Chapter Twelve: The Village Chief Pays a Visit

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After finishing the English book, Yang Xingwu felt a great weight lifted from his heart. Initially, he had worried that if the subject was some obscure language, he would be doomed immediately! Fortunately, the school’s teacher specialized in English, though their proficiency was mediocre at best. However, since the college entrance exam had only recently been reinstated for a few years, everyone’s level was roughly the same. With this in mind, Yang Xingwu, who still retained some knowledge from his previous CET-4 level, thought that by picking it up again, English might even become one of his strengths.

Even if there was no room for improvement in the other subjects, Yang Xingwu’s English score could at least improve by 20 points. With the original score of 500 points, adding those 20 points would barely reach the undergraduate admission line. As for why a perfect science score was 710 points, yet only those scoring above 500 points qualified for university admission? That was simple—he was in a province where the competition was fierce.

If he were in the capital city, his original score wouldn't cause any worry about entering university. Although the national college entrance exam was the same across the country, the admission cut-off scores varied greatly by region. For example, in the capital, a science score over 500 was enough for undergraduate admission, but in Shandong Province, even that wouldn’t guarantee entry to a vocational college.

In light of this, around the turn of the millennium, three brave individuals sued the government agencies. Since then, many provinces began setting their own exam papers, which served as a sort of cover-up. The original owner’s experience was strikingly similar to those three pioneers.

Yang Xingwu sighed and said softly, “Brother, rest well.”

After gathering his thoughts, he began flipping through the textbooks for Chinese and Politics, which contained mostly conventional knowledge points. Finally, he opened the textbooks for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Since Yang Xingwu was originally a high school math teacher, he found many overlaps in the sciences and believed that a few days of familiarization would quickly get him up to speed.

Moreover, his memory had improved significantly after transmigrating, so he could wake up early to memorize English vocabulary and boost his word bank. Two months would be more than enough time for review.

With these thoughts, Yang Xingwu grew increasingly confident about the college entrance exam.

He sorted out the notebooks for each subject left by the original owner and opened them to find pages densely filled with notes. The notebooks were yellowed and worn in many places, clearly frequently referenced.

Looking at these relics, Yang Xingwu was deeply moved. The original owner had truly worked hard, spending ten years just to reach the same starting line as classmates like Liu Jianjun. He studied day and night, all for the chance to get into university and provide a better life for his parents and siblings.

But in the end, it had all been in vain. At first, like the character Fan Jin who passed the exam unexpectedly, his youthful ambition was scorned. Now in middle age, he realized that everyone was like Fan Jin—none could find an examiner who recognized their worth.

Yang Xingwu gazed at the scattered books on the floor with a heavy heart. After a long while, he composed himself and resumed studying.

At noon, Yang Xingwu noticed his mother hadn’t returned, likely helping at his uncle’s house.

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For lunch, his younger sister Yang Xiaolan made a simple porridge soup and reheated three steamed buns. Yang Xingwu boiled water for his sister.

The three siblings each had a bowl of soup and one steamed bun, accompanied by some pickled vegetables—this was their midday meal.

After eating, Yang Xiaolan washed the pots while Yang Xingwu took his younger sister for a nap. After a meal, drowsiness was natural, especially since the whole family had risen early that morning. Little sister Yang Xiaohong was already nodding off.

When he woke in the afternoon, Yang Xingwu saw his mother mending shoe soles inside.

He got down from the kang bed and approached her.

“Mother, how’s it going at uncle’s place?”

“You’re awake? Not bad. Your uncle and the others went to the city, but it’s probably afternoon by now. They won’t be back tonight, but they brought quilts and will sleep on the cart.”

Wang Zhaodi was delighted to see her son awake.

“That’s good. Even if they don’t finish selling in the afternoon, the workers can still sell when they go to the market in the morning.”

“Yes, that’s what I told your uncle.”

Yang Xingwu chatted with his mother for a while before returning to his studies. Mother and son, one mending shoes, the other reading, quietly coexisted in the courtyard, disturbed only occasionally by a gentle breeze.

After an unknown amount of time, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by a voice outside.

“Brother Chunsheng, are you home?”

Hearing the noise, Yang Xingwu quickly left the main room and went to the courtyard entrance. The so-called door was more like a gate made of a dozen thorny branches tied together, barely reaching knee height—easy to step over.

Standing by the gate, Yang Xingwu saw it was the village chief. Before he could greet him, the man called out:

“Xingwu, you’re awake? Feeling better?”

“Much better. Uncle Jianguo, what brings you here? Come inside and talk!”

Yang Xingwu opened the gate and invited Yang Jianguo in. Yang Jianguo entered the main room, greeted Wang Zhaodi, and upon seeing the textbooks on the eight-immortal table, couldn’t help but praise:

“Xingwu is still so diligent. Looks like you’ll definitely get into university this year!”

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“Uncle Jianguo, you flatter me!”

Yang Xingwu moved a chair from the east room for Yang Jianguo to rest. Wang Zhaodi went to the kitchen to pour a cup of plain water for the village chief, then took the shoe soles outside to the village entrance to chat with neighbors.

Seeing only Yang Xingwu at home, Yang Jianguo lowered his voice and asked conspiratorially:

“Xingwu, be honest with me. Has your family found a way to make money?”

Yang Xingwu wasn’t too surprised by the question. After all, the wheat fields were small and scattered, and the villagers paid attention. If the wheat suddenly shrank by a large portion before harvest, neighbors would surely gather at the village entrance to complain loudly for hours.

Now, Yang Kaishan’s family had lost a few acres worth of wheat without any sign of disturbance. Plus, those who went to the fields early had noticed. The villagers clearly understood that Yang Kaishan had found a way to make money.

Naturally, some gossips had reported this to the village committee.

As the village party secretary and head, Yang Jianguo connected the dots, remembering that Yang Kaishan had borrowed oxen from him a couple of days before.

Putting the pieces together, the situation became clear. That was why Yang Jianguo came to visit.

Seeing that only Yang Xingwu was home, Yang Jianguo didn’t hesitate to press the matter directly. After all, everyone in the village was struggling; any new source of income was a lifeline.

After questioning him, Yang Jianguo fixed his gaze on Yang Xingwu, hoping to coax more information from him.

Unexpectedly, Yang Xingwu admitted it outright.

“Yes, we have found a way.”

Yang Jianguo was momentarily stunned but quickly pressed on eagerly.

“Can it benefit the villagers?”

“It can, but can you guarantee that everyone will listen to you?”

“What do you mean? What does making money have to do with obeying?”

“Uncle Jianguo, as they say, scarcity drives value. Our family selling wheat spikes is different from the whole village doing it. Besides, there are other villages planting as well. If everyone harvests wheat spikes and can’t sell them, have you thought about the consequences?”