Chapter 74 Acceptance Letter

Chapter 74 Acceptance Letter

Li Bowen took them to a small restaurant they hadn’t been to before. Upon entering, they were greeted by a narrow staircase, and the dining area was on the second floor.

The place was pretty empty, as it was quite far from the school and not yet mealtime.

After sitting down, they casually ordered a few dishes and started chatting.

Li Bowen asked Ye Changsheng, "Which colleges did you apply to? Do you think you’ll get in?"

Ye Changsheng replied, "I didn’t expect to do so well. I’m aiming for the National Defense University in Harbin as my top choice. The other two are farther from home, but the admission scores aren’t as high."

Li Bowen laughed, "Your score could be cutting it close. I remember the admission score for that university in our province last year was 701. But this year, the math questions were very difficult, and the average math score is the lowest in years. You still have a chance.

It’s a good thing I didn’t take the college entrance exams, otherwise, I might not have gotten into a top university."

Li Bowen was quite knowledgeable about this and had put in a lot of effort.

He turned to Ye Xiaoxiao and asked, "What about you?"

"I only applied to one college, Jinghua University."

Li Bowen admired her confidence. He was even more impressed by her skills.

"With such good grades, our school really lucked out with you."

Li Bowen had heard from Wang Ying that her deskmate seemed to just breeze through class.

Moreover, the academic resources in Class 9 were the worst in the entire grade, yet not only did her grades not decline, but she even helped Wang Ying step up her game.

Li Bowen had to admit that sometimes there was a barrier between prodigies and top students.

Ye Xiaoxiao simply smiled. It was she who had hit the jackpot, getting a fresh start in life.

After the dishes were served, they chatted over their meal, and by the end, there was a touch of bittersweetness.

Finally, Wang Ying hugged Ye Xiaoxiao.

"When you go back to Baichuan, make sure to visit me."

Ye Xiaoxiao hugged her back, "Definitely."

When Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changsheng returned home, Ye Changyuan and Zhang Erni were already waiting at the door.

Zhang Erni said, "I thought you were staying with relatives this semester. Turns out you were renting a place outside."

Ye Xiaoxiao opened the door, "Our lease is ending, so we’re moving out tomorrow."

Zhang Erni crashed with them for the night, waiting to go back to Baishi Village together the next day.

After all, her grades were so poor that she might just end up married with kids. She hadn’t held out much hope checking her scores, and now she was totally deflated.

When they went to bed, Zhang Erni shared her thoughts.

Ye Xiaoxiao advised her, "There are tons of opportunities out there. Picking up a skill beats just sitting around waiting to get married."

Zhang Erni replied, "But I don’t have any skills. I’m not even qualified for factory work."

These days, a factory job is a secure gig, and you need to have a city hukou (household registration).

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Why not open your own shop? There are tons of self-employed folks these days, you could learn hairdressing."

Zhang Erni had never considered this route before.

Now she thinks she really needs to pick up a trade, otherwise, she’s not great at farming, and she’s not exactly a looker either, so she feels like she’s no good at anything.

Zhang Erni spent the whole night tossing and turning, not sure what she concluded, and woke up the next day with bags under her eyes.

Ye Xiaoxiao was chatting with Auntie Sun next door. The kids were on summer break, and the college exam scores had just come out. Their family decided to head back to their hometown for a few days.

Sun Yuzhen held Ye Xiaoxiao's hand: "I never thought our little neighborhood would produce a top scorer."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Thanks, Auntie Sun, for looking out for me."

Now it was Sun Yuzhen's turn to feel embarrassed. She was just doing her job for the cash, it wasn’t really looking after her.

Now she kind of regretted taking the money. Being on good terms with a top scorer would also boost her reputation.

But Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t bothered by any of that. If Sun Yuzhen hadn’t accepted the money, she wouldn’t have taken advantage of others.

Ye Xiaoxiao moved out of the house, and she packed up the few things left at home and took them with her.

Her second brother-in-law had made the bed, and it was top-notch. Ye Mei didn’t want it, so it was all left for the landlord.

With the door locked, Ye Xiaoxiao left the house for good.

...

The acceptance letters came in fast, especially for top scorers like Ye Xiaoxiao. The admissions office of Jinghua University directly called the principal's office.

Yu Deshui quickly confirmed Ye Xiaoxiao’s intention to study at Jinghua University.

Ye Changsheng’s case was trickier because it was a military academy. Not only did they investigate academic performance, but also family background.

Fortunately, the Ye family has a clean history.

Three generations of the family have served in the military, and none of the relatives have a criminal record, so the political review was completely worry-free.

Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changsheng's admission notices came together, and the start dates were also similar.

Ye Changsheng was a little nervous to open the letter when it arrived.

He was worried it wasn't the school he wanted to go to.

Ye Xiaoxiao was getting anxious watching him.

"Fourth brother, hurry up and open it."

Ye Changsheng then tore it open, and inside was the notice he had been dreaming of.

Ye Changsheng's hands were trembling slightly.

"Ah!!! Brother Sheng, you got in!"

Ye Changyuan was happier than anyone, holding the notice and running around.

Miao Cuifang: "What are you running for? Let me see."

Ye Xiaoxiao's admission letter came as no surprise, with the name "Jinghua University" gleaming proudly.

The family held onto the two admission letters, unwilling to let them go.

"Wonderful! Our Ye family now has two college students at once."

Even Ye Jianguo, who rarely smiled, couldn’t help but grin.

The family patriarch, Ye Baishun, was itching to show off this honor to the whole village.

"We should frame a copy of this admission letter and hang it on our family wall."

Grandmother Zhang Cuiyun also agreed, "Add it to our family genealogy."

Ye Xiaoxiao stayed out of the elders' excited chatter, but it was clearly a happy moment.

Ye Xiaoxiao, Ye Changsheng, and Ye Changyuan sat in the yard talking.

"I’ve decided to head over in a couple of days," Ye Changyuan suddenly said.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I haven’t seen Brother Yuan’s assignment letter—which province is it in?"

Ye Changyuan: "It’s in Jinhai City, just a stone’s throw from the capital."

Ye Xiaoxiao was a bit surprised, "It’s not the navy, right?"

"Naval training is no joke."

"But every branch of the military is tough. Jinhai City has a good environment, so it’s the best for Ye Changyuan."

Ye Changyuan touched his head, "Comrade Lu wants me to get used to it there first. If it doesn’t pan out, I can transfer somewhere else. But I will definitely cherish this opportunity, no matter how hard or difficult it is, I will persevere."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "As long as Brother Yuan doesn’t get seasick, he’ll be fine."

"If it’s bad seasickness, it’s a physical thing—there’s no getting around it."

Ye Changyuan: "When I was a kid, I used to go fishing on the river with my dad—I don’t get seasick."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Wait, Uncle knows how to fish?"

Ye Changsheng: "Uncle was a professional fisherman back in the day. When I was a kid, our family had fish to eat every month, but it was too far from home. After Grandpa and Grandma got older, Uncle returned to the village."

Ye Xiaoxiao realized she still didn’t know much about her family—there was so much she hadn’t learned.