Chapter 13: The Class Enemy Wants to Take the College Entrance Exam

“Yes, exactly!” The villagers — most of whom had been poor peasants for generations — had already given gifts to the village chief in hopes of securing one of the commune’s recommended university spots for their sons. No one expected the state to suddenly change its policy!

Village Chief Yan was bitter too. The village was allotted two spots, one of which he intended to keep for his own son. As for the other, he was going to give it to whichever family offered the most generous gifts.

Don’t be fooled by how loud Yi Daping was yelling — Village Chief Yan didn’t take the Yi family seriously. He had only casually promised them something after taking advantage of Wang Guihua, nothing more.

“This is the policy from above. Who knows why it’s like this?” Village Chief Yan said helplessly. “Anyway, that’s the current situation. Anyone who graduated high school can sign up for the exam. If you want to register, go over there and fill out the form.”

He pointed to the table next to the village accountant, where a registration form was laid out.

Seeing that things couldn’t be changed, everyone began asking about the exam itself.

“Who knows what they’ll test? My so-called high school just had us cutting grass. I didn’t learn anything, so how am I supposed to take an exam?” someone muttered.

“There are only four or five people in the village who finished high school, right?” another person said. “So only those four or five can take the exam?”

“Don’t worry. You don’t know anything, and neither do they. The past few years, going to school was only to earn work points for the village. Who was really studying?” someone else chimed in.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The town’s high school had a few quota spots for the village every year, all of which were filled by recommendation.

Yi An’an couldn’t take the exam because she hadn’t attended high school.

In the Yi family, only Yi Daping and Yi Jixiang had gone.

Though many grumbled, they had no choice but to sign up.

Zhan Nan Hui had been watching from the sidelines for a while. Once he saw the registration begin, he stepped forward.

The moment Zhan Nan Hui appeared, someone shouted, “Even a class enemy wants to go to college?”

“A class enemy — you think you’re just like us? Have you forgotten who you are?” Yan Dabao immediately stepped up when he saw Zhan Nan Hui. He tried to grab Zhan’s collar, but when Zhan merely glanced at him, the memory of the beating he’d taken before came flooding back. His hand instinctively drew back as he muttered, “Go on, get lost! There’s nothing here for class enemies!”

Zhan Nan Hui said coldly, “The village chief just said anyone who graduated high school can register. I graduated. I have my diploma.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Even if you had a college diploma, it wouldn’t matter. You’re a class enemy, a parasite of socialism, our enemy in the class struggle. They already let you off easy with reeducation through labor. Now you want to go to university? Dream on!”

Zhan Nan Hui looked up at the villagers mocking him.

Ever since arriving in Yan Family Village, he had endured their insults and ridicule. But this was his best chance to get out of here — he couldn’t let it slip by!

He ignored their mockery, walked up to the village chief, and looked him in the eyes. “Village Chief Yan, I want to register for the college entrance exam.”

Village Chief Yan was already annoyed. He hadn’t forgotten how Yan Dabao had suffered at Zhan’s hands, but he’d been too stressed by the new policy to deal with it.

“Register for what? Get lost!” he said gruffly. “Don’t you know your place?”

Zhan Nan Hui’s gaze darkened. “Does the national policy say that class enemies can’t take the exam?”

Village Chief Yan’s expression soured. That policy actually didn’t say that. This reinstated college entrance exam included workers, peasants, educated youth sent to the countryside, demobilized soldiers, cadres, and fresh high school graduates.

Zhan Nan Hui’s label as a class enemy had been slapped on him years ago. In many places, such people had already had their labels removed. It was only because Yan Family Village was so backward that his hadn’t been.

So by policy, Zhan technically could register.

But policy was policy — here in Yan Family Village, his word was law.

“If I say you can’t, then you can’t!” he barked. “If you’re not happy, go file a complaint with the commune!”

Zhan Nan Hui frowned, about to say something else, when Yan Dabao tried to shove him aside.

Zhan usually avoided conflict with these people, but that didn’t mean he was easy to push around!

As Yan Dabao reached for him, Zhan Nan Hui’s cold eyes glinted and he grabbed Yan’s arm.

Yan Dabao yelped, “Oww! The class enemy is attacking me! He’s hitting people!”

The villagers shouted in outrage and surged forward to attack Zhan Nan Hui.

The veins on his forehead bulged. His eyes turned red as he stared them down. The injustice of the past four years reached its breaking point. He’d endured everything for the sake of his mission — biting his tongue, bearing hardship — but enough was enough.

“Nan Hui, don’t act rashly!” From the crowd, Chen Sisi rushed out and grabbed his arm. “You’ve held back for so many years. Just endure it a bit longer!”

Zhan Nan Hui looked at her, his expression dark.

He had seen her name on the registration list earlier.

If she could register, why couldn’t he?

He ignored her and tightened his grip, just about to throw Yan Dabao aside when someone suddenly shouted, “Someone from the commune is here!”

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

A few people walked in, led by a man in his fifties. He wore a Zhongshan suit and a cap, with a pen clipped to his chest pocket — the typical image of an old-school cadre.

“Oh my! Director Lü, what brings you here?” Village Chief Yan rushed up to greet him.

This was Director Lü, head of the agricultural cooperative that oversaw several villages. He was a highly respected figure in the area.

Behind him walked Yi An’an.

When Zhan Nan Hui saw her, he slowly let go of Yan Dabao.

Yi An’an, on the other hand, was staring at Chen Sisi’s hand on Zhan’s arm.

“Today is registration day for the college entrance exam, right? I’m making the rounds to see how well the policy is being implemented,” Director Lü said. He looked at the crowd and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Oh, well,” Village Chief Yan began, “a class enemy, a capitalist lackey, wants to register for the college entrance exam. I refused, of course. Isn’t that causing trouble? I say his reeducation hasn’t been thorough enough! He eats socialist food while betraying socialism. Now he wants to go to a socialist university!”

Director Lü glanced at Zhan Nan Hui. “Are you a high school graduate?”

Zhan Nan Hui nodded.