novelraw Chapter 549: Cannon Fodder Dragging an Oil Bottle in the ’50s (28)
Chapter 549: Cannon Fodder Dragging an Oil Bottle in the ’50s (28)
Though they hadn't met often, An Ning quickly recognized the person before her.
Chen Peng, from the Chinese Department of Jing University, was also the first college student from the Huaihua Alley area to get in before An Ning, having caused quite a stir earlier.
Of course, the reason An Ning remembered her so well was because this girl had another identity: the stepdaughter of the Meng family, and also the stepsister whom Meng Yu had previously been extremely wary of.
However, this girl had started university several years earlier than An Ning and was about to graduate formally this year.
She wasn't married and didn't need to follow a military spouse. For her personally, Chen Peng's future was actually a bit brighter.
In this era, the value and prospects of a Jing University student were self-evident, except for those unlucky enough to be caught in the political crosswinds.
Only right now, the person before her clearly didn't look well. Beneath her pale skin, huge dark circles were especially noticeable at this moment. Her originally delicate and pretty features also seemed much duller.
Without thinking, An Ning knew what it was for.
This girl was really unlucky.
In the 1960s, political vetting was still quite strict, especially regarding family relations. Being a senior meant she was about to be assigned a job. As a Jing University graduate with decent academic performance, Chen Peng's prospects shouldn't have been too bad in principle. Unfortunately, she had the bad luck to run into that blundering fool in her family.And the matter had blown up so big.
At the critical moment of job assignments, to put it bluntly, everyone was in competition. It would be strange if this wasn't dug up and used against her!
Fortunately, besides screwing others over, Meng Yu had also left thoroughly herself. Otherwise, with a permanent criminal record left behind, the situation for the Old Meng family, and even for the person before her, would have been even worse.
Perhaps noticing An Ning's gaze, Chen Peng, who was walking ahead not far away holding a large stack of books, also looked over.
"Senior Chen! Going to the study hall so early?"
Seeing the other party turn around, An Ning walked up as usual and greeted her with a smile.
"It's Classmate Wang!"
"Yes, I was just about to go sit in the library for a while."
Clutching the somewhat thick textbooks in her hands, Chen Peng also replied with a smile. Her pristine white shirt and her faint, refreshing smile, like a summer lotus after rain, were particularly bright under the sunlight.
An Ning couldn't help but take a couple more glances.
Seeing her attitude unchanged as always, the dullness in Chen Peng's expression couldn't help but lighten up a bit.
After all, they were the only two college students from the alley entrance, and from the same university at that. Even though the relationship between their two families was indeed somewhat awkward because of Meng Yu.
But not to mention Manager Yang, even Old Wang hadn't taken his anger out on Chen Peng. So the two could still exchange a few words. Noticing that An Ning had a handbag on her back and was also carrying a bag, Chen Peng soon smiled and said:
"Classmate Wang, just got back from home?"
"Yes!" An Ning nodded with a beaming smile, not elaborating on that, instead smoothly changing the topic.
"By the way, I heard Professor Yang from your department's Chinese program has an open lecture tomorrow, right?"
Even so, a faint, almost imperceptible dimness flashed through Chen Peng's eyes.
Speaking of home, she hadn't really gone back for a long time.
Earlier, Meng Yu, for some unknown reason, always harbored an inexplicable hostility towards her, even after getting married. Not wanting to make things difficult for her mother, after starting university, she had deliberately kept her distance by saying she was helping professors at school.
After the incident happened, her mother, fearing it would affect her future, was even more unwilling to call her back, even making a special trip to the university for it.
With Uncle Meng being demoted, she didn't know how her mother and younger brother were doing now?
And Uncle Meng, no matter what, had been kind to her all these years.
But it was only for a moment. Though Chen Peng appeared delicate, she wasn't the type to wallow in melancholy. Back when her biological father passed away, mother and daughter had endured even greater hardships.
Now she had already gotten into university and would graduate soon, finding a decent job. Though there would inevitably be some impact, her efforts over the years hadn't been in vain.
Besides, the professor had already told her earlier that he would try his best to help minimize the impact for her.
Anyway, no matter how hard it got, it couldn't be harder than back then.
