Chapter 95: Uninvited Guest

Chapter 95: Uninvited Guest

Tang Xiang reluctantly went out, her face long and her steps dragging with resentment.

When she thought she was the only one who had traveled through time, she felt superior to Tang Yuan, which made her look down on her.

Even when Tang Yuan became the factory manager, she didn't feel inferior despite her lack of achievements; she firmly believed she would get into University Jin.

But now she strongly suspected that Tang Yuan had also traveled through time, and was even her step-sister from her previous life, which gave her a subtle sense of grievance and jealousy.

Why should Tang Yuan be better at studies in reality and have a better life after traveling through time?

As an older sister, shouldn't Tang Yuan give way to her?

In the real world, Tang Yuan hated her father and stepmother so much that she even involved her. She was clearly Tang Yuan's biological younger sister, yet Tang Yuan showed no sense of familial duty towards her.

After traveling through time, didn't Tang Yuan feel anything when she saw her?

The protagonist, Tang Xiang, shared the same name as her sister; didn't she have any thoughts about it?

Oh, she did.

Tang Xiang remembered the year Tang Yuan suddenly went crazy and beat her up as soon as she returned from her second sister's house.

Ha, she hated her.

They walked to the edge of the farmland, where they had harvested corn and planted wheat. The wheat was already a foot tall, and the new green shoots on the yellowish-brown soil made her feel gloomy.

"Speak up, what do you want?" Tang Xiang's tone was sharp.

Tang Yuan said coolly, "Aren't you the one who has something to say to me? You tried to incite Accountant Xia, but she didn't fall for it. Tell me, what exactly do you want? Stop trying to probe around; I don't have the patience."

Tang Xiang's former sense of superiority vanished, leaving her only with grievance and anger. She couldn't help but ask, "Have you traveled through time?"

Tang Yuan raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Traveled through time? What does that mean?"

Tang Xiang was instantly confused again. "You, you haven't traveled through time?"

Seeing the mocking expression on Tang Yuan's face, she suddenly understood. "You, you're mocking me!"

Tang Yuan: "I haven't said anything. I'm listening to you."

Tang Xiang felt a sense of powerlessness and instantly lost her fighting spirit. All along, she had treated Tang Yuan as her rival, always trying to compete with her.

But in reality, whether in the modern world or after traveling through time, she was never a match for Tang Yuan.

In her past life, Tang Yuan didn't even want to see her, and now she acted as if they had nothing to do with each other.

A surge of anger rose in her heart. "I hate you!"

Tang Yuan shrugged. "Do you have a younger brother?"

Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Tang Xiang was thrown off balance. "What?"

Tang Yuan said coolly, "You should have a younger brother. Your mother used to dote on you, but after he was born, you were pushed aside. You felt unbalanced and dared not confront your parents and brother, so you took me as your rival. We've only met twice, and there was no real conflict. I only had a little living allowance each month, while most of his earnings went to your family. I don't know why you have such hatred towards me."

Tang Yuan denied it outright. "That's not true. My mother treats me and my brother equally, without favoring boys over girls."

Tang Yuan responded with an indifferent "Oh." "You have dear parents and a brother. After traveling through time, you only hate me and are angry, but you don't miss them?"

Tang Yuan smiled without agreeing. If her grandparents were still alive, she would never have agreed to travel through time. Even if she did, she wouldn't have left them behind and would have wanted to return.

Did Tang Xiang look like someone who missed her parents and brother?

Tang Xiang's face turned red and then white, finally becoming furious. "You, who doesn't have parents, know nothing!"

After saying this, she saw the pained expression on Tang Yuan's face and felt a sense of satisfaction.

Tang Yuan lowered her eyelashes and smiled. "Yes, I have no memory of my mother, no father, and my beloved grandparents have passed away. I had nothing to hold onto in that world, so I was happy to travel through time. Now I have a home."

