Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"Sister Fan, what should I do?!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Lili became anxious and grabbed Long Lifan's arm. Ever since Sister Fan stopped going to work with them, she felt life was meaningless. If Nian'an passed the teacher's exam, then she would be all alone...

"I hope Nian'an doesn't get into college."

"Ugh, ptooey, ptooey, what nonsense am I spouting! Nian'an is so amazing, she'll definitely pass the exam." Hu Lili muttered to herself, seemingly realizing she had misspoke, and quickly corrected herself.

The exam papers were obtained by Lin Guodong from the commune. Since the commune didn't have a high school, he used junior high school exam papers. This was also appropriate, as most of the commune members were junior high school graduates and wouldn't be able to answer high school exam questions.

The exams consisted of Chinese and Mathematics. Being a bored individual, Lin Guodong specifically asked Long Lifan and Hu Lili to help grade the papers. They weren't exam takers, and having attended high school, they were certainly capable.

As the exam ended, the commune members and educated youth who had taken the exam walked out of the examination hall, but none of them left. Their eyes were fixed on one classroom, for that would determine their fate. More and more people gathered around, whispering and discussing the allocation of the spots.

Inside the classroom, Long Lifan and Hu Lili, working as examiners, were engrossed in grading the papers, each stroke carrying the hopes of the students. Meanwhile, the students anxiously awaited the moment that would determine their fate.

With limited spots available, the competition is fierce. Everyone longs to be the lucky one, but reality is often harsh, and who will ultimately win the spot has become the focus of everyone's attention.

"Captain, take a look at everyone's scores."

The graded test papers were neatly arranged and then handed to several village officials. They took the papers and carefully examined the scores. Lin Guodong, in particular, was extremely pleased with his daughter's score of 173; it was likely the best score among the villagers.

So everyone quickly tallied the results, and the educated youth and commune members were arranged according to their scores.

On the members' side:

Lin Weihong: 173 points

Zhou Genwang: 142 points

Zhou Min: 133 points

Lin Zhaoxian: 124 points

……

From the perspective of the educated youth:

Jiang Nian'an: 200 points

Yang Lijuan: 188 points

Chen Hongjie: 176 points

Yu Xiulian: 175 points

.........

When the results were announced, some were happy and some were sad. In particular, the brigade leader specifically announced that the teacher positions would be selected from the top four candidates from each group, but the final selection would be handled by Long Zhiqing.

Those who successfully secured a spot beamed with excitement, as if they saw hope for the future. Meanwhile, the commune members and educated youth who had applied but failed were plunged into deep disappointment. Some of them silently left the scene, their eyes revealing endless regret.

Long Lifan knew that the captain was going to assign her the task that would offend people, but it was the plan she had proposed in the first place, and now she had to accept it even with tears in her eyes. This selection process had already minimized the risk of offending anyone.

Moreover, she had already planned ahead, keeping a few more candidates on the shortlist, partly to give them some hope, and partly because this was her usual method of selection, just like at the chicken farm. She wanted to clearly convey a message to everyone: those she selected were never guaranteed a stable job.

If the selected person becomes complacent and neglects their duties, she can replace them at any time. The same applies to selecting teachers; she genuinely hopes that the chosen teachers will diligently teach the children, and if they slack off, there are plenty of others waiting to take their place.

Next came the interview. Long Lifan's head spun the moment she saw the first person walk in. She stared at the person with a half-smile and said:

"You were dragged here by your dad again this time."

"Uh." Lin Weihong playfully stuck out her tongue, then nodded slightly.

"So what do you think? Or do you still not want to be a teacher?" Hearing Long Lifan's words, Lin Weihong nodded again.

"You two, father and daughter, are trying to get me killed..."

Long Lifan was at a loss for words, her face turning somewhat grim. "Couldn't you have deliberately done poorly on the test if you didn't want to be a teacher? But she's still number one among the members. If I eliminate you, I'm really afraid the brigade leader will come after me with a knife."

"What do you think I should do?" Selecting candidates is a job that can offend people, and now I've run into a hot potato like Lin Weihong.

"Long Zhiqing, I really don't want to be a teacher." Lin Weihong's voice choked with emotion, her eyes slightly moist, as if she was about to burst into tears. "Please help me this one last time."

Lin Weihong looked pitiful, though she secretly wished she could do poorly on the exam. But out of so many commune members who signed up, she was the only one who got into high school. If she did poorly, her father would know she was doing it on purpose, so she pinned all her hopes on Long Zhiqing.

"Alright, alright." Long Lifan rubbed her forehead with difficulty and reluctantly agreed, but she still warned in the end, "This is the last time. If there is a next time, I'm really afraid the captain will cause me trouble."

"Really, thank you, Long Zhiqing." Lin Weihong's face lit up with joy and gratitude when she heard that Long Zhiqing had agreed to her request.

After Long Lifan's selection process, the commune members were decided: Zhou Min and Zhou Genwang. Jiang Nian'an's spot among the educated youth was secured, but Long Lifan was unsure about the other spot.

As for Yang Lijuan, she has a very short temper, and she doesn't have as much patience as Jiang Nian'an. Besides, she hasn't been here long, and if we chose her, we were afraid that others would have objections, so we excluded her.

The remaining two, Chen Hongjie and Yu Xiulian, were both veteran educated youth who had been sent to the countryside for several years. Chen Hongjie, in particular, had served as the person in charge of the educated youth settlement for so long, but considering that he had caused a lot of complaints about the settlement, Yu Xiulian was ultimately chosen as the replacement.

"Why don't you announce it, Captain?" Long Lifan, who had just walked out of the classroom, happened to meet Lin Guodong's gloating expression and felt inexplicably guilty.

“Hey, since you decided on the final candidate, then you should announce it.” Lin Guodong waved his hand, rejecting Long Lifan’s suggestion.

Seeing this, Long Lifan didn't stand on ceremony and took a few steps forward before stopping. In front of her were eight people waiting for the final result, all of them looking tense and breathing rapidly.

"Before I make the announcement, let me say something unrelated. There are eight of you here, but there are only four spots available, so some of you will inevitably be eliminated," Long Lifan said, staring at the group of people in a calm and rhythmic tone.

"But what I want to say is that being a teacher in the East Bay Brigade is not a secure job, so even if you are selected, you may be replaced if you do not do your job well in the future."

"Similarly, those who weren't selected shouldn't give up. The fact that you made it to the top four shows that you are definitely good enough. If the school is recruiting teachers, they will definitely choose from among you."

"The commune members are Zhou Min and Zhou Genwang. The educated youth are Jiang Nian'an and Yu Xiulian." Long Lifan spoke very slowly, but when the names reached everyone's ears, they were strong and clear.