Li Jianguo, who had been standing silently by the doorway, finally spoke.
"Little Shuying, Eldest Brother and Zhao Hongmei are not entirely wrong," he said slowly. "After listening to them, even I have begun to waver. Perhaps… in my second year, I should also leave high school and look for work. Our family cannot afford to educate so many children."
As he spoke, a sudden idea seemed to strike him.
"How about this? Eldest Brother and I will find work. Jianmin and you can continue studying—and perhaps even attend university one day. Father would surely support such a decision. Later, we can ask Grandmother to allocate at least ten yuan from Father's allowance. With the four of us working, it should not be difficult to support the two of you through university."
Chen Meilan's heart stirred at the proposal. On the surface, it sounded reasonable—practical, even hopeful. Yet when she looked at her two elder sons, only seventeen and fifteen, already prepared to shoulder the burden of the family, guilt rose in her chest like a tide.
If only she were more capable, she thought bitterly. If only she could shield them from such sacrifices.
Before she could speak, Li Jianmin scoffed.
"No, I don't agree," he said firmly. "Eldest Brother and Second Brother are good at their studies. I am not. If anyone should quit, it should be me. I'll find work. I'll make sure the three of you can attend university. You must not give up."
At once, Li Jianhua and Li Jianguo spoke together.
"No. You should study hard. So what if you're not the best? We can tutor you. It is the duty of the elder brothers to support the younger ones. That is only right."
Li Jianmin flared up. "What elder brothers? I am only a few minutes younger than Second Brother! I can shoulder the family's burden just as well!"
Listening to their heated exchange, Li Shuying felt both helpless and strangely comforted. In the midst of scarcity and uncertainty, their unity was like a small fire against the cold wind. Whatever their flaws, this family loved one another deeply.
She stepped forward abruptly.
"Enough," she said, her voice clear and decisive. "No one is quitting school. Eldest Brother will go to university. And so will all of us."
Her eyes swept across her brothers, steady and resolute.
"Have you forgotten? This was the dream Father and Mother held for each of us."
At her words, everyone's gaze turned toward Chen Meilan.
Chen Meilan's eyes were already red. She had been watching her children argue—each willing to sacrifice for the others—with both pride and anguish twisting in her heart. After listening to them all, she understood one thing clearly: a decision had to be made. Her husband was still in the army. Who knew when he would be granted leave? Until then, she had to stand firm.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at her daughter.
"Shuying," she said slowly, "I am torn as well. My heart aches for your Eldest and Second Brothers. But they are not entirely wrong."
She spoke carefully, as though weighing each word.
"Your Eldest Brother is in his third year of high school. If he enters university, he will still have four years of study ahead. Your Second Brother has just begun high school. That means six more years until he finishes university. Travel expenses, tuition, food, lodging—these all require money. It will be a heavy burden on your father and me alone. And you know very well that your father's allowance is handed entirely to the main household. We cannot expect much from it."
Her voice softened.
"I think your Eldest and Second Brothers are right. They should leave school and begin searching for work."
At her conclusion, faint smiles appeared on Li Jianhua and Li Jianguo's faces. Though their hearts bled, this was the reality they had already prepared themselves to accept.
But Li Shuying would not allow it.
"Mother, how can you say that?" she exclaimed. "Today, let me tell you what it truly means to be a university student."
The room fell silent.
"A few days ago, I heard something from a classmate. Her father holds a senior position in the provincial capital. She said her elder brother was admitted to a university in Shanghai last year."
She paused deliberately, allowing the name of Shanghai to hang in the air like a distant promise.
"Do you know? His tuition is completely free. Not only that—he receives state grain rations and lives in the university dormitory without paying lodging fees."
Chen Meilan stared at her daughter in disbelief. The three brothers were equally stunned.
Free tuition? Free housing? State rations?
They understood every word individually, yet together the statement seemed unreal—too generous, almost fantastical.
Li Jianhua could not restrain himself.
"Little Sister… is that true?" he asked in astonishment. "Are there really so many benefits to being a university student? Why has no one ever told us?"
Li Shuying nodded firmly.
"It is true. But tell me—how many university students has our county produced? Even our teachers graduated from technical schools. University admissions are rare here. Naturally, few people know the details."
She turned to her eldest brother, her gaze bright.
"With your grades, you will certainly pass the college entrance examination. But what I mentioned just now is only the tip of the iceberg. Do you know the real advantage of becoming a university student?"
Everyone shook their heads instinctively.
Li Shuying smiled faintly.
"Not only are tuition, lodging, and state rations provided, but students also receive a monthly stipend—between twenty-three and twenty-five yuan. There is even a meal allowance during class hours. And once you graduate, the state assigns you a job directly."
She let that sink in before continuing.
"That means no searching for work, no begging for favors, no starting as a temporary laborer. You may be placed in a state-owned enterprise, become a cadre, or even work in a ministry. Our family's social standing would rise. Even Father could benefit in the army because of it."
Her voice was steady, yet beneath it burned fierce conviction.
Li Jianmin stood frozen, his usual lively expression replaced by stunned disbelief.
All his life, he had regarded studying as nothing more than a responsibility—an obligation imposed by teachers and parents. University and technical school had always sounded distant and prestigious, like something that belonged to the sons of cadres in the county seat, not to children from a poor rural household like theirs. It was precisely for that reason that he had never taken his studies as seriously as his two elder brothers.
