Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

I got home in the evening.

Qin Huairu glanced at the stack of books on the table, leaned over, and asked curiously:

"Brother Anping, did you buy this?"

Wang Anping told him about his plan to take the college entrance examination.

and.

I also told Qin Huairu about the job adjustment.

Although Qin Huairu didn't understand what the "college entrance examination" was all about, she knew that studying hard and making progress was a serious matter.

Not to mention the city, even in my hometown, there's been a daily push for literacy campaigns lately, with village officials going door-to-door to promote the benefits of literacy.

The man in my family wants to learn and improve.

She naturally gave it her full support.

What's more, my husband is so capable; he goes to the work group once a week and earns the same amount as I do when I go to work every day.

It was earned through my own abilities!

"Anping, just focus on your studies."

Qin Huairu gripped her apron tightly, her face serious, her stubbornness tinged with a touch of endearing charm.

"Others have to study hard for several years to get into university, but you only have a few months left, so you'd better hurry up."

"From now on, don't worry about anything else. Focus solely on your studies. I'll take care of everything, both inside and outside the house!"

Seeing Qin Huairu's somewhat childish seriousness.

Wang Anping reached out and gently pinched her cheek, smiling as he said:

"Alright, stop worrying about it."

"Things will remain the same from now on; nothing will change much."

"There are many benefits to getting into university. The school provides subsidies, which can amount to more than ten yuan a month. After graduation, it's easier to get promoted no matter what job you do."

Qin Huairu seemed to understand but not quite, yet she felt it was impressive just by listening.

He nodded quickly in agreement.

Her man is powerful; all she has to do is obey him!

The next day was Saturday. Just as dawn broke, Wang Anping finished practicing his boxing and walked back from Old Man Zhou's courtyard.

During this period, Wang Anping moved his boxing practice to Old Zhou's courtyard.

During this period, he moved his boxing practice to Old Man Zhou's house—Old Man Zhou lived alone in a large courtyard. He used to go out early and return late to exercise, which was, to put it bluntly, because he was afraid of being alone.

Now, Wang Anping accompanies me in practicing boxing.

So they simply moved the venue to their own yard to avoid the hassle of traveling back and forth.

Not only that.

Wang Anping also took the chickens from the gate, two ducks from his spatial storage, and two rabbits, and sent them all to Old Man Zhou's yard.

The two of them set up a simple nest.

Wang Anping instructed Old Zhou to take good care of those guys on a regular basis.

I'll visit him whenever I have free time.

We'll treat ourselves to the chickens, ducks, and rabbits we keep in the yard.

As soon as he entered his own courtyard, before he could even go inside, Yan Bugui, who was strolling around in front of his house, grabbed him.

Yan Bugui leaned closer mysteriously and said in a low voice:

"Anping, I think this is probably true!"

Wang Anping was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

Yan Bugui continued speaking to himself:

"I've been keeping an eye on He Daqing these past few days, and I've noticed something's really off about him!"

"His former carefree attitude is gone. He's out early and back late every day, acting suspiciously. He's definitely hiding something from everyone!"

Wang Anping looked at him with feigned surprise.

He gave a thumbs up:

"That's why I say you're so thoughtful and observant, Teacher Yan!"

"With this level of skill, it would be a waste not to be an investigator; their observation skills are also outstanding."

"We're all at ease leaving this matter to you."

"The reputation of the entire courtyard rests on your shoulders."

"By the way, isn't today Saturday?"

"I reckon He Daqing might make a move tonight, so you'd better stay alert and keep in touch with the other comrades."

"We must be careful to avoid any mishaps!"

Yan Bugui nodded solemnly:

"Of course!"

"After my investigation, I have already recruited Comrade Liu Haizhong as my assistant, and let Guangqi and Jiecheng be my deputies."

"I guarantee this operation will go smoothly!"

Wang Anping waved his hand, letting them do as they pleased, then remembered something else and turned to ask:

"Teacher Yan, is Jiefang starting upper primary school this year? Do you still have his old textbooks?"

Yan Bugui looked puzzled:

"It's for upper elementary school, but the old textbooks were sold long ago."

"Now that literacy campaigns are being carried out everywhere, many people who don't have textbooks squat outside elementary schools at the end of the semester to collect old books, which earns them a few cents more than selling them to junk collectors."

Why are you asking this?

Wang Anping chuckled inwardly, knowing that the shrewd Yan Bugui would never keep useless old textbooks; asking him was pointless.

He waved his hand and said:

"I'm preparing to register for this year's college entrance examination. I've borrowed the high school books from the neighborhood education group, but I'm missing some textbooks for the lower grades."

"As you know, I have a poor foundation, so I have to learn everything from scratch."

"It's difficult!"

Yan Bugui's eyes widened, his face filled with astonishment:

"Really?"

"You're actually going to take the college entrance exam?"

Wang Anping shrugged:

"Why would I lie to you about this?"

"To focus on preparing for the exam, I even quit my job in the work group."

With that, he slowly walked back into the house with his hands behind his back.

The news of his resignation will spread sooner or later.

Rather than letting people speculate, it's better to mention it to Yan Bugui first. Knowing Yan Bugui's personality, it won't be long before everyone in the courtyard knows.

After the morning rush hour, the courtyard gradually quieted down from its previous hustle and bustle, with the older women gathering together to chat and catch up on everyday life.

Yang Ruihua, heavily pregnant, sat on a stone bench in the central courtyard, sewing clothes with a needle and thread in her hand. Suddenly, she spoke:

"Hey, have you guys heard?"

"Wang Anping said he's going to take the college entrance exam and plans to go to university!"

The people around were stunned for a moment, and then immediately started talking all at once.

Most people don't believe it.

Everyone thought that the kid was just talking nonsense.

In everyone's impression, Wang Anping is quick-witted, but sometimes he seems a bit unreliable.

Yang Ruihua scratched his scalp with the end of the needle and added:

"This must be true."

"Wang Anping told Teacher Yan this morning that he wanted to borrow the old textbooks from the Liberation Army so he could review them."

"Old Yan also said that Wang Anping has resigned from his job in the work group!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the old women nearby immediately erupted in uproar, and most of them started making sarcastic remarks.

Jia Zhangshi was the first to speak, pouting:

"If Wang Anping really did that, he'd be completely out of his mind!"

"It's so hard to find a decent job these days. The work group went to great lengths to retain him, and he just quit like that! He's like a son selling his father's land without a care in the world!"

This remark drew many echoes:

"You bet! He seemed like a pretty smart kid, how could he do something so stupid!"

"By the way, are university entrance exams easy?"

"It's not about how difficult the exam is. Even if you pass, you still have to go to work and earn money in the end. The work in the neighborhood work group is so stable and easy, and the salary isn't bad either. It's such a good deal!"

While everyone mocked him, they were busy with their own work, and none of them had any confidence in Wang Anping's chances of getting into university.

College students are so precious!

Those were the best students selected from the surrounding villages.

He's a country bumpkin who came from the countryside and didn't have much formal education, yet he wants to go to university? What is that if not a pipe dream?

Yang Ruihua watched as everyone relentlessly belittled him.

He muttered to himself:

"If they can really get into university, that would be really impressive."

"Old Yan told me that college graduates are directly assigned to leadership positions, one or two ranks higher than vocational school graduates, which is equivalent to ten or more years of work experience for others!"

Despite saying that, she herself wasn't very confident.

This is too far removed from people's daily lives. Who can believe that someone can learn in just a few months what others have studied for more than ten years?