Chapter 10

Dad was rarely firm for once: “Let’s talk about marriage after she finishes her exams.”

Aunt rolled her eyes: “A girl’s youth only lasts a few years. Once she’s past twenty, she won’t have such good prospects. You two never listen to advice-just wait, you’ll regret it.”

After the New Year, it was already February. Time was extremely tight.

I found myself at a bottleneck; no matter what, there wasn’t enough time, and I was unbearably anxious.

The cafeteria auntie wouldn’t let me wash dishes anymore.

I panicked a little, because Mom had only given me a hundred yuan for living expenses, which wasn’t enough for a month.

Auntie wiped her hands on her apron and smiled at me: “From now on, come eat all three meals here. I won’t charge you. Just focus on your studies-I believe in you.”

“Thank you, Auntie!”

Auntie was stunned, muttering: “I thought you’d refuse. I prepared so many words to persuade you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and as I laughed, my eyes grew red. I bowed deeply to her: “Thank you!”

Auntie’s eyes reddened too. She waved her hand and turned away: “Go study! If my daughter had worked as hard as you, I’d have sold everything to support her!”

Jiang Xin also noticed my anxiety.

Before evening self-study, she took out a sheet of scrap paper.

She drew a big tree.

“Imagine the history of a dynasty as a tree. The years are the trunk, and all the events that happened are the branches. Fill the tree little by little… Memory has its techniques too-find the method that works for you…”

She broke through my bottleneck.

I cast aside all distractions and studied day and night.

June arrived.

The little gardenias under the dorm bloomed, their fragrance drifting in the air.

The great train of the college entrance exam rolled in.

On the evening of the 6th, after dinner, Jiang Xin dragged me to walk around the track.

Night slowly crept in, the light dimmed, half her face submerged in shadow.

“Xiaxia, if you don’t pass this year, will you try again?”

“I probably won’t get another chance.” I gripped her hand tighter. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely make it this time.”

“But I want to go to Fudan!” She suddenly grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s make the most of this last bit of time and do one more set of problems.”

The exam was tomorrow; many people chose to relax.

There weren’t many people in the classroom.

Jiang Xin pulled out a set of Huanggang math papers and tore them in half.

“Let’s do this! I bet this question will be on the test!”

Every second of the exam was so long and torturous.

Afterwards, I felt completely drained.

Even walking felt light and floaty.

I packed my things and, after saying goodbye to Jiang Xin, went home.

“Thank you for making me do that paper with you.”

She smiled brightly: “I told you, that question would be on the test!”

Dad now works at a construction site to support my sister and me through school.

Mom pushes a cart selling fried noodles.

After putting away my luggage, I went to find her. She was just being chased off by the city inspectors.

The cart was old and heavy. As she pedaled uphill, her body leaned forward, even her hair seemed to be straining.

My eyes stung badly. I ran up quickly to help push from behind.

Mom turned to see me, her face wrinkling into a smile: “Finished your exams?”

She didn’t ask how I did, only said to Dad while putting on his medicated patch that night: “You want to go to college, your dad and I will support you.”

“But don’t blame us for favoritism. After the double harvest, you’ll have to go work.”

Turns out, they never believed I could pass.

The day the results came out happened to be Grandma’s birthday.

Mom got up at five in the morning, bought lots of groceries at the market, and took the earliest bus home.

She bustled in the kitchen, while Aunt chatted at the gate, washing a bunch of celery for half an hour.

The dishes came out one by one, but Mom was still busy in the kitchen.

Because it was a big birthday, many relatives came.

Three round tables were set.

Everyone was seated, but there was no seat for Mom.

Great-aunt called out to Mom, still busy in the kitchen: “Guihua, stop fussing, come sit!”

Grandma tapped her bowl: “Leave her be, she’s just stubborn, doesn’t like sitting at the table.”

My sister glanced at the clock on the wall and whispered: “Sis, it’s twelve o’clock. Can we check the results now?”

Unexpectedly, Aunt overheard.

She sneered: “What’s there to check? Some people work hard for three years and still might not pass. She’s not smart, only studied for a year-if she passes, that’d be a miracle.”

“Can you even get three hundred points?”

The relatives all chimed in, saying discouraging things.

Granduncle even scolded Dad: “Girls should marry early. You let her mess around and wasted so much money!”

Aunt laughed, her fat shaking: “He doesn’t have a son, that’s just how it is.”

Grandma’s face was stern: “You promised before, if Xiaxia doesn’t pass, your homestead goes to Dabao. Don’t go back on your word.”

Dad’s shoulders were tense as he handed me his old Nokia: “Go ahead and check.”

Aunt cracked sunflower seeds, her tone malicious: “Xiaxia, everyone’s really concerned about you. Put it on speaker.”

I knew my results weren’t just about my own future.

They were also about Dad’s pride, Mom’s backbone, and the homestead our family had never used.

I took a deep breath, dialed the results hotline, and entered the exam number etched deep in my mind.

After agonizing waiting, the mechanical voice began to broadcast.