Chapter Fifteen: The Preliminary College Entrance Examination

Yang Xingwu accepted the villagers' compliments while hastening the swing of his sickle. After much toil, the harvested wheat ears finally filled two cart frames.

Liu Cuihua brought freshly baked pancakes to her husband.

Yang Kaishan looked at the fully loaded cart of wheat ears and instructed his son to hitch the cart quickly and set off. Once everything was settled, he drove the ox cart with his two sons and grandson, heading back toward the city, followed by the large families of two cousins.

Watching his grandfather leave with his father and eldest brother, Yang Xingwu turned and joined his mother back in the fields to weed and dig irrigation ditches.

The harvest of wheat was drawing near, and this period was the most crucial. A strong wind or storm could undo months of hard work.

Therefore, even though it was not the busiest farming season, they went to the fields daily to monitor the wheat’s growth.

They toiled until dawn, the sun climbing high and warmth increasing, prompting the family to return home.

Back at home, Wang Zhaodi and her eldest daughter prepared the meal.

Yang Xingwu went to the village well to draw water.

Before the pressurized water well was built, fetching water was mostly done by carrying it in buckets.

After lunch, the family took time to rest.

...

Yang Kaishan drove the ox cart with several cousins, a large group with three carts from one family, totaling eight carts, all heading grandly toward the city.

Along the way, they met the son-in-law’s family, who had increased their carts by two as well.

Seeing this, Yang Kaishan grew more certain of his plan from the night before: after selling these two carts, they would stop altogether.

The group of eleven carts formed a convoy toward the city.

Because some cousins had not borrowed oxen, their pace was slower. Yang Kaishan gave a few instructions before driving ahead.

By the time everyone arrived in the city, it was nearly noon. Yang Kaishan and his family went straight to set up their stall at the city hospital entrance.

After all, patients needed nutrition, and right now nutritional products were scarce—only malted milk powder and eggs were readily available.

Now that Yang Kaishan’s family was here, visitors to patients could buy wheat ears to make wheat porridge, which was a good supplement.

Wheat porridge was soft, fragrant, and sweet, suitable for all ages, and promoted digestive movement—an excellent option.

This advice came from his grandson Yang Xingwu.

In a fiercely competitive market, choosing the right place always yielded better results.

...

No sooner had the family parked their ox carts than a crowd gathered, excited to see the full carts of wheat ears.

"Is this wheat grain?"

"Yes! Haven't eaten it in years. I heard the machinery factory area sells it too. Now the hospital has some!"

"Then we must buy some to try. My grandfather has poor appetite; making wheat porridge for him might help!"

They chatted as they approached the carts.

"Shopkeeper, how much for your wheat ears?"

"One cent each!"

"That’s much cheaper than malted milk powder or eggs! I'll take two yuan worth!"

"Alright!"

Yang Kaishan collected the money and had his grandson hand over the counted wheat ears.

To sell quickly, they had counted the ears all morning during the harvest—bundling ten, twenty, fifty, and even over a hundred ears at once—making sales and counting easier.

The customer took two large bundles, counted roughly, and carried them into the hospital.

Undeniably, the hospital was an excellent place to sell goods; soon after selling the first batch, the three carts were surrounded by buyers, selling faster than at the residential compound.

Most people bought at least one yuan worth.

After all, visiting patients meant one could not appear too shabby.

By midday, the hospital crowd thinned considerably.

Yang Chunsheng was about to hitch his cart and follow the family to the machinery factory when he unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

"Teacher Xu! Teacher Xu!"

Yang Chunsheng called out excitedly upon seeing his son’s teacher.

Hearing his name, Xu Wenhua looked toward the voice and saw an elderly farmer waving.

He was puzzled but approached to see what was going on.

As Xu Wenhua came closer, the man seemed vaguely familiar. He asked with some uncertainty,

"Good day, fellow villager. Who might you be?"

"Greetings, Teacher Xu. I’m Yang Xingwu’s uncle. Are you visiting someone at the hospital? This is wheat from our farm; it makes delicious porridge. Bringing it for a patient shows respect!"

Yang Chunsheng took the largest bundle—one with a hundred ears—from the cart and hurriedly pressed it into Xu Wenhua’s hands.

Hearing this, Xu Wenhua recognized the man and repeatedly declined the gift, but after several refusals, he reluctantly accepted the wheat ears.

"How is Yang Xingwu’s health? Has he improved recently?"

"Thank you for your concern, Teacher. He’s much better now and will rest at home a while longer before returning to school."

"Good to hear. By the way, the preliminary college entrance exam results are out. Yang Xingwu scored 472 points, close to last year's admission line. If he does well, college admission should be no problem!"

"With less than two months before the exam, make sure he recovers fully. Don’t let him faint again like a few days ago. If possible, provide him with nutritious food—more eggs and such."

"Yes, Teacher Xu. I’m selling wheat ears now to earn money and improve Xingwu’s diet!"

"That’s good. The ninety-nine hurdles are nearly cleared; don’t stumble now. Yang Xingwu getting into college will be a great honor for your family. Don’t let us down!"

"Rest assured, Teacher. Our child’s future is paramount. After selling these wheat ears, I’ll buy nourishing supplements for him."

Pleased, Xu Wenhua took a notebook and pen from a cloth bag and began jotting down notes.

After a while, he folded a sheet of paper and handed it to Yang Chunsheng.

"This is Yang Xingwu’s preliminary exam score. Take it to him this afternoon. Tell him to study hard and take care of his health."

Yang Chunsheng accepted it solemnly, watching Xu Wenhua depart before carefully placing the paper inside his bag of provisions.

After Xu Wenhua left, Yang Kaishan, hearing that his grandson might attend university, was overjoyed and insisted on buying two jin of pork that evening to nourish him properly.

As the hospital crowd thinned further, the family moved their carts to the machinery factory residential compound and sold the remaining wheat ears after much effort before preparing to return home.

Passing by the supply and marketing cooperative, Yang Chunsheng handed the cart to his son and went inside to buy some items. Entering cautiously, he avoided looking around and asked the dozing clerk,

"Comrade, how much for malted milk powder?"

"Three yuan and five fen per can. How many do you want?"