Chen Haichao had just stepped out of his house, intending to wander around the village and find his friends so they could catch some adulterers together that night.
A girl in a red cotton-padded jacket was coming toward him, her hair tied in a high ponytail and a bright smile on her face. She was warmly greeting and chatting with an old woman sunning herself by the roadside.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and she had two deep dimples in her fair, rosy cheeks. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Haichao, is Sidi home?"
He thought for a moment. Wasn't this Lin Zhiyu, the village's only college student?
"She went to the river to wash her shoes."
"Then I'll go find her."
Chen Haichao was going to wander around anyway, and they happened to be headed the same way.
"What do you want her for?"
"To hang out, of course. By the way, is your family really not letting her try the college entrance exam again? Maybe she'd pass if she took it a couple more times. It doesn't cost anything once she gets in, and the school gives a monthly meal allowance, enough for her to support herself."
He remembered now. After the college entrance exam was reinstated in 1977, a wave of studying had swept through the village. Everyone who had attended middle or high school, whether they still remembered what they had learned or not, stopped working and threw themselves into preparing for the exam.
Then it turned out they had all joined in just for the excitement. Not a single one got in, so a whole bunch of them gave up and went back to earning work points, himself included.
He had just joined in for the atmosphere too. He hadn't even graduated from middle school before he lost interest in studying. He couldn't recognize all his ABCDs and could only recite them as "ah-bo-tse," unlike Chen Sidi, who had finished middle school and even taught herself using high school textbooks.
A small number of people, including the educated youth, couldn't bear to give up and continued preparing for the 1978 college entrance exam.
That year, Lin Zhiyu, the village party secretary's daughter, got in. It was only a junior college, but she was the only one in the entire village, and the only one in all the surrounding villages too. It was heartening news that caused a sensation throughout the village, and they even hung a banner at the entrance.
A junior college education carried a great deal of weight these days. With a little further training, she would be among the first batch of cadres later on.
His fourth sister, Chen Sidi, had failed both times she took the exam, and she had spent an entire year without working to earn work points. So his mother wouldn't let her keep taking it, and she had lost heart herself.
After all, she had taken it twice in a row, and the family had given her a chance. They hadn't made her work for a whole year, letting her concentrate on preparing for the exam.
Because they had wanted her to focus on studying for the exam and couldn't bear to make her work, they had even put off arranging a marriage for their third sister. Otherwise, with so many mouths to feed, the family couldn't afford to be short several people earning work points.
Lin Zhiyu was also very close to Chen Sidi, and the two had grown up together. She hadn't distanced herself from her childhood friend after getting into college, and whenever she came home for a break, she would look for Chen Sidi to hang out.
"Our family never stopped her from taking the exam. Didn't we let her take it twice? For a whole year, too. She's the one who doesn't have the confidence to take it again."
"But when I came to see her a few days ago, I saw textbooks from all three years of high school lying open in her room. She hasn't stopped studying, so she probably still wants to try again."
Chen Haichao was a little surprised to hear that. She hadn't known Chen Sidi was still studying in secret, and apart from Chen Pandi, who shared a room with her, probably no one else in the family knew either.
"I'll ask her about it later."
If she still hadn't given up and wanted to take it, then naturally it was better to try again. You never knew.
Education changed a person's life.
Those weren't just empty words. For a rural child hoping to change their fate, education was the only option at present. Doing business still wasn't allowed nowadays, or there might have been other choices.
Lin Zhiyu said happily, "She definitely wants to. If you speak up for her, your parents surely won't object."
"You're so eager to look out for her, then let her take the exam and come to my house to do her work for her."
Her cheeks instantly reddened. She shot him an indignant glare and said quietly, "Dream on."
"Make a little sacrifice for your good sister."
"I'm not talking to you anymore." Even the tips of her ears were red. She turned and ran straight toward the village entrance.
