The old Su family had three children who could participate in this college entrance examination.
Including Su Xiaomei and Su Xiaocao, that made five people.
They all knew how important taking the college entrance examination was to them.
The young men and women held their breath, their drive to study even stronger.
They woke up before dawn every day and slept late at night, their textbooks flipped through again and again.
When they encountered content they didn't understand, they would sit together and discuss it, determined to learn everything thoroughly.
Grandma Su didn't know what going to college was exactly, but she knew that if one went to college, they could become a cadre.
She put even more effort into cooking.
Moreover, everyone noticed that there was meat and eggs in every meal.
This was clearly to nourish their bodies.
In return for Grandma Su's meat and vegetables, the young men and women felt they should study even harder to live up to Grandma Su.
Su Xiaotian, Su Xiaoba, and Jiu'er were all at an age where they loved to play.
Now, they didn't dare to make noise at home, fearing they would disturb their older brothers and sisters' studies.
Every day after finishing their homework, Su Xiaosi would quietly call her younger brothers and sisters to go next door to play with young Chen Xiuyuan.
Sometimes, they even stayed directly at Su Manxiu's house, to avoid making noise when they returned and disturbing their older brothers and sisters' studies.
The large courtyard of the old Su family was quiet all day long, with only the sounds of a few teenagers reading in low voices or the rustling of writing.
Su Manxiu saw that in just three or four days, the children's complexions had noticeably changed, and she knew it was due to exhaustion.
She thought about ordering milk for the children, but at this time, unless a family had a patient or a young child, they did not qualify.
In the end, Su Manxiu asked someone to buy a few cans of milk powder from the supply and marketing cooperative and made a cup for each child every morning.
Su Shouwen and the others felt that they were already grown up and it was improper to drink milk powder, so they declined.
But Su Manxiu insisted.
"It's only for a month or two. After that, even if you want to drink it, I won't be able to," Su Manxiu said with a smile.
Even these few cans of milk powder were obtained by owing favors.
"Why don't we give it to Xiaotian, Xiaoba, and Jiu'er? And Xiuyuan too?" Su Xiaocao said hesitantly.
She had been eating, drinking, and living at the old Su family's house during this time, and she already felt embarrassed enough. How could she have the nerve to drink milk powder?
"They eat and drink well every day and don't need milk powder," Grandma Su, uncharacteristically not showing favoritism to Su Xiaotian, firmly insisted that the older children drink the milk powder.
The issues of food and drink were solved, but the problem of study materials was difficult to solve.
After ten years, the college entrance examination was only restored, and everything was in chaos. The teachers didn't know how to review the students.
Su Xiaotian had previously saved some review materials, but now, they seemed insufficient, and the content did not seem very comprehensive.
Chen Zi'an, who never asked for favors, had pulled strings to buy them two sets of the latest materials from Xinhua Bookstore.
This was only done through the back door out of desperation.
Since the news of the restoration of the college entrance examination was announced, people had been queuing up outside Xinhua Bookstore day and night to buy review materials.
The number of people queuing was far greater than the books that could be allocated to the small county, so a shortage was inevitable.
Sometimes, one might queue for a day and a night and still not be able to buy the materials.
When Su Shouwen and the others received the latest review materials, they treated them like treasures.
Just then, Su Xiaotian unexpectedly obtained a set of full mock exam papers from the system library.
When she received this set of full mock exam papers, she was truly astonished.
With these full mock exam papers, it seemed that many problems could be solved with ease.
Although she didn't know the exact value of these mock papers, it was definitely not small.
For such a long time, Su Xiaotian had discovered that the books in the spatial bookstore appeared randomly, but the books that appeared were generally useful to her.
Was it possible that the papers that appeared this time were for her older brothers and sisters' college entrance examinations?
No one else could see the books in the spatial library, so Su Xiaotian had to copy them down question by question.
According to the nature of the spatial library, she could only copy these papers while reading them.
If it were ordinary books, she could recall more than eighty percent of the content with her current memory. However, for exam papers, Su Xiaotian dared not be careless.
In three days, Su Xiaotian copied twenty-six sets of the entire set of papers, using a lot of paper and even more time.
Su Xiaoba and Su Xiaojiu wanted to play with Su Xiaotian during this time, but Su Xiaotian sent them away.
Xiaoba and Xiaojiu even laughed at Su Xiaotian, saying she was even more desperate than those who were about to take the college entrance examination.
