Chapter 94

Ye Qingshui scooped up a bowl of water and rinsed her mouth. Just as she was about to put the bowl down, a warm droplet of water splashed onto her hand, slid into the bowl, and quickly merged with the clear water inside.

“You…”

Ye Qingshui looked up in shock, only to see the man hastily turn his head away and awkwardly wipe his eyes.

She hadn’t expected Xie Tingyu’s reaction to be so intense.

After a long moment, Xie Tingyu asked again in disbelief, “I’m really going to be a father?”

Ye Qingshui hesitantly nodded.

It should be so.

Her monthly cycle had already been delayed for half a month.

Ye Qingshui placed her palm over her stomach and touched it—it felt no different. It was less than a month old; there was no change in her belly yet.

Just now had been the first time she had so strongly felt its existence.

Xie Tingyu was so overwhelmed that he picked up his wife, pressed his forehead to hers, and said in a trembling, incoherent voice, “Th-thank you. I don’t know… what to say.”

Aunt Ye, standing nearby, hid a smile and handed Ye Qingshui a slice of pickled orange peel.

It was sour enough to make Xie Tingyu’s teeth ache after one bite, but after Ye Qingshui ate it, the nausea in her chest finally settled.

Looking at the basin of twenty catties of sausages, Xie Tingyu’s heart felt warm. He eagerly brought over a stool for his wife to sit on.

“You can’t stand this smell. Come sit over here, and teach me how to make sausages.”

He treated her as if she were a delicate porcelain doll that might break with the slightest touch.

Ye Qingshui was happy to order her husband around.

Aunt Ye helped fill the sausage casings, and with his wife’s guidance, Xie Tingyu and Aunt Ye together finished making the rest of the sausages.

After the couple returned to their room, Xie Tingyu saw the sheet of paper where his wife had written her estimated exam score. The fire in his heart instantly cooled into solid rock.

He could almost see Ye Qingshui studying hard day and night for the exam.

“I—I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I made you pregnant at such a time… I’ll try my best to be a good father. But it might interfere with your studies. If you don’t want to keep it, you can…”

As he said this, Xie Tingyu’s throat tightened painfully.

Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but laugh. “I want it.”

Because of the unique timing that year, the university students of the class of ’77 entered school in February, only six months earlier than the class of ’78. Their graduation dates differed by just half a year.

Ye Qingshui’s due date was in September.

She had already planned it out — she could attend one semester of classes, then take a temporary leave of absence when the time came, and after giving birth, transfer to the class of ’78. The timing would be just right and wouldn’t delay her studies too much.

Xie Tingyu looked up in surprise, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

It was as if fireworks exploded in his chest — beautiful and dazzling — and he almost wanted to spin his wife around in joy.

But he restrained himself, gently kissed her, then placed his trembling hand on her belly and greeted their child:

“Baby, Mommy and Daddy both love you.”

Looking up at his wife’s delicate face, he said, “Thank you, Shui’er. Thank you for not giving it up. I’ll do my best to take care of both of you.”

Xie Tingyu felt both joyful and ashamed.

The pride and joy of becoming a father for the first time made him realize he had entered a new stage of life.

He needed to grow up quickly — to protect her, the baby, and their home. From now on, the burden on his shoulders would be heavier.

But to Xie Tingyu, that burden was sweet as honey. At that moment, he only felt warmth, sweetness, and happiness in his heart.

——

After all the examinees filled out and mailed their college application forms, the provincial exam results were finally released.

Ye Qingshui had estimated her score at 451 points, but when she went to the educated youth office to collect her results, she received an actual score of 455 — an excellent result.

The extra points came mainly from the Chinese subject — three more points than she expected.

Xie Tingyu glanced at his wife’s score, smiling. “Didn’t I say Shui’er’s Chinese would reach ninety points?”

All his tutoring in Chinese had not been in vain.

Seeing her real score, Ye Qingshui finally relaxed.

Estimated scores were always uncertain; a difference of ten or more points was normal. She hadn’t expected such luck — not only breaking 450 points but even exceeding her own expectations.

Her heart felt as sweet as if it had been dipped in honey.

At the post office, Ye Qingshui received a letter from her grandmother in the capital. Glancing through it, she saw that Grandma praised Xie Tingyu highly.

“Grandma said she saw you in the newspaper.”

Xie Tingyu wasn’t particularly concerned. “Shui’er did great too.”

Indeed, she did. He had checked the red honor boards from various schools — even the best high school in the city hadn’t produced a score reaching 400 this year.

