Chapter Forty-One: The College Entrance Examination

  Fang Mengnan hung up the phone and turned around, only to see Old Man Lin standing not far away. 'Ah' startled her, and she patted her chest.

  "Grandpa Lin stood behind him, silent, scaring people to death."

  "You're still afraid, quite a big tone, one hundred million US dollars." Old Master Lin looked at her with an unfathomable gaze.

  "The emperor is not short of starving soldiers, so it's only right to comfort them properly." Since he had been heard, Fang Mornan acknowledged it anyway, which could also gain him an extra person to protect his back.

  "What's going on with the Japanese stock market, I just heard?" Mr. Lin tapped her head, everyone has secrets, and he had his own share of them too. As long as it didn't bother others, why mind other people's business, and he also wanted to uncover the mysterious veil himself.

  "Japan, ah! Nothing much, just going to earn some extra pocket money." Fang Mo Nan is now open and honest, there's no need to hide anything anymore, it's not like before, so he might as well speak frankly.

  "How can we make some extra money? We should all work hard and earn it." Old Man Lin said indignantly.

  Fang Menger saw that he looked no different from a bandit, but in fact, not only Lao Linyezi, but also almost all elderly people of the same age group as him, especially those who had been to war and resisted Japan, even middle-aged people, had a strong sense of resentment towards Japan. This resentment was etched into their bones, dissolved in their blood, and for older people, they had an unrelenting hatred for Japanese people. Even in the 21st century, except for young children who didn't understand, most people still harbored a deep-seated resentment towards Japan, only this emotion was not often revealed.

  "It's not time yet, there will be more opportunities in a few years." Fang Mo Nan said with a smile.

  "Tell me about Japan in detail." Old Man Lin said somewhat anxiously, thinking of making money from the Japanese was exciting.

  "This is complicated and can't be explained clearly for the time being. If you really want to understand it thoroughly, I suggest you read more books on finance. Cheng Shigui sent over many such books, all of which are original English versions." Fang Monan said.

  "Really! I'll read the book later, you tell me some first. The stock market is simple, I also understand it, but it's been a long time, I don't know how much I still remember." Old Man Lin felt a bit disappointed, but he still wanted to get a general idea as soon as possible.

  "When Japan's economy develops too quickly, it has already shown signs of departing from the real economy and also shows signs of a bubble economy. The whole country is in an unprecedented prosperous period. Japan attaches more importance to real estate and virtual property than to industry and large enterprises. Although the prices of real estate and stocks are booming, that's just false prosperity. Once the price of real estate falls or something else happens, Japan's entire economy will fall into chaos and then collapse. I believe that by then, big or small speculators, even America, won't give up this opportunity. At that time, I'll also take a share. I believe Japan's economy will retreat for ten years." She smiled with the corners of her mouth raised.

  "You're quite venomous." Old Man Lin looked at her and said: "But I like it."

  "Hmm! It's not me who poisoned, it's the American who ate meat, I just followed and drank some soup." Compared to America, she was already very kind.

  Mr. Lin remained silent, the economic and financial knowledge he had learned in his youth had been thrown into the Pacific Ocean, if it were someone else, they would have just laughed it off. If there really was an American shadow, then the possibility would be much greater. He couldn't even begin to imagine that this country could make the economy of that small country, which had once made their nation suffer greatly, retreat. He was thrilled to know that Fang Mo Nan had a talent for business, and it seemed like this was just a small matter, what shocked him even more was her views on finance and economics. It seemed that he also needed to take a good look at books on economics and finance, in the days to come they would often discuss Japan's economy through newspapers and magazines sent by mail.

  Old Master Lin, after all, is an educated elite of the mouse tribe. He understood it quickly, "To put it bluntly, it's due to human greed. Just like the carrot hung in front of a donkey. It can be seen but not eaten."

