For three straight days.
Dong Xuebin rose early and worked late, keeping up that simple yet tedious memory training. He had also lavishly used all three Back attempts for test-prep experiments, trying multiple methods and angles to further acclimate himself to the reversal of time. He had become much more familiar with the Back ability.
In the blink of an eye, it was the final day before the exam.
Tumor Hospital, General Oncology Ward.
Dong Xuebin continued receiving Grandpa Hu's tutoring. The old master's son set essay questions in Shanghai, and the old master himself seemed quite knowledgeable and experienced in the subject. Dong Xuebin forced himself to commit every word Grandpa Hu said to memory, listening with full concentration. The teaching method had shifted from Dong Xuebin asking questions to Grandpa Hu asking them. Rather than looking up questions in study guides, the old master casually drew on stories from who knew where. Sometimes, he also taught Dong Xuebin many rules of officialdom and the functions of government departments, so that he could better understand the Civil Servants exam.
"...Based on that passage just now, write a proposal to the tourism authorities regarding uncivilized behavior by Chinese tourists. The proposal must be reasonable and feasible, clearly organized, and no more than four hundred words. All right, give it a try."
Dong Xuebin answered properly and methodically.
Grandpa Hu shook his head as he listened, pointing out his mistakes before reciting an answer he considered good.
Dong Xuebin wanted to write it down, but Grandpa Hu stopped him. "No need to write. Focus on understanding. Fully grasp the arguments, viewpoints, and overall direction I've explained, and you'll naturally remember them. Mm, do you understand that one now? Good. I'll give you another question. Our country has abundant marine resources, but little per capita. The Bohai Sea is our country's largest inland sea and is extremely important to the economy of the Northeast..."
That afternoon...
Grandpa Hu coughed twice. "You remembered everything?"
"Mm." Dong Xuebin quickly tore off a napkin and handed it to him so the old master could spit into it.
Grandpa Hu smiled and patted his arm. "Your friends and classmates are taking this year's Capital City Civil Servants exam too, right? It's enough if you thoroughly understand the material this old man has taught you. It'd be best not to explain it to your classmates, lest you lead them astray. Heh, this old man's ability is quite limited. This is all I can teach you."
"You're too modest. I've truly benefited enormously." Dong Xuebin awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose. "I don't have many friends either. I never lived on campus during university, so I only know a few people in my class. They all figured they couldn't pass the Civil Servants exam and started looking for work after graduation. I'm the only one dead set on getting into a government office. Um, Grandpa Hu, you've really troubled yourself these past few days. Thank you."
Before he left, Grandpa Hu, dressed in a hospital gown, firmly squeezed his shoulder and said meaningfully, "Do well on the exam. The future will depend on you young people."
Dong Xuebin nodded slightly.
North Entrance of Heping Street.
Dong Xuebin entered the damp, stuffy stairwell of Building One, went upstairs, and rang his own doorbell.
Click. Mom had just opened the door for him when the sound of a door opening also came from the fourth floor. Section Chief Xu's family of three came downstairs. Seeing them, Mom hurriedly greeted them. "Section Chief Xu, you're home early today? Going out to eat?" Dong Xuebin also reluctantly called out, "Section Chief Xu," and "Aunt Xu."
Section Chief Xu said nothing, merely nodding indifferently.
Aunt Xu smiled. "The exam is tomorrow, so we're taking Xiao Dong to Quanjude for a meal."
"Oh, that place isn't cheap," Mom said.
"Quanjude is just average. It's not some especially good restaurant." Xiao Dong arrogantly tossed out the remark, shot Dong Xuebin a glance, then reached out and rang Qu Yunxuan's doorbell. When no one answered, he rang it again.
Mom quickly said, "Yun Xuan probably hasn't gotten off work yet."
Xiao Dong gave a disappointed oh. "Dad, Mom, then let's go." Dong Xuebin knew that Xiao Dong had recently been pursuing Qu Yunxuan. Although Qu Yunxuan's family background was not particularly good, she was simply too beautiful. Even though she was a little older than Xiao Dong, Section Chief Xu's family apparently did not object.
Just as Dong Xuebin entered the apartment and Section Chief Xu's family turned to head downstairs, Section Chief Xu was careless for a moment. His leather shoe kicked the garbage bag Mom had placed by the door. Some grease from leftover food on the bag immediately smeared onto his shoe.
Section Chief Xu's expression changed at once. He turned and stared at Dong Xuebin's mother. "What's wrong with you? You could put that garbage bag anywhere, but you put it here? You did it on purpose?"
