A person who had never appeared before was listed as the lead researcher, making it hard not to draw certain conclusions.
But the person hadn't appeared—perhaps he had been demoted. Currently, he was no longer engaged in scientific research. The provincial tractor factory staff, careful with their words, politely inquired about the situation.
Qi Fang’s expression at that moment was hard to describe. "The teacher was imprisoned ten years ago because of Su Han’s wrongful conviction. He committed suicide in prison."
The words struck him so deeply that even holding the report in his hands felt unbearably heavy.
Moreover, this crucial research had been primarily conducted ten years ago. Even after a decade, no one had managed to solve the problem that should have been cracked back then.
The provincial tractor factory staff felt a complex mix of emotions—sadness for researchers like Su Changqing, and sorrow over the stagnation in scientific progress over these years.
But the difference between a project leader and the first participant was significant. They didn’t know if this could still be submitted to the scientific conference and could only take the report to seek advice.
“Are you saying this is Su Changqing’s project?” Someone at the factory, who clearly knew Su Changqing, said as he took the report and glanced over it.
Seeing those three characters on the report, he sighed, “He’s been dead for ten years. Never thought I’d see his name again on a report.”
“Was he well-known?” They asked someone who seemed to be in the know and responsible for the matter.
“He was among the first group of students sent to study in the Soviet Union after the founding of the country. He also participated in developing China’s first tractor. He was an authority in hydraulic systems. Some of the components in the hydraulic systems we use today were designed by him.”
It seemed he was indeed famous within his professional field, but unfortunately, even his fame couldn’t save him. Those who were more renowned and had greater contributions back then also couldn’t escape their fate.
Silence fell among the group. Over the years, they had grown accustomed to this kind of silence. Even when the shackles had been removed and it was time to speak, they would instinctively run their words through their minds three times, afraid that any wrong phrase might bring disaster.
So no one spoke of Su Changqing anymore, nor did they mention his tragic fate. As if by unspoken agreement, the topic shifted back to business.
“Putting that aside, this kind of breakthrough in technology is definitely an excellent scientific achievement that can be submitted.”
The nationwide scientific conference scheduled for early next spring had been in preparation for some time. At the conference, awards would be given for advanced collectives, outstanding scientific workers, and excellent scientific achievements.
The successful development of the hydrostatic hydraulic system undoubtedly propelled the advancement of domestic construction and agricultural machinery. Such an outstanding scientific achievement was sure to win recognition.
What troubled the provincial tractor factory was whether or not to nominate Qi Fang as an outstanding scientific worker. If they nominated him, the project’s main body was Su Changqing’s work; if they didn’t, the work was completed by Qi Fang.
But Qi Fang was stubborn. If it were someone else, with the teacher long dead and branded with a crime, they might have just put their own name on it.
But he refused. He insisted on placing his teacher’s name first, making sure everyone who saw the report knew that it was his teacher, Su Changqing, who had developed it.
But it was precisely because he held onto this stubborn principle that those who had witnessed too many betrayals found themselves unexpectedly drawn to him. Someone pondered aloud, “Which parts exactly did he complete?”
“The last few newly designed components,” the person in charge replied. They had already spoken with Qi Fang about this and quickly flipped the report to those pages.
“That’s quite a lot, and he managed to do it all without any research funding or assistance from others, right?”
The research environment had always been tough over the years, but so tough that there was no funding at all and one had to rely solely on oneself was something few had ever seen.
So at first, when people heard Qi Fang had developed the hydrostatic system, no one believed it. Even now, knowing that the core of it was actually done by Su Changqing, it still seemed incredible.
The components were crafted with such exquisite precision—streamlining the number while perfectly integrating with the system—it was clearly not the work of a day.
Putting aside everything else, Su Changqing had indeed taken on a remarkable student, both in character and ability.
After much discussion, the provincial machinery bureau finally decided to nominate Qi Fang for the Advanced Science and Technology Worker award. Not for anything else, but for his perseverance and hard work.
