chapter 14
Chinese: 128.
Math: 127.
English: 138.
Science: 274.
Total: 667.
That year, the exam was a bit tough. The cutoff for science majors at first-tier universities was 547.
I had really outdone myself.
At that moment, I felt like I was floating, my feet soft and unsteady, as if I were stepping on cotton. It all felt unreal.
Was this really my score?
The score of someone who was originally a Vocational School student?
My dad dropped his chopsticks and stood up with a start.
“Play it again, I didn’t catch it.”
On speakerphone, the mechanical female voice repeated my scores.
The once lively dinner table was now so quiet you could hear the wind rustling the leaves outside.
Dad looked at his phone, then at me.
At me, then back at his phone.
He asked, his voice trembling, “With this score, what kind of school can you get into?”
I smiled gently. “I can get into the vast majority of universities in the country.”
Even though no one at the table had ever attended high school, everyone still had a sense of what it meant to score 120 points above the first-tier cutoff.
Uncle Wang came out of the house with a big plastic jug of liquor.
“Old Song, this is a great day, a great day! Come on, we have to drink a few more cups today.”
Aunt Zhang muttered, “Could there be a mistake? Your grades weren’t that great before, just a bit better than Xiao Shuai.”
“If getting into college is this easy, I would’ve sent Xiao Shuai to high school too.”
With everyone drinking and flushed with excitement, Dad beamed and said, “It’s a pity Zhaozhao is a girl. If only she were a boy…”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Uncle Wang said, “Isn’t your Xiao Mu also at No. 1 High School? If Zhaozhao can do this well, Xiao Mu should be able to get into Tsinghua University or Peking University!”
Dad laughed heartily at that. “That’s really possible. My son has been smart since he was little…”
Their conversation shifted to everyone’s sons.
The midday sun was glaring and scorching.
My back and forehead were drenched in sweat.
Changing these outdated mindsets is never something that happens overnight.
But I believe that at least today, they might have a bit of an awakening: girls are also worth nurturing.
Taking my own score and Teacher Liu’s advice into account, I finally applied to Zhejiang University.
The admission letter was picked up by my dad from the entrance of the village.
He used the letter as a fan, and what should have been a ten-minute walk took him over an hour to get home.
When he got back, he pulled out a big handful of loose cigarettes from his pocket.
All of them were Golden Baisha.
He clicked his tongue and said, “Every household has good cigarettes, but they’re too stingy to give them to passersby. Usually, they just hand out Xiangsi Bird.”
My Aunt came back to our hometown for the summer with her daughter.
Her daughter was in her first year at a regular high school in the city.
She put on a big smile and praised me, “Zhaozhao, I always knew you were going to be successful.”
“Your cousin is really struggling with some subjects. Since you have free time this summer, why don’t you tutor her?”
She nudged her daughter forward. “Your big sister got into Zhejiang University. She’s amazing.”