Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Xu Meng hadn’t expected her mother’s mental fortitude to be so weak.

It might have been related to her pregnancy.

But seeing Feng Yanwen faint, she had no choice but to rush out and call for help. Soon, Wang Shuanzhu returned. Upon hearing that Feng Yanwen had fainted, he quickly carried her to the nearest clinic, where she was given oxygen until she recovered.

Fortunately, Feng Yanwen wasn’t seriously ill, but her fainting inadvertently confirmed the rumors that Xu Meng had performed poorly in the exams.

Now everyone in Changchun Alley even felt some sympathy for Feng Yanwen, and rumors spread quickly.

Thankfully, Feng Yanwen just overreacted slightly and wasn’t seriously ill. Moreover, low oxygen levels are common in pregnant women. The doctor advised her to avoid getting too worked up for the sake of the fetus and kept her under observation at the clinic for a while.

When Feng Yanwen woke up, she was still excited, though not as intensely as before. She held Xu Meng’s hand and asked, “Is Peking University a sure thing?”

Peking University had a relatively high number of admission slots in their city.

Xu Meng thought for a moment and said, “I want to study foreign languages. I haven’t decided yet whether to list Peking University or the Foreign Language Institute as my first choice. The Foreign Language Institute is definitely safer, but Peking University is a bit risky. If I don’t get in, the Foreign Language Institute might also be out of reach.”

Some schools prioritize students who list them as their first choice if there are too many applicants—this is called priority admission for first-choice applicants.

“Also, our school has no experience with Peking University applications, so we can’t assess the chances. But the school seems to want me to apply there. I’m just hesitant myself. If I don’t get in, I’d have to retake the exams for a year, which would be a big sacrifice.”

Feng Yanwen squeezed Xu Meng’s hand, relieved. “It’s good that you’re thinking so rationally. Think it through carefully.”

Just as they were talking, Chang Ma arrived with Chang Xi to visit her.

Chang Ma had also heard the rumors that Feng Yanwen had been hospitalized due to shock. She felt sympathy but didn’t know how to comfort her, feeling helpless. Bringing up exam results now seemed inappropriate, so she held Feng Yanwen’s hand and urged her to rest well and stay in good spirits. She went on with awkward small talk, leaving Feng Yanwen confused. Still, Feng Yanwen understood it as Chang Ma’s normal concern—after all, as an older expectant mother with a high-risk pregnancy due to her age, it was common for people to worry about whether her baby would be born healthy.

“I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”

“Not at all! Our Chang Xi and Xu Meng are good friends, and you’re a wonderful person too. Back in the day, we’d be sworn kin.” Chang Ma racked her brain to subtly comfort Feng Yanwen, carefully avoiding any mention of the college entrance exams and refraining from boasting about Chang Xi. “The weather’s so hot now, and pregnancy is already a heavy burden. When I was pregnant with Chang Xi, I was miserable in the heat. Back then, we didn’t have the same comforts—even though we had a fan at home, I couldn’t even run it nonstop.”

This just made Feng Yanwen more sure that Chang Ma thought there was something wrong with her pregnancy.

Feng Yanwen didn’t want to clarify either. Before the exam results were officially announced, it was better to keep a low profile. She patted Chang Ma’s hand and said, “It really has been hot these days. I shouldn’t have gone out during the day…”

The two chatted for a long time.

Meanwhile, Chang Xi took Xu Meng outside the clinic. She bought two green bean ice pops, and the two of them sat on the clinic steps, eating and chatting.

Xu Meng asked Chang Xi, “Do you know who in our neighborhood is most familiar with this area?”

She wanted to help find a suitable factory space for processing.

Chang Xi took her time with her ice pop. “Why?”

“A friend’s shop wants to open a workshop.”

“Why are you asking me? You should ask Uncle Wang or Auntie Liu. They have good connections and know this area well.”

“Alright.” Xu Meng changed the subject. “You aced it this time, right?”

Chang Xi, in the middle of swallowing, suddenly choked.

Oh no, oh no. Her mom had only told her not to bring it up with Xu Meng, but she hadn’t said what to do if Xu Meng asked first!

*Coughing* “Uh, it was alright, better than my usual performance. Mainly English—I totally have you to thank. If it weren’t for you this past year, I would’ve had no hope at all. I even considered applying to the trade school in my mom’s network.” They placed grads in jobs in railway units.

But Chang Xi wasn't interested.

These days, everyone envies railroad workers for their good benefits and high salaries, with free train travel anywhere.

Currently, railway employees aren't divided by sections yet. Later when they implemented divisions, employees of Beijing Railway could ride free within their own section. But now, any railway worker can board trains for free anywhere just by showing their work ID.

Don't think train fares are cheap—compared to current income levels, they're actually quite expensive.

Xu Meng asked, relieved, "So have you decided which university to apply to?"

