Her evasive attitude left Guan Shujun feeling helpless.
If Gu Qingtang had been her biological daughter, she would have simply knocked on the door and spoken to her firmly. There would have been nothing wrong with that.
But Gu Qingtang was different. Guan Shujun was afraid that if she interfered too much or was too strict, the girl might misunderstand her intentions. Gu Qingtang could be sensible and understanding, but she was also sensitive.
Ever since the day Gu Qingtang had arrived at their home, she had been calling her “Aunt Guan” affectionately. Guan Shujun had a daughter of her own, and from her perspective, she had done her best to treat both girls equally.
Yet, for some reason, Gu Qingtang always seemed to keep her at a distance. She rarely confided in her, and even when Guan Shujun patiently tried to ask what was on her mind, the girl still refused to say anything.
Perhaps everyone simply had a different personality. Guan Shujun had genuinely tried her best, but maybe there were still things she hadn’t done well enough.
Thinking this, Guan Shujun decided that since Gu Qingtang didn’t want to be disturbed, she would let the girl spend some time alone to think things through.
Perhaps after a few days, she would figure things out.
…
The County Post Office
Zhong Yi was making a phone call as well.
It had been more than ten days since Zhou Shu returned to his military unit. She hadn’t received a phone call or a letter from him, so she decided to call him herself and ask how things were going.
The call connected, and she asked to speak to Zhou Shu.
A man’s voice came from the other end, informing her that Zhou Shu had gone on a mission.
The military had strict confidentiality regulations, so information about his mission certainly couldn’t be disclosed. Zhong Yi understood that much. She simply asked the man to pass along a message.
If Zhou Shu returned, could he please ask him to call her back?
It wasn’t an unreasonable request, and the man agreed.
“Thank you.”
After expressing her gratitude, Zhong Yi hung up. Making phone calls wasn’t cheap in those days. Even a brief conversation like that had cost her two yuan.
She paid the fee and left the post office.
She wasn’t particularly worried about Zhou Shu’s safety. He was a soldier, after all, and going on missions was part of his job. According to the original novel’s storyline, Zhou Shu would encounter danger, but he would always make it through safely.
However, she couldn’t be entirely certain whether her arrival in this world would trigger a butterfly effect and change other people’s destinies.
It probably wouldn’t, right?
With that thought, Zhong Yi climbed onto her bicycle and headed toward County No. 1 High School.
Her younger sister, Zhong Wan, was a second-year high school student there. When Zhong Huilan learned that Zhong Yi was coming to the county town, she had given her two yuan and asked her to visit her younger sister while she was there.
Back when Zhong Yi herself had attended high school, Zhong Huilan had given her a generous monthly allowance. Since Zhong Huilan could earn money herself, she had never really deprived any of her children financially.
Of the canned food the Zhou family had given them earlier, Zhong Shu had taken some to the Miao family. There were still two cans of meat and two cans of mandarin oranges left, so Zhong Yi brought them all along.
Neither she nor Zhong Huilan particularly liked eating canned food at home. If she left it there, Zhong Shu might set his sights on it again, and eventually, it would end up in the Miao family’s stomachs anyway.
County No. 1 High School was the best high school in the county.
It would take Zhong Yi about twenty minutes to cycle there from the post office.
The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so she rode at a leisurely pace. When she passed a street, she noticed a large crowd gathered along the roadside, blocking more than half of the road. Even some cyclists had stopped to watch what was happening.
Zhong Yi had no choice but to get off her bicycle and push it through the crowd.
“How awful! There’s blood all over the ground!”
“Those men have some nerve. They dare to rob people in broad daylight!”
“Exactly! Thank goodness a man happened to pass by and rescued those two women. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened to them?”
“So, did they catch the robbers?”
“No. By the time the police arrived, the criminals had already disappeared.”
“I heard the injured man is a doctor from the county hospital…”
Zhong Yi overheard a few snippets of conversation but didn’t pay much attention. Once the road cleared, she got back on her bicycle and continued on her way.
