After the reform of the college entrance examination in 1985, Jing City implemented a policy of 32, in which the foreign language and mathematics were compulsory subjects, and the rest were subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, history, politics, geography, and other subjects according to the liberal arts and sciences.
The first exam was Chinese. Xi Xiaoxiao calmed down after seeing the test paper. This moment was a turning point in her life. Even if the sky fell, it would not affect her college entrance examination.
This time, the difficulty of the subject was not particularly great. Xi Xiaoxiao skimmed the test paper according to her previous habit of doing*24doing*from 干 [gàn] that can mean as to do or to f*ck (vulgar) exercises and focused on the composition topic to draw a mental sketch of the article’s content when doing the questions.
Except for the rustling of the pen tip falling on the paper and the sound of the invigilator walking around, no other sound could be heard in the entire examination room.
The weather in Jing City in June was a bit sweltering. The examination room did not have any fans installed. Relying only on the natural wind, the students and teachers in the examination room were very uncomfortable. Especially the students, they were under pressure. Almost every time they finished the examination, their backs were wet. Only Yan Chu was clear and refreshing. For others, the college entrance examination was a lot of pressure. But for him, it was as simple as eating and drinking.
“Shouldn’t Yan get recommended? When the Olympics award came out, many famous foreign schools were rushing to accept him reportedly. Why did he come to take the college entrance examination like us?”
When the first exam was over, many people pointed at Yan Chu and whispered when they left the examination room.
“Aren’t you talking nonsense? There is a bonus for the top students in the college entrance examination. People in the city, districts, and streets of the country express their gratitude by treating somebody to a meal or presenting a gift. I heard that the No. 13 Middle School expects him to take the first rank in this examination. If he succeeds, can the given rewards be less? It’s guaranteed to be several thousand.”
At present, the state still gives subsidies to college students. Basically, if you got the subsidized tuition, you did not need to pay any more money from your family. In addition to special schools or majors such as military academies, the monthly subsidy for college students was also in the early twenties every month, which was enough for the daily expenses of the college students.
Moreover, before the 1990s, college students graduated with assigned work packages, which meant that as long as you got admitted to the university, you did not have to worry about anything and could comfortably wait for the national one-stop service.
Of course, this was definitely not enough for those students who have pursuit. Now the study abroad craze has begun to rise. Many colleges and universities had started programs to exchange students with foreign colleges. This program was also known as studying abroad at public expense. Students studying abroad like that were not allowed to work there. Although many students were shocked by the high salary, they secretly had a job outside of class time aboard. But on the face of it, the state prohibited such acts.
In the view of the students, Yan Chu was so excellent that he was guaranteed to study abroad. They heard that there was only an unemployed mother in his family. Even to save living expenses abroad, taking the college entrance examination was undoubtedly better than the recommended one.
“He is so confident that he will be top scorer in the college entrance examination. Don’t leave in defeat and let a great opportunity slip like Yan.”
Those not hated by others were mediocre talents. Some praised Yan Chu, while others naturally despised him.
“He is a learning god. Anyway, no matter how poor they perform, they are better than us. If you have time to worry about others, you’d better hurry home and read more books and strive for more points in the next subject.”
Xi Xiaoxiao carried the backpack her grandmother made for her and listened to those students talking about Yan Chu.
“Xiaoxiao, how was your exam?”
Xie Meifeng had been waiting at the school gate for a long time, and when she saw her granddaughter coming out, she did not look very well. She felt a thump in her heart. Could it be that she did not do well in the exam?
“Grandma, why are you here? What if so many people are crowded?”
Xi Xiaoxiao did not expect her grandmother would pick her up outside the examination room when she was this old. She was moved and worried.
“I think the test paper this time is quite simple, but it’s too hot in the classroom.”
Seeing her grandmother worried, she quickly explained, “Grandma, let’s go back quickly. I’ll sleep after eating.”
“Good, okay, okay.”
The old lady saw that her granddaughter’s answer was very relaxed and knew she should have done well in the exam this time. When she was about to leave with the help of her granddaughter, she saw Jin Zhanhua and her son Yan Chu leaving.
“Hey, isn’t that Sister Hua? Her son is the Jinbao23JinbaoYan Chu's nickname, refers to valuables in general; precious; darling; sweetie I mentioned at home last time, the one in the newspaper.”
As soon as the old lady came, she was overjoyed. She took her granddaughter and was about to catch up.
“Grandma, I’m hungry. There are so many people now. Let’s go home and eat.”
Xi Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her. She was clutching her stomach, looking like she was starving, and immediately coaxed the old lady away.
Although it was a pity that the two children missed the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with each other, the most important thing now was the college entrance examination. The old lady still knew which was more important.
After five exams in a row, after the last English exam, except for some students who thought they might have failed the exam, the other students cheered when they left the exam room.
