Chapter 349: Chapter 350: College Entrance Examination Chapter 349: Chapter 350: College Entrance Examination Three days after the wedding, Xu Ying and Huo Chen got up early to buy gifts and headed to the Xu Family home.

Mrs. Xu had already been waiting by the door, and as soon as she saw her daughter, she ran over with teary eyes and pulled her into the yard, “Haven’t seen you in a few days, you’ve put on some weight, it seems that Huo Chen is treating you well.”

Hearing this, Xu Ying wanted to roll her eyes. It was more than just good treatment; they had spent the three days in bed, and she was almost broken by his tortures.

But those were words she was too embarrassed to say out loud, so all she could do was nod with a blushing face.

As Huo Chen entered the yard and set down the gifts, he was called over by Mr. Xu for a chat.

Xu’s Dapeng Vegetables had been very successful, not only with vegetables but also with growing fruits like strawberries, watermelons, and grapes.

Huo Chen was now doing some transport work, and Xu wanted to collaborate with him to sell his homegrown fruits to various places.

The Xu Family owned several acres of land. In addition to the parcels Mr. and Mrs. Xu were still using to grow grain, the rest were difficult for Second Brother Xu and his wife to farm since they both worked in the county and were now preparing for university.

They simply didn’t have the time to tend the land, so they had given their share to Xu for cultivation, and Third Brother Xu and Xu Ying did the same.

With the money given by Xu Ying, Xu had transformed those few acres into greenhouses.

Nowadays, vegetables used by the State-owned Restaurant in the county were all uniformly purchased from Xu’s greenhouses, freshly picked and gathered every day, and their freshness was unmatched.

Mrs. Xu, holding her daughter’s hand, reminded her, “You’re about to take the university entrance exam soon, so be careful not to get pregnant.

If you’re carrying a child and still need to study, how can you do it without anyone to take care of you?”

Xu Ying hadn’t even considered this issue, but she figured she’d leave the matter of having kids up to fate.

She would try her best to prevent pregnancy, but if it happened, she would keep the baby.

After all, a few more years and family planning would become mandatory, and she wanted to have several children for company.

“Then, Mom, you can come with me to school!” Xu Ying joked.

Mrs. Xu actually took it seriously. Although she would miss her husband, she couldn’t bear to be apart from her daughter. She held Xu Ying’s hand and said, “If you really get pregnant, I’ll accompany you when the time comes.”

Xu Ying didn’t expect her mother to be so serious. She felt a warmth in her heart, but it also made her a bit sad.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, the day of the high school examination had arrived.

The school where the exam took place was bustling with activity. Participants thronged the venue–some pregnant, some in their fifties or sixties; people of all kinds were present, all sharing the common love for learning regardless of their age.

Mrs. Xu and Huo Chen made their way through the crowd with Xu Ying, tightly guarding her and making way for her.

Second Brother Xu came with his wife, while Third Brother Xu and Eldest Sister-in-law Xu re-entered the crowd alone,
and watched as Xu Ying walked into the examination room, Mrs. Xu’s heart raced with nervous beats.

“Mom, I’m going in,” called Xu Ying as she waved at them and entered the exam hall without looking back.

With the sound of a horn, the solemn and sacred test began.

Outside the examination room, parents were full of anxiety, waiting for their family members to complete the tests.

The exams took two full days to conclude, and as soon as Xu Ying left the examination room, Mrs. Xu couldn’t help but ask, “Daughter, how did the exams go?”

Xu Ying was quite confident. She had been a good student since she was young, had an excellent memory, and with the materials prepared by the system, there should be no problems.

Her targets were Qinghua and Beijing University; she just didn’t know if she could get in.

The Xu Family had barely squeezed out of the crowd when they saw Xu Qingqing and Sun Yiliang, along with a few Youth Corps members who hadn’t yet returned to the city.

The Youth Corps members nodded and greeted Xu Ying before they prepared to leave.

Yet, it was Xu Qingqing who, seeing the Xu Family group, couldn’t help but deliver a sarcastic comment, “Cousin, with so many of your family taking the university exam, let’s hope at least one of you passes.”

“If it comes to that, it’ll be embarrassing, won’t it, Yiliang? As a teacher of the people, you surely must be able to pass the exam, right?”

Xu Qingqing finished speaking with a supremely proud look on her face.

Sun Yiliang, however, felt somewhat awkward. For this exam, he was confident in his Chinese capabilities, but there was a lot of Mathematics and English that he did not know.

Not to mention feeling confident, he was now even afraid he wouldn’t be able to get into a vocational school.

Seeing him not respond, Xu Qingqing thought he hadn’t heard her and jabbed him with her elbow, “Are you confident about this exam?”

Sun Yiliang gave an embarrassed smile, “It’s alright, I guess.”

Xu Ying smiled a little, easily seeing through Sun Yiliang’s lack of confidence. She teased, “The exam questions this time were quite easy. I believe that Sun will surely achieve good results!”

But Xu Qingqing, oblivious, thought Xu Ying also believed Sun Yiliang would achieve good results.

She became even more smug, looking at Huo Chen beside her, and mocked, “Cousin, what good is your man being from Shanghai.

Without an education, he’s just an illiterate. Why didn’t he participate in this resumed college entrance exam?”

Huo Chen’s face turned cold. His lack of formal schooling was well known among the villagers, and that was precisely why he wanted to self-study for a year before taking the exam, which was why he hadn’t participated this time.

“My man is too busy with his successful business; he’ll have time to take the exam next year,” Xu Ying said as she walked away briskly, pulling Huo Chen with her.

The national college entrance exams ended, and countless students anxiously awaited their results. Finally, after more than a week, acceptance letters started to arrive.

When it was time for Xujia Village, the postal worker couldn’t hide his surprise; seeing so many acceptance letters for one family, he exclaimed, “This family must all be intellectuals.

There are four acceptance letters, did everyone get in?”

Mrs. Xu, overjoyed upon hearing this, ran back into the house and returned with a handful of candy for the postal worker, “Here, nephew, share in the joy.

Oh my, our Xu ancestors have truly blessed us–all the children who took the exam got in.”

Suddenly, Xujia Village was buzzing with excitement.

“All four children from Village Chief Xu’s family got into university.”

“The children of Village Chief Xu have brought glory to the ancestors; they all got into university.”

Soon the news spread throughout the entire village, and the postal worker, after accepting the candy, inquired about the location of the Youth Corps and ran off towards it.

He quickly returned with several more acceptance letters in his hand.

Several people from the Youth Corps had gotten into universities, while Dong Jiazong, the loudest braggart, came away empty-handed.

The Dong Family was incredulous. Watching the postal worker, they anxiously asked, “Are you sure there are no letters missing, brother?”

The postal worker shook his head.

He wouldn’t dare be careless with such matters and had checked several times before coming. He consoled the young man by saying, “Different schools send out their acceptance letters at different times.

Perhaps you should wait a few more days?”

Dong Jiazong nodded, but his face was pale.

Sun Juan was also holding an acceptance letter. Although it wasn’t for a university, being accepted into a vocational school was no small feat.

She looked at the postal worker, “What about my elder brother Sun Yiliang’s letter?”

Xu Qingqing heard that the letters had arrived and was also excitedly running toward the Youth Corps, unsure whether her man had been accepted.

Sun Yiliang, full of hope, followed her to the Youth Corps.