She paused, her gaze coldly fixed on Tang Xiang. "I don't care if you want to make a big splash or whatever. Stay away from me and don't target the people around me. Accountant Xia is the last time. If you do it again, I won't be nice to you."

Tang Xiang instinctively took a step back, shivering. "W-What do you mean by 'not being nice'?"

Tang Yuan's lips curled into an evil smile, intimidating her. "You know I have connections with many foreign businessmen, some of whom are quite close to me. If you provoke me, I'll nail you in a box and send you to a black labor camp abroad, where you'll have nowhere to turn for help."

Tang Xiang's face changed color in fear. In both her past and present lives, she was just a dreamer with no real action.

For example, she envied Tang Yuan but only dared to speak ill of her to her parents or write stories to vilify her; she never dared to challenge her face-to-face.

Being sent to a black labor camp was a terrifying prospect that made her feel suffocated just thinking about it.

Tang Yuan: "So, you'd better stay in the classroom and study. Don't cause any trouble. Once you get into university, go find Song Huazhang and stay away from me."

Tang Yuan never considered the possibility that Tang Xiang might not get into university. She assumed that since the original protagonist in the book smoothly entered University Jin, Tang Xiang would too, after all, they were the same person.

Seeing Tang Xiang's face turn pale with fear, Tang Yuan knew she had succeeded in scaring her and turned to leave.

Tang Xiang trembled all over, both angry and scared, but she didn't dare to say anything threatening, fearing that Tang Yuan might really harm her.

She imagined Tang Yuan having her harmed, dismembered, and thrown into a biogas pit, where she would likely turn into sludge.

She shuddered violently.

She didn't truly understand Tang Yuan. The Tang Yuan she knew was the one she had imagined—a domineering, cold-blooded, ungrateful, and ruthless person.

She might really take action against her.

After all, two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain. As a time traveler, how could Tang Yuan allow another time traveler to exist?

She turned and ran back to the classroom, immediately pulling out her review materials to study intensely.

Although she disliked studying, in order to stay away from the dangerous element that was Tang Yuan, she had to study hard and strive to get into university, leaving the perilous place of Tangjia Village.

Tong Xue glanced at her, "What did she want from you?"

Tang Xiang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, replied with a sharp voice, "What's it got to do with you! Hurry up and study!"

Tong Xue pursed her lips, realizing that Tang Yuan hadn't given her any additional review materials, so she let it go.

On this side, the students were studying day and night, while at the cannery, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen were also working on problems.

Unlike others who frantically flipped through all their textbooks and tried to solve every problem they could find, they focused on the key points.

Going through the exam outline provided by Ji Hongyue, they could generally follow along, and a quick flip through the books was enough.

Math, physics, and chemistry were relatively simple overall, which was a piece of cake for Feng Chen.

Although he didn't study Chinese history or politics in the post-apocalyptic world, his knowledge of Chinese language, math, physics, and chemistry was not only similar but even more extensive.

So now he mainly focused on reviewing and memorizing political content.

During this period, they shipped goods to Ivan's father, followed by batches to Yamaguchi and Lin Fulong, then took the three-day exams from December 10th to 12th.

After the exams, Tang Yuan originally planned to rest well with Feng Chen, finish shipping a few batches of goods before the New Year, and then take a trip nearby.

In the cold weather, Feng's mother and Mother Tang didn't like going out, but Tang Yuan enjoyed taking walks with Feng Chen, combining economic research with tourism.

However, just as they were planning their trip, an unexpected visitor arrived.

It was President Yamaguchi and his secretary Sato, without the translator Wu Chaoqun.

The two actually drove themselves over, in a familiar-looking car, which seemed to belong to the provincial government's foreign affairs bureau.

They probably rented it.

Previously, Tang Yuan had discreetly suggested to the foreign affairs bureau that they shouldn't cater so much to foreign businessmen, and if they provided transportation, they should charge a fee or rent cars to them.

Charge a bit more, so they would return them promptly.

