Yu Linsen returned to the Yu family's compound and parked his bicycle under a tree.
He sized up the Yu family's yard, then finally frowned in disgust. His shiny leather shoes dodged the chicken droppings on the ground as he walked to Granny Fang's room. He took out the key from his pocket and unlocked the door.
The food in the school cafeteria was unappetizing, and his living expenses had run out the day before. He had already asked his eldest sister for money twice this month. She definitely wouldn't give him any if he asked for the third time. He had been holding on until he got home, and he was starving.
Last time he saw there were still three cans of malted milk essence in Granny's cabinet. He'd take two cans to school this time. And those wafer cookies, they'd get soggy if he didn't eat them soon.
In just a short time, Yu Linsen had already planned out the fate of most of the snacks in the cabinet.
He opened the cabinet, only to find that the food that he had imagined to be stuffed inside had turned into an empty wooden shelf.
Yu Linsen frowned.
"Could it be hidden in a different place?"
Hua Qingqing ran back and saw the bicycle parked under the tree. She went straight over, picked up the book bag in the bike basket, hung it on the tree, and then rode the bike away.
By the time Yu Linsen heard the sound and came out, the place where the bike had been parked was empty. His canvas bag with only one book in it was hanging on the tree, swaying.
Hua Qingqing rode fast.
Sure enough, it was a new bike. It felt great to ride.
That good-for-nothing Yu Linsen had failed the college entrance exam twice. How could he have the nerve to ride such a nice bike?
From today on, this bike was hers!
Hua Qingqing went straight to the commune middle school. The school was surrounded by a somewhat short white wall, and inside were two slightly shabby two - story teaching buildings.
"Hey, what are you looking at!"
An ill - tempered old man walked out of the small house next to the school gate. The old man sized up Hua Qingqing, who had suddenly appeared, as if assessing whether she was good or bad.
Hua Qingqing showed a smile. "Uncle, may I go in and take a look?"
"This is a school. There are students inside. Do you think you can just go in casually? Tell me, what are you here for?"
The old man's eyes were vigilant. He suspected she was a bad person.
Hua Qingqing parked the bike beside.
"I know this is a school. I wouldn't even come if it weren't a school. I just want to go in and ask the principal if I can study here."
The old man's expression relaxed a bit. "How old are you?"
Hua Qingqing answered honestly. "I'm eighteen. I've never been to school, but I've been teaching myself with the books of my relatives' kids at home. I've even done some test papers. Look, here they are."
Hua Qingqing took out the test papers she had done.
The gatekeeper old man couldn't understand them. He put away the papers and his attitude became much milder. "I can't let you in, but I can take these papers to the principal for you. Write your name on them. Come back in a few days and check."
Hua Qingqing had already prepared herself to go back disappointed. After all, this wasn't the only way out in her plan. She didn't expect that there would be a turn for the better. She had met a kind person!
After saying goodbye to the gatekeeper, Hua Qingqing rode her bike back.
When she got back to the brigade, it was already getting dark. Only a thin layer of orange - purple remained on the horizon.
There were no street lights here. The grass on both sides of the path was a cluster of black shadows, making the path even harder to see.
Hua Qingqing muttered as she rode.
"I'll buy a flashlight from the supply and marketing cooperative next time. It's too troublesome to walk in the dark."
"Help..."
Hua Qingqing suddenly braked and looked up to the left. She seemed to hear someone shouting for help. But she remembered there was only a small river over there. Could it be that someone had fallen into the water?
Probably not?
It was almost evening. Who would still be playing by the water?
It was creepy.
Hua Qingqing stepped on the pedals and was about to leave.
"Help—"
There really was someone shouting for help!
Hua Qingqing parked the bike under a tree and ran quickly towards the river. Fortunately, the moon had come out early, and there was a faint silver glow on the ground, allowing her to barely see the road under her feet.
Hua Qingqing soon reached the river. There was a child struggling desperately in the middle of the river. Although it was called a small river, it wasn't really small and was quite deep. Usually, the women in the brigade came here to do their laundry.
Hua Qingqing got into the water from a nearby rock and quickly swam to the child. She grabbed the child.
"Don't move. I'll take you back!"
But obviously, this might work for an adult, but a scared child wouldn't care about anything else.
Hua Qingqing was punched right after she said that.
"Ouch..."
She really wanted to just leave!
Hua Qingqing clamped the struggling child under one arm, paddled the water with the other hand, and moved her feet, swimming forward.
It was still quite cold in March. Hua Qingqing always felt that her feet were a bit numb. Ouch, could it be that she was having a cramp?
She was almost at the shore. Hua Qingqing gritted her teeth and sped up. She pushed the child and hoped that the child would grab the grass and climb up. The child was quite smart. She grabbed the grass and climbed up before Hua Qingqing could even say anything.
Hua Qingqing was still half a meter away from the shore. This distance wasn't much. She could reach it with a stretch of her hand. But Hua Qingqing found that she was starting to lose strength. Her feet started to cramp, and she was sinking!
She took in a few mouthfuls of water and quickly grabbed the long grass on the shore.
"Sister Qingqing!"
The child lay on the shore, grabbing her hand and crying loudly.
Only then did Hua Qingqing realize that the child she had just saved was Lin Hong, the granddaughter of Lin Dongsheng. She had even given the child a White Rabbit milk candy today!
"Stop crying. Your Sister Qingqing isn't dead yet. Go and call someone. Call someone to pull me up!"
Lin Hong wiped her tears and ran away.
The pain in her feet was throbbing. It hurt so much that Hua Qingqing gritted her teeth and couldn't speak. She could only hold on tightly to the grass on the shore with both hands to keep herself from sinking.
Lin Hong was only a six - year - old child and ran slowly. By the time she called someone over, she might already be dead...
Hua Qingqing suddenly woke up.
I can't die. I won't die!
I'm going to make a big splash in this era and become the richest person in the country!
I can't die!
As long as she got through this pain, she could climb up.
When Hua Qingqing was shivering with cold and in a daze, she finally saw the lights shining in the distance on the shore.
...
"Principal Song, are you going home? You've gone to check the windows again. Oh, you're even doing my job, old man."
Song Ming was the principal of the commune middle school. He was in his thirties, a bit short and thin, and wore a pair of glasses. He looked like a cultured person.
As soon as he walked out of the school gate, he was teased by Old Man Li outside.
Song Ming waved his hand with a smile. "Whoever does it doesn't matter."
Old Man Li came out with a few pieces of paper.
"A girl wanted to go into the school today. I didn't let her in. She said she was eighteen and had never been to school. She wanted to study. These are the test papers she did by herself. I can't understand them. Principal Song, take a look and see how they are."
Song Ming didn't refuse. He took the papers and looked at them with a flashlight. When he saw the questions on them, he frowned slightly. Weren't these the mock test papers for the third - year junior high school students?
Teaching herself and daring to challenge the mock test papers for the high - school entrance exam of the third - year junior high school students?
Song Ming didn't say a word and continued to look down. He originally thought this would be a "test paper" with a high error rate. But unexpectedly...
Song Ming's expression became more and more serious as he read.
Old Man Li beside him secretly observed.
Was this good or bad?
The name was written on the last page of the papers.
"Hua Qingqing? Is this the girl's name?"
Old Man Li nodded.
"I told her to come back in a few days. Principal Song, is she okay or not?"
Song Ming didn't give a definite answer.
"When that girl comes, take her to my office. I'll give her a set of test papers to do on the spot."