As for Su Changqing’s situation, there was nothing they could do. But judging by the country’s emphasis on scientific work, these historical issues would likely be resolved sooner or later.
So the report was submitted without any changes, only adding a note in Qi Fang’s nomination materials explaining the situation.
After wrapping up things at the provincial machinery bureau, Qi Fang packed up and went home. Yan Xue was already showing signs of pregnancy, though her thick clothing still concealed it.
Qi Yanyu, the little boy, knew the family was about to welcome a new member. For once, he abandoned his usual suspicious, detective-like behavior and looked forward to it.
Kids these days didn’t have much of an only-child mindset; on the contrary, those with few siblings were often bullied outside, since when fights broke out, a whole gang could be called in.
Qi Yanyu was clever enough not to be bullied, but seeing all the other kids with siblings while he had none made him feel like he was missing something.
Now that he would have one, he boldly imagined having a little brother to play cars with, and a little sister who would call him “big brother.”
His dreams were sweet, but soon the strict family planning policies would begin, and he could only have one sibling.
And even that one was an unexpected blessing for the family. With the reform and opening up just around the corner, family planning products would become more widespread, making it harder to break through the barriers.
This lucky little surprise successfully arrived before the storm, comfortably nestled in Yan Xue’s womb, occasionally stretching arms and kicking legs.
But no one expected that before she even took the exam alongside her mother, she would be promoted together with her.
At the end of September, the official approval came through: Changshan would be established as a city, incorporating several surrounding towns, including Baisong County.
The Changshan County Forestry Bureau rose with the tide, suddenly being upgraded from a county bureau to a city bureau, now standing on equal footing with the Jiangcheng City Forestry Bureau that had originally overseen them.
This caught many by surprise, especially those who were out of the loop. They stared at the official notice for a long time before suddenly exclaiming, “What kind of damn luck did Secretary Qu have to get this?”
Last year, Secretary Tang was promoted to the city level, but even then, he couldn’t secure a top position there. In fact, Qu Mingli now held a higher rank than him.
No one knew if Secretary Tang regretted his early promotion. Then again, maybe Secretary Qu had known all along and deliberately avoided moving up too soon.
Besides, Qu’s background seemed quite formidable—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to stand his ground against the inspection team sent from above last year.
With the county forestry bureau’s sudden upgrade to a city forestry bureau, Yan Xue’s position remained unchanged, but her rank was elevated to a full section chief.
At just twenty-six years old, holding a real, substantive section chief rank—not just a nominal director or the like—was rare not only in Changshan but across the entire country.
In terms of rank alone, Yan Xue was now on par with Qu Mingli before Changshan became a city. The difference was that Qu had originally come down here to lay low, and now that the heat had died down, he was likely to be promoted elsewhere soon.
That evening, Qi Fang went to pick Yan Xue up from work. He noticed the sign at the breeding center had been changed and glanced at Yan Xue. “Big shot now, Section Chief Yan.”
Section chief wasn’t really such a big deal—one falling sign in Yanjing could hit three of those—but Yan Xue thought back to the joke she made when she first decided to introduce the wood ear mushroom cultivation method.
Though she had long been prepared, she had indeed felt pressured by the circumstances back then. Seven years later, she had actually managed to land herself an official title.
Yan Xue smiled, her beautiful brows arching. “Just words, huh? No actual congratulatory gift?”
Qi Fang was still sitting on his bicycle. Hearing her, he glanced at her and loosened his collar.
With that simple gesture, the coldness he usually wore was instantly replaced by something else—an indefinable, subtle meaning.
Compared to eight years ago, when she wanted to see the mole on his collarbone and he wouldn’t let her, he was now much better at this—serious, even unconsciously flirtatious.
Eight years had passed, and the boyishness in the man’s eyes had completely faded, replaced by a deeper charm.