  Xiaoyi inadvertently saw Lin Lao Yezi so obsessed with finance, and gradually came to interest, but it's not possible now. During the high school entrance examination, one must be focused without distractions. However, this also indirectly affected her university application, in Fang Mo Nan's view, learning and using are two different things. This belongs to personal will, she can't interfere with it either.

  Grandma has been frowning these days, Fang Mo Nan asked: "Grandma, what are you thinking about? You always have a wrinkled brow."

  "Grandma said: 'These days, money has been decreasing a bit, I'm thinking if we should do some other things.'"

  "Oh! Are there many people following the trend?" Fang Mo Nan raised an eyebrow and asked.

  "It's not just following the trend! You know that people in the county have some extra money and want to eat something good, like oil-fried dough sticks, fried glutinous rice balls, fried vegetable pies, fried sugar cakes, fried dough strips, and so on. But they took away our good customers and lost us a lot of business." Grandma muttered to herself.

  "What does Grandma think is a good way to improve?" Fang Mo Nan asked.

  "Here, Nannan, I have some ideas that are not yet perfect, let's discuss them." Grandma thought of her clever granddaughter and lit up. Seeing her nodding, she said: "Your grandma has no other skills, but making pasta is quite good, especially the scallion pancakes made with green bean paste."

  A glint of light flashed across Fang Mo Nan's eyes, and it seemed that Grandma had indeed put her mind to it, knowing to start with what she was good at rather than blindly following the trend. "This idea isn't bad, but can you handle it, Grandma?"

  "How busy can it be, now you and your aunt are doing a great job! Apart from me delivering buns, selling buns, and steaming buns, the two of them have taken care of everything." Grandma said again: "Aren't I idle? Seeing money flying away with wings, my heart aches!"

  Jianbing, Fang Mernan thought of the famous snack Jianbing Guozi. She talked about the method of making Jianbing Guozi based on her grandmother's Jianbing recipe: "It consists of eggs and oil strips or thin crispy 'guo zi' (fruit peel), served with soy sauce, scallions, and chili peppers (optional) as seasonings, with a savory flavor."

  "This line is great! It's best to have it for breakfast, it's filling and nutritious." Grandma counted on her fingers and said "An egg costs about one mao in the market, if you buy it from Dashengzi wholesale it will be cheaper. Let's not sell fried dough sticks, otherwise the cost will be too high and we won't be able to sell them at a good price. We'll just focus on selling pancakes, and the small dishes can be made ourselves."

  "It's not just the eggs from Da Chengzi's house, but also those from the farm and the space are almost overflowing. Just relying on our own consumption, when will it end?" Fang Mennai said. "No problem, Grandma can make two types, with different prices. Two cents for those with oil strips, one cent five for those without."

  "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I'll go prepare, prepare, and try it out tomorrow." Grandma said it's going to rain, she means business. "Nan Nan, you'd better get me the sauce, side dishes, chili peppers, and all that ready."

  "Hmm! I see." Fang Mo Nan said with an unusually relieved tone.

  Jianbing guozi was a huge hit as soon as it came out! On the first day, more than 50 sets were sold, and over 40 of those didn't even include youtiao. After gaining popularity and stabilizing, they could sell over 100 sets per day on average! Every morning, Grandma would stand at her own doorstep from dawn till around 9 or 10 am. However, the task of steaming mantou had to be handed over to Liangjia Nainai and Benjia Yizhi, but Grandma raised their salary to 30 yuan per month, and later even hired another person for 20 yuan per month.

  They say that the sky in June is like a child's face, changing endlessly. One moment it's smiling and sticking out its tongue, making all sorts of funny faces; the next moment it's pouting and frowning, looking adorable; and then suddenly it's getting angry and throwing a tantrum, changing so fast that you can't keep up with the rhythm. Just as I was saying this, the sky changed again. Just now it was clear and sunny, but in an instant, dark clouds gathered, "crack" lightning flashed, shining bright white lights like swinging sharp swords; thunder rumbled out a loud drumbeat. The whole world suddenly turned from daytime to nighttime.

