Chapter 55

Zhao Donglin was not a person without dreams; in fact, he also had his own expectations for his future life.

When he was very young, his dream was to live a full and warm life. The family was magnanimous and lived with dignity.

After joining the army, his wish was to protect his country, to never have a war, to persevere to the end and not give up, and to face difficulties without fear, because he understood that first comes the country, then comes the family.

After changing jobs, his plan was to take good care of his two children, achieve some success at work, and do something useful for the villagers.

Later, he married Jiahui, and after the marriage, his expectations were very simple: to grow old with Jiahui and spend this life peacefully.

When they were old, they would watch the sunset and sunrise hand in hand. Their children and grandchildren were full of joy. They would pick chrysanthemums under the east fence and watch Nanshan leisurely.

But now, Jiahui described another possibility to him: that is, to go out of the village, receive a higher education, stand on the shoulders of giants, and start a new life.

When he went beyond Shanghe Village, beyond Shengli Commune, and even beyond Wu Dong Province in Jiangkou County, Zhao Donglin realized that the world was indeed a big place and that he could do more than just be a village secretary of Shanghe Village.

The country’s decision to resume the college entrance examination mentioned that priority would be given to ensure the admission of key institutions, such as medical schools, teacher training colleges, and agricultural colleges, and that students would be assigned jobs by the state after graduation, and that not only would they not be required to pay school fees during their school years, but they would also be given a monthly living allowance to reduce the burden of the majority of students from rural families.

At a time when there are so many things to be done, the country can spend such a huge economic investment to encourage young people to take the college entrance examination and enter the university campus, which shows that the country is in an extreme shortage of talents.

As Jiahui said, if they work hard and make progress as parents, their children will also benefit. Just like in previous years, the children of cadres will be given priority to study and work.

After a sleepless night, Zhao Donglin made up his mind to rule out all difficulties in participating in the college entrance examination. As a man, I can’t lose my awareness and fighting spirit to my own wife!

In her sleep, Jiahui always felt that someone was watching her. She thought it was Fang Fang who woke up, but when she opened her misty eyes, she found out that it was not her son who woke up, but her husband, who was looking at herself. Jiahui breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to close her eyes and continue to sleep, but the light in his eyes was too bright for her to ignore.

“So early… why are you staring at me? “

Fang Fang has not been weaned, and he has the habit of drinking night milk. Naturally, Jiahui fed him once in the middle of the night, and, naturally, she didn’t sleep enough.

Such days have lasted from the birth of Fang Fang to the present. Jiahui deeply understands the difficulties of being a mother.

There was no time for herself; she was always around the baby, breastfeeding, changing diapers, and her time was cut into pieces.

Of course, happiness and pain go hand in hand, and the joy of motherhood was enough to numb all the pain.

“I’ve thought about it.”

“Well?”

Jiahui’s brain crashed in the morning and hasn’t started working yet.

“I’m going to take the college entrance examination with you.”

Jiahui then reacted to what he was talking about, and her brain immediately snapped awake.

“Really? I knew you would definitely agree. “

After making his decision, Zhao Donglin’s whole body relaxed, and hearing Jiahui say this, he asked with slight curiosity, “Oh, why are you so sure?”

Jiahui laughed, “Because you are not a salted fish, but a young man with ambitions and dreams.”

Zhao Donglin chuckled.

“Nonsense. What salted fish? “

He stretched out his hand to reach out to Jiahui. His soft wife made him a little excited. He just moved his mind to seek some benefits for himself. Fang Fang, who was sleeping on the inside part of the bed, suddenly burst into tears. When Jiahui heard her son crying, she didn’t want to take care of her husband. She pushed Zhao Donglin away and bent over to check on Fang Fang.

“Fang Fang, what’s wrong? Did you pee? Are you uncomfortable? Then wait, mommy will change your diaper for you. “

Fang Fang’s diaper was changed in the middle of the night, after a few hours. It must have been wet, but it’s good that he didn’t poop, otherwise she would have had to work early in the morning.

Zhao Donglin shook his head helplessly, his status in the family having plummeted since the birth of his son. In what role did he have a son? He’s more like his ancestor.

Fang Fang, who was held in his mother’s arms, stopped crying with his slithering eyes, and Jiahui took a clean diaper from the bedside table, and while changing the diaper, she told Zhao Donglin, “Since we have decided to participate, we have to enrol quickly, and for the work in the village, you have to arrange it in advance.”

Zhao Donglin nodded. After breakfast, he went to the commune to explain the situation to director Zhong. He didn’t know whether director Zhong would support his decision.

By the way, are you the one who will be talking to Mom?

This is a big deal, a big deal that concerns the whole family. Compared with her opening it up to her daughter-in-law, Zhao Donglin, who is her son, was the most suitable person to bring it up. In this way, even if his father-in-law doesn’t agree, he won’t have any ideas about her.

How can Zhao Donglin not know Jiahui’s careful thinking? However, this kind of unpleasant task should be left to him.

“I’ll do the talking. Just wait for the news.”

Jiahui nodded in satisfaction, just as she finished changing her son’s diaper, she went over and held Zhao Donglin’s face and gave him a kiss on the mouth.