County No. 1 High School had strict security, and outsiders weren’t allowed to enter freely. Fortunately, the elderly man on duty at the gate was quite kind. He understood that parents who came to visit simply wanted to see how their children were doing.
Since it was the students’ midday break, he said he could notify Zhong Wan and ask her to come to the school gate.
Zhong Yi thanked him and waited outside.
There was an information board near the entrance. With nothing else to do while waiting, she walked over to have a look and pass the time.
Suddenly, one notice caught her attention.
It was an admissions announcement for a well-known university in the province offering evening college programs. Registration would take place in July, the entrance examination would be held in early September, and the admission results would be announced in early October. Classes would begin later that month.
Most importantly, graduates of the evening program would receive diplomas recognized by the state, and those qualifications carried considerable weight.
Zhong Yi had already graduated from university in the modern era, so she wasn’t particularly obsessed with academic qualifications. But in this era, although studying wasn’t the only path to success, having a higher education would certainly be advantageous.
Besides, it would also allow her to fulfill the original owner’s unfulfilled dream.
Zhong Yi was tempted. Unfortunately, there appeared to be only one copy of the admissions notice, and other people needed to read it too. She couldn’t selfishly tear it down and take it for herself.
Fortunately, she had brought her bag, which contained paper and a pen. She quickly copied down the entire admissions notice.
Just as she finished, Zhong Wan came out of the school.
The moment she spotted Zhong Yi, she called out from a distance, “Sister!”
Then she came running over, her ponytail bouncing as she moved, radiating youthful energy.
“Sis, you finally came to visit me!”
Zhong Yi smiled and handed her the canned food she had brought, along with the two yuan.
Zhong Wan took the cans, her eyes narrowing into happy crescents.
“Sis, how did you know I love canned food? I’ve been eating in the school cafeteria every day, and I’m getting tired of it!”
As for the money, she continued, “When Mom visited last time, I already told her not to give me any more money. I have enough to spend. You probably don’t know this, but I help my classmates with their schoolwork, and they often treat me to meals in the cafeteria to thank me. Besides, the school provides subsidies, so I hardly ever need to spend my own money.”
“The money you and Mom gave me before? I’ve been saving all of it!”
Unlike the original owner, who had been gentle and reserved, Zhong Wan was lively and quick-witted.
There were four siblings in the Zhong family. Zhong Shu and Zhong Qiang weren’t particularly suited to studying, while the original owner had earned good grades. Zhong Wan, however, was the best student among all four of them.
She had entered County No. 1 High School as the second-highest scorer in the town’s middle school examinations. Even in a school filled with top students, she consistently ranked among the top ten in her grade. She had an excellent chance of getting into a good university.
In the original novel, the family’s story had only been mentioned briefly, without much detail. As for Zhong Wan, the novel merely stated that she had performed poorly in the college entrance examination. Unable to cope with the blow, she became depressed, eventually developed mental health problems, and spent the rest of her life in a miserable state.
What kind of ridiculous plot was that?
Zhong Yi felt a pang of frustration.
Another failed college entrance examination! Was it impossible for even one member of the Zhong family to have a good ending?
Studying hard for ten years was no easy feat. How could a single, casually mentioned failure in the college entrance examination erase all of a person’s hard work?
Fortunately, Zhong Wan still had more than a year before her own college entrance examination. Zhong Yi decided that when the time came the following year, she would personally come and accompany her sister during the exams.
She refused to believe that the two sisters couldn’t get at least one of them into university.
“My little sister is amazing!” Zhong Yi praised her. “But you still need to get enough rest. Make sure you balance studying with relaxation.”
“Don’t worry, Sis. I know what I’m doing. It’s almost time for class, so I have to go back. When I come home for summer vacation, we can have a proper chat. Just don’t complain that I’m talking too much by then!”
“I won’t. Go on.”
Watching her younger sister skip happily back into the school, Zhong Yi finally turned away and left.
However, she didn’t head straight home.
There was still another place she needed to visit.