Chapter 5: Husband and Wife Discuss the High School Entrance Exam at Night

  Deng left after having lunch at Liu's house, and in the afternoon and evening, several more guests arrived one after another. It was a busy day that finally came to an end. Because Liu Shuangxi drank too much wine, Zhu Wenhua wasn't very reassured, so he arranged for the children to sleep in his own room.

  Although Liu Guoqing had also been busy all day, the conversations with several leaders during the day didn't allow him to calm down. Although it was already nighttime, there were still some things he wanted to discuss with his wife.

  "Wenhua, you also heard what Old Man Deng and the leaders said this morning. Since the Gang of Four was smashed, the atmosphere around us has clearly changed. It seems that there are fewer people talking about class struggle and more practical people. Those who talk about criticizing and struggling are fewer, while those who talk about science and production are more. I've been thinking all afternoon, after we returned to the city, I've been working as a worker, and you're working as a salesperson in a store. I'm not saying being a worker is bad, but if repetitive labor can be replaced by machines, wouldn't that be great? Just like when we were in Beidahuang, each educated youth could open up so much land. If there was mechanical operation...I heard that foreign farms with hundreds or thousands of acres of land only need two or three people to manage. I think we're still young, if we have the opportunity to learn more knowledge, can't we use the knowledge we've learned to create more value in the future?"

  "Uh-huh, National Day, I think your idea makes sense, but it's not easy for Dad to arrange for us to come back. The wind direction has changed a bit now, but who knows if it will change again?"

  "I feel that it won't work, today I also saw that Old Ye is still more supportive of Grandpa Deng, if Grandpa Deng can make a comeback, the focus of work will definitely change, in the future it will inevitably consider the economy and people's livelihoods more, even if there are problems, I think cultured workers must be better than uncultured workers, right? (most stable)"

  "That's right, but you know our situation, Shuang Xi is still so young, after the New Year I'll have to go back to work immediately, Dad's job is very busy as you know, and Guo Li is just a half-grown child, it's not easy to take care of her..."

  "This is also what I'm worried about, I think Grandpa Deng said that the college entrance examination will definitely change within a year. I want to start preparing now, after all, the books have been thrown away for many years. Now if you ask me to repair the earth, I'll definitely be a good hand, and I won't be outdone by anyone in terms of effort. Otherwise, you wouldn't have looked down on me back then." As they recalled the days of struggling on that black land, the couple couldn't help but fall into those warm memories together.

  "Ah, I'm so thirsty..."

  "Shuang Xi woke up, hurry up and take a look, you guys are really something, letting such a young child drink what kind of wine...” Zhu Wen Hua heard his son's voice and hurriedly got out of bed to take a look.

  "You little brat, really! When adults tell you to drink, just drink!" Zhu Wenhua said with a hint of blame while pouring water and finding a towel for Liu Shuangxi to wipe his face.

  "Mom, that's what Grandpa Deng told me to drink, besides it was just a little bit." Speaking of Liu Shuangxi, he was quite wronged. Today was his first time seeing the old man, and he couldn't help but be a little excited, although in his past life he had seen him before, but each time he was so nervous that he didn't even dare to speak. Moreover, he really hadn't expected that his current body was still quite fragile and not suitable for drinking. If he thought about the few satellites he released after getting drunk, now he really didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

  After a while, Liu Shuangxi recovered, and Liu Guoqing felt that his son couldn't be evaluated like an ordinary child. He carried him to the bed and asked seriously, "Son, do you know what Grandpa Deng and the others said today? What do you think if Dad starts preparing for the high school entrance exam now?"

  Dad is going to take the college entrance exam? Has this ever happened before? In his previous life, after he was born, Dad worked hard for a few years and was evaluated as a model worker. He was then promoted to a cadre and in '82 was transferred to a small county town in Northeast China to become a small village head. However, due to his low cultural level, it took him over a decade of struggling to get promoted to the position of vice mayor in a southern provincial capital city. This was also related to Grandpa Liu Dongfang's early death from illness. Unfortunately, this good fortune did not last long. In the great flood of '98, Dad and Mom were on their way to work when they got into a car accident, which completely ruined the fortunes of the Liu family.

  If Dad were to take the college entrance exam, wouldn't his life trajectory change a bit? Well, since heaven gave me a second chance, I must change the past. (Liu Shuangxi's father-in-law, Zhao Lao, who only appeared in the prologue, muttered: "It wasn't heaven, it was me who let you live again.")

  "Dad, I don't see a problem. Didn't Grandpa Deng say this afternoon that the country can only progress by relying on talent? I think he's very determined and said it very clearly. To let him come back, the first thing to do is to restore the college entrance examination. Besides, your foundation isn't bad, at least you're much stronger than Little Aunt."

  "Haha, that's true too, I've even taught my son to recite 'A Record of Yueyang Tower'."

  Come on, you only recited it twice for me, can't I memorize it myself? In my past life, I also had to recite it dozens of times before I could remember it.

  "But I was just talking to your mom, look at our situation, we both need to work now, and you're still young, there's no one at home to take care of you. Not only do I need to study for the college entrance exam, but I also want your mom to prepare herself."

  "National Day, my affairs are not urgent, let alone my foundation is similar to yours. Even if I study for one or two years and take the university exam, it's still difficult." His wife, Zhu Wen Hua, was also moved by her husband's words, after all, in that era, going to university was still a dream for many people.

  "Dad, then you'd better get ready first. Since mom thinks the foundation is poor, let's study for two more years. If you do well, you can also tutor mom. As for me, when did I ever make you worry?" Liu Shuangxi heard that his mom was also preparing to take the university exam, which was unprecedented in their past life. But his father was worried about himself and couldn't help but say a couple of sarcastic remarks.

  "Uh-huh, my son is the most awesome, haha. Tomorrow I'll go to Guoli's place and find a few books to take a look first, review some junior high school knowledge, and then find a teacher to systematically learn more about the high school curriculum. These past few years in the countryside have been okay, there are still several older brothers and sisters who have taught me some knowledge."

  "Dad, it's not just you who should learn, but also bring along your little sister. I think she's having a hard time studying." Liu Shuangxi's younger sister, Liu Guoli, also took the college entrance exam in '77, but back then it was really like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge. The difficulty of getting into college was far higher than taking the graduate school exam in my previous life. As a result, Liu Guoli didn't get in even after taking the exam for two years and ended up working in a factory. She got married to a worker in '80, but the couple wasn't harmonious and got divorced in '85. After remarrying a classmate from back then and starting a business, the couple's life turned out okay. Liu Shuangxi suddenly thought of this and hoped to change his little sister's future life. If she could get into college, maybe she could avoid some of the setbacks that shouldn't happen in life.

  "Hmm, you're right. Guo Li hasn't been to school properly all these years, and even if she did, there's no one to teach her classes. It's rare that she's willing to learn now, I believe as long as she works hard, there will definitely be results. The two of us can prepare together and also keep an eye on each other." Liu Guoqing thought his son's suggestion was simply great, after all, in those days, textbooks and teachers were extremely scarce resources.

  After Liu Guoqing and his wife discussed, the old Liu family began to study together in a tense atmosphere of preparing for the exam. Of course, the highlight was that parents and aunts were occasionally educated by our Double Happiness Brother's small stories from time to time.