Colorful years

Summer in 1979 seemed to arrive earlier than usual. As soon as July began, the scorching sun peeked out and relentlessly unleashed its burning rays, as if to scorch the entire earth.

Every breath of air outdoors was thick with heat, making it hard to breathe.

In this sweltering heat, the highly anticipated National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) finally began. This exam, which determines the fate of countless young people, carries their hopes and expectations for the future.

The exam was scheduled for July 7th to July 9th, lasting three full days. For the candidates, this was undoubtedly a long and intense challenge.

All exam papers are graded on a traditional 100-point scale.

In the science and engineering fields, a total of six examination subjects were set up. On the first morning, the Chinese language subject took the lead. The candidates entered the examination room with trepidation. Facing the densely written test paper, they needed to draw upon their years of accumulated knowledge and language expression skills.

In the afternoon, the students faced the challenge of mathematics, with complex formulas, theorems, and various difficult problems waiting for them to conquer one by one.

The second day's schedule was equally packed. In the morning, physics took center stage, requiring students to apply learned physical principles and experimental data to answer questions; in the afternoon, chemistry followed, with chemical reaction formulas, the periodic table, and other knowledge points flashing through their minds.

The final day was also the last day of the exams. The political science exam in the morning required candidates to have keen insight into current affairs and a solid theoretical foundation; the foreign language exam in the afternoon was relatively special, as it was an optional subject and only required students applying for related foreign language majors to take it.

Specifically, if a candidate chooses English as their major, they will need to take an English exam; if they choose another language major, they will take an exam in the corresponding language.

In addition, this step can be skipped for most non-foreign language majors.

It is worth mentioning that all the college entrance examination venues in Dayong County are located in several primary and secondary school campuses within the county seat. Compared with the previous two years, the number of people registering to take the college entrance examination this year has increased significantly.

According to statistics, a total of [X] million people across the country participated in this fierce competition, and more than 5,000 people from Dayong County participated in the college entrance examination.

These candidates come from all over the country and from all walks of life. They have gathered here, including not only graduating students who have just finished junior high or high school, but also many alumni who have experienced the vicissitudes of time.

Everyone harbors hopes and aspirations for the future, hoping to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to completely change the course of their destiny.

However, for Congcong, the situation was somewhat complicated. Although he was a transmigrator who was fortunate enough to carry the precious memories of two lifetimes, both time and space were firmly controlled by the cold and ruthless rules of the Great Dao.

The slightest carelessness could trigger a series of unpredictable and dramatic changes, as the saying goes, "a small mistake can lead to a huge error."

Judging solely from the Chinese language exam, only 60% of the questions on this test paper matched the exam content he remembered from his previous life, while the remaining 40% were completely unfamiliar. Moreover, because Congcong had to return home to take care of his seriously ill and hospitalized father some time ago, he missed the last few crucial mock exams.

Furthermore, some exam questions went beyond the scope of the established exam syllabus, which was not covered during the review phase.

The moment he stepped into the examination room, countless chaotic and complicated thoughts surged into Congcong's mind like a tide.

He couldn't help but recall the grand dream he had always kept deep in his heart, the earnest expectation for his family's prosperity and the restoration of its former glory; at the same time, an even grander vision emerged in his mind—the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. These thoughts intertwined, making him feel a heavy responsibility and mission on his shoulders.

At this moment, facing this challenging test paper, Congcong couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness.

Fortunately, the composition section of the Chinese exam is the largest part, accounting for 40 points. Although the composition topic changed from "When I Walked into the Examination Room" to "I Have Something to Say to the Party," both were narrative and lyrical essays, which were Congcong's forte.

After quickly finishing answering the basic questions that he was good at, Congcong focused on writing the essay entitled "I Have Something to Say to the Party".

He pondered for a moment, and his thoughts flowed like a spring. Without hesitation, he picked up his pen and wrote down the words in a flowing, natural style:

"From the perspective of various methods of selecting talent throughout history, the college entrance examination is undoubtedly a continuation and improvement of the imperial examination system. In the long course of history, the imperial examination system has opened a door to officialdom and the realization of ambitions for countless students."

Today's college entrance examination, while inheriting its essence, continues to evolve and innovate with the times, becoming a crucial talent selection mechanism in modern society.

"The college entrance examination provides a fair competition platform for many students from poor families, enabling them to change their destiny with the knowledge they have acquired, and thus contribute their own strength to the country and society."

However, this path, brimming with hope and opportunity, was also forced to be abandoned due to interference from various political factors. During those turbulent years, extreme left-wing ideology ran rampant, and the education sector was not spared.

At that time, work-study programs were prioritized, and schools regarded these activities as one of the most important indicators for students' graduation. Book knowledge, which should have been highly valued, was instead sidelined and ignored.