for all parents to warn their daughters against.

At that moment, Li Wei Guo suddenly asked, “Hu Ou Hua, how many points did you get? Why haven’t you mentioned it?”

Was it bad?

“That’s right, Ou Hua, you took the college entrance exam too. How did you do?” Aunt Zhou asked curiously.

The others all leaned in, eager to hear her answer.

Before Hu Ou Hua could respond, Hu Jing Sheng shouted, “She only scored 498 points, a whole 70 points lower than Li Wei Guo! And yet her so-called ‘great teacher’ claimed she was the top scorer in the entire province—how shameless!”

She expected everyone to criticize her sister for being vain and boastful.

But—

Li Wei Guo’s eyes widened in shock. He blurted out, “Is that true? You scored 498 points?”

“Yes, I checked it myself. Li Wei Guo, you should understand the significance of that score,” Teacher Sun said coldly.

She was truly astonished.

Hu Ou Hua had spent her life in this compound—how many hardships had she endured?

“Dad, hurry! Take down that banner! Take it down now! This is so embarrassing!” Li Wei Guo covered his face in shame, wishing he could disappear.

The Li family was completely dumbfounded.

The Wang family, who had proudly hung the banner, was even more confused.

Before the exam, everyone had predicted that Li Wei Guo would undoubtedly be the top scorer in the compound and the most promising young talent in the factory.

The banner had been prepared in advance, just waiting for the results to be announced so they could celebrate his success.

But now, Li Wei Guo declared loudly, “I’m not the top scorer—someone else is.”

“Who? Who could have scored higher than you?”

“Impossible!”

“The scores are already out—if someone had done better, they would’ve announced it already.”

The entire courtyard erupted in disbelief.

Li Wei Guo, overwhelmed with shame, had no choice but to explain, “Here’s the thing—this year’s total score was 500, but English wasn’t included in the final tally. If I subtract my English score, my total is only 468.”

He turned to Hu Ou Hua and asked, “Did you take the English exam?”

“Yes.”

Hu Ou Hua nodded gently.

She had taken the English exam but hadn’t checked her score.

“Hu Ou Hua scored a perfect 100 in English,” Teacher Sun stated coldly.

The Li family’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Especially Father Li, whose voice trembled as he asked, “Then… then if we add her English score, wouldn’t that make her total 598?”

A single statement sent shockwaves through the courtyard.

The news that Hu Ou Hua had scored higher than Li Wei Guo spread instantly. Some refused to believe it, some were in awe, some were skeptical, and others were simply stunned.

Silently, the Wang family removed the banner.

Aunt Zhou jabbed Hu Jing Sheng’s forehead and scolded, “You knew your sister’s score all along, yet you still ran your mouth, trying to humiliate her. Were you messing with us on purpose?”

“Hu Jing Sheng, well done! You studied for two years in high school, yet you don’t even understand the exam policies and subjects, and you had the nerve to act smug in front of us. How embarrassing.”

Teacher Sun was livid.

She made up her mind—if Hu Jing Sheng decided to retake the exam, she would absolutely refuse to accept her as a student.

Hu Jing Sheng covered her face and ran into the house.

Her high school’s English teacher had been a former blacksmith from the countryside. He couldn’t even pronounce “Good morning” properly and only told them to read books over and over again. It would’ve been a miracle if she had actually learned anything.

She had wasted all her time scheming against Hu Ou Hua. School had only been an escape from being sent to the countryside; she hadn’t truly studied.

And now, she had humiliated herself completely.

As Hu Ou Hua watched her flee, a strange doubt crept into her heart.

In her past life, Hu Jing Sheng had scored 300 on the college entrance exam—not great, but not terrible either.

So why was she so terrible in this lifetime?

Strange.

Hu Ou Hua didn’t dwell on it for long. She was focused on waiting for her university acceptance letter.

In the meantime, she rode her bicycle around town selling ice pops, tutored kids in the compound, and even bought some fabric to make and sell shoe soles. Bit by bit, she earned 17 or 18 yuan.

Once word of her score spread, many people—both acquaintances and strangers—came to her, hoping she would tutor their children.

Hu Ou Hua didn’t refuse.

She carefully selected a few bright students and scheduled lessons for them. Afterward, parents raved about her teaching skills, saying she was better than many professional teachers.

Soon, she received her acceptance letter from Kyoto University.

That day, Hu Da Quan held a banquet in the compound.

People who had once looked down on the Hu family all brought their own food and drinks, eager to bask in the joy of celebrating a “top scorer.”

For the first time in his life, Hu Da Quan felt deeply respected and couldn’t stop grinning.

He had never imagined that the greatest honor of his life would come from his eldest daughter.

Meanwhile, Hu Jing Sheng was so furious that she refused to leave the house for days, unable to eat properly.

In the end, she tearfully went to the prison to visit Wang Chunlan and told her about Hu Ou Hua’s score.

Wang Chunlan was so enraged that her face went stiff, saliva uncontrollably dripping from her mouth. She was unable to speak, only able to glare fiercely and cry in frustration.

Meanwhile, Hu Ou Hua walked in circles outside the post office, holding onto a phone number.

She wanted to tell Lu Yue Tang about her acceptance to Kyoto University—but she didn’t know how to begin. A nervous unease lingered in her heart.

But she didn’t have to hesitate for long.

Because Lu Yue Tang and Shen Fu Bai returned to Ning City on business and, upon hearing of her outstanding score, made a special trip to the railway residential compound.