Yi Roujing isn’t someone who’s good at business, but Xu Ancheng is a business elite. He plans ahead, and upon hearing Xu Ancheng’s plans, Yi Roujing felt it was reliable, but...

"The capital required is quite a bit, right?" Yi Roujing said in a low voice, her mind starting to calculate their assets. Even though they are quite wealthy, if they have to invest in starting a factory or a company, those tens of thousands aren’t really money.

"Yes, but it’s not just me. By then, Zhou Zeyuan and others will also pitch in. We’ll start it together," Xu Ancheng said, "The Zhou family has wide connections, and with the Xu family, taking orders won’t be an issue. What’s most important is talent. I went to teach in Jing City also with the intention of recruiting talent."

"Neither Zhou Zeyuan, Gu Shizhao nor I are in architecture. We need to find a satisfying partner."

"You can keep the money at home." Yi Roujing said, "We just need enough for our daily expenses, no need for so much money."

"Use the original money for expenses. That new savings account will be for capital. I will deposit the money earned there. I’ll let you handle it, and when I need it, I’ll ask you." Xu Ancheng hugged Yi Roujing and gave her a kiss, "I’ll listen to you about family matters, how much money we have, how to spend it, I’ll tell you everything in the future."

Yi Roujing blinked, somewhat moved. Financial transparency really matters; trust is the most important thing between husband and wife. Being open and transparent gives the most sense of security.

"Okay, as you say." Yi Roujing nudged Xu Ancheng’s chest with her head and then leaned up to kiss him.

Yi Roujing was not usually proactive, so this was a rare move. Xu Ancheng, thrilled, immediately took the initiative, flipping and tumbling her over all night. Having been away in Jing City for more than half a month, he’d been holding back for a while, and when enticed by Yi Roujing, he couldn’t find his bearings.

As a result, the next day Yi Roujing couldn’t get up. Fortunately, it was her day off, but facing the family, she was quite embarrassed and gave Xu Ancheng several glares.

The college entrance exam was imminent, a major test dormant for ten years. The number of participants was vast. When Yi Roujing and her group got their admission tickets, they went to find the exam venue.

Yi Roujing, Feng Lishu, and Huang Xiaobao were at County First Middle School, while Ding Anguo and Ding Anmin were at Huaixi County Primary School. Many came to see the exam site, and Yi Roujing saw many people carrying bedding. The hostels were already full, and these people might have to make do somewhere for a few nights.

After checking out the exam site, Yi Roujing saw Wang Qiushuang coming out of the adjacent classroom. The two exchanged glances, and Yi Roujing took the initiative to smile and nod.

Wang Qiushuang also smiled, "What a coincidence."

"Yes, quite a coincidence." Yi Roujing replied with a smile, noticing that Wang Qiushuang seemed thinner in the month they hadn’t seen each other. She appeared a bit haggard, with dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she had been studying hard.

"I want to apply to a school in Jiang Province, but the scores in the provincial capital aren’t low." Wang Qiushuang was actually feeling uncertain since she had only completed middle school and hadn’t touched the high school curriculum. She had been studying day and night for over a month, learning a lot, but whether she could pass was another matter.

"My goal is just to attend a vocational school. I’m not sure if I can succeed." Wang Qiushuang said with a slight bitter smile. Lately, the pressure had been immense, and while Ding JianShe had advised her, Hupozi had thought she was restless, even undermining her by saying she couldn’t possibly pass.

Thinking her family should understand her aspirations, she unexpectedly opened up to Yi Roujing instead. Perhaps it was because the review materials she was using were given by Yi Roujing.

"Have confidence. I think you can do it." Yi Roujing encouraged, "Hard work won’t let you down."

Wang Qiushuang’s eyes softened, smiling as she nodded, "Thank you. I’ll head back to take care of the child now."

On the morning of December 6th, Li Hongying got up at five o’clock, first tidying up the four children before starting on breakfast. Today, there were five examinees at home, as Huang Xiaobao and Ding Anmin were also sleeping and eating there.

Mornings are better with a light meal, so Li Hongying made boiled eggs, ground soybean milk, steamed mantou, and sweet potatoes—simple yet filling.

Luckily, the five had companions, making it convenient to cycle there.

In the morning, they would take the Chinese exam; in the afternoon, politics. The next day would be mathematics and science (history and geography).

Yi Roujing, Ding Anguo, and Huang Xiaobao all chose science; Ding Anmin and Feng Lishu chose the humanities. They were clear about their own capabilities, knowing they couldn’t handle science questions but could rely on memorization for history and geography. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The two days passed quickly. After finishing the exams, Yi Roujing was confident they wouldn’t be a problem for Jing University.

During the exams, they couldn’t discuss the questions, but once they ended, Ding Anmin and Feng Lishu eagerly sought out Yi Roujing and the others to compare answers for the three subjects they had in common.

"Right, right, I was worried I got the first big math question wrong, but luckily, I did it correctly; ah, I chose wrong..." During the comparison, Ding Anmin alternated between excited shouts and angry hair-pulling.

Eventually, Ding Anmin estimated her score around 320; Feng Lishu was about the same. Huang Xiaobao and Ding Anguo should reach 350, while Yi Roujing remained calm, likely achieving the highest score, conservatively estimating around 370.

Anyway, applications had been filled out before the exams, and their last choice was conservative, ensuring they weren’t at the bottom of the list.

After the exams, life returned to normal, though colleagues couldn’t help but be curious about their results and whether they could get into university.

In the food factory’s staff hospital, there were two high school examinees, both nurses: Yi Roujing and Guo Xiangxiang.

Doctors almost never needed to take the entrance exams, either because they had done so before or were recommended to the Worker, Peasant, Soldier University. So no doctors needed to participate now.

"Roujing, which school did you apply to? What were your choices?"

"Xiangxiang, what about you?"

Everyone was curious about Yi Roujing and Guo Xiangxiang’s choices.

"If you get into university, we might not have a chance to work together anymore."

"But both of you are official staff. Why go to study instead of working? What a waste of time. After finishing school, don’t you have to go back to work? You’re really silly."

Many thought Yi Roujing and Guo Xiangxiang were silly, having stable jobs and families in the county. Especially since Yi Roujing was married with kids, why pursue further studies?

It’s simply a matter of different pursuits.

Yi Roujing stayed low-key, saying she might not pass, and they could still be colleagues in the future. Guo Xiangxiang wasn’t sociable with them anyway, so her not answering wasn’t surprising.

The exam results weren’t announced directly, but the acceptance letters arrived a week before the Spring Festival, delivered personally by the postman. The Yi family always received a lot of mail, with parcels frequently coming from Jing City and the provincial capital. This time, three letters arrived, just in time for the dispatch of college acceptance letters, so the postman delivered them immediately.