Before the New Year, Cheng You still had to estimate her scores and fill out college applications.
She didn't have a school, so her application was reported through the collective.
To prevent Cheng Tianhua from causing trouble, she bypassed him and went directly to Grandpa Jiang.
This cautious approach infuriated Cheng Tianhua.
Song Yulian was somewhat disappointed; she had indeed considered that option.
She touched her almost due belly, hoping this child would be a son.
Once Cheng You left Wujing Village, no one would bother her anymore.
With Cheng Tianhua as the village head and her daughter Cheng Tao, her life wouldn't be too difficult.
After filling out the applications, everyone waited to receive their admission notices.
According to the notice, all admission letters would be mailed before the Lunar New Year, ensuring everyone received them before the holiday.
Upon receiving their admission notices, they could begin preparing for school.
Cheng You had applied to a Traditional Chinese Medicine university. While her score wasn't as high as Yan University's, it was still considered a high admission score among all universities.
Others applied to multiple schools, starting with their top choices and going down.
If they couldn't get into their ideal university, a second choice was still good.
But Cheng You, perhaps too confident, only applied to this one university.
Even Sun Xiaowan couldn't help but advise, "You should ask your maternal grandfather if you can change it. Apply to a few more, to be safe."
Cheng You explained, "I want to study pharmaceutical manufacturing of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There aren't many schools in the country that offer this major, and even fewer are in Yancheng."
It wasn't arrogance, just a preference for quality over quantity.
The choices for Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmaceutical manufacturing were too limited.
"What if you don't get in?" Sun Xiaowan was a little worried.
Cheng You remained calm, "If I don't get in this time, I'll wait another year. There's no rush."
If she truly couldn't get in, it would mean her abilities were limited, and going to university wasn't a must.
Sun Xiaowan said with a pained expression, "I wanted to go back to Yancheng with you. I'll take you to eat delicious food then."
Cheng You teased, "You're quite confident."
"It's not confidence. I've already estimated my score, and I didn't apply to particularly good schools. I should be able to get in."
As for Song Jingtang, he had also applied to the same university.
The ideal scenario was for both of them to be admitted simultaneously.
Once they successfully enrolled in university, they could start planning their wedding.
However, Qi Chengyan had mentioned to her that it wouldn't be easy for the two of them to get married.
As the days leading up to the New Year approached, Sun Xiaowan would frequently drag Cheng You to the post office.
The post office was experiencing its busiest period in a decade, with everyone coming to inquire about admission notices.
This day, Cheng You and Sun Xiaowan came again.
They also came to buy New Year's goods.
The educated youths in the dormitory didn't plan to go home for the New Year. If all went smoothly, this might be their last year in Wujing Village.
Unexpectedly, they had some luck today, receiving the admission notices for Sun Xiaowan and Song Jingtang.
"Cheng You! Cheng You! I can go to university with him!"
Cheng You smiled and patted her head, "Congratulations."
Duan Liping had received her notice a few days ago, and they could return to the city together.
Thinking that Cheng You hadn't received hers yet, Sun Xiaowan's smile faded slightly.
"It's okay, let's wait another two days. Maybe it will arrive."
Cheng You was much calmer and didn't take it to heart.
"Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy New Year's goods."
"Okay!"
Sun Xiaowan carefully put away her items. This was an admission notice, and it would be bad if it were lost.
Cheng You wanted to buy couplets and lanterns first, while Sun Xiaowan wanted to buy meat. Feeling happy, she wanted to celebrate that evening.
The two decided to split up and agreed to meet at the entrance after finishing their shopping.
Sun Xiaowan, holding her admission notice protectively, walked forward distractedly.
She accidentally bumped into someone, and they both exclaimed, scattering their belongings.
Sun Xiaowan quickly grabbed the two envelopes in front of her, then glanced at the person opposite her.
"Pan Yu?"
She then noticed that the other person was also holding identical envelopes.
Sun Xiaowan was a little surprised, "You got into university too?"
Pan Yu grunted and hurried away with her belongings.
Sun Xiaowan patted her own items and put them back into the bag.
Pan Yu had a bad character and was disliked, but she hadn't expected her to get into university.
"Heaven is truly blind."
After finishing their shopping, Sun Xiaowan told Cheng You about Pan Yu.
"She also had an admission notice. She actually got in too!"
"Oh, that's quite impressive."
Sun Xiaowan gave her a sideways glance. "Aren't you worried at all?"
Cheng You asked, "Worried about what?"
"She likes Qi Chengyan! If you count it that way, she's your love rival."
Cheng You burst out laughing.
"If everyone who likes Qi Chengyan is my love rival, then wouldn't I have too many? You should read fewer romance novels and more textbooks with that time."
Sun Xiaowan pouted. "The college entrance examination is over, I don't want to look at textbooks anymore."
"The college entrance examination is over, but university is about to begin. You can't slack off. Xiaowan, just a word of advice, your future path with Song Jingtang might not be smooth. Only by being excellent yourself can you have the confidence to walk away."
Cheng You didn't have high hopes for the couple, especially seeing Song Jingtang's aimless demeanor. He might not fight with his family for Sun Xiaowan.
In that case, if all the pressure fell on Sun Xiaowan, what would he do if he remained uninvolved?
"Oh, I know. I'm just enjoying the present. As long as I'm happy now, it's enough. If it really doesn't work out in the future, then so be it."
As Sun Xiaowan spoke, her mood suddenly became gloomy.
After all, the gap between their families was quite large.
Her family was from a working-class background, while Song Jingtang grew up in a compound, with family members who were either soldiers or officials.
Song Jingtang often teased himself, saying he was the most unpromising one in his family.
He had no great ambitions, not wanting to join the army or enter politics.
As they talked, they returned to Wujing Village.
Jiang Wanrou was sitting under the large tree at the village entrance. Seeing Cheng You, she deliberately asked, "Cheng You's back, you must have received your admission notice, right?"
Cheng You shook her head. "Not yet."
"Tsk tsk, it's already the 25th of the lunar month. Could it be that you didn't get in?" Jiang Wanrou's eyes glinted with schadenfreude.
Cheng You retorted, "Didn't you also take the exam? Have you received your notice?"
Jiang Wanrou shut her mouth indignantly.
She felt she had lowered her expectations and applied to several schools with low admission scores.
Yet, after waiting for so long and inquiring every day, she hadn't received an admission notice.
Cheng You let out a laugh. "You still have the mood to mock me? Even if I don't go to university, I can still live a good life running Zhen Shan Tang. What about you? Yuan He still hasn't replied to you. Don't tell me he's forgotten you? Oh dear, should I call you a wife of straw or a discarded wife?"
When it came to arguing, no one could win against Cheng You. Sun Xiaowan felt sorry for Jiang Wanrou.
She had brought it upon herself.
Jiang Wanrou's eyes welled up with tears from Cheng You's words, and she couldn't help but burst into tears, covering her face as she ran away.