Mom said flusteredly, "Sorry, sorry. I-I was just about to take it downstairs."
Xiao Dong frowned. "Can't you have a little more civic awareness? Isn't the stairwell dirty enough already?"
Mom said, "I'll throw it out right away. Sorry, sorry."
Seeing his mother being bullied, Dong Xuebin's anger flared. "You have civic awareness? Then why do you throw garbage out the window?" One time before, Dong Xuebin and his mother had returned from outside and nearly been hit by a garbage bag thrown from a window just as they reached the entrance of Building One. He did not know whether it had been Xiao Dong or Section Chief Xu who had thrown it. He had also heard nearby neighbors complain that Section Chief Xu's family on the fourth floor often threw things out the window. But they were officials, while everyone else was just ordinary people, so people dared to be angry but not speak out.
Mom hurriedly tugged at her son. "Xuebin..."
Xiao Dong glared furiously at Dong Xuebin. "What do you mean? Who the hell threw anything?"
Dong Xuebin said coldly, "You know perfectly well."
"Is there even any place for you to speak here?" Section Chief Xu looked at Dong Xuebin. "You got my shoes dirty, and you still think you're in the right?"
"You were the one..." Dong Xuebin was about to continue, but Mom anxiously pulled him back inside.
Aunt Xu tried to smooth things over. "Lao Xu, why argue with a kid? We're neighbors. Say less, say less." Then Aunt Xu smiled at Dong Xuebin's mother. "Xiao Ping, we're heading out to eat. Mm, you really did put that garbage bag in the wrong place. Don't leave it by the door next time."
Dong Xuebin was so furious his lungs nearly burst. It was clearly Xu himself who had not watched where he was walking and kicked it, yet he was blaming their family?
Section Chief Xu lowered his head and wiped his shoes with a napkin. Then, with a stern face, he turned around. "What bad luck. Let's go, let's go. The car is still waiting."
Xiao Dong contemptuously glanced at Dong Xuebin and his mother, then followed his parents downstairs.
Mom kept a smile on her face. Only after they had gone down to the second floor did she hurriedly shut the door and let out a weak sigh. "Xuebin, we can't afford to provoke them. You..."
Dong Xuebin said angrily, "What kind of people are they? Just because he's an official, he doesn't have to be reasonable?"
"Ah..."
Toward evening, Qu Yunxuan, returning home from work, knocked on Dong Xuebin's door. She had bought a great many vegetables, carrying several large and small bags.
These days, Qu Yunxuan seemed to have transformed from an ordinary neighbor into someone who had rapidly become part of Dong Xuebin's family. After so many days of getting along, the relationship between Dong Xuebin, his mother, and Aunt Xuan had grown better and better. They ate together, chatted, and laughed, as though they truly were family.
"Yun Xuan, come, eat more." Mom put food into her bowl.
"Sister Luan." Qu Yunxuan hesitated slightly, then asked worriedly, "When I came back, I heard the aunties downstairs saying... What happened?"
The soundproofing in this old building from the 1980s was extremely poor. There were practically no secrets between households; whenever anyone argued, everyone knew. Mom earnestly patted Qu Yunxuan's hand. "Yun Xuan, listen to Sister Luan. When you're looking for someone, never choose a man like Xiao Dong. I'm not badmouthing people behind their backs, but they really bully others too much..." She then explained everything that had happened.
After listening, Qu Yunxuan frowned and held Luan Xiaoping's hand in return, sighing. "I knew long ago that their family wasn't decent. There are some things I haven't told anyone. Isn't Xiao Dong pursuing me? I've never agreed, and I made my attitude clear to him. But during a day off some time ago, I ran into Section Chief Xu at the entrance of the supermarket to the east. He pointed at my nose and said, 'Our Xiao Dong liking you is doing you an honor. Don't think you're so special.' Anyway, what he said was quite unpleasant. I... Ah..."
Dong Xuebin clenched his fists. "Who does he think he is, the mayor or the provincial governor?"
"Let's not talk about that." Qu Yunxuan smiled gently, tore off a napkin, and thoughtfully wiped a grain of rice from the corner of Dong Xuebin's mouth. "Take the exam well tomorrow. Try to become a Civil Servant and make Sister Luan and Auntie proud. Let Section Chief Xu's family see that it isn't only their Xiao Dong who can get into a government office. Our Xiao Bin can do it too."
With resentment still bottled up in his heart, Dong Xuebin gave a firm nod. "Don't worry, you two."
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