“Did Xiaolan bring back her results? What score did she get?”

Summer clothing sales were booming, and Li Fengmei worked until nine in the evening before closing shop, just in time to pick up Liu Zitao.

No one knew exactly how Liu Zitao and Grandmother Yu got along during their days together, but now Liu Zitao liked going to Grandmother Yu’s house after school. Though Grandmother Yu complained verbally, she never actually threw Liu Zitao out. With business being so busy these days, Li Fengmei had thick-skinnedly asked Grandmother Yu to help watch him for a few more days.

Today, Li Fengmei was also anxious about the preliminary exam results. Upon entering, she asked about the scores before even looking at her son.

Liu Fen had been holding the report card for several hours and only snapped back to reality when her sister-in-law called out:

“Sister-in-law, pinch me.”

Li Fengmei didn’t hesitate and pinched Liu Fen’s arm. “Just tell me, did she do well or not?”

It hurt! Feeling pain meant this wasn’t a dream!

Liu Fen handed the report card to Li Fengmei, “…they say she ranked first in the entire city.”

Liu Fen might not understand what 565 points meant, but who wouldn’t understand being first in the city? If the city’s top student couldn’t get into university, wouldn’t that mean Fengxian City would have zero college admissions this year?

First in the city?

The thin report card felt heavier to Li Fengmei than all her family’s savings combined.

First place – this was her niece’s achievement?

This child kept surprising everyone.

She was so overjoyed that even as an aunt she didn’t know how to react, no wonder Liu Fen, her own mother, was in a daze.

Li Fengmei examined the report card repeatedly, then slapped her thigh hard: “I must send a telegram to Taotao’s father. He has to know this news.”

Liu Yong was still working on apartment renovations in Beijing.

If not for Shao Guangrong’s additional contract, he would have returned to Shangdu already. He’d left in mid-March, over two months ago. Li Fengmei missed her husband dearly but didn’t want to disturb him too much, fearing he’d worry about home. But this news was different – it would only make Liu Yong happy!

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t stop the two excited women from sending the telegram. While the preliminary exam wasn’t the same as the college entrance exam, it helped Xia Xiaolan gauge her abilities.

Ranking first wasn’t what mattered most, but if it made those around her happy, Xia Xiaolan would strive for it!

…

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The electric drill’s sound never ceased, with metal shavings flying everywhere. In the hot weather, working while wearing a mask was truly uncomfortable.

Liu Yong followed his niece’s advice, and his workers, including Gong Yang, had to follow his instructions. For their health, they had to wear masks while operating tools, no matter how uncomfortable it was. Working simultaneously on Kong Wei and Shao Guangrong’s apartments, rushing day and night, they had nearly completed both renovations in two months.

Gong Yang had become completely absorbed in this part-time work.

He had taken leave from school to come to Beijing for “sketching practice,” but over these two months, what gave Gong Yang an overwhelming sense of achievement wasn’t his pile of sketches.

It was watching two old apartments transform bit by bit through renovation, now approaching completion.

He discovered renovation had so many intricacies.

Simply painting walls, laying tiles, and building two wardrobes hardly counted as renovation.

Renovation was applying aesthetics to practical use – it should be people-oriented and pleasing to the eye.

Not only art pieces could move people. Gong Yang had formed a vague outline in his mind, though it wasn’t yet fully clear.

During a work break, Gong Yang removed his mask, “Uncle Yong, the school is urging me to return. I need to buy my ticket back in the next couple of days.”

Both Gong Yang and Liu Yong were reluctant to part. Despite being a university student, he showed no arrogance and, like other children from poor families, could endure hardship. His hands could handle both paintbrushes and bricks and could operate drills. Liu Yong had initially paid him apprentice wages but later increased it to skilled worker rates. No matter how useful he was, he was still just a part-timer, not one of his regular construction workers.

University students couldn’t stay away forever. Gong Yang had been in Beijing for over two months – only art students could afford such freedom.

Liu Yong patted his shoulder, “Alright, the work is almost finished here anyway. You’ve supervised everything, and the renovation matches the design perfectly. I’ll just need to arrange the furniture and decorations according to the plan, and the houses will be complete. Let me calculate your wages…”

“Liu Yong? Who’s Liu Yong? There’s a telegram for you!”

The messenger called from downstairs.

Liu Yong poked his head out, “Yes, that’s me, that’s me!”

His face was covered in dust, but the messenger didn’t mind. The telegram was just a small note stating that Xia Xiaolan scored 565 points in the preliminary exam, ranking first in Fengxian City.

“Your daughter?”

“No, no, no… my niece…”

The messenger seemed envious – niece or not, she was still family. He hadn’t heard of Fengxian City before, but even he could understand the significance of a 565-point score.

Liu Yong was in a daze, his hands trembling as he tried several times to light a cigarette.

Taking the telegram upstairs, Gong Yang ran over, “Uncle Yong, is it from Shangdu?”

Liu Yong chuckled foolishly, “Xiaolan scored 565 points. Gong Yang, what university do you think she could get into?”

565 points!

Gong Yang’s eyes reddened as he looked at the telegram announcing first place in Fengxian City’s science stream.

Though he was a student at Shangdu University, art students had different admission requirements. With 565 points in science, she could probably choose almost any university! Liu Yong had occasionally mentioned that Xia Xiaolan’s grades were good, but Gong Yang hadn’t known just how good.

He’d thought running a business while studying would divide her attention.

He never expected her to do this well!

Gong Yang recalled the image of Xia Xiaolan studying on the train. Yes, she was certainly hardworking and serious, but in these times, who got into university without being hardworking and serious? At least among the people Gong Yang knew, no one had gotten into Shangdu University by being lazy.

Liu Yong was still watching him, but Gong Yang’s mind had wandered.

Kong Wei and Shao Guangrong happened to come together to check on their apartments. Both families were renovated recently, and the two men, already good friends, had grown even closer with this common topic.

“Uncle Liu, taking a break? We told you there’s no need to rush… what are you looking at?”

Privacy isn’t much of a concept for most people these days. Kong Wei craned his neck to look and let out a loud “Ah!”

Shao Guangrong was startled.

“What happened?”

Was someone bullying his future sister-in-law again?

Shao Guangrong cracked his knuckles as Kong Wei caught his breath, “Sister-in-law is amazing…”

Kong Wei didn’t like studying, but he knew it wasn’t easy to excel academically. He already knew about Xia Xiaolan’s grades – last time in Shangdu, he’d been there when she received her final exam results of 514 points, ranking second in her grade.

But between 514 and 565 points – that was over a 50-point difference!

The gap between second grade and first in the city was enormous.

Sister-in-law had said she wanted to study in Beijing. With scores like these in the college entrance exam, she could choose any Beijing university she wanted. Her cousin Xia Ziyu had dared to steal someone’s boyfriend just to get into Beijing Normal College. Young Master Wang wasn’t just unlucky in his family – his judgment was poor too, letting a common hen seduce him away while abandoning a phoenix. Truly excellent people excelled at everything – both in business and in studies.

Kong Wei felt proud by association, and after hearing the explanation, Shao Guangrong also grinned: “Let’s see if Tong Lili still acts so smug now.”