Chapter 90

Early the next morning, before daylight had broken, the rooster had already crowed several times.

It had snowed last night, and the thick snow had wrapped the old tree outside the window in a layer of silver.

When Xie Tingyu woke and opened his eyes, his wife was sleeping in his arms, so close that he could feel her sweet scent in every breath. Thinking of what had happened last night, Xie Tingyu couldn’t help but smile. His heart felt as if it had been coated with honey.

He just lay there, quietly watching his wife sleep soundly in his arms, not taking his eyes off her for even a second. Watching her peaceful sleeping face filled his heart bit by bit with satisfaction.

Although the brazier in the room had long since gone out, the quilt was still warm, and so was Xie Tingyu’s body — hot, like molten lava flowing through him.

Ye Qingshui soon woke up too. She only felt soreness all over her back and waist — as if her waist had been broken. The moment she tried to sit up, she lost strength and fell back into the bedding.

She glared fiercely at the man beside her, who was grinning from ear to ear.

Xie Tingyu lowered his head and gently kissed his wife’s forehead, his voice tender:

“Shui’er, wait a moment.”

He brought in an enamel basin from outside, poured some hot water from the thermos, mixed it for washing, and set it in front of his wife. He personally wrung out the towel and handed it to her so she could wash her face. When she was done, he carefully passed her a toothbrush.

He was so attentive — like a model of the “Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars” of a husband.

“I told Grandma and the others you’re not feeling well, that you drank too much last night and need to rest a bit.”

Ye Qingshui grabbed the towel and threw it into the basin.

Shameless man — who was the one who drank too much last night?!

Xie Tingyu laughed happily and didn’t tease her further.

“I’ll go make breakfast. You’re not feeling well, so I’ll bring it in here for you later.”

After he left, Ye Qingshui touched her stomach.

It was flat and soft, warm to the touch. She stared at it for a while, curiosity welling up.

Could it really have happened that easily?

She wasn’t sure and felt a little uneasy.

The timing matched, but this life was already full of changes — would it happen again?

Thinking of last night’s chaos, her face grew warm.

Xie Tingyu soon finished cooking breakfast. He had chopped a bit of pork and stewed it with radish into a thick porridge. The porridge was rich and oily, the radish tender enough to melt in the mouth.

Ye Qingshui, blushing, drank the porridge he openly brought into the room.

“What did Grandma… and the others say?” she asked.

Xie Tingyu casually replied, “Say about what?”

“That there’s no work today, so we don’t have to go. You’ve been staying up late for the college entrance exam — what’s wrong with sleeping in for once?”

He said it lazily.

While speaking, his gaze lingered on the bit of skin showing at his wife’s neck. His eyes deepened.

If not for worrying that her body was too weak, how could he have let her off so easily?

Ye Qingshui didn’t have his thick skin. Normally, unless something urgent happened, she would never sleep this late. And today, he even brought breakfast to her room — what would people think?

But then she suddenly realized — the elders probably wouldn’t think much of it. What married couple would wait almost a year after marriage before consummating?

Finally at ease, she finished breakfast and even went back to sleep for half a day. After all, she hadn’t really slept last night.

She ate every drop of porridge in her bowl.

Ye Qingshui touched her stomach again — now that she was “two people,” she had to eat more.

Xie Tingyu, bowl in hand, simply sat there watching her. He wasn’t doing anything else — just watching her quietly eat another egg. When she finished, wiping the oil from her lips, the smile on her face was so sweet that it melted right into his heart.

Watching her eat filled him with such deep satisfaction that his chest felt like it had caved in from the emotion.

Almost without thinking, he asked, “Do you want another bowl of porridge?”

Ye Qingshui hugged her bowl tightly and shook her head quickly.

……

In the capital.

Xie Tingjue had been working as an ordinary clerk for over three months now.

In the middle of winter, it was still pitch black at seven in the morning, but he was already at the office.

He was steady and slow, working in the Statistics Bureau — a quiet department people jokingly called “the retirement post.” Most of his colleagues were elderly, spending their off-hours playing chess or queueing for vegetables at the market. The tough, tiring work was always left to the younger ones.

Three months had passed. Still, Xie Tingjue remained a quiet, low-key newcomer.

