Chapter 124: First Update

Chapter 124: First Update

During the year-end season, good news arrived one after another. College admission letters were being delivered to the homes of students who had been accepted into universities. However, at that time, the postal system was inefficient. Letters would first reach the provincial capital, then be sent to various cities and counties, and finally to the communes and production brigades.

Many admission letters were delivered haphazardly. Brigade officials would simply hand them over to the relatives of the candidates, asking them to take the letters back. While it was common to ask people to help deliver items, during this critical time, it was easy for ill intentions to arise.

There were countless cases of people taking others' places to attend university. Many were sabotaged by their own relatives. Admission letters never reached the students; instead, their cousins took the letters and went to college in their place.

There were also many educated youth who had married in the countryside. After passing the college entrance exams, their admission letters were hidden or torn up by their in-laws, causing them to miss the opportunity to attend university and leaving them stuck in the village for life.

Bai Qiuling was admitted to Shanzhong University (a university in the mountains). Her admission letter almost didn’t reach her as her mother-in-law secretly hid it. It wasn’t until Bai Qiuling proactively called to inquire that she discovered her admission letter had arrived but had gone missing.

"She’s already married and has a child. She’s our Jiang family’s daughter-in-law now. Why would she go to college? It’s just troubling..." Granny Ge was very anxious. She didn’t want her daughter-in-law to attend college, fearing it would damage the relationship between husband and wife.

Before Bai Qiuling had moved to the island to join her husband, the two women stayed in the village with their child. Granny Ge had always looked down on Bai Qiuling, believing that her son, a male officer, was too good for her.

Over the years, after Bai Qiuling joined her husband on the island and found a job, she proved to be quite capable and adept at handling relationships. The couple had both a son and a daughter, and Granny Ge finally accepted this daughter-in-law. The family lived peacefully, with their biggest goal being to "cultivate the next generation," hoping their grandchildren would become talented individuals.

However, just after Granny Ge failed to get her granddaughter to apprentice under a master, her daughter-in-law insisted on taking the college entrance exams again.

Granny Ge didn’t try to stop Bai Qiuling from taking the exams, thinking she wouldn’t pass. But to her surprise, Bai Qiuling did pass, and it was a pretty good university in a big city—Yangcheng, a bustling city known for its modern architecture and foreign influences. Granny Ge had been to Yangcheng before; it was a prosperous place that could easily dazzle a person.

The thought of her daughter-in-law studying in Yangcheng made Granny Ge uneasy. She couldn’t even sleep well. Yangcheng was such a fashionable place. What if, after four years of university, Bai Qiuling got used to city life and, like those educated youth who left their families behind, found a younger man to marry in the city? Her son would become a laughingstock.

Although Granny Ge had always thought Bai Qiuling wasn’t good enough for her son Jiang Dinghai, if Bai Qiuling really did leave her husband and children for another man, Granny Ge would be utterly devastated.

Being old, Granny Ge disliked changes. She just wanted to live a peaceful life. That’s why she hid her daughter-in-law’s admission letter, though she had the foresight not to tear it up.

However, because of this incident, it caused quite a stir in the Jiang family, attracting the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Bai Qiuling firmly stated, "I must go to college. No one can stop me."

"What are you talking about? At your age, why go to college? Is college even useful? Are you going to abandon your family and children?"

"By going to college, I’m not just setting an example for my children; I’m showing them that education is the key to a better future and that they can achieve anything with hard work..."

As Bai Qiuling and Granny Ge argued at the door, many people came to watch, including Qin Yao and Gu Cheng. The couple was part of the onlookers. These past few days, they had been packing things up, not moving out, but everything would be covered with a layer of dust covers to prevent dust from settling before they returned.

Gu Cheng, holding a handful of sunflower seeds, whispered to Qin Yao, "Isn’t the courtyard usually lively?"

When people have free time, they tend to stir up trouble. Right now, Gu Cheng was feeling quite antsy. However, unlike retired leaders who create work for themselves at home, Gu Cheng was nosy about anything new.

Like a cat, his curiosity was strong, and he was a bit surprised by the simplest things.

In fact, people who stayed in the military were all the same. After being in their small world for so long, they became slow to the changes and developments outside. Their way of thinking was different from ordinary people.

As Qin Yao would describe it, her husband was filled with a mix of experience and naivety.

Officers in the military were very experienced in dealing with people. They were all old hands at interpersonal relationships, especially when it came to the intricacies between superiors and subordinates. However, when it came to external relationships, they seemed a bit silly.

For example, when it came to eating melon seeds while watching a scene, Gu Cheng didn’t even think to bring a bag of seeds and had to ask Qin Yao why she was packing them.

"Why ask so many questions when everyone’s just here for the drama?" Qin Yao replied.

At almost thirty-five years old, once he took off his military uniform, this man exuded a clear kind of foolishness. When they first met, her misunderstanding of him was probably because of this. He was like a person who had just been released from prison, completely unaware of the outside world.

Qin Yao sighed internally.

She turned her head and, nestled with Gu Cheng at the back of the crowd, whispered, "There aren’t usually so many lively scenes. Most of the time, it’s just everyday family life. But scenes like this aren’t common. Think about it—how often has the college entrance exam been reinstated? This is the first time in ten years that there’s been a college entrance exam. Who would have thought that Bai Qiuling would pass the exam—except me!"

