Chapter 6

The atmosphere was light as Song Haowen chatted with Wang Bing, but suddenly, he felt a heavy slap on his shoulder. Turning around, he found Zhou Lei standing beside him, smiling and inquiring about his exam.

Returning the smile, Song Haowen remarked, “You seem quite happy; must have done well in the exam.”

Zhou Lei chuckled and admitted, “I didn’t excel in the exam, but I felt the need to lighten the burden. No point in worrying too much.”

Putting on a thoughtful expression, Song Haowen said, “It’s alright. The test paper was relatively simple.”

Aware of Song Haowen’s usual Chinese exam results, Zhou Lei shook his head and commented, “Chinese may seem easy, but getting high scores is challenging. If you say that, I know how you did in the exam.”

Curious, Song Haowen asked, “What do you know?”

Angrily, Zhou Lei responded, “I know you didn’t do very well in the exam.”

Laughing heartily, Song Haowen admitted, “You guessed it right; absolutely right.”

Their homeroom teacher approached them, asking about their exam performance. Meanwhile, Wang Bing, who had stayed quiet, saw the gathering crowd, greeted Song Haowen, and discreetly left.

At noon, upon returning to the dormitory, they discovered that Wang Bing had indeed given up on the college entrance examination and returned home early. This decision, after days of intense studying, left an uncomfortable feeling among his peers. While many students took the exams seriously, success was rare. According to the previous year’s admissions, even with the addition of junior colleges, there were only thirty to forty successful candidates in the entire county, most of whom were studying with the One on one Tutor, making minimal contributions.

In the afternoon, the physics exam proved challenging for many, and disappointment was palpable on many faces. However, for Song Haowen, a physics department graduate, the exam was easy, and even scoring a perfect mark was not impossible.

Over the next two days, Song Haowen tackled four more exams effortlessly. Despite his success, he remained humble, attributing his achievements to the advantage of rebirth.

After three days of exams, Song Haowen returned to Zhaosheng Middle School with the teacher’s tow truck. After bidding farewell to teachers and classmates and picking up his luggage, he walked alone, eagerly waiting for news at home.

The college entrance examination was a significant opportunity for every candidate, although many parents did not take it too seriously. The journey home was not as bustling as before his rebirth, and the absence of crowds made the experience less chaotic.

Arriving home after a two-hour walk, Song Haowen’s family was overjoyed to see him. Unaware of the food poisoning incident and unclear about the exam schedule, they welcomed him warmly.

In the evening, the family gathered once in a while, lit kerosene lamps, and had a reunion dinner. There are five children in the family, and Song Haowen ranks third. Big Brother Song Haojun did not return from the army. This is Song Haowen’s first time returning home after his rebirth. He was originally worried about feeling unfamiliar with his family, but unexpectedly, everyone became familiar at first sight. Song Huifang, the fifth-youngest sister, even held onto his hand. In his memory, the younger sister was particularly close to him before her rebirth.

Coincidentally, in the afternoon, Song Haowen’s father drained the rice paddies in his private plot and suddenly Big Carp jumped out of the pond weighing three to five pounds, which wrestled and hugged inside the pond. After taking the fish home, they cooked a whole big pot and were preparing to eat it at night. Unexpectedly, Song Haowen came back, and everyone laughed at him for being so lucky.

Song Huaisheng’s mother, Li Ying, is even happier. People often say, “A carp leaps over the dragon gate.”

Today, your father caught such a big carp, which is definitely a good sign, indicating that the third son has great hope for the college entrance examination this year.

The second brother, Song Huihua, nodded and said, “My third brother will definitely pass the exam and attend a good school.”

Sister Song Huifang glared at Song Haowen with big eyes and said, “Second brother, won’t you get rich by getting into college? Don’t forget to buy me delicious food then.”

Old Fourth Song Haomin sarcastically said, “Mei Mei is just want to eat delicious food all day.”

Song Huifang became unconvinced and retorted, “What am I good at? Aren’t you good at it? You used to steal the cookies brought back by older brother.” Song Haomin didn’t wait for Mei Mei to finish speaking but blushed and denied, “You’re talking nonsense; you stole the food.”

My mother knocked on the table with chopsticks and scolded, “Si Zi and Lao Mo share the same bone. If they don’t say a word, they will argue. It’s too annoying.”

Song Haowen laughed heartily and said, “If you argue again, we’ll eat all the dishes.”

Dad usually doesn’t speak much, and his family status is not as important as that of his wife, Li Ying.

