Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Number One

In the end, Lin Xiaomeng still didn’t lay everything out in the open. After all, she wanted to keep living in Xujiatun, so she couldn’t afford to completely offend Xu Mingshan and his wife.

But even though she didn’t say anything, a lot of people had already guessed the truth in private, so whether she spoke up or not didn’t really matter.

The written exam was over, and the results would be announced three days later.

Although Gu Qinghuan was confident, she still felt a bit anxious, worried that she might not make the cut. After all, her test paper was in someone else’s hands, and so was her fate.

It wasn’t that she was dying to be a teacher, but she really didn’t want to go back to manual labor.

Before leaving, Xu Huaian had already told her not to force herself to earn work points, and not to care about what the villagers said. As for the grain ration, if she didn’t want it, she didn’t have to take it.

But sometimes, it’s better to avoid trouble when you can. Besides, having a job to keep busy wouldn’t be so bad.

Early in the morning, Gu Qinghuan made three-flavor dumplings and ate her fill with the kids before riding her bike to the commune.

Both children sat on the back of her bike. She had specially fixed a board to the rear rack, reinforced so it could hold both kids at once.

“Mom, are you nervous?” Beibei asked curiously.

“Of course Mom’s not nervous,” Gu Qinghuan replied, pretending to be relaxed.

Dabao said in a world-weary tone, “Beibei, you think everyone’s like you, always slacking off with your studies. Every time Mom checks your homework, you’re cramming at the last minute—of course you get nervous. Mom’s amazing, she’ll be fine.” Dabao had a kind of blind admiration for Gu Qinghuan, always feeling that no problem was too big for her to handle.

“That’s right! Mom’s the best—better than any mom in the whole village. She’ll definitely be fine,” Beibei agreed.

Listening to the two of them, Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

She didn’t have that much confidence in herself, but these two kids sure believed in her.

Of course, she was confident in her test scores—it was just that if there was any underhanded dealing, there was nothing she could do about it.

Today, lots of people from Xujiatun and the neighboring villages were heading to the commune to see the results. The road was packed, almost like New Year’s.

Gu Qinghuan even ran into Chen Jianghe on his bike, with Zhu Chunlin riding on the back.

Both their wives were pregnant and couldn’t come out, so the men went to check the results.

Zhu Chunlin and his wife Lin Shengnan had also taken the exam.

After all, it was a rare opportunity—no one wanted to miss it.

Lin Shengnan was three months pregnant. Gu Qinghuan only found out on the day of the exam, seeing how she kept protecting her belly and how nervous Zhu Chunlin looked, watching her closely.

Among the couples at the educated youth spot, they were one of the better ones.

Gu Qinghuan made a mental note to bring a gift to visit her when she had time.

Jiang Xue had also taken the exam. It was said she went back to the city for New Year’s, hoping her family could help her return to the city for good.

But this year, she was back again, looking much thinner, with none of her former arrogance or pride.

Ever since Qiu Shuxia got married, she’d lost her little sidekick and now seemed all alone—quite pitiful, really.

But as the saying goes, pitiful people often have something detestable about them.

When she saw Gu Qinghuan’s bike, she avoided her from a distance, afraid Gu Qinghuan would see her in her current state.

The two passed each other without a word, and soon Gu Qinghuan arrived at the commune elementary school.

There was already a crowd gathered at the school gate.

Gu Qinghuan parked her bike and took the two kids by the hand, heading toward the bulletin board.

She didn’t bother squeezing through the crowd, just waited on the outskirts—she’d get to see the results sooner or later.

At nine o’clock sharp, a few teachers came out with the results and started posting them on the board.

One teacher held a bowl of paste in his left hand and a brush in his right, slapping it onto the wall. Two others followed, sticking up the sheets of paper.

The people waiting behind them were anxious but didn’t dare rush the teachers, so they could only suppress their excitement and wait quietly.

Soon, the results were posted. The lead teacher announced in a loud, clear voice, “The top twenty scorers in the written exam will enter the second round. After you check your scores, remember to stay behind and draw your number. The second round is tomorrow.”

As soon as the teachers stepped aside, everyone surged forward to check the results.

The top twenty names were written in red ink, making them stand out at a glance.

Each name had a corresponding score next to it—fair and square.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t want her kids to get jostled, so she waited patiently for the crowd to thin out before going to check the scores.

Zhu Chunlin, being tall, managed to squeeze to the front and took a look.

First Place:

Gu Qinghuan

100 points!

Whoa! That was amazing—not a single point lost.

Since they were from the same brigade, he couldn’t help but shout in Gu Qinghuan’s direction, “Gu Qinghuan, you’re number one! Full marks!”

Well, now there was no need to check—everyone’s eyes turned to her.

Wow, who was this? So impressive!

Gu Qinghuan suddenly felt like she wanted to dig a hole and hide.

Mainly, the way everyone was staring at her was just too intense—most of them with envy and admiration.

She wanted to leave, but she couldn’t—she still had to draw her number. So she had no choice but to stand there, bracing herself under everyone’s gaze.

At the same time, she got a flood of greetings.

“Comrade, are you from Xujiatun? I’m from Xiangyanggou—you’re really amazing!”

“Comrade Gu, are you married?”

“Comrade, you’re incredible—I want to learn from you!”

…

Thankfully, Zhu Chunlin soon called out again, distracting everyone.

“Lin Xiaomeng, third place, eighty-nine points!”

Standing outside with her child, Lin Xiaomeng breathed a sigh of relief.

Third place—not bad at all, at least she still had a shot.

When Dacheng heard his mom got third place, he held his head high, even happier than if he’d gotten third himself.

Dabao and Beibei were even more excited.

If their mom could become a teacher, they could go to and from school together and see her every day at school.

And with over two hundred people taking the exam, their mom got first place—how awesome was that!

Dabao felt not just proud, but as if a seed had been planted in his heart—a seed called striving for excellence.

After he started school, he always held himself to high standards, working hard to be the best, pushing himself to the top. Gu Qinghuan never had to nag him—he was self-motivated.

It’s true what they say: parents are a child’s first teachers. If you want your child to become a certain kind of person, you have to be that kind of person first.

Often, a child’s inner drive comes from their admiration for their parents.

The two kids were overjoyed, but not everyone was happy.

Xu Huaiyu and Chen Jianghe also checked their scores—neither of them made the top twenty.

Chen Jianghe did a bit better, at least making the top fifty—his score was still respectable.

But Xu Huaiyu was in an awkward spot. Out of more than two hundred people, he searched page after page from the top down and couldn’t find his name. At first, he thought the teachers had missed him.

But then, on the very last sheet, he found his name—fifth from the bottom.

His sister Xu Meiling was in the same boat: he was fifth from the bottom, she was fourth."