Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 417 Exam starts

On December 10, after a preliminary test that eliminated 12% of the candidates, the unified college entrance examination in Jiangnan Province officially began.

At the No. 1 Middle School examination center in Gufeng County, all 23 students from Lujiawan were gathered in a corner of the playground, waiting to enter the classroom for the exam.

They were initially selected through examinations. Some of them participated in a training course for selecting veterinarians. Later, Yang Xingxiu formed a girls' study class, which was also formed by recruiting girls who had been artificially eliminated. The oldest among them was only 18 years old, and the youngest was even more than two months away from turning 14.

Under Chen Fan's teaching aura, these people studied hard for a whole year, mastering all the knowledge they were supposed to learn, and also learning a lot of knowledge outside of the exam.

Especially in the last month, Chen Fan used his teaching aura to teach them almost every day in order to cover for them and try his best to ensure that everyone could get high scores.

These students spend the first six months learning elementary and middle school courses, which is a stage of consolidating basic knowledge. In the second half of the year, they focus on mathematics, physics, and chemistry, while also studying other subjects.

Therefore, unlike the fact that more than 7% of people across the country apply for liberal arts, apart from a few people such as Zhang Cuie, Huang Ying, and Liu Dan who applied for liberal arts, all the others applied for science.

The science subjects are more difficult, and fewer people can sign up. Given their learning pace, it's safe to say that the science subjects are easier, so they're guaranteed to win.

On either side of them were more than 40 educated youth from other places.

These people were much older, mostly around 27 or 8 years old. Some of them were even couples taking the exam together, competing for their lost youth.

Of these people, more than half were not actually from Nanhu Commune. They were studying in the Nanhu High School review class during this period and somehow got in touch with the Nanhu educated youth. They found that their learning progress was much faster than their own, and some of the older brothers and sisters were willing to answer their questions. So, they shamelessly tried to get close to them and successfully entered the Nanhu educated youth circle, becoming "one of their own".

After Anquan first learned about this, he complained to Chen Fan that even people who had no connection to him were trying to take advantage of him.

There are only so many learning resources available, and everyone is making the most of their time. To share some with them and take time to answer their questions is selfless, isn't it?

This is not how things are done!
But these people were thick-skinned (those with thin skin left on their own initiative, or were even too embarrassed to come), and there were also many kind-hearted people among the educated youth from Nanhu. Since they were all educated youth from other places, they inevitably empathized with each other and accepted them.

There's not much that can be done about this security issue.

Chen Fan replied, "Since you can't refuse, then find a way to earn some interest. Don't let them take advantage of you for nothing. Why don't you go and recruit them? Make them pay back a hundredfold for the benefits they took today."

Safety is a good point. We've already taken advantage of them, so there's nothing we can do to them. We might as well try to get our money back from them.

So he personally took charge, showing concern for them as an older brother, and even organized them to audit classes where Chen Fan was teaching his classmates. Within two days, he had won everyone over.

Then, under the guise of "sticking together for warmth," they all left their contact information and discussed which schools they would apply to, trying to "concentrate in the city and disperse to different schools," especially avoiding the group of animals in Lujiawan who didn't value scores, so that everyone could get into university and collect debts later.

So now they can be considered a group, but because they have been stationed in Lujiawan for a period of time, all their activities follow the people of Lujiawan.

On the other side of the group from Lujiawan were the other candidates from Nanhu Commune, mainly from the Nanhu High School review class.

These were mostly locals from Nanhu Commune, primarily residents of the town, with almost none from other production brigades.

The situation in those production brigades was similar to that of Lujiawan a year ago. The vast majority of people had only completed primary school, knew a few words, and could do arithmetic, which was about their level.

Although a very small number of them refused to give up and studied hard at home, their learning level was at most comparable to that of Yang Ju and Zhang Cuie during the veterinary selection exam, and could not be higher.

They didn't have Chen Fan to advise them or make arrangements in advance, and none of them even had the courage to register for the college entrance examination.

In fact, this is the normal state of affairs in rural areas across the country.