He felt incredibly proud of his wife.

Of course, this pride wasn’t from comparison — their circumstances were worlds apart.

When Xie Tingyu was a student, he’d attended the best school in the capital, surrounded by books and educational resources, with Grandma’s personal tutoring now and then. Achieving such grades wasn’t remarkable for him.

But Ye Qingshui was different.

She had dropped out after elementary school to farm, studying only when chores were done. Her study conditions were harsh. She achieved this score purely through perseverance and a love of learning.

If it had been someone else, they might not have scored even half as high.

Feeling proud of his wife, Xie Tingyu stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative on his way home and bought her a pound of premium milk candy as a reward.

As Ye Qingshui continued reading Grandma Xie’s letter, she opened another one — from Xie Tingyu’s mother.

She was a little surprised.

Wen Zhihua had also seen the newspaper report about her son being the top scorer in the country and suddenly found herself the center of attention.

She was delighted — after all, the son she had neglected for twenty years hadn’t gone astray but had grown into someone so outstanding.

In her letter, Wen Zhihua praised Xie Tingyu and said she wanted to hold a celebratory banquet for him, asking when he would return to the capital and expressing how much she longed to see him.

Ye Qingshui wasn’t surprised.

They’d already heard plenty of similar messages this past month. But at the end of the letter, Wen Zhihua casually mentioned that Xie Tingjue had been in a car accident — not serious, but he’d been in the hospital for some time.

When Ye Qingshui saw the words “car accident,” her pupils constricted.

Xie Tingjue had told her that in the previous life, Xie Tingyu had died in a car accident.

Judging by the timeline, that accident had likely happened around the time he traveled north to report to school.

Xie Tingjue had also written to warn her — before 1978, she must not let Xie Tingyu return to the capital.

At that moment, Xie Tingyu was still happily discussing what dishes to prepare for the upcoming wedding banquet in their village. “We must have braised pork — everyone loves it. Grandma and Mother said we should slaughter all our chickens, buy two green-headed ducks, and serve two jin of wedding pastries and peanuts at every table. What do you think?”

When he got no response for a while, he looked down to find his wife’s face pale and pained.

Alarmed, he immediately lifted her into his arms. “Shui’er, what’s wrong? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Ye Qingshui clung to his neck. “I’m fine… just a little tightness in my chest.”

The hospital wasn’t far away, so Xie Tingyu carried her there without hesitation.

The man in front of her was still alive — vibrant, young, full of life — watching her with worry etched on his face.

Ye Qingshui took a deep breath, lying in his arms.

At the hospital, he registered her name and got her examined. The entire check-up took most of the day.

The doctor said, “She has a cold constitution. She needs to nourish her blood and energy. Avoid intercourse for the first three months, no heavy labor, and don’t overexert herself…”

It was Xie Tingyu’s first time being a father, and he was understandably nervous.

Even after her check-up was done, he couldn’t bear to leave the hospital and kept asking the doctor all sorts of questions.

The doctor, exasperated but patient, answered them all, though some were rather silly.

Looking at him and then glancing at the newspaper, the doctor asked disdainfully, “Aren’t you this year’s top scorer?”

How could someone so smart lack so much basic knowledge?

Embarrassed, Xie Tingyu paused before replying, “Yes… but this is important. I want to make sure I understand everything clearly.”

Ye Qingshui, too shy to stay, tugged gently at his sleeve.

He patted her head. “Shui’er, go sit over there and wait for me.”

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the small office, falling across the man’s shoulders. Xie Tingyu bent over respectfully, speaking to the doctor with humble sincerity.

He asked question after question, like an eager beginner just entering school, his eyes full of seriousness and determination.

Seeing this, warmth filled Ye Qingshui’s heart.

She placed a hand on her belly and whispered softly, “Your dad is such a fool.”

But… he really cared about them both.

In the end, Xie Tingyu left the hospital with several obstetrics books recommended by the doctor, feeling quite satisfied.

After much inner struggle, Ye Qingshui suddenly asked, “Did you buy the train tickets to go back to the capital for New Year?”

“No,” said Xie Tingyu. “Why?”

“How about we don’t go back this year?” she asked, resting her hand protectively on her belly and watching him nervously. “There’ll be so many people at the station during the New Year. Traveling will be tiring. I’m afraid—”

His mother and grandmother had both written urging him to come home early. After nearly a year away, he must be eager to return, right?

