Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 431 will not be published.
At the Lujiawan brigade headquarters, dozens of people sat in the courtyard, chatting on benches.

Lü Yanan took Ding Qian's arm and whispered, "See? You listened to me, didn't you? Even though we only studied for a little over a month, we still passed, didn't we? Our foundation is what it is. No matter what, we are better than those who have been studying 'engineering basics' and 'agricultural basics' all along. University is all about basic knowledge."

Ding Qian looked up and forced a smile. "Yes, you're the smartest."

Lu Yanan looked at her helplessly, "Why do I feel like you're just being perfunctory? Aren't you happy that you got into university?"

Ding Qian sighed, "We've only just filled out college applications; it's still a long way from when we'll be going to university."

Lu Yanan glared at her, annoyed. "Early? What do you mean early? I think it's about the same. There are 198 people going for physical exams and filling out college applications today. Your score will rank you around 40th..."

Ding Qian tugged at her, "Oh dear, this is just our estimated score, not the actual score."

Lü Yanan rolled her eyes. "You don't even believe the standard answer Chen Fan gave? How can you be so confident?"

Ding Qian was speechless for a moment, and after a few seconds, she said, "No, I was thinking, what will happen to my family if I go to university?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yanan was speechless.

She married a Shanghai educated youth, and their situation was similar to that of An Quan and his wife. They took the college entrance examination together, and with the help of An Quan and Chen Fan, they both did quite well.

Just to be on the safe side and not wanting to miss the opportunity to return to Shanghai, both of them applied for regular undergraduate programs and for junior colleges as their second choice. With their high scores of over 400 points, and by discussing with other educated youth about applying to different schools, their chances of being admitted were very high.

In fact, when these educated youths from other places filled out their college applications, they made similar choices to the rest of the group; almost none of them dared to apply to top universities.

Apart from the couple who were the most daring, everyone else applied to universities in their hometowns.

Unlike the 23 children from Lujiawan, who were all fearless, Chen Fan could easily persuade them to apply to Peking University, Tsinghua University, or Jiangnan University. All of them chose key universities or "gold mine schools" like the University of International Business and Economics, and they were not afraid of failing the exam.

The dream of educated youth was to return to the city, but not all of them, like Lü Yanan and An Quan, married educated youth from their hometowns. Many more chose to form families with locals for the sake of livelihood or other reasons.

Ding Qian is one of those people.

When she was working in the Red Star Brigade, she married a young farmer from the same team where the educated youth were stationed. Now they have two children. If she chooses to return to Shanghai, whether this family will still exist is a big question mark.

"The Debt of Sin," which aired on Shanghai TV and achieved record-breaking viewership, tells the story of how Yunnan educated youth returned to the city and remarried, leading to a series of chaotic events.

The reason this TV series caused such a sensation and was watched by nearly half of the families in Shanghai is because there are just too many similar situations, so many that almost everyone has a real-life counterpart in the story.

After a moment of silence, Lü Yanan pulled Ding Qian aside and whispered, "Which school did you apply to?"

Ding Qian lowered her head and bit her lip. "My first choice is Shanghai. If I don't get in, ... my second choice is Yunhu Finance College."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yanan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right. With your score, as long as it's not too outrageous, you'll definitely get in."

She then asked, "Which university did you apply to?"

Ding Qian didn't dare to look up at her, "Tong...Tongji University."

Lu Yanan rolled her eyes, not even in the mood to curse.

……

On the other side, Anquan was surrounded by a group of people, each smoking and puffing away.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, "Once you've placed your bet, it's all or nothing. This bet will decide whether you're lucky or not."

A man next to him looked at him and said, "Old An, you're really brave. Out of all of us, you're the only one who applied to a top university."

Another person laughed and said, "Both of them, didn't Lao An's wife also apply to the same school?"

Anquan exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled, "Life offers few opportunities to take risks. Since I got a high score this time, this is a rare chance, so of course I should be bolder."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "If I don't get in, there's always a second choice, right? Universities admit students in batches, with top universities first, then undergraduate programs, and finally vocational colleges. I can't afford to fail to get in, can I?"

Those around him shook their heads with wry smiles. One of them said, "We dare not gamble. If we lose, we might not even be eligible to apply next year."

Anquan smiled, lowered his head to smoke, and no one noticed the worry in his eyes.

