The preliminary exam wasn’t the college entrance exam yet.

Kong Wei and Shao Guangrong let their imaginations run wild, already envisioning scenes of Xia Xiaolan triumphantly entering Beijing and putting Tong Lili and others in their place.

Talking about family background and rural household registration – weren’t Tong Lili’s ancestor’s peasants just two generations ago? What good was Tong Lili’s family background anyway? As for personal ability, she was just average – already in her twenties, still hanging around with a group of compound kids, wearing motorcycle jackets. Did she think that made her cool?

Young Kong Wei, himself considered useless by others, was now looking down on Tong Lili.

He wasn’t comparing himself to Tong Lili, but rather comparing Xia Xiaolan to her… Sister-in-law was so excellent, Brother Cheng was so excellent, why wouldn’t they choose you, Tong Lili? Don’t you know your worth?

Such women needed reality to slap them hard in the face to realize their true measure.

Kong Wei returned the telegram to Liu Yong and seriously told Shao Guangrong:

“Keep your mouth shut this time. Let’s wait until Sister-in-law finishes her college entrance exam before we brag!”

There was still over a month until the college entrance exam.

That little minx Tong Lili seemed obsessed with Brother Cheng – who knew what crazy things she might do? Women could be narrow-minded; what if she became jealous of Sister-in-law’s excellence and tried to cause trouble? After the college entrance exam, it would be different. Once the dust settled, it would be too late for any mischief. Then when Sister-in-law came to study in Beijing and reunited with Brother Cheng, women like Tong Lili would have to settle down.

Shao Guangrong didn’t dare run his mouth anymore.

The Japanese restaurant incident had already hurt his wallet – that was the price of loose lips.

Kong Wei got to enjoy fine dining with Zhou Cheng, and Shao Guangrong wanted to curry favor too. But when Tong Lili and Zhou Yi appeared at the Beijing Restaurant, they’d ruined Shao Guangrong’s attempts to get close to Zhou Cheng. Was Shao Guangrong annoyed? His house renovation had gone over budget, and he now owed Kong Wei 12,000 yuan! He despised Tong Lili and her group – their collective face value wasn’t worth even a fraction of his debt. Tong Lili and Zhou Yi got to show off, while he, Shao Guangrong, was the one who couldn’t pay his debts.

“I won’t tell anyone, I swear!”

Even with a gun to his head, he wouldn’t talk. Shao Guangrong remembered how Tong Lili’s group had ruined his chance to get close to Zhou Cheng, and he wanted to see Tong Lili thoroughly humiliated – Sister-in-law must not show any mercy to that Tong woman, she should completely outshine her in every way and make her feel utterly inadequate.

These two were even more excited about the preliminary exam results than Liu Yong.

Xia Xiaolan’s preliminary exam results had sent shockwaves from Anqing all the way to Beijing, reaching everyone who needed to know.

Zhou Cheng knew too – Xia Xiaolan had called him personally.

She wasn’t trying to show off – what was there to show off about preliminary exams? She treated it as a pre-college entrance exam test, to gauge her level and give Zhou Cheng peace of mind. If she couldn’t get into Huaqing, she could try Beijing University, and if not, there was still People’s University. With her scores, applying to Huaqing and Beijing University would be risky, but besides these two universities, she could choose freely.

Zhou Cheng also contained his joy.

With just over a month until the college entrance exam, if Xiaolan performed consistently, getting into a Beijing university would be easy.

His thoughts aligned with Kong Wei’s – it wasn’t good to broadcast taking first place in Fengxian City’s preliminary exams. They should stay steady first, then reveal it to the family after the college entrance exam results come out. His mother kept saying Xiaolan had a rural household registration, and that their backgrounds weren’t compatible. Zhou Cheng thought about this incompatibility – his wife was so well-educated if he didn’t continue his education, would they run out of common topics in the future?

A couple speaking different languages would surely develop relationship problems over time.

Zhou Cheng was planning far ahead.

…

Gong Yang worked for Liu Yong not just as a “designer” but also as a renovation worker.

Initially, Gong Yang earned apprentice wages of 8 yuan per day, and he was truly dedicated – in a month of 30 days, he only took two days off, working the other 28. Someone who could get into university could learn any skill if they put their mind to it. By the second month, Gong Yang had mastered everything a renovation worker needed to know.

Once skilled, he deserved skilled worker’s wages, and Liu Yong didn’t quibble over the 2-yuan difference.

In the second month, Gong Yang worked fewer days – he had taken leave under the pretense of “sketching,” needing to bring back some artwork. Liu Yong calculated Gong Yang’s wages based on days worked, totaling 464 yuan for two months.

This was just his renovation work wages. For the two orders, he had created four design plans at 50 yuan each.

This fee had been agreed upon between Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong beforehand, totaling 200 yuan for Gong Yang.

Then there were several decorative paintings needed for Kong Wei’s house, earning Gong Yang 300 yuan, and Shao Guangrong also bought a large piece for his headboard, paying Gong Yang 80 yuan.

His two-month trip to Beijing had somehow earned him a total of 1,044 yuan.

Gong Yang could hardly believe the money in his hands.

His family was poor – the whole family’s hard work for an entire year couldn’t save two hundred yuan.

Studying art cost more than other majors, and Gong Yang’s family couldn’t afford it, so he always took whatever work he could find. But he’d never had a single job that let him handle over a thousand yuan at once! While his future in art remained unclear, he could see the “money future” now. Everything seemed absurd, starting from those two posters… but with this real money in front of him, could Gong Yang abandon ship? The pursuit of art, life’s harsh realities, the temptation of money – these complicated thoughts challenged Gong Yang’s worldview.

Should he continue pursuing art to become a painter?

Or become a “designer” and make money with Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong?

Gong Yang couldn’t decide.

With his school teachers urging his return, he could only buy his ticket.

As the train rumbled back to Shangdu, instead of reporting directly to Shangdu University, Gong Yang took a detour home.

His village was poor, like all impoverished rural areas. When Gong Yang was in his teens, he met a reformed “bad element” who was an artist and introduced him to painting. The artist said he had talent, and after studying with him for several years, Gong Yang got into Shangdu University’s Art Department, becoming the only university student from nearby villages.

And it was a key university at that!

So although the Gong family didn’t understand what use “painting” had, they would sell everything to support their university student.

Regardless of major, a university graduate would be assigned work, and Gong Yang could leave the poor countryside to become an urban resident. After three years in the Art Department, he hadn’t improved his family’s conditions at all – the Gongs lived even more frugally than before, just to give Gong Yang money for paint.

Year-round, they only ate meat dumplings during New Year, with no trace of meat or oil in their daily meals, except when Gong Yang came home – only then would they spare some meat and eggs.

This visit was unexpected, so when Gong Yang arrived home, he found them eating salted vegetable strips with flour dumpling soup. Not a drop of oil, thin soup with few dumplings – this was what the Gong family ate. Gong Yang had eaten this before, but this time it suddenly made his nose tingle with emotion.

The feeling wasn’t pity for himself but for his family.

Seeing her son’s tears, Gong Yang’s mother panicked and moved to fry him an egg.

Gong Yang grabbed her hand to stop her.

The wavering scale had found its balance. Being a painter wasn’t wrong, but studying expensive art while his family ate salted vegetables with flour dumplings? No, this wasn’t what Gong Yang wanted. He took out the money earned in Beijing and placed it on the table, stunning his entire family.

“I have money now. From now on, our whole family can eat eggs and meat, as much as we want!”