Chapter 310: Chapter 310: A lively mountain village
Exams are difficult, and so is filling in the application form. It is true that if you do well in the exam, but don't fill in the application form properly, you may not end up at the school or in the major you want.
And there is really an element of luck involved in filling in the application form. For example, if you choose a unpopular major and think you have a good chance of getting in, but then many people choose that major that year, and several of them have higher grades than you, then you will be miserable.
This kind of thing really happens, so teachers generally provide guidance at this time and will not give you a definite opinion. Teachers are not parents, and they are afraid of taking responsibility.
Many students are even more hesitant than when they encounter uncertain questions during the exam. Feng Yiping is very easy-going. He neatly and cleanly filled in only two, one being the finance major in the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management that he aspired to, and the other being the international finance major in the Sheng University.
Originally, he only wanted to fill in one, because Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management has two places in the province each year, and the first in the sciences is the same choice as him. He is fine with that, but he is too confident and tends to give people an arrogant impression, so he still filled in one more, the provincial university.
Teacher Chen glanced at it and also felt that it was fine. Although it is not common for several universities to come together to compete for someone, the top student is not just any old person. These two schools would both be scrambling for a student like this.
'Goodbye, Teacher Chen!'
Chen patted him on the shoulder and saw him to the door, 'Remember to come back and visit the school sometime in the future.'
As he walked out of the school gate, Feng Yiping stood in the doorway for a long time, looking back. Goodbye, my high school!
With a soft click, Feng Yiping turned his head and saw Huang Jingping standing not far away, holding an umbrella and a camera in her hands. "Are you reluctant to leave?'
'No, I'm just a little emotional after being released from the suffering." Men never show their weak side in front of women.
'Wait a minute, let someone take a photo of us together,'
This request was completely acceptable, and Feng Yiping told the guard, then, regardless of the fact that there were still classmates entering and leaving, Huang Jingping took Feng Yiping's arm with ease, and for the first and last time, the two took a photo together in front of the gate of No. 1 Middle School.
Feng Yiping was going to make a trip back to Fengjiazhuang, and Huang Jingping was going to stay at home and wait for them to come over, and then they would go on a spur-of-the-moment trip together.
'Pack all the luggage except the things we'll need for the trip, and send it all to the capital,' Feng Yiping said to Huang Jingping, looking around the house.
Looking at the home they had lived in for over a year, and thinking that they would no longer be able to live there for a few days, Huang Jingping was also a little reluctant. Her relationship with Feng Yiping had been established and developed in this house. 'I know, come back early, and remember to call me.'
In the county town, Xiao Zhijie and Wang Changning were also packing their bags. The house was rented until the end of the month, and there were only a few days left. By the time Feng Yiping arrived, they had cleaned the room.
There were a few preserved vegetables on the table, and a few bottles of ice-cold beer on the floor. They both looked a bit down in the dumps. After all, they had worked so hard for so many years, and there was still no guarantee that they would get into a good university. So they had filled in several applications, from the top universities to junior colleges, and from within the province to outside the province.
'Come on, just have one bottle,' Wang Changning bit open a bottle of beer with his teeth and handed it to Feng Yiping.
Xiao Zhijie asked him with a smile, "Have you noticed anything missing in this room?'
'You've all been boxed up, how can I tell?'
Wang Changning pointed at the marinated vegetables on the table and the few bottles of beer, "They were all exchanged for books and exam papers.'
Yes, all those books and exam papers are gone.
'When I see those now, I feel like throwing up. We had planned to get rid of them, and it would have been best to find a place to do so, like moving them to the riverbank below and burning them. But Changning, this money-grubber, had to sell them for scrap metal.'
Xiao Zhijie was unusually poetic about this, probably wanting to use a ritual-like scene to say a final farewell.
'Come, let's have a toast. Whether it's one or three books, it's all the same. It's better than the starting point of technical secondary school in our original plan. No, and this result is not bad. In many provinces, you can go straight to the second year. What's there to be sad about? Besides, it seems that only Changning's village had a college student two years ago. Zhijie and I are the first in the village, so we should be happy!'
'Yes, cheers, after all, we are college students.' This is the truth. In terms of Liangjiahe Middle School, only a single digit of students can be admitted to high school each year, and those who eventually have the opportunity to go to college are even more rare.
'In addition to the province, the two of us have also applied to schools in the capital, hoping that we can still get together then.'
'Whether it's in the capital or the province, it'll be easy to meet up then. Anyway, in the second half of the year, no, next month, we'll all be embracing the wonderful college life, and there'll be plenty of free time and beautiful female classmates. To that end, cheers.' Feng Yiping saw that the atmosphere was still a bit dull, so he had to steer the conversation in the direction that interested them.
'Finally revealing your true colours, thinking about plenty of beautiful female classmates now. Aren't you afraid that classmate Huang Jingping will get hold of some scissors and give you a surgical procedure?'
'Alas, yes, I dare not even think about it now, and you two are still free.'
