I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 202: The Resumption of the College Entrance Examination

Yuan Xiu hadn't even finished her postpartum confinement when the official announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination came down!

On October 12, 1977, the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination spread like a warm breeze across the entire land of China!

Across the country, whether workers, educated youth, students, or farmers, everyone heard this wonderful news from the radio, newspapers, and word of mouth!

On the day the notice was issued, a long line formed in front of Xinhua Bookstore.

"There are so many people! I even asked the factory for leave to go to town to buy books, and when I got there, wow!"

Sister Xiulan slapped her thigh. "The line outside is incredibly long, you can't see the end of it! There are even more people lining up in front of stores to grab supplies during the famine! It took me several more minutes to reach the end. If it's this long on the first day, the next few days will probably be even longer. I doubt the bookstore will have enough books to sell!"

Sister-in-law Xiulan was glad she had left early.

"...Some people bought them for themselves, some bought them for the children in their families who were sent to the countryside, and some even made a list, saying that they had asked a relative who was a teacher to make it, and that they should just buy the books on the list. It seemed reliable to me, so I thought I would buy the books on his list as well. But when it was my turn, all the books on the list were sold out. I could only buy whatever others were buying..."

Xiulan's sister-in-law bought the book for her younger sister-in-law, Sun Ying. Sun Ying only went to junior high school and never dared to dream of going to university. After the news of the college entrance examination came down, the document also stated that junior high school education was enough to apply. So, Battalion Commander Sun and his wife thought that Sun Ying should give it a try. Even if she didn't go to university, she could at least get into a vocational school or junior college!

After graduating, I returned to my original workplace, and promotions became much easier.

At the current rate, even if someone does makeup for people in a performing arts troupe for over a decade, they still won't improve their skills.

"Her older brother and I don't have any other expectations. We just hope that things will go smoothly for her in the future. Anyway, she doesn't want to date these days, so she should focus on her studies. If she really gets into university, her older brother will be ecstatic!"

"By the way, are you going to take the exam too?" Sister Xiulan asked Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu smiled and nodded while holding her daughter. Her son was getting grumpy, and fearing he would cry and upset his sister, An Hui took him downstairs.

"I thought you'd go too. I ran into Guiying when I came back, and she said you'd definitely take the exam. Now that's great, you and Sun Ying are both taking the exam. If she doesn't understand something while studying, she can come and ask you for help..."

Sister-in-law Xiulan didn't stay long. She chatted with Yuan Xiu for a while and then left. Her purpose in coming was to ask Yuan Xiu if she wanted to take the college entrance examination, and also to find a study partner for her sister-in-law.

After everyone left, An Hui came up with her grandson in her arms. "Did someone in her family also take the college entrance exam?"

Yuan Xiu put her sleeping daughter aside, took her whimpering son from her arms, lifted her clothes to breastfeed, and said, "Her aunt is planning to take the exam and asked me to talk about studying."

"Don't rush to read the book, wait until after your confinement period."

Rumors about the college entrance examination had been circulating for a while, and everyone knew that its resumption was a done deal, but no one expected the exam date to be so close.

It's already mid-October, and there's only a little over a month left until December. Time is running out!

"It's the dead of winter, everyone's freezing, how can anyone write on the exam paper?" An Hui complained. "It would be so much better if it were scheduled for next spring, there would be plenty of time, it would be springtime, and the exam hall wouldn't be cold."

"The higher-ups also want the exams to be over as soon as possible so that the students can enroll in school sooner." Yuan Xiu paused here, then smiled and said, "What does cold weather matter in order to change one's fate? After receiving the news, there is another six months of waiting. For many people, that is real torment."

After listening, An Hui nodded: "What you said is right. It made me a bit like 'Why don't they eat cake?' I didn't consider the suffering of those educated youth who were sent to the countryside. By the way, what books do you need? I heard that books are hard to buy now, and there are long queues outside bookstores. If you need any books, just tell me and I'll get them for you."

Yuan Xiu knew that her mother-in-law had a wide network of connections, so she said that if she could prepare, she definitely could. "There's nothing we lack. Teacher Shen gave me several book lists before, and I bought all the books I needed."

A few days after the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination, Yuan Xiu finished her postpartum confinement.

On the day Yuan Xiu finished her postpartum confinement, Aunt Zhao boiled several kettles of water to take to the bathroom. To make it easier to deliver the water, Yuan Xiu took a good shower and washed her hair in the bathroom on the first floor.

Going to the public bathhouse would be more convenient, but Yuan Xiu was too embarrassed to go out. She hadn't washed her hair or taken a bath in a month, and her hair was so oily it could cook a whole table of dishes. When people came to visit, she always wore a hat, so no one but herself could see how oily her hair was.

The smell of milk on her body was stronger than that of the two children, mixed with the sour smell of not having bathed for a month.

She wasn't sure if others could smell it, but she herself found it quite unpleasant.

As for why it's unclear whether others can smell it, that's Jiangzhou's fault.

Over the course of the month, she asked Jiang Zhou several times if she smelled bad, and Jiang Zhou's answer was always: "No, it smells like milk."

This led Yuan Xiu to suspect that there was something wrong with his nose.

Of course, it's highly likely that Jiang Zhou was afraid that if he told her the truth, she would think he disliked her, so he told a white lie.

When Yuan Xiu took a bath, she brought a stool with her and sat on it to wash slowly. Aunt Zhao would boil a pot of water and bring it in so that the water in her bathtub wouldn't get cold after a long time.

It was two hours later when Yuan Xiu finished washing up.

As soon as she came out, Aunt Zhao quickly handed her a dry towel. "Hurry up and dry your hair, don't catch a cold. You still need to be careful after your confinement period, you're still breastfeeding."

As Yuan Xiu dried her hair, she walked into the living room and bent down to play with the two babies in the cradles.

After not seeing their mother for two hours, the brother and sister opened their little hands as soon as they saw her familiar face.

An Hui: "Stop teasing them, hurry up and dry your hair."

Yuan Xiu smiled and sat down to the side, taking a towel and starting to dry her hair. She was very fast; she had to be. After seeing their mother, the two siblings, who hadn't received a hug, were already pouting.

After Yuan Xiu finished wiping her up, she quickly draped the towel over the sofa and reached out to hug her younger sister first.

The little sister beamed with joy, waving her tiny hands as she rushed into her mother's arms. The first thing she did upon being embraced was to bury her face in the "milk bottle"...

Huh?

The little nose twitched; something didn't taste right!

Look up and take another look.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize Mommy?" Yuan Xiu asked softly. Her younger sister's expression was so cute; she was clearly stunned, and her gaze seemed to ask, "Who is this person?"