It was just the wrong timing. Yan Xue gently cradled her belly, a hint of regret in her voice. “Let’s put it off for now. We’ll do it later.”
Qi Fang followed her gaze and said meaningfully, “That’s okay, a partial advance payment will do for now.”
That hint of an advance payment made Yan Xue think of other things—things this man had gotten better at over the past two years…
But since it was broad daylight, she quickly restrained herself, gave him a playful glare, and got on the bicycle.
The bike rolled steadily forward. Qi Fang asked again, “Since the sign’s been changed, shouldn’t the lettering on the vehicle be repainted too?”
“Mm.” Yan Xue wrapped her arms around his waist. “But there’s no rush. The center bought another Liberation truck this year; it’ll arrive in a few days. Once it’s here, we can paint it together.”
Although there had been some setbacks last year, the sales of wood ear mushrooms remained steady, and so did the sales of the center’s mushroom strains.
By the end of the year, they had already recouped the cost of buying that truck. At the beginning of this year, orders surpassed 100,000 bottles for the first time. After a meeting, the center decided to purchase a second truck.
First, to fully capture the remaining market within the province, and second, if there was extra capacity, to expand modestly beyond the province.
Times were different now. The higher-ups were supporting economic development, and in a couple of years, the reform and opening-up policy would be introduced.
After ten years of setbacks, the wheels of progress were finally turning forward with unstoppable momentum—and would only pick up speed.
A week later, the second Liberation CA10 truck arrived at the cultivation center. Qi Fang picked up his brush again and painted the business card on the side.
This time, “Jiangcheng City, Changshan County” became simply “Changshan City”—a brand-new beginning, like a fresh start.
Both trucks rolled out together, immediately easing the pressure caused by the increased production. Meanwhile, the new mushroom strain trial in Chengshui was a great success.
The detailed data from Chengshui didn’t arrive until October, after all the wood ear mushrooms had entered winter management.
Along with the data, the technicians from the trial forest, who had gained experience over the years of cultivation, also added some of their own observations.
Guo Chang'an’s hybrid strain didn’t increase the number of mushroom clusters compared to previous strains, but the clusters were larger and the flesh thicker, so the yield was higher.
To gather more feedback, the 1,000 bottles of spores produced from this strain weren’t sold elsewhere—they were all sold in the city’s vegetable and grocery stores and several supply and marketing cooperatives.
Yan Xue and the others often went over to check, asking customers how they liked the mushrooms. So far, the response was very positive, though Yan Xue was becoming more easily recognized.
Because the product was good and sold quickly, the vegetable and grocery stores hurried to restock, but unfortunately, Chengshui had planted fewer mushrooms this year and couldn’t meet the demand.
So, along with the data, orders from Chengshui also came in, requesting that all next year’s spores be replaced with this new strain.
Switching to the new strain meant the price couldn’t stay the same. This strain was a hybrid and more complicated to cultivate than ordinary strains.
Yan Xue raised the price to sixty cents, and after discussion, Chengshui surprisingly agreed, placing an order for 15,000 bottles in one go.
Among the towns that grow wood ear mushrooms, Chengshui’s products have always sold best. In the end, it was because Yan Xue had built a strong reputation.
But no matter how good the reputation, it had to be supported by quality products. If Chengshui’s products slipped, the hard-earned goodwill built up over the years would collapse completely.
Since they knew there was a superior strain of bacteria, they naturally had to be the first to “eat the crab” — to take the lead and pull even further ahead of the other towns.
And as long as they were the first to sell it, even if only a year earlier than others, they could leverage that advantage to push their already excellent reputation and sales even higher.
After signing the order and seeing off the people from Chengshui, Yan Xue immediately called Guo Chang'an over to analyze and discuss the detailed data.
Since Yan Xue was promoted to manager and began focusing more on the center’s overall affairs, Guo Chang'an, as a technician, had already been able to support half of the center’s technical research and development.
