Chapter 65: Part Two

Many people came to sign up for the self-study examinations. Lin Xuexia had heard about the craze for self-study and night schools in recent years, but she had yet to experience it firsthand. Standing in line with her three younger sisters, she saw that the registration point ahead was surrounded three circles deep by a dense crowd of bobbing heads.

Even though the New Year was fast approaching, more and more people were heading south. This was because winter was the agricultural off-season, requiring no work in the fields, and rumor had it that there were abundant opportunities to make a fortune down south. Consequently, countless farmers were leaving their land to board trains heading south, leaving the trains packed to suffocation.

Lin Xuexia still remembered that because of the massive influx of people heading south, there were even special personnel stationed at the railway stations to persuade people to turn back.

Given the current situation, many who had already settled down here were not willing to leave easily. To earn more money and secure good jobs, the crazes for self-study, night schools, and training courses were booming.

With it being roughly the winter break, there were still quite a few students remaining at the medical college. Many of them did not plan to return home, choosing instead to pick up odd jobs in the city to earn tuition for the upcoming semester. Shenzhen had nothing else, but opportunities to make money were everywhere; it all depended on whether a person had the luck to seize them. There were so many people here that even placing a small stool at the entrance of a park to shine shoes could yield a few to a dozen yuan a day.

Those coming to take the self-study exams lacked academic credentials. Some clever individuals had spotted business opportunities and hired numerous people to distribute flyers promoting various training schools covering everything from typing and cooking to calligraphy, and so on.

Self-study training classes had also emerged from this wave.

Looking at the bustling, crowded scene, Lin Yuexia was dumbfounded. "Oh my god, so many people are signing up. There are so many people! Sis, do you think I should take the exam too?"

Lin Xuexia replied, "You should sign up!"

Lin Xuexia planned to major in business administration. After hesitating for a moment, seeing the crowded throngs around her, Lin Yuexia was swept up in the moment and decided to major in a foreign language.

She lacked confidence in passing anything else, but she felt relatively sure about a foreign language. Over the past month, her English proficiency had been shooting up by leaps and bounds.

"Sis, then I'll sign up for one too." Neither of them possessed a high school diploma, so they could only apply for specialized secondary school and junior college institutions and majors, barred from applying for bachelor's degree programs.

"Once we pass all the exams, we'll have junior college diplomas!" Lin Yuexia felt a surge of passion. Ever since dropping out of high school, she had never expected to reclaim her education. The thought of taking the regular college entrance examination made her feel faint, but looking at the dozen or so professional courses she would need to test for, she believed that with hard effort, she could pass them—at least she wouldn't have to struggle with physics, chemistry, and mathematics anymore.

Lin Xuexia smiled and nodded. "Work hard."

This was the self-study registration point, where one could apply for many foundational schools and majors. Lin Xuexia and Lin Yuexia stood in line waiting to register, holding several flyers for night school training classes in their hands.

A representative from a typing training course had already lured away several young people from the queue, boasting about crash-course typing and guaranteed employment upon completion, claiming it was more reliable than a junior college diploma... possessing a skill meant one could travel anywhere without fear.

"Sis, I will definitely test into a better university than this one!"

Entering a university for the very first time, Lin Yuxia stood on tiptoe to look around, discovering that the actual university campus was not much better than she had imagined—at least it could not compare to the office building where her third sister worked.

Her sister's former fiancé, Zheng Yukang, had studied at this very school. Lin Yuxia had memorized the name firmly, thinking that she too would apply to this institution in the future.

Yet now, she had changed her mind long ago; she was going to test into a university far better than Zheng Yukang's!

Lin Xuexia said, "You will definitely get in."

A few chuckles broke out from the crowd. A young man with a grey-blue jacket and messy, bird's-nest hair sneered, "You guys must be here to sign up for the self-study exams. Truly clueless—it's not even the same thing at all. Wanting to get into a better school than this? You'll have to wait until your next life."

Lin Xuexia retorted, "My younger sister is in the top ten of her final exams at X Middle School's sophomore class. Which university do you think she can get into?"

As soon as she said this, the onlookers, including the man with the messy hair, drew in sharp breaths. The school Lin Xuexia mentioned was a top-tier high school; at the very least, students in the top hundred were guaranteed admission to a university, let alone the top ten... as long as nothing went wrong, a prestigious university was within her grasp.

"Little sister, that's impressive!" People in line cast looks of respect and admiration toward Lin Yuxia.

