Recognition!
These two simple words carried extraordinary weight.
People easily recognize the strong. If Xia Xiaolan were to take a stroll through Dahe Village now, those gossiping women who used to criticize her would probably crowd around to flatter her. It couldn’t be helped – she was living better than anyone else in Dahe Village. In front of the strong, all rumors dissipate.
Getting recognition from those beneath you brings no sense of achievement. But being acknowledged by those above you… that feeling is truly incredible, just like at this moment.
Old Master Zhou had never disliked Xia Xiaolan; he recognized her excellence from their first meeting. The Zhou family didn’t need marriage alliances to advance their position, so the family background of Zhou Cheng’s future wife wasn’t important. Old Master Zhou’s only concern was that Xia Xiaolan was like a newly sharpened sword – too sharp might break easily. This was his only reason for not approving of Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s relationship.
But after the incident with Gao Fei, both Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiaolan had changed. They were reflecting on themselves and growing. Previously, Xia Xiaolan might have kept her distance from the Zhou family, viewing intimacy with them as a burdensome worry.
The former Zhou Cheng wouldn’t have been as patient as he is now. Before, when Zhou Cheng was dissatisfied with his unit’s disciplinary action, he simply took leave and went home – a passive form of resistance. Now, even though he had achieved merit but faced isolation and investigation, Zhou Cheng didn’t make a fuss. He had learned to wait patiently.
When these two flames collided, instead of burning uncontrollably, they tempered each other.
Old Master Zhou was pleased to see such changes. He didn’t find “love” ridiculous – every boy becoming a man had at least one woman who influenced this transformation. Looking at it now, Xia Xiaolan seemed to serve this purpose for Zhou Cheng.
Of course, Old Master Zhou’s invitation to Xia Xiaolan was also related to her special prize in the competition.
“I heard that winners of this competition get to study abroad as exchange students?”
After dinner, during a casual conversation in the room, Old Master Zhou asked Xia Xiaolan. Initially, Zhou Yi didn’t understand why she was called for dinner today, and others were equally confused. Zhou Yi felt the elderly couple was showing too much favoritism – even throwing a farewell dinner for Xia Xiaolan’s winter break, treating her so specially made Zhou Yi uncomfortable.
Only when Old Master Zhou spoke did Zhou Yi learn about the prize.
The English competition wasn’t widely publicized, and news traveled slowly these days. The TV station was still editing the recorded program, and not everyone in the Zhou family knew about Xia Xiaolan’s award.
Everyone in the room, regardless of their familiarity with the competition, paid attention when Old Master Zhou mentioned it. They all looked at Xia Xiaolan, waiting for her response to the elder.
“Yes, you heard correctly. The Ministry of Education will send the finalists abroad as exchange students to foreign universities. The specific timing hasn’t been determined yet. I don’t know if I’ll go next year or how long the exchange will be.”
Xia Xiaolan would go as an exchange student, and she had another purpose – to help Grandmother Yu find her son abroad.
What was Old Master Zhou’s intention in asking this publicly? Did he not want her to go?
Xia Xiaolan felt anxious. The elder hadn’t mentioned Wang Guangping’s matter, but could it be possible that he had no involvement in Wang Guangping’s transfer to the Party History Office?
There weren’t just incompetent officials like Wang Guangping, and the Higher Education Department’s handling alone wouldn’t have been this severe or quick.
Only with pressure from above, with someone questioning Wang Guangping’s competence, would he be transferred to the Party History Office.
If Wang Guangping had remained in the Higher Education Department, he might have had a chance for redemption. Sitting on the sidelines wouldn’t matter – when the current director was transferred or promoted, the new director might bring Wang Guangping back from the cold.
But in the Party History Office, that was impossible. Time would be wasted on historical documents, and with so many young reserve cadres, who would remember Wang Guangping? It felt similar to being sent back to a farm, though without physical labor and with better living conditions. But for someone obsessed with power, the Party History Office was even more despair-inducing than a farm.
For Xia Xiaolan, Old Master Zhou had just done her a huge favor by standing up for her, so she needed to hear his opinion.
Fortunately, the elder didn’t immediately tell her not to go; he seemed to just want confirmation of the situation from her directly.
Tu Sixian finally couldn’t hold back. “Sister Xia, could Grandfather be talking about the National College English Competition? You won a prize?”
Although Gu Zhengqing wasn’t in the Higher Education Department, he had mentioned this competition at home, aiming to make Tu Sixian take English more seriously. The Ministry of Education organizing this competition proved that “English” would become increasingly important – now it was just added to the college entrance exam subjects, but its importance would be reflected in other aspects in the future.
The keyword “exchange student” helped Tu Sixian grasp the key point – it must be related to the English competition!
Cheng Min, Second Aunt Zhou’s daughter, also asked, “Is this the English competition mentioned in the newspapers?”
Before Xia Xiaolan could answer, Grandmother Zhou, who had been holding back for a long time, finally had her chance to show off: “Yes, that’s the English competition! College students from across the country competed, first selecting 200 students to come to the capital for tests, then choosing 20 students for the finals. The TV station even recorded it… In a few days, you’ll see the program on television.”
“Grandmother, how do you know all these details?”
“I went to watch the finals!”
Was the old lady showing too much favoritism?
Not only Zhou Yi thought this, but others did too. When Zhou Yi was in school, the old lady never visited. Neither Tu Sixian nor Cheng Min received such treatment. She seemed too attentive to Xia Xiaolan, an outsider!
Zhou Yi’s mother immediately smiled, “Then Xiaolan must have won a good ranking?”
Xia Xiaolan knew that Zhou Cheng’s eldest aunt was probably being petty again. She smiled modestly, not mentioning how good her ranking was. Grandmother Zhou raised her voice, recalling Xia Xiaolan’s award ceremony with excitement:
“Of course, it’s a good ranking! First place special prize! This girl, how can she be so clever, speaking foreign languages so well!”
The eldest aunt had asked for it and got slapped in the face – she never learned.
Gu Zhengqing was already laughing: “That deserves celebration! Xiaolan, your uncle hasn’t congratulated you yet! The special prize in this competition isn’t easy to win. You must have been the only freshman in the finals, right?”
Gu Zhengqing quickly explained the significance of this English competition to others.
To win the first place special prize, Xia Xiaolan had done more than just overcome obstacles – she had competed against college students from across the nation – and won. The Zhou family, except for Gu Zhengqing, didn’t have anyone particularly excellent at studies. Suddenly, they had someone who ranked third nationally in the college entrance exam and won first prize in the English competition – how could they blame Grandmother Zhou for showing favoritism?
So that was it.
Zhou Yi watched several cousins crowding around Xia Xiaolan with questions, finally understanding Old Master Zhou’s intention in gathering the family today.
The gathering wasn’t mainly about the meal, nor about seeing Xia Xiaolan off for winter break. It was a show-off gathering for Xia Xiaolan, letting the whole family know that she had earned the old master’s complete satisfaction… The elder had thoroughly accepted Xia Xiaolan.
Zhou Yi felt a tightness in her chest. Without any unexpected turns, Xia Xiaolan would become her sister-in-law.
Looking at the Zhou family now, they would have to rely on Zhou Cheng in the future. This meant that if Zhou Yi wanted to live comfortably, she would need to maintain a good relationship with Xia Xiaolan – she had been ruined by Tong Lili. After offending Xia Xiaolan so deeply before, would it be too late to swallow her pride and try to get close now?!