Chang Xi really didn't want to continue this conversation, but Xu Meng kept asking. Any more talk would sound like she was rubbing it in: "Probably Shanghai Jiao Tong University. My grades are only good enough for that. Otherwise, I'd have to go out of town, and I don't really want to study elsewhere."

Xu Meng nodded: "Jiaotong isn't far. You could still live at home, right?"

That was true, but Chang Xi had already decided to live on campus.

Can we change the subject?

Meanwhile, back home, Wei Xiang had finished checking her answers. Her scores were over a dozen points higher than last year's undergraduate cutoff—she should make it to university.

Wei Xiang was so happy she danced around in circles, jumping for joy.

Her classmates from the county school looked at her with envy. City schools simply had better results, with much higher admission rates. In county schools, only about 20% got into college, and that included vocational colleges and others. The undergraduate rate was even lower. Their school was the best in the county, yet at best only 10% of students could make it to undergraduate programs.

So when Wei Xiang brought her results home, her family immediately started celebrating.

Wei Xiang's parents were quite old. Her older siblings hadn't been as fortunate with timing, but this youngest daughter happened to be good at studying. Even though the family was poor, they'd worked hard to send her to school in the city. Few families in their situation would invest so much in a child's education. Fortunately, they'd hit some good years recently—the family had been doing alright financially, and their mountain-grown fruit had been selling well.

"In the next few days, go into the city to visit your classmate and bring them something," Wei's mother said slowly. "We're really indebted to that classmate of yours—you stayed at their place that last month. Even though we paid for food, we should still remember their kindness. Your brother is going into the city soon too—he can take you."

Wei Xiang's youngest brother, Wei Qiang, was twenty-three and often went to the city to sell their mountain produce.

With all the recent rain, wild mushrooms had sprung up in the hills. The family would head out to pick before dawn and make their way to town at first light for the morning market. Since Wei Xiang had been studying in the city, the family had worked harder than usual these past few years. If she got into university, they'd need to earn even more.

Because of this, even her brother's marriage plans had been delayed for years.

Wei Xiang had wanted to go play in the river these past few days, but her parents wouldn't allow it.

Her older siblings hadn't cost the family nearly as much, and now she was going to university. Naturally, she'd have to work harder to pull her weight too. Wei's mother told her to get up before dawn like everyone else and pick mushrooms on the mountain.

It was about attitude—if her siblings were working hard while their little sister played, it wouldn't look good.

Wei's mother said, "The hills have been productive lately—lots of mushrooms. City people pay good money for fresh ones, so work hard to earn more. We still haven't found a bride for Xiaoming, and now little sister's going to school—money's tight all around. Little sister, bring some mushrooms to your classmate tomorrow."

Wei Xiang, head bent over her noodles, slurping, looked up: "Didn't you say the fortune-teller predicted a crisis when I'm nineteen and told me not to go out?"

Wei's mother replied, "Just no rivers or dangerous places. How is the city dangerous? But do watch your step—don't go wandering around aimlessly. It's not just about visiting your classmate—go to school too and discuss your applications with your teacher. Oh, and bring some mushrooms for your teacher?"

Wei Xiang shook her head: "My teacher lives alone—she won't finish them. But I could bring some corn; she likes that."

Wei's mother said, "Then I'll pick some from the field myself."

The mountain paths were rough. She and Wei's father, with their bad legs, stayed home doing chores and watching the younger children. She calculated she could make a quick trip to the fields in the morning—freshly picked corn could last two or three days if stored well.

With tasks assigned, the children dispersed.

Wei Xiang stayed quiet. Truth was, she'd already decided—she'd apply to teacher's college.

The family's burdens were heavy, and her brother still didn't dare seek a marriage prospect.

Besides, her grades weren’t the best, so she should aim for something achievable.

With these thoughts, Wei Xiang barely slept that night.

At 4 a.m., when her brothers and sisters-in-law got up, Wei Xiang was also called to rise.

The nearby mountains weren't very big, so they had to go early to search. More people meant more mushrooms; otherwise, the trip to the city would be wasted. So the whole family set out, seven or eight of them with flashlights, trudging up the mountain in a big group.

This time of year, the mountain had snakes too, so they had to be very careful. When going up, everyone wore rubber boots, and the brothers carried either sticks or sickles, afraid of being bitten by snakes.

Working as a team, the family picked over twenty pounds of mushrooms in two hours.

Wei Qiang was thrilled and told his sister, "This is the most we've gotten today. Let’s hit the market early and get a good price."

If they didn’t pick enough, they wouldn’t even break even on batteries.

From their home to the city was over twenty kilometers. Even pedaling hard would take nearly an hour. So they separated about two pounds of mushrooms and twenty pounds of corn for Xu Meng, and some more corn for Ms. Zhang. The siblings biked separately into town.

They made it to town just after seven.