Even as she spoke, she felt her excuse wasn’t very convincing.

Pregnant women in the countryside worked hard in the fields even with a big belly. She could still eat, sleep, and do light chores…

Nervously, she waited for his response.

Xie Tingyu didn’t hesitate at all. “Alright, then we won’t go.”

Ye Qingshui blinked in surprise, caught off guard. “But Grandma and Mother might be disappointed, won’t they?”

For educated youths living far from home, returning home for the New Year was a major event. Even if they couldn’t get a seat on the train, they would stand for days just to make it back.

Smiling, Xie Tingyu said, “How could they be disappointed?”

“They’ll be overjoyed knowing Shui’er is pregnant.”

Thinking it over, he realized her concern made sense.

The pregnancy was still unstable in the first month; taking a long, crowded train ride could be risky.

Hearing his decision, Ye Qingshui finally relaxed, smiling in relief.

The couple didn’t delay further and soon took a bus back to Ye Family Village.

——

Before they even reached the entrance of the village, they spotted Mother Ye waiting there.

She had been waiting for half the day, and when she saw her daughter, her face lit up with joy.

“Shuiya, the county revolutionary committee gave you a reward stipend!”

“Xiao Xie got one too!”

She gave her daughter a playful scolding. “The county officials came all the way here to deliver the award, but you two went off to get your exam results!”

Her tone was full of mock complaint, leaving Ye Qingshui confused.

Then Mother Ye’s face flushed with pride. “They all praised you and Xiao Xie for your great exam results! Shuiya, you got second place in the whole province, do you know that?”

“The county leaders themselves came to our house!”

Mother Ye had talked so much that her voice was nearly hoarse.

She had always been just an ordinary rural widow with little education, often looked down upon by others.

But after the county officials drove to Ye Family Village to personally commend her daughter, she noticed the way people looked at her had changed.

Where they used to call her “Fang’er,” now they respectfully called her “Aunt Wu.”

The villagers of Ye Family Village were almost numb from the flood of good news from the Ye family, feeling as though they were dreaming.

Was the college entrance exam really that easy? Both Ye children had done so well — reporters had come several times already, and now even county leaders had been alarmed enough to visit personally. That had never happened in decades!

But when they looked back at the rest of the examinees from their village that year, few had passed. Only then did they truly grasp the difference.

“Everyone has a nose and a mouth,” they said, “so why are some people just so much better?”

The Ye family really must have ancestors blessing them from above.

One good thing after another — their days were getting brighter and better.

With such capable children, both having been admitted to university — and likely top-tier ones — their future was set.

Through the college entrance exam, Ye Qingshui and Xie Tingyu had completely changed their destinies. They would no longer be farmers waiting each year for grain rations — they would eat government grain and hold city household registrations!

The villagers felt both envious and proud.

“See? Who says rural kids aren’t as smart as city ones? Just look at our Ye Family Village’s own Ye Qingshui!”

Her score, they heard, was over fifty points higher than even the liberal arts top scorer!

Unlike Xie Tingyu, Ye Qingshui was truly one of their own — born and raised in Ye Family Village. Her achievement filled the villagers with collective pride, as if their own child had earned the high score.

For the first time, they truly saw hope.

So reading books really could change one’s fate.

Having received her results, Ye Qingshui could already guess she was second place in the province — since in her previous life, Xie Tingyu had scored 450 points and taken the top spot.

She wasn’t surprised and opened the envelope containing the county’s monetary award. This unexpected bonus delighted her.

The thick stack of big yuan bills bulged out the red envelope. She counted them and gasped, “There’s actually six hundred yuan…”

Then she looked toward the envelope belonging to her husband.

Smiling, Xie Tingyu handed it to her. “Don’t rush. We’ll open it together at home — that one’s yours too.”

The village cadres beamed like blooming flowers.

“This calls for a proper celebration banquet!” they said. “With such brilliant students, we can’t be stingy!”

“Aunt Wu, you mustn’t refuse this time. We even saved a big fat pig just for it — there’ll be plenty for a festive feast before the New Year.”

“This is a major happy event! Ye Family Village has never had anything this glorious happen before…”

Their cheerful persuasion left Mother Ye unable to refuse.

She was so happy her heart felt wide open, walking as if with a spring in her step.

Who would have imagined such a thing — that the Ye family would be held in such esteem, even begged to host a banquet?

Mother Ye waved her hand decisively. “Alright, we’ll hold the celebration banquet!”

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