Universities had not expanded enrollment at this time, making admission exceptionally difficult. A university education meant an iron rice bowl.

The commercial atmosphere in Shenzhen was strong, making people less enthusiastic about iron rice bowl jobs. Many who attended university in Guangdong Province would return home after graduation allocations, finding it easier to quit their jobs and dive into commerce back in Guangdong.

While doing so generated higher earnings, it meant going against mainstream values. Many older generations in the north still held faith in state-owned factories, believing that sending children to study culminated in the ultimate glory of entering a factory as a worker—becoming an iron rice bowl worker in a state-owned enterprise where three generations served in the factory, positions were inherited generation by generation, and from birth to old age, every aspect of life was taken care of by the factory.

However, since the 1980s, no matter how much state-owned factories were supported and private enterprise development suppressed, it could not conceal the decline of numerous state-owned enterprises. Private enterprises advanced by leaps and bounds amidst suppression. By the mid-to-late 1990s, realizing they truly could not be saved, many state-owned factories were given euthanasia, resulting in massive layoffs of workers.

College graduates who had graduated in recent years and been assigned to factories just a few years prior faced sudden layoffs, leaving people sighing with emotion.

Yet under the current domestic status quo, the majority of graduating college students still regarded entering private enterprises as a disgrace, and ordinary private companies found it difficult to recruit college graduates.

Even though private and foreign enterprises offered high salaries, in the eyes of the older generation at home, such statuses still caused people to hold their heads low because they lacked lifetime iron rice bowl security and cradle-to-grave welfare guarantees.

"Are you three sisters? Every single one of you is so pretty!" Standing together, Lin Xuexia and her sisters stood out prominently in the crowd.

Especially Lin Xuexia, whose breathtaking beauty, combined with Lin Yuexia in her tailored professional attire standing beside her, doubled the visual impact of the sister pair.

"Xuexia... is that really you? I almost didn't dare to recognize you." Li Sun from the medical college had not returned home for the winter break, choosing to stay at school. Today, he had taken on a side gig distributing flyers for a training school at fifteen yuan a day, a job chosen by quite a few students.

This included Zheng Yukang and Zhang Huiping.

The two of them had hooked up again. Previously, they had maintained a facade of caution. Once Zheng Yukang learned that his engagement to Lin Xuexia was completely over, that other female students were hard to pursue, and that their backgrounds might not even match Zhang Huiping's, he swallowed his pride and humbly won Zhang Huiping back. He didn't return home for the New Year either, staying at school to make some extra money to buy gifts for Zhang Huiping.

As a classmate of Zheng Yukang, Li Sun had seen what Lin Xuexia looked like when she first arrived in the city, and he had also witnessed her making a scene at the school two or three months ago. Seeing her now... he completely failed to recognize her.

Earth-shaking changes had occurred in Lin Xuexia's appearance and styling. Winter clothing best highlighted the gap; the tailored overcoat and boots she wore screamed high quality.

From this, it was evident that she was living very well.

A bitter yet expectant feeling welled up in Li Sun's heart. He wondered if Lin Xuexia was still with that tall man he had seen before. If she didn't have a partner, he...

"Li Sun, thank you for showing me the way last time." Lin Xuexia called out his name and introduced, "These are my two biological sisters, Yuxia and Yuexia."

"Oh, oh." Li Sun nodded repeatedly, his heart seized with shock. He realized that Lin Xuexia's younger sisters looked every bit like extraordinary talents among people. Just moments earlier, he had heard people talking about a remarkable trio of sisters nearby—one of whom was in the top ten at X Middle School, with all three radiating an air of elegance.

"Did you come to sign up for the self-study exams?"

Lin Xuexia answered, "My younger sister and I are registering for self-study exams, and my second younger sister is preparing for the college entrance examination."

Li Sun nodded. "All three of you sisters are extremely capable."

A sense of admiration for Lin Xuexia involuntarily arose in his heart. As the eldest daughter of the family, Lin Xuexia had been just a naive country girl arriving in the city a mere half-year ago, yet she had brought her two younger sisters along and helped them live well—two taking self-study exams and another with stellar grades certain to enter university. This trio of sisters would be considered outstanding wherever they went.

Zheng Yukang had missed out on her; he must truly be blind.

Steering the conversation, Li Sun asked them about the self-study exams. Sensing the warmth in his tone, Lin Xuexia made her stance explicit. "I'm already married."