Upon hearing the new secretary's report, Tang Yuan quickly went downstairs to greet them, walking forward with a smile to shake hands with Yamaguchi. She greeted him in Japanese, expressing her insincere sincerity, "Why did you come here yourself, Mr. Yamaguchi? You should have called us, and we would have come to pick you up."

She then shook hands with Sato, welcoming them for their visit.

Sato: "We dare not, we dare not."

Their attitude was much more humble now, with none of the previous superficial politeness and arrogance.

Tang Yuan invited them to the reception room and had someone bring tea and small snacks.

These two had traveled a long distance and were likely hungry, but it wasn't mealtime yet, so some light snacks would help tide them over.

Feng Yi and the other educated youths had gone to study, as they were selected based on Tang Yuan's standards from the county high school—serious about studies and honest in character, not the type of students who just muddled through. Naturally, those she chose would all participate in the college entrance exams.

So now the secretary was temporarily replaced by a clever and intelligent girl from her own team, who learned quickly with a little guidance.

There were two girls in total; one of them loved to research cooking and often went to the canteen to help the small landlord make pastries, creating different pastries for Tang Yuan and Feng's mother every day.

Things like jujube paste yam cake, red date cake, hawthorn jujube cake, egg cake, peach crisp, and so on, they could all make.

Soon, the tea and sweets were served.

Today there was even red sugar sticky rice cake, indicating that the small landlord had started researching southern pastries again.

Tang Yuan smiled and invited Yamaguchi and Sato to eat something light, "The kitchen is already preparing dinner. We'll go eat first, and then arrange accommodation for you two. If you don't mind, you can stay at our factory's guesthouse."

Yamaguchi smiled, "How could we dare, we are only grateful and have no complaints at all."

Both sides put on a show, and Tang Yuan accompanied them in eating a couple of pastries, then asked the young secretary to call Feng Chen over.

When Feng Chen arrived, Yamaguchi and Sato shook hands and bowed deeply, asking after the old lady's well-being and presenting gifts, performing the visiting etiquette perfectly.

Tang Xiang almost rolled her eyes; were they still practicing gender discrimination?

Why didn't they take out the gifts until Feng Chen arrived?

Do you think I won't throw... your orders will be too small, and I'll throw you out!

I have plenty of customers now and don't need the two of you.

Yamaguchi and Sato indeed showed more respect to Feng Chen, engaging in the typical male formalities, both hypocritical and humble.

Feng Chen, however, remained expressionless, his demeanor calm and composed, showing no reaction to their polite bows and greetings.

Seeing Feng Chen, they spoke frankly, no longer pretending to be hungry or eager to eat the snacks and drink tea. They wanted to do business with the farm, placing large orders for ecological meat cans and vacuum-packed cold-smoked meat.

Feng Chen and Tang Yuan exchanged a meaningful look, understanding each other perfectly. They immediately realized that Yamaguchi had been spurred on by Yamaguchi.

Japan is a small country, and major families or corporations often have business dealings with each other. Yamaguchi and Yamaguchi knew each other and had some overlapping business interests.

It's likely that Yamaguchi found out that Yamaguchi had signed a long-term contract with the Chinese ecological farm, with a significant transaction amount, and feared that Yamaguchi would outpace him by leveraging China's high-quality and affordable ecological meat to surpass his meat brands in supermarkets. So he hurried over.

To be honest, Yamaguchi was quite arrogant at heart. When doing business with the Provincial Cannery, he always placed small orders, kept the prices low, and made many demands, always trying to add various services.

He had tasted an ecological meat can once and later wanted hundreds of samples to give to distributors to see if it was worth establishing a long-term relationship.

Tang Yuan always refused, saying that the farm's cannery was small, and the cans were made according to customer requirements, with no extra stock available.

Yamaguchi and Sato also came to China last year, ostensibly to do business but secretly gathering information on China's political and economic conditions.

They still wanted to visit the eco-farm.

Tang Yuan declined on behalf of Secretary Wen, citing national mourning, making sure they wouldn't easily get a tour of China's eco-farm.