  Fang Mò Nán and Lín Lǎo Yé Zi had just been under the grape arbor, sipping tea and playing chess. As they watched the sky change its face, they quickly gathered their things and went inside. Just as they entered, big raindrops started falling down, "Patter, patter..." The sound grew louder, "Rustle, rustle...". A heavy downpour came, with extremely fierce rain. In an instant, it seemed like a group of demons were dancing wildly in the air, and from the dark clouds, thousands of threads were being woven together to sew the sky and earth together. The rain was still falling, and the rain columns were like rows of sharp arrows shooting towards the ground at an angle... An hour later, the thunder gradually weakened, and the raindrops gradually became smaller. Before long, the sun came out again with a brilliant smile. Looking at the vegetables and fruits on the ground, after being washed by the rainwater, their green leaves were sparkling and shiny, just like thirsty children who had drunk enough milk, they looked refreshed and comfortable!

  In the distance, the barren hills are now lush with fruit trees that have grown thick and green. At this time, in the rain and fog, it gives people a pleasure of seeing flowers in the mist. The air is filled with the fragrance of melons and fruits, and the freshness of the soil. Without the desolation of winter and the bleakness of autumn, what replaces them is the green color that represents life.

  The face of a child in June, no matter how hurried he comes and goes, how quickly he changes, thinking about it, is still the most delightful. After enjoying the coolness and comfort of early summer, one must also endure the unpredictability of June. Such happiness and instant separation are truly ordinary life.

  The farm, after several months of renovation, is no longer in its original rough state. The original ten bungalows have been added with an extra floor. The six rooms on the first floor were simply renovated by Fang Mernan, actually just adding a kang and some bookshelves. The second floor was for people who stayed behind to take care of the farm, mainly for Fang Mernan and his family to escape the summer heat, while Grandma and Old Mother stayed behind to guard the old house, as Grandma couldn't abandon her business.

  The terrain here is slightly lower and far away from the crowd, so the temperature is naturally a few degrees lower than in the county town. The most important thing is that at that time, I forgot how hot it would be in summer to steam buns. So Fang Mo Nan, Lin Lao Ye Zi, Xiao Yi, Mo Bei and others came to live on the farm. Xiao Yi rode her bicycle to school, left the farm with flat terrain, few people, her fastest speed was only twenty minutes, after the weather turned cold, she moved back.

  In front of the house, two grapevines had been transplanted from the space and had already climbed up the trellis. The sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting copper coin-sized patches on the ground. The grapes were plump and full, with one as big as a walnut, shining green. Under the trellis, there was a stone table and stools, with a chessboard carved on the table. Next to the table stood an old man's rocking chair, and the floor was paved with pebbles that massaged the feet as you walked. In front of and behind the house, some mosquito-repelling flowers and herbs were planted. Fang Mennai also made some mosquito coils for his father, so at least they wouldn't be bitten by mosquitoes at night, and their rest would be better. The old man took many of these coils back to give to the road workers. Since the road construction began, he had been eating and living on the site. Fang Mennai's carefree days were priceless.

  Mr. Lin suggested that Little Aunt decided to take the college entrance exam this year, and her academic performance was good, and she was older. Because of the college entrance examination, she did a large number of exercises every day, and the exercise books she completed were taken by the teacher to let all the students in the class do, as a result, the students' grades were generally good, and more than a third of them were admitted to university, which made the principal overjoyed, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

  Time flies, and it's already July. The weather is cloudy and rainy on the two days of Xiaoyi's exam, which is just right, not too hot. Qiū Shí specially took a leave to accompany her, but didn't dare stand outside the examination room, first because she was afraid of putting pressure on Xiaoyi, second because it might have a bad influence, so she could only wait at home. After coming out of the exam room, Xiaoyi let out a sigh of relief, finally it's over. Grandma saw her come back and didn't dare ask how the exam went, carefully watching her, but Fang Mò Nán could tell from her expression that it should be okay.

