Chapter 249: The Eve of the Exam

When Xu An and the others returned, they were covered in a thick layer of snow, and they looked as if they were about to freeze.

Xu Ning, Grandma Wang, and Aunt Dashuan quickly went to brush the snow off them, while Aunt Si and Xiao Mo busily rubbed their hands to warm them up.

After they rested in the house for a while, Xu An said, “Sister, the snow is getting heavier. We should leave early!”

“Then let’s go,” Xu Ning replied. “I’ve already packed everything.” She turned to Jianmin, Da Lin, and the others, asking, “Have you all gathered your things? Think carefully if there’s anything you’ve forgotten.”

The group checked their belongings again and confirmed that they had everything they needed.

Before leaving, Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei handed the keys to their rooms in the youth compound to Aunt Dashan and Aunt Si.

“Aunties, here are the keys to our rooms over in the youth compound. If the kids have trouble sleeping tonight, feel free to take them there,” Wei Lanlan said, offering the key with a warm smile.

Aunt Si took the key and reassured them, “Don’t worry, we understand. You both just focus on your exams, and leave the kids to us.”

Niu Niu, seeing that his mother and uncle were leaving, had red eyes and a pouty face. Xiao Mo took their hands and tried to comfort them.

Xiao Ya and Xiao Yu, however, weren’t as reserved. They began to cry loudly, clinging to their mother and refusing to let go.

Seeing the girls crying, Niu Niu and the others burst into tears as well. Although Xiao Pang was a bit older than the rest, at four years old, he also joined in, his face scrunched up as he cried.

After a while of holding and soothing them, once the children calmed down, Xu Ning and the others steeled their hearts and turned to leave.

Due to the heavy snowfall, riding bicycles was inconvenient, so they had no choice but to walk.

There were now eleven people at the youth commune: Chen Xiangdong, Wei Lanlan, Yang Xiaomei, Sun Hao, Lin Miao, Gu Wenping, Yang Wenli, Pan Mi, Hu Cheng, Sun Shaojie, and Zhang Hairong.

In addition to Xu Ning and her brother Xu An, there were Jianmin, Da Lin, Hong Dang, and Wang Liang from the village.

The group of more than a dozen people marched toward the city, creating quite an impressive scene.

Lin Miao entrusted her daughter to the care of Da Yong’s family, agreeing to pay them one yuan for the day.

Upon reaching the county seat, the youth commune members headed to the guesthouse, while Xu Ning and her group went to Grandpa Wang’s house, passing by the guesthouse on their way.

Those who arrived early included not only people from their village but also youth from other villages, and the guesthouse was nearly full.

There were only two guesthouses in the county, and both had only one small room left, which had already been claimed by Lin Miao and Gu Wenping.

The youth commune members stood there, looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

If they returned now, the snow would be even worse tomorrow, making it difficult to travel. But if they didn’t go back, they had nowhere to stay.

Xu Ning and Xu An exchanged glances, both feeling troubled. With so many people, Grandpa Wang’s place wouldn’t be able to accommodate them either.

There were only two rooms available; the women would certainly need one room, and there were over a dozen men, plus Grandpa Wang. No matter how they arranged it, they simply couldn’t fit.

After thinking for a moment, Xu An suggested, “Sister, how about this? Let’s first go to Grandpa Wang’s house and see how many people can stay there.”

If it really doesn’t work, I, Wang Liang, and Jianmin can stay at Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng’s place for a couple of nights.

With the weather this cold, running back and forth isn’t wise. If anyone catches a cold, it could affect tomorrow’s exam.”

Xu Ning sighed; it seemed there was no other choice.

Xu An went to discuss the plan with the others, and they all expressed their gratitude with smiles.

Hu Cheng patted his shoulder and said, “Good brother, thanks! If you need anything in the future, just let me know, and I’ll be there.”

Xu An was amused by his words, but he didn’t yet realize that Hu Cheng meant what he said; this kid would help him out significantly in the future.

When Grandpa Wang heard the knock on the door, he wondered who would be visiting in such heavy snow.

Upon opening the door, he saw Xu Ning and Xu An accompanied by a dozen young people, all shivering from the cold.

Without asking any questions, Grandpa Wang quickly ushered the kids inside to warm up.

It took them a while to recover once inside. Grandpa Wang brought over a pot of hot water for them to drink.

After finishing his water, Xu Ning finally spoke up, “Grandpa Wang, these are all from our village; they’ve come to take the exam.”

“We came a bit late; both guesthouses are full, so I brought them here,” Xu Ning explained.

“That’s fine. I’ll go tidy up that room and get the kang warmed up,” Grandpa Wang replied.

“No, Grandpa, you rest. We’ll take care of the cleaning,” Xu An insisted.

Xu Ning took the food and meat she had brought into the kitchen. She then checked the two rooms with kang beds. While they could accommodate guests if divided evenly by gender, there were more men than women, making it a challenge.

They would have to ask Xu An and the others to stay a couple of nights at Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng’s homes.