Secretary Wen discovered that Sato spoke fluent English, while Yamaguchi could converse in everyday Chinese and understood it quite well.

Secretary Wen felt quite uncomfortable when he mentioned this to Tang Yuan, finding Yamaguchi too arrogant.

After all, many factories in the country had trained English-speaking talents, but there was no specialized training for Japanese. In earlier years, schools taught Russian, and only later switched to English. It was already difficult to cultivate English-speaking talents, let alone have the conditions to train Japanese speakers.

This time, Sato and Yamaguchi came over, with Sato speaking English and Yamaguchi occasionally throwing in a sentence in Chinese.

In the evening, Tang Yuan specially invited Tang Bingde, Secretary Liu, Dad Tang, Mother Tang, and Aunt Feng to have dinner together, to meet Sato and Yamaguchi and broaden their horizons.

Having met people like Tanaka, they should also meet someone like Yamaguchi.

Moreover, with so many people dining together, Yamaguchi wouldn't be able to play the emotional card, trying to use the deep friendship formed with Feng Chen and Tang Yuan at the Provincial Cannery to secure a big order and squeeze out Mr. Tanaka.

Aunt Feng was particularly savvy, urging Secretary Liu, Tang Bingde, and Dad Tang to take turns drinking with Sato and Yamaguchi, getting both of them quite drunk.

The Japanese were also fond of drinking sessions, enjoying men boasting and drinking heavily, usually ending up quite tipsy.

In the middle of the night, Sato woke up thirsty, holding his throbbing head as he got up to find water.

The guesthouse had electric lights and a special green lampshade, giving it a vintage feel.

He pulled the light cord, turning on the light, and at the same time, Yamaguchi in the suite also woke up.

Sato, enduring his thirst, first mixed some water from the thermos and brought it to Yamaguchi.

Sato gulped it down in a few swallows, muttering, "Bakayarou."

Sato also whispered, "The Chinese are cunning."

Yamaguchi: "It seems playing the emotional card won't work; we can only go for practical benefits."

What practical benefits? Naturally, the price.

He wanted to monopolize the export of eco-meat to Japan, making Tanaka his distributor rather than an equal.

Unfortunately, Tanaka was also a sly fox, and they hadn't managed to find out the price Tanaka had agreed upon with the eco-farm.

Perhaps... they should stay a few more days, tour the farm, and then quietly ask the accountant or secretary here?

Young girls, after all, couldn't resist being charmed by a young, capable, and handsome foreign man.

Yamaguchi signaled for Sato to gather more information from the cannery workers.

Sato: "Hai!"

The next morning, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, as usual, put on their sportswear to go jogging, just as they saw Sato, dressed in a bright and fashionable branded tracksuit, coming downstairs.

Sato greeted them enthusiastically.

Feng Chen nodded, only saying, "Good morning."

Tang Yuan: "Mr. Sato, did you sleep well?"

Sato smiled, "With your thoughtful and warm hospitality, we feel right at home. The bedding has the scent of sunshine, and the room has a fresh aroma. Speaking of which, I think I've smelled this fragrance before at a health spa in Japan."

Ever since learning that Tanaka was importing eco-meat from China, Yamaguchi had instructed him to conduct a series of investigations.

They naturally came over quickly after thoroughly investigating.

Based on their estimation, the scale of China's eco-farm was limited, and the amount of meat produced would also be limited. If Tanaka imported too much, their share would decrease.

Such a high-quality and affordable product, if they didn't do the business and their competitor did, they would feel humiliated.

Especially since they had deliberately suppressed Chinese products for years to protect domestic enterprises, and Tanaka had broken this unwritten rule by actively importing Chinese products, putting pressure on domestic brands—how foolish and malicious!

Thinking from another perspective, importing Chinese meat could reduce the burden on domestic enterprises, allowing them to focus their energy and resources on developing more advanced products.

