Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 111 - 108 different thoughts at the second watch of the night

Chapter 111: 108 different thoughts at the second watch of the night

Mr. Li nodded, yet he remained silent.

Li Xianglu continued, "Second, the teacher of our third brother, as well as Brother Qin, have both mentioned that university re-admissions will start soon. Although we don’t know in what form they will be conducted, it’s just a matter of time before they begin."

Seeing Grandpa Li frown, Li Xianglu hurriedly went on, "Third, Grandpa knows what is taught in the Worker, Peasant, Soldier University, right? It’s mainly about worker, peasant and encrypted military disciplines. Those who don’t excel in their studies end up moving bricks in the remote mountains. If I leave, what will you do? Do you plan to go up the mountains with me?"

After speaking and seeing Mr. Li’s expression soften a bit, she continued, "Fourth, it’s related to the first point. The current situation is unstable. The cities I would go to for university are just a few major cities. Do you really think I could stay there peacefully and study?"

Upon finishing, Li Xianglu waved her hand dismissively with a "you-figure-it-out" look.

Mr. Li was amused by this and said somewhat irritably, "Alright, you make a fair point. Let’s wait for Brother Qin to return and see what he has to say."

Li Xianglu secretly curled her lips. What could he possibly say? She had long felt something was off about Qin Xi, who probably knew even more than she did.

After the conversation, Li Xianglu went to check on the remaining cake, intending to cut a piece for Grandpa Li to taste. But upon looking, her face turned black - not a bit was left. Even the charred bottom of the pot had been eaten! That Qin Zhen!

Qin Xi didn’t return until dinner time. Since coming back from Shanghai, he had scarcely stayed at home, almost always out, except for a few occasions involving New Year preparations. However, no one had asked exactly what he was doing, even though he had several secret chats with Mr. Li.

For dinner, they had noodles in soup. After the meal, Grandpa Li shared the day’s discussion with Qin Xi.

Qin Xi, upon hearing Li Xianglu’s decision, smiled and said, "Well, I actually agree with Xiangxiang. The subjects at Worker, Peasant, Soldier University aren’t suitable for her. It’s better for a girl to learn something else and work in the city later—going straight home after work, leading a stable life. It’s not like we expect her to defend the country, so why should she endure such hardships?"

Listening to Qin Xi’s chauvinistic remarks, Li Xianglu secretly pouted and rolled her eyes, clearly indignant.

Caught by Qin Xi, he frowned and said, "Young lady, stop rolling your eyes. It looks terrible."

Li Xianglu’s mouth puckered up, and her eyes widened in a fiery glare.

Qin Xi chuckled and made a gesture of surrender, "Okay, okay, don’t be angry. I’m only thinking of your best interests. I bought four soy sauce pig’s trotters, they were supplied by the county canteen. I had to line up for a long time for them."

Soy sauce pig’s trotters, well, all is momentarily forgiven, thought Li Xianglu as she ran to the cabinet to take a look.

Mr. Li was utterly defeated by his granddaughter. Can’t you have a little backbone?

Seeing that both had the same opinion, Mr. Li considered the current situation, which really wasn’t suitable for studying in a big city. He wasn’t worried that his granddaughter would neglect him once she had a good future; he trusted her character.

Since a decision had been made, it was better to take the money instead of a spot.

Li Dafu, who had returned home after seeing off the police, seemed out of sorts right until bedtime, tossing and turning. Liu Aidang had noticed it long ago and, getting irritated by the restlessness, eventually asked, "What’s wrong with you? Are you going to sleep at all? You’ve been like this since you came back; one would think you got robbed or something!"

Li Dafu replied irritably, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

But the burden of keeping the issue to himself was too uncomfortable. After holding back for a long time, Li Dafu finally spoke, "I have something to tell you, but you can’t blab about it."

Liu Aidang, hearing her husband speak this way, reached out and pinched the soft flesh on his waist, reproaching him playfully, "Who would I tell, hm?"

Li Dafu winced in pain, let out an "ouch," and quickly said, "You really can’t tell anyone else, it’s supposed to be a secret."

Since he had decided to talk about it, Li Dafu didn’t hide anything and spoke up about the reward.

Upon hearing this, Liu Aidang gasped with surprise, pressing for details: "How much?"

Li Dafu said, "Either two thousand yuan or a university recommendation spot!"

This time, Liu Aidang heard it loud and clear, her eyes widening in disbelief. How could this be possible?

Li Dafu knew his wife must be doubting the truth of this, and with a sigh, he said, "I heard it’s because they saved a child, which led to the police taking down a human trafficking ring, capturing a bunch of traffickers and rescuing fifteen children."

Liu Aidang didn’t know how great an achievement this was, but she was aware of how precious a recommendation spot to Worker, Peasant, Soldier University was, not to mention two thousand yuan!

Every year, the entire county only had at most ten spots, and sometimes not even ten. Her own family had tried everything but failed to secure a spot for her nephew, yet such an opportunity was simply presented before a girl.

Liu Aidang felt her heart was struck, unable to accept or imagine this!

In the darkness of the night, Li Dafu’s voice came through: "If only we could get this spot for our second son, he’s nineteen now and only a junior high school graduate. With it, he could get a good job, later on, be entitled to food rations, and wouldn’t have to worry about finding a wife."

Liu Aidang’s eyes gleamed astonishingly in the dark night, her heart racing as she carefully contemplated the feasibility of what her husband had said.

That night, Li Dafu and his wife both suffered from insomnia.

Li Xianglu, meanwhile, had a beautiful dream. She dreamed that she got her hands on two thousand yuan, then she and Qin Xi went to Shanghai again, secretly bought some gold to keep and wait for it to appreciate in value.

Then she woke up grinning silly as daylight broke. Li Xianglu glanced at her cave dwelling, chuckled, and shook her head—she hadn’t even received the money yet, and already she was dreaming such sweet dreams.

Breakfast was simple, and Li Xianglu sported a foul mood the entire time, glaring straight at Qin Zhen, who had made the excuse of not being hungry to skip dinner the day before to avoid a scolding!

Li Xianglu took a plate of heated soy sauce pig knuckles out of the pot and placed it beside her, looking disdainfully at Qin Zhen.

Qin Zhen choked on his porridge at the sight: "Pig knuckles!"

Li Xianglu passed a piece to Grandpa, then gave one to Qin Xi, and took another chunk for herself, taking a bite with an expressive "Ahh."

Qin Zhen panicked and stood up to grab some, but Li Xianglu shielded the plate fiercely and said, "Qin Zhen, you pig, I’m not giving you any. You actually ate up all the egg cakes I made!"

Qin Xi noticed during the meal that the girl kept glaring at her brother and realized there was an issue—it turns out she was hogging food again!

Qin Xi rolled the pig knuckle in his hand, looking at Qin Zhen with amusement.

Qin Zhen became flustered, knowing all too well that his brother never really treated him like a younger brother. Ever since they started eating at the Li Family, the situation had worsened, with his brother often teaming up with this girl to pick on him. Was it such a big deal that he ate some egg cakes? Were these two really teaming up to double-team him?

Amid their commotion, they heard a knock on the door: "Is Xiang here?"

Auntie Liu Aidang? What is she doing here? Li Xianglu raised an eyebrow, and everyone looked puzzled.