Chapter 144

Chapter 144

"Here's the household register." Feng Yanzi held the booklet in one hand, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at her eldest daughter.

To Feng Yanzi, handing over the household register meant severing all ties. This heartless girl had the gall to abandon her after sixteen years of raising her.

Xu Meng grabbed the register and quickly checked it—one page was Huang Xiaoying’s, and the other was a replacement for the household head’s page obtained from the police station.

Since some paperwork might still need the household head’s page, Xu Meng had negotiated for it as well. Now that she had both documents, Huang Xiaoying could handle any future affairs—like applying for an ID card—without needing her family’s involvement.

Once she confirmed the documents were correct, Xu Meng handed over the 1,200 yuan in cash.

But now, Feng Yanzi didn’t even care about the money. She thought about the other girls in the village, sent off to factories in the south at thirteen or fourteen. Their wages went straight to their parents’ accounts, and with the factories covering food and lodging, families only had to give them a little pocket money. In a year, they could save thousands. Before marriageable age, some even helped build houses for their families. With multiple daughters, some families could not only build houses but also save up for their sons’ weddings.

And what had she raised? A real waste of money.

Twelve hundred lousy yuan.

As Xu Meng took the household register, she saw Huang Xiaoying huddled with her younger sisters, sharing ice cream.

The fourth and fifth sisters were too young to understand but thrilled to see their big sister again. They admired how tall she’d grown and how stylish she looked. Huang Xiaoying adored these two the most—the age gap was large, and they got along best.

The fourth sister licked her ice cream bar, eyes closed in bliss. Their family was too poor to even afford cheap popsicles normally. "Sis, did you really go to Auntie’s place? Is it nice there? Can we visit someday?"

Huang Xiaoying replied, "Once you’re older and better behaved, I’ll take you to the capital for a trip."

The fifth sister, only seven, hadn’t seen her in over half a year and felt shy around her. "Sis, are you leaving again?"

Huang Xiaoying nodded firmly. "I’ll be back for New Year’s. If I’ve earned enough by then, I’ll bring you something nice."

The second and third sisters eyed her enviously. In another year, the second sister would graduate from middle school. She longed to go to the capital too—a city of endless skyscrapers. She envied her sister’s guts but didn’t dare do the same.

The road from Huang Village to the capital was one Huang Xiaoying had walked step by step.

Remembering to pretend to be broke, Huang Xiaoying scowled. "I haven’t earned anything yet. The ice cream was bought with my own savings. If you think you can just waltz into Auntie’s and live like a princess, forget it. You can’t even take care of yourselves—expect Auntie to wait on you?"

The second sister was the coddled one.

Third Sister grinned. "I’ll learn! I’ll work hard like you."

Huang Xiaoying sighed. "Just stick to your studies. If you can make it through school, do it." She added, "I’ll buy you some snacks later."

At the mention of food, the younger sisters tagged along excitedly.

Huang Xiaoying brought out two boxes of instant noodles she’d bought in town, emphasizing, "Auntie bought these. If Mom tries to stop you from eating them, you know what to do, right?"

Third Sister beamed. "We’ll snitch to Grandma!"

Instant noodles were a big deal back then—80 cents a pop, unaffordable for many families. Feng Yanzi would totally hoard the food and save it for her son.

Huang Xiaoying sighed. "Fine. Just be smart about it."

The second sister asked, "When you come back for New Year’s, will you bring us more snacks?"

Huang Xiaoying shot back, "Is food all you ever think about?"

Though she couldn’t empathize with her mother, she felt bad for her sisters. But pity was one thing—everyone had their own lives. She couldn’t be heartless and ignore them completely, but as the eldest sister, she couldn’t overstep either. The moment she started helping, her parents would exploit her sympathy.

To her sisters, the world was simple. Some ice cream and instant noodles were enough to forgive her long absence.

Xiao Si (Little Four) and Xiao Wu (Little Five) burst into laughter simultaneously.