In cities, the main force of college entrance examination is the current and previous graduates, while in rural areas, it is mainly the educated youth sent to the countryside. The number of people from the village who can take the college entrance examination and get into university is not very small, but it is even rarer than phoenix feathers!
So, if all 23 people from Lujiawan can get into university, preferably top universities, wow... that would be incredible!

It might even attract second-rate newspapers.

Who will care about two insignificant Jiang sisters then?

In this way, Chen Fan can be said to have achieved his goal.

However, that alone is not enough!

Today is the 30th day of the 10th lunar month, and tomorrow will be the 11th day of the 11th lunar month, which is about the time when it will snow. The weather is gloomy and cold. Although it is not raining, the north wind is blowing incessantly, and the cold air is penetrating straight to one's neck.

At this time, many people were still holding their review materials, reading them carefully, or discussing them with each other, making their final preparations.

(Cramming at the last minute outside the exam hall)
Chen Fan was not among the crowd at this moment. He was wearing a simple blue cotton-padded jacket and trousers, cloth shoes, and a high-quality imitation Lei Feng hat made of homespun cloth, with the brim pulled down to his eyebrows. He also had a piece of homespun cloth wrapped around his face as a scarf.

Then he curled up into a ball, squatted down next to the tree roots, and from head to toe, he was just plain ugly!

However, since about half the people here were dressed like this, no one noticed him.

Sweating profusely, Zhang Wenliang paced around the playground, searching several times without finding the person. He leaned against a tree, lit a cigarette, his brow furrowed, his eyes still searching the playground. "Where did he go?"

Chen Fan glanced at him and said softly, "Stay away from me."

Zhang Wenliang turned his head and looked him over carefully. His expression turned grim. "What did you say? I'm standing here..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes, bent over, and slowly walked over to Chen Fan, saying, "Damn, why are you dressed like this?"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab the face mask from his face.

Chen Fan grabbed his hand with a grappling move and said irritably, "I'm observing the enemy situation, don't bother me."

He then quickly moved to another tree to lean against.

Zhang Wenliang persisted and followed, "No, what are you doing?"

Chen Fan scratched his head helplessly, "There are so many trees on the playground, why did you have to lean against this one of all?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenliang was so angry that his nose almost twisted out of shape. "I've been looking for you! When we came out, you insisted on walking alone. I looked for you many times when we got there, but I couldn't find you. I felt uneasy without you."

Chen Fan looked around, then put his arm around his shoulder and pushed him along until they reached a large tree in the distance. He then said in a low voice, "How could I not know the level of the students I taught? You're just a team leader, so just provide logistical support. Whether they have confidence or not is their business."

Zhang Wenliang blinked and waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that now. We're about to enter the exam room. I see some people seem quite nervous. Go and say a few words to them."

She paused for a moment, then said in a gentle tone, "It's not that I want to bother you intentionally, it's just that they trust you, what can I do?"

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, glanced at him, then looked in the direction of the examinees from Nanhu Commune, pondered for two seconds, and said, "Forget it, let's stabilize morale first, and we can talk about revenge later."

Zhang Wenliang was stunned. "Revenge?"

He looked in the direction Chen Fan had been looking and asked, puzzled, "What revenge?"

Chen Fan first took off his cotton coat, shook it vigorously, and then put it on inside out. It was a mid-length cotton trench coat made of cotton silk. It was not easy or necessary to change his pants and shoes. Then he took off his scarf and wrapped it around his neck. He took off his hat and folded it a few times, turning the thunder wind hat into a melon-shaped hat.

Zhang Wenliang stared wide-eyed as he watched him complete the transformation. "You can do clothes like that? Where did you buy them?"

Chen Fan straightened his clothes, curled his lip, and said, "Buy? Hmph, I made these myself."

He shook his head and laughed, "When I was reading a book on making clothes, I wondered if I could combine two pieces of clothing into one, wear it one way and then the other way, so that I would have two pieces of clothing. I tried it many times and wasted a lot of fabric, but I finally succeeded. How about it, isn't it cool?"

She even gestured with the clothes, saying, "And they can be disassembled! You can combine several pieces of clothing to make many different outfits."