But now, as Li Shuying listed the benefits one by one—free tuition, state rations, monthly stipends, guaranteed assignments—he felt as though someone had quietly lifted a curtain before his eyes.
A path he had never dared to imagine suddenly seemed real.
And with that realization came a sharp pang of regret.
Li Jianguo, still visibly shaken, broke the silence.
"Twenty-three to twenty-five yuan a month… That's nearly three hundred yuan a year," he murmured, calculating quickly in his head. "With meal allowances and state rations included… If one lives frugally, wouldn't it be possible not only to support oneself, but even to send some money home?"
Li Jianhua nodded slowly, his mind racing.
Li Shuying smiled faintly. "In the cities, university students are held in special regard—almost like soldiers in uniform. Once admitted, people often approach them to tutor their children privately. You can earn a little extra here and there. Of course, some might call it profiteering, and it's not entirely orthodox… but among university students, it is very common."
"More money…" Li Jianhua repeated under his breath, as though testing the weight of the words.
Chen Meilan, finally recovering from her shock, looked at her daughter intently.
"Little Shuying," she said slowly, "if all of this is true, then we must support your brothers in taking the college entrance examination. Isn't that so?"
This time, not only Li Shuying but all three brothers nodded without hesitation.
Especially Li Jianhua.
The heaviness that had pressed upon him earlier seemed to dissolve, replaced by something fierce and bright.
"Mother and Little Shuying are right," he said firmly. "Even if I joined the workforce as a temporary laborer, I would earn no more than ten or fifteen yuan a month. I might not even be allocated housing in the factory dormitories. Living expenses would increase, and whatever remained of the wages and rations would hardly sustain our family."
He lifted his chin, his eyes blazing with renewed determination.
"I should return to school and focus wholeheartedly on preparing for the college entrance examination."
Then, turning to Li Shuying, his voice softened.
"I'm sorry, Little Sister. I may have spoken harshly earlier."
Li Shuying smiled warmly. "Eldest Brother, don't worry. I wasn't hurt. Your words came from kindness and a desire to support our family. I'm just glad to see you determined and no longer thinking of quitting school."
Li Jianguo straightened as well. "Then I will study hard too. I will strive for a good university and follow Eldest Brother's example."
Li Jianmin did not speak, but he nodded firmly. His heart burned with quiet resolve. He was only in his first year of high school. Three years remained. It was not too late.
He would do it.
Chen Meilan watched her children, pride and relief flooding her chest. For a brief moment, despite the drought and hardship, she felt as though their humble home had been filled with sunlight.
Just then, the crackling loudspeaker mounted on the brigade's utility pole blared across the village, its metallic echo slicing through the air:
"All production teams, attention!
Today the soil must be loosened for the autumn crops—no one may leave their post without permission!
All able-bodied laborers report immediately to the northern slope fields!
Strictly follow organizational arrangements!
Violators will be dealt with seriously!"
The warmth in the room shattered like thin ice.
Chen Meilan immediately stood.
"I must go," she said briskly. "I already took half a day's leave to send a letter to your father. I cannot delay any longer."
She turned to her eldest son. "Jianhua, begin your studies at once."
Then to her daughter. "Little Shuying, you rest. You've just recovered from a fever. You must not overexert yourself."
Finally, she addressed the two younger boys. "Jianguo, Jianmin, come with me to the fields. There is much work to be done."
They responded with obedient nods. In this era, the production team's call was absolute; to disobey was to invite public criticism—or worse.
As they moved toward the door, Li Shuying suddenly remembered—
Her mother had not even eaten lunch.
The morning's confrontation with Zhao Hongmei and Wang Chunhua had consumed all their time and energy. Now, with the brigade leader's stern announcement echoing across the village, there was no room for delay, no space for hunger.
She watched helplessly as her mother, followed by her second and third brothers, stepped out into the harsh afternoon light, their figures soon swallowed by the dusty path leading toward the northern slope.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
On the other side of the village, Zhao Hongmei's face was dark with suppressed fury.
Though she did not know what had transpired at Li Shuying's place after she and her grandmother left, the image of that girl's calm, unwavering gaze lingered in her mind like a thorn beneath the skin.
She was very familiar with the gaze, it was same as what she remembered from her past life.
That composure unsettled Zhao Hongmei more than open hostility ever could.
She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.
Now she just hoped Li Jianhua stands on his grounds.
Li Jianhua must not return to school.
He must abandon the illusion of university.
In her heart, she repeated it like a silent incantation. If he entered university, everything would deviate from the path she had painstakingly laid out. The balance would collapse. The advantages she held would diminish.
Just as that anxious thought formed, a heavy, mechanical voice echoed abruptly in her mind—cold, emotionless, devoid of human warmth.
[Mission Failed…]
Zhao Hongmei froze mid-step.
The metallic tone reverberated again, each word striking like iron against stone.
[Li Jianhua insists on attending college. Host failed to complete the mission.]
A sharp chill ran down her spine.
Then came the final judgment:
[Penalty enforced. Protagonist Halo decreased by 10 points. Remaining Protagonist Halo: 12/500.]
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt.
Zhao Hongmei's breath hitched. Her vision blurred as a faint dizziness swept over her. Twelve… only twelve points left?
Her fingers trembled.