Lu Hang’s face was filled with anger. “Our Linlin got in! Professor Chen said he saw her name on the admission list.

Because she’s from the provincial capital and her last name is Jiang, he paid special attention.

Her scores were excellent; she ranked first in science in the county.

Some professors even said that if she had applied to a higher university, she might have been preferentially selected.”

The Jiang family, not even noticing his use of “our Linlin,” eagerly asked how this could be if she had been admitted but hadn’t received an acceptance letter.

The eldest brother said, “Professor Chen said he’d help check tomorrow. It might have been an oversight when writing the letters or a mistake when sending them out. Since she’s already admitted, it’s just a matter of getting the school to check.”

Jiang Dongjian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “I didn’t expect Linlin to do so well. I thought a technical school would be good enough, but she actually got into Provincial University, just like the eldest.”

Xu Aimei added, “We must thank Professor Chen properly.”

Lu Hang said, “I’ll send a telegram to Linlin.”

The second brother stopped him, “Tomorrow. There’s no way to send one at this hour.”

Early the next morning, someone knocked on the door.

Jiang Dongjian opened it to find Cheng Rushan.

He exclaimed in surprise, “Rushan, come in!”

Cheng Rushan, whenever he made trips to the provincial capital to transport goods, would visit the Jiang family if time allowed.

He would bring them some items, update them on Jiang Lin’s situation, and learn about their condition to relay back to Jiang Lin, ensuring they didn’t worry.

As it was nearing the New Year, Cheng Rushan brought them some festive goods: apples, pomegranates, pears, and preserved meat, all packed in a basket.

The Jiang family quickly told him about Jiang Lin’s situation.

Xu Aimei smiled, “We’ve found out that Linlin got in. It seems the acceptance letter was missed during the writing process. It’s no problem; they can issue a new one.”

Cheng Rushan was surprised by this twist. He had confidence in his wife and believed she would pass the exam.

He hadn’t expected such an incident. “I’ll send a telegram to Linlin to prevent her from worrying at home.”

The eldest brother said, “The post office is near my workplace. I’ll send it as soon as it opens.”

Cheng Rushan said, “Thank you, big brother. I’ll go to the provincial university and see if I can bring back Linlin’s acceptance letter.”

After having breakfast at the Jiang household, he didn’t linger and left for the provincial university with Lu Hang.

Jiang Xinglei and Qian Bo had to work and couldn’t take time off, but Lu Hang, who always seemed idle, insisted on accompanying Cheng Rushan.

At the provincial university, Cheng Rushan showed his work ID and explained his purpose.

He quickly found the admissions office’s head and inquired about Jiang Lin.

It turned out that she had indeed been accepted into the civil engineering program at the provincial university with excellent scores, ranking first in their county.

The admissions officer, beaming, told Cheng Rushan, “With such a score, she could have been admitted to a top university in the capital as well.”

They were pleased that such a good student had chosen their university.

Cheng Rushan then asked them to issue a duplicate acceptance letter for Jiang Lin so he could take it back.

The officer said, “We already sent it out. Didn’t she receive it?”

Cheng Rushan confirmed they hadn’t received it, suggesting that there might have been a mishap during the mailing process.

Mistakes can happen between sending it from here, being received by the post office, and then distributed by the postal worker.

The admissions staff discussed the situation briefly and then agreed to write a new letter for Cheng Rushan to take back.

Cheng Rushan didn’t stay long in the provincial capital.

With the acceptance letter and the enrollment instructions in hand, he and Dai Guohua headed home.

On the way back, Cheng Rushan drove the car.

Without any cargo on board, they traveled non-stop.

At first, Dai Guohua praised him, “Rushan, you’re such a steady driver. Fast and stable, there’s no one like you.” But later, feeling dizzy and disoriented, he clung tightly to the car’s overhead handle and wailed, “Rushan, we’re still young. Value your life. I swear I won’t drink and drive again. This is scarier than driving drunk!”

When Dai Guohua returned to Shu Huai Village in the evening, he was surprised to find that it had taken less than half the usual time!

“Who was slacking off before?” he muttered to himself. “I’m about to fall apart!”

As their car turned into Shu Huai Village, the sound of firecrackers suddenly erupted—crackling and popping—followed by bursts of cheers.

Dai Guohua chuckled, “Rushan, look at this. They’re celebrating your return with firecrackers!”

Driving slowly through the village, they saw a crowd in the front yard of the brigade, setting off firecrackers and dancing energetically.

They were even performing the traditional yangko dance.

What a grand reception!

“Comrades, our Shu Huai Village has its first college student! It’s like the Literary Star from heaven has descended upon us. Let’s give a round of applause!”