Xi Xiaoxiao stood at the table and packed her stationery, counting her possible loss points on this paper, then turned around and was about to leave.
Unfortunately, Yan Chu was too passing by her, and the two collided by chance.
His hard chest hit her nose, and her tears were about to come out.
“Are you okay?”
At a loss, Yan Chu took out the clean handkerchief in his pocket and handed it to Xi Xiaoxiao.
“No, I’m fine.”
Xi Xiaoxiao recognized his voice. She lowered her head and covered the tip of her nose with her hand, then took her things and walked around him, leaving in a hurry, without any intention of reaching out to take the handkerchief.
Looking at her appearance, she seemed to avoid him.
At this time, there were few students left in the examination room. It was a scene where ordinary people accidentally bumped into each other when walking. It was because Yan Chu’s top student aura made people take a few more glances, and then no one cared.
Yan Chu put back the handkerchief he took out, thinking about Xi Xiaoxiao’s attitude towards his new image now.
But one thing was for sure. The open-minded and intelligent girl did not blindly complain about the injustice of God and lived in the hatred of the previous life. The task he thought was the most difficult to complete now seemed to be the easiest.
Yan Chu himself appreciated Xi Xiaoxiao’s choice after her rebirth. She was indeed a very good girl.
Just looking at the other party’s appearance, although she did not intend to retaliate against him, she also did not intend to approach him again. Getting rid of him might be the best way to face her new life for the other party.
In that case, it was a question of whether or not he would still appear in the other person’s life.
“Jinbao is back. Little Uncle cooks himself to reward our future top scorer.”
Because of the old lady’s publicity, the Yan family, including those neighbors in the quadrangle, had inexplicable confidence in Yan Chu. It seemed that the top scorer in the college entrance examination was already in his pocket. Before, they were afraid to put too much pressure on Yan Chu and did not say anything in front of Yan Chu. But now, the college entrance examination was already over, which made them chipper.
Jin Zhanhua went to school to pick up her son, and Jin Zhande ordered a full sumptuous meal to celebrate Yan Chu in advance. He cooked a bowl of scrambled eggs with foreign persimmons, the only one he knew, and regarded all the dishes on this table as his credit.
“Where is Meijuan? Why didn’t you call Meijuan over?”
All family members were at the table, and when Jin Zhanhua saw that her sister-in-law, Meijuan, was not here, she asked her brother.
Du Meijuan did not work after she got married. There could not be a situation where she could not get away from work. Therefore, Jin Zhanhua was a little curious.
“She, there’s something matter at her parents’ home, so she can’t come.”
The smile on Jin Zhande’s face faded a little. Jin Zhanhua did not notice anything wrong with her brother. She just thought he was telling the truth.
“What’s the matter? It’s not serious, right?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
When he came to his elder sister’s house today, Jin Zhande did not tell Du Meijuan at all. He almost often stayed in the company under the pretext of working these days because he did not know how to face his pretending wife. Because of those concealments, when Jin Zhande looked at Du Meijuan, who smiled at him, he could not help thinking about what kind of mind was under that smile.
They had two sons. As a wife, Du Meijuan was also impeccable. She cared about his body and his daily life. However, they have too many differences on the issue of treating his elder sister.
Jin Zhande knew that this was his hidden trouble. It might be that the persona played by Du Meijuan before was too good, which made it so difficult for him to accept after he knew the truth.
Before he figured it out, it was indeed difficult for him to live with the other person without any grudges. He felt that it would be better for him to calm down. After thinking about it, he could choose to separate or pretend he did not know about it and continue to live for his children’s sake.
“Big Sister, I bought a cell phone, and if you contact me in the future, you can call this number. I may not be at home if you call the landline at home.”
Jin Zhande changed the subject, took out a card from his pocket, handed it to the eldest sister, and then took out another one and handed it to his little nephew.
“Why is it so troublesome? I have nothing urgent. Anyway, Meijuan is always at home. It’s the same to ask her to tell you.”
The old lady did not know what a cell phone was. She thought it was different from calling a landline.
“Meijuan… Big Sister, you’d better call this phone number in the future.”
Jin Zhande smiled wryly. Wasn’t he just distrustful? He was indeed afraid that the current Meijuan was still at a critical juncture and making a decision like the previous life. At that time, he would regret it all his life.
The most important thing for the couple to be together was conviction. Jin Zhande himself did not realize that his trust in Du Meijuan was almost zero. Even if such a marriage continued, there would still be many problems.
“Zhande, tell your sister, did you quarrel with Meijuan?”
The old lady put aside the joy of her son’s college entrance examination completion. She looked at her brother and asked seriously.
“No quarrel.”
