Chapter 125

Chapter 125

During the period of waiting for the college entrance examination results, Tang Qingqing allowed herself a rare moment of relaxation, spending each day eating, drinking, and playing around with Tang Xiaoxiao.

Tang Xiaoxiao was born and raised in Yang City, and her relatives and friends were all locals, making her very familiar with the city.

She led Tang Qingqing on a tour of Yang City, giving her a general understanding of the place.

In the two years since Tang Qingqing had come to Yang City, she had been either busy studying or working. Although her work took her to various places, her mind was always preoccupied, and she mostly stayed within fixed areas, so her knowledge of the city remained limited.

Now that reforms had been in place for several years, private shops were increasingly common on the streets, and small vendors thrived everywhere, creating a bustling scene.

Although resources were still scarce and many items required coupons for purchase, the situation was much better than it had been in the early days.

Tang Xiaoxiao: "Yang City has changed dramatically in recent years. My relatives from other places say they can hardly recognize it when they visit."

Tang Qingqing also deeply felt this change; although she was usually busy, she wasn't completely isolated.

While others anxiously awaited their exam results, Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Qingqing were having a blast, completely forgetting about the matter.

On the day the results were released, the two of them hadn't even realized what was happening and had gone out early in the morning to play.

When they returned, they found out that the results had already been announced.

As soon as Tang Qingqing and Tang Xiaoxiao entered the residential compound, they were stopped by someone.

"Oh, why did you only come back now? The college entrance exam results are out!"

"Qingqing, hurry home! You did exceptionally well, ranking second in your school and eighth in the city!"

Before they could react, Tang Xiaoxiao's mother pushed through the crowd, grinning widely.

"My goodness, you're such a carefree girl, running around on the day the results came out! You've passed! You can go to a junior college!"

Tang Xiaoxiao's mother shouted loudly, afraid that anyone might miss it.

Not only were others surprised, but even Tang Xiaoxiao's mother hadn't expected her daughter to be so accomplished.

Although Tang Xiaoxiao had made significant progress under Tang Qingqing's guidance over the past two years, moving from the bottom of her class to the middle, she still wasn't particularly outstanding.

Based on Tang Xiaoxiao's grades, the family had predicted that she would likely get into a vocational high school if she performed normally.

A vocational high school diploma carried considerable weight, as graduates were guaranteed job placements. Getting into one was far more desirable than relying on family connections to enter a factory.

No one could have imagined that Tang Xiaoxiao would be so ambitious, directly securing a spot at a junior college, becoming a university student!

The family had seen Tang Xiaoxiao's efforts over the past half year but didn't want to put too much pressure on her during the exams, so they didn't ask about her performance.

After the exams, when Tang Xiaoxiao went out to play, they didn't say anything, thinking that if she didn't pass, at least she would be in a better mood.

They had prepared themselves for the worst, never expecting that Tang Xiaoxiao would get into a junior college!

Tang Xiaoxiao was escorted home by her family, while Tang Qingqing returned to her own house, immediately feeling the joyous atmosphere.

Tang Jixue: "That's my sister! Truly impressive!"

Others also offered their congratulations. Although everyone in the family except Tang Jixue was a university graduate, Tang Qingqing was the only one who had achieved this after the restoration of the college entrance exams.

Moreover, her grades were unmatched by the others, making her achievement especially significant.

Tang Qingqing herself was quite surprised. While her usual grades were good enough to keep her in the top ten of her grade, breaking into the top three was extremely difficult. She often hovered between fifth and sixth place, sometimes even dropping to ninth or tenth.

The closer one got to the top, the harder it became to advance, with every point being precious.

Tang Qingqing hadn't expected to perform so well on the college entrance exams, directly entering the top three with scores close to the top.

She guessed that her positive mindset played a crucial role.

The annual college entrance exam is a life-changing test for many. While failing means the option to retake it the following year, not everyone has the ability or mental preparation to do so.

Therefore, everyone takes it very seriously, sometimes leading to nervousness and poor performance during the exam.

The hot weather also adds to the stress, affecting one's state of mind during the exam.

In contrast, Tang Qingqing maintained a calm attitude towards each exam, avoiding unnecessary mistakes due to tension, thus performing at her best.

That evening, the Tang family celebrated with a grand dinner for Tang Qingqing.

After dinner, Tang Xiaoxiao's mother and grandmother brought her to the Tang family's home, carrying numerous gifts.

Before Tang Jianguo could speak, Tang's grandmother said:

"Director Tang, these gifts aren't for you but for Qingqing!"

She announced this loudly at the gate, unafraid of others overhearing.

Seeing people looking over, she added, "Everyone knows what my granddaughter used to be like. Thanks to being a factory worker's child, she managed to attend high school. Now, she's going to a junior college! It's all thanks to Qingqing's help with tutoring. Without her, I'd be grateful if my granddaughter could get into a vocational high school!"

Tang Xiaoxiao stood beside her parents, slightly embarrassed, casting a helpless glance at Tang Qingqing.