Chen Haichao watched her retreating figure, her ponytail swishing back and forth behind her head, and chuckled.
Just then, two people came up behind him and followed his gaze. One of them even waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"Staring at the college student until you've gone stupid?"
Chen Haichao slapped away his childhood friend Wang Zhiqiang's hand and said irritably, "Can't I look if I've never seen a college student before?"
"She's the village's golden treasure. Don't even think about it."
"It's not against the law to look, is it?"
"Looking isn't against the law, but if you dare drool, Ahui will have it out with you."
Ahui was Lin Jianhui, his childhood friend and Lin Zhiyu's younger brother. He wasn't there at the moment.
Of the two friends with him now, one was Wang Zhiqiang, nicknamed "Xiaoqiang." The other was Li Zhengjun, nicknamed "Pigou," though he wouldn't let anyone call him that. Whoever called him that would have him to deal with.
Chen Haichao rolled his eyes at them. "You're the ones drooling. Where are you going?"
"We just watched my dad and the others repair the boats and scrape off barnacles. We gave them a hand, and now we're going home to take a bath," Li Zhengjun said.
Although the production team had started its New Year holiday early, the logistics team still had to work. They had to service, repair, and maintain the fishing boats, so they would be busy for a few more days.
"You're both free? Good." Chen Haichao put an arm around each of their shoulders and pushed them toward an alley.
"What are you doing?"
"I've got something good for you."
"Pfft, as if you'd come to us for something good."
"He's definitely going to make us do hard labor."
As the two played off each other, Chen Haichao pressed their heads together with his own and whispered, "I guarantee you'll like it and be interested!"
"Really?"
They were somewhat skeptical, feeling as though they were about to be tricked.
"Want to catch some adulterers?"
Their eyes lit up instantly, and they spoke in unison. "Catch adulterers!?"
"Shh, keep your voices down. I'll take you to catch them tonight."
They nodded like pounding garlic.
"We're in. We have to go."
"Who are we catching?" Xiaoqiang rubbed his fists, thrilled. "Should we bring something with us?"
Li Zhengjun asked curiously, "Who's got the guts to behave like a hooligan? Are they tired of living?"
Chen Haichao raised his eyebrows at them. "You'll find out tonight."
"Keeping us in suspense?"
"How do you know there'll be an adulterous couple tonight?"
"I don't. I don't know whether they'll come out tonight, so that's why we have to stake the place out. I'd be bored without company, and it'll be livelier with more of us."
Xiaoqiang looked at him contemptuously. "If you don't know, what adulterers are we catching? You're not messing with us, are you?"
"Do you think I've got nothing better to do? Isn't it comfortable under the covers? Why would I ask you to come out in the cold wind? There's a good chance we'll catch them, and that's why I'm asking you along."
"Who is it, then?" Li Zhengjun's curiosity was like a cat clawing at his heart. There hadn't been news this big in the village for a long time.
"You'll find out tonight. Six o'clock after dinner, meet at my front door. Be there or be square!"
Xiaoqiang said, "Just the three of us?"
"I happened to run into you, didn't I? Naturally I had to ask you along when there's something good."
Xiaoqiang said, "Oh, give it a rest. I bet you're afraid of getting beaten up, so you're bringing us along to have strength in numbers and win the fight."
Li Zhengjun said, "Exactly. He's definitely afraid they'll bear a grudge, so he's bringing us along to share the hate."
Chen Haichao shot each of them a sidelong glance. "What petty minds you have. So are you coming or not? Your eyes were shining just now, and you were so excited that I thought you wanted to go. If you don't, I'll ask someone else."
"We're going, of course. We never said we didn't want to."
"We definitely have to go. We're catching adulterers! We have to be the first ones on the scene."
With two more helpers, they were sure to catch the culprits red-handed.
P.S. Today is the fifth day of the reading check-in. You can go to Qidian's event center for a chance to draw reading coins! Good luck! Several people have won seafood gift boxes!