She smiled as she looked toward Fu Wei, who was walking over with a dark expression. If she continued talking to Li Sun, the vinegar jar belonging to a certain someone would overturn.

Inevitably, he would find an excuse to stir up trouble and torment her again.

Li Sun's expression stiffened, and he froze on the spot. Married? Lin Xuexia was already married.

His mood instantly plunged as if doused by a basin of cold water, leaving him overwhelmed by disappointment.

"Li Sun, you—"

Talking and laughing with Zhao Huiping as he walked, Zheng Yukang held a stack of promotional flyers. Spotting Li Sun, he simultaneously caught sight of the striking Lin Xuexia and her sisters standing beside him.

Zheng Yukang's face turned pale. Could it be that Lin Xuexia was here to cause trouble again?

Spending all his time at school, mostly lingering around the university campus, his family hadn't called to inform him when Lin Xuexia brought her partner home. Over the past few months, he had no inkling of what had transpired.

After a momentary pause, he regained his wits. Lin Xuexia was standing in the self-study queue; she was here to sign up for the exams.

Having not seen her for several months, she had grown increasingly beautiful. Was that Lin Yuexia beside her? Had all three sisters moved into the city? Judging by their appearance and attire, they all seemed to be living quite well.

Upon seeing Zheng Yukang, Lin Yuxia's expression darkened.

Zhang Huiping's countenance turned rather unpleasant when she saw Lin Xuexia, fearing that the latter might come to pester Zheng Yukang.

"Didn't she just graduate from elementary school? Is she here to take self-study exams too?" Zhang Huiping smiled, looking at Lin Xuexia. "Little Sister Xuexia, you surely didn't take our words from before to heart, did you? Because people laughed at you for lacking culture, you came running to take self-study exams? These tests are terribly difficult; signing up for them is just a waste of time."

"For what my cousin said before, I apologize to you."

Lin Xuexia cast a side glance at her. "I will earn my diploma through self-study, and I will also get a bachelor's degree."

"That's right, and so will I!" Lin Yuexia declared loudly.

Zhang Huiping said haughtily, "Even if you get a diploma, Zheng Yukang won't be with you."

Zheng Yukang wore a complex expression. A warm current surged through his chest; the fact that two women were fighting over him provided a bizarre sense of satisfaction to his male ego.

"You can keep this kind of man for yourself," Lin Xuexia said with amusement.

"She is already married!" Fu Wei walked up to Lin Xuexia's side, shielding her in front of him. He took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers, and fixed a gaze like a sharp blade upon Zheng Yukang opposite them.

When Fu Wei appeared—tall, broad-shouldered, and possessing a handsome, extraordinary bearing—both Zheng Yukang and Zhang Huiping were stunned.

Gazing at Fu Wei's strikingly handsome face, Zhang Huiping found it hard to believe. How could this man be so tall, so handsome, and exude such an exceptional aura, clearly not an ordinary person? Yet he was married to Lin Xuexia!

Lin Xuexia had upgraded to such an incredible partner!

Lin Yuxia remarked, "I told the Zheng family long ago that toad wants to eat swan meat. It's much more pleasing to the eye to see my sister and brother-in-law together."

"Looking so short and pathetic, how could you ever be worthy of marrying my sister?"

Lin Yuexia crossed her arms. "Miss, you'd better keep a tight leash on your man and make sure he never comes to pester my sister."

"My eldest sister has such a great career and partner, my second sister has stellar academic grades, and I work at a foreign trade company. None of us in this family want to be entangled with mud." With that, Lin Yuexia flashed the pager on her wrist, provided by her company.

Having successfully closed a major order earlier, her commission alone had reached eight hundred yuan.

Lin Yuexia figured that if she kept going like this, she might be able to afford a "Big Brother" portable brick phone by next year.

By then, holding a Big Brother phone in her left hand, a pager in her right, and wearing a pair of shiny leather shoes while walking down the street, she would be more majestic than anyone else.

Watching with his own eyes as Lin Xuexia and her sisters registered for the self-study exams and boarded a van, Zheng Yukang received not a single extra glance from Lin Xuexia. When she looked at the man beside her, the light in her eyes was blindingly painful to behold.

The man shot him a few provocative looks, and those eyes chilled Zheng Yukang to the bone.

After they departed, Zheng Yukang realized in a daze that he and Lin Xuexia no longer belonged to the same world.

Lin Xuexia's family had left him far, far behind in the dust.