Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

Chapter 85 The College Entrance Examination

May arrived in the blink of an eye.

The weather is getting hotter every day, the wheat in the fields is turning yellow, and when the wind blows, it creates waves of gold. The trees in the village are all dark green, and the cicadas have started chirping, their noise giving people a headache during the day.

As the college entrance examination draws closer, Qian Cheng's anxiety grows stronger every day.

He calculated that there was still one month left.

For the past month, he put his business on hold. He continued to collect eggs as usual, but handed over all the delivery work to Qian Lu. He also continued to grow bean sprouts as usual, but Qian Lu was also assigned to handle the mine's affairs. He himself stayed home every day reading.

Zhang Mingxi also came every day, and the two of them studied together.

Sometimes at Qian Cheng's house, sometimes at Zhang's. The kang table was piled high with books, and the two of them would sit head to head, asking each other questions and teaching each other.

Hou Yufen watched, feeling pleased, and didn't disturb them. She brought them food and water at the appointed time, serving them meticulously.

That afternoon, the two were doing their homework in the room when they suddenly heard someone shouting outside.

"Chengzi! Is Chengzi home?"

It was Captain Li's voice.

Qian Cheng put down his pen and walked out.

Captain Li stood in the courtyard, holding an envelope in his hand.

"This is for you, it was forwarded from the commune."

Qian Cheng took it and saw that it was addressed to "Qian Cheng" and signed "County Admissions Office" at the bottom.

His heart tightened.

Zhang Mingxi also ran out of the house and stood next to him, nervously looking at the envelope.

Qian Cheng tore open the envelope; inside was a piece of paper with a few lines of writing on it.

He was stunned after reading it.

Zhang Mingxi asked, "What's wrong?"

Qian Cheng handed her the paper.

Zhang Mingxi took it and his eyes lit up immediately.

"Exam admission ticket!"

Qian Cheng nodded and smiled.

"Yes, the exam admission tickets. Ours."

Zhang Mingxi looked at the paper, which listed the exam time, location, and important notes. The exam would be held at the county's No. 1 Middle School on June 7th, 8th, and 9th, for three days.

She held the exam admission ticket, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Qian Cheng, we're ready to take the exam."

Qian Cheng looked at her and said, "Yes, you can take the exam."

Captain Li asked from the side, "When is the exam?"

Qian Cheng said, "The 7th of next month."

Captain Li nodded: "Do your best on the exam and bring honor to our village."

He walked away with his hands behind his back.

Qian Cheng and Zhang Mingxi stood in the courtyard, staring at the admission ticket, speechless for a long time.

The sun was shining, and it felt warm and cozy.

After a while, Zhang Mingxi suddenly said, "Qian Cheng, we need to hurry."

Qian Cheng nodded: "Yes, one more month."

The two turned and went back into the house to continue reading.

The next month flew by.

Qian Cheng gets up at five o'clock every day, reads first, then eats, then reads again. He takes a short break at noon, then continues reading in the afternoon. He reads until ten o'clock at night, and only goes to sleep when he is so tired that his eyelids are drooping.

Zhang Mingxi was the same; he came every day and learned every day.

The two encouraged and motivated each other. When one got tired, the other would cheer them on. When one didn't understand something, the other would explain. When one wanted to give up, the other would glare at them.

Hou Yufen felt both heartache and joy as she watched.

This child is promising.

Qian Lu also went to the mine every day, taking on all the delivery work. He knew his younger brother was going to take the college entrance exam and couldn't be distracted.

"Chengzi, focus on your exam. I'll take care of things outside."

Qian Cheng looked at him, and his heart warmed.

"Brother, thank you for your hard work."

Qian Lu waved his hand: "What's the hard work? It's my duty."

June 7th has finally arrived.

The night before, Qian Cheng packed his things. He checked his admission ticket, pen, and ruler several times. Hou Yufen boiled five eggs for him and made two pancakes, putting them in a cloth bag.

"Take it with you tomorrow, eat it if you get hungry."

Qian Cheng nodded and put the things away.

He lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He felt both nervous and expectant, as if he had a rabbit in his chest.

He reflected on the past six months. From the initial bewilderment upon arriving in this world to the sense of security he felt now. From knowing nothing to having a business, money, and someone he loved. From not daring to even think about the college entrance exam to finally receiving his admission ticket.

Each step of this journey was taken by myself.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow is a big day.

He got up early the next morning, before dawn.

After washing up, I ate two eggs, drank a bowl of porridge, packed my things, and went out.

Zhang Mingxi was already waiting at the village entrance.

She was also carrying a cloth bag, and when she saw Qian Cheng, she smiled.

"Let's go."

Qian Cheng nodded, pushed his bicycle, and the two headed towards town.

Once we arrived in town, we took a bus to the county.

The bus was packed with people. Qian Cheng shielded Zhang Mingxi, preventing others from crowding her. Zhang Mingxi leaned against him, clutching the cloth bag tightly in her hand.

It took a little over an hour to reach the county.

The two got out of the car and walked towards the county's No. 1 Middle School.

The county's No. 1 High School is located on the east side of the county seat. It's an old school with gray brick walls and black tiled roofs, and a sign hangs at the entrance. There are already many people waiting; they're all there to take the exam, boys and girls, young and old.

Qian Cheng looked at it and felt a little emotional.

These days, all sorts of people come to take the exam. Workers, farmers, and educated youth all apply.

He and Zhang Mingxi found the examination room and took their seats.

Qian Cheng's exam room was on the second floor of the teaching building, while Zhang Mingxi's was on the first floor. Before they parted, Zhang Mingxi looked at him and whispered, "Good luck."

Qian Cheng nodded: "You too."

The bell rang, and the exam began.

The first subject was Chinese.

Qian Cheng received the test paper and first glanced through it from beginning to end. The questions weren't difficult; he had reviewed them all. He took a deep breath and began to answer the questions.

As I wrote, I felt more and more at ease.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he handed in his paper.

When she came out, Zhang Mingxi was already waiting. She had a smile on her face, and it seemed she had done well on the exam.

"How is it?"

Qian Cheng said, "It's alright."

Zhang Mingxi laughed: "I'm doing alright too."

The two found a place, ate something, and waited for the afternoon exam.

I have a math exam this afternoon.

This was Qian Cheng's forte. He took the test paper and finished it in no time. He checked it once, and there were no problems.

When he came out, Zhang Mingxi hadn't come out yet. He waited for a while before he saw her come out of the examination room, looking a little nervous.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Mingxi said, "I'm not confident about the last big question."

Qian Cheng said, "It's okay, there will be more tomorrow."

Zhang Mingxi nodded, but he still felt a little uneasy.

The next day, we took exams in politics and physics/chemistry.

For politics, Qian Cheng had a solid foundation and answered the questions smoothly. Physics and chemistry were a bit difficult, but he had a good foundation and still did okay.

Zhang Mingxi did well on the exam, and he had a smile on his face when he came out.

The third day, the last session, was in English.

Qian Cheng sat in the examination room, looking at the English test paper, feeling a mix of emotions.

Six months ago, he couldn't understand any English. In the past few months, he listened to the radio and memorized vocabulary every day, and finally he can understand some of it.

He answered the questions one by one, writing down the ones he knew and guessing the ones he didn't.

Two hours passed quickly.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he handed in his paper.

The exam is over.