Chapter 29

Lin Qiangsheng entered the stage of intense review, and the sisters Chen Fang and Chen Yao also began their respective reviews.

Lin Qiangsheng took a long leave from the factory. During this sprint period, he did not want to waste time going to the factory anymore.

The car factory was now in a slow development phase, and it seemed as if the city had suddenly forgotten about it. Everyone had their own busy affairs, but the factory remained the same.

His parents also knew that Lin Qiangsheng was preparing for the college entrance exam. After Xu Hongmei's surprise, she started to boil an extra egg for her son every morning.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was December 9th. The college entrance exam was the next day.

Early in the morning, Lin Qiangsheng came to Chen Yao's house and saw her sister Chen Fang. He asked, "Sister Fang, how's the review going?"

Chen Fang looked a bit tired. When Lin Qiangsheng entered the room, she was still leaning over the table reading a book.

Chen Fang turned around at the sound of his voice, looked at Lin Qiangsheng, and then smiled, saying, "It's okay. As you said, I reviewed everything I know."

Lin Qiangsheng sat down by the kang (a traditional Chinese bed) and asked, "Where's Chen Yao? Are your parents not at home?"

Lin Qiangsheng had heard that Chen's father was not in good health, having injured his spine when he was young and had been resting at home for a long time.

Chen Fang forced a smile and said, "Chen Yao went to the school to take a leave. My parents are going out to do odd jobs."

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "I know that there are still people doing odd jobs in the community. There's really nothing we can do about it."

Looking at Chen Fang's tired eyes, he advised, "Sister Fang, you look quite tired. Your spirit doesn't seem good! You should rest for a day. Relax today, and you'll definitely do well tomorrow!"

Chen Fang nodded and said, "Thank you, Qiangsheng."

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and asked, "Did you and your sister do the essay topic I gave you?"

Chen Fang nodded and said, "Yes, we did. We also looked at other essay topics."

Lin Qiangsheng pursed his lips, wanting to say that it was the exam essay topic but didn't say anything. He blinked and could only hint, "It's good that you did it. Try to do it as well as possible."

Chen Fang nodded.

Lin Qiangsheng stayed for a while. He mainly came out to take a walk and chat with people. Reading for a long time had made him very tired.

In the evening, Lin Qiangsheng lay down early, but he was still a bit excited and couldn't fall asleep.

Tomorrow was the 1977 college entrance exam! The first year of the resumption of the college entrance exam! How meaningful!

In his previous life, he had missed it, blindly working in the factory for three years, and then, seeing his brother join the army, he also joined the army.

It wasn't until many years later, when he grew up, that he gradually realized how many opportunities he had missed. Not just money, but also many of the exciting things of this era.

Lin Qiangsheng yawned, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Lin Qiangsheng got up early. He exercised in the yard but didn't go running, wanting to keep his energy up for the exam.

His mother, Xu Hongmei, also got up early and called from the kitchen, "Qiangsheng, come and eat."

Lin Qiangsheng responded, went back to the kitchen, washed his face, dried the water off, and sat down at the table with a smile.

"Mom, why are you making so many eggs today?" Lin Qiangsheng saw a small basin with seven or eight eggs and asked with a smile.

Xu Hongmei smiled and said, "Eat more eggs. Try to do well today! Take two with you for lunch."

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Thank you, Mom!"

Xu Hongmei happily patted her son's head and peeled an egg for him.

Lin Qiangsheng liked to eat warm egg yolks with soup. It tasted especially good this way.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Qiangsheng packed his admission ticket, fountain pen, ink, and a stack of scratch paper into his backpack and set off.

At the bus stop, he met the Chen sisters and their parents, and Chen Bing was also there.

"Brother Chen, good morning!" Lin Qiangsheng greeted and then greeted the Chen parents.

Chen Bing saw Lin Qiangsheng, smiled, and then couldn't help but sigh, saying, "You haven't been to the factory for a while. Everyone misses you!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and nodded, saying, "I miss everyone too. How are Zou Xue and the others?"

Chen Bing nodded and said, "They're still the same, making molds every day. The workshop is very busy now. The factory manager has added five teams to the stamping workshop. Our factory can produce sixty cars a month now!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "That's great! Sixty cars is a good start."

Chen Bing smiled and nodded, saying, "Exactly! You don't know, the new factory floor has been leveled, and they're laying tracks. You missed it, which is a pity!"

Lin Qiangsheng's eyes lit up, and he said, "I heard from my dad. I'll go see it after the exam. Also, how are the students from the engineering university who are researching automated equipment? Have they made any progress?"

