Chapter 36

In 1978, it was a year of great upheaval. Lin Qiangsheng was eagerly looking forward to that moment, and he had already started preparing early.

For the Lin family, the top priority at the beginning of the year was on January 1st, when a 18-inch Beijing brand black and white TV was added to their home, broadcasting the CCTV News Broadcast! The whole family, along with the neighbors, gathered in the Lin home to watch the news, creating a lively scene.

That scene was even more bustling than when everyone watched the Spring Festival Gala a few years later!

Then, Lin Qiangsheng's sister, Lin Xiang, proposed after the Spring Festival that she wanted to return to the countryside. Her father, Lin Xiangrong, and her mother, Xu Hongmei, did not say much, though they were somewhat reluctant, they still accepted Lin Xiang's decision.

On February 28th, the 22nd day of the first lunar month.

Lin Qiangsheng stood on the platform, looking at his sister Lin Xiang, and asked seriously, "Sister, are you really going back to the commune? Not staying in the city?"

Lin Xiang, just as Lin Qiangsheng remembered from his previous life, still chose to root herself in the countryside.

True feelings cannot be shaken by a few changes! Sister, you must have found true love!

Lin Xiang's gaze swept over her brother's forehead and looked into the distance of the city.

After a long while, Lin Xiang smiled at her brother and said, "Everything is fine at home, so I can rest easy."

"There are things in the commune that I can't let go of. I want to go back!"

I want to go back!

Lin Qiangsheng savored his sister's brief words and sighed inwardly.

In his previous life, his sister had decided to return to the countryside because she saw the difficulties at home and did not want to burden her parents by staying.

Lin Qiangsheng remembered that when his sister left in his previous life, she also said, "I want to go back!"

In this life, because the family's living conditions had improved, his sister felt less burdened by this, so she proposed her idea to the family more freely, even returning a few months earlier than in his previous life.

Lin Xiang tugged at her backpack and smiled at Lin Qiangsheng, saying, "Little brother, I'm leaving. Take care of Mom and Dad!"

Lin Qiangsheng said quietly, "Why don't you all take care of them, and leave this responsibility to me? You all are so carefree!"

Lin Xiang laughed and raised her hand to ruffle her brother's hair, saying, "What, not convinced? Then grow up faster!"

Lin Qiangsheng watched his sister board the train, waved to her, and said softly, "Remember what I told you about the ticket exchange. I'll come find you and your husband, don't let me down!"

Lin Xiang glared at her brother from the train door, her face turning red as she called out, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll pull your ears!"

Lin Qiangsheng laughed, "Alright, take care, sister!"

Lin Xiang also waved, and as the train slowly started, tears could not help but stream down her face.

"Thank you, brother!"

Lin Qiangsheng left the train station, taking a deep breath. Those who wanted to leave had left, and those who stayed still had to continue living.

Lin Qiangsheng walked to the left side of the square, where a red Jeep Wrangler was parked, very conspicuous.

The passersby on the street looked at it with surprise and curiosity, especially the travelers who gathered around the car from a distance to watch.

At this moment, they saw a very young man take a set of car keys from his leather jacket pocket, directly open the door of the uniquely shaped red Jeep, and coolly sit inside.

Lin Qiangsheng started the Wrangler, lightly pressed the gas pedal, and the Jeep glided on the snow-covered road, the tires gently bouncing as it slid down the curb, directly onto the street, and slowly accelerated away from the train station square.

It was amazing, almost like a blatant advertisement!

The red Wrangler slowly drove down the street.

People who saw this scene were immediately drawn to the bright and vivid red Jeep, their eyes fixed on it.

Lin Qiangsheng smiled at the corner of his mouth; this was exactly the effect he wanted!

After nearly two months of effort, the thousands of workers in the factory, starting from early January, worked actively in extremely cold weather, with fierce northeast winds and heavy snow, overcoming the severe cold.

The workers used hot water to pour over the land between the old and new factories, then used iron picks and shovels to dig up the frozen soil, and in the severe cold of northeast China, which was below minus 30 degrees, they built a cement road connecting the old and new factories!

At the same time, in several workshops of the old and new factories, they assembled the complete set of production equipment. They were installing and constructing a three-dimensional car production factory designed by Lin Qiangsheng and several university faculty and students.

The designers even dared to imagine that in 1978, they would assemble an automated electrical production line in China! The parts production workshop and assembly workshop would be fully modernized!

This was a bold attempt and a great exploration of modern industrialization in China!

The provincial industrial bureau dispatched the best personnel from all fronts, taking advantage of the period of severe cold when the production tasks of various factories and units were not heavy, to come to the car factory to participate in the construction.

Qin Qidong, who had not yet stepped down as the head of the car leadership construction group, personally came to command the personnel from various units! Otherwise, with so many influential figures, the chaos would have made the few young leaders in the factory very headache!

Lin Qiangsheng drove the Wrangler for about half an hour and arrived at Hei Da (Heilongjiang University). He greeted the security guard and parked the car directly in the campus.

