Chapter 259: The Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity

After leaving the State-run Restaurant, An Yinan went directly to the landlord's house, where the old woman and the old man were already waiting.

"After you applied the needles last time, my waist has felt much lighter," the old woman said with a smile, holding An Yinan's hand.

An Yinan sterilized the Silver Needles before applying them to the old woman once more to draw out the source of the ailment; if there had been time, two more sessions would have been better, but her train was scheduled by the Compilation Bureau, and she could not change the date without a major reason.

"These are three doses of herbal medicine; boil three bowls of water down to one to drink," An Yinan said, taking out the medicine she had prepared in advance and giving detailed instructions.

The old woman nodded busily, "Alright, I've noted it down."

An Yinan then took out the Calcium Tablets and handed them to the old woman, "Each of you take one a day; this isn't medicine, it has no side effects on the body."

"Alright." The old woman agreed to everything; she enjoyed the feeling of being carefully looked after by a younger generation.

Being cared for and worried about—she enjoyed it all; she hadn't felt this way for a very long time.

"Eating here at noon?" The old man rarely spoke on weekdays, but he was never stingy with his concern.

An Yinan declined, "I have things to do this afternoon, and I have to return to the Military District tomorrow, so..."

The old man took it in stride and said with a smile, "It's fine. We two old folks are always here; whenever you come back, just come over and visit."

"When you're out and about, don't keep worrying about us; take good care of your own health."

The old woman also comforted her, "It's a good thing for young people to be busy."

An Yinan eventually left; there was still a group of people in the village waiting to learn how to make soap, and she had to take Aunt Li and the others to test the proportions that afternoon. Once they could master it proficiently, she would be completely at ease.

An Yinan spent the whole afternoon at the Captain's house; whether it was Aunt Li or Aunt Xie Er, everyone was recording the process in their minds, paying special attention to the key points An Yinan mentioned.

Dinner was prepared by Eldest Sister-in-law Li and brought to the courtyard to be eaten.

Fortunately, Uncle Xie Er hadn't been idle; he had made many molds in the morning and had even carefully carved some wooden flowers to make the soap look more aesthetically pleasing.

"Alright, alright, we've got it," Aunt Li said, rubbing her old waist, having finally completed a batch independently.

Aunt Xie Er had finished a bit earlier than Aunt Li and had already gone home to cook.

"It's actually not difficult; the more proficient you get, the easier it will be," An Yinan said with a smile.

Aunt Li sighed; this girl was just someone who made people's hearts ache.

Whoever treated her with one part kindness, she was willing to repay with ten.

She kept all the kindness the villagers had shown her in her heart.

Whether it was hunting game for the villagers or telling everyone the method for making soap.

It was all her way of repaying Quanshui Village, hoping that Quanshui Village would become better and better.

She understood, her own husband understood, and the people in the village all understood.

"When are you coming back next time?" Aunt Li asked.

When she first arrived in Quanshui Village, she was only seventeen; now she was twenty. In three years, she had transformed from a delicate young girl into an admirable military wife.

An Yinan smiled and shook her head, "It's hard to say."

Leaving this time, she didn't know when she would return; perhaps next year, perhaps years later.

People, after all, come together and drift apart; meetings and partings are all fate.

"That house over there will always be kept for you," Aunt Li said, looking at her.

Home is always there; whenever she returns, it is home.

"Alright." An Yinan understood Aunt Li's words and also understood everyone's feelings and reluctance to part.

The night An Yinan left, the sisters did not sleep all night, chatting about everything under the sun; no one mentioned meeting again, yet every word they spoke made it clear.

Meeting again—university, Beijing!

An Yinan left, and her friends only walked her to the entrance of the village, still with that old ox, swaying along at a leisurely pace.

This time, Uncle Niu did not speak; he did not tell her to come back if she suffered any grievances.

Nor did he tell her that he would come to pick her up when she returned.

Because Uncle Niu knew that the child understood everything; going out was a good thing—what kind of future could she have if she were trapped in these mountains?

Educated Youth An was a person destined for great things; sooner or later, she would walk out of these mountains and head toward a wider world.

The train traveled from the Northeast to an even further northern place, where glaciers lasted all four seasons, yet there was a group of lovely people guarding the country's Northeast gateway.

After returning to the Northeast Camp, An Yinan entered a stage of comprehensive review; apart from special emergency tasks for the Compilation Bureau, she no longer accepted ordinary translation work.

Fang Hong was also consciously training newcomers; the initial, most difficult stage of translation had slowly passed.

Now, the country still had those three numbered translators, and these three would be recorded in confidential personal files and in the country's annals.

During this period, a major event occurred.

Evidence of Zhang Qingqing bribing Captain Wang's wife was exposed, and Zhang Qingqing's image as a pure goddess was gone forever.

Because of this incident, Captain Wang sent his wife directly back to the countryside.

The Military's political ideology and literacy education for family members continued.

On October 21, 1977, An Yinan specifically turned on the radio.

"Listeners, we are now broadcasting an important message: On October 12, 1977, the State Council officially approved and transmitted the Ministry of Education's 'Opinions on Higher Education Enrollment Work in 1977' and 'Opinions on Graduate Enrollment in Higher Education,' announcing the immediate restoration of the College Entrance Examination this year..."

"All workers, farmers, educated youth who have gone to the mountains and countryside or returned to their hometowns, demobilized soldiers, cadres, and current high school graduates who meet the requirements may apply; the principle of comprehensive evaluation of morality, intelligence, and physical fitness will be upheld, with merit-based admission and an emphasis on academic examinations."

"The method of voluntary application, unified examination, preliminary selection by cities and districts, school admission, and approval by provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions will be implemented; Party organizations in communes, factories, mines, government agencies, and schools are responsible for political vetting, with political vetting focusing on the individual's performance rather than their class background."

"Enrollment and graduation placement for ordinary colleges and universities will be carried out according to state plans; the People's Scholarship system will be implemented universally, and employees of state agencies, enterprises, and public institutions with five years of seniority at the time of enrollment will continue to receive their wages from their original units during their studies."

In an instant, the whole country was shaken.

"'Suddenly, like a spring breeze coming overnight, ten thousand pear trees bloom.' The winter of 1977 was a spring breeze in the history of education, stirring the hearts of examinees and parents across the country."

Educated youth ran to tell each other and signed up enthusiastically, filling this winter with warmth.

After hearing the notice, An Yinan's heart was completely settled; she first went to find Mo Kun to obtain the necessary certification.

"Have you thought it through?" Mo Kun asked.

An Yinan smiled, "I can't wait."

Yes, she couldn't wait; for this College Entrance Examination, she had prepared for four whole years.

In the final year, she spent even more time reviewing all the textbooks several times over; the practice problems she had completed could have papered the walls of several rooms.

For a time, the Xinhua Bookstore became the most popular place; all kinds of review materials, all kinds of exercise books, and anything that could influence the College Entrance Examination results were completely snapped up, and the line of people could wrap around the entire County.