One day, after the exams were over, his supervisor suddenly remembered him.

“Xiao Xie, I heard you took the college entrance exam this year?”

He didn’t deny it, just nodded.

In such a sleepy department, most young people were desperate to transfer out, so the leader wasn’t surprised.

“This year’s exam wasn’t easy, right? My daughter cried after the math test.”

Xie Tingjue modestly replied, “It was fine.”

“Work harder next year, don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Although young, he behaved like an old soul — cautious, reliable, never making mistakes. He fit right in with the retirees. People said he had strong family connections, but he never showed any arrogance.

He never shirked dirty or heavy work, and unlike most young people, he wasn’t lazy or slick — only diligent and hardworking.

If he hadn’t taken the college entrance exam, his boss would have written him a recommendation for promotion after two years.

After work, as usual, Xie Tingjue stopped by the dormitory area. An old man named Li, a fellow employee of the bureau, lived nearby. Li did menial data work — mundane, repetitive, and unremarkable.

Xie Tingjue often helped the old man with chores.

This time, when he arrived, the house was closed up tight. He called several times, but there was no answer.

Peering through the window, he saw that the coal stove by the bed had gone out.

The old man lay still, showing no reaction to the shouting outside.

In winter, when doors and windows were shut tight, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning was high.

Xie Tingjue acted instantly — he kicked the door open with a loud bang , breaking the lock, then reached out to check the man’s breathing.

There was still a faint pulse.

He exhaled in relief, hoisted the man onto his back, and ran straight to the hospital.

That evening, the old man finally woke up.

His name was Li Dejin.

As the nurse replaced his IV, she couldn’t help saying, “You must open a window when burning coal in winter! You’re lucky your son found you in time, or who knows if you’d have survived.”

Li Dejin’s face turned complicated. He had no living relatives.

The “son” she mentioned must have been the new young clerk from the bureau.

Xie Tingjue walked home, still sweating from carrying the man for two streets through the freezing night. For once, his usually serious face showed a rare smile.

Li Dejin — once sentenced for negligence ten years ago and exiled to the bureau — had gone through hell: losing his family, falling from grace, and later regaining his position.

To earn the friendship of such a man was no small thing.

……

In the southern countryside — Hongqi County.

A week after the exams, the admissions office posted the answer keys at every school and youth station, so candidates could check their answers and estimate scores before filling out their applications.

Zhou Tingting copied the official answers several times and posted them on the notice board at the educated youth station.

A crowd immediately gathered, shoulder to shoulder.

“Ah… I almost got that one right!” one sighed regretfully.

“So that’s how it should’ve been! If I’d reviewed that, I’d have written it right!”

It was hopeful complaining — fists clenched, eyes full of determination to try again next year.

“Come on, if we all did badly, then nobody did — it’s even!”

Indeed, everyone’s estimated scores were low, but morale remained high.

After checking answers, the educated youths compared scores among themselves. It was clear that this year’s marks wouldn’t be high overall — it was, after all, the first reinstated college entrance exam year.

“What do you think the cut-off score will be?”

“The county high school should announce a reference line. Let’s go check!”

Most test-takers in their group scored around 100–200 points. Shen Weimin, with just over 200, finally felt slightly comforted.

Zhou Tingting scored 328 after comparing answers — not bad, though she wasn’t sure if it was enough. Excited, she carried her answer sheet to Ye’s house.

“Qingshui, check your answers! We’ll be filling out applications soon.”

Ye Qingshui took the hand-copied key, palms sweating. She hadn’t been nervous during the exam itself, but now she was.

Her essay wasn’t great, but thanks to Xie Tingyu’s tutoring, her memorization and translations were solid. After adding everything up, she estimated her Chinese score at 87.

Zhou Tingting, seeing that number, nearly fainted — a high Chinese score like that was rare.

“Shuiya, you can’t be careless estimating scores — it’s important!”

Trying not to hurt her pride, Zhou Tingting gently said, “It’s better to underestimate than overestimate. If you aim too high and fall short, you might miss your chance entirely…”

But she was stunned when Ye Qingshui calmly wrote:

Math: 94.

Physics: 96.

Chemistry: 91.