Zhang Wenliang's face twitched, and all his words boiled down to one sentence: "Make me one when you have time!"

Chen Fan straightened his clothes and walked forward, saying, "I'm busy."

Zhang Wenliang silently complained, "You're the most free person on the team, how could you not have time?"

He then followed closely behind, saying, "Hey, you still haven't said what kind of revenge you're seeking?"

Chen Fan pointed ahead with his chin and said softly, "I found out that the person who wrote Xiao Jiang's anonymous letter is among that group of people."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenliang was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, "So that's why you put yourself in this mess to get Xiao Jiang back to the city?" Chen Fan glanced at him. Although he hadn't told anyone else about this, Zhang Wenliang was probably the only one who didn't know the inside story yet!
Being a little less thoughtful can definitely reduce a lot of troubles.

He turned to look ahead again, "Anyway, Xiao Jiang has returned to the city. Whether she takes the college entrance exam or not is up to her. But this grudge must be avenged."

Zhang Wenliang nodded without hesitation, "This must be reported."

Most people these days are just that simple: they side with their relatives regardless of right or wrong!
Besides, he was in the right.

He looked at the group and asked in a low voice, "Have you found them?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Three targets have been identified."

Then she pointed them out to him from a distance, “the woman in the plaid dress, the woman in the white scarf, and the woman with black glasses and two braids.”

Zhang Wenliang smacked his lips, stared intently at them, and then frowned slightly. "They all seem to be educated youth who were sent to work in Team 6."

Chen Fan withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward, "I had expected this."

Zhang Wenliang quickly caught up, "Hey, how did you find them?"

Chen Fan said, "I asked the school district office and the prefectural education department for those anonymous letters, memorized the handwriting in the letters, and then looked through all the registration forms of Nanhu Commune. I found that only their information was completely consistent with the handwriting in the letters."

I observed carefully just now. Although that group of people were looking at our team members, only those three were actively searching for someone. They were clearly trying to see if Xiao Jiang had come over, so there's no further doubt.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed hard, "The suspect is now identified!"

Zhang Wenliang nodded, then suddenly asked, "How do you plan to take revenge?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Poison!"

Zhang Wenliang's eyes widened instantly. "No way, is it that bad?"

Chen Fan glanced at him. "What are you thinking about? I mean, I'm trying to find a way to give them some laxatives so they'll be weak and unable to take the exam. Even if they manage to get in, they'll only get low scores!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenliang nodded repeatedly and clapped his hands, "That's a good idea! If they can't make Xiao Jiang pass the exam, then let's make them fail too! Let's do it this way!"

He waved his hand and said, "Then go and take revenge. I'll take care of stabilizing morale."

Chen Fan looked at the people from Lujiawan who were right in front of him, his face full of speechlessness. "We've already come all this way, and you're telling me to leave?"
At this moment, he was wearing a khaki trench coat, making him the most stylish guy on the playground. Almost everyone saw Chen Fan walking over, and Zhang Cuie, Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan quickly went to greet him, while the others followed suit.

Chen Fan walked up to Zhang Cuie, who was calling him "Master," and smiled and nodded. Then he looked at everyone and asked, "The exam is coming up soon. Are you nervous?"

Huang Ying immediately replied, "It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous, but I can manage."

Chen Fan smiled and said to everyone, "Compared to others, you have been studying for a whole year. You have learned almost all the test points. You were able to get scores of over 90 on the mock tests I gave you before. As long as you can perform normally, you will definitely pass the exam."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Now do one last check to make sure you have your admission ticket, pen, and other stationery. Once you're in the exam room, don't worry about anyone else. Just sit down in your seat and focus on answering your questions."

Finally, he suddenly raised his voice, "Check your pockets again, and whatever you do, whatever you do, don't bring your study materials into the exam room."

Today is the official start of the exam, unlike the preliminary exam where there was no room for negotiation. If you are found to have brought any materials today, not only will all your scores be invalidated, but you will also face additional penalties. Please be careful!

Whether they were from Lujiawan or from other places, including educated youth and local examinees, everyone began to examine themselves upon hearing his words.

