Chapter 293 - 285: College Entrance Exam
In mid-September, Mr. Yun told Sisi about the reintroduction of the Gaokao. At that time, the news was not yet public, presumably classified internally. However, given Mr. Yun’s status, it was perfectly normal for him to know in advance; it would have been abnormal if he hadn’t known.
Mr. Yun was aware of Sisi’s desire to attend university, and that’s why he informed her early, hoping to give her more time to review. He wondered if this girl could make it. Even if she didn’t, he could help Sisi get into a university, but Mr. Yun Po Bi had always disdained academic fraud. He admired most those genuinely knowledgeable and capable.
Alas, if that girl really couldn’t pass, he, the old gentleman, might have to break his rule for once. It wouldn’t hurt for a girl to be less scholarly; she wasn’t expected to become an academic! (Tian Xinhua cries: Sir, you favor females over males.)
Sisi didn’t share this news with Tian Shouhua and others, thinking there was no need to cause trouble for Mr. Yun since the country would announce it in a month anyway.
Everything was just like in her previous life. On October 21, 1977, major media outlets in China announced the national resumption of the Gaokao, with the exam scheduled for December 11th to 13th. The subjects would be Chinese, Math, Politics, History, and Geography. Upon hearing the news, the nation was abuzz.
The study materials Sisi brought back excited Tian Shouhua and Zhong Anping immensely. They had not expected the national Gaokao to be truly reinstated. Especially Zhong Anping, who had been reviewing for the past two years following Sisi’s advice, felt confident about the upcoming exams. Crucially, Gaokao recruitment did not require examination of family background, which was most important to him.
Quite a few people from Yuequan Village were preparing for the Gaokao. Some were recent graduates, while others were years out of school, even married with children. They all shared one thought: to leave this small mountain village and venture into the wider world outside!
Of course, not everyone shared this sentiment. For example, their spouses—since not every candidate was a couple like Tian Shouhua and Mo Xiaomi. In many families, only one spouse was taking the Gaokao. Although some spouses were reasonable and understanding, many were vehemently opposed.
As a result, during this time Yuequan Village experienced both joy and discord. Arguments and cries could be heard daily, and there were even some bolder or more domineering men and women who would weep under the old camphor tree about their heartless spouses, who were ready to abandon their families for personal pleasure, winning the sympathy and support of many villagers.
Under social pressure, those whose determination was not firm enough wavered, put down their books, returned to the fields to earn work points, and let go of their dreams of leaving the mountains.
In the end, only a few very determined young men and women were left in Yuequan Village, such as the Tian Shouhua couple, the Tian Pinggui couple, the brothers Tian Ping’an and Zhong Anping.
Sisi only brought back four sets of study materials. She sent one to Hu Weiwen in Inner Mongolia, kept one for herself, one went to Tian Shouhua, and the last set to Zhong Anping.
When the villagers heard that these materials were brought from Beijing, they excitedly flocked to the Tian Family and the Zhong Family to copy them. In an era without copiers, everybody relied on hand-copying. They all fervently copied under the dim light of a 25W incandescent bulb until late at night and continued the next day, filled with vigor. This dedication made Sisi feel ashamed and inadvertently become more serious. She shifted from her previous carelessness to treating the task with solemnity.