Even after the Lantern Festival had passed, the festive atmosphere of the New Year had not completely faded.
Shen Zhixia’s decision to take the College Entrance Examination was formally approved at the Lu family dinner table.
Much to Shen Zhixia’s surprise, she had expected the elders to try to dissuade her, but the first person to express his support was actually her usually stern father-in-law, Lu Zhenbang.
“Good! That’s the spirit!”
Lu Zhenbang rarely showed such excitement, and even his disappointing son looked a little more pleasing to him.
“That brat refused to go to college back then, stubbornly insisting on running away from home!”
“For all these years, he hasn’t done a single respectable thing. The only thing he got right was marrying the right wife.”
Since Lu Zhenbang was complimenting his wife, Lu Huaiyuan decided not to argue with his father and simply sat to the side with an obedient smile.
After habitually criticizing his son, Lu Zhenbang turned to Shen Zhixia.
“Zhixia, just focus on your studies and revise in peace. Your mother will take care of everything at home. If you need anything, just tell that brat and make him run around and get it for you!”
Su Ya was even happier, smiling so broadly that she could hardly close her mouth as she nodded repeatedly.
“Exactly, exactly. Studying is the important thing. Starting tomorrow, Mom will stew walnuts for you every day to nourish your brain!”
With the wholehearted support of the entire family, Shen Zhixia officially entered her “closed-door cultivation” mode.
And Lu Huaiyuan truly took the task of “running errands” to the extreme.
He began making frequent trips into the city.
Every time he returned, he would pull all kinds of extremely sought-after study materials from the roomy pockets of his jacket or his canvas bag as though he were performing a magic trick.
The first time, he brought back a thin booklet titled 1979 National Higher Education Entrance Examination Review Outline, along with a thick stack of old books whose pages had yellowed with age.
“I asked around with some teachers from the city’s key high schools.”
Lu Huaiyuan placed the books on the table, then poured himself a glass of water and took a long drink.
“The textbooks published during those special ten years were too basic and simply aren’t enough for the current College Entrance Examination.”
“Everyone agrees that these old, nationally compiled textbooks are the ones to use. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, Chinese, politics, and foreign languages are all here. We’ve got the complete set.”
Looking at those old textbooks, which had been preserved in relatively good condition, Shen Zhixia felt a warmth spread through her heart.
In an era when study materials were more precious than meat, she had no idea how much effort he had put in or how many places he had traveled to in order to gather this entire set for her.
By early March, Lu Huaiyuan returned from the city carrying an entire set of the Self-Study Series for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
“People who study these days have a saying: ‘Master mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and you won’t be afraid to travel anywhere in the world.’ Once my wife masters them, she’ll be able to take me around the world.”
He looked so smug and proud that he practically wore his delight on his face.
Shen Zhixia treasured the books as though she had found a priceless treasure.
With the solid foundation of knowledge she had accumulated in her previous life, combined with the extreme self-discipline that came with being an adult, she was able to make twice the progress with half the effort.
During the day, she organized her mathematics, physics, and chemistry formulas, while at night, she studied late into the night, frantically memorizing the political examination points in the review outline.
Yes, that was right. In the 1979 College Entrance Examination, science students also had to take politics!
That was the only part that put considerable pressure on Shen Zhixia.
It was simply too difficult for someone who had been a science student in her previous life.
As time passed, the materials piled higher and higher on the desk.
There were official review materials for the College Entrance Examination in mathematics, physics, and chemistry published by established publishing houses, mimeographed examination papers from the previous two years, and even some specialized mathematics, physics, and chemistry reference books that were extremely difficult to obtain. Lu Huaiyuan gathered them for Shen Zhixia little by little, like an ant carrying grains home.
One night, Lu Huaiyuan returned home with moonlight spilling across the ground beneath his feet.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, he saw exactly what he had expected. The small desk lamp beside the desk was still on.
Shen Zhixia was lying face down on the desk, which was covered with mimeographed study materials. Her breathing was even, and it was obvious that exhaustion had finally lulled her to sleep.
