Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 422 It's so hard to endure.

After walking down the dike to the educated youth compound, the two did not go inside, but instead followed a small path opened up outside the compound wall to their new home at the back.

Anquan strode forward carrying the fish bucket, occasionally brushing the snowflakes off his clothes. "The first snow of the year is this heavy. Looks like next year will be another bumper harvest."

Chen Fan stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, looking like an old man. He was a bit tall, which made him look less rustic and more chivalrous.

Upon reaching the slope, he didn't even hold onto the specially installed bamboo railings, treading on the snow as if it were flat ground, and said, "This year's hybrid rice harvest is bountiful. Next year, the brigade will expand the planting area. With so much agricultural machinery and money to buy more fertilizer, it would be strange if there wasn't a bumper harvest."

He turned to look at the safety guard climbing up the railing, then took the fish bucket from him and chuckled, "But you won't see it. By then, you and your sister-in-law will be seeing the city's skyscrapers and bustling traffic, and you'll be making friends with the elite and the hidden talents. Don't forget our poor, remote village."

Anquan rolled his eyes and huffed, "A remote and impoverished place? I've been here for ten years and I've never gone hungry. If this is considered a remote and impoverished place, then there's no good place in the whole country."

Chen Fan immediately said, "Who said that? Haven't you heard the saying, 'You can beat a roe deer with a stick and scoop up fish with a ladle, and a pheasant will fly into your cooking pot'? At least the Northeast Plain is better than here."

Anquan snorted twice, "Forget it, that place freezes to death in winter, do you really want to go? If you ask me, the land of fish and rice in Jiangnan is much better."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "What about Shanghai? Just ask anyone, would they rather be a cadre in a big city or stay in the countryside to farm?"

Anquan scoffed, "You're being unreasonable. How can you compare a city and a countryside? You might as well compare the Sanjiang Plain with the Jiangnan region; at least that would be fairer."

Chen Fan stepped onto the flat ground, exhaled a puff of white breath, turned back to him and smiled, "If one day, the countryside not only has good food and housing, but is also as convenient as the city, with schools, hospitals, cinemas, shopping malls, post offices, cultural centers, water and electricity supply, and main roads..."

Before he could finish speaking, Anquan rolled his eyes and said, "Is that still the countryside?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Why isn't it the countryside? It's the new countryside!"

Safety, "Ha, if that day ever comes, I'll definitely give up my job in Shanghai and move to your new rural area to become a farmer."

Chen Fan waved his hand dismissively, "Back then, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to reach my level."

Anquan nodded without thinking, "Yes, yes, yes, we can't afford it, just like we couldn't afford to live in big cities before, right?"

The two chatted and laughed as they walked inside. Just as they reached the covered walkway, the door was opened, and Huang Ying, Yang Ju, and Liu Dan, all wearing thick cotton-padded coats, came out to greet them.

Liu Dan took the fish bucket from Chen Fan, and Yang Ju helped him with his straw hat and raincoat, then turned around and hung them on the wall.

Huang Ying missed it, so she said from the side, "Captain Yang, Accountant Liu and my uncle are all here, sitting inside."

Before he finished speaking, Captain Yang and his two companions arrived at the door.

Chen Fan waved to them, greeted them with a smile, and then said to Liu Dan, "Put a few carp into the fish tank, get the yellow croaker to make a stove, and cook a few side dishes."

After saying that, he smiled at Captain Yang and the other two and said, "We're not going back today, we'll eat here."

Captain Yang grinned from ear to ear, "Of course, it's a waste not to eat it. I'd also like to try the wine you brewed yourself."

As Chen Fan walked inside, he said, “No problem. I’ll take another jar back to drink slowly later. This batch of wine was brewed with yeast I bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. I made a batch of yeast myself during the Dragon Boat Festival, so I can use my own yeast to brew the next batch. It will definitely taste better.”

Instead of sitting on the sofa, the group went to the tea table at the far end.

On the tea table were tea sets made by Chen Fan himself, and next to them was a large black iron fireplace with dry wood burning inside. The teapot was placed on it to heat the fire.

Looking at the large fireplace, Anquan said, "If I weren't about to leave, I would definitely ask you to make a fireplace like this for me. It looks so comforting!"

He sat down in a chair, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. He smiled at Captain Yang and the others and said, "There are many old villas in Shanghai, all from the Republican era. Some of these villas have fireplaces like this, but they look different. These are embedded in the wall and are decorated beautifully on the outside."

When the weather gets cold, you can light a fire in the fireplace and sit in front of it, feeling warm and cozy.

As she spoke, she turned her head and glanced at Chen Fan's fireplace. "Although this is very warm, it doesn't look very nice. It looks like a big, dark stove, very crude."

Chen Fan didn't care and said with a smirk, "What's the use of something so pretty? We country folk value practicality."

He turned to look at Captain Yang and smiled, "I asked Director Cui from the water transport company's repair shop to help me weld this. It's much warmer than the original ceramic stove, but it uses too much firewood."

(Similar to this)
Captain Yang clicked his tongue and said, "I was just about to say that, how many pounds of firewood do you burn every day?"