Xiao Wu raised her little head: "Sister, take good care of yourself in Beijing too."

Xiao Si nodded: "I heard there are many bad people outside. Don’t let anyone trick you, okay?"

Huang Xiaoying patted their little heads: "Study hard. When I make big money, I’ll buy you more treats and take you to Beijing to play."

The two younger sisters' eyes lit up with excitement.

Xiao Er (Little Two) pouted, but deep down she was envious. However, her relationship with the eldest sister had always been rocky, so she wouldn’t speak to her in such a tone.

Not far away, Xu Meng noticed the commotion and smiled widely.

With the *hukou* booklet in hand, they could now go to the police station to apply for IDs.

Since they were back, the two visited Xiao Huang Village to see their grandmother and bought two boxes of instant noodles and some snacks. The grandparents, now older, enjoyed boldly seasoned snacks, so the gifts were well-received.

To welcome them, the Feng family even killed a chicken.

Granny Feng cooked the chicken and gave each of her granddaughters a large drumstick.

Huang Lingling asked, "How did the exams go?"

She had heard Xu Meng was a promising student.

Despite the hot weather dampening their appetites, Xu Meng took small bites of her drumstick: "The estimated scores seem decent, but the school’s cutoff scores haven’t been announced yet. Our school isn’t a key institution, so not many teachers came to recruit for colleges. I just applied randomly."

Granny Feng smiled warmly. She adored sensible children.

She served each of her grandsons a piece of chicken breast: "The thick cuts are the tastiest."

Huang Cheng had grown up a lot, eating quietly without the restlessness he once showed in the Huang household. Huang Xiaoying didn’t dislike him as much now, and Tao Tao got along well with him too. The two boys, about the same size, played together happily.

Huang Lingling was a kind-hearted person who believed an extra child just meant an extra pair of chopsticks, just another mouth to feed. With the family’s improved financial situation in recent years, the expenses for schooling and childcare were covered by Granny Feng, so she didn’t mind much.

"When you get into university, Aunt will give you a big red envelope. Why not stay here tonight and spend a few more days before heading back?"

"Sure. I’d like to take Xiaoying to the county town to get her ID card," Xu Meng mentioned, explaining how they had retrieved the *hukou* booklet.

Hearing that they paid Feng Yanzi ¥1,200 for two pages of the register, Huang Lingling frowned.

Was this sister-in-law pitiful? Absolutely. But to act like this was beyond belief. Opportunities to earn money weren’t lacking—last year, she had advised Feng Yanzi to hold off selling the cabbages for a better price. But Feng Yanzi, afraid they’d rot in the field, wouldn’t even spare a plastic sheet and kept pestering Feng Yanwu, asking what if they couldn’t sell them?

Huang Lingling was exasperated. Every venture carried risks—why always expect others to bail you out?

Without a definitive answer, Feng Yanzi sold her two acres of cabbages for pennies. By New Year’s, cabbage prices had skyrocketed. When it was Feng Yanwu’s turn to sell his crop, Feng Yanzi showed up sighing, hinting she wanted in on future opportunities.

Hadn’t they included her before? When starting the chicken farm, Feng Yanwu had thought of his sister. But Feng Yanzi was paralyzed by fear—wanting profit without risk, unwilling to lift a finger.

She wouldn’t spend money, wouldn’t exert effort, yet dreamed of riches.

Huang Lingling saw no point in reasoning with such a person.

"Well, at least you got the *hukou* booklet. From now on, be firm. Don’t let your mom play the victim to guilt you into handing over money. With only four kids left at home, things aren’t that tough anymore. Focus on your own life. If you have extra, make a show of sending gifts home. If they ask for money, just say you don’t have any. Got it?"

Give money?

Do it once, and they’d latch onto you, demanding more endlessly.