She wanted to express her gratitude publicly, letting everyone know how great her friend was.

However, doing so felt awkward. Despite Tang Qingqing being a prominent figure, she preferred to remain low-key, only her actions preventing her from doing so.

Su Rong stepped forward: "Look at you, Qingqing and Xiaoxiao are friends, helping each other is natural. There's no need for all this."

But Tang's grandmother insisted: "For us, Qingqing is a great benefactor. We don't know how else to show our gratitude, so we brought some food for her."

Grandma Tang said to the people nearby as she spoke, "Everyone, tell me, this isn't considered bribery, right?"

"How could this be considered bribery! Director Tang, we all see it clearly."

"Grandma Tang is just happy. Director Tang, don't stop it. This is for Qingqing, not for you."

"That's right. Everyone is watching. Today, this has nothing to do with you."

Mom Tang said, "Nowadays, sending children to tutoring classes costs a lot of money, and there's no guarantee of results. The good relationship between the children is their own business. As elders, if we know our child has benefited, we must show our gratitude. Director Tang, everyone knows your principles, but this isn't aimed at you. If it were anyone else, we would still come to express our thanks."

Getting into college nowadays is not easy. For someone like Tang Xiaoxiao, who was a poor student, to get in is even rarer.

It's no wonder the Tang family is so happy; it's truly unexpected. This is more surprising than Tang Qingqing ranking eighth in the city.

After all, Tang Qingqing has always been excellent, so her result wasn't surprising. Tang Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was never expected to achieve much, which makes it even more exciting.

Today, the Tang family set off firecrackers at their doorstep, wishing Tang Xiaoxiao could parade around the compound wearing a big red flower, announcing the news far and wide.

Ever since Tang Xiaoxiao gained weight from taking medication after her illness, the Tang family had heard plenty of gossip. Now that she has succeeded, they couldn't help but show off a bit.

The Tang family knew their limits. Although they brought many gifts, they weren't particularly expensive—mostly food items like milk powder and fruits, things that ordinary families would give during holidays or visits.

Therefore, Tang Jianguo didn't say anything and let Tang Qingqing accept the gifts.

Apart from giving gifts to Tang Qingqing, the Tang family also handed out candies to the onlookers, celebrating their daughter's success.

This made the gift-giving to Tang Qingqing seem less special.

Not long after the Tang family left, another group came looking for Tang Qingqing, but with a completely different purpose and expressions opposite to those of the Tang family.

When Tang Qingqing came out, the leading middle-aged woman suddenly knelt down in front of her, startling Tang Qingqing.

Tang Qingqing had never seen such a scene before and was momentarily stunned.

Su Rong, who worked in the labor union and often did ideological work, quickly reacted and helped the woman up.

"Speak properly. Don't kneel down like that. My daughter is young and can't handle this."

Tang Jianxue protected Tang Qingqing behind him and asked, "What do you want from my sister?"

The woman cried as she said, "My son is missing. Please, Master Tang, help me find my son. I'll do anything if you can find him!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately understood.

Everyone knew about Tang Qingqing's abilities. In the past two years, she had assisted the Public Security Bureau in solving many cases. Though she hadn't publicized it, such matters couldn't be kept secret.

There were many people in the factory whose relatives or friends worked in the police force, so they knew how renowned and skilled Tang Qingqing was.

Especially in tracking, Tang Qingqing was an expert.

In the past two years, Tang Qingqing had helped find countless missing children and recover lost property.

Just in their Machinery Plant alone, Tang Qingqing had caught several thieves. Now, outsiders knew that stealing from the Machinery Plant was risky, and even if successful, getting caught was highly likely, so fewer thieves came here.

If Tang Qingqing hadn't tried hard to keep a low profile and the police hadn't known she was studying and helped protect her privacy, her door would have been flooded with visitors.

These days were not safe, with frequent thefts and kidnappings, and limited police resources often made recovery difficult.

Knowing someone capable like Tang Qingqing, people naturally hoped she could help.

This wasn't the first time someone had directly sought her help at home. These people weren't disbelieving the police but were desperate to find their children sooner with additional help.

Tang Qingqing led them inside and asked for details.

"Have you reported it to the police?"

"Yes, yes, but we've searched for a day without any news. I'm scared and thought you might help. Master Tang, you're an expert, please..."

Li Guifen was about to kneel again, but Tang Qingqing stopped her.

"Please call me Comrade Tang. Tell me the details. I will help if I can."

Li Guifen was trembling, pale, obviously struggling to stay composed.

Without finding her child, she couldn't afford to break down.

Hearing this, Li Guifen quickly took out a photo from her pocket. "This is my son, Qian Xin! He disappeared after school. We thought he was playing with his classmates, but he didn't return home until nightfall. That's when we realized he was gone!"

Tang Qingqing took the photo and immediately recognized the boy as the one she and Tang Xiaoxiao had seen at the Sichuan restaurant, the one with the 'rich kid' demeanor.