[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-100":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294518,4489,"Chapter 100: The Provincial Number One, So Arbitrary","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-100",100,"\u003Cp>Li Kaibian drove away with Li Mingyue, satisfied, and Cui Aiguo, triumphant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye also calmly began writing his own work—he needed to finish The Fugitive of War in a few days before heading south to Yangcheng with Jin Peng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he’d later help Xiao Zhi Xian Xian continue the story depended on what the big shots in Jingcheng decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandmother Wu Juying slipped in quietly, placed a sliced watermelon before her eldest grandson, glanced at him cautiously, confirmed Li Ye wasn’t angry, then slipped out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in her room, Wu Juying told her husband, “I really feel Xiao Ye has grown—he can quiet his aunt with just a few words, so generous, so sensible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhong let out a “hmph.” “This kid’s gotten clever—he’s hiding malicious intentions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get out, get out—do you talk about your own grandson like that? You brag about him everywhere outside, then complain at home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Juying retorted sharply, then remembered something: “Why hasn’t Kaibian come back yet? It’s not far to Binhe Township.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know what your daughter’s like?” Li Zhong snapped. “Won’t she show off until she’s worn it out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Kaibian returned, it was nearly midnight; everyone in the house was asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quietly pushed his motorcycle into the shed, tiptoed inside, and woke Han Chunmei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kaibian, what happened to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh, keep it down—don’t let Xiao Ye hear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye in the next room perked up, crept closer, and pressed his ear to the wall to eavesdrop on his father and mother’s whispers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re covered in mud—how’d you get like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I rode my bike into a river.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? You—how could you be so careless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chunmei grew frantic, on the verge of tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Kaibian suffered even a minor injury, how would she and her two daughters get by? Their good life had just begun!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you so worked up? I did it on purpose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, listening at the wall, froze—he couldn’t fathom what Kaibian was up to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaibian whispered, “I thought I was just dropping off my eldest sister, but she went to her mother-in-law’s, then to her younger brother’s—and finally, guess what? She told me to take her to the provincial capital the day after tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was sick of her yammering, and right ahead was a ditch—I had an idea and drove straight into the water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chunmei stared blankly for a long time, then said in relief, “How could you be so reckless! What if you drowned your sister?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She can swim,” Kaibian said proudly. “After gulping down two mouthfuls of water, she swore she’d never ride with me again—said I was trying to kill her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brilliant. Truly brilliant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye couldn’t help but mutter, “So brilliant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ex-soldiers were different—ruthless, decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d only been bickering with Aunt Li Mingyue, but Kaibian, her own brother, gave her a full-blown shock—once and for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a classroom building at a university in the provincial capital, Yao Renhua from Qingshui County High School was sweating profusely while grading college entrance exam papers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, he was no longer Director Yao—he was just an ordinary grader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone around him doing the same work were carefully selected middle and university teachers from across cities and counties, all highly skilled and experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply being seated here, sweating over papers, was a recognition of one’s teaching ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So although everyone knew grading the college entrance exam was exhausting, no one ever refused or lagged behind—as long as they could still breathe, they wouldn’t give up this privilege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Renhua was nearly fifty, had graded for three consecutive years, and was the only teacher from Qingshui County selected—he couldn’t afford to slack off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingshui County lacked talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several teachers from the city’s high schools knew Yao Renhua; they got along well, but behind their smiles, they all thought Qingshui County’s students were pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The county produced fewer than ten college admissions annually—fewer than a single key high school in the city—how could anyone take them seriously?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, ice cream’s here, ice cream’s here—take a break, everyone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The call from the hallway brought relief to Yao Renhua and the others—they finished their current tasks and stepped out to grab a few popsicles and breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were in their forties or fifties, sitting for hours like students in classrooms, yet forced to concentrate intensely—physical and mental exhaustion was immense; a pause was welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Renhua sucked on his popsicle while chatting with several city teachers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Yao, your teeth not good? You’re not even fifty yet, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you don’t understand—ice cream must be sucked slowly. Crunching it down fast won’t cool you off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, Old Yao’s right—these young people are always in a hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew the truth: a man nearing fifty couldn’t crunch ice cream anymore—teeth and digestion wouldn’t allow it; they just refused to admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After two popsicles, the summer heat lessened, and their talk grew more relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think this year’s cutoff scores will be much higher than last year’s. The physics papers I graded show a clear average improvement—today’s students have stronger foundations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same with chemistry—I’ve graded papers where even the weakest students got several fill-in-the-blank questions right; over fifty points isn’t rare anymore. Two years ago, forty was rare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this year’s math was brutal. I’ve graded for two days and can count on two hands the papers over seventy. How many students got wrecked by math?