The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 219 Lucky Qi Ergou_1

Chapter 219: Chapter 219 Lucky Qi Ergou_1

The young people in the city were also very happy to hear this news.

Qijia Village was the home ground for the villagers, and while they were not at an advantage, Village Chief Qi had at least given them a chance.

Moreover, the young people in the city knew very well how this opportunity for Qijia Village had come about—it was obtained through the game from the mountains behind Qijia Village.

However, that was what Wang Lei and others thought, but Li Mingkai, Lin Xiaoru, and Huang Jingli didn’t see it that way!

Huang Jingli knew that even with such a good opportunity, it wouldn’t come her way, so she gave up the thought.

Li Mingkai deeply regretted why he had previously thought it was interesting to be in the propaganda team, neglecting Qi Xiaoyan. If he had pursued Qi Xiaoyan from the beginning, Qi Dazhu would have definitely arranged these things for him.

That was university!

Upon graduation, you’d become a city official!

Alas, it was too late for regrets.

But now that universities were starting to enroll students, although not through exams, as long as one was diligent, there was always a chance to fight for it.

Qi Xiaoyan was already engaged, so Li Mingkai didn’t dare to provoke her. The requirements for the recommendation stated there must not be any stains on one’s record, and sneaking around with Qi Xiaoyan, even if she agreed, would also be a stain. This idea was no good, absolutely no good!

If Qi Xiaoyan was out of the picture, then which girl from Qijia Village would be suitable?

After thinking it over, Li Mingkai set his sights on Qi Shuli’s daughter, Qi Fenfen, who blushed and cast affectionate glances at him every time she saw him. It was just that he hadn’t fancied her before, feeling that there was no benefit in being with this girl.

But now things were different—this was a university quota!

If he became Qi Shuli’s son-in-law, he would be a man of Qijia Village. It would be an honor for him, and Qi Shuli would have face too.

In that case, wouldn’t Qi Shuli have to help him out?

Li Mingkai secretly made up his mind that he must use every opportunity at hand to get the chance to attend university. He resolutely refused to be stuck in the countryside for the rest of his life, unable to return.

As for Lin Xiaoru, her mind was even more agile.

There was no chance for her this year with all the commotion over the quota.

But next year? Well, that might be a different story!

Frequently visiting the commune propaganda team, she knew quite a few people in the commune. With the help of those senior leaders, could she still fear the village party secretary, the junior accountant, the team leader?

Starting to work hard now, next year’s quota might just be hers.

Because of a single university quota, everyone had their own little schemes in mind.

Under the organization of Village Chief Qi and a few village officials, Liu Dahai personally attended and sat in to supervise.

Because many people were illiterate, holding a secret ballot was a bit difficult.

Finally, Old Man Qi and Village Chief Qi came up with a solution: the villagers would enter the village branch office one by one, where Old Man Qi, Liu Dahai, and an assistant of Liu Dahai would write down the name mentioned by the villager onto a small piece of paper on the spot.

Then the villager would take the piece of paper and cast it into a wooden barrel in front of the whole village.

Once all the eligible people had voted, Liu Dahai personally started to count the votes, and the assistant tallied on the blackboard. Every step was under supervision.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, there was no room for fraud.

Everyone’s emotions fluctuated intensely with the voice of the vote counter, creating a highly charged atmosphere.

In the end, the one who received the most votes was Qi Ergou!

Liu Dahai’s final count showed that Qi Ergou got eighty-nine votes, Wang Lei forty-eight votes, and another young man from the village forty-five votes; the rest all had twenty or thirty votes, probably cast by their own family members.

"Comrade Qi Ergou, do you have a proper name?" Liu Dahai frowned, finding the name not elegant at all. It was rather unseemly for a university student to be called Qi Ergou—it sounded terrible.

Qi Ergou was bewildered; he knew his name was on the candidate list, but he had held no expectations.

Zhao Dajiao was startled and quickly said, "He does, he does have a proper name, it’s Qi Rongguo on his household registration."

"Qi Rongguo?" Liu Dahai thought for a moment. "That’s a good name, serving the country is indeed glorious. You are the student from Taoyuan County who has been recommended to attend the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University. Once you arrive at school, you must study hard and serve the country as soon as possible."

Qi Ergou finally came to his senses; good heavens, he was going to university.

"Ergou, no, Rongguo, the leader is talking to you." Zhao Dajiao pinched Qi Ergou, feeling extremely excited herself. To avoid conflict of interest, she had not campaigned for votes for her son, and was surprised by the high number of votes he received.

This signified not only that her son was outstanding but also that her usual work was effective!

Qi Ergou hastily said, "Thank you, Liu Dahai, thank you for your guidance, Liu Dahai."

"Alright, your quota will be reported, and when you have time at home, review your subjects to achieve good results," said Liu Dahai. "Our work here is done; we should be heading back now."

Village Chief Qi tried to persuade them to stay, "It’s already dark outside, and traveling at night isn’t safe. You should leave tomorrow morning."

Liu Dahai knew that the night was cold and the mountain roads were treacherous, so he agreed.

Liu Dahai and his assistant stayed at Village Chief Qi’s home, where Qi Shuli and Zhao Dajiao went to entertain them.

When people from other villages heard about the events at Qijia Village, many came to see for themselves. Especially after hearing that Qi Ergou could go to university, everyone was as envious as rabbits.

When Liu Lingli saw He Tiantian, she came over affectionately and asked, "Tiantian, the Qi Ergou from your village is really lucky to have secured a university spot."

Seeing it was Liu Lingli, He Tiantian smiled and said, "Yes, it’s really lucky, but it was all chosen very fairly by everyone."

"Why didn’t you try to secure the spot?" Liu Lingli asked with a sly smile, "You received many commendations in Qijia Village last year. How come you didn’t even qualify as a candidate?"

He Tiantian just smiled, having no quarrel with Liu Lingli but only exchanging a few barbed words when they met.

She had not expected that after separating from Nan City, upon meeting Liu Lingli again, it became clear that Liu Lingli targeted and singled her out.

"Heh, I’ve only finished junior high and just started social practice a year ago; I don’t qualify. As for Sister Lingli, you are qualified, but it’s a pity your village didn’t have a spot," He Tiantian said with a smile, understanding now that if you’re too kind, you’ll be taken advantage of, and if your horse is too good, people will want to ride it.

Swallowing insults doesn’t make the aggressors step back; it only encourages them to be more aggressive and insatiable.

So, from now on, He Tiantian wouldn’t let anyone target her go unchallenged, nor would she show forbearance towards these people.

Upon hearing He Tiantian’s response, Liu Lingli’s face stiffened, and she laughed awkwardly, "It’s true, you’re lucky, Tiantian, to be assigned to such a good village. Not only is there enough food, but there’s also a chance to go to university."

Liu Lingli really meant what she said!

He Tiantian was indeed luckier than Liu Lingli, but she didn’t argue upon hearing Liu Lingli’s words.

"Actually, it’s all the same no matter where you are," He Tiantian said pretentiously, "It’s all up to the individual. If you work hard, you’ll always achieve something."

"Then I should learn from you," Liu Lingli said, not believing a word of He Tiantian’s nonsense.