“You go for it. This is a reward for you.”

Zhao Donglin smiled. He looked at Jiahui and said, “That’s it? If they agreed, how are you going to repay me? “

Jiahui picked up her son to feed him, and when she heard his words, she knew what he meant and spat at him with a red face.

All you think about are the wrong (indecent) things, and you do not think about the serious things. Let me tell you another thing. I have all the high school textbooks. I also have reference books. Let’s go to the market to see if there is a target review material. Let’s prepare together in the next month. “

This exam only depends on three languages. Jiahui heard from several elderly people who had participated in the restoration of the college entrance examination saying that the exam questions were not difficult, but those who had a certain learning foundation had finally been admitted to the university.

Zhao Donglin had a strong learning ability. He was also smart. It should be no problem to try to pick up those knowledge points. Retreat ten thousand steps. Even if the time is tight, and he might not be ready now, but he can still catch up with the remaining time.

Jiahui was in her room breastfeeding Fang Fang, and Zhao Donglin was the first to go out and talk to his parents.

“Taking the university entrance exam? Why is this suddenly on your mind?”

Zhang Qiaoer and Zhao Manzhu looked at each other after hearing their son’s words. In their opinion, they are living a good life now. Their son is working in the village, and he has both honour and a high salary. Their daughter-in-law has just given birth to a small grandson and he has not yet weaned. In addition to the team’s work, she also had her sewing skills. Both of them have children, and their lives are flourishing, so there is no need to go to university.

Besides, they are married couples with children, and they are not youngsters in their teens and twenties, so why go to school?

“The country has just resumed the college entrance examination, encouraging those young people who meet the requirements to take the examination. Jiahui and I agreed that this is a very good opportunity. Anyway, there is no money involved in going to school, so there is no economic pressure. If you get into a college, whether it’s for work or life, it will have a positive impact.

Zhang Qiao’er naturally understands this. In fact, there have been no college students in recent years, but most people can’t go to that kind of university. Only those high school students with good “background” can be recommended to go to the university. They can arrange a good job for peasants and soldiers as soon as they come out.

The enrollment document specifically stipulates that for those with rich practical experience, achievements, or expertise, the age can be relaxed to 30, regardless of whether they are married or not. Zhao Donglin will be 30 years old this year, but his actual age was only 29 years old.

“How about your work in the village? If Jiahui went with you, Fang Fang would be left behind. He is only a few months old. Can you bear it? “

Not to mention Heidan and Yingbao, they still have two more children.

The two old people could work hard at home, but Fang Fang was a baby. How could they leave their mother? It was the same as Yingbao at that time.

“This problem, I and Jiahui also considered. If we pass the exam, our family will go to the city together, rent a house next to the school, and take the children with us.”

Zhang Qiaoer suddenly widened her eyes and said, “What! Will the whole family go to the city? How can such a whole big family go there? Where can we go in the city to earn work points? What shall we eat and drink? “

Not only will they lose their income, but they will also have to spend money everywhere, so Zhang Qiaoer felt pain when she thought about it.

In the house, not only was Jia Hui listening, but Meixiang was also in her room listening intently.

My sister-in-law really didn’t deceive me. She just mentioned the college entrance examination yesterday, and my eldest brother mentioned it to our parents today. She knew her parents. As long as it was what my eldest brother said, they wouldn’t disagree in the end. Meixiang felt very warm when she thought that she could also participate in the college entrance examination and run towards a brighter life.

Zhao Manzhu smoked a mouthful of cigarettes and then knocked the dry tobacco sticks down. He looked at his son and asked, “You think about it? Must you go to take the test?”

Zhao Manzhu thought farther than his wife since it is supported by the state, it will certainly not be bad. He is also very convinced of what his son said. If Donglin said it was good, then it must be good.

What Zhao Manzhu thought was that he was old. His only ability now was to farm and do some work at home, but his son is still young and his future is unlimited.

He is a member of the party. He went back from the army as a village secretary. If he goes to college again, he will certainly be a bigger cadre in the future. how valuable college students are. It’s not the same as taking an examination given to scholars in ancient times.

“That’s fine. Then you’ll take the test. If you pass the exam, we’ll find a way together. “

Her old companion made a decision for the first time. Zhang Qiaoer looked at her partner, but her heart was still a little hesitant.

Zhao Manzhu persuaded, “Let them try it. Can you not even allow them to try? Think of it, if they get into college and become college students, later their work will be arranged in the city, and the city will be their registered resident. Doesn’t everyone in the family benefit from it? “

Zhang Qiaoer thought it was really for this reason and nodded hard.

Forget it, just let them take it first. It’s still a matter of whether you can get in or not. It would be glorious to be able to pass the exam. Failure to pass the exam is good too. She doesn’t have to think about anything.

In fact, what Zhang Qiaoer disapproves of is not her son, but her daughter-in-law. The elderly are relatively conservative. They think that a woman’s lifetime value is reflected in marriage and family. If she can take good care of her husband and children, she has fulfilled her responsibility. What future? What ideals? All of them are false.