Chapter 73: Acceptance Letter

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Acceptance Letter

[Actually, the original host also wanted to take the college entrance examination. However, on the day before the exam, Granny Zhang deliberately taught Tuantuan how to swim. Tuantuan ran a high fever that night. The original host stayed up all night to take care of the child, and because no one woke her up the next morning, she missed it.]

After this incident, the original host completely lost hope in life. She fell into a deep depression and passed away from overwork and illness shortly after.

Deng Yuyuan felt it was a pity. The small wooden tablet she had carved for her didn’t have any words on it. If she had known, she would have tried bringing it into the examination hall so the original host could experience the exam atmosphere too.

[...That’s really not necessary.]

"Look on the bright side. The original host realized back then that living in this family wasn’t the right choice. She tried to escape and failed, but her consciousness awakened," Deng Yuyuan consoled the AI customer service. "If she were born in our era, marrying a scumbag would only be considered a minor setback in life. As long as you get out in time, even if you have a child, there are still opportunities for change."

It wasn’t that the original host was too cowardly; it was that Zhang Jiahua simply didn’t deserve her bravery. When she had mustered the courage to make a choice at the crossroads of destiny for the very first time, she was met with a crushing defeat.

"If you had sent me here earlier, maybe I could have tried to help her. In that kind of situation, if even just one person had truly had her back, she definitely could have persevered." Deng Yuyuan sighed. "The original host was actually a very resilient little girl."

[QAQ I’m so moved I could cry! Such a good woman. Marry me.]

Deng Yuyuan thought, "I’ll pass."

An AI-generated image slowly unfolded in front of Deng Yuyuan. It depicted a black egg wearing a wedding dress and holding a bouquet of tulle flowers, complete with a pair of teary, pathetic eyes. Deng Yuyuan silently closed her eyes.

Tuantuan was sharp-eyed. She was sitting in the arms of the village head’s wife, but her peripheral vision remained fixed on her mother. Seeing this, she shouted out loud, "Granny, Tuantuan wants to get down! Mommy fell asleep."

No, Mommy had not passed on.

After finishing their exams, the educated youths no longer needed to go to work in the fields. They chatted animatedly, discussing how to spend the upcoming Spring Festival and what New Year goods to buy.

Meng Deyin had already cooked a large table full of dishes and invited the village head and his wife to stay for dinner. The elderly couple didn’t decline, and the meal was filled with joy and harmony.

Tuantuan had her head buried in her bowl, stuffing her mouth with white rice. With grains of rice stuck to both of her small hands, she tilted her head and said to her mother, "Mommy, even though this rice is all white, it’s not as yummy as the ugly rice you make. But Tuantuan still wants to eat the white rice. The ones you make are just too ugly! Tuantuan’s eyes can’t take it."

Deng Yuyuan’s smile stiffened.

Having an excellent appetite, Tuantuan finished her meal in no time. She clumsily scraped her bowl clean with a spoon, then expertly wiped her own face with both hands, shoving any stray rice grains from her cheeks into her mouth. Finally, she solemnly announced, "Tuantuan is full!"

She curled herself into a little ball, wiggled her round bottom, and inched her way down from the chair before running off to play with the baby chicks. She even knew how to make excuses for her behavior. "Mommy, I haven’t seen the chickies in so long. I’ll go see the chickies first, then I’ll wash my bowl!"

The village head’s wife praised, "Tuantuan is so full of energy! My eldest daughter-in-law is always begging me to ask you for advice on how you raise your child to be so plump and blessed. She eats well and runs fast, and she’s much sturdier than ordinary two-year-olds. When Tuantuan was first born, she was as small as a kitten, but now she’s even bigger than Shi Tou."

Deng Yuyuan smiled gently. "Eating well naturally makes her plump. During the day, I take her out to run around more and have her do some chores. Not only does it make her eat more, but she also sleeps soundly at night."

"Such a young child... can she do it properly?" The village head’s wife frowned in confusion. "Won’t she break the bowl and cut herself when she washes it later?"

Deng Yuyuan remained completely calm. "The small bowl Tuantuan washes is a wooden one I made myself. I sanded and polished it meticulously. When she washes it, she uses her own little basin. An adult pours the water for her, and she squats on the ground to wash it. Having her wash the bowl is just to exercise her abilities. I read in a book that children raised this way will be more responsible."

The village head’s wife nodded in understanding. Indeed, Tuantuan was unique in the village. She was mischievous but never threw unreasonable tantrums, and she had a sense of propriety in everything she did. Fubao was the most obedient child in the village, but she often acted too much like a little adult. Tuantuan was still the funniest; she would constantly pretend to be a little adult, only to end up causing all sorts of hilarious mishaps.

Even though she was just a child, she made the adults who cared for her feel full of energy and motivation, keeping their minds broad and cheerful.

Meng Deyin chimed in, "I haven’t collected the eggs for the past few days. Tuantuan should have a great time collecting them tonight.

"When we go back in the future, it won’t be convenient to raise chickens in the city. We could raise a few quails for Tuantuan instead; they lay eggs quickly too. However, the courtyard at my house is very large. You can come to my house to raise chickens and ducks."

The village head and his wife were even faster to look up than Deng Yuyuan. Their eyes locked onto the two of them, and only after confirming there was no romantic tension in the air did they heave a sigh of relief.

This was bad! Compared to their son, this pursuer was highly educated, exceptionally wealthy, and incredibly handsome. Although he used to carry the spoiled air of a rich young master, he had become grounded after two years of working in the countryside, and he treated Tuantuan better and better. Once Deng Yuyuan opened her eyes to reality, where would there be any room left for their son? Little Hao really needed to work harder. He couldn’t let his soon-to-be wife and daughter be snatched away by someone else!

After dinner, two male educated youths teamed up to drive the ox cart, escorting the village head and his wife back home before walking back together.

This Spring Festival was vastly different from previous years. Harboring dreams of a clear and bright future, everyone welcomed the new year with laughter and joy amidst the crackling of firecrackers.

Just like in previous years, Deng Yuyuan burned paper clothes and joss paper to pay respects to the original host during the holidays.

[It’s actually useless.]

"You’re not the original host, so how do you know it’s useless?" Deng Yuyuan rolled her eyes. "I managed to transmigrate here, so who knows if the underworlds would take in her ghost? If this physical body had actually died, her relatives would at least still burn offerings for her. Since I occupied her body, naturally no one will include her share during Tomb-Sweeping Day. This is what I owe her."

Deng Yuyuan thought that she wouldn’t just burn offerings on Tomb-Sweeping Day; she would burn them on every good day and for every joyous occasion. The original host was now a wandering ghost. Just as orphans were easily bullied, the days of a wandering spirit were definitely not easy. If she burned more offerings, the other ghosts would know that the original host still had someone thinking of her, and they wouldn’t bully her.

Deng Yuyuan muttered to herself, "If you’re missing anything or getting bullied, just visit me in my dreams. If you need things, I’ll burn them for you. If you get bullied, I’ll go settle the score with their descendants in the living world."

After the Spring Festival in February, postmen from the town would occasionally set foot in this small village, purely to deliver university acceptance letters into the hands of the educated youths.

Since this was the first college entrance examination after its restoration, classes would begin in March. Upon receiving their acceptance letters, the educated youths would pack their bags and head off to their admitted universities or return home.

February had already reached its end by the time the once-bustling Knowledge Youth Institute was left with only Meng Deyin and the mother-daughter pair, Deng Yuyuan and Tuantuan.