Since it was inevitable, they couldn't fall behind and had to surpass Tanaka.

Breakfast was very hearty. Tang Yuan had the canteen prepare fish and tofu soup, small steamed buns, mushroom buns, fried sausages, cold smoked meat, and farm-produced hawthorn jam and juice for Sato and Yamaguchi.

It opened their appetites early in the morning.

Yamaguchi had been suffering from poor appetite due to internal heat during his stay in China, but once he arrived at the farm, he ate heartily, feeling quite embarrassed.

Was it his fate to have such a connection with China's eco-farm?

Or was it his connection with Feng Chen and Tang Yuan?

Thinking about this, he smiled and said to Feng Chen and Tang Yuan, "Although we only met once before, we formed a deep friendship. I often think of both of you, and every time, I am impressed by your charm."

Tang Yuan was impressed.

What charm did she and Feng Chen have during their last meeting?

Well, Feng Chen had it, tall, handsome, and cool, but her? She was just a rural girl, maybe a bit educated, not bad-looking, but not particularly charming.

Clearly, this old man was being quite hypocritical for business.

Tang Yuan was even more hypocritical, "I still remember the sakura song Mr. Yamaguchi sang." She hummed a couple of lines, causing Yamaguchi's eyes to well up.

Yamaguchi: "Tang-san is a true friend."

Tang Yuan: "Our farm has many cherry trees. Although they're different from your sakura, they bear sweet and sour fruits, which we can make into cherry jam and wine. They taste delicious."

At noon, they savored the sweet cherry wine.

Any sweet fruit wine is actually sweetened; pure fruit fermentation results in a tart and spicy taste.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Yamaguchi inquired about Tanaka's purchase price.

Tang Yuan smiled and said, "Mr. Yamaguchi, you have also toured our farm. Our production is limited, and we conduct business with integrity, offering the most reasonable prices. Even if you wish to buy more, we do not have enough products to sell, so our prices will not be high. However, the cost of raising eco-friendly meat is high, so they won't be too low either."

At least don't expect it to be as cheap as the Provincial Cannery.

Yamaguchi tried to probe Feng Chen's stance, but the latter directly quoted the same price.

This was clearly a lie!

They decided not to ask Tang Yuan and Feng Chen anymore. Sato's attempts to befriend the female workers and the accountant at the factory also failed; they were polite but distant, especially the accountant Xia, who was particularly sensitive and avoided him for fear he would pry into confidential information.

Perhaps they should try approaching Tanaka or his wife.

"Feng-san, Tang-san, this time we plan to import thirty tons of meat products, which can be shipped in batches," Sato decided to implement the strategy they had discussed, using the order to pressure them.

A thirty-ton order for meat products was a significant move.

However, Tang Yuan shook her head, "Mr. Yamaguchi, Mr. Sato, I'm sorry, but our farm focuses on quality, not quantity. Our pigs are fed with organic crops, free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the feed contains no antibiotics or hormones. This significantly increases the cost of raising them, and naturally, the quantity is limited. After all, if we raised more, we wouldn't be able to produce enough organic feed, disrupting the balance."

Yamaguchi and Sato had toured the farm earlier that morning, visiting the large biogas pools, the livestock farm, the slaughterhouse, and the feed mixing workshop, confirming the situation.

Coincidentally, some members were cleaning the biogas pools, removing the sludge to fertilize the winter herbs and fruit trees.

Indeed, there were no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used here.

Yamaguchi indicated that the total of thirty tons could be shipped in multiple batches, allowing the farm to adjust the shipment quantities without strict deadlines.

This was acceptable to Tang Yuan and Feng Chen.

Each can of food costs one and a half yuan, certainly higher than the previous two years.

Keeping up with the times, prices will continue to rise in the future.

Two days later, when signing the contract, Yamaguchi and Sato, still not giving up, tried again, "Tang-san, we are willing to offer a price twenty percent higher than Tanaka's to monopolize all exports to our country. What do you think?"

