Chapter 156

The next day’s foreign language exam was an additional exam, divided into two subjects: English and Russian. The number of participants was not large, and the exam content was still very easy for Su Xiaoxiao. After finishing the English exam, Su Xiaoxiao turned around and looked at the banner above the school gate that read “With one red heart, two kinds of preparation” before finally letting go of her worries. ^[1]“With one red heart, two kinds of preparation” suggests the importance of having both dedication and readiness when facing challenges, particularly in the context of the college entrance … Continue reading

The preferences for schools and courses were already filled out before the exam, and after the college entrance examination, it was a long wait for the admission notice.

Su Xiaoxiao’s life remained unchanged, cooking delicious meals for Han Cheng and the kids every day, with no difference from before the college entrance examination.

The only difference was the increase in activities at the end of this year compared to previous years, keeping Su Xiaoxiao and Yali busier.

The twins went to class with their older brothers, and Su Xiaoxiao went to work with Han Cheng almost every morning. Han Cheng didn’t come home for lunch, so Su Xiaoxiao hitched a ride with Yali and Zhang Hongtu’s car back home.

Su Minglan still bullied Yali in various ways. She knew Su Xiaoxiao was the top scorer in the mock exam and dared not ridicule her. Instead, she frequently ridiculed Yali for being too ambitious despite her poor grades and for imitating others by taking the college entrance exam. Yali was often reduced to tears by her remarks.

The results hadn’t come out yet, but Yali was already studying every day with her books. She was determined to leave this place, away from Su Minglan, especially while Su Xiaoxiao, her “teacher,”  was still here. Yali felt that Su Xiaoxiao going to college in the capital would make it difficult for her to seek advice after leaving.

She needs to hurry up and ask questions. In Yali’s opinion, Su Xiaoxiao’s going to university is a nail in the nail, and it will be difficult for her to ask her for advice after she goes to the capital to attend university.

So Yali is currently working harder than Han Cheng, who is taking the postgraduate entrance exam.

Not only Yali but most of the comrades who felt that they did not do well in the exam and still harbored dreams of going to college were studying diligently, just like Yali.

Busy days always passed quickly. The calendar for 1978 was finally opened, turning to a new page. It was also the first day of the broadcast of “Xinwen Lianbo” (News Broadcast). Families with televisions could now get various information through video.

But Su Xiaoxiao’s family still relied on the radio every day.

The time for issuing admission notices varies in different regions. In the middle of the month, Han Cheng received a call from Su Weimin, saying that some educated youth in Sujia Village had already received the admission notice and asking Su Xiaoxiao if he had received it.

Han Cheng replied that no one had received anything yet in Qingfeng Town and told him not to worry, assuring him that they would inform them as soon as they received Su Xiaoxiao.

As admission notices arrived like snowflakes, candidates who hadn’t received theirs became increasingly anxious.

A female comrade in the cultural and artistic troupe, who is seven or eight years younger than Yali, had already received her admission notice from the Beijing Film Academy. She had taken the art exam with Yali initially and was interviewed together. After receiving her notice, Su Minglan took the opportunity to mock Yali again. Yali is already prepared to fail the exam. If she failed this year, she planned to apply to an ordinary university instead of an art school next year. What depressed her the most was that if she failed again, she would still have to face Su Minglan every day until she left after not getting into college.

In fact, Zhang Hongtu had prepared for both outcomes. He had submitted an application to return to the capital last year, applying in the names of himself and his wife. It was probably going to be difficult for the application to be approved anytime soon.

On this day, Su Xiaoxiao, as usual, hitched a ride home with Zhang Hongtu’s car.

Near their home, they saw a postman in a green military coat standing at Yali’s doorstep, as if looking for someone.

Yali’s first reaction was that Su Xiaoxiao’s admission letter had arrived. He walked to the wrong door and said, “Xiaoxiao, get out of the car quickly. It must be your admission notice!”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “That’s your doorstep. It could be yours.”

Yali shook her head and gestured for Su Xiaoxiao to come over. “Our houses are close together. He must have got the wrong house. Come down and take a look.”

Su Xiaoxiao opened the car door and got out, asking the postman, “Comrade postman, are you here to deliver admission notices?”

The honest postman nodded and smiled, revealing his neat white teeth. “Yes, yes, may I ask if you are Comrade Yali?”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and signaled to Yali, “Yali, come over quickly. Your admission notice has arrived.”

Yali widened her eyes in astonishment, stumbling forward. Zhang Hongtu was even happier than her and jogged over to take the envelope from the postman’s hand. “Is it Yali’s admission notice? Are you sure it’s Yali and not Su Xiaoxiao?”

The postman looked at him speechlessly. “Comrade, as a postman, we are required to be literate. These two names are quite different. How could I possibly make a mistake?”

“Thank you, thank you!” Zhang Hongtu’s hands trembled as he took the envelope and examined it repeatedly. He turned back and ran to embrace Yali, spinning her around. “Yali, my wife, you got into college! You have really been admitted to college!”

Yali Hong’s eyes were filled with tears of joy as she said, “Is Lao Zhang really? Did I really get into college?”

Zhang Hongtu handed her the envelope. “Really! Wife, you really did! You really got into college!”

Yali hugged Zhang Hongtu tightly, choked with emotion. “Did I… Did I really get into college? Can I leave the cultural troupe and not endure Su Minglan’s bullying anymore?”

Zhang Hongtu’s eyes were also red. They had been through thick and thin together for many years as a couple. Even when times were tough, Yali had never cried. But after returning to work at the cultural troupe, she had been made to cry by Su Minglan several times. Zhang Hongtu felt helpless seeing her suffer, unable to do anything but give encouraging words. There were times when Zhang Hongtu tried to convince her to resign, but Yali refused, she said that she couldn’t retreat at the first sign of difficulty and set a bad example for their son. Now, it was finally over.