  "Mom, don't be so worried, I did well on the exam, it was simple and we've done similar practice questions before." Xiaoyi said in a relaxed tone. "It's just the essay that makes me a bit uneasy."

  "Oh! The composition (because of the writing style, the high school entrance exam essay and 83's don't match) is there anything wrong?" Old Man Lin asked.

  "The pros and cons of reform and opening up." Xiaoyi's eyes dimmed slightly, but she blinked and recovered. After all, the exam was over, and thinking too much about it wouldn't do any good. "I guess they wrote more positive influences, while I wrote more negative ones. It really doesn't feel good to be different from others." She felt a bit anxious, unsure if what she did was right or wrong, so she desperately tried to make up for the uncertainty of her essay by adding more content at the end.

  At that time, they discussed the positive influences of reform and opening up, such as solving food and clothing problems, becoming rich, and connecting with the international community. However, Nannan, a young girl, criticized them severely. It turned out that there were also many negative influences. These were actually the side effects brought about by China's history over the past two hundred years, rather than the side effects of reform and opening up itself. Many people think that good things are all learned from outside, and eventually they believe that anything foreign is good. They also emphasized not to lose face in front of foreign investors, who are businessmen prioritizing profits, not philanthropists. The Chinese market makes them drool with desire, and they would do anything to get in. Currently, they are afraid of the policy changes, but once they have figured it out, they will swarm in. We should sit firmly on the fishing platform, not sacrificing long-term development for short-term gains. In short, there were many concerns. Listening to this, Xiaoyi nodded her head, thinking that maybe it's better not to reform after all.

  Nan Nan said, "That's not good either. Everything has two sides. For example, opening the window to ventilate, flies will fly in; if it's completely closed, neither flies nor fresh air can enter." Here, "disadvantages" and "benefits" are directly proportional, and fresh air and flies are inseparable. According to conventional thinking, it seems that we can only weigh the pros and cons. Since the window must be opened, we have to learn how to swat flies well and improve our skills. "So that's how it is!" Fang Mo Nan said, "At the time, I said a lot and complained a lot, but now I don't remember anything." "Don't worry, little auntie, no one knows the outcome until the end, so let's wait with an open mind!"

  Xiaoyi spent two weeks in anxious waiting, but it was Lao Lin who found out her score ahead of time through his connections. It turned out that she had passed the admission score for Beida, and even got full marks in English and math. Unfortunately, Xiaoyi had been conservative when filling out her application form. So her first choice was a university within the province, and only her second choice was Beida. Anyway, she had a school to attend, and she was so excited that she didn't know what to do. The whole family was rejoicing around her, but there was one person who felt somewhat downhearted - Xiaoyi's future husband, because the farther Xiaoyi went, the slimmer his chances became.

  Although the admission letter has not been received yet, the enthusiasm of the quadrangle courtyard is no less than the heat of the sun outside. As soon as my father heard the news, he rushed back immediately, with a look of excitement on his face. The educational resources in big cities are abundant, and it's much easier to get into college compared to this small county town. At that time, most counties and rural areas were still in the stage of eliminating illiteracy, and having a university student in the family was something worthy of praise, even if it wasn't a top-tier university.

  During this period, university students were assigned jobs and their household registration was also transferred to the university they attended. In the 1980s, every university graduate could be assigned a good job, and people of that era were hardworking and down-to-earth. Even high school graduates and junior high school graduates at that time could find work to earn money and support their families. Jobs were easy to find back then, and making money wasn't difficult either; with just a bit of business acumen, one could achieve great things and become a business elite.

  Things are precious when they are scarce, and university students are still a scarce resource, which is why companies are eager to get them. It's not like in the future when university students will be everywhere, and even returnees from overseas won't be sought after unless you're from a world-class university.

