Chapter 138

Qiao Wei was so certain, Yan Lei became serious.

“If my son has such ability, even if he leaves home for thirty years, even if we are separated for a lifetime, as his father, I will still support him.”

Yan Lei is a typical person of this era, and Qiao Wei remained silent.

Yan Lei noticed and turned to Yan Xiang, “Xiang Xiang, what do you think?”

Yan Xiang had been listening seriously since earlier, and he finally understood why his mom was hesitant.

Seeing his dad giving him the choice, he hesitated for a moment, glanced at Qiao Wei.

Qiao Wei sighed and said, “You don’t need to worry about me. Speak out your true thoughts. We’ll listen and then make a decision.”

Yan Xiang asked, “If that’s the case, will the place I might go to allow me to see more? Learn more?”

With this sentence, Qiao Wei understood Yan Xiang’s choice.

In the end, the county town couldn’t give this child enough room to spread his wings.

That thing was submitted through Yan Lei’s hands, following the official channels.

Because the National Defense Science and Technology Commission also has another official name, called the Chinese People’s Liberation Army National Defense Science and Technology Committee.

Going through the military channels is the most secure.

Three months later, someone came from Beijing.

Qiao Wei, upon seeing that person, subtly gasped and shook hands with him respectfully.

Young people of her generation only admired this person, but that admiration was confined to the internet. Qiao Wei never expected that one day, thanks to Yan Xiang, she could meet and shake hands with such an extraordinary scientist.

That person is the chairman of the Science and Technology Commission, and he came in person.

After talking with Yan Xiang behind closed doors for several hours, he came out and said to Yan Lei and Qiao Wei, “Please hand this child over to me.”

As Qiao Wei predicted, Yan Xiang was indeed going to be taken away.

But this… is also what Yan Xiang wants.

Standing behind that person, Yan Xiang’s eyes sparkled with a light that Qiao Wei had never seen before.

For the first time in his life, he had such a profound conversation with someone of equal caliber. The things he said were understood by the other party.

In this conversation, several times, Yan Xiang exclaimed “Wow~” with a prolonged tone, full of twists and turns, as if returning to childhood and discovering the world.

Qiao Wei saw the brightness in Yan Xiang’s eyes, his anticipation for the new world, to meet many incredibly intelligent people, or rather, the top minds in the world.

Qiao Wei knew that he had finally reached the time to spread his wings, leave his parents, and soar.

Yan Lei shook hands with that person, “He is our son, but more importantly, he is the child of the Party, the child of the country. From now on, Yan Xiang will be handed over to the country.”

Two days later, Yan Xiang was going to leave with those people.

Qiao Wei said, “Take two photos of the family with you. When you miss home, take them out and have a look.”

Yan Xiang said, “Okay.”

Qiao Wei gave him two photos.

One was a family photo of the four of them. It was taken at the end of last year, still very new. Yan Fu’s face was like an apple.

She was still sucking her fingers, which was particularly lovely.

The other one was a single portrait of mom from over a decade ago.

In that photo, mom was very young. She was only a teenage girl at that time, probably because it wasn’t long since Grandpa passed away, there was no smile on her face.

Yan Lei glanced at the photo but said nothing.

Yan Xiang said, “Isn’t there a recent one? Take one of your recent photos.”

But Qiao Wei said, “The family photo is recent. Take this single one.”

She said, “Remember, this is your mom.”

Yan Xiang nodded.

Yan Xiang carefully put away the photos, bid farewell to his mom and dad, and kissed Yan Fu’s little face, “Brother is leaving, listen to mom.”

He got into the black car and set off on the road away from home.

It was rare to see so many cars in a small place at once, and many people gathered around. They didn’t dare to approach, but watched from afar, whispering and pointing.

As the car drove onto the main street, Yan Xiang glanced back and saw Junjun chasing after the car in the distance.

The sturdy and tall teenager waved his arms vigorously.

But as the speed of the convoy increased, the teenager could no longer keep up and stopped, shouting something towards this side.

The noise of the car was too loud, and the teenager was too far away. In the end, Yan Xiang didn’t know what he was shouting.

The figure of that young man grew smaller and disappeared from sight as the convoy turned the corner.

Yan Xiang turned around, knowing that his childhood had ended.

[At first, I would write letters home. Although those letters would be censored, they could still reach my mom and dad’s hands.]

[But later, I had nothing to write to them about. Because those were the most important parts of my life, I couldn’t write into those letters.]

[Later on, I entered a place with even higher security levels, where contact with the outside world was not allowed. My family and I lost contact.]

[By that time, I truly understood my mom’s hesitation back then. Farewell, it turns out, is like this.]

[Although I cannot contact them, I know my mom will understand.]

[She will understand that I am happy here.]

When Yan Xiang left, Qiao Wei didn’t cry.

But after he left, she cried all night.

After all, the time spent between a child and a mother is longer. Since she crossed over to this world, the person she spent the most time with wasn’t Yan Lei, but Yan Xiang.

Yan Lei comforted her for a long time.

The next day, he saw her in the corner of the yard, squatting in front of a stone, as if saying something.

He didn’t go over, just watched from afar.

Two years after Yan Xiang left, a great figure passed away, shocking the whole country. Following that, the Four X Gang was crushed.

People spread the news.