The siblings decided to split up. Wei Qiang went to the market to sell the mushrooms, while Wei Xiang first went to the school to find Ms. Zhang, then to Changchun Alley to see Xu Meng. When she arrived at Changchun Alley, it was just past eight, and Xu Meng was just back from the clinic.

Feng Yanwen had spent the night on oxygen at the clinic and felt much better by the time she got home.

Now she’d made peace—both physically and mentally—with her daughter’s 450 score.

As soon as she got home, Xu Meng saw Wei Xiang and happily greeted her. After a few days apart, she thought Wei Xiang looked even skinnier.

Xu Meng quickly asked, "Why have you lost weight?"

Wei Xiang passed her the mushrooms and corn. Knowing Xu Meng's family had a fridge, she gave them more corn. Besides, her family was big, and Wei Xiang had gotten along well with the three little ones during her stay. "I've been going up the mountain every day to gather mushrooms, getting up at three or four in the morning. These mushrooms are for you, freshly picked this morning, and the corn is in season now. Go ahead and enjoy it."

Back then, life wasn’t as comfortable, and even in the countryside, fresh corn was a rare treat.

If not for the better conditions in recent years, no one would have dared eat such tender corn before—it would’ve been a waste.

Even Ms. Zhang, who had spent over a decade in the countryside, loved fresh corn.

Xu Meng agreed: "This corn’s amazing! I'll cook a big pot later. Seriously, you always bring me stuff when you visit. Wait, I have something for you too."

Before Wei Xiang could say no, Xu Meng took off.

She bolted straight to Wang Shuanzhu’s place. He had a cabinet for samples in the room he kept for her. She took a power bank from home—way better than a flashlight—you can recharge it!

When Xu Meng came back, she thrust two power banks into Wei Xiang's hands.

"No way, we’ve got flashlights at home," Wei Xiang protested.

Xu Meng explained, "This baby’s rechargeable. No need for batteries—electricity is much cheaper. And it's bright enough for nighttime use. It's daytime now, so I can't show you, but this thing is really handy. My whole family uses them now."

Wang Shuanzhu used to keep the power banks only in the shop, but after a batch of samples arrived, he stored some at home.

Xu Meng had seen them by chance and found them familiar. Rechargeable flashlights weren't common yet, and power banks—long gone from history—felt strange to her. Later, products like rechargeable flashlights evolved from these, though the early power banks were bulky and heavy, but much brighter.

When the flashlight beam turned on, Wei Xiang was stunned.

"This must be expensive."

"Don't worry, these are just samples Uncle Wang keeps at home. No cost," Xu Meng thought Wei Xiang was concerned about the price. "Consider them yours!"

Wei Xiang, however, thought she was being too generous—such an item must be very expensive.

Xu Meng said, "Take it back and use it, it's fine. Your family often sends us things too."

Wei Xiang held the blackout light, unable to put it down. Batteries cost a fortune, and the biggest cost of gathering mushrooms in the mountains was probably buying them. On a good day, collecting 10 to 20 pounds was manageable, but on bad days, when they barely gathered any, they might even end up losing money.

Hearing that Wei Xiang had been gathering mushrooms in the mountains recently, Xu Meng was pleased and told her, "There are snakes in the mountains. With this, you won’t have to be afraid of them."

She felt relieved—picking mushrooms was hard work, so Wei Xiang probably wouldn’t have time to play by the river anymore.

When Wei Xiang returned home and told her mother about the gift, her mother scolded her, "You went to give your classmate something, and instead, she gave you such an expensive present in return. How could you accept it? I’ve heard these things sell for a lot, 70 or 80 bucks apiece, and they’re not even available here. The village chief’s eldest son went to the capital and somehow bought one. It’s so bright—lights up a huge space."

At the very least, it would save them half the cost of buying batteries.

When Wei Xiang’s eldest brother came back from the fields and saw it, he praised it too: "This is awesome! We don’t even know where to buy one. It’s so strange—it doesn’t need batteries. Wonder if it eats up a lot of power?"

Their father, who had just returned from outside, also gathered around to look. "I heard the village chief say his family uses this blackout light every day, and their electricity bill hasn’t changed. Obviously, it’s worth it—just too expensive. But for a family like ours, buying one or two would still be convenient."

Their mother said, "Something this expensive—who’d shell out that much unless they needed it daily? Let’s not even talk about other uses. How many days can we even gather mushrooms? Since they’ve given it to us, we might as well use it. No point buying another."

But their father countered, "You haven’t calculated how much we spend on batteries every year. Sure, it looks pricey, but it’s only the cost of twenty pairs of batteries."

At that, the whole family fell silent.

The eldest brother said, "I wonder if we could get these to sell here."

His mother asked, "Where would you sell them?"

He shrugged. "Didn’t a bunch of people ask the village chief where to buy them? I refuse to believe no one would want them if we sold them. Wei Xiang, go ask your classmate how much it costs to get them from her family. If there’s profit, we could set up a stand and sell 'em!"