  The neighbors from left and right all came to congratulate Grandma, unexpectedly, the whole family of my uncle who rarely visited also came.

  The big aunt has no other skills, but she is very forgetful. So after coming in, she just said congratulations. She patted her son and daughters with her hands, "Congratulations! Xiaoyan, you got into college, learn from your little aunt, let your mom also get into college, and make your mom proud." She didn't hit anyone who smiled at her, even if Little Aunt was annoying, she wouldn't be cold towards them on her own happy day. She nodded at her as a greeting, now is the moment of great joy, so she doesn't mind those trivial things, nor does she want to affect her good mood.

  "Tong Xi, Tong Xi, haven't you two also been promoted?" said Xiao Yi indifferently.

  These days, my uncle and his wife have been feeling half happy and half worried. They are happy that they both got promoted at the textile factory, but they are worried because they see their mother-in-law and younger sister-in-law living a comfortable life, and the promotion is also due to their influence. After hearing what their aunt said, it's even more unbearable for them. In fact, they were just being overly cautious. This may be an example of how the speaker didn't mean any harm, but the listener took it to heart.

  Forget it, compared to the old ladies in the logistics department, Xiaoyan's words are more pleasant. The people in the logistics department say even worse things behind her back, mocking her for having thin eyelids. Now if she wants to curry favor with her mother-in-law, I'm afraid no one would be interested. Even if she goes to curry favor with her mother-in-law now, they would all be embarrassed on her behalf. If it weren't for the factory leader valuing her mother-in-law's family influence, it would have been their turn to take over. Forget it, don't say more, now it's worth it, no matter what the reason is, at least the two of them got promoted and their salary increased, this is the only consolation.

  "Hehe..." They awkwardly smiled, and the elder brother-in-law gave 100 yuan to the younger sister-in-law in front of everyone. She saw it and looked at her elder sister-in-law with a hint of sarcasm, saying "I asked for instructions from the leader first, if not I wouldn't dare take it."

  "Look! Little Yan said, you got into college, and your sister-in-law didn't have much to give. This 100 yuan is just a little token of our goodwill." Her face was beaming with smiles like flowers, but her heart was aching! This was four months' worth of salary, gone just like that.

  "Now that we've got enough money at home, this money should be considered as our son showing filial piety to us. I don't dare take it, or else you'll go around shouting that I'm heartless." The aunt spoke very bluntly, directly saying she didn't want it.

  Finally, Big Uncle handed over the money to Grandma, which was a good thing, and it's better than taking it back again.

  They simply said some polite words and left. As soon as they walked out the door, my aunt's face turned gloomy. "All of you go home and study hard, especially you, don't be lazy, if your studies aren't going well, it'll be a waste!" She continued: "Going to college is the only way for you all to escape this difficult situation." On this point, she was quite clear-headed, but the children would have to work hard too. However, with her as their high-pressure mother, in order to prove themselves, they really did study hard and all got into college. By the time my older cousins graduated from college, however, the world had already changed.

  Watching them disappear behind the screen, both Xiao Yi and Nai Nai were extremely tired. The formal notice had not been received yet, and everything was so chaotic that they didn't know what kind of chaos would ensue later on.

  "Otherwise, let's go out and have some fun." Fang Mo Nan said, taking Little Auntie to see the outside world, broaden her horizons, and not think that getting into college is a big deal, there's still a long way to go. Most importantly, bring future Little Auntie's husband along, and solve their future development path together.

  Everyone at home thought it was feasible, but when they came to Grandma's house, she didn't want to put down the mantou shop in her hands, which is now developing very quickly and making more money. She doesn't want to delay making money because of traveling.

  Finally, the old mother said she would help take care of things at home during the summer vacation and promised to take good care of them before pulling her hesitant grandmother onto the train to the provincial city. After picking up her younger brother-in-law, who had been living a dull life, he was overjoyed when he heard their intention and asked for leave, then took the train south together to Shanghai first.