It was quite enjoyable to fill out college applications. Everyone else was applying for regular undergraduate or even junior college programs, but he was applying for top-tier universities, like Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Why didn't he think about what would happen if he didn't get accepted?

If Chen Fan saw him like this, he would definitely laugh at him like crazy.

Isn't this a typical case of college entrance exam syndrome? Pre-exam anxiety, post-exam depression, and in more severe cases, social withdrawal, which can only be relieved after everything has settled down, and no amount of advice from others can help.

Anquan rubbed his face in frustration, threw away his cigarette butt, lit another one, and then heard the person next to him ask, "Old An, we've filled out the college application forms, when will the college entrance exam scores be released?"

Hearing this, Anquan turned to look at him, shook his head blankly, and said, "I don't know."

……

Inside the brigade headquarters office, Chen Fan sat on a long bench, his buttocks tilted to one side, taking up half the chair by himself.

He glanced at Zhang Wenliang, who had just raised the question, and Zhang Cuie, who appeared calm on the surface but was clearly uneasy inside, and snorted, "Release the college entrance examination results? Forget about it."

Secretary Yang, sitting at his desk, was slightly taken aback. He stopped smoking, looked up, and asked, "You didn't tell me your score?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "Anyway, that's what the Education Bureau said. They said the college entrance exam results are top secret and must not be disclosed."

Faced with this situation, they still didn't understand. Xiao Liewen couldn't help but ask, "The exams are over, and the application forms have been filled out. What's so secret about the grades?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. After a two-second pause, he finally spoke.

"This year's theme is 'restoring the college entrance examination,' with the emphasis on the word 'restoring.' Since the higher authorities have not formulated detailed regulations for the college entrance examination process, various localities are referring to the college entrance examination system from 12 years ago."

Back then, many places treated college entrance exam scores as top secret and did not release them to the public; this practice continues today.

As for why the college entrance exam results weren't released during that period? Well, let's not talk about that!
In fact, many provinces continued the previous practice of not announcing the results of the college entrance examination that year. As for whether they announced the results or not, Chen Fan said he did not know.

It wasn't until the following year, in 1978, when the "Opinions on the Enrollment Work of Institutions of Higher Learning in 1978" was issued, that the document explicitly stipulated that college entrance examination results must be published, thus closing this loophole.

Not releasing the results is considered good; in some places, even the admission policy treats the clearly stipulated "selective admission" from higher authorities as empty words, continuing the policy from a period ten years ago, categorizing and treating all candidates differently. For example, Hubei Jianzhu divides all candidates into four categories: current year graduates, general previous year graduates, former educated youth still working in the countryside, and older working professionals.

Even if the latter's score is higher than the former's, they will only be considered if there are still vacancies after the former has filled all its places.

Moreover, even if you are admitted, it may not be the major you applied for.

The admissions committee will categorize applicants into four groups based on their family background: those eligible for admission to top-secret programs, those eligible for admission to confidential programs, those eligible for admission to general programs, and those not suitable for admission.

Therefore, for a long time, the so-called cancellation of censorship was just empty talk.

(College entrance examination review form from 79; this candidate's family is amazing)

Of course, all rules depend on the person.

For example, if Chen Fan wanted to know their scores, he could find out their scores, and even retrieve their college entrance exam papers after everything settled down. (That's how he got his hands on the previous exam papers.)
It's just that a single college entrance exam score isn't necessary.

The 23 candidates from Lujiawan all took the exam through Nanhu High School as graduating students. They all had clean backgrounds and connections with the Education Bureau. As long as they weren't out of their minds, no one could possibly squeeze out their spots.

Not to mention that when Chen Fan went to the Education Bureau that day, Jiang Lili revealed to him that their college entrance examination results had already alarmed the Provincial Education Commission. It was a semi-public matter, so who would have the audacity to tamper with it?!
Not only will they remain stationary, but the safety of these educated youths from other places, as well as those in the Nanhu High School study group, will also be greatly reduced because they are essentially tied to them.

This was something Chen Fan hadn't anticipated.

It's a good thing, so he's happy to just watch from the sidelines.

Seeing Zhang Cuie's still somewhat hesitant and uncertain attitude, Chen Fan said impatiently, "What did I teach you? You need to stay calm in important situations. Regardless of your exam results, you've already filled out your college applications. What's the point of looking at your exam scores now?"