The early spring night was still somewhat chilly, and Lu Huaiyuan’s brows drew together slightly.
He gently removed the fountain pen from her hand. The ink on its nib had already dried and hardened.
Bending down, he carefully lifted her into his arms.
Shen Zhixia did not wake. Instead, she instinctively nuzzled against his warm chest and mumbled indistinctly,
“…Matter determines consciousness… matter comes first, then consciousness…”
Lu Huaiyuan let out a quiet laugh.
He gently laid her on the bed and tucked the quilt around her. Then he reached into his coat and took out a slender brocade box, placing it beside her pillow.
The next morning, when Shen Zhixia woke up, she immediately saw the brocade box.
When she opened it, she found a brand-new Hero gold-nib fountain pen inside.
Holding the substantial fountain pen in her hand, Shen Zhixia could not suppress the smile spreading across her lips.
She filled the fountain pen with ink and firmly began writing rows of formulas on the paper.
The days passed swiftly amid the soft scratching of pen against paper and the man’s silent protection.
Before she knew it, early May of 1979 had arrived.
The spring flowers in Jinxi County had already finished blooming, and the air was beginning to carry the dry heat of early summer.
That evening, Shen Zhixia closed the final set of mimeographed practice examination papers and let out a long breath.
After three months of living like a high school senior preparing for the College Entrance Examination, she had completed her first round of revision.
Although those three months had been exhausting, they had also brought her a long-lost sense of fulfillment.
It felt as though she had returned to the days in her previous life when she had prepared for the College Entrance Examination.
This time, however, she experienced the happiness of having her entire family put her examination above everything else.
That was what she had envied most about her classmates when she had fought alone in her previous life.
And tomorrow will be the opening of the College Entrance Examination registration!
Shen Zhixia could feel her heart beating faster, and she was even a little nervous.
After all, it had been so many years since she had taken the College Entrance Examination in her previous life.
It was no longer merely a feeling of having lived through another lifetime. She truly had.
The next morning, the sky was only beginning to brighten.
“Wife, are you ready?”
The bedroom door opened, and Lu Huaiyuan strode inside.
Today, he was wearing an exceptionally crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his sturdy forearms. His entire presence radiated a sharpness that seemed ready to burst into action at any moment.
“I’ve packed everything.”
Shen Zhixia turned around, slung the cloth bag from the table over her shoulder, and looked at him with bright eyes.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Huaiyuan walked over to her and naturally reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair at her temple, his voice deep and firm.
“I’ve cleaned my 28-inch Bicycle and your little 26-style women’s bicycle, and I’ve oiled the chains too.”
“Let’s get back as quickly as possible, pick up the household register, then find the production team leader to get a recommendation letter, and go straight to the commune registration point to fill out the forms.”
“I’m just afraid getting the household register won’t go smoothly. We’ll probably have a tough battle ahead of us.”
After her initial excitement had passed, Shen Zhixia began to worry again.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged everything.”
Lu Huaiyuan calmly absorbed her uneasiness.
With someone fighting alongside her, Shen Zhixia suddenly felt that there was nothing to be afraid of.
She walked to the courtyard gate and reached out to grip the handlebars of the 26-style women’s bicycle.
She took a deep breath of the cool morning air and felt an unprecedented strength surging through her chest.
Beside her, Lu Huaiyuan also swiftly mounted his 28-inch Bicycle, his long, sturdy legs planted firmly on the ground.
He turned his head toward her, his eyes filled with the light of absolute confidence and boundless anticipation for the future.
“Let’s go, future college students.”
“Let’s go!”
Shen Zhixia answered brightly and lightly swung herself onto the little 26-style bicycle.
“Ring, ring!”
The crisp sound of the bicycle bells broke through the tranquility of the early morning.
The two bicycles rode one after another out of the alley beside the Lu family’s old residence.
Their wheels spun rapidly as they rode toward the rising sun, racing toward a future filled with boundless hope.