Quite a few people did bring their own review materials, thinking they could take a few more glances before entering the exam room. Now, fearing they might accidentally bring them in, they all took out their materials and handed them to the people accompanying them to keep them.

A short while later, the school's loudspeakers announced that the exam had started, and everyone entered the venue in an orderly manner under the guidance of the staff.

Chen Fan stood at the crossroads leading to the classroom, encouraging everyone, "Relax, don't be nervous. Mr. Li told us that all enemies are paper tigers. We should despise them strategically, but take them seriously tactically..."

This shout was quite something; immediately, some candidates loudly recited the slogan and strode confidently into the examination room.

While people were chanting slogans on one side, someone in the classroom over there started singing "The East Is Red." Those who knew the situation clearly understood that they were cheering for the college entrance examination; those who didn't might have thought there was a cultural performance taking place.

Soon, all the candidates entered the examination room. They took their admission tickets, found their seats, took out their stationery, and waited for the exam to officially begin.

(This is the exam admission ticket of a big shot; he later retired from a senior editor position at a second-rate newspaper. Of all the exam admission tickets, I think the girl's is the prettiest, and this one is the most handsome.)
As the exam bell rang, the campus quickly fell silent.

Those who accompanied the examinee, such as Chen Fan, were asked to leave the campus until the exam was over and the examinees came out.

Across the street from the school gate, Chen Fan sat on his own small stool, staring at the gate, silently smoking, lost in thought.

At the same time, the college entrance examination was also being held in Yunhu City, dozens of kilometers away.

In the two separate examination rooms, Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili each placed their admission tickets on the corner of the table. After receiving their test papers, they both looked at the cotton rope on their wrists and Chen Fan's words echoed in their minds: "When facing a challenge, be like cotton, seemingly soft but actually strong. Just relax and take the test, and don't think about anything else."

Then, almost simultaneously, they took a deep breath and focused intently on the exam.

Through the smoke, Chen Fan seemed to see... a hand?

He turned to look at Zhang Wenliang, "Why did you wave in front of me without saying a word?"

Zhang Wenliang grinned and said, "I saw you spacing out, but I didn't expect you to be so alert."

He paused, looked around, and asked in a low voice, "Have you figured out how to poison me?"

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and pulled off his hat in distress. "I haven't figured it out yet. I'm not familiar with them, so I don't even have a chance to get close to them. Besides, they wrote an anonymous letter, so they must be wary of me."

At this point, he turned to look at Zhang Wenliang, "Why don't you go?"

Zhang Wenliang's face fell. "The way you're saying that makes it sound like I'm very familiar with them."

Then the two began to discuss with great interest what method they could use to poison someone without anyone noticing and without making it seem like they were the ones in the poison.

After discussing for half an hour, Zhang Wenliang rejected another idea when he suddenly heard crying coming from the opposite campus.

what's the situation?
They weren't the only ones alarmed; dozens of accompanying persons at the school gate unconsciously surged towards the entrance.

A short while later, several soldiers in charge of security escorted a group of people out.

Some of the people were dejected, while others were crying. As soon as the iron gate of the school opened, they were all driven out of the school.

Just as the staff were about to leave, a man grabbed the iron gate and shouted, "Comrade, comrade, what's going on?"

A staff member turned around and immediately scolded, "Keep your voice down, there's an exam going on inside."

He paused for a moment, then pointed to the group and said in a low voice, "These are the people who were caught cheating. They have been expelled from the examination room according to regulations, and their exams this year are all invalid. As for how to punish them later, we'll talk about that after the college entrance examination."

After saying that, he turned and walked inside.

There was an uproar outside the school gate.

After a brief silence, someone suddenly erupted. Some raised their feet and started kicking, some took off their shoes and used the soles to hit people hard, and others, disappointed and frustrated, waved them away with cold faces.

Zhang Wenliang sat on the curb, watching three of the girls who had been chased away, and muttered with his mouth wide open, "Well, they're done for without you poisoning them."

A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Fan's eyes as he nodded and said, "Heaven's sins may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins are unforgivable."

As for how those girls couldn't figure out how the study materials ended up in their pockets, that was none of his business.

(End of this chapter)