Chapter 156: Female Educated Youth 26

The year was 1977, and Qiong Province had undergone a complete transformation. This was especially true for the Production and Construction Corps¹, which had traded its old ways for state-of-the-art progress.

First and foremost, everyone’s standard of living had improved, and their benefits were better than ever. Canned goods, dried fruits, and seafood products—items that were in short supply and high demand elsewhere—were available to them in abundance.

It sounded like bragging to even mention it, but they truly had eaten their fill of such luxuries.

The local aunties had transformed into a management tier, constantly brainwashing the workers and pumping them full of motivation.

Chen Aiguo felt inferior by comparison; his mother was a natural-born talent.

Auntie Chen declared proudly, “It’s all thanks to the great example Little Ren set. That’s how she usually encourages us. We must pass her spirit down so even more people can benefit.”

Chen Aiguo felt like something was slightly off, but since this kind of motivation didn’t seem to have any downsides, he let it be.

Meanwhile, Ren Xin was busy conquering the ocean. She had cleared a small section of her spatial dimension for marine aquaculture, rounding up all her “family members” from the sea in one fell swoop.

The massive daily harvests soon began to bore the ginseng spirit.

Just then, the resumption of the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao²) was announced. She flipped through some books, felt she had a good grasp of the material, and then focused her energy on tutoring Fan Zhili. This girl only had a mind for eating and was completely hopeless when it came to academics.

For the first time in a long while, Ren Xin felt the utter helplessness of tutoring a child with their homework.

Word somehow got out that Ren Xin was holding classes. People flocked to her, drawn by her reputation—both Sent-down Youth and locals alike.

Chen Aiguo, never one to shy away from a spectacle, went as far as clearing out a conference room for everyone to study in.

Ren Xin: “…” Had she dug a hole only to bury herself in it?

Book Spirit Number One cackled. “Host, you just focus on being a dedicated gardener of minds³. The Diving Tiger and I will continue conquering the sea.”

Hmph! When there was trouble, the ginseng spirit was always the one to face it alone.

Ren Xin begrudgingly began teaching the key knowledge points, moving from the simple to the complex. Even students with a poor academic foundation could understand her.

She shared many test-taking tips, such as the classic “if three options are long and one is short, pick the shortest one.”

To her surprise, more and more students showed up. Even many teachers came along to join the fun, feeling that Ren Xin’s teaching methods were well worth emulating.

Ren Xin was utterly speechless. Chen Aiguo also heaped praise upon her, even suggesting she consider applying to a teacher’s college, claiming she was a born educator.

Ren Xin politely declined. She had no desire to lead students astray. It was already hard enough to make up for her lack of moral merit; if she misled the “seedlings” of the nation, her sins would be truly immense.

When the three days of the Gaokao ended, everyone was ecstatic. Ren Xin’s predictions for the exam topics had been incredibly accurate, and many of the actual questions were similar to those she had covered. Everyone felt they had a solid chance.

Once the results were released, the passing rate was indeed one hundred percent. Even the lowest-scoring student got into a vocational college. A massive celebration broke out, and every day, the area in front of Ren Xin’s door was piled high with gifts.

Fan Zhili was in no hurry to go home after the exam. she planned to see which university Ren Xin applied to so she could follow her.

She was determined to be Ren Xin’s most loyal tag-along.

In the end, Ren Xin applied for the Chinese Department, believing it would be the most relaxed major.

The time finally came to leave. On the day of her departure, everyone came to see her off. The aunties who had worked alongside Ren Xin cried the hardest.

“Little Ren, you must come back and visit us. We’ll all be right here!”

Ren Xin left in a blaze of glory, accompanied by her little follower, Fan Zhili, who had also applied for the Chinese Department.

“Don’t your parents care what you do?”

Fan Zhili said confidently, “No matter where I go to school, I won’t amount to much academically anyway. I might as well follow you; I’ll probably have a better future that way.”

Surprisingly, her logic was sound.

Translator’s Notes