Restart life

Chapter 87 0085 [Riding the Spring Breeze, Galloping on the Horse's Hooves]

late July.

Principal Yan personally drove to the countryside to deliver the admission notice, followed by a car driven by Yuan, a reporter from the city newspaper.

Wu Meng's home is in the county town. He had already delivered the package there in the morning, and went straight to Chen Guiliang's house in the afternoon.

Wu Meng ultimately didn't dare to apply for the Yuanpei Class; that thing was too sinister.

"Clang~~~"

The sound of scraping came from under the car, but Principal Yan didn't care and drove very fast on the bumpy county road.

This year, out of the four students from the city who were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities, two were from No. 2 High School.

The car drove onto the village road, but the weather was so hot that no villagers could be seen.

Principal Yan spotted some houses not far from the roadside, so he got out of the car and walked over under the sun. He stood outside a family's courtyard and called out, "Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"

Reporter Yuan didn't get out of the car; it was too hot.

His task today was simple: to take a photo of Principal Yan delivering the admission notice to Chen Guiliang.

A village woman walked up to the door of the main room: "Who are you looking for?"

Principal Yan said, "I'm here to deliver Chen Guiliang's university admission letter. He's been admitted to Peking University."

The village woman hurriedly went outside the courtyard and called out into the distance, "Fourth Uncle, Second Aunt, your grandson has been admitted to Peking University! The admission notice has been delivered!"

The villagers, who were so hot that they could only stay at home and sleep, were all woken up by this shout and came out of their homes.

Grandparents rushed over immediately.

"Greetings, elders. I am the principal of No. 2 Middle School, here to deliver your grandson's admission notice," Principal Yan said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, good morning, Principal!"

Grandpa quickly invited, "The sun is strong and it's very hot. Principal, why don't you come inside for a cup of tea?"

Principal Yan said, "No, I just came to ask for directions."

“I’ll take you there!” Grandma said hurriedly.

My uncle was playing cards when he arrived with his friends. Principal Yan simply drove all three of them along.

Several villagers, undeterred by the blazing sun, jogged along to watch the spectacle.

Most villagers, however, went home to avoid the sun, and occasionally the sound of scolding children could be heard from one house: "Look at Chen Guiliang, he got into Peking University, what are you doing at school? Hurry up and do your summer homework!"

The villagers who followed along the way called out to their friends and relatives to spread the word, and the village head and other officials also rushed over upon hearing the news.

……

Chen Guiliang was at home flipping through the History of Ming Dynasty, continuing to extract useful information.

But then they heard a commotion coming from behind the house.

My cousin Chen Guirong's voice was the loudest: "Brother, the admission notice has arrived! The admission notice from Peking University has arrived!"

Before Chen Guiliang could move, his parents had already rushed outside.

Grandma, who is usually calm and collected, was very excited at this moment, standing under the eaves and looking out repeatedly.

Principal Yan and reporter Yuan were surrounded by villagers as they approached. Chen Guiliang stepped forward to shake hands and introduced his parents and grandmother.

Grandpa arrived at this time, but Chen Guiliang pretended not to see him.

Principal Yan then shook hands with Chen Guiliang's elders, smiling and praising them: "You have worked hard and have cultivated a talent for the country!"

The parents and grandmother immediately beamed with joy.

Principal Yan took out the admission notice and personally handed it to Chen Guiliang: "Chen Guiliang, I wish you continued success in university and that you will make new contributions to the country and the people!"

Reporter Yuan stepped back a few paces and pressed the shutter to take the photo.

Looking at Chen Guiliang's dilapidated house, he suddenly had an idea. He pulled Principal Yan aside and said, "Why don't we take the picture somewhere else? For example, find a dry field, with Chen Guiliang holding a hoe, working in the fields under the scorching sun. Principal Yan, you can stand in the field and hand the admission notice to this rural student."

Principal Yan secretly admired him and beckoned Chen Guiliang over.

Chen Guiliang was speechless: "In 40-degree weather, what farmer would still work?"

Reporter Yuan said, "Journalism is also an art. Art originates from life, but transcends it. You must help with farm work at home, right?"

“Yes, sometimes,” Chen Guiliang said.

Reporter Yuan said, "Then it won't be considered faking it. What we're going to show you next are things you usually do. It's just that it's too hot today, so you didn't do them. This is called scene recreation!"