Grandma Feng also said, "Don't listen to her demands for filial support. Even if it comes to that, it should only be when they're old and helpless, then give them a little money. Let them worry about raising the kids themselves. Otherwise, they won’t learn the hardship of parenting and will keep thinking children are so easy to raise."

Both Auntie and Grandma said so, implying she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Huang Xiaoying felt her nose sting and lowered her head to suppress her emotions.

Grandma Feng kept muttering beside her, "Don’t listen to your mom’s nonsense, painting you as the villain. She’s no prize herself. Look at what she brings me every year—already married, yet all she ever brings is just brown sugar and beer. She demands filial piety from you but doesn’t understand it herself. That ungrateful girl! I say, don’t buy her anything when you go back, and don’t worry too much about your sisters. They’ll come to Grandma’s during holidays, and I’ll make them proper meat meals."

Suddenly, Huang Xiaoying didn’t feel so sad anymore.

Later, Feng Yanwu returned and asked about the Gaokao results.

The next day, Uncle took them to the county town. After slipping two packs of cigarettes, they smoothly got their ID photos taken.

It would take about a month to get the IDs. Feng Yanwu vouched confidently, saying they wouldn’t need to come back—he’d pick them up and deliver them when he went to Beijing for a shipment.

Returning to Grandma’s house was tiring, so Xu Meng sighed in relief.

They stayed at Grandma’s for five days before heading back. Life there had been relaxing and pleasant.

With the minimum score requirements still unknown, each day was filled with anxiety. Xu Meng tried to distract herself from the exam but suddenly realized Han Jiming hadn’t called in days. She went to Shijia Hutong to ask Han Lingling, who also said he hadn’t been in contact since leaving Delingha.

Xu Meng became even more on edge, torn between waiting for his call and the exam results.

Worry spreads quickly, and soon the whole family was worried about her scores.

Then, the results finally came—Xu Meng scored 457, ranking third in the city and first in the district for the arts stream.

With this score, everyone knew Peking University was a shoo-in!

The school was thrilled. Such a high score was unprecedented, guaranteeing a Peking University admit. Xu Meng’s name would surely grace the honor board. Ms. Zhang was glowing with pride, and all her former teachers shared in the glory.

Even university admissions officers were caught off guard.

They had visited top high schools in Beijing to recruit top students but overlooked this unremarkable school, which historically had dismal admission rates to top universities. Their best record was a mere dozen admissions to top-tier universities in one year—never Peking University.

Once the cutoff was announced, Xu Meng got a call from the principal: "Xu Meng, the school’s preparing a banner for you. When can you come back for photos? We’re making an honor board before the semester starts, and we don’t have a solo photo of you."

Xu Meng was flustered. "Principal, isn’t this a bit...?" It felt too extravagant.

The principal pressed, "Come back soon! The school’s giving you a scholarship, but we’ll hand it over when you get your admission letter. We’ll take more photos then."

Xu Meng: "..." This was too much.

As soon as the principal hung up, the dean called.

"Xu Meng, after the semester starts, come give a talk to the juniors. Boost their morale! The seniors are already motivated, especially after your results. Many students are working harder now. We’re counting on you."

By August, the school was in high gear, calling seniors back to campus.

Gearing up for the college entrance exams.

Ms. Zhang also called: "Xu Meng, your notes you gave me were really helpful. But the set seems incomplete—I remember you had a summary of essay formats. Could you bring it next time you come to school...?"

What could Xu Meng say? She agreed to everything.

Even the neighbors in Changchun Alley heard about her results. Everyone was stunned.

Weren’t they told she had failed? That she bombed the exam?

The most upset was Accountant Tan. Her son came home and told her Xu Meng’s score.

Fang Shuai said, "She’s the city’s Arts third-highest scorer, a shoo-in to Peking University. And you thought Cao Hongyang was good enough for her? You really introduced him like he was some catch—what a joke! You kept saying she didn’t know what was good for her, that she’d never climb so high. Don’t you dare say such things again!"