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly—this year’s math paper was too hard, abnormal. Even at Provincial Capital No. 1 High, barely a few students per class might pass.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Provincial Capital No. 1 High was Dongshan Province’s flagship key high school, with annual college admission rates over 60%—if even their students struggled, this paper deserved the word “insane.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the graders agreed—they knew their students’ baseline levels, and this exam had stunned countless children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a quiet teacher nearby suddenly spoke: “Not necessarily. Yesterday morning, I graded seven or eight math papers—all over eighty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seven or eight math papers over eighty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The papers they graded were shipped in sealed batches from surrounding counties, ordered by distance—so the sequence mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If seven or eight high-scoring papers appeared in one morning, those students likely came from the same district or even the same exam center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Provincial Capital No. 1 High’s elite class?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I know their math teacher—he complained to me yesterday about failing his students.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then who the hell taught these geniuses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone speculated—Daocheng No. 1, Provincial Capital No. 2—but no one imagined Qingshui County No. 2 High, an obscure school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days of continuous grading, Yao Renhua, his lower back aching and numb, held on for his final shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d soon go home—earn extra grading pay, and gain insight into the overall level of Dongshan Province’s high schoolers. This grading session was worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Yao Renhua pondered what dress to buy his wife with his pay, the grading team leader arrived with two sets of papers and called out fourteen teachers’ names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, stay late—compare one set of papers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teachers exchanged glances, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the two sets were distributed, they instantly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the just-graded college entrance exam paper; the other was a pre-exam test from over a month ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their scores were wildly different: one exceeded six hundred points; the other barely scraped past three hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, a loud voice broke it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are we comparing these? These are clearly the same handwriting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourteen teachers were split into seven pairs, each pair assigned to compare one subject’s papers—even a single punctuation mark couldn’t escape their scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single glance confirmed: these were written by the same person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team leader asked: “You think there’s no issue?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grader replied calmly: “I think there’s no issue. Suspicion alone can’t invalidate a student’s score.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another teacher, assigned to chemistry, added: “I agree too. Look here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held up the pre-exam chemistry paper: “This student only answered forty points’ worth of questions on the pre-exam—but those forty points were the hardest section of the entire paper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mine too,” said the physics grader. “He scored thirty-six points, but only answered the thirty-six points’ worth of hardest problems.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The English teacher tossed down the English paper, pointing to the essay: “This level rivals university English majors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree too—look at how he writes his equals sign: the top and bottom lines have a unique length difference. I can’t replicate it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after careful calculation, the fourteen teachers made a shocking discovery: the pre-exam paper scored only 305 because the student answered only 305 points’ worth of questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Who the hell is this guy? If he were my student, I’d beat him senseless!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe this student broke no rules or regulations regarding the college entrance exam—why compare his pre-exam paper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team leader looked around, expressionless: “Since everyone agrees there’s no issue, sign the form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staff handed out a comparison record sheet; all fourteen teachers signed without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on—this level of scrutiny clearly meant only one thing: this student was the provincial number one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every year, the provincial number one’s papers were rechecked—but this year’s recheck was bizarrely unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, upright teachers would never destroy a student’s dream over baseless suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seek truth, serve the public—the nation needs talent, and this one must not be buried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it remains unknown whether this year’s provincial top scorer is from the provincial capital or Island City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today I posted fifteen thousand words; I’ll continue tomorrow. If you have any votes, please support me—Old Feng thanks you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also thank you to the readers who tipped: “I Love My Wives,” “,” “Bu Bu Bu,” 600 coins, 300 coins, a tip, “Gently Tilted Wind” with 500 coins, “Canglan Sword Ode,” “Green Mountains, Vastness,” “Wenren Yi Nuan,” “Fat Guy on the Motorbike,” a tip, a tip, “Hello Miss Hu,” “Beidou Dark Star Tianxian,” “So Boxuan” with 500 coins, “Ugly Silver,” 500 coins, and “Dijia Ultraman One Yuan Dagu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you all, seniors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1672,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2f470d77ba56c7f7f1e2c964288e63f2f40d6ea1b5720fb9503fa37d57e8c570","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-101","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-99",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]