Tang Yuan thought to herself, of course, she wouldn't agree. Their country is small, and their own agricultural brands are continuously striving. Why should she get entangled with them?

If you monopolize it, wouldn't you have the final say?

She wants to maintain a balance by working with multiple partners.

Tang Yuan's planned export market for canned goods is in Europe and America. In those developed countries, whether white-collar or blue-collar workers, whether working or staying home with children, they are busy and hardworking, with no time to cook properly but still want clean, healthy, and nutritious food.

Canned meat, vegetables, and fruits are essential to them.

They love canned corn, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and more.

This market is enormous.

Even with local brand protection policies in various countries, there are still opportunities for foreign brands.

With great sincerity, she said, "Mr. Yamaguchi, Mr. Tanaka also wanted to do this initially, but I politely declined. I thought of you as a friend, and we agreed that you would visit the farm. Naturally, I wouldn't let others monopolize it and lose the valuable opportunity to work with you."

Yamaguchi's eyes welled up with tears, ready to sing "Auld Lang Syne."

After signing the canned goods contract, Tang Yuan had someone prepare a mule cart and personally led Yamaguchi and Sato to tour the nearby brigades.

The Xiangyang Brigade and the Yujin Brigade are part of the farm, each with its own responsibilities.

Besides the pig farm, the Xiangyang Brigade also has wetlands for duck and goose farming.

The groundwater here is abundant, gushing out from just a few meters underground, spreading everywhere, turning the once barren land into fertile wetlands.

Tang Yuan instructed the brigade leader not to fill the land for cultivation but to dig deeper, aiming to create a large pond within a few years. By then, ducks and geese would gather, waterfowl would nest, and even swans might come.

In a few years, it would become a kingdom for fish and birds, a natural tourist attraction.

It was mid-winter, and the shallow parts of the river were already covered with a layer of white ice, while the deeper areas remained unfrozen, with mist rising from the water. Ducks and geese were still swimming freely.

Yamaguchi found the scene very pleasing.

Sato was also quite excited, "Is that a group of wild ducks?"

Tang Yuan: "Yes, we also have a flock of wild chickens at our mountain chicken farm. They naturally come out to live with the free-range chickens, laying eggs and hatching chicks, without running away."

Sato admired, "That's truly amazing."

Tang Yuan almost told them about a troop of monkeys as well. She and Feng Chen regularly visited the mountains to check on the monkeys, who had learned to climb Boulder Peak and occasionally came down.

During summer and autumn, they wreaked havoc in the orchard outside.

Although Yamaguchi failed to undermine Tanaka, he established a deeper friendship with Feng Chen and Tang Yuan (or so he believed). After signing the contract, he stayed for two more days before leaving with peace of mind.

Soon, it was the twelfth lunar month, and university admission notices began arriving.

Feng Yi, He Songtao, and He Jianming received their desired university acceptance letters. While they all preferred University Jin and University Hua, they didn't dare to be overly confident and applied to several universities in a tiered manner.

Feng Yi went to University Jin, while He Songtao and He Jianming went to University Hua.

The acceptance rate for other educated youth was also quite high.

Most chose to study in the capital or within their province, with very few going to other regions.

In those days, except for the capital, few people applied to universities in other regions, mostly choosing domestic universities.

Those who went to other places were mostly those whose first-choice volunteer applications weren't accepted and were thus reallocated.

The Department of Education and various universities would adjust placements based on the application situation at each school and the needs of the country.

What surprised everyone was that Tang Yuan and Feng Chen didn't receive admission notices from Provincial University.

This was awkward.

People couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "Could it be that the factory manager didn't pass?"

"It's not surprising, they're so busy with work, supervising production, receiving clients, and inspecting machines. How could they have time to study?"

Tong Xue was admitted to the provincial teacher training college and jumped for joy several times when she received her acceptance letter.

Ha ha, she laughed so hard, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen both failed to get in, not even getting reallocated.