“The county has decided to award Jiang Lin five hundred yuan, the commune will give three hundred yuan, and the brigade will contribute two hundred yuan!”

“Thank you, Jiang Lin, for bringing honor to our county, commune, and brigade. Everyone, applause!”

“Please, Jiang Lin, come up and say a few words!”

Cheng Rushan parked the car and leaned back with his elbow propped up, watching his wife walk up to the makeshift stage with the same level of interest as watching a movie.

She was dressed in a red jacket with yellow flowers and wore a delicate embroidered scarf, looking radiant and exceptionally charming.

Earlier that morning, the county had received Jiang Lin’s delayed acceptance letter, which had been held up by a postal worker’s mistake for two days.

When Yu Guojian saw this, he was embarrassed to find out that the delay was due to an error, not because Jiang Lin had failed.

Moreover, she had been admitted to Provincial University—the best university in the province!

Feeling guilty, he realized that there was a reward for passing the college entrance exam.

A thousand yuan for Peking University or Tsinghua University, and five hundred for Provincial University.

He quickly organized the rewards, which were initially scheduled to be distributed a few days later, but he was eager and personally delivered them that afternoon.

As soon as he moved, the commune and brigade followed suit.

Upon hearing the news, the brigade accountant immediately wanted to announce Jiang Lin’s success. Cheng Fukun shouted, “Loudspeaker, loudspeaker!”

So, the loudspeaker broadcasted the news that Jiang Lin had been accepted into the provincial university, causing the entire village to erupt in excitement.

Getting into the provincial university was akin to passing the imperial examinations in the old days.

It meant securing a government job, wearing the official garb, and leaving the hard, sweat-laden labor of the fields behind.

From then on, it meant receiving a salary, eating commercial grain, and holding a prestigious position—an unparalleled sense of pride and status.

“Jiang Zhiqing, you’re amazing! Cheng Rushan, you’re so lucky!”

That afternoon, Jiang Lin was at home waiting for news.

She was contemplating going to the provincial capital herself if she didn’t hear from her family.

To keep herself from worrying, she and Yan Runzhi were sorting beans, planning to make tofu.

Then they heard the loudspeaker announcing that Jiang Zhiqing had been accepted into the provincial university.

Jiang Lin was momentarily stunned.

How did the news get out so suddenly? Did her big brother inform the brigade? It didn’t seem possible.

While she was still in a daze, Yan Runzhi was even happier, clapping her hands excitedly. “Bao’er’s mother, you got in! I told you it was yours, and it couldn’t run away!”

She was so thrilled that she hugged Jiang Lin, knocking over the basket of beans in her excitement.

Outside, Wensheng, who was practicing swordplay to accompany his mother to the provincial capital to fight bad guys, and Dabao and Xiaobao, who were stomping on imaginary villains, also heard the news and rushed into the house.

Xiaobao hugged Jiang Lin’s leg, “My Linlin is the best!”

Dabao said, “Comrade Jiang Lin, you’re the best!”

Wensheng lifted both Jiang Lin and Yan Runzhi in a big hug. “Mom, you got in! Haha, that’s fantastic!”

Cheng Yunzhi quickly returned from the brigade, and a crowd of people came to congratulate Jiang Zhiqing on her acceptance into the provincial university.

Hearing the celebratory noise, Yan Runzhi became even more spirited and immediately said to Wensheng, “Wensheng, come on, get dressed up, we’re going to do the Yangko dance!”

During the New Year, the brigade performed on stilts and danced the Yangko, and the costumes and props were readily available.

So, the two of them ran off to gather their friends.

Soon, Cheng Yulian, Mrs. Shang, Mrs. Feng, and other elderly women and men who knew how to dance came over.

Seeing how even more excited they were than herself, Jiang Lin’s tears of joy mingled with her laughter.

After hearing Yu Guojian’s explanation, everyone realized it had been a false alarm.

With the acceptance letter in hand, Jiang Lin felt her hard work had paid off, and that perseverance truly brings rewards.

The celebration continued for a while. Yu Guojian requested that a celebratory event be held in the brigade’s yard, and Cheng Fujun and others took care of the arrangements.

Just in time, Cheng Rushan arrived and joined the celebration.

As Jiang Lin went up to express her gratitude, she glanced over the crowd and spotted Cheng Rushan’s truck, immediately waving her hand.

Cheng Rushan smiled and waved back, clearly relieved to see the acceptance letter had arrived and that it was all a false alarm.

Jiang Lin quickly expressed her thanks to the central government, the leaders, and everyone involved, which energized the crowd.

Yan Runzhi, Cheng Yulian, and the other women began dancing the joyful yangko, and the brigade’s makeshift band started drumming and gongs.