Chen Bing shook his head and said, "The teachers from the engineering university haven't come for a while. The other students don't come much either. Only that comrade An Yong comes often. He even helped lift the tracks when they were laying them, looking very happy."

Lin Qiangsheng laughed and nodded, saying, "He's a sincere person!"

Chen Bing also smiled, patted Lin Qiangsheng's shoulder, and said, "Qiangsheng, do well on the exam and try to get into college!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded heavily and said with a smile, "A top university is a bit of a stretch, but a decent one should be fine."

The two laughed.

The bus arrived quickly, and Lin Qiangsheng and the others got on.

Their exam venue was the same, assigned to the nearby Vehicle Factory Middle School.

This was a factory school, a two-story brick building.

"Chen Yao, Sister Fang, do well on the exam! Good luck!" Lin Qiangsheng said to the sisters as he was about to enter the exam room.

Chen Yao's face was flushed, and she was a bit nervous.

She looked blankly ahead, paused for a moment after hearing Lin Qiangsheng's words, nodded, and said softly, "You too!"

Chen Fang patted her sister's back from behind and said, "Sister, do well. I'll be with you!"

Chen Yao nodded heavily, looked at her sister, and her eyes were even a bit moist, with big tears rolling down.

"Sister, I'm so scared! I haven't had time to review many questions!" Chen Yao said, feeling wronged.

Chen Fang patted her shoulder and comforted her with a smile, "Just treat it as a small exam. Do your best, and don't overthink it!"

Chen Yao wiped away her tears and nodded.

Lin Qiangsheng pinched Chen Yao's nose, smiled, and said softly, "You'll do great!"

Chen Yao glared at him, looked around, and said softly to Lin Qiangsheng, "Bad guy, you also have to do well!"

Lin Qiangsheng laughed and withdrew his hand.

It was time to enter the exam room. When it was Lin Qiangsheng's turn, he handed his admission ticket to the teacher at the door. The teacher verified his photo, looking serious, as if filtering out criminals.

The students, farmers, workers, and some unemployed young people with high hopes all walked into the exam room, either excited or nervous.

From a distance, a large crowd of people wearing cotton hats and coats could be seen. Some were clearly over thirty, with weathered faces and visible crow's feet.

Lin Qiangsheng looked around the classroom, stuck out his tongue, and thought, "What a mix of people!"

"A young comrade, how old are you? You're also taking the college entrance exam?" A nearly thirty-year-old candidate put his dogskin hat on the table and wrapped his military coat, instantly breaking out in a sweat.

Lin Qiangsheng rolled his eyes and said in a low voice, "I'm fifteen."

"Ah? You're so young and already taking the college entrance exam!" The older candidate was extremely surprised. The people around him were also surprised. Compared to this child, they suddenly felt a bit inferior.

Some people couldn't help but feel a bit envious, "Time! Wasted!... Ah!..."

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "I'm just trying it out, taking it for fun."

The candidates shook their heads, and some sighed, saying, "I came by train yesterday and spent the night at the train station. This morning, I only had two steamed buns. I can't compare to you!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded awkwardly and said, "I understand, I understand. You've worked hard, big brother! Do you have enough buns?"

"I ate one more in the morning, so I'll be hungry at noon."

"You've worked hard, you've worked hard!"

"..."

The older candidate said, "Ahem, young comrade! Do well on the exam. Getting into college isn't a joke! Think about how many people want to sit in your seat but don't have the chance!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Yes, yes! I understand! Hehe..."

After a discussion, the group gradually quieted down, each preparing, some excited and nervous, others extremely anxious.

Just before eight o'clock, the invigilators entered, two in total.

After announcing the exam rules, they began to distribute the test papers.

Lin Qiangsheng received his paper and saw, "1977 XXX Province College Entrance Exam Chinese."

He first looked at the essay topic and saw that it was indeed the one he had given. Lin Qiangsheng breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked around at the other candidates and was immediately met with a stern look from the invigilator, who then walked over and closely watched him.

Lin Qiangsheng quickly lowered his head, picked up his fountain pen, opened the cap, and began to read the questions.

As expected, this year's college entrance exam questions were not too difficult, even including some junior high school content.

Lin Qiangsheng was excited. He had guessed correctly and quickly began to answer the questions. He didn't care about the invigilator next to him; if you want to stay, stay.

The other candidates were still nervously reading the questions when they suddenly heard the sound of writing. They turned to see the young boy writing furiously!

"Hey! Strange!" The older candidate was puzzled, shook his head, and quickly returned to reading the questions. The actions of the boy next to him made him even more nervous!

In the other two exam rooms, the Chen sisters were almost overjoyed. They realized that they had made the right decision to take the exam this time!

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The story continues on the next page.