They must have only applied to Provincial University and refused reallocation, which is why they didn't get in.

And then there's Tang Xiang, who boasted about only applying to University Jin, but didn't write down any other preferences, and ended up being reallocated to a school far south, maybe in Yunnan Province?

Ha ha ha, we'll see if you go!

Tong Xue, holding her daughter, had her son take the acceptance letter to show their grandmother. Seeing Tang Wu return from helping in the mushroom greenhouse, she said, "I specifically chose the teacher training college for you, right here in our city. Aren't you happy?"

If she gets a good placement after graduation, she can become a teacher in the city, which would be great.

At least she won't have to farm.

Tang Wu had been worried for a long time, hoping his wife would pass but also fearing she would leave if she did.

Now, hearing Tong Xue say this, he was overjoyed, "Wife, you're so good. Don't worry about your studies; I'll definitely take care of Dabao and Niuniu. When I have time, I'll bring you some meat."

Just as Tong Xue was about to quietly mention Tang Xiang, she saw Tang Xiang return home with a sullen face.

Her aunt-in-law followed her in, "Xiang'er, did you get in?"

Tang Xiang: "Yes."

Her aunt-in-law smiled, "Oh, that's great! Let me tell you, Yuan and Feng Chen definitely didn't get in. Ha ha, they thought university was so easy to get into, anyone could do it? They barely studied for two days and wanted to go to university. It's really hilarious."

Villagers tried to save face for them, saying they were too busy to study, so it was normal they didn't get in.

How embarrassing!

At this moment, the leaders of the admissions office at Provincial University were staring at the leaders sent by University Jin and University Hua.

"Two excellent students, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen, chose to apply to our Provincial University. Don't force them!"

The leader from University Jin pushed up his glasses, hiding his overly sharp eyes, and smiled, "With the restoration of the college entrance examination, the country needs talent more than ever. We should concentrate the best talents in the capital. The capital, led by University Jin..."

"The statement is biased," the leader from University Hua interjected. "University Hua is also a leading institution and should cultivate more outstanding engineering talents for the country. I see these two students excel in math, physics, and chemistry, all with perfect scores. They are naturally suited for University Hua."

The leader from University Jin: "Our science department at University Jin..."

Thus, the two groups began a heated debate.

The leaders of Provincial University looked at each other, wondering how these two schools were trying to snatch their students and taking charge of the situation.

However, in the first year of the restored college entrance examination, the country urgently needed top talents and indeed granted University Jin and University Hua the privilege to snatch students who, although not applying to these two universities, had outstanding scores.

This was called serving the country through higher education, and you had to comply with the arrangement.

Afraid of the distance and inconvenience?

The state would solve it for you.

In the end, the leaders of the two universities set aside Provincial University and discussed a solution separately. Should they split them, one each?

The leader of Provincial University was furious, "They are a couple, why separate them? They are also leaders at the commune's cannery. Studying at Provincial University allows them to balance their work. How can they manage their work in the capital?"

He knew the two through Professor Cheng Xianian and understood their situation well.

He asked Professor Cheng to speak.

But Professor Cheng remained silent. Although Tang Yuan and Feng Chen didn't apply to University Jin or University Hua, he believed the best place for them was still those two universities.

Provincial University was certainly an option, but it currently lacked faculty, while the best teachers were concentrated at University Hua and University Jin.

University Jin took the lead, "No problem, we can arrange housing for them, so they don't have to live apart."

University Hua: "We can't provide housing?"

The leader of Provincial University: "Gentlemen, shouldn't we ask the parties involved for their opinions?"

To the leaders of University Jin and University Hua, the parties could only choose which university to attend, not refuse to go to the capital.

In those days, whether officials, workers, or students, obeying the state's arrangements was mandatory. Going to the countryside was a contribution to the country, and attending university was the same.

Still, they decided to ask the two, as they were not ignorant children.

Finally, the leaders of the two universities decided to visit Tangjia Village with Professor Cheng to ask for their opinions.