Chen Fan grinned and said, "Actually, it doesn't need much. We only burn firewood when we're here. If you guys aren't here, I'll stay in my room, heat up the kang (heated brick bed), and lie on it. It saves firewood and is warmer too."

The warehouse keeper, Huang, shook his head repeatedly as he listened. "Your kang (heated brick bed) is terrible. It's like a clay stove with a firebox underneath. People are roasting themselves on top of it. It just doesn't look right." Accountant Liu took a sip of hot tea and gave him a disdainful look. "That's all the good fortune you have. You can't possibly enjoy good things."

The custodian glanced at him and said, "Why don't you build a kang (heated brick bed) at home and sit on it to warm yourself?"

Accountant Liu immediately coughed, turned to look at Anquan, and asked, "How many more days until the college entrance exam results are released?"

Anquan casually remarked, "It should be soon. Just wait a few more days. The county will notify the number of candidates for physical examinations based on twice the admission score. After the physical examinations are completed and the application forms are filled out, the next step should be to announce the college entrance examination scores."

Chen Fan turned to look at Accountant Liu and asked curiously, "Why are you asking this? Even those taking the college entrance exam aren't as anxious as you."

Accountant Liu shook his head. "Sigh, we couldn't wait to announce the good news."

His face was flushed, and he grinned as he said, "After the exam, everyone estimated their own scores. The total score was 500 points, and no one in Lujiawan scored below 450. If you add the 30 points from the extra test, it's even more incredible."

But I heard that the highest score the students in town, including those in the high school cram school, were estimated to be only 350 or 360.

The gap is so big that I'm embarrassed to say it out loud, for fear of making a mistake and people saying we're not humble.

After a long and rambling explanation, Chen Fan finally understood and said with a wry smile, "So you couldn't wait to go outside and show off, huh?"

Accountant Liu immediately glared at him, "How can you call it showing off? It's about letting more people share in the joy!"

Anquan put down his teacup, pointed at Accountant Liu, and laughed, "Old Liu, just be bold! What's wrong with showing off? When the college entrance exam scores are released, we'll throw a big banquet to celebrate!"

He was genuinely happy. Although he hadn't had much time to prepare for the college entrance exam, less than two months, he had plenty of study materials and a good teacher, Chen Fan, to consult. So, he and his wife estimated their scores to be above 420.

When he saw the scores of the students in Lujiawan, he was a little uneasy. But when he heard that the highest score among the candidates in the town was only 350 or 360, and most of them were around 300, and some even less than 200, he felt much more at ease.

Keep in mind that these people also studied in review classes and used materials provided by the Lujiawan Library. If even they did this, what about those who lack other resources?
Even so, he was still not at ease, so he sent telegrams to his classmates all over the country, especially those in Shanghai, to inquire about their exam results.

As replies gradually arrived, he learned about this year's college entrance examination situation.

Although the total scores vary from province to province, you can get a sense of the exam results by referring to the score ratio.

A score of 80% or higher is considered "exceptionally excellent," while an average score of around 70 is considered "relatively good."

No matter when, those who can be called outstanding are always just a small group.

Therefore, those who can barely pass have a chance of being admitted to university.

Of course, this is just one possibility; the specifics depend on whether the school and major you are applying to have too much competition.

However, that's relative. For "exceptionally outstanding" students like those in security, as long as they don't make a foolish mistake by applying to schools and majors with very few openings and "forgetting" to agree to be transferred to another major, there's no possibility of them being rejected.

They were all in high spirits, and Chen Fan, sitting and drinking tea, was full of confidence.

Later data shows that the admission scores in all provinces across the country that year were the lowest in history, bar none!

For example, in Hubei, Fujian, and Sichuan, the admission score for liberal arts is 210. Although the total score is only 400, it is less than the 60th percentile, which shows how outrageous it is.

Especially in places like Yunnan and Qinghai, the admission scores are even lower, only 200 points!
Even lower than humanities was science, with the lowest admission score in Yunnan being 160 points... Out of a total score of 400, scoring 160 points was enough to get into university. Perhaps only in later generations, after the annual expansion of enrollment, could those junior colleges and vocational high schools that accepted students simply by filling out applications have such an opportunity.

However, the two are not even in the same league!

In this situation, would there still be any doubt that Anquan and Huangying got into university?
Unfortunately, such a big matter was only circulating within Lujiawan. Almost everyone remembered Secretary Yang's instructions: before the scores were announced, no one was allowed to go out and talk about it, so as not to cause trouble for Lujiawan.

Once the scores are released, this problem will be resolved.

When the time comes, it will be impossible to hide it, and the people of Lujiawan will be able to strut around and show off to others. No matter how jealous they are, they can only endure it!

However, just by looking at Accountant Liu, you can tell that everyone is enduring a lot of hardship.

Just as Chen Fan was lost in thought, Captain Yang, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly coughed and looked at him softly, saying, "Little Chen, if everything goes smoothly, Yang Ju, Huang Ying, and Liu Dan will all be going to study outside. And you've arranged for them to go to the capital, which is so far away. I guess they'll hardly come back once a year."

"Now that they're gone, you don't even have anyone to say goodbye to. Have you thought about what you'll do then?"

Chen Fan blinked at him, wondering what he meant.
(End of this chapter)