Cheng Su used her clever tongue and her looks to successfully persuade Qi Taiguo to not have children for the time being. However, that very night, it took all her skills to satisfy Old Qi, leaving herself so exhausted that the next day she was massaging her back, prompting Li Qiulan to ask her if she had sprained it. Only He Yue, who understood the realities of marriage, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, making Cheng Su so embarrassed she almost wished she could crawl into a hole.
Since she had resolved to seek further education, Cheng Su inevitably had to gather information on the subject.
In the twenty-first century, if one wanted to obtain a university degree after joining the workforce, the only option was to attend adult education classes by taking the adult college entrance examination.
Yet it seemed that there was no such educational system in place at present.
When Ying Xiaoya came for a meal, Cheng Su took the opportunity to inquire about this matter.
"Are you really considering further education?" Ning Ge couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
Cheng Su glanced at him, "As the saying goes, ’Learning is an endless ocean and hard work is the boat.’ Is it wrong for me to pursue lifelong learning?"
"You’re clearly just too competitive." Ning Ge muttered dismissively.
"Being competitive is also a sign of progress," Ying Xiaoya countered. "Being competitive means not giving in to fate. Having that spirit ensures one never stops moving forward. I think Susu’s idea is excellent—live and learn, right?"
Cheng Su gave her a thumbs up.
"Alright, alright, I, a man, won’t argue with you women," Ning Ge raised his hands in surrender.
Ying Xiaoya laughed triumphantly and then asked Cheng Su, "Susu, how far did you get with your studies?"
Cheng Su thought for a moment and then replied, "I had just finished the first year of high school when I stopped attending."
Ying Xiaoya nodded and said, "In that case, you’re still young. It looks like repeating a year is the only option for you."
"At my age, do I even qualify for repeating a year?" Cheng Su asked somewhat sheepishly. "Competing with a bunch of kids for a spot feels a bit embarrassing."
"What’s wrong with that? It’s not unusual for people not to have finished their education because of poor circumstances. Now that you have the opportunity, there’s no harm in repeating a year. Let me see, it’s about August now, and classes begin in September. You should hurry and sign up. Aim to take the test next year. But remember, with only one year to prepare for the exam, the challenge will be considerable—you’ll probably have to put in a lot of hard work," Ying Xiaoya advised.
"That won’t be a problem," Cheng Su said with a confident smile.
In this life, she may not have completed her studies, but in her previous life, she had graduated from university and even studied abroad for three years before returning home. She possessed the necessary knowledge; now it was just a matter of going through the formalities. She didn’t believe for a second that she couldn’t get into a university.
If it weren’t for the fear of drawing too much attention, she would have liked to sign up for the exams directly.
"The problem is, I don’t know which educational institution would accept someone my age," Cheng Su said, troubled by this thought.
"I’ll go home and ask my dad for you," Ying Xiaoya offered without a second thought.
"Oh, your dad is a cadre?" Ning Ge looked at her.
Ying Xiaoya nodded. "My dad is the mayor of Qing City County, and my mom is the women’s director at the neighborhood committee."
Well, she really is the daughter of an official, but that’s not surprising. In those days, most college students came from intellectual families or were from well-off backgrounds.
What Cheng Su found commendable was that, despite Ying Xiaoya’s privileged background and being a college student, she was not at all arrogant or capricious, which greatly increased her likeability.
"I’ll leave it in your hands then," Cheng Su said, grabbing her hand gratefully. "If you sort this out for me, I’ll let you off from paying for food for a month."
"Look at you, making a big deal out of nothing," Ying Xiaoya replied lightly.
Thinking of the neighborhood committee, Cheng Su pulled her aside, whispered a few words into her ear, causing Ying Xiaoya to blush with embarrassment and exclaim, "You, you’re too much!"