For Qin Yao, this gossip wasn’t interesting, and there wasn’t much fun in it. She had mainly brought Gu Cheng to watch the excitement. He was starting to exhibit the demeanor of a retired old cadre, having left his position and unburdened himself. With nothing to do, he was becoming increasingly restless and curious.

When he became so bored that he started studying the ants in the corner of the wall, Qin Yao realized she couldn’t let him continue like this. Too much idleness could really mess with his mind, and she feared he would start overthinking.

Qin Yao sighed inwardly, feeling like she was juggling three kids, which was oddly fitting for her current mood.

So, when there was some excitement outside, she quickly took Gu Cheng out to see what was happening, letting him get a taste of some social life.

For officers like them, there was a lack of human interaction and an understanding of everyday life.

Once she managed to run her lifestyle magazine in the future, she would definitely remind Gu Cheng to read it often, to keep up with the trends of the new era and the changes of the times. She didn’t want him to seem like someone who’d been out of touch with the world every time he went out.

“My wife, Yaoyao, could also get into university,” Gu Cheng was good at soothing her, only picking the nicer things to say. He wasn’t actually very interested in watching the drama unfold. He preferred to study his wife’s life at home.

The couple didn’t even know how to crack sunflower seeds with their mouths, afraid of damaging their teeth. Gu Cheng would manually peel the seeds and feed them to Qin Yao.

Qin Yao grabbed his hand. She wanted to peel them herself. Eating seeds someone else had peeled just didn’t feel the same—there was no satisfaction in it.

But, since he wanted to peel them, she let him. She would indulge him.

Qin Yao, munching on the seeds, teased him on purpose, “What if I went to study at a university far away, would you let me go? You’d probably hide my admission letter too.”

“No,” Gu Cheng peeled another seed, but this time he put it into his own mouth, expressing his dissatisfaction with his wife’s words in an alternative way.

“You wouldn’t have the heart to,” Gu Cheng stuffed a handful of seeds into Qin Yao’s hand, signaling with his eyes for her to peel them for him to eat. “My wife wouldn’t have the heart to leave me so far behind.”

“Yaoyao, think about it. Your husband is in his prime. If you’re not by his side to appreciate his young and handsome face, in four years, he’ll be aged. Isn’t that a loss for you?”

“A man’s prime doesn’t last forever.”

Qin Yao stifled her laughter, “...Yes, yes, you’re right.”

While the two of them were talking, the Jiang family had already argued and come to a conclusion. Bai Qiuling was still going to university, but she wasn’t going alone. Grandma Ge was going to accompany her with her grandson and granddaughter to “assist in her studies.”

This meant that Bai Qiuling would be taking her mother-in-law, son, and daughter with her to university, finding a place for her mother-in-law to stay near the university. This arrangement suited her just fine.

The only one left feeling hurt was Jiang Dinghai. He hadn’t even returned home yet, and when he did, he would realize that his entire household had been uprooted. His wife, children, and even his own mother were planning to leave him behind.

With his wife, children, and mother gone, what was the point of staying in the family housing complex? He might as well move to the bachelor’s quarters.

This was a real blow.

Now it was Jiang Dinghai’s turn to make a scene at home. When he returned, he exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re all leaving me behind? What am I supposed to do here alone?”

Jiang Dinghai had originally supported his wife Bai Qiuling in taking the university exam. He hadn’t thought too much about it. Whether or not she could pass the exam was another matter, but if she could get a degree, it would be beneficial. Having a college-educated wife would be something to boast about. Although studying at university would take a few years, it was just three to five years, and it would pass in the blink of an eye.

They had been married for over ten years and already had a son and daughter. Was he afraid that his wife would run away? No, that was impossible... Or was it really impossible? If she went to university and met more outstanding men, who’s to say she wouldn’t start having doubts?

So, his mother, Grandma Ge, had stepped in. His mother, taking her grandson and granddaughter to accompany her daughter-in-law to university!

Grandma Ge was quite pleased with this outcome, “I’ll go to the city and keep an eye on your wife for you. You just focus on your work in the military. I’ll take care of your wife and children.”

Although Grandma Ge was old, she was quite curious about life in the big city. She was also curious about what a university looked like. Going with her daughter-in-law meant she could at least broaden her horizons.

Before joining the military, Grandma Ge lived with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Now that they were separating again, it was just returning to the previous state. It wasn’t a big deal at all.

“Mom, mom, it’s not about keeping an eye on things... It’s that, you’re all leaving? Only I remain here?”

Grandma Ge replied, “Being alone will give you the chance to focus on your work without distractions.”

"I think your wife is right. The child is still young, but it would be great for them to go there and gain some experience."

Jiang Dinghai felt like he was losing his mind. What kind of situation was this turning into? His wife was going back to university, and he would be left all alone on the island, like a hermit!

*

The situation with the Jiang family hadn't been resolved when Qin Yao's mother called to say that her older brother had been accepted into the animal science program at the Capital Agricultural University.

"There was a list on the notice earlier, but your father and brother were worried about homonyms and didn’t want to get their hopes up, so they didn’t dare mention it to others. Can you imagine how worried they were? How likely is it that there would be so many people with the same name? Now that the admission letter has arrived, everyone in the neighborhood knows about it. He really got in!"

"Yaoyao, we’ve got a college student in the family!"