Yan Runzhi led Cheng Yunzhi, Wen Sheng, Dabao, Xiaobao, and the rest of the family to see her off.

Dabao said, “Mom, I’ll give you a red star. The red star will help you in the fight.”

Cheng Rushan pinned it on her collar.

Xiaobao added, “Mom, I’ll give you three candies. If you can’t answer a question, eat one, and you’ll definitely remember the answer.”

Jiang Lin accepted them, saying, “Thank you, my dear Dabao and Xiaobao.”

Wen Sheng gave her a hug and said, “Mom will definitely pass!”

Yan Runzhi and Cheng Yunzhi waved their hands too, confident that Bao’er’s mother would succeed.

Jiang Lin said, “It’s quite cold, you all should go back.” Even though she said it was unnecessary, they insisted on seeing her off, making a big scene out of it.

At the county exam site, Shang Zonghui said goodbye to them and went to pick up goods, planning to return in the evening to pick them up.

Since it wasn’t time yet, they waited outside.

Some people were very nervous because the review time was too short, and they didn’t have review materials.

Many of their textbooks were borrowed and copied from others.

In just a month, how much could they review? They had no confidence at all.

“Ah—” Suddenly, someone broke down and screamed, “I won’t take the exam!”

Then he started pulling his hair, scaring the examinees around him who immediately backed away, afraid it would affect their own exams.

Soon, some militiamen maintaining order came over to ask what was going on. Seeing him screaming incoherently, they took him away.

Sun Qinghui said, “Is he too nervous?” Hopefully, he wouldn’t go crazy.

Jin Lei, who was with them, kept watching Jiang Lin, Sun Qinghui, and Wang Xiao.

Suddenly, another person shouted, “Where’s my exam admission ticket? Where’s my ticket?” A girl was frantically crying, unsure if she had forgotten it or lost it. “I clearly put it in my bag.”

“Check again.”

“Ah, I remember now. I… I… I was afraid of losing it, so I locked it in the drawer last night thinking I had put it in my bag. How could I be so stupid…” She covered her face and cried.

“There’s no time to go home and get it.”

“So pitiful.” Feeling sorry for others, they were thankful they had brought theirs.

Wang Xiao took out her things and smiled at Jiang Lin, saying, “Linlin, thanks to you, we could prepare so smoothly.” They studied together with Jiang Lin, and everything went well because they had both the time and the textbooks they needed.

Sun Qinghui and a few others also checked their stuff.

At this moment, Jin Lei asked Jiang Lin, “Jiang Lin, why don’t you check yours?” Jin Lei and Wei Qiongfang didn’t study with them, but they all came on the same tractor.

Jiang Lin’s things were in her bag, packed by Cheng Rushan.

She had checked them herself, so she was confident and didn’t take them out to fuss over.

Nearby, some people were gossiping about their village.

After hearing about the exams, many educated youths who married villagers started to regret it.

Some village men wouldn’t let their educated wives take the exam, and some village wives wouldn’t let their educated husbands take it, fearing they would leave if they passed.

Some even burned the exam permits to stop their partners from taking the exam.

Wang Xiao was angry, “How can these people be so narrow-minded? It’s such a rare opportunity, how can they not participate?”

Jin Lei said, “If you married a villager and passed the exam, would you want to go back to the city?”

Wang Xiao replied, “Linlin is also from the provincial city, and Cheng Rushan didn’t stop her from taking the exam. Their family is very supportive. In the end, some people are just narrow-minded.”

“They’re afraid their spouses will leave if they pass the exam,” Jin Lei argued.

Wang Xiao was so angry she ignored him.

Suddenly, Jin Lei sneered and snatched the exam permit from Wang Xiao’s hand.

“Ah—” Wang Xiao screamed and immediately tried to grab it back.

Sun Qinghui and the others’ faces changed, “Jin Lei, what are you doing!”

Jin Lei raised the permit, ready to tear it, mocking, “You hypocrites, what right do you have to criticize others! Look, there’s nothing… ah—”

Before he could finish, Cheng Rushan kicked him in the waist, and the exam permit flew up.

Cheng Rushan caught it and handed it to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin quickly gave it back to Wang Xiao, “Put it away quickly.”

Everyone else hurriedly put their permits away and scolded Jin Lei, “Are you crazy?”

Jin Lei glared at Jiang Lin and shouted, “I’m not crazy! You all came to take the exam, preventing Yiyi from taking it. How shameless can you be!”

Sun Qinghui and the others looked at Jin Lei in disbelief.

This year, he hadn’t mentioned Meng Yiyi and had been getting along well with everyone.

They hadn’t expected him to cause trouble here.

No wonder he had asked about Jiang Lin’s admission ticket earlier!

He knew that sabotaging the admission ticket in advance wouldn’t work since it could be replaced, so he waited until the last moment to act.

“Jin Lei, you’re too wicked! We’re going to jointly boycott you and not let you take the college entrance exam!”

“Yes, someone as morally corrupt as you shouldn’t be allowed to take the exam. It’s unfair!”

Jin Lei tried to get up, but his waist was sore and numb as if it had gone numb.

He screamed in fear, “What did you do to me? What did you do to me?”

Cheng Rushan ignored him completely.

At this moment, the whistle blew, and the proctor stood at the entrance, checking admission tickets for entry.

The patrolling militiamen also began clearing the area.