Qiao Wei looked at the huge headlines on the front page of the newspaper, knowing that the chaotic and absurd era was finally coming to an end, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

But at the same time, the reckoning began.

Those who had risen to power during the movement were one by one brought down and ousted. Some even ended up in jail.

Meng Zuoyi helped many people with their reversals.

Those who had their homes raided and lost their property received their confiscated belongings back, and those who had been demoted to X were reinstated.

But those who had lost their lives would never come back.

The background board in the auditorium of the Revolutionary Committee’s compound was removed.

The head librarian led people to move dozens of boxes hidden behind, which were used as weights. Meng Zuoyi only found out about this.

“Are these the books Old Xiao couldn’t let go of?” he asked Qiao Wei, “You hid them?”

Qiao Wei said, “If only I hadn’t agreed to him.”

Meng Zuoyi comforted her, “Don’t think too much, it’s all fate. Old Xiao’s health couldn’t bear it at all. Whether he left early or late, he was going to leave. Leaving a day earlier means suffering one less day.”

Meng Zuoyi turned to leave, but Qiao Wei stopped him, “Director.”

Meng Zuoyi turned back.

Qiao Wei told him, “I hid them together with Zeng Yue. I couldn’t have done it alone.”

Meng Zuoyi paused, nodded slightly, “He has always been very capable.”

He turned and left.

In fact, even during the five years when Meng Zuoyi was reprimanded, Bocheng didn’t stop developing.

The development plan and grand blueprint he initially formulated, Huang Zengyue had been implementing all along.

In fact, when people of future generations mention that decade, their impression is often one of chaos, absurdity, and disorder, and they may overlook the fact that even during that period, the country’s GDP continued to grow.

No matter how chaotic the political winds were at the top, grassroots farmers and workers never stopped their labor and construction. They were the most solid foundation of the country.

On October 21st of the following year, notices restoring the college entrance examination (gaokao) were published in major newspapers across the country.

With 5.7 million candidates, ranging from young boys and girls to middle-aged parents, spanning a wide range of ages, they picked up pens and books again from various positions, wanting to fulfill the dream of attending university.

That winter, the college entrance examination, which had been suspended for ten years, was launched once again. This was also the only time the exam was held in the winter.

The peculiar sight of fathers and sons studying together was a unique feature of this era.

Xiao Wu from the library was admitted to the university, and Director Zheng ran to the government compound two streets away to inform Qiao Wei of the good news.

Qiao Wei was extremely happy, “Let’s give her a send-off when the time comes!”

She even planned to give Xiao Wu a big red envelope.

Who knew that before Xiao Wu could even eat, Zheng Ai suddenly burst into the government compound with a hand covered in blood, seeking help from Qiao Wei.

“Her husband and mother-in-law refuse to let her go to college and have locked her up. She broke the window and escaped.” he stuttered, “Director, w-w-what should we do?”

When Qiao Wei first went to the library, Xiao Wu was not even twenty years old yet; she had only gotten married at the end of the previous year.

She escaped from her in-laws’ house and ran to the library for help. Zheng Ai knew he couldn’t help her on his own. But he also knew very well who could help her. He dragged Xiao Wu and ran into the government compound to find Qiao Wei.

Qiao Wei first checked Xiao Wu’s hand, fortunately, it was just a cut, without any damage to the tendons.

Qiao Wei took her to the infirmary for first aid.

Xiao Wu’s eyes were filled with tears, holding back the pain, but she asked, “Director, what should I do?”

In those years at the library, Qiao Wei had handled countless matters. In the eyes of the library staff, she was exceptionally mighty and tall.

In their hearts, there was nothing Qiao Wei couldn’t solve.

Qiao Wei asked her, “Let me ask you, if you could only choose one, between college and marriage, and you had to give up one without any other options, which one would you choose?”

Xiao Wu’s lips trembled.

In this era, there was no concept of being single and childless. Women were daughters, wives, mothers, daughters-in-law. They were deemed to sacrifice for the family, and their primary task was to fulfill these social obligations imposed on them.

It was very difficult for a person to break free from the shackles of mainstream social norms without the support of the broader environment.

Xiao Wu couldn’t immediately give an answer.

Qiao Wei didn’t pressure her. People live in their environment, and going against the tide is too difficult.

She instructed Zheng Ai a bit, then took Xiao Wu back to her own home.

“Stay here for today,” she said, “Once you’ve made up your mind, tell me your choice. I’ll decide whether to send you to college or send you back home.”

During this time, the tuition fee for one semester of college was 3 yuan. However, the government provided subsidies to college students, enough to cover tuition and living expenses. Being a college student was not an economic burden because they were truly valued during this era.

Xiao Wu’s mother-in-law returned home from buying groceries to find the window broken and her daughter-in-law gone. Furious, she dropped the basket and went to her son’s workplace in a panic, “Something bad happened, your wife ran away!”

But where could she have run off to? The mother and son gathered several relatives and neighbors and hurried to the library with great momentum.

However, by then, Zheng Ai had already handed Xiao Wu over to Qiao Wei, who had taken Xiao Wu back to her own home in a car for protection.

Pushing up his thick glasses, Director Zheng, taking advantage of Director Qiao’s influence, told them, “Director Qiao took her away for treatment.”

“Director Qiao said for you all to calm down today, no need to look for her. Tomorrow she’ll bring Xiao Wu here.”

“Everyone, calm down, let’s talk tomorrow.”