He solicited Li Ying’s opinion and took out a plastic bottle from the kitchen cupboard, which contained over a pound of loose barnyard wine. Song Haowen knew that this wine was made by the commune’s barnyard grass distillery, using weeds and barnyard grass seeds from the rice fields.

When food was scarce and they couldn’t bear to use it to make wine, they came up with this alternative method of turning waste into treasure. The alcohol content of this wine is around 42 percent, with good quality and taste.

The most important thing is its low price, which is very popular among the local people. However, ordinary people are reluctant to drink this wine in their daily lives. It is only during holidays and when important guests come to their homes that they take it out to drink. Unfortunately, the lifespan of barnyard grass wine is not long.

With the liberalization of grain and the increasing cost of collecting barnyard grass seeds, this type of wine is no longer available on the market. Dad excitedly said, “It’s really rare to find such a big fish today. In addition, Sanzi has graduated from high school and there is an extra worker at home, which is worth celebrating.”

Sanzi said, “It’s okay to drink some wine.” As he spoke, he took an empty teacup and poured wine for Song Haowen. Before the wine was ready, Song Haomin grabbed the glass from his father’s hand and took a big sip. He immediately choked and coughed until tears flowed down his face.

Song Huifang clapped her hands while gloating and glaring sideways at Song Haomin.

To celebrate Song Haowen’s graduation, my mother specially made fried eggs with leeks and several fried vegetables. Eggs are produced by hens at home, while vegetables are grown at home. Therefore, this table of dishes does not require any cost.

After dinner, when there was only Song Haowen and her mother left in the living room, her mother glanced at Song Huihua, who was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, and whispered to Song Haowen,

“San Zi, Help me persuade your second sister tomorrow. She is not young, and she is also nineteen years old this year. It’s time to consider getting married. She has several female classmates, and even her children can run down the ground. A few days ago, someone introduced the son of Captain Zheng Donghe, Zheng Yishui, to your second sister. Your father and I looked at that young man, who was quite good; he was very energetic, and they were about the same age. The other person’s family conditions were quite good. But your second sister refused to accept him no matter what.”

After hearing his mother’s words, Song Haowen was suddenly reminded of his second sister, Song Huihua’s, situation before her rebirth. In his previous life, he shared a close and heartfelt relationship with his second sister, who was willing to share many personal life with him. When he was seven years old and entered first grade, his second sister entered third grade. They were in a duplex class, where grades one to three were combined in one classroom, with each group having one grade. He stayed in the same classroom as his second sister for a year.

He recalled the time when Zheng Yishui was introduced to his second sister by a matchmaker. Initially, Song Huihua strongly opposed the match. She had previously fallen in love with an educated youth, Jiang Sen, and made a vow of eternal love. Since Jiang Sen returned to the capital the year before, Song Huihua lost all information about him. The family believed that Jiang Sen had changed his mind, advising the her to move on. Even if Jiang Sen were willing to continue the relationship, his parents would not agree, given the age difference.

After multiple persuasions from the entire family, including Song Haowen, Song Huihua reluctantly agreed to be with Zheng Yishui and eventually married him. Unfortunately, their married life was not a happy one. After their honeymoon, the two frequently argued over trivial matters. Additionally, Zheng Yishui’s true nature surfaced after marriage, revealing a disposition of indulging in various vices. Five years later, their marriage came to an end. Song Huihua gained custody of their daughter and left the countryside, opening a fashion shop in Linshan County to make a living.

Their daughter, who was smart and ambitious and was successful, she was admitted to a prestigious university, pursued masteral degree studies, and eventually became a university teacher. Song Huihua chose not to fall in love or remarry.

Considering these consequences, Song Haowen no longer wanted to follow his mother’s wishes as he did before his rebirth.

He aimed to alter this unfortunate fate and allow his second sister to choose her life once again. So, Song Haowen smiled and asked, “Mom, are you in a hurry to drive away my second sister? Isn’t it good to have her help at home? She’s still young. Many girls in the city get married around the age of thirty.”

“Nonsense! Can rural girls compare to urban girls? Women’s flowering season is not long, and it passes with a delay,” the mother exclaimed discontentedly.

“What era is it now? If you want to talk, let the second sister speak for herself,” Song Haowen advised. “In the new era, you can’t arrange marriages on your own.”

At that moment, Song Huihua walked over from the kitchen and overheard their conversation. Her face darkened, and she said, “Don’t worry!” before heading back to her room to rest.