Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 320 Announcement
Even in the small village of Wangjia, the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination was like a bombshell, instantly causing a stir and inspiring everyone in the village.

Upon receiving the news, Wang Zidong immediately rode over on his brand-name bicycle, which Wang Chengpeng had recently refurbished, and excitedly shared the good news with Wang Chengpeng:
"Pengzi, did you hear the news that the college entrance exam has been reinstated? You're amazing!"

Wang Zidong, panting heavily, said excitedly,

"We were just discussing studying a while ago, and you even encouraged me by saying 'Everyone has their own unique talents.' I never imagined that the college entrance examination would be reinstated, and the knowledge I've acquired will actually come in handy!"

Wang Chengpeng put down his math book and said, feigning surprise:

"What? This actually happened?"

"I've been studying hard all day, and since I live in a rather remote area, I haven't heard anyone mention it."

Wang Zidong, with an expression that said, "I knew you wouldn't know," smiled and said:
"I was just worried you wouldn't know, so I rushed over to tell you."

"Don't you have a Sony radio at home? Turn it on and listen, you're sure to hear the good news about the resumption of the college entrance examination."

"This is the biggest news of the day, and arguably the biggest news of the year. It's impossible that it wasn't broadcast on the radio."

After listening to Wang Zidong's words, Wang Chengpeng quickly plugged in the modified Sony radio. With a buzzing sound as it tuned, the announcer's strong and clear voice soon came through the radio:

"The news of the resumption of the college entrance examination has been confirmed, and all regions are making preparations in full swing. It is expected that this year's college entrance examination will be completed before the end of the year?"

Hearing the voice coming from the radio, Wang Chengpeng frowned and said:

"Before the New Year? That means there's only one or two months left."

Wang Zidong nodded in agreement, "That's right. It's thanks to you that I studied with you for a few months in advance, so I could catch up on all the lessons I missed."

"It would be extremely difficult to catch up on all the lessons in just one or two months."

“Pengzi, you always study hard, so you’ll definitely be fine. Unlike me, I only read a little bit when I’m resting at night.”

"By the way, do you have any extra textbooks at home? Could you lend me some in case I need them?"

"Time is of the essence, I need to take it back and take a good look."

Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, textbooks that were once considered waste have become valuable.

However, given their relationship, there's no need for further entanglement; if necessary, they can simply speak up.

Wang Chengpeng pointed to the warehouse where his family stored books and said, "Borrowing books? That's just a matter of a word from you."

"Come with me to the warehouse. Take whatever books you need, don't be shy."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng mention the book, Wang Zidong beamed with joy and said:
“Pengzi, I knew you were capable and could definitely find textbooks. We had quite a few books at home before.”

"When I heard the news that the college entrance examination was being reinstated, I was thinking of borrowing some books, and you were the first person I thought of. You were right."

Led by Wang Chengpeng, the two quickly entered the warehouse.

Looking at the bookshelf filled with books, Wang Zidong's eyes lit up, as if he were looking at a huge treasure trove, and he murmured:

"These books are truly treasures."

"Who cared about these things before? They were even too hard to wipe your butt with."

"Now it's different; she's definitely everyone's darling."

Wang Zidong pointed to the large number of books in the warehouse and said with a smile:
“Those aren’t all treasures. I collected some because I thought they were useful and shouldn’t be wasted.”

"There are so many books here. Tell me what you need and I'll help you find it faster."

As he spoke, Wang Chengpeng pulled a book titled "900 English Sentences" from the bookshelf and handed it to Wang Zidong, saying:

"Take this book first; you can't neglect your English."

"I heard that some professional English exams this year account for a significant portion of the score, so studying them can be a big advantage."

Wang Zidong took the book and exclaimed, "Pengzi, you really have foresight."

"If you hadn't kept pushing me to study, I'd probably still be working in the fields right now."

"Great! With the college entrance exam reinstated, we rural kids now have the opportunity to escape the countryside and explore a wider world!"

"I heard that there are scholarships for getting into university, and that money is more than many people's salary. It's really enviable."

