March came around in the blink of an eye; schools had begun reopening. Ye Qinghui rode a bicycle, with Ye Qingyan sitting behind him, heading toward Anping Middle School.
As they entered the school grounds, the gatekeeper stopped them. “Hey, you two! What are you doing here? This isn’t a place for just anyone to wander in and out.”
Ye Qingyan hopped off the bicycle, walked over to the gatehouse, and said to the guard with a bright smile, “Good day, Uncle. We’d like to speak to the Head of Academic Affairs.”
As she spoke, she quietly slipped a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes to the guard.
After tucking the cigarettes into his pocket, the guard’s attitude softened somewhat. “Alright then, I’ll take you to see Director Zhang. Go park your bicycles in the shed over there.”
The campus was quiet. Upon reaching the Academic Affairs Office, the guard knocked gently on the door.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses sat at a desk by the window; hearing the knock, he looked up.
“Old Liu, what is it?” His tone carried a hint of impatience.
“Director Zhang, these two say they have something to discuss with you.” Having delivered them, the guard turned and left.
Director Zhang lifted his thermos, took a slow, leisurely sip of tea, and then said, “What do you need? Go on, speak.”
Ye Qinghui smiled and replied, “Greetings, Director Zhang. My sister and I wish to transfer into the final year of high school and sit for this year’s national college entrance examination.”
Director Zhang looked them up and down. “That’s rather difficult to arrange. What are your names? How old are you? Where did you attend school before? And what grade did you complete?”
Ye Qinghui: “I’m Ye Qinghui, twenty years old. I attended Hongguang Middle School and completed the second year of senior high.”
Ye Qingyan: “I’m Ye Qingyan, nineteen years old. I also attended Hongguang Middle School and completed junior high.”
Hongguang Middle School was a commune-run school that had closed down two years earlier due to low enrollment — which was why they had to seek admission elsewhere.
“Only junior high?” Director Zhang glanced dismissively at Ye Qingyan. “You’d never pass the college entrance examination. It’s a sheer waste of time. My advice to you: go home, get married, and start a family.”
He then turned to Ye Qinghui. “As for you — if you pass our entrance examination, we may consider admitting you.”
Ye Qinghui suppressed a flash of anger, pressing his lips together. “Director Zhang, my sister may only have finished junior high, but she has studied all senior high textbooks on her own. She’s exceptionally bright and used to rank at the very top of her class. Might you allow her to take the entrance examination alongside me?”
“I have made myself perfectly clear.” Director Zhang waved his hand dismissively. “If your sister sits for the exam, she will only waste her own time — and squander our school’s educational resources.”
“Director Zhang,” Ye Qingyan spoke up calmly, “if I take the entrance examination and fail, all that will be wasted is a few sheets of paper. Without letting me try and see my results, how can you be so certain that I am incapable of getting into university?”
Director Zhang laughed aloud as if she had said something utterly ridiculous. “There is simply no point in wasting time. You think you can excel just by studying on your own? You must be living in a dream!”
Ye Qingyan did not take offense. She merely replied serenely, “Then we shall see.”
She understood at once: Director Zhang was a foolish, arrogant man who looked down on women to his very core.
As Ye Qinghui walked out beside her, Director Zhang called after them, “Wait — Ye Qinghui? Are you not taking the examination after all?”
“If my sister cannot take it, then neither will I,” Ye Qinghui replied, his voice cool and firm from the doorway.
As they rode away from the school, Ye Qingyan sat quietly on the back seat. Thinking she was feeling upset, Ye Qinghui tried to comfort her. “Qingyan, don’t be sad. I’ll go speak to the leaders at another school some other day and reason things out properly.”
“I’m not sad at all,” Ye Qingyan said with a soft laugh. “I was just thinking — should we make the pork belly we bought today into braised pork, or stir-fry it with garlic sprouts? Brother, which would you prefer?”
“Either is fine by me,” Ye Qinghui couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not fussy — anything to eat is enough for me.” He marveled at his sister’s lightheartedness; even at a time like this, her mind was already on dinner.
Ye Qingyan poked his back. “Brother, don’t go looking for anyone else. Tomorrow, let’s head to the city’s No.1 High School and ask there.”
“The city’s No.1 High School? That’s awfully far away.”
“They have dormitories,” Ye Qingyan pointed out. “Though… I don’t plan on living in the dormitory.”
Puzzled, Ye Qinghui asked, “Why not? If you don’t stay in the dormitory, you’d have to rent a room in the city?”
“That’s right. I’ll rent a place there. I can’t leave Mother all alone at home by herself.”
Hearing her words, Ye Qinghui fell silent. His sister was quick-witted, capable of earning money, and remarkably mature — she looked after their mother beautifully.
Compared to her, he felt he fell far short.
At that moment, Ye Qinghui silently vowed to himself: he must redouble his efforts, and strive all the harder for a better life.
The next morning, after breakfast, the siblings set off. They rode to the county seat, then took a long-distance bus to the city.
As soon as she boarded the bus, Ye Qingyan covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and leaned her head on Ye Qinghui’s shoulder, dozing off.
After more than an hour of bumping along, they finally arrived at Yongyang City Bus Station.
Stepping outside, they saw a bustling square thronged with people. Rickshaws lined the roadside, their drivers waving and calling out for passengers.
Ye Qingyan couldn’t help but reflect: decades later, bus stations would still be crowded with drivers touting for business — only the rickshaws would have been replaced by taxis.
It was Ye Qinghui’s first time visiting the city. He gazed around in wonder. “I never imagined the city would be so prosperous… so lively!”
Ye Qingyan felt far less impressed. In her previous life, she had worked in the capital and visited dozens of countries; she had seen far grander metropolises. Still, compared to Anping County, this city was undeniably thriving.
She noticed that beyond the rickshaws, vendors lined the streets selling all kinds of food — steamed buns, peanuts and sunflower seeds, candied hawthorns on sticks… an endless variety filling the roadside, a feast for the eyes.
It seemed that economic restrictions were gradually being relaxed in the cities.
Ye Qingyan thought to herself: coming to the city to study really was an excellent decision. This way, she could start doing business here as well.
Being a top-tier student, academics came naturally to her. For now, her priority was to steadily build up her capital — so that she could keep pace with the times and seize every opportunity in the years ahead.
Ye Qinghui nudged her arm. “Qingyan? Did you hear what I said? Why have you gone quiet?”
Ye Qingyan snapped back to reality. “Huh? What did you say just now?”
“I said — it’s your first time in the city. Aren’t you amazed?” Ye Qinghui smiled. “I was asking — should we take a bus, or hire a rickshaw?”
Without hesitation, Ye Qingyan chose a rickshaw. The mix of smells inside the bus had nearly made her faint.
The siblings took a rickshaw to Yongyang City No.1 High School. Ye Qingyan stepped forward to speak with the gatekeeper, quietly slipping him two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes as she explained their purpose.
After listening to her, the guard nodded. “It’s the midday break right now. Everyone’s gone home for lunch. Come back in half an hour.”
“Thank you very much! We’ll come back then.”
With half an hour to spare, it was the perfect time for lunch. They found a noodle shop nearby, ordered two bowls of hot noodle soup, and ate heartily.