The rewards for passing the university entrance exam were specific to local students.

Other rural youth who passed the exam and moved back to the city did not receive such rewards, so there was no comparison to be made.

Jiang Lin hurried out of the crowd towards the truck.

Cheng Rushan jumped down to catch her as she ran towards him.

With so many people around, he restrained himself from picking her up, simply holding her securely with his arms.

“My wife is truly amazing,” Cheng Rushan said, holding her hand and exerting a lot of self-control not to kiss her.

Jiang Lin replied, “There are many officials here, we should go and greet them.”

Cheng Rushan and the others were acquainted with them, so they exchanged handshakes and greetings.

They didn’t stay for the meal, each going their separate ways.

The celebration in Shu Huai Village was lively, like a small New Year’s festival.

While the festivities continued outside, Jiang Lin’s family went home first.

Cheng Rushan and Dai Guohua hadn’t eaten all day.

They grabbed a quick bite on the road, but Dai Guohua was starving and didn’t dare complain.

Today’s bone broth noodles were a real treat for Dai Guohua.

A few days ago, the brigade had slaughtered a pig.

Besides buying regular pork, Yan Runzhi had specifically bought bones that others didn’t care for, almost devoid of meat, to boil into soup for Jiang Lin to eat with noodles.

With the acceptance letter arriving and Dongsheng returning, everything seemed perfect!

Wensheng was leading Dabao and Xiaobao in a loud play, reenacting the scenario of catching the imaginary villain who had delayed the delivery of the acceptance letter.

After dinner, Dai Guohua bade farewell and headed home.

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan saw him off.

Once they returned home, Jiang Lin took out the acceptance letter to show Cheng Rushan, saying, “Good things really do come to those who wait.”

Yan Runzhi quickly brought over the kerosene lamp to make it brighter.

Cheng Rushan took the letter and read it.

It said: “Notice of Admission to Higher Education Institution. Comrade Jiang Lin of Yanghong Brigade, Hongqi Commune, Shangtang County Revolutionary Committee: You have been admitted to the Architecture Program at X Province University, approved by the Provincial Admissions Committee. Please report between March 8th and 10th, 1978.”

Wensheng, Dabao, and Xiaobao also crowded around to read it.

Yan Runzhi, listening, said, “March 8th, we still have time. That’s manageable for preparation.”

Cheng Rushan corrected, “Mom, that’s not our lunar March 8th, it’s the Gregorian calendar.”

Cheng Yunzhi exclaimed, “Oh dear, that’s quite soon. Let’s check the calendar.”

They had both an old-style almanac and a newly purchased calendar, which they were reluctant to tear off.

They quickly flipped through it.

“This means we need to leave around the 25th or 26th of the first lunar month.”

Jiang Lin read the enrollment instructions aloud.

The beginning emphasized that with the ongoing in-depth criticism of the Gang of Four, those admitted through unified admissions were required to serve where the country needed them most upon graduation.

It also reminded that upon registration, they must bring their household registration transfer certificate, grain and oil supply transfer certificate, and commodity supply relations certificate, noting that supplies from their original region would stop, and starting in March, the school would provide them.

Jiang Lin was shocked by the small, almost imperceptible pencil mark in the corner of the acceptance letter.

It was a character for “Bian,” which seemed like a hidden message or code.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Rushan noticed her troubled expression.

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and said, “There’s a small mark on the acceptance letter, it says ‘Bian.’”

Cheng Rushan’s face darkened. “Did you see this before?”

Jiang Lin shook her head. “No, I only noticed it just now. I thought the letter was genuine before.”

Cheng Rushan’s eyes narrowed. “This could be serious. If it’s a hidden message, it might be from someone trying to cause trouble.”

Jiang Lin felt a chill run down her spine. “What should we do?”

Cheng Rushan thought for a moment and said, “We need to verify it immediately. It might be a prank, but we should check with the school to be sure.”

Jiang Lin nodded in agreement.

They decided to contact the university right away to clarify the situation.

They needed to ensure that the acceptance letter was valid and that no tampering had occurred.

As they made the necessary calls and sent messages, Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan tried to stay calm.

They hoped it was just a misunderstanding and that everything would turn out fine.

Meanwhile, Yan Runzhi and Cheng Yulian were busy preparing the family’s celebrations, oblivious to the brewing problem.

The mood in the house was cheerful and bustling with preparations.

Despite the tension, Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan managed to get in touch with the university and explain their concerns.

The university assured them that they would investigate the matter promptly.

As the days went by, they awaited confirmation from the university, hoping for a resolution.

Jiang Lin remained hopeful and focused on her upcoming studies, determined to overcome any obstacles that came her way.