Chen Guiliang thought to himself: I studied journalism in my past life, what nonsense are you spouting?
Chen Guiliang shook his head repeatedly: "Forget it, that's not good."

Reporter Yuan assumed it was because the young man was too young to understand, so he went to discuss it with Chen Guiliang's parents.

The villagers who were watching the commotion overheard the conversation and encouraged Chen Guiliang to "recreate the scene."

"Let's just take pictures in the fields, you usually carry water all the time."

"Don't be afraid, we won't talk nonsense."

"Listen to the reporter, go to the field and take a picture."

"..."

The villagers laughed and joked, no one took it seriously, and they even thought it was fun for everyone to put on a show together.

Apart from Chen Guiliang, everyone else supported reporter Yuan.

Chen Guiliang could only go along with everyone's performance, since the city newspaper was only distributed locally anyway. And ordinary citizens didn't read it at all; even if government agencies subscribed, nobody would read it.

This is a newspaper with sales figures but no readers!

Chen Guiliang, holding a hoe, went to the field and took a picture with Principal Yan.

Reporter Yuan then had the family of four, along with the maternal grandparents, pose for a group photo in front of the dilapidated house. Chen Guiliang stood in the middle, holding his university acceptance letter, with his elders standing on either side and behind him.

Principal Yan said to the elders, "Tomorrow we'll be wearing big red flowers and riding in a car through the county town. You should all come along."

Grandma can't go; she gets carsick.

Chen Xinghua and Yao Lan happily agreed.

Grandpa asked, "Can we go too?"

“Everyone can go,” Principal Yan said. “One bus can carry two students and their parents, and there’s more than enough room for anyone else.”

My uncle asked, "Can I go too?"

“Either is fine,” Principal Yan said. Immediately, a villager joked, “Hey, you can’t even walk properly, and you still want to wear a big red flower and parade through the streets?”

The uncle proudly declared, "My nephew wants to study at Peking University, why can't I go?"

Chen Guiliang smiled and looked at Chen Xingmin: "Second Uncle and Guirong should go too."

Only my second uncle and cousin were invited; my second aunt and grandfather were not.

“Okay.” Chen Xingmin grinned.

The second aunt was very unhappy, but she still said to her son, "You must study hard with your brother, and don't just play around when you get to high school!"

"Mmm," my cousin replied, bowing his head.

"Thump thump thump!"

The sound of gongs and drums came from the other side of the mountain valley. Village officials, along with some villagers who were not afraid of the heat, actually walked towards Chen Guiliang's house with gongs and drums.

Chen Guiliang felt a little embarrassed, but also... very happy!
Principal Yan winked at reporter Yuan, then smiled and went over to greet him: "Hello, I am Yan Shunde, the principal of No. 2 Middle School."

"Hello, Principal Yan," the village head said, extending both hands to shake hands firmly. "I am Chen Xingyao, the village head, from the same ancestral hall and generation as Chen Guiliang's father. Thank you and the school leaders and teachers for raising my Guiliang to be so successful!"

Chen Guiliang smiled but remained silent; he didn't have a good impression of the village chief.

Principal Yan said, "We can't do without your support. It's not easy for rural kids to get out of poverty."

Reporter Yuan directed, "Hold the gongs and drums closer, Principal Yan and the village head should stand in the middle and shake hands... Yes, yes, keep smiling..."

As they chatted, the village chief brought up the thing he was most proud of in his life: "I used to be a soldier, in 68."

"My apologies, my apologies," Principal Yan replied casually.

The village head, however, became persistent, keeping talking to Principal Yan and even mentioning that his nephew was also planning to take the entrance exam for the county's No. 2 Middle School.

More and more villagers rushed over after hearing the news, each finding a shady spot to chat in twos and threes.

Chen Guiliang's elders were also surrounded by them, chatting and praising him from time to time, which made them look radiant.

In the evening, Chen Guiliang's parents, maternal grandparents, second uncle, younger uncle, and cousin checked into a hotel in the county town, waiting to celebrate by taking a car through the town the next day.

When we went to the county town, Principal Yan's car couldn't fit everyone, so we were fortunate that Reporter Yuan drove us there.

Unfortunately, Grandma gets carsick and can't come.

The following morning, several leaders from the county education bureau arrived, and Chen Guiliang and Wu Meng, along with their families, went to the auditorium.