On Sunday noon, as the last neat character landed on the paper, Su Xiaotian put down her pen, rubbed her swollen and aching arm, and looked at the thick stack of papers before her with a sense of accomplishment.
As long as these papers could be useful, all the hard work would be worth it.
Before Su Xiaotian could give these papers to her older brothers and sisters, someone knocked on the door.
It was none other than the team leader Su Changjiu, Su Taohua, and Chi Ge.
Grandma Su was extremely surprised and repeatedly asked them why they had all come.
"The educated youths in the brigade all said that the college entrance examination has been restored and they want to take it. I thought that our children who are studying should also participate in the college entrance examination, so I came to take a look."
Su Changjiu smiled, but his gaze fell on the old Su family's courtyard. It was quiet, with no sound at all. He wondered if the children were not at home!
"Are the children at school today too?" Su Taohua also noticed this and asked.
"Aunt Taohua, we are all here. It's the weekend today," Su Xiaotian ran out, her face beaming with a brilliant smile.
"Why is there no sound at all?" Su Changjiu complained, "It almost made me think no one was home."
As soon as he said this, he saw Grandma Su make a shushing gesture to him.
Su Changjiu was stunned. What did this mean?
"Don't disturb the children's studies. They are busy these days."
Chi Ge smiled and said in a low voice, "I can see that the children are all studying diligently."
Grandma Su greeted them into the house and said, "Why is Professor Chi here too?"
People in the cowshed could not leave without a valid reason.
Could it be that Professor Chi was also rehabilitated and was going back?
"Why isn't Brother Yiyuan here?" Su Xiaotian didn't think so much, only thinking of Chi Yiyuan.
She hadn't seen Brother Yiyuan for a long time since she started studying in the county town.
Brother Yiyuan was very lonely in the Hongxin Brigade.
Before, they would go up the mountain together. Now, with only Brother Yiyuan left in the brigade, he must be sad!
Chi Ge patted Su Xiaotian's head: "I'm on sick leave this time, so your Brother Yiyuan cannot leave."
When Grandma Su heard that Chi Ge was on sick leave, she quickly asked, "What's wrong with Professor Chi? Why is he sick? Is it serious?"
Su Changjiu quickly said, "It's nothing, nothing. It's just that the children are all going to take the college entrance examination, so I thought I'd ask Professor Chi to help teach them."
He felt that the children in the city were always at school, unlike the children in their brigade who hadn't been to school for a long time. After returning to school for such a short time, they must not be able to keep up with the progress.
Fortunately, Chi Ge was a university teacher and must know how to teach, so he sent Chi Ge to the city.
Su Xiaotian's smile became even brighter.
This was great. Having someone to teach them was better than figuring it out themselves.
Su Xiaotian instantly thought of the papers she had just copied, so she ran back into the house and took out the stack of papers.
Chi Ge had just taken a sip of hot water to warm himself up when he saw Su Xiaotian carrying a stack of papers out.
"Oh, my little ancestor, slow down!" Grandma Su shouted when she saw Su Xiaotian running so fast, afraid she would trip.
Chi Ge looked very surprised.
His purpose for coming this time was mainly for Su Shouwen and the other children. Why hadn't the older ones come out, but the youngest one was busy?
It was understandable, as Xiaotian had always been the most diligent and inquisitive one in the brigade.
"Xiaotian, is there something you don't understand?"
"No, Grandpa Chi. I've copied some exam papers recently, which my older brothers and sisters might find useful. But I'm still a bit unsure, so I'd like you to take a look." Su Xiaotian quickly handed the papers in her hand to Chi Ge.
Chi Ge hesitantly took the paper from Su Xiaotian, not really believing that Su Xiaotian could produce any valuable exam papers.
It wasn't that he looked down on Su Xiaotian, but that Su Xiaotian was young. Even if she was smart, she was only in junior high school. The exam papers she could access would be of no use to the children preparing for the college entrance examination.
Could it be that the little girl thought that any exam paper that seemed difficult to her would be useful to her older brothers and sisters?
Chi Ge's mind raced, but he still looked at them seriously.
It was fine not to look, but once he looked, he was shocked.
He had to admit that these exam papers were indeed very good.
He wouldn't dare to say that these would definitely appear on the exam, but if one understood the knowledge points in these papers, they could answer any exam paper with a good score.
