Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 132 - 129 exchange map monthly ticket for 480 additional - s

Chapter 132: 129 exchange map monthly ticket for 480 additional Chapters

Next was to fill in college applications. Li Xianglu and Qin Xi both applied to the same university, Capital University, because the majors they chose were more authoritative there.

However, Qin Zhen was in a bit of trouble. This guy ******** wanted to attend a military academy, and National Defense University hadn’t started recruiting yet. Li Xianglu remembered it wasn’t until seven or eight years later that the school changed its name and began to recruit. So after much consideration, Qin Zhen chose Fudan University in Shanghai, and for his major, he might as well study finance, since he didn’t have anything specific in mind to study.

The reason for going to Shanghai was simple. In Shanghai, Qin Zhen had tasted many foods he’d never tried before and had even stumbled upon a treasure. In his eyes, Shanghai was a place of treasures, and he was stubborn to the core; no one could persuade him otherwise.

Qu Yeyu scored 230 points on the exam, which was considered a high score, exceeding the admission cut-off by twenty points. She applied to a teachers’ college in the province.

Li Jianqing didn’t take the exam, as the military hadn’t opened up for that yet. Li Xianglu felt it was a pity. Why was he so stubborn, unwilling to wait it out for just one more year and insisting on enlisting? He left in April, and by the end of the year, it was the college entrance exam, which really didn’t pay off. He would have had to wait another year anyway, as the 1978 exam was in the fall and much more difficult.

Because Li Dafu’s youngest son knew about it early and had a good foundation, and he had Li Xianglu’s test papers, he scored over 290 points, which was also considered a high score. He applied to the provincial Transportation University, instantly becoming a bit of a celebrity. Li Dafu was very happy and specifically sent half a sheep to Li Huai Ren’s house as a thank you.

What made Li Xianglu feel a bit sour was that Qin Miao, the one who had sabotaged her multiple times, scored quite well too, around 340 points. It was just that she didn’t know which university he had applied to.

Then came the Spring Festival of 1977.

The festival was tense for everyone as many households were waiting for their admission notices.

At Li Huai Ren’s house, however, things carried on as usual, eating and drinking as if the admission notices were already in their pockets.

Before the New Year, they had made several more trips to grab food and groceries. Surprisingly, supplies were becoming increasingly abundant and diversified. Seeing the table full of peanuts, candy, melon seeds, and frozen pears and sugarcane, Li Xianglu suddenly felt that the tumultuous days were about to be behind them.

Right after the new year, the Post Office delivered registered letters, one for Qin Xi and one for Li Xianglu, but none for Qin Zhen.

Both letters were admission notices, along with procedures for transferring household registration.

Everyone was overjoyed in an instant; the two had both been admitted to Capital University. Grandpa Li was so happy he rubbed his hands together and declared it was time to pack up and set off, to buy a house and settle down first, which would make it convenient for his granddaughter to attend school. Buying a house would make transferring the residence registration easier.

There was laughter and joy throughout the house. Li Xianglu noticed that Qin Zhen sat at the edge of the kang, motionless and not looking happy.

Li Xianglu patted his shoulder amusingly and said, "Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t overthink, the admission notices are mailed from different places, yours is probably still on its way."

Qin Zhen felt a little better after hearing this and asked doubtfully, "Is Shanghai further than the capital?"

Li Xianglu nodded seriously and said, "Yeah, a bit further."

The family began packing, while Grandpa Li immediately sent a telegram to an old friend in the capital to decide on a time, preparing for the housing arrangements on both ends.

The house in the county couldn’t be left unoccupied, so Grandpa Li planned to lend it to He Chongguang’s eldest son and his wife to live in, specifically staying in Mr. Li’s suite, while Li Xianglu’s room would be used for storage, locked up.

As for the house in Li Family Village, there was nothing much to worry about; it was just a pity to lose the homestead plot after spending some money on repairs. But with Li Dafu there, there weren’t many concerns.

On the third day, Qin Zhen’s admission notice finally arrived, and he was so thrilled that he shouted skyward several times, causing the neighbors to come out and see whose dog was not being looked after.

On the fifth day, they handled the transfer of the household registration. Grandpa Li’s couldn’t be transferred yet, but he had already instructed the local people to help transfer it as soon as the documents from the other side were mailed over.

On the tenth day, early in the morning of the first day of March, He Chongguang drove them all to the county’s long-distance bus station in the Armed Forces Department’s truck.

The four of them each carried three large bags, totaling twelve packages. There was no choice; in those times, you needed a ticket to buy cloth or pots—it wasn’t like in the future where a card in hand could buy anything anywhere.

Even having money wasn’t enough, so they packed everything necessary, including heavier items like pots, food grains, and two bicycles, which were directly mailed to Mr. Li’s friend’s place to be collected later.

Li Xianglu made her own packages light by filling them with silk cotton or cotton-padded clothes. They looked huge but actually weighed next to nothing. All the important and heavier items were stored in her Storage Ring.

After a seven-hour long-distance bus ride to the province, Li Xianglu decided not to bother Aunt Qi, so they directly bought train tickets and boarded. This time was much better; all four had cadres’ sleeper berths, which Grandpa Li had specifically arranged for due to the bulk of their luggage, making it inconvenient to be seated separately.

Just as these four had left, someone chased after them to Li Huai Ren’s house in the county, and learning that they had headed to the capital, pursued them relentlessly.

Having boarded the train, Li Xianglu aimlessly wandered around. Their compartment was closest to the dining car, beyond which were hard-seat carriages.

Li Xianglu brought with her a lot of food like baked meat pie, deep-fried fish pieces, and fried radish meatballs—all suitable for eating on a train.

The cadres’ compartment provided hot water, two kettles a day, and any extra would have to be purchased. But Li Xianglu was willing to spend for it, as drinking something warm is good for health. This time she was much smarter, not presumptuously adding instant noodle seasoning, but instead she fried some meat sauce with dried tofu, stored it in a glass jar, and added it to the soaked noodles with some meatballs scooped into it, making it taste exceedingly good. This attracted the attention of passing train attendants who even asked what they were eating.

After two days and nights, they finally arrived, well-rested since they had slept through the trip and still full of energy after disembarking. Qin Zhen kept asking, "When are we going to have Peking duck?"

If it wasn’t for the two large bags in her hands, Li Xianglu would have thrown a punch.

Capital, here we come!

Stepping out of the station, they were greeted by two young soldiers holding a sign with Li Huai Ren’s name on it.

Li Xianglu, with her sharp eyes, spotted them immediately. As soon as the soldier saw Grandpa Li, he saluted and kicked their luggage over, while the other picked up Li Xianglu’s packages and noticeably changed expression. He only agreed to carry Qin Xi’s larger package after that.

Perhaps it was all stated in the telegram that they had a lot of luggage; to their surprise, a military truck with a trailer came to pick them up, ensuring there would be no issue with space for their belongings.