Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 640 - 641 Sister Like Mother 58_1

Chapter 640: Chapter 641 Sister Like Mother 58_1

Huang Man hadn’t checked her scores, but as she returned to the village, she could see from afar that quite a few people were gathered at her doorstep.

From their appearance, she could tell they were probably journalists.

The presence of journalists for an interview indicated her exam scores weren’t bad, but to know her ranking... surely, she couldn’t be first in the province?

Slowing her pace, Huang Man began to rethink. She was certain her scores wouldn’t land her the title of provincial top scholar.

After all, she knew who the top scholar was and how many points they scored; she had lowered her own estimated score by ten points compared to theirs.

If she still managed to become the top scholar, it would mean its impact was truly significant.

At that moment, someone shouted from a distance, "She’s back, she’s back."

Suddenly, a crowd rushed out and, after a quick glance, made a beeline for her, bombarding her with questions all at once.

The weather was hot and irritating, and now, hearing the cacophony of the crowd, Huang Man really couldn’t endure it.

"Excuse me, could you please lower your voices?" Huang Man knew these people were journalists, but she had to patiently request that they not talk over each other.

"Do you know your college entrance exam scores?" Finally, someone had the sense to ask.

"Do you know your college entrance exam scores?"

"I don’t know; I went to tutor," Huang Man replied. There was really nothing wrong with mentioning her part-time work-study.

The other party had assumed she would check her results the moment they were released, never expecting her to be so nonchalant about it.

Journalists, having seen and heard much, quickly regained their composure and informed her of her achievement, "You are the top science student in the city, second in the province."

"Eight points behind the first place." If only she could have pushed a bit harder, this year’s provincial top science scholar could have been from her city.

However, it was just a brief moment of reflection; she knew that during the college entrance exam, not just eight points, but even one point was hard to gain.

Ah, so she had miscalculated her score after all; she was only eight points off. Nonetheless, she didn’t show any reaction on her face, "Thank you all."

"Since I’m not the top science student in the province, why are you here?" Huang Man didn’t understand.

Since she wasn’t the top provincial science student, there shouldn’t be so many people here to interview her. There were so many cities across the country, and city top scholars were too common to be newsworthy.

Hearing this, the journalists chuckled, "Right, if it was just any city’s top scholar, we wouldn’t have sent so many reporters."

Even if she was second in the province, it wouldn’t have attracted such a crowd. The reason they came was, "In this year’s college entrance exam, you scored full marks in math and physics. Nationwide, there are only a few who achieved full marks in these two subjects."

"What?" Huang Man was shocked, "This year’s college entrance exam math and physics weren’t that hard."

"They were some of the most basic things." It wasn’t false modesty on her part; she genuinely thought so. She truly didn’t find the exams too difficult and couldn’t understand why there were so few perfect scores.

Could it be because the exams were too simple and some people relaxed too much?

Listening to Huang Man’s words, the journalists present looked at each other. They were aware of the difficulty of this year’s college entrance exam papers; math and physics were indeed not easy, which explained the rarity of perfect scores.

They didn’t expect Huang Man to say that those two papers were not difficult; was this the difference between a top student and an average one?

Before interviewing Huang Man, they had spoken to her teachers, who held her in high esteem, describing her as intelligent and quick to respond. She could solve even the most challenging problems with just a hint or two.

Seeing everyone’s expressions turn peculiar, Huang Man realized she had said something inappropriate and quickly played it off with a chuckle, "Let’s go inside."

"My home is quite messy and disorganized."

"I started tutoring to earn money as soon as the holidays began." The house really was a mess, and she didn’t have the time nor the desire to tidy up.

When everyone entered the house and saw the dirt yard and the single-story building, it was apparent that even by rural standards, many homes around were better off than this one.

While they were waiting for Huang Man, they didn’t just sit idly; they conducted some impromptu interviews and, consequently, learned a lot more about her.

"May we interview you?" Everyone sat on the stools Huang Man brought out, and warmhearted neighbors brought more when there weren’t enough.

"Sure," Huang Man agreed to the interview. She shared what should be shared and naturally kept to herself what shouldn’t be discussed.

Of course, when it came to their more probing questions, Huang Man didn’t respond, "As for my mom, my siblings and I will take on the responsibility of caring for her together when she can no longer work."

"But that’s only when she has no more ability to work." Huang Man never talked about not providing for Zhao Mei in her old age.

In those days, journalists didn’t ask indecent questions to grab people’s attention like they would in the future.

"By the way, I heard that your younger siblings stopped going to school after junior high to support your university education, is that the case?" someone asked a challenging question.

"No, I never thought to rely on them to get through university. On the contrary, my mom tried to make me drop out by not giving me any money."

"Since my senior year of high school, I’ve been supporting myself by tutoring. I believe that once I’m in university, I can still pay my way by tutoring."

"As for their money, they save it for themselves. We each take care of our own needs." Huang Man never used their money.

One reporter noticed that Huang Man’s expression was off and knew the previous question was inappropriate, "By the way, what makes up your university choices?"

"Q University’s computer science program." Huang Man was now confident she could get into the university she aspired to.

Many neighbors gathered around to watch. They knew Huang Man was a good student but never expected her to rank first in the city and second in the province.

Their astonishment was evident, "Actually, Huang Man’s academic performance has always been exceptional. She used to keep an eye on her younger siblings’ studies, but they found her nagging."

"Their parents also thought Huang Man was too strict, saying it’s not easy being that child."

"Being strict got her scolded by the parents and her siblings were unhappy. Yet, when she let go, people said she lacked the grace of a big sister."

The reporters learned from the neighbors that Huang Man had been working the fields with her father since she was young.

"Didn’t her siblings have to work the fields?"

"Right, didn’t her mother work the fields either?" As journalists, they would interview families during farming seasons, which usually meant the whole family was involved. It was puzzling why in a family of five, only two were actually working the land.

"Huang Man’s mother never worked. When her husband was alive, she relied on him, and after his death, she lived off the compensation money."

Someone remembered how Zhao Mei used to cause trouble and was not shy about revealing the sort of things she did, "Life has not been easy for Huang Man."

"Exactly. I remember after school she would always work, either in the fields or at home, and even if her mom spent the whole day chatting outside, she’d never cook."

"Right, it was always waiting for Huang Man to come home and cook."

The reporters had thought they were interviewing a country girl who changed her life with knowledge, but they didn’t expect to uncover so much more behind the scenes.

Huang Man listened quietly as the neighbors talked, hoping the reporters would publish their stories. She intended to keep the articles as evidence for a counterstrike when the time came.