His achievements had not disappointed the years of hard work he had put in. Yan Xue had already decided that for the first “Outstanding Individual” award after the city was established next year, the center would nominate him.
First, Yan Xue had won several times before and didn’t care much about this one, but Guo Chang'an’s breakthrough with the hybrid strain was enough for him to earn the honor.
Second, with the college entrance exam about to be reinstated, Yan Xue planned to take it herself and might leave the center and the bureau next year.
Although she had spent seven or eight years managing things here and was reluctant to leave, this place should be the starting point of her life—not the final destination she settled for in her twenties.
Yan Xue was determined to step out into the wider world. Of course, even after she left, she would still help the center and Changshan plan their next steps.
Time passed day by day amid the busy work and waiting, until late October, when newspapers, radio, and schools all announced that the national college entrance examination was being reinstated.
After a ten-year suspension and a decade of longing, at a time when many had already resigned themselves to the uselessness of studying, the college entrance exam was finally back—and this time, no recommendation from a work unit was required.
As long as one scored well, they could get into a good university and open a path completely different from their current life.
After returning, Yan Xue informed Yan Jigang, who responded even faster than she expected. That very afternoon, he took a bus home to get his high school textbooks.
The 1977 college entrance exam was rushed—announced in late October and starting in less than a month—leaving very little time for review.
Fortunately, Yan Jigang had just graduated from high school this year, so he hadn’t forgotten what he had learned, and he had always been a top student.
The young man’s eyes shone brightly. “I heard Yanjing has a Foreign Languages Institute, specializing in foreign languages, with foreign teachers there. I want to give it a try.”
Without anyone telling or persuading him, he already knew what he liked and what path he wanted to take.
This younger brother, who had once taken shelter under Yan Xue’s wings and walked through difficult times with her, was finally ready to spread his own wings and fly toward his own sky.
Yan Xue’s eyes were filled with pride, and so was the Second Old Lady. Looking at this pair of grandchildren who were not related by blood but felt like family, her heart melted completely.
She even held Yan Jigang’s hand tightly. “Going to college is great, going to college is great! Our old Yan family has never had a university student before.”
After all, her granddaughter’s husband didn’t carry the Yan surname, so he didn’t count. Even if he got into university, it wouldn’t be as if the old Yan family’s ancestral grave had smoke rising from it.
The Second Old Lady was in a good mood when Yan Xue laughed and said, "That's perfect—I’m planning to take this year's college entrance exam too. Maybe there will be two of us by then."
The Second Old Lady immediately grew concerned, looking at her belly. "You're already over six months pregnant. Can you really sit for the exam?"
Yan Jigang also looked worried. "Won't it be too exhausting? Maybe you should wait and take it next year. Taking it next year would be just as good."
But Qi Fang remained calm. Seeing the Second Old Lady looking at him, he even helped persuade her, "If she wants to take the exam, let her try. If it doesn't work out, she can always try next year."
Ever since Qi Fang asked Yan Xue and she said it was time, he had trusted her without hesitation. Between them, an unspoken understanding had formed.
Qi Fang didn’t ask, and Yan Xue didn’t say much, but occasionally she would reveal a bit—like this time with the resumption of the college entrance exam, she had started studying several months in advance.
Qi Fang could guess how much of it was his business, but Yan Xue was so open and confident that it gave him an unprecedented sense of ease.
Seeing this, the Second Old Lady noticed that Qi Fang even seriously came up with reasons to support Yan Xue. "Work isn’t easy, and she wants to learn more."
It was really taking advantage of the old lady’s illiteracy—she couldn’t understand, and although these two sentences were true when separated, they had no connection when put together.
The granddaughter and her husband were both capable people. The Second Old Lady felt she understood nothing and, seeing Qi Fang didn’t object, didn’t say anything further.
Still, she couldn’t help but pay more attention to Yan Xue’s health, especially at night, forbidding her from reading too late. She didn’t want Yan Xue to exhaust herself, for her own sake and for the baby’s.
