Chapter 247: Preparations Before the College Entrance Exam

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Grandma Wang, take the caramel and sit on the heated bed for a while. Xiao Mo and I will cook.”

Niu Niu and Pi Pi pulled Grandma Wang toward the house, with Tang Tang following behind them.

Xiao Mo watched them and sighed. “Their uncle is standing right here, a full-grown adult, and no one even notices. All my care for them was for nothing.”

Seeing Xu Ning laughing at him, he shot his sister a glare. “Where’s Second Brother?”

Xu Ning couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression. “Your second brother went to see Grandpa Wang off. He won’t be back for lunch; he said he’s going to meet with Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng.”

“They’re about to take the exam, and instead of staying home to study properly, they’re running around everywhere. It’s so frustrating!” Xiao Mo muttered in annoyance.

With Grandma Wang around to help, Xu Ning and her brother had more time to study. Grandma Wang took care of all the cooking and laundry, and no matter how much Xu Ning offered to help, Grandma Wang wouldn’t let her.

As the weather grew colder, the triplets spent less time in the cowshed, so Grandma Wang played with the children inside the house while Xu Ning went to Xiao An’s room to study.

Sometimes Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei would come over to ask Xu Ning for help with questions they didn’t understand. Da Lin and Jianmin also often came by to study with Xiao An.

A few days later, Jin Dapeng and Fan Sizhe brought some food over.

It was their fathers who brought them, and after seeing the study environment at Xu Ning’s home, they entrusted their children to Grandma Wang and Xu Ning for the time being.

They also often brought over some meat and nutritional supplements for Grandma Wang to cook for everyone.

Everyone was racing against time, furiously writing away. Aside from eating and using the restroom, no one let go of their textbooks.

Even the mischievous Niu Niu and Pi Pi, sensing the tense atmosphere at home, had become quite well-behaved.

Every day, they either listened to Grandma Wang tell stories or went to the cowshed to play with Grandpa Qi.

Although the two brothers still often got into fights, they no longer dared to shout. They would silently hit each other, and afterward, they wouldn’t cry, fearing a beating.

Xu Ning took out the questions her parents had given in the past for them to review, and anyone from the educated youth courtyard who wanted to see them was welcome to copy them.

Everyone was grateful for the generosity shown by Xu Ning and her brother, unlike some people who would hoard review materials and study them in secret.

(Cough, like Lin Miao.)

When it came time to fill out their college applications, both siblings listed Beijing University as their first choice and other universities in Beijing with lower admission scores as their alternatives.

Xu Ning applied to the economics department, while Xu An applied for law.

Jianmin and Da Lin also chose a university in Beijing as their first choice, but they didn’t dare put Beijing University down.

Their academic performance had been average during school, and even though they had started reviewing earlier than others, they still lacked confidence.

When they studied with Xiao An, they felt the gap in their abilities was quite significant.

Most of the people in the educated youth compound filled out applications for schools in their hometowns. After so many years in the countryside, returning to their own hometowns was a dream cherished by everyone.

Chen Xiangdong and Wei Lanlan applied to a school in Zhejiang Province, while Sun Hao and Yang Xiaomei chose a school in Haishi.

They heard that Lin Miao and Gu Wenping had also listed Beijing University as their first choice, and the other schools they applied to were quite similar to those chosen by Xu Ning and her brother.

The day before the exam, it began to snow. Grandma Wang, worried about the difficult travel conditions the next day, suggested they head to the county seat a day early.

“Xiao Ning, I don’t think this snow is going to stop anytime soon. Why don’t you go to the city today? Have Grandpa Wang heat up the kang in both rooms so you can stay there and head straight to the exam tomorrow.”

Xu Ning looked outside; the snow was falling heavier, and the sky was gloomy. At this rate, the roads would surely be bad tomorrow.

Xu Ning and Xu An decided to go to the city today, although they were a bit worried about the kids.

Xiao Mo noticed the concern on her sister’s and second brother’s faces and quickly reassured them. “Sister, starting tomorrow, our school is on break. Niu Pi Tang will be fine with me. You can focus on your exam without worrying.”

After eating, Xu Ning talked to the little ones about the situation. “Mommy is going to take an exam tomorrow and will be away for two days. You three will stay at home with your uncle and great-grandma, okay?”

When Niu Niu and Pi Pi heard that their mother would be gone for two days without taking them along, they were about to wail. But seeing their mother’s expressionless face, they didn’t dare to cry.

With a sorrowful look, Niu Niu asked, “We want to go with Mommy.”

Noticing that the two boys weren’t crying, Xu Ning gently coaxed them, “Mommy is going to take an exam, and she can’t bring children. When Mommy comes back, I’ll bring you some tanghulu to eat, okay?”

Tang Tang, who had been silent all along, spoke up with red eyes. “Mommy, Tang Tang doesn’t want to eat tanghulu. Please come back early, okay?”

When Xu Ning saw her two sons about to cry, she felt little concern. But seeing her daughter with red eyes, asking her to come back early, made her heart ache.

Since they were born, she had never been away from them for even a day. In the past, whenever she went to the county seat, she hurried back after buying things, never daring to linger because she was worried about her children at home.

Now, the thought of staying away for two nights made her heart heavy.

She fought back tears and forced a smile. “Tang Tang, Mommy will come back as soon as the exam is over. Our Tang Tang is the most well-behaved.”

While Xu Ning was comforting the three children at home, Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei arrived.

They also wanted to discuss the kids, hoping to send their three children over tomorrow and ask Xiao Mo for help watching them.

Xu Ning thought for a moment and replied, “Xiao An and I are planning to go to the city today. The snow is too heavy; if we wait until tomorrow morning, it might delay the exam.

Xiao Mo and Grandma Wang can manage during the day, but they definitely won’t be able to keep up with six children at night.

What do you think about this? We could ask Aunt Si and Aunt Dashuan from the village to come help watch them for two days.”

“You all should come to the city with us. We’ll stay at Grandma Wang’s house tonight and come back after the exam,” Xu Ning suggested.

It was too cold now, with temperatures dropping to negative twenty or thirty degrees. If they rushed from Yushu Village to the city for the exam in the morning, they would be frozen stiff and wouldn’t be able to take the test.

Having developed a friendship with Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei over the past few years, she also hoped they could get into a good school.

Grandma Wang’s two rooms had spacious kangs, so accommodating a few people wouldn’t be a problem.

Both Yang Xiaomei and Wei Lanlan were deeply touched. They thanked Xu Ning and returned home to discuss the plan.