The postman, who has been left hanging on the side, has seen too many such occasions these days and is also happy for them: “Please help me sign for it first so that I can deliver the letter to the next person.”

Yali wiped her tears and asked him, “Comrade Postman, could you please check if there’s an admission letter for Su Xiaoxiao?”

The postman shook his head and said, “Today, in this batch, there’s only yours. Just wait a bit more; they will come in these days.”

Yali nodded, “Alright, thank you.”

After the postman left, Yali opened her arms to embrace Su Xiaoxiao and said, “Thank you, Xiaoxiao. I really owe it to you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to get into college. You are truly the benefactor of our family, Your admission letter will arrive soon too, so don’t worry.”

Su Xiaoxiao sincerely felt happy for Yali and said with a smile, “I’m not worried. You don’t need to thank me. Your foundation was already good, and you did well in the art exam. Congratulations on finally not having to compete against Su Minglan.”
When the children came back from school and saw the two great mothers hugging, they exchanged glances. The clever kids already guessed about the admission letter.

Fantuan let go of Xiao Roubao’s hand and ran over. “Mom, Aunt Yali, did your admission notice arrive?”

Su Xiaoxiao let go of Yali and replied, “It’s your Aunt Yali’s that arrived, not Mom’s.”

Fantuan was a bit surprised. He had seen Aunt Yali looking worried these days, with a determined look as if she were ready to fight for the college entrance exam again next year. He thought she had failed. Though it wasn’t his mom’s letter, he was still happy for Aunt Yali and congratulated her with a smile.

Xiao Zhuzi led her sister over, reaching out to hug Yali. “Mom, congratulations!”

Xiao Tangyuan didn’t really know what his brother was congratulating him for, nor did he understand why the adults were so happy. But she also smiled and said, “Congratulations.”

Yali hugged her son and Xiao Tangyuan. “Thank you, thank you, children.”

Su Xiaoxiao held Xiao Tangyuan’s hand with her left hand and Xiao Doubao’s hand with her right, heading home.

Fantuan held Xiao Roubao’s hand and secretly observed his mom’s expression along the way.

After a few times, Su Xiaoxiao naturally noticed. “Fantuan, if you have something to ask, just ask.”

Fantuan finally asked, “Mom, Aunt Yali got her admission notice, why haven’t you received yours? Did it get lost in the mail? Or did the postman lose it on the way?”

Fantuan had never considered that Su Xiaoxiao might not pass the exam, but he was genuinely worried that the admission letter might have been lost on the way, as he knew many people had received theirs.

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled, “How could that happen? Don’t worry, many people haven’t received theirs yet; my turn will eventually come.”

However, several more days passed, and it was almost Chinese New Year. More and more people received their admission letters, but Su Xiaoxiao’s notice didn’t arrive.

Even Han Cheng began to worry. He privately asked the leaders to check if it had really been lost.

At the end of January, one day, as Fantuan was taking his siblings to school as usual, just as he entered the school, he was stopped by the principal holding a newspaper and said, “Congratulations to you, Han Jing. Congratulations to your mother, Comrade Su Xiaoxiao, for becoming the top scorer in the liberal arts college entrance examination in our province!”

Fantuan’s sharp brain froze for a moment. Xiao Zhuzi and Xiao Doubao also froze. Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan looked at each other, and Xiao Tangyuan asked, “Principal, is being the top scorer the same as being round and sweet like Xiao Tangyuan?”

Xiao Roubao said, “It must be something delicious like Xiao Tangyuan.”

The principal looked at these outstanding children and was filled with emotions. He gently stroked Xiao Roubao’s head and said, “The top scorer means that your mother is the most outstanding comrade in our military region. She got first place in the provincial college entrance examination!”

Fantuan smiled as he watched Xiao Zhuzi and his younger siblings laugh, but he didn’t show much excitement. In his heart, it’s 100% possible for his mom to achieve this. He would only be surprised if she didn’t get first place.

“Thank you, Principal. Our mom has always been the best!”

Su Xiaoxiao only learned about her achievement as the provincial top scorer when she returned to the propaganda department. Minister Jiang was waiting for her at the door, along with several other unfamiliar but elegant comrades.

“Ah, our top scorer is finally back! These comrades from the admissions office have been waiting for you for half a day.” Minister Jiang smiled so much that his eyes disappeared. He seemed happier as if he himself had achieved first place.

Su Xiaoxiao already guessed what was going on. She smiled and nodded, saying, “Hello, sorry to keep you waiting.”

A male comrade holding a briefcase and wearing glasses smiled and said, “Hello, Su Xiaoxiao, I am from the admissions office of Peking University. My surname is Mo. Thank you for choosing our school as your first choice. To show our sincerity, we will personally deliver the admission letter to you. Congratulations on becoming a new student of Peking University!”

Another male comrade in a suit and leather shoes, unwilling to fall behind, approached and said, “Hello, Comrade Su, I am Xiao Zhang from the admissions office of Tsinghua University. It’s like this. Our school really needs talents like you. We’re willing to provide better conditions. Whatever specific requirements you have, just let us know, and we can accommodate them. We hope you consider coming to our school.”

The only female comrade present came over to shake Su Xiaoxiao’s hand and said, “Hello, Comrade Su, I am Xiao Liu from the Admissions Office of Foreign Studies University. First of all, congratulations on becoming the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and congratulations on achieving full marks in English. Have you ever thought about becoming a diplomat in the future? Our country is in need of talents in various fields, especially foreign language talents like you. We really hope you can come to our school.”