novelraw Chapter 206
Chapter 206
Two days later,
In the Beijing hutongs, fine flakes of snow drifted, but they couldn't dampen the warm, buzzing excitement surrounding the reinstated college entrance exams.
Before dawn had even broken, blue smoke curled from the kitchen chimney. Pei's Mother, tied in a blue cloth apron, bustled in front of the stove, barely touching the ground with her feet. An aluminum pot sat on the coal stove, noodles boiling inside with a hearty "gurgle-gurgle" sound. She carefully placed two poached eggs into each of three coarse porcelain bowls. The golden yolks, wrapped in tender white egg whites, looked like three plump little suns.
"Nanchu! Yunxi! Yunzhou! Breakfast is ready!"
Pei's Mother's voice was three notches brighter than usual.
"This double-egg noodle soup is something I got up early specially to make. Eating it will guarantee your exams go smoothly!"
Shen Nanchu pushed open her bedroom door with a yawn. Bundled in a military-green padded jacket like a rice dumpling, her hair casually tied back, and her eyes bleary with sleep, she was the picture of someone dragged out of bed for duty.
In contrast, Pei Yunxi and Pei Yunzhou had both been up for a while, already sitting at the table with a book beside them.
"Mom, these poached eggs smell absolutely amazing!" Pei Yunzhou swallowed hard, picking up his chopsticks but hesitating to take a bite, his face a mask of misery. "If I mess up this exam, I'll feel terrible wasting these two golden eggs."
"Pah, pah, pah! A child's words bear no ill omen!" Pei's Mother reached out and lightly slapped the back of his hand, then ladled a spoonful of chili oil into Shen Nanchu's bowl. "Nanchu, don't listen to them. You're quick-witted and studied hard. You'll definitely get in!"
Shen Nanchu picked up a mouthful of noodles. The spicy heat numbed her tongue, and she squinted her eyes in comfortable satisfaction.
She glanced at Pei Yunxi and saw the girl was so nervous she was gnawing on her fingernails, almost biting them down to the quick. Shen Nanchu couldn't resist teasing her, "Keep chewing like that and you won't even be able to hold a pen later. What, are you planning to write with your finger dipped in ink?"
Pei Yunxi's face flushed red, and she quickly hid her hands under the table, muttering softly,
"I'm just nervous... Yesterday I heard there's a candidate in the exam hall who's been preparing for five years. They've probably memorized more books than I've eaten meals."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Shen Nanchu chewed her noodles, speaking with utter nonchalance.
"Just because they've memorized a lot doesn't mean they'll do well. You memorized less, but that doesn't mean you'll do poorly. At worst, you can take it again next year. You're still young anyway."
Pei Yunxi thought for a moment and nodded.
"You're right, Sister-in-law."
"We're young! We won't panic!"
Just as she said this, the sound of a car horn, "beep-beep," came from outside the courtyard gate.
Pei's Mother's eyes lit up. "Your uncle is here!"
Everyone went to the gate. Jiang Jie, Pei's Mother's younger brother and Shen Nanchu's uncle, was getting out of a small black car. The back seat was piled with three military-green canvas bags, and a stack of review materials sat on the passenger seat.
"Don't dawdle! Any later and the roads near the exam hall will be jammed! I borrowed this car from my work unit specifically to drive you to the exams!"
"Nanchu, Yunxi, Yunzhou, your uncle is waiting for your good news!"
The group hurriedly finished breakfast and got in the car. Pei's Mother saw them off at the gate.
"Don't panic when you get into the exam hall. Write your name first, read the questions carefully, skip the ones you don't know..."
Even as the car turned out of the hutong entrance, she still stood waving in the snow, her scarf covered in snowflakes, looking like a white-bearded old lady.
The exam hall was set up at Beijing No. 3 Middle School, and the school gate was already packed to the brim.
Bicycles lined the streets for three whole blocks, review materials hanging from their handlebars rustling in the wind. An old man selling baked sweet potatoes hawked his wares from a small cart nearby; the sweet aroma of the potatoes mixed with the chill in the snowy air created a unique atmosphere.
Jiang Jie parked the car in an empty spot not far from the school gate and pointed at the bulletin board by the entrance.
"You go check your exam hall numbers first. I'll wait here. When you finish, we'll go straight for the Zhajiang Noodles at the hutong entrance! Nanchu, Yunxi, Yunzhou, don't be nervous. Good luck!"
Shen Nanchu and the other two squeezed through the crowd. As soon as they reached the bulletin board, they were stunned by the scene before them.
This wasn't an exam hall entrance; it was a makeshift last-minute review stage, with every candidate contributing their own unique performance:
A boy with black-rimmed glasses squatted in a corner, clutching a copy of "Complete Collection of Mathematical Formulas" to his chest, muttering incessantly. His head shook like a rattle-drum, and in his hand he clutched a steamed bun, taking a bite and reciting three formulas.
A girl with pigtails leaned against a tree trunk, reciting political theory. Getting excited, she began gesticulating wildly, one moment mimicking "overthrowing capitalism," the next shouting "Serve the People!"
The most outrageous was a middle-aged man in a padded jacket. Probably afraid his notes would be confiscated, he had actually copied political knowledge points onto the inner lining of his jacket. He was secretly peeking inside when, due to an overly large movement, a button on his jacket popped off with a "snap" and flew out, hitting a girl standing nearby squarely on the head.
"My goodness, they're really going all out!"
Pei Yunzhou's eyes widened. He quickly pulled a textbook from his canvas bag and tugged Pei Yunxi towards a nearby stone step.
"Hurry! Let me go over the text one more time! Sister-in-law, come over and review with us!"
Shen Nanchu, however, just waved her hand. Leaning against an old locust tree, she took a fruit drop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. The sweet taste spread on her tongue.
"No need. I already have everything I need to know down pat. Anything I don't know, looking at it now won't help me remember. It's just a waste of effort."
As soon as she said this, several nearby candidates shot her strange looks. A bespectacled girl whispered,
"Putting on airs. She must not have prepared well and is just giving up."
Shen Nanchu heard it but paid no mind, remaining perfectly composed.
Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd—Jiang Shuyi.
She was wearing a newly bought patterned padded jacket with a faux fur collar, clutching a palm-sized notebook, and chattering animatedly with another female candidate.
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow. So Jiang Shuyi was also taking the college entrance exam.
Interesting.
Even more interesting, Jiang Shuyi was now walking towards her location.
"Well, if it isn't Doctor Jiang? Not working your hospital shift, coming to join the college exam frenzy instead? Planning a career change to teaching, or do you think being a doctor has no future, hoping to climb the social ladder through the exams?"
Jiang Shuyi hadn't expected to run into Shen Nanchu here. The smile on her face instantly froze, and she rolled her eyes.
"What does my taking the exam have to do with you? As for you, you dare to take it too? Don't end up handing in a blank paper and embarrassing the Pei family, making even your own husband look down on you."
"Whether my husband looks down on me or not is none of your concern."
Shen Nanchu gave a cold laugh, sweeping a glance over Jiang Shuyi's empty hands.
"But you, coming to the exam empty-handed? Not even bringing a spare pen? Do you think you're guaranteed to pass, or do you have some special method?"
Jiang Shuyi's face changed color. She quickly hid her hands behind her back, stubbornly retorting,
"Whether I brought a pen or not is none of your business! Stop meddling!"
With that, she turned and walked away, but her heart was in turmoil.
This woman Shen Nanchu, why was she always on her case?
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