Wang Chengpeng smiled and patted Wang Zidong on the shoulder:

"Don't say that. We're brothers, isn't it only right that I help you?"

"Don't be too anxious. We've studied for so long, we're sure to get good grades."

"Besides, even if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in my abilities, right? I taught all your classes. If you didn't do well on the test, doesn't that mean I'm not a good teacher?"

"Great job, you're amazing!" Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Zidong immediately praised him, "Every time I learn from you, the efficiency is much faster than when I learn on my own."

"If it weren't for you, how could I have finished learning the knowledge in the textbook so quickly?"

"Forget the formalities, please help me find a chemistry textbook for the second semester of the second year of high school."

"Although I had read and studied it before, I always felt that the knowledge points were not very solid and needed to be consolidated."

Wang Chengpeng quickly rummaged through the bookshelf and found the book Wang Zidong wanted, handing it to him: "Here you go."

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask anytime. Let's not be so polite."

Nodding vigorously, Wang Zidong grinned and said:
"I can't be polite to anyone but you, since you've never been polite to me either."

"The mooncakes you gave me last time, my family ate them and they all said they tasted great."

"Hey Pengzi, I see your name all over your books, and quite a few of them?"

Of course I have to write my name on it, otherwise how would we know whose book it is?
Wang Chengpeng is not the kind of person who digs a well and leaves no trace. The reason he left his name on the textbook was to let those who got the book know who it belonged to!
Of course, he couldn't say such things to Wang Zidong, so he just smiled and brushed it off, saying:
"Of course I have to write my name on it. After all, it's my book, and it'll be easy to find it if I lose it."

"Alright, take these books back and look at them first. If you feel they're not enough, then come back to my house and get more."

Holding the borrowed book in his arms as if it were a priceless treasure, Wang Zidong's face beamed with a smile, and he said:

"Okay, I'll come back to get it if I need it."

"I won't bother you any longer, I need to go back to my studies."

"I'm not as smart as you, so I need to study hard, or I won't pass the exam."

Watching Wang Zidong's hurried departure, a hint of relief flashed in Wang Chengpeng's eyes.

With his intervention, Wang Zidong finally escaped the shadow of his past life and is about to embark on a new and promising path.

In this era, anyone who can get into university and graduate smoothly is guaranteed a bright future. Turning around, Wang Chengpeng saw Zhu Hong walking out of the room with a look of surprise on his face.

He scratched his head, his eyes full of distress, and said:

"What? The college entrance exam is before the new year? How come it's so fast?"

"I've only studied junior high school courses, and I'm afraid I won't pass the exam this year."

Zhu Hong hadn't really felt Wang Chengpeng's urging at first, but when he heard the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination on the radio, he felt that everything was urgent and he couldn't relax at all.

However, he had fallen too far behind in his studies, and even though he had been studying very hard, he still couldn't keep up with the pace.

Wang Chengpeng patted Zhu Hong's shoulder firmly and whispered words of comfort:
"Don't give up, the outcome is not yet decided, there is still hope."

"Think about the educated youth living in the village's educated youth settlement. They haven't read books for many years. Even if they had some basic knowledge, they've probably forgotten it all long ago."

"Compared to them, you've studied for more than half a month longer and have my guidance, so how could you possibly lose to them?"

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's advice, Zhu Hong became even more anxious and said in a panic:
"The educated youth from the educated youth settlement? Brother Wang, are you talking about Xia, the educated youth? She was famous in the village for reading books every day."

"Oh no, I definitely can't beat her."

"She not only has a good foundation, but she's also studied for so long, this..."

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
Sometimes he simply couldn't understand Zhu Hong's perspective, so he could only threaten him with a dark face:

"You know there are such remarkable people in the educated youth settlement, so why don't you hurry back and read your books?"

"Also, I was referring to other educated youth, not Xia!"

The news of the resumption of the college entrance examination affected almost everyone.

Just after Zhu Hong left, Wang Chengpeng saw his mother, Liu Chunhua, walk in anxiously.

The moment Liu Chunhua saw Wang Chengpeng, she shouted loudly:

"Xiaopeng, have you heard? The college entrance examination is going to be reinstated. All your skills can finally be put to good use."

