“We’re here!” the coachman Wang Tiezhu called out.
Meng Yao set aside her thoughts about whether Meng Yu was truly her biological sister, brushed the dust off her trousers, and deftly hopped down from the carriage.
“Those with business to attend to, get to it. Those returning by carriage this afternoon, gather here at three o’clock sharp. We won’t wait for anyone late!” Wang Tiezhu shouted to the disembarking passengers.
“Got it—”
“Thank you, Uncle Wang.” Meng Yao thanked him and walked away without looking back.
A little over ten minutes later, she stopped in front of the Education Bureau. Glancing up at the sign above the entrance to confirm she was in the right place, she resolutely stepped inside.
“Comrade, I’d like to ask—can we register now for this year’s college entrance exam?” Meng Yao inquired through a small window to the staff member inside.
No sooner had she spoken than a form was slid toward her.
“Fill it out according to the instructions. Write neatly and be careful not to make mistakes. There’s no second sheet of paper for you to use,” the woman behind the counter said, her tone less than friendly.
“Comrade, I need two forms. I’m helping my sister—”
“No. One per person. Whoever is registering must come in person. If you can’t even handle registration for them, how are you going to take the exam for them?” the woman retorted impatiently.
Meng Yao thought the woman had a point. Taking the form, she quietly moved to a nearby table to fill it out.
Finally, she carefully signed her name stroke by stroke, then dipped her finger into the nearby inkpad and solemnly pressed her fingerprint onto the paper.
As she let out a sigh of relief, the heavy weight in her heart finally lifted.
In her previous life, she hadn’t had time to study and hadn’t realized the importance of education, let alone considered taking the college entrance exam. Later, due to her lack of qualifications, after Following the Army, she was not only frequently looked down upon by Song Wei but also couldn’t hold her head up among the military families.
Countless times, she had endured scorn because of her lack of education.
Meng Yao’s desire to take the college entrance exam wasn’t entirely driven by others’ disdain. More importantly, in her past life, she had truly come to understand the importance of learning. If you could master the skill of studying, then most problems you encountered in life could be solved through acquiring knowledge. If you couldn’t even manage the simplest act of studying, how would you handle all the challenges the future held?
Studying wasn’t just about gaining knowledge; it was about training the mind.
Meng Yao handed the completed form to the staff member at the counter and walked out with light, brisk steps.
The woman behind the counter looked at the neat, elegant lines of small characters and couldn’t help but glance a few more times in the direction the girl had left.
Not only was the young lady delicate and pretty, but her handwriting was also beautiful.
With one major task accomplished, the remaining item was to buy some practice exam papers. Meng Yao calculated in her mind how much money she would have left after purchasing the papers and whether it would be enough to buy some seeds or something similar.
After all, such a large empty plot in her Space shouldn’t be left idle; she ought to plant something.
Thinking this, feeling uneasy, she lowered her head to rummage through her bag for her three yuan.
Just then, she brushed past a man and a woman at the entrance.
Neither paid the other any attention.
Gu Jingcheng wore a sullen expression as he gestured with his chin toward the building opposite. “This is where you register for the college entrance exam. I’ll wait here for you. Go in by yourself.”
The Education Bureau was easy enough to find. Gu Jingcheng truly couldn’t understand why Xu Li insisted he accompany her.
Xu Li glanced at the bureau’s entrance and pouted discontentedly. “Jing Cheng, since you’re already here, come in with me.”
Gu Jingcheng frowned. What was he, a university graduate, doing here?
But facing Xu Li’s pleading expression, he glanced sideways at Old San beside him.
He gave a kick, “Third Brother, go with her.”
Third Brother broke out in a sweat—Miss Xu clearly didn’t want him to tag along…
Xu Li didn’t dare vent her anger at Gu Jingcheng, so she shot Third Brother a glare and stomped off toward the education bureau entrance.
Third Brother scratched his head, unsure whether to follow.
Gu Jingcheng gave him another kick, and Third Brother hurriedly caught up.
Meng Yao found her money in her bag and went to a bookstore, carefully selecting several sets of practice exams. With the remaining money, she bought some vegetable seeds.
Since the group wasn’t meeting until three in the afternoon, she continued wandering. After walking a bit farther, she was drawn to a flower vendor nearby.
The stall was filled with colorful blooms, mostly common varieties like roses, jasmine, gardenias, and even pomegranate flowers.
Meng Yao loved all things beautiful and exquisite, and she was familiar with these flowers. But as someone from the countryside, where every bit of open space at home was used for growing vegetables, she could only occasionally pick wildflowers from the roadside while helping in the fields.
“Miss, would you like to buy a bouquet to take home?”
Meng Yao hesitated when she saw the price.
“Miss, how about this? Since you’re so pretty, and I’m about to pack up, you can pick a bouquet, and I’ll sell it to you for thirty cents. Normally, it’s fifty cents a bouquet. How about it?” the enthusiastic vendor asked.
Meng Yao knew the vendor wasn’t lying, so she smiled and nodded. “Deal!”
Not wanting to take advantage, she simply picked a few stems and arranged them into a small bouquet herself. Only when she was satisfied did she take out thirty cents and hand it to the vendor.
The vendor couldn’t take her eyes off the bouquet in Meng Yao’s hands. Though the flowers were ordinary, they seemed to transform in her hands, arranged so beautifully it was like magic.
“Oh, sister, your bouquet looks absolutely lovely!”
“Not at all, it’s your flowers that are beautiful,” Meng Yao replied modestly.
She walked away with the flowers, feeling overjoyed. She looked at them from every angle, occasionally bringing them close to smell their fragrance.
Just as she was about to leave, a commotion broke out in the crowd behind her.
“Oh my, this is terrible—she’s pregnant!”
“I don’t dare help, I can’t take responsibility!”
“This is too scary!”
Meng Yao turned around. In the crowd, a pregnant woman with a large belly was slumped on the ground, her face frighteningly pale, reaching out for help. But no one around her stepped forward—everyone was too afraid.
She didn’t want to get involved in such matters, but in her previous life, a stranger who was pregnant had once helped her. Now, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Thinking of the Spirit Spring in her Space, she decided to try it as a last resort. Just giving the woman some water shouldn’t cause any harm.
Taking out her water bottle from her bag, she used her will to draw from the spring, then rushed toward the crowd.
Nearby, Gu Jingcheng had already sent Third Brother to borrow a car and was rolling up his sleeves to carry the woman to the hospital. Just then, a young girl hurried over, holding a cup of water to the pregnant woman’s lips.
“Big sister, it’s okay, don’t be afraid. Drink some water first, and I’ll get someone to take you to the hospital,” she said softly, patting the woman’s back to comfort her. “It’s alright.”
Gu Jingcheng stared at the girl’s figure for a few seconds.
The woman clutched Meng Yao’s water bottle and drank eagerly, finishing the entire cup. The dizziness faded, replaced by a surge of energy. Panting, she thanked her, “Thank you, young lady. I just have low blood sugar during pregnancy, and I didn’t bring any food with me today. I’ve caused you trouble…”
Seeing the woman looking a bit more alert, Meng Yao breathed a sigh of relief. With some effort, she helped the woman up, just as a hand with distinct knuckles reached out to assist from the side.
Meng Yao turned her head and met a pair of narrow, long eyes.
She froze—why was Gu Jingcheng here?
Just then, from beyond the crowd came Lao San’s shout, “Make way, make way—the car’s here—”
Meng Yao understood in an instant.