Zhang Cuie pouted, "Oh."

Zhang Wenliang, who was standing next to her, quickly gave her a wink, "Why don't you go to the broadcasting room and keep an eye on things? Your sister has only been learning for a few days, and you're already letting her broadcast all by herself?"

Zhang Cuie was afraid of her master, but not of him. She immediately glared at him and said, "My master only taught me for half a day and I got the hang of it. I've been teaching Sister Yue for two months, and she can broadcast by herself by now."

Zhang Wenliang was so angry that she rolled her eyes, so I did nothing to cover for her.

Chen Fan grinned and chuckled, but his tone was serious, "How can you talk to your brother like that? You need to be polite."

Zhang Cuie immediately put on a smile and said, "I understand, Master. I'll go to the broadcasting room now."

After saying that, he turned around and ran out.

Zhang Wenliang shook his head repeatedly, "This girl is really not worth keeping."

Chen Fan waved his hand and laughed, "She's not like that to everyone. Aren't you her dearest third brother? If she's so polite to you, are we still family?"

Zhang Wenliang was so angry that he choked. So she was just bullying him?
Captain Zhang nodded repeatedly, "Xiao'e is quite sensible. She has never been rude in front of outsiders. It's just that she's young and has a bit of a temper, and she's somewhat competitive."

He looked at Chen Fan as he spoke, "As her teacher, you should teach her more."

Before Chen Fan could speak, Zhang Wenliang immediately sat up straight and looked at him, laughing, "That's right, according to the old rules, once someone has taken a master, even their own parents can't discipline them. What Xiao'e becomes in the future depends on how well you discipline her. Don't blame me for causing you trouble if you teach her wrong."

Chen Fan glanced at him. "Trying to cause me trouble? Can you beat me in a fight, or can you out-argue me?"

Zhang Wenliang was speechless, unable to utter a word.

I was about to explode with anger, but when I saw my uncle sitting next to me, I obediently swallowed my anger.

……

Today is the day for filling out college applications. It's a rare occasion that all the candidates related to Lujiawan have gathered together. After they finished filling out their application forms, Zhang Wenliang and An Quan, on the orders of Secretary Yang and a few others, invited them all over for a meal.

Compared to the dinner party after the college entrance examination, these people are now one step closer to the threshold of university.

Okay, it's actually the same people as last time.

The banquet was already on the table before noon.

Secretary Yang held a wine glass and accepted every toast from the educated youth who came to offer him a drink, showering them with compliments without hesitation.

Chen Fan had privately hinted to him that this group of people had a high chance of getting into university, so of course he wanted to make a concerted effort to befriend them.

Now that Lujiawan is doing well, he is thinking of expanding his business further and opening Luwan cooked food shops outside of Yunhu. Who knows, he might need these people someday!

Besides Secretary Yang, Chen Fan was the one who received the most toasts.

Lu Yanan pulled Ding Qian to him, raised her wine glass, and said, "Teacher Chen, we won't say much more in thanks. Regardless of whether we get into university this time, we will do our best to do whatever you ask!"

Chen Fan also stood up and smiled at her, "Sister Nan, you're being too polite. When I was studying at the health center, you took good care of me. Shouldn't I offer you a couple of drinks?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yanan burst into laughter, "I knew you weren't that kind of person."

She didn't explicitly say what kind of person it was, but everyone knew perfectly well.

It's nothing more than the saying, "If you're rich and powerful, don't be greedy."

Chen Fan had a drink with them, and immediately other people came up, seemingly determined to get him drunk.

He wanted to find someone to drink on his behalf, but when he turned around, he saw that Anquan was already drunk and barely able to take care of himself.

Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, the sound of a car came from outside the courtyard, along with the barking of dogs.

Hearing the noise outside, the courtyard quickly quieted down, and everyone turned to look at the gate.

A few seconds later, a jeep pulled up at the entrance, the door opened, and a group of people got out and walked inside.

Secretary Yang immediately went to greet him, "Oh ho, Officer Zhu, you've come at the perfect time, let's have a drink together."

As he spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the car outside the door, his gaze extremely bright. "Your police station has made a fortune! You're all driving jeeps now, upgrading from ragtag units to new ones!"

(End of this chapter)