At this point, a glimmer of hope flashed in Liu Chunhua's eyes, and she murmured:

"If you could get into university and become the only university student in our Wangjia Village, wouldn't that be such a glorious thing for your family?"

"No, I have to go and send some offerings to your grandmother so that she can bless you from the afterlife and help you get into a good university."

"But don't take advantage of having your grandma's protection to be lazy. You still have to study hard."

“I always said my son was farsighted, that he knew that studying was the most useful thing, and that he had been studying hard at home all along, not doing nothing as some people said. And that’s how he got the opportunity to take the college entrance exam when it was reinstated.”

With that, Liu Chunhua immediately ignored Wang Chengpeng and turned to go to the kitchen, determined to combine hard work with a bit of metaphysics.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Wang Chengpeng looked at his warehouse, thinking to himself that it was time to let these textbooks realize their greatest value.

……

Educated youth point.

The once quiet educated youth settlement was now bustling with activity. A dozen or so educated youth gathered together, not to earn work points, but simply to hold a meeting in the educated youth compound.

There was an older educated youth, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, who was sitting on the table with his right hand on it, talking non-stop.

This man's name is Song Sixi. He is considered an elder brother and leader among the educated youth. He usually takes charge of all the major and minor matters in the educated youth settlement.

The resumption of the college entrance examination was such a momentous event that it naturally caused a stir throughout the entire educated youth settlement.
Song Sixi immediately requested leave from the brigade for all the educated youth and organized a meeting that included all of them.

"Brothers, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"If we want to dedicate ourselves to a wider world and contribute to the construction of our motherland, then we must cherish this opportunity."

Song Sixi's words were passionate and inspiring, instantly resonating with the others.

They all echoed each other, saying in unison that they should cherish this rare opportunity.

Whether out of personal motives or a sense of justice, they had previously reached a temporary agreement to work together.

Reaching a consensus is simple; all that's needed is a shared interest. However, when it comes to figuring out how to achieve the goal of getting into university, everyone runs into a dilemma.

“We’ve been in Wangjia Village for who knows how many years. When we first came, we would study a bit, but now we’ve completely forgotten everything we learned back then.”

The person who said this was Zhang Jinhu, one of the first educated youth to come to Wangjia Village.

When he first went to the countryside, he was a fair-skinned city youth, wearing a pair of decorative black-rimmed glasses, speaking in a refined manner, and always holding a book in his hand, looking every bit the scholar.

But now, the years of educated youth life have worn him down beyond recognition.

His skin was tanned dark, his face was covered with the marks of wind and sun, and deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

His once straight back is now slightly hunched, as if it were a mark left by years of bending over to do farm work.

His hands were rough and thick, with large knuckles and calluses all over his palms, clearly the result of years of wielding hoes and carrying loads.

The decorative black-rimmed glasses had long been stored at the bottom of the box, never to be taken out and worn again.

Not only that, even Zhang Jinhu's clothes have completely changed.

He used to always wear a neat white shirt and blue trousers, always looking presentable.

Now, however, he is dressed in a drab, coarse cloth outfit, with his trousers rolled up high and wearing a pair of mud-covered liberation shoes, emphasizing practicality.

His speech and behavior were no longer as refined as before. He spoke much louder and occasionally uttered a few words in his native accent, as if he had become one with this land.

Only when a thoughtful glint occasionally flashes in his eyes can one vaguely recall that he was once an idealistic and well-read urban youth.

He sighed and said, "Song Sixi, your idea is good."

"But we have so much tedious work to do every day, we hardly have any free time, and on top of that, we don't even have a book, and time is so tight, I feel..."

Zhang Jinhu didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant: he wasn't optimistic about this year's college entrance examination.

It wasn't because he lacked ideals or ambitions, but simply because he was defeated by harsh reality.

Zhang Jinhu's words instantly silenced all the educated youth in the settlement. They were not unaware of the difficulties they faced, but they did not want to be defeated by such a cruel reality.

However, Zhang Jinhu's words forced them to confront this undeniable fact.

(End of this chapter)