Chapter 375: Chapter 375

Days passed by, and Cai Ming grew more anxious. He had worked hard on his exercises, but still no news arrived. How could he not be worried?

What if it all turned out to be a false hope? Even Zhao Gang was getting anxious.

Gong Ruini wasn’t worried at all. It was already October of 1977, and some news would definitely come out. Hadn’t Mr. Deng already returned to work?

If he hadn’t resumed his work, Gong Ruini wouldn’t have been so sure. But after the announcement of his return, she was confident that the butterfly effect brought by her time travel wasn’t that significant.

But Zhao Gang and the others weren’t time travelers, so they couldn’t be as sure as Gong Ruini, which made Zhao Gang all the more restless. Read full story at novel·fıre·net

What if the news was false? Even though everyone said it was fine and they could use it to learn more, Zhao Gang didn’t see it that way. Having invested so much effort, a fake news would be crushing.

More importantly, the relationship with the villagers hadn’t improved. What if there were no college entrance exams?

Would they really have to bow their heads?

The mere thought of that scenario made Zhao Gang shiver. No matter what, he’d never considered backing down.

Zhan Jing understood Zhao Gang’s various anxious thoughts. She wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how, so she continued to study, hoping to show Zhao Gang that regardless of the exams, they were still learning something.

"If I didn’t have my books, I think I would have collapsed," Gong Tao admitted, holding up his book, signaling that he wasn’t really thinking about the exams. "After all, the kids are this old already. Whether we can even register is a question."

The most disappointed one was probably Cai Ming. The kid had really worked hard lately, all in the hope of passing the exams to change his fate and be with the girl he liked.

And if he missed this chance, who knew when the next one would come? Cai Ming could wait, but would the girl’s parents be willing to wait for a boy with an uncertain future?

"I’m fine. If it’s meant to be, we’ll be together. If not, it’s okay," Cai Ming tried to calm himself. Though he hated the idea of her marrying someone else, if he couldn’t offer her a stable life, he’d rather let go.

"Why think so much? Just study," Cai Ming pretended to be nonchalant. But who was Cai Meina? She watched him grow up, and she could see his reluctance.

To prevent the subject from continuing, Cai Meina loudly reminded everyone to keep studying, "I know if we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to pass the exams."

"And isn’t our test coming up in a few days?" Cai Meina maliciously mentioned something that would make everyone restless.

Since this precedent was set, Zhao Guangran was the most excited, frequently giving them difficult tests to challenge them. Of course, the tests were on materials they had never encountered before, and the results were mixed.

Those who didn’t pass the tests really lived through a bittersweet time, feeling as if failing was the end of the world.

Even if there were a lot of topics to discuss, nothing could outweigh Cai Meina’s words. Even the most gossip-hungry people turned to their books anxiously as the test day approached, knowing the punishment was heavy indeed.

"Zhan Jing, oh Zhan Jing, why did you agree to Zhao Guangran back then?" Zhao Gang regretted not keeping a closer eye on his wife. If she hadn’t rashly agreed, so much trouble wouldn’t have followed.

Zhan Jing was also full of regret. How could she have known Zhao Guangran would be so ruthless? If she’d known, she never would’ve agreed.

Seeing everyone’s regretful expressions, Zhao Guangran was smug, "Haha, now you know the pain of failing a test."

"I’ve been experiencing this hell for years," Zhao Guangran, recalling the tough times he endured, wanted to design even more difficult tests for them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to solve the problems, so he had to give up.

He never expected his parents would do so poorly, unable to excel even on easy tests, which made him laugh heartily. Indeed, it was like what Gong Ruini said—a mix and the consequences would come back to haunt you.

Zhao Gang felt terrible, hating to see his son’s smug smile, and impatiently waved his hand, "Alright, you all should hurry up and review."

Hmph, the kid thought he could overshadow him, but he should consider that his own grades weren’t that great, "Xuran, I’ll prepare this test’s papers."

Hmph, a lesson had to be taught to this kid, or else he’d trample parental dignity beneath his feet.

Zhao Gang didn’t know how other kids treated their parents, but his son was really a handful, driving him to the brink at times.

What? Zhao Gang setting the paper? Gong Ruini jumped up. If Xuran set it, she wasn’t worried about passing the test.

But Zhao Gang was different. Clearly, he was infuriated to the point of bursting, and who knew how hard the test might be? Gong Ruini was stunned, realizing she had to thoroughly revisit what she’d recently learned to avoid seeming too smart.

Yes, exactly, Gong Ruini feared that Zhao Gang, to make things hard for Zhao Guangran, might set questions beyond the syllabus. She wasn’t worried about solving them but about revealing herself in doing so.

Gong Ruini, though eager to learn, hadn’t reached high school-level topics, and there were no high school books at home, which might expose her true self.

She dreaded her family looking at her with strange eyes, or realizing she was an otherworldly soul.

Oh, what was Zhao Guangran thinking? He had a good life to live but chose not to and provoked Zhao Gang. Now he was happy?

Gong Ruini glared at Zhao Guangran fiercely, intending to see how boastful he’d be after the test results, likely crying with regret.

Uh, she didn’t have to wait until the exam. She noticed that Zhao Guangran was already frozen in fear, staring dumbly at Zhao Gang.

Good, good, at least he was scared, lacking the defiance of saying he wasn’t afraid. Though Zhao Gang might not easily let them off, it was better than increasing difficulty.

"Dad, Dad..." Zhao Guangran knew he’d been somewhat smug before, but it was rare to have something to gloat over, so he couldn’t help being excited. Now he’d hit a brick wall.