The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 131 - 130: The College Entrance Examination Is Reinstated

Chapter 131: Chapter 130: The College Entrance Examination Is Reinstated

At the end of October 1977, news suddenly broke that the college entrance exam was being reinstated.

This threw everyone into an uproar, especially Xue Yue, who was completely stunned.

She circled Xue Xingzhou several times and teased, "Big Brother, you can tell the future, can’t you?"

Xue Xingzhou gave Xue Yue a lazy glance. "The exam is back. How’s your studying going? Did you finish last night’s practice test?"

Xue Yue’s eyes darted around, and she stuck out her tongue.

"Uncle, Mommy didn’t finish last night because Daddy carried her to bed. I saw everything," Ruanruan tattled from beside them.

Xue Yue’s face flushed red, and her eyes darted about.

Xue Xingzhou shook his head at Xue Yue. "Tsk, tsk," he chided. "You two should be more careful. Try to keep the not-for-kids stuff away from the child. Besides, the exam is just around the corner. Don’t go making another baby right now."

Xue Yue froze for a second, then said awkwardly, "Brother, what are you thinking? He Lang just didn’t want me to read at night. He said it’s bad for my eyes, so he—"

Xue Xingzhou held up a hand. "No need to give me the details."

Xue Yue gritted her teeth. "I told you, it wasn’t like that! He Lang just carried me to bed."

Xue Xingzhou nodded blandly. "Oh." But his expression clearly showed he didn’t believe her.

Xue Yue repeated, "It’s true."

Xue Xingzhou let out another lazy "Oh."

Xue Yue: "..."

She cracked her knuckles. ’Why won’t he believe me? It makes me want to punch him!’

Over at the educated youth settlement, no one could sit still. Everyone started writing letters home, asking their families to send them their high school textbooks.

However, Wang Shumin received her high school textbooks that very afternoon, along with several sets of practice exercises. Of course, this was because the Wang family had gotten the news a few days earlier than everyone else. The moment Li Wanqing heard the exam was back on, she immediately mailed the books to Wang Shumin.

Yang Xiaoxia couldn’t spare a thought for her two children. She rushed back to her parents’ house and started rummaging around for her old high school textbooks.

He Nan’s daughter, He Ziqing, was already a young woman of twenty. She had graduated from high school the year before last and had been helping with chores at home ever since. Now, she too began to study.

When Gu Yuwei heard the news, she was absolutely ecstatic. ’Even the heavens must have taken pity on me!’ For the past few months, she had made countless trips to town to contact her family, but whether she called or sent letters, she got no response. Just when she was about to give up, the college entrance exam was reinstated.

She was also a high school graduate, but it had been many years since she’d finished school, and she had probably forgotten most of what she’d learned. All she needed now were high school textbooks to review.

’No books. What do I do?’

She was so anxious she paced back and forth.

He Ze held their child and tried to comfort her. "If you don’t have textbooks, then just let it go. We’re married now, and we have a child. Even if you get into a university, what about me and the baby? Xiao Yu is still so little. Besides, you might not even pass the exam."

But Gu Yuwei couldn’t hear a word he said. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of the exam and returning home.

She grabbed He Ze’s arm, her eyes full of pleading. "He Ze, can you help me find a set of high school textbooks? I’m begging you. I have to take this exam. If I can get into a university, I’ll take you and our daughter back to the city with me."

He Ze was stunned for a moment. Seeing her desperate expression, he wasn’t so naive. "Take us back to the city with you? Are you crazy? Even if you go to university and bring us to the city, neither of us will have an income. What will we eat and drink? Besides, I’ve already told you I don’t agree to you taking the exam. Think about your position now. You’re my wife and Xiao Yu’s mother. You have a family to think about. Is it really appropriate for you to be taking the college entrance exam?"

Gu Yuwei angrily shook off his arm and shouted, "Why can’t I take it? I’m from the city to begin with! All these years, I’ve dreamed of going back. I only stayed here because I had no other choice. Does getting married and having a child mean I can’t take an exam anymore? If I had known it would be like this, I would have rather not gotten married and not had a child! Then you wouldn’t be holding me back now!"

He Ze’s face turned cold. "So you finally admit it. Are you going to say that marrying me and having my child was also something you were forced into? I’ve seen it clearly these past few months. You’re always trying to find ways to contact your family. Isn’t it because you want to go back? The moment you find a way, you’ll just abandon me and our daughter and leave without a second thought."

Tears welling in her eyes, Gu Yuwei shook her head. "I never said I didn’t want you both. I—I just want to go back. This isn’t the life I want. I just want to take you back with me to live a better life."

"*You’re* the one who wants a better life. I think our life right now is perfectly fine. Isn’t it good for a family to be peaceful and stable?"

Gu Yuwei felt it was pointless to argue with He Ze, so she ran out of the house. She ran all the way to the educated youth settlement, hoping to borrow books from them. But everyone was short on books right now. Aside from Wang Shumin, no one had any; some were still waiting for theirs to arrive in the mail. With only a little over a month between the announcement and the exam, there was no time to waste.

Swallowing her pride, Gu Yuwei lowered her head and went to ask Wang Shumin.

Wang Shumin looked at her coldly and said, "I only have one set, and I’ve already promised to share it with the others. You should ask someone else." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

After being rejected, Gu Yuwei had no choice but to go to the He family home.

She knew that He Ziqing had also graduated from high school and would have her textbooks.

He Ziqing refused her outright. "I need to use them myself. I can’t lend them to you."

Gu Yuwei persisted, "I’ll just borrow two. As soon as I finish them, I’ll trade them back for others. I won’t hold you up."

He Ziqing shook her head. "I don’t *want* to lend them to you." It wasn’t a matter of ’can’t’, but ’won’t’. He Ziqing had grown up with He Zichen and He Ziyang from the family’s second branch. Now that she was older, she understood things. She had seen her Second Aunt’s suffering and the hardships Little Chen and Xiao Yang faced. That was why she would never lend anything to Gu Yuwei—the woman who had left Little Chen and Xiao Yang fatherless.

Gu Yuwei wanted to plead further, but He Ziqing had already gone back inside and shut the door.

With no other options, Gu Yuwei returned home, completely dejected.

The moment she got home, she threw herself onto the bed and began to sob loudly. Her cries sounded so desolate that in the end, He Ze’s heart softened. He couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

"Alright, stop crying. I’ll go to the factory tomorrow and ask around to see if anyone has a spare set of textbooks. If I really can’t find any, then there’s nothing more I can do."

Hearing this, Gu Yuwei looked up at He Ze, her face streaked with tears. He Ze’s gaze wavered for a moment before he tossed her the handkerchief he used to wipe Xiao Yu’s drool. "Wipe your tears. Don’t scare the child."

She took it and, with red-rimmed eyes, threw herself into He Ze’s arms. "Thank you, thank you."

He Ze didn’t hug her back. He just felt a hole in his heart, a cold draft seeping through.

Ten days later, registration began. In addition to Xue Yue, Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian also signed up.

Xue Yue hadn’t asked her brother about his plans. "Big Brother, don’t you have a job? Why are you taking the exam too? If you go to university, what will happen to your job?"

Xue Xingzhou shrugged. "I’ll just quit, I guess."

"Huh?" Xue Yue thought it was a huge waste. A police officer’s job wasn’t something just anyone could get.

Zhang Qian, however, said nonchalantly, "If you can really go to university, who cares about your current job? You’ll naturally get another one after you graduate. Besides, it’s not like he’s quit yet. You have to at least pass the exam first before thinking about that."

Xue Xingzhou nodded.