"Xiaotian, where did you copy this from?" Chi Ge looked at Su Xiaotian intently, excited!
"I saw them at the scrap metal recycling station before. I heard about the college entrance examination and thought they might be useful, so I memorized them."
Could Su Xiaotian say she copied them recently?
Definitely not.
Fortunately, Chi Ge was not someone who would question things to the bitter end. Even if he suspected whether Su Xiaotian really had such memory, he didn't ask much more.
Since Su Xiaotian said so, he accepted it.
"Good, good, good. Hurry up and let your brothers and sisters see them. If there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me."
As soon as Chi Ge finished speaking, Su Shouwen came out, rubbing his hair.
His short hair was messed up by his frantic rubbing.
When he saw Chi Ge and the others, his mouth hung open, and he even blinked his eyes deliberately.
"Grandpa Chi, Captain, Aunt Taohua, why are you here?"
The team leader smiled and said, "Aren't we here for your college entrance examination? How is your review going?"
Su Shouwen said, "It's okay, but there are a few knowledge points that are still not very clear. I was thinking of going to school tomorrow to ask the teacher."
"No need to find the teacher. I specifically brought Professor Chi here to answer your questions. You all must work hard!"
Su Changjiu's own cultural knowledge was not high, but this did not prevent him from hoping that the Hongxin Brigade could produce some talented people.
Especially university students, how glorious that was!
In this college entrance examination, besides these five children, seven or eight educated youths from the brigade had also come to get certificates, saying they wanted to register for the college entrance examination.
In the evening, Su Changjiu did not go back and discussed this matter with Su Laosan and others.
Su Laosan didn't think too much and said that the educated youths' idea of returning to the city through the examination was understandable.
Unexpectedly, Su Changjiu sighed.
"If they really participate in the college entrance examination and return to the city, our brigade's people will be pitiful, especially the children."
Su Xiaotian happened to pass by and heard Su Changjiu say this, and her heart felt heavy.
In this college entrance examination, only one educated youth from the Hongxin Brigade was admitted and left.
From then on, the people in the brigade never saw this educated youth again, leaving behind a widowed mother and orphaned children to live a miserable life.
The next college entrance examination would have restrictions on unmarried people. Several educated youths in the brigade had divorced through deception and trickery, and eventually left the Hongxin Brigade by participating in the college entrance examination.
Naturally, there were also those who were forced by their in-laws not to participate in the college entrance examination, and their lives were chaotic for many years to come.
When a policy is introduced, some people benefit, but some people will always become those who carry the burden for others.
However, Su Xiaotian could not solve such problems, nor could she solve them.
Su Changjiu saw Su Xiaotian staring blankly ahead, not knowing what she was thinking, and asked curiously, "Laosan, what's wrong with this child Xiaotian?"
Su Laosan looked at his daughter staring blankly ahead, also puzzled. He was about to step forward to ask Su Xiaotian, but Su Xiaotian reacted herself.
"Dad!"
"Xiaotian, what were you thinking just now?"
"Thinking about the college entrance examination!" Su Xiaotian replied casually.
Su Changjiu couldn't help but say with a teasing smile, "Look at our Xiaotian, how young she is, and she's already thinking about taking the college entrance examination."
Su Xiaotian wanted to say, Captain, you're thinking too much, but then she thought, it might not be bad to think too much. If she expressed her worries, the captain would probably doubt her.
Besides, even if she told the captain, what could the captain do?
She couldn't tie everyone up and forbid them from taking the college entrance examination, could she?
"I'm going back to continue studying. Uncle Captain, Dad, you guys talk first!"
When Su Xiaotian retreated back into the house, her mood was still turbulent. She couldn't help but feel sad for the families that were about to be broken.
The next morning, Su Changjiu returned to the Hongxin Brigade. Although the autumn harvest had completely ended, as the team leader, there were still many things that he could not leave behind.
Su Taohua and Chi Ge stayed in the county town.
Chi Ge was there to teach the children, while Su Taohua was there to help Grandma Su take care of the children.
When she saw the meals Grandma Su made for the children, she felt even more ashamed.
She had only provided the grain, and she didn't expect the old Su family to have meat and eggs, and even milk powder.
For a moment, Su Taohua didn't know how to thank the old Su family, so she could only call her daughter aside and instruct her that no matter whether she could get into university in the future, she must not forget the kindness of the old Su family.