Hei Da is a prestigious university with a fine historical tradition, originally established in 1941 in Yan'an as the Russian Language Team of the Third Branch of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. It has undergone several transformations and was expanded and renamed in 1958.

Lin Qiangsheng had been admitted to the foreign language program at Hei Da, and Chen Yao and Chen Fang, encouraged by Lin Qiangsheng, also applied to Hei Da, also in the foreign language program.

The reason for choosing this university was that with the scores of the Chen sisters, this university was the most secure, and its foreign language program was very strong.

However, Chen Fang was in the Russian language class, while Lin Qiangsheng and Chen Yao were in the English class.

The car drove into the campus, and the old security guard, after looking at Lin Qiangsheng's Jeep, adjusted his glasses and continued reading the newspaper.

Lin Qiangsheng quietly entered the classroom, found Chen Yao's seat, and sat down next to her.

Chen Yao whispered, "Did Sister Lin Xiang leave?"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded, shushing Chen Yao and pointing to the teacher on the podium.

Chen Yao said "Oh" and quickly grabbed a book to cover herself.

"The classmate, yes, the one who just came in. Please read the text aloud!" The teacher on the podium pointed at Lin Qiangsheng and said.

Lin Qiangsheng rolled his eyes in frustration and looked at the book.

Chen Yao looked at Lin Qiangsheng and the teacher with a pained expression, her face full of apology.

The teacher, in his 60s, was a senior figure in the provincial foreign language community and could speak several languages. He even taught the Russian language class.

In fact, this teacher, in terms of age and seniority, could be called a professor. He did not need to directly teach a class; younger and middle-aged teachers could handle the new students.

However, the 1977 cohort was the first to take the restored college entrance exam. In many ways, these students had a much stronger foundation than the previous worker-peasant-soldier students. Those who could get in were those who had persisted.

All the teachers were excited and had high hopes for this cohort. They believed these students were the future and the pillars of the country! Any qualified teacher did not want to miss the opportunity to directly educate them. These students might work in important positions in the country in the future. The teachers wanted to impart all their knowledge and life experiences to them.

Many university teachers insisted on teaching the new students, wanting to make a difference in their careers. This 60-year-old professor, who could be a professor, was one of them!

Lin Qiangsheng stood up, held the textbook, and read it aloud without any difficulty.

The old teacher observed this student reading the text from above his glasses, his face showing a hint of surprise and interest.

Lin Qiangsheng read the text aloud, and his fluency with English words and his oral reading were astonishing. The students in the classroom, with their curious and doubtful gazes, were exploring this reader.

Professor Liang Ke nodded and smiled, saying, "What's your name, classmate? Your English reading is very fluent, and your pronunciation is excellent, very good!"

"Lin Qiangsheng, teacher. My name is Lin Qiangsheng!"

"Oh, good, please sit down, Lin Qiangsheng classmate." Professor Liang Ke's attitude toward Lin Qiangsheng subtly changed, starting to take him seriously. He often called on Lin Qiangsheng to read the text first in future classes.

The current university courses were all over an hour long, and Lin Qiangsheng and his cohort were in a three-year undergraduate program.

Therefore, the teachers lectured very quickly, often deviating from the textbook and freely elaborating, covering the content of several classes in one session.

These old teachers were often well-versed in both ancient and modern knowledge, with a broad range of knowledge, making their classes very interesting.

Lin Qiangsheng was in a fast-paced class and encountered such a teacher.

He now deeply regretted doing too well on the initial test when he first enrolled, which led to him being placed in the fast-paced class, a real problem!

Lin Qiangsheng had been attending classes for over two months and was starting to feel tired. Of course, he was not a good student, and over time, he found it hard to sit still.

Lin Qiangsheng began to leave early when he had something to do. He did have work, still serving as the team leader in the mold workshop at the car factory. Besides, Lin Qiangsheng had some ideas he wanted to implement, often spending most of his time drawing.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was May.

After finishing his English class that day, Lin Qiangsheng picked up his pen and notebook and said to Chen Yao, "Yao Yao, the production line at the factory is being completed today, and I need to go back for the ceremony. Can you take notes for me, please?"

Chen Yao huffed and pouted, saying, "You always do this, finding all sorts of excuses to skip class. Can't you just stay and study properly?"

Lin Qiangsheng could only focus on classes for a few minutes. It was too difficult for him to stay in school and endlessly study outdated knowledge!

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "This time, it's really the completion of the production line, I'm not lying! I'll be back, bye!"

Chen Yao turned away, ignoring him. After a while, she turned back and found that Lin Qiangsheng had really left, and she stomped her foot in frustration.

"What a big scoundrel!"

"Yao Yao, who are you angry with?" A senior classmate walked over, hugging Chen Yao's shoulder, teasing her.

Chen Yao was the youngest girl in the class, like a pampered princess, and everyone loved her very much.

Chen Yao pouted, her cheeks puffed out, looking very cute.

"Heh, Lin Qiangsheng ran off again! It's fine, when he comes back, just ignore him and see how anxious he gets."

A group of senior classmates gathered around Chen Yao, joking and laughing together.

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