Of course, even without the Second Old Lady watching, there was Teacher Qi keeping an eye on her. Qi Fang made time every day to give Yan Xue extra tutoring sessions.
While the siblings studied steadily, over at Jinchuan Forestry Farm, Yan Xue had Zhou Wenhui notify Liu Chunni, just in case the message hadn’t reached them.
Fortunately, Ning Shu, who had been a quiet deputy secretary, took his duties seriously after becoming secretary. He even broadcast the news multiple times over the loudspeaker, making sure everyone at the forestry farm knew.
Liu Chunni had already discussed it with her family and was preparing to apply to a teachers’ college, aiming to continue as a proud and honorable educator.
Soon, the official registration began. Yan Xue and Yan Jigang had all their materials ready and had carefully considered which schools to apply to.
In fact, many people didn’t know that the college entrance exam was reinstated in 1977—they thought it was 1978. Yan Xue knew, but she hadn’t expected that this time, the applications were due before the exam.
It wasn’t like after the exam when scores were released or when students estimated their scores based on published answers. This time, they had to fill out their applications beforehand.
Without any reference, relying solely on their own estimation of their abilities plus a bit of luck, a small miscalculation could mean missing out on university altogether.
But there was no other choice. The exam had been suspended for ten years, and the country urgently needed talent. This exam prioritized efficiency and convenience above all else.
Yan Jigang didn’t hesitate. He applied to the Foreign Languages Institute’s English Department. After completing all five cultural subject exams, he would also have to take an additional foreign language test.
Yan Xue had carefully considered her options before finally choosing to apply to the Biology Department at Yan University.
After years of working with cultivated mushrooms, she had developed a genuine interest in the field and wanted to see what more she could learn.
Of course, in her mind, edible mushroom cultivation should have belonged to the Agricultural University, but at that time, the Agricultural University was still called the Agricultural Machinery Institute. Judging by the name alone, it was mainly focused on agricultural machinery research.
Back then, academic disciplines at various universities were still quite basic—not as specialized as they would become later. Even Qing University, which would eventually become one of the two most prestigious universities everyone aspired to attend, didn’t yet have a Biology Department. This fact surprised Yan Xue when she saw the admissions brochure.
Once the application period ended, the provincial authorities quickly set the exam date for late November, making their province the first in the country to hold the college entrance examination since the resumption of the national college entrance exams.
The science exam was scheduled at Changshan No. 1 High School, where both Yan Xue and Yan Jigang were registered—though they were assigned to different classes.
With two candidates from the same family, one of whom was pregnant, even the officials at the exam center felt uneasy and arranged for a driver to personally escort them.
In fact, many people didn’t quite understand why Yan Xue wanted to take the college entrance exam at all. After all, the whole point of going to university was to find a job, and Yan Xue already had one.
She only shared the truth with those close to her: “Times are changing, and people have to keep up. Only by moving forward can we avoid being left behind.”
Just like these mushroom strains—if you don’t introduce new elements or start cultivation anew, after a few generations, they will inevitably degenerate and be phased out.
The environment changes, policies change, and everything we know today could change tomorrow. The only thing that remains constant is the skill you’ve truly mastered.
Whether others understood or accepted this didn’t matter. Yan Xue took her second child with her to the exam, while the first child and the father of both children came to see her off.
It was quite a unique scene—whether it was the heavily pregnant woman walking into the exam hall or being accompanied by her children and their father.
If this had happened in Yan Xue’s previous life, any one of these moments would have been enough to make headlines. But this time, it was different. Still, a pregnant woman entering the exam hall naturally drew a lot of attention.
From the moment Yan Xue entered, she was watched all the way through. Even the proctor lingered with a few extra glances when checking her admission ticket.
She paid no mind to the stares. Once the exam papers were handed out, she focused all her heart and soul on the test.
After two lifetimes, she was finally sitting in the college entrance exam hall just as she had always wished…
