Colorful years

1979 left an indelible mark on the hearts of countless students, as it witnessed the third major college entrance examination in China since the resumption of the college entrance examination system.

However, due to the limitations of the social background and development conditions at the time, educational resources were particularly scarce, and the examination syllabus was not yet perfect.

Therefore, in that life-determining college entrance examination, it was inevitable that some questions would appear that went beyond the scope of the examination syllabus. On the morning of July 7th, as the first rays of sunlight shone on the earth, the candidates stepped into the mathematics examination hall with nervousness and anticipation.

Congcong, as one of them, filled with both anticipation and anxiety for the future, embarked on a crucial battle in his life.

However, as he delved deeper into the questions, he was surprised to find that there were four questions he had never encountered before. These advanced questions, like fierce roadblocks, stood in his way, totaling a whopping 18 points.

He carefully examined the test questions and found that the knowledge points involved were both mysterious and complex. The concept of complex numbers and their operational rules were like ghosts in the fog, elusive and difficult to understand; the sum-to-product formulas of trigonometric functions were like an intricate maze, making one lose their way.

The hyperbola equation in analytic geometry is even more profound and mysterious, as if it hides endless secrets; while the volume formula of a triangular pyramid in solid geometry is like an unsolved mystery, waiting for people to explore.

Coincidentally, in the subsequent physics exams, questions beyond the syllabus continued to appear. The first law of thermodynamics, like an impregnable fortress, deterred many candidates; while interference and diffraction phenomena in optics, like the flickering stars in the night sky, were elusive and difficult to grasp.

In electricity, the concepts of capacitors and capacitance are like a misty forest, drawing one deep inside; while in atomic physics, the structure of the atomic nucleus and radioactive decay are like the unknown realms of the deep universe, waiting for the brave to explore.

Physics was already Congcong's weak point, and the appearance of these advanced questions only made matters worse, exposing his academic disadvantages. Anxiety and unease spread like wildfire, and even when faced with questions that should have been easy, he made frequent mistakes due to his unbalanced mindset.

Ultimately, his physics exam score became his worst of all subjects, casting a heavy shadow over his path to higher education.

The chemistry exam on the third morning was equally daunting, with four areas of questions beyond the syllabus catching the candidates off guard. The unfamiliar concepts—the properties of carboxylic acids and esters in organic chemistry, the concepts of chemical reaction rates and chemical equilibrium, the principles of galvanic cells and electrolytic cells in electrochemistry, and the concepts of chemical bonds and crystal structures in the structure of matter—were like a sudden storm, making the atmosphere in the exam room even more tense.

Faced with these complex and unfamiliar questions, the test takers couldn't help but feel anxious and helpless.

The sheer number and breadth of questions exceeding the syllabus in this exam were astonishing, covering almost every subject. Very few students were able to achieve high scores; the vast majority could only watch with envy and achieve mediocre results.

For Congcong, the difficulties he faced went far beyond that. During the college entrance examination period, his enteritis worsened, and the frequent diarrhea caused him great suffering.

Every time he gritted his teeth and persevered through the questions for about an hour, he had to stop and rush to the toilet. Such frequent interruptions severely affected his performance.

The moment the college entrance examination results were announced, Congcong's mood plummeted. His total score across five subjects was only 281 points—a result that was truly unacceptable.

Aside from barely passing Chinese, Mathematics, and Politics, he failed to pass Physics and Chemistry, especially Physics, where he only scored 37 points. Even his relatively better subject, Chinese, only yielded 79 points.

The once-cherished dream of gaining admission to Peking University and Tsinghua University was ruthlessly shattered in the face of harsh reality.

The mid-August sun was still scorching hot. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Congcong opened the letter from afar—an admission letter from the Department of Mathematics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. However, when he saw his name on the letter, he didn't feel much joy. Instead, a subtle sense of disappointment crept into his heart.

However, unlike Congcong, his alma mater and family were overjoyed when they learned the news.

For the school, since the resumption of the college entrance examination, this high school, founded by the commune itself, had remained largely unknown, with a zero college admission rate for two consecutive years. Congcong, however, became the only current student in the school's history to be admitted to university.

His success undoubtedly brought long-lost glory and a ray of hope to the campus.

For the Zhang family, this joy was even more significant. Tracing back through their family history, from Zhang Xiangsong's time onwards, through more than a hundred years of trials and tribulations, not a single member had been able to escape the rural life and the shackles of poverty through the imperial examinations or modern college entrance examinations.

Now, Congcong has finally achieved this breakthrough across the century, becoming the first person to rewrite the fate of his family.

Faced with such a tremendous achievement, how could the family not be overjoyed? They gathered together, their faces beaming with pride and satisfaction, filled with boundless anticipation and hope for Congcong's future.