Zhang Qiuling is still unable to move at the moment, and can only teach at the middle school in the town. As for Yu Lian, she has already discussed with her family and will start working at a convenience store in the province next month. They will go and pick her up the day after tomorrow. However, at the beginning, Yu Lian can only work as a salesperson on the front line, and the work is very intense. It is also impossible for her to be with Wang Changning every day.
This sentence successfully piqued their interest, and when they got into the car, Xiao Zhijie was still daydreaming about his university life surrounded by beautiful women.
Feng Jiacong had already invited a group of people to a banquet at noon, and there were still 50 tables in the evening. In the evening, as soon as Feng Yiping and the other two got out of the car, Hua Fu lit firecrackers. Those who were preparing to go to the banquet crowded together at the village entrance to welcome them. Judging from the atmosphere, it was a bit like everyone gathered to watch someone get married.
Feng Zhenchang, flushed with wine, walked over with a strong smell of alcohol. He introduced loudly to the crowd, 'These are the two classmates I was telling you about. They both studied at County No. 1 Middle School and both got good grades this year. They will all be university students in the second half of the year.'
The Feng family had never had a university student before, but today they had three prospective university students. Although it was true that many people didn't know what was so great about university students, everyone knew that it wasn't easy to get into university, so the enthusiasm was such that it was a little overwhelming for the three of them.
For example, some of the older women directly asked, 'Do you have a girlfriend? Do you want us to help you find one?'
Uncle Four laughed on the side, 'Nowadays, which young people still want their families to help them find a match? Besides, even if they are suitable as you say, would they even look at them?'
This is not necessarily the case. There are many beautiful girls in the mountains. Of course, Feng Yiping can only think this in his heart. Even if he is brave, he dares not say it now.
The guests that evening were all from the village, and the banquet was set up directly on a threshing floor. Around the threshing floor, there were already six large piles of smouldering straw, which were mainly used to repel mosquitoes and insects.
Now that the food was not yet ready, everyone was sitting around the tables chatting. There was a large watermelon and a dish of cold tomatoes and cucumbers on each table. These were all the children's favourites, and each one was being held by their parents, with juice dripping from the corners of their mouths and faces.
In the past, the two brothers, Wen Hua and Wen Hui, would have joined those ranks, but today, they sat quietly with Feng Yiping and the others at the table, looking at the three of them with a little admiration. They don't know how much they've learned since they started junior high school, but at least they're more polite than before.
'Uncle Feng, Uncle Feng,' Feng Huafu discussed with them, "They are not like Yiping, they are not smart and they really can't get into their studies. Wenhua will be 16 this year, and Wenhui will be 16 next year. I was thinking of sending them both to the army next year.'
'What do you think, third brother?" Uncle Feng Zhenchang sought Feng Huafu's opinion.
'That's fine. It's a bit difficult this year, but there's no problem getting two quotas next year. If they really can't get into studying, joining the army is not a bad idea. Two years in the army will toughen them up and make them into useful people.'
Feng Yiping also agreed. Huang Jingping enjoyed studying, but for many people like Wenhua, studying was a real ordeal. They had no idea what to do with all the energy they had. It would be better to go and join the army, to temper their will and body. After two years in the army, they would be able to find work, and no matter which company they worked for, they would always need security guards.
When night fell and the Milky Way hung in the sky, the banquet officially began.
There was an incandescent lamp hanging above each table, illuminating the entire threshing floor. There was no need for waiters, either. Each table had a few people assigned to bring all the dishes over at once. There weren't as many dishes as there would be at a normal banquet, but there was no shortage of the usual chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and the portions were all generous. Overall, it didn't look like a normal seated banquet, but more like a form of group gathering.
The happiest people were the children, who saw it as a big holiday. It was really something. Nowadays, even Chinese New Year is not as lively as this. After they had eaten their fill, they ran around the room, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
Xiao Zhijie and Wang Changning had both grown up in Xiaowang Village, and this was the first time they had experienced such a lively scene. They were both a little excited, but the excitement didn't last long, because the toast-givers were here.
In addition to three bottles of baijiu, each table also had a beer. They could drink whatever they wanted and as many as they wanted. This time, the three of them were not spared. Everyone who came to toast them included them. They were all college students and adults, so they could drink now. Besides, the banquet was originally set up for them.
Although there were a few adults standing in their way, they couldn't hold back the many toasts, and each of them was almost forced to drink two or three bottles of beer. By the time the outdoor movie on the threshing floor started, they were all too drunk to continue, and they followed Mei Qiuping home, still drunk and barely able to walk.
Villagers from nearby villages brought their stools to watch the movie, and when they saw the lively scene, someone asked, 'Didn't you have a banquet at noon?
'You don't know, this is Uncle Feng's family inviting the villagers to dinner for free. I heard there's another group tomorrow night!'
'My god, how much does that cost?'
'Some people can't even spend that kind of money. Their son Ping got first place in the province in the exams, so he'll definitely go to the best university in the capital. I wonder how many years it will be before the next one from our village gets such a result.'