The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 233 - 232: Bragging to the Skies_1

Chapter 233: Chapter 232: Bragging to the Skies_1

They finally arrived in Huai City a little past one o’clock in the afternoon.

As they got off the bus, the first thing they noticed was that the bus station in Huai City was much larger than the one in Taoyuan County, and there were more vehicles.

"Xiao Yan, Tiantian, make sure you have your things. We’re going to the guesthouse now," Niu Dajun said. There was a cafeteria at the guesthouse where they could eat their fill and rest well, so they would be in good condition for tomorrow.

"I got it," Qi Xiaoyan chirped, incredibly curious about her surroundings.

He Tiantian had brought toiletries and clothes to change into, while Qi Xiaoyan’s backpack now contained two more books. Although she had already studied hard, Qi Xiaoyan felt uneasy without her books.

The music theory books weren’t He Tiantian’s; they were provided by Niu Dajun.

The bus station wasn’t far from the guesthouse, so they walked there.

The large bamboo suitcase belonging to Qi Xiaoyan and He Tiantian was carried entirely by Niu Dajun.

As they walked, Niu Dajun explained, "It’s just a ten-minute walk to the guesthouse. We’ll eat first, then go to the examination venue to familiarize ourselves with it. After dinner, we’ll get a good night’s rest."

"That’s a reasonable plan," He Tiantian said, agreeing with Niu Dajun’s arrangements. For Qi Xiaoyan’s sake, Niu Dajun did everything he could.

They reached the guesthouse after a short while.

Niu Dajun presented his identification papers and booked two rooms: one for himself and one for He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan, which was next door so they could look after each other.

People were very cautious at that time. The staff member, seeing a man accompanied by two girls with different family names, questioned them at length and checked all their documentation before allowing them to check in.

While He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan were unpacking, Niu Dajun had already gone downstairs to buy lunch.

Once they had finished unpacking, he called them down to eat.

After the meal, they went to inspect the examination hall.

Qi Xiaoyan had not been nervous before, but upon arriving at the examination hall, she suddenly became tense, gripping He Tiantian’s hand tightly.

"Relax, relax. You’re very talented and you’ve worked so hard, you can definitely do this," He Tiantian comforted her, "If you’re this nervous, it’s definitely going to affect your performance."

Qi Xiaoyan chuckled dryly and asked, "Do you think those people over there are here for the exam too?"

He Tiantian followed Qi Xiaoyan’s pointing finger, nodded, and said, "I guess so, this place is the exam hall after all! We wanted to come and see, others would have thought of it too. If you were the only one taking the exam, it wouldn’t be called an exam. You have to be confident. Think about the song you’ve prepared, it even made all of us cry!"

The song He Tiantian was referring to was "My Motherland," which Qi Xiaoyan sang for the first time, sounding incredibly beautiful.

It moved and impressed everyone who heard it!

Extremely moving!

"Really?" Qi Xiaoyan asked tentatively, looking towards He Tiantian and Niu Dajun for validation.

"Yes, of course, it’s true. You’re the best singer I’ve ever heard," Niu Dajun praised.

He Tiantian also nodded and added, "Give it your all! Don’t worry about the outcome."

Qi Xiaoyan nodded and said, "I’ll give it my all, and as for the result, I won’t think about it. There’s no point in worrying; it’s out of my control."

"Mom, Dad, I’m definitely going to pass the exam this time," said a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, her crisp voice directed at He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan. "Singing, that’s not something just anyone can do!"

The woman covered her mouth and laughed, "Hehe, that’s right! But Xiao Xue, you can’t be overconfident, maybe they are really better than you!"

"I am not afraid at all!" Xiao Xue said with pride, full of confidence.

He Tiantian just smiled and said, "Have you not seen how many cows there are up in the sky?"

Niu Dajun was taken aback, as he had just been about to argue with that mother and daughter.

Qi Xiaoyan knew what He Tiantian was getting at and chuckled, continuing, "Yeah, so many! The bragging has reached the sky."

Upon hearing this, Niu Dajun laughed heartily, saying, "Yes, indeed, that’s some powerful bragging, all the way up to the sky."

"Who are you talking about?" Too young to keep her cool, Xiao Xue asked He Tiantian and the others pointedly.

Feigning surprise, He Tiantian shrugged and answered, "Who are you? We don’t even know you!"

Xiao Xue was so angry she was jumping up and down, yet she didn’t know how to retort.

"Young lady, watch your words. This is Huai City, not some backwoods place, where you can’t just say whatever you like." The woman squinted her eyes, seemingly threatening He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan.

Just as He Tiantian was about to speak up, Niu Dajun stopped her and stepped forward, saying, "Indeed, this is Huai City, where we all come to take exams. Since that’s the case, let’s wait until after the exams to make bold claims. What’s the use of speaking ill now?"

The middle-aged man noticed Niu Dajun’s upright and unflinching demeanor, sensing he was no ordinary person.

In these times, one couldn’t afford to be arrogant, because offending someone meant being prepared for revenge. But it was still best to be amiable and avoid making enemies.

"The young man is right, since we’re here to take an exam, just focus on doing well in it, no need for all this idle chatter. Let’s go, let’s check out that side," the middle-aged man said with a smile, nodding at Niu Dajun as he led the people away.

Once they left, Qi Xiaoyan said with a gloomy face, "Sister Tiantian, do we really look that shabby? Can someone tell at a glance that we’re from the countryside?"

He Tiantian chuckled covertly and replied, "Our clothes are not bad, it’s just our accent that gave us away as not being from Huai City."

Realization dawned on Qi Xiaoyan, "I see, I thought that woman wasn’t dressed any better than us! She looked down on us because we are not locals."

"Alright, don’t think too much about it," Niu Dajun said, "Stay in good shape, perform well on tomorrow’s exam. Come on, we haven’t checked out the east side yet! Let’s go take a look."

The three of them spent half an hour going over the venue and simulating the order of the exam to give Qi Xiaoyan a clear idea of what to expect.

There was still some time left, but Qi Xiaoyan didn’t want to go shopping, and He Tiantian accompanied her back to the guesthouse.

Qi Xiaoyan read her books again, reviewing the relevant music theory knowledge.

The exam was spread over two days. The written test was in the morning of the first day, covering music theory knowledge. Only by meeting the standards could one participate in the interview on the second day.

When Qi Xiaoyan got tired of reading alone, she asked He Tiantian to quiz her.

He Tiantian’s questions were always answered accurately by Qi Xiaoyan, which showed she had studied diligently.

After dinner, Qi Xiaoyan wanted to review again.

"Xiao Yan, you could recite both of these books by heart. There’s no need to look at them anymore. Relax a little, only with a good mindset will you get good results," He Tiantian said. After all the hard work, it was unnecessary to cram at the last minute.

Qi Xiaoyan smiled and said, "I’m glad you came with me. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to manage my emotions."