Having figured this out, Chen Peng suddenly felt a bit lighter.
As for what Meng Yu had said earlier about the Yu family and substituting marriages, Chen Peng cared even less. Not to mention the whole thing was absurd. Compared to marrying early and placing hopes on others, given the chance, she still preferred studying, going to school, and finding a good job later.
That young, promising man from the Yu family was fine, but Chen Pang understood very clearly that if she married him, she would definitely have to follow him to his military post.
The place was remote, and with other factors, forget Jing University, going to school and taking exams would only be harder.
The two chatted for a while longer until they reached a fork in the road not far away, then bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.
It was just a minor episode. An Ning didn't pay it much mind, only feeling that this Miss Meng was really quite a screw-up.
In every lifetime!
But soon, she had no mind to think about these things. Time quickly arrived in the latter half of 1961. Her eldest sister was about to take the high school entrance exams, and the famine across various regions still showed no signs of stopping.
During the hardest times, even the machinery factory canteen almost shut down. However, Huaihua Alley and the nearby areas were still a bit better off. Thanks to the bunch of fry An Ning had thrown into the reservoir earlier, these past few years, the reservoir hadn't really run out of fish, big or small.
After all, nourished by spiritual energy, these fish were not only vigorous in vitality but also reproduced quickly. Not only did the adults from the alley entrance go fishing, even An Ning followed the trend and went a few times, adding some meat dishes to the family meals.
Of course, for the current Old Wang family, or rather for An Ning, the hardest part wasn't this.
It wasn't even noon yet, and An Ning couldn't help but collapse onto her own small bed.
Tutoring homework was really, really, really too hard.
The Little Wang Brat was easier to deal with. His health wasn't great, and the family didn't dare to expect too much from him. Graduating smoothly and getting into a vocational college was already very satisfying for the family, including Manager Yang. In the early 1960s, with a shortage of higher education talent, as long as one graduated high school smoothly, getting into most vocational colleges wasn't really a problem.
It was her own eldest sister. After entering junior high, politics, history, and geography were manageable, but math, physics, chemistry, and biology were a disaster. Even with An Ning's tutoring, and even studying day and night, doing practice problems until she was sick of them, she could only barely maintain a middle-ranking position. One slip-up and she risked failing and having to repeat the year.
What was this? Putting in a hundred percent effort for a 0.1 percent return. Even An Ning couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Too hard!
There was no other way. While busy with her own studies and even striving to publish papers, An Ning could only have the family collect all the high school entrance exam papers from recent years. In the month leading up to the exams, she desperately focused on predicting key topics.
Fortunately, An Yun, if nothing else, knew she wasn't smart and was almost completely obedient to her obviously hundreds of times smarter younger sister, especially regarding studies.
She memorized what she was told to memorize, did the practice problems she was told to do. Finally, she didn't mess up the high school entrance exams. Although she barely scraped by and the high school she got into was average, getting in was what mattered!
On the day the results came out, not to mention the rarely nervous An Ning, the whole family, including An Yun herself, couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief.
After the celebration, even late at night, Wang Ming De couldn't help but secretly click his tongue in wonder. For two sisters with the same father and mother, their brains could differ to such an extent was truly strange.
It had to be said, this episode quickly dispelled Old Wang's thoughts of trying for another child.
His father-in-law was due to retire in a few years. Barring any accidents, unlike now when he had to avoid suspicion, after retirement, it wouldn't be difficult to use connections and pull some strings to help him advance further.
But the prerequisite was that Yong Hua was his only biological son and also his biggest beneficiary in the future.
Otherwise, with his father-in-law's intelligence, to prevent any mishaps, he would definitely not promote him anymore. The favors that should be used would all be pushed onto his son in the end.
An uncertain-quality son or daughter, or his own future? Director Wang felt he didn't need to hesitate at all.
What if he was unlucky enough to have one like that neighbor surnamed Meng? Then the whole family would be done for.
Might as well cultivate a grandson later!
Thinking of his son, who had already received the vocational college admission letter last year, Old Wang, feeling he was still young and could strive for many more years, couldn't help but feel pleased with himself before going to sleep.