Jin Zhande did not know how to tell his elder sister that a man with children about the same age as Yan Chu got wronged in front of Jin Zhanhua like a child. The clever Dani17DaniBig Girl put some vegetables and a chicken drumstick in the bowl and took her two younger sisters to grandma’s room.
The Jin family bought a new color TV. The TV was moved home by Jin Zhande and placed in the old lady’s room. Recently, the Journey to the West has been broadcast, not to mention children, adults also like to watch it.
Seeing several younger sisters running to grandma’s room, Dadan21DadanBig Egg was also a little impatient. Which boy did not like Sun Wukong? He could not care about the table full of food anymore. He took a can of canned yellow peaches on the table and rushed into the room with a few younger brothers.
Soon, only the old lady, Jin Zhande, and Yan Chu left on the dining table outside.
“Little Uncle, I remember that I still have a few workbooks that I haven’t sorted out. I’ll pack it for you and send it to Zongbao and Zongyu. Maybe it will help them a bit.”
Yan Chu also found an excuse to leave under his little uncle’s embarrassed eyes. His two cousins, one for the next college entrance examination and the other the subsequent after that. Some of his notes might be useful to the other party.
“Okay, Little Uncle thanks you on behalf of your two younger brothers.”
Jin Zhande felt that his nephew was indeed good now, and he was frankly embarrassed to say anything in front of the children. Looking at the children leaving the table, Jin Zhande spoke to his elder sister.
“So you and Meijuan have a strained relationship because of this?”
Jin Zhande did not say anything about his previous life. He only said that his wife asked him to help Dabao and Erbao on the face, but she was secretly dissatisfied with his behavior. The old lady was relieved. Before her brother spoke, what else did she think it was.
“Isn’t this normal? It’s inevitable for Meijuan to be angry. Put yourself in her shoes and think that if your brother-in-law is still alive and has a sister, he borrowed a large amount of money that is likely not to be returned for his nephew. I would also get angry.”
The old lady always knew that her sister-in-law had opinions on her and understood her very well. But as the one who took unfair advantage, her brother did not know. Her brother’s wife was willing to maintain an apparent calm, and she was inclined to pretend to be naive and endure it.
“Over the years, Sister has taken advantage of you shamelessly. You give me chickens, ducks, fish, edible bird’s nests, and isinglass every once in a while. It’s normal for Meijuan to feel uncomfortable after a long time. Go back and have a good talk with Meijuan. Little Treasure is filial, and he is also promising now. When he works and earns money, he will never forget to honor you, his uncle, and she, his aunt.”
“Sister, it’s different.”
Jin Zhande could not say the real point of his anger. He could only think of another way to tell his grievance to his elder sister.
“I should treat you well. If it weren’t for you, Big Sister, I might have starved to death at Uncle’s house. You and my brother-in-law paid for my study. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am now.”
Jin Zhande was a little emotional when he talked about what happened back then.
“It’s not that she doesn’t know anything. Besides, what I bought for you is not a gift for her parents’ family. On New Year’s and holidays, she gives her parents big red envelopes and secretly stuffs money for her big brother, little brother, nephew, and niece. Did I say something about her?”
“Putting myself in her shoes, I can understand her, but why can’t she understand me?”
This thing was what Jin Zhande cared about the most. Like a fool, he got tricked around. In return for her being a good wife, he compensated her twice.
“Why doesn’t she understand you? She’s just dissatisfied in her heart over the years, but doesn’t she acquiesce in helping Big Sister. Is it already enough?”
She would rather demolish a temple than demolish a marriage. Jin Zhanhua’s thought in this regard was relatively conservative, so she could only persuade her younger brother well.
“What’s good? It’s all fake.”
Jin Zhande rushed to the kitchen and took down the two iron boxes hidden at the top of the cupboard: “Look at these.”
In his hand was the tonic Du Meijuan bought when the couple went to Hong Kong last year.
In addition to keeping their own share, the Yan family and Du Meijuan’s natal’s family had both.
Jin Zhande did not want to doubt his wife about this kind of thing before, but when he came to his elder sister’s house last time, he happened to come upon his elder sister who cooked jujube bird’s nest soup for his nephew. His nephew gave him a bowl, and it did not taste right.
So he secretly took some from the hidden box that his elder sister was reluctant to eat and went to the pharmacy for the master to check, and found that the edible bird’s nests, isinglass, and the like that she brought to his elder sister’s house were shiny on the face, but were actually the cheapest kind of tonic.
He remembered when Du Meijuan told him that it cost no less than 4,000 or 5,000 Yuan to buy these things. The ones he purchased were the best and most expensive. The ones in his family were all high-quality products, and they were very different from those delivered to his eldest sister’s house.
Fortunately, the effect of these things was a little inferior, and it would not ruin their health. Otherwise, Jin Zhande would hate her to death, but that was what made him sick enough.