Jin Lei shouted in a panic, but two militiamen immediately carried him out.

In this state, he couldn’t take the exam, and letting him in would affect others.

He had to be treated as a special case.

Jin Lei was both angry and anxious, shouting that he must take the exam, but no one paid him any attention.

Jiang Lin quickly squeezed Cheng Rushan’s hand. “You go ahead and do what you need to do, don’t just wait here.”

Cheng Rushan unbuttoned his coat and took out a warm pen from an inside pocket, handing it to her.

Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment, then tightly gripped the pen that carried his body heat, feeling warmth in her heart.

Taking an exam in the cold winter, the pen nib could easily freeze, but he had thought of this…

She smiled at him. “I’m going in.”

Cheng Rushan nodded, “You’ve prepared well. Just relax.”

Jiang Lin happily jogged into the exam hall. The proctor gave her a disapproving look, annoyed at her for dawdling with a man at the door.

Jiang Lin found her seat, arranged her stationery and admission ticket, and tucked the warm pen into her sleeve.

She glanced outside and saw Cheng Rushan wave at her.

The militiamen were clearing the area, not allowing idle people to wait outside, so he had to leave.

Jiang Lin cupped her face with both hands, wanting to blow a kiss to him, but the invigilator caught her in the act.

“Young lady, behave yourself!”

Jiang Lin immediately restrained her smile, rubbed her cheeks hard, and pretended to shiver, saying seriously, “It’s really cold.”

The other students also rubbed their hands and faces, feeling the chill.

The invigilator snorted.

Jiang Lin looked down and smiled, glancing at her exam permit.

The photo on it was newly taken when she registered.

During the photo shoot, Cheng Rushan was standing opposite her, leaning against the wall and smiling at her, which made her smile in the picture particularly radiant and confident.

Her pencil case was a recent gift from Yan Runzhi, featuring a family stick-figure embroidery drawn by Wensheng, Dabao, and Xiaobao together.

Thinking of such a lovely family, Jiang Lin felt a warmth in her heart, and her nervousness eased.

The first exam was math, followed by politics in the afternoon.

The next day, they would take Chinese in the morning and science in the afternoon.

She had prepared thoroughly for a year, mastering all the knowledge points.

As long as the questions were from the textbooks, she would be fine.

Soon, the math test began.

Jiang Lin glanced over the paper and felt confident; it wasn’t difficult for her.

“You can do it, Jiang Lin!”

She started answering the questions, writing carefully and neatly.

Regardless of her handwriting quality, she aimed for it to be tidy and legible, hoping to convey her seriousness to the graders and make them feel good.

After two days of exams, it was finally over, whether they felt good about it or not.

Everyone felt as if they had experienced another world, uncertain if they were dreaming or in reality.

Wang Xiao cried, tears blurring her vision, “Linlin, is it really over? What if we don’t pass?”

Jiang Lin comforted her, “If we don’t pass, we can take it again next year. We’re still young.”

Only the older students from previous years wouldn’t have another chance, as next year the age limit for the exam would likely be enforced, preventing those over thirty from taking it again.

Sun Qinghui and a few others looked exhausted and aged, feeling like they had suddenly grown much older.

Compared to the fresh high school graduates, their mindset and state were completely different.

The recent graduates were full of vigor and confidence.

One of them, despite not knowing the difference between chemistry and physics, was certain they would get into a top university like Peking or Tsinghua.

They emerged from the examination hall, one by one, weathered and trembling, tears streaming down their aged faces.

Many began to cry as soon as they left the exam hall.

For them, being able to take the college entrance exam once in their lifetime was fulfilling enough.

The result didn’t matter; it was the process that counted.

Having been there and taken the test was enough.

Before the exam, Jiang Lin had been feeling a whirlwind of emotions.

Afterward, she felt completely calm.

She went back to wait for the results, continuing her life as usual.

Upon returning home, Wen Sheng, Dabao, and Xiaobao met her and Cheng Rushan at the village entrance.

Yan Runzhi prepared a table full of dishes to celebrate her successful completion of the exam.

The next day, the educated youth compared their answers and discussed the questions.

Jiang Lin did very well, as did Sun Qinghui and Wang Xiao.

A few who didn’t perform well felt dejected.

However, being young, they still had another chance next year.

Jiang Lin set aside her exam materials and enjoyed two comfortable days of sleep.

Cheng Rushan, who had accompanied her, was also relieved and went out with Dai Guohua.

Cheng Yunzhi took the opportunity to educate Dabao and Xiaobao, saying, “You should study as diligently as your mother. When you graduate from high school, you will also need to take exams. Getting into college makes you a true intellectual.”

Dabao and Xiaobao wholeheartedly agreed.

Dabao said, “Don’t worry, Grandpa, we’ll surpass Mom.” Xiaobao added, “Mom is blue, and we are green!”

Jiang Lin thought to herself, “Am I a Smurf?”

A month later, the preliminary admissions list was published, and those who made it went to the county hospital for the college entrance examination physical checkup, which included a political review requiring information about family background.

After that, they awaited the university admission letters.

Jiang Lin, Sun Qinghui, Wang Xiao, Liang Fang, Tao Hongxing, and several other educated youths passed the preliminary admission line and went together for the physical examination.

Then, they waited for their acceptance letters.

As long as they passed the preliminary line, had no major disabilities, and no significant political issues, they were basically guaranteed admission.