It was so shameful that they both had to wear big red flowers on their chests.

However, all the relatives and elders laughed heartily. Chen Guiliang's parents even chatted casually with Wu Meng's parents, as if they were old friends.

Chen Xinghua and Yao Lan felt their lives had been worthwhile and no longer wanted to think about anything else. They were too lazy to keep the rabbit farm running and would spend the rest of their lives farming in the countryside.

A photographer came to the city television station, and a reporter from the city newspaper was also taking pictures.

First, the leader gave a speech, reviewing the glorious history of the county and the school, praising the two outstanding students, and then looking forward to a bright future...

Then, Chen Guiliang and Wu Meng, wearing big red flowers, went on stage and received the bonus board from the leaders.

Wu Meng received a larger bonus because she was the top scorer in the city. The Education Bureau awarded her 1 yuan, and the school awarded her 3 yuan.

Chen Guiliang received a smaller reward: 8 yuan from the Education Bureau and 2 yuan from the school.

It can't compare to later generations, but it's already pretty good by today's standards.

The real estate market has not yet taken off, and local finances are in dire straits!

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The sound of firecrackers rang out.

The students who were about to enter their senior year of high school and were taking summer tutoring classes all looked up when they heard the sound.

Several teachers directly told their students, "Go out and see, your seniors are all dressed in red and colorful ribbons today. I hope that some of you will receive the same treatment next year."

The students cheered and ran out of the classroom. Watching the excitement was secondary; the main reason was that they didn't have to attend the class anymore.

Students repeating a grade have already started taking extra classes.

"Aren't you going to go take a look?" Qin Shanshan asked.

Yang Hao laughed awkwardly, "I'd better not go."

Qin Shanshan then looked at the other students repeating their studies and found that most of them hadn't moved.

While others celebrated with big red flowers, they were repeating their studies in a cram school, and their mindset hadn't adjusted yet.

Qin Shanshan ran over alone, and when she actually saw the people, she was too embarrassed to say anything. She just gazed at her two former classmates from afar.

She used to be carefree, but now she's finally being moved.

Chen Guiliang and Wu Meng walked at the front, followed by the leaders, and then the parents and relatives. They walked all the way from the auditorium to the school gate to get on the bus, setting off firecrackers three times along the way.

Some students who were taking summer tutoring classes caught up with him, and some even jokingly called him "Master Chen".

Chen Guiliang's fame far surpasses that of Wu Meng, the top scholar!

The group boarded a brand-new bus, which drove from the school to the main road of the county town, then circled around to the old town, and then circled around again to the new town.

Firecrackers were set off along the way.

The front and back of the bus were decorated with big red flowers and red celebratory banners.

The electronic loudspeaker kept shouting: "Warmest congratulations..."

Chen Guiliang and Wu Meng were positioned on the front left and right sides of the vehicle so that passersby could admire their demeanor as they passed by.

Actually, there were hardly any people on the road.

Who would go out in this heat?

My cousin, Chen Guirong, was particularly impressed. The campus of No. 2 Middle School was huge, and my older brother looked so impressive. And there were so many prize money involved!
He now feels that vocational school is meaningless and that going to high school and taking the college entrance exam is more useful.

The next day, Chen Guiliang went to the city to collect his bonus.

This time, the money was distributed by a local private business owner (real estate developer). Four people from the city who were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities received a reward of 2 yuan each.

Chen Guiliang's college entrance examination score has finally been revealed.

The Xihua City Daily first published an article: Chen Guiliang, a literary prodigy, can get into Peking University without special admission!
The newspapers don't care whether you can actually get in; as long as you pass Peking University's admission line, you're good to go.

-

(What do you mean by forcibly boosting the protagonist's scores? All the previous chapters, every time the protagonist's exam scores were given, and the chapter about the exam hall discussing the reform of the humanities section, were all foreshadowing the protagonist's exceptionally high scores in Chinese and the humanities section of the college entrance exam. Don't make random comments if you've skipped around in the reading.)
(Some people are still questioning this and that, but these were already explained clearly in the first one or two chapters. Some even explained it very clearly in the first two paragraphs of some chapters; I don't know why they can't see it. We've already written about the 2004 college entrance exam, and some people are still asking if SARS is coming.)
(End of this chapter)