He did not know what his wife had done without him noticing.
Was there a lack of money at home? She was so willing to give it to her natal family. Her elder brother and her younger brother wanted to do business and borrowed tens of thousands of money. How come to his elder sister’s side, it was just like outsiders and vermins?
So, Jin Zhande had to earn some money to keep close to her, Du Meijuan, and her natal family ever since. It would become a crime if he wanted to help his elder sister.
The more Jin Zhande spoke, the angrier he became. He was furious. Where could he still look like a big boss who used to be refined, calm, and successful in his career?
Jin Zhanhua never thought that there was such a thing here, thinking that she used to take those things as treasures and was reluctant to eat them, so she wanted to give them to her darling Jinbao to supplement his body. As a result, it was a trick.
Even if Jin Zhanhua wanted to convey something nice for this sister-in-law, she could not express it.
If she did not want to send it, don’t bother, but what was it that she had to save face and feel distressed about money.
“Between husband and wife, if there is something hard to communicate, you and Meijuan should talk seriously. Don’t hold back about everything, in case… Meijuan didn’t mean it.”
Jin Zhanhua sighed: “Jinbao went to college, financed by the state. He’s promising, and he doesn’t need my help in marrying a wife in the future. I have enough money in my hand now, so you don’t send anything to Sister in the future. Don’t affect the feelings between you, husband and wife, for Sister’s sake.”
No matter how deep their relationship was, they had formed their own families now. They were no longer the most important ones to each other. The younger brother had a wife and sons. Those people were the ones who would accompany him throughout his life.
Jin Zhanhua was a little melancholy. A table full of food, but chopsticks had no appetite.
Her persuasion did not make Jin Zhande feel better. On the contrary, because his elder sister had always advised him to communicate with his wife, it made Jin Zhande feel more and more uncomfortable.
“Be filial to your uncle in the future. If he hadn’t chosen a good school for you and found those good teachers, you wouldn’t be as promising as you are today.”
Seeing that her younger brother was walking away, Jin Zhanhua patted her son on the shoulder and said in a sigh.
“Mom, don’t worry, I will be filial to my uncle, and I will be more filial to you.”
Moreover, his cleverness cleared the old lady’s depressed mood. Her sisters were still waiting to hear about her son’s college entrance examination. She had to wash the dishes and chopsticks quickly and then go to the park to brag about it.
It had become the old lady’s habit to show off her son every day.
“Zhande, you’re back.”
Du Meijuan looked at her husband, who was too busy with company affairs and could not go home these days, and welcomed him happily.
“Why did you do that? Why did you hide it from me when you received a call from Big Sister to borrow money?”
With a heavy face, Jin Zhande put down his briefcase and asked this in the first sentence.
“What borrow money, what phone call? What are you talking about, Zhande?”
Du Meijuan’s eyes flickered, and her heartbeat stopped for a few beats. She hid it well, but how could her husband find out? No, the other party should not know about her rebirth at all?
She hurriedly looked up at Jin Zhande, and when she saw the clarity in his eyes, her heart kept sinking. She got deceived.
“Meijuan, let’s divorce.”
Jin Zhande thought about it for a long time in the company. The eldest nephew, the second nephew, and their wives were reborn. So many people were reborn at once. What was the chance?
He thought of another person, the wife of his little nephew Yan Chu in his previous life. After investigation, the other person was now a college entrance examination student of the same term as Yan Chu. If he remembered correctly, the other person should have been a technical secondary school student, majoring in nursing.
Thinking that the other party might be the same as them, having a chance to start over.
So many people were almost related to his little nephew or hated him. In this case, would his wife also get this fortuitous encounter? It was just that she hid it so well that even he got deceived.
He was not sure before, thinking that they still had two sons. If everything was just his inaccurate guess, he would have a good talk with his wife when he went back and made everything clear. Let them try it together and see if they could still restore their old life.
If his guess was correct, so sorry, he could not live with such a woman anymore. Maybe from her point of view, she thought she did nothing wrong. At that time, Yan Chu owed a massive debt of 800,000. She did not want to give the money in vain, so she kept it from him.
But from Jin Zhande’s point of view, he could not accept this reality. He could not bear that his wife also played a disgraceful role in his elder sister’s death, and he probably could not treat her as his wife and the woman he loved as before.
Divorce was inevitable.
“What do you mean, Zhande? Do you have a fever?”
Du Meijuan’s body shook. She could not accept what she heard.
“You know what I’m talking about. Let’s divorce and all the family property, half for each person and our children, one child for each person. I will not remarry. If you can rest assured, you can also give Zongbao and Zongyu to me. I’ll be living in the company these days. When you figure it out, call me.”
Jin Zhande kept standing at the door and did not go in. After saying this, he picked up the briefcase and left.