Politics: 83.

Total: 451 out of 500.

Zhou Tingting stared, speechless.

Ye Qingshui chuckled softly. “Brother Yu helped me study since last year — I even took lessons from Teacher Zhou to review science subjects. Don’t worry, I didn’t just guess.”

Zhou Tingting wasn’t sure whether to believe her. Maybe Ye Qingshui should visit the youth station to feel how nervous everyone else was — while others were anxious, she was too calm.

Could she really have done that well?

Maybe the test was just easier than they thought…?

Still, Zhou Tingting felt uneasy. With her own 328 points, she feared she might not make the cut.

When Xie Tingyu came back, Zhou Tingting quickly said, “Comrade Xie, please talk some sense into Shuiya!”

He asked mildly, “What’s wrong?”

She explained Ye Qingshui’s “too high” estimates.

Xie Tingyu looked at the key, then said calmly, “She can get that score.”

And frowning at the Chinese mark, added, “Why isn’t your Chinese above ninety?”

Ye Qingshui bristled — ninety was already very high! But she was curious about his own score and handed him pen and paper. “Brother Yu, you try estimating too.”

To her shock, his results came out even higher — rows of numbers starting with “9.”

Zhou Tingting and Ye Qingshui both gaped.

The neat figures read:

Chinese: 90

Math: 98

Physics: 95

Chemistry: 100

Politics: 93

Total: 476.

Ye Qingshui nearly choked on her water. Zhou Tingting was beyond words — how could someone so effortlessly score near full marks when she had struggled for 300?

In Ye Qingshui’s last life, he’d scored 450 — already provincial top marks — but this time, he’d surpassed even that by over 20 points!

She beamed. “I’m sending Grandma a telegram — she’ll be thrilled!”

Meanwhile, Zhou Tingting sat deflated — the couple were simply unbelievable.

One had never even attended high school, self-taught through sheer willpower. The other had barely reviewed for a month yet still aced the exam.

“I… I might not get into college,” Zhou Tingting muttered, discouraged.

Ye Qingshui patted her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry. Wait for the school’s official cutoff. Don’t compare with Brother Yu — he’s exceptional.”

Zhou Tingting could only laugh weakly. Exceptional was an understatement.

The next day, they went to the county school to check the official cutoff list.

The gates were packed with people; outsiders weren’t even allowed in.

Then, a shout went up — “It’s out! The cutoffs are posted!”

The crowd surged forward. Pushed by the chaos, Ye Qingshui stumbled and instinctively shielded her belly — just before a pair of strong arms caught her.

Those arms held her firmly, smelling faintly of clean winter air.

Xie Tingyu grinned, showing white teeth. “Such a big girl, still so clumsy?”

She patted her belly, heart pounding. Thankfully, no harm done. “Why are you here?”

“Didn’t feel at ease letting you come alone — came to check the scores too.”

Finally, the teacher posted the red notice:

National Key Universities: 330

National Ordinary Universities: 250

Provincial Universities: 200

Vocational Colleges: 180

Zhou Tingting read the list aloud, stunned — “The key university line is only 330… Comrade Xie, your score is incredible!”

Ye Qingshui exhaled in relief.

Under his wide sleeve, Xie Tingyu quietly took her hand.

“Shuiya, we can go to the capital together.”

Her smile blossomed. “Mm, together to the capital.”

……

In the provincial grading center, Zhou Cunren had finished marking papers.

“How’s the highest score in G Province this year?” someone asked.

“Still counting. Waiting for all subjects to be tallied.”

Zhou Cunren, who hadn’t expected any of his former students to top the charts, asked absentmindedly, “Any full marks in math this year?”

The grading leader’s eyes lit up. “Yes — one student got a perfect score!”

Teachers from the provincial capital perked up. “From our city high school?”

“No,” said the grading leader, checking the paper. “Same region as Teacher Zhou — H City, Hongqi County…”

He paused, then announced, “Qingmu Township, Ye Family Village.”

“What?!”

A perfect math score — from a rural youth in a tiny village?

Another teacher gasped, “His chemistry’s also full marks!”

The entire grading room erupted in disbelief.

Zhou Cunren, sipping his tea, almost spat it out.

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