Evocative Imagery
1650 Words
chapter10
Dad actually stood firm for once: "Let her finish her exams before we talk marriage."
My aunt rolled her eyes: "A girl's youth only lasts so long! Past twenty, the offers dry up! You two won't listen? You'll regret it!"
After New Year's, February hit. Time was running out desperately short.
I hit a wall. No matter what, time wasn't enough. Anxiety gnawed at me.
The cafeteria lady stopped letting me wash dishes.
I panicked—Mom only gave me a hundred yuan for living expenses. Wouldn't last a month. The lady wiped her hands on her apron and smiled at me: "You eat all your meals here. No charge. Just focus on studying. I'm rooting for you."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
She blinked, surprised: "Thought you'd argue! Had a whole speech ready!"
I let out a short laugh that turned into tears. I bowed deeply: "Thank you!"
Her eyes reddened too. She waved me off, turning away: "Go study! If my own daughter had worked half as hard as you, I'd have sold the shirt off my back to put her through school!"
Jiang Xin saw how anxious I was.
Before evening study, she took out a sheet of scrap paper.
Drew a big tree.
"Think of a dynasty's history as this tree. The years are the trunk. All the events that happened? Those are the branches. Fill them in bit by bit... Memory's a skill. Find the method that works for you..."
She cracked my wall wide open.
I shut out everything else. Studied day and night.
June arrived.
The little gardenias by the dorm bloomed, their scent drifting on the air.
The great machine of the college entrance exams rumbled closer.
The evening of the 6th, after dinner, Jiang Xin dragged me to the school field.
Night fell, the light dimming. Half her face was lost in shadow.
"Xiaxia, if you don't make it this year... will you try again?"
"I probably won't get another chance." I clenched my hands. "Don't worry. You'll make it this time."
"But I want to go to Fudan!" She suddenly grabbed my hand. "Come on! Let's use this last minute. One more practice set!"
The exam was tomorrow. Most people were relaxing.
Few were in the classroom.
Jiang Xin pulled out a Huanggang math paper, tore it in half.
"Let's do this one! I bet this exact question shows up!"
Every second of the exam felt endless and agonizing.
Afterward, I felt completely hollow.
Walked like I was floating on air.
Packed my bags, said goodbye to Jiang Xin, and headed home.
"Thanks for making me do that paper that night."
She beamed: "Told you that question would appear!"
Dad was working construction now to support us both.
Mom still pushed her noodle cart.
I dropped my bags and went to find her. Just as she was being chased off by inspectors.
The cart was old and heavy. Pushing it uphill, her whole body strained, every strand of hair seemed to be straining.
My eyes burned. I ran forward and shoved hard from behind.
Mom turned, saw me, and her face crinkled into a smile: "All done?"
She didn’t ask how I did. That night, while sticking a medicinal patch on Dad’s back, she just said:
“Your dad and I’ll support you if you wanna go to college.”
“But don’t you dare blame us later for playin’ favorites. Once the harvest season’s over, you’re off to work.”
Turns out they never thought I’d make it.
Results day landed on Grandma’s birthday.
Chapter11
Mom was up at 5 AM, hit the market, bought a ton of groceries, and caught the earliest bus home. She was cookin’up a storm in the kitchen. Auntie was washing veggies at the gate, gossipin’
while rinsin’ a single bunch of celery for half an hour.
Dishes kept comin’ out, but Mom was still stuck in the kitchen.
Bein’ a big birthday, plenty of relatives showed.
We had three round tables goin’.
Everyone sat down, but there was no place for Mom.
Great-Aunt called from the kitchen: “Guihua, quit fussin’! Come sit!”
Grandma rapped her bowl: “Leave her be. She’s always been prickly, hates sittin’with folks.” Sister glanced at the wall clock, whisperin’: “Jie, it’s noon. Can we check scores now?”
Auntie overheard.
She scoffed: “What’s there to check? Kids bust their butts for three years and still might not make it. She ain’t exactly bright, only studied for one year. Be a miracle if she passed.”
“Think you can even scrape 300 points?”
Relatives piled on, nothin’but discouragement.
Uncle scolded Dad: “Girls oughta marry young! Why’re you lettin’her waste all that money foolin’ around?”
Auntie giggled, her fat jigglin’: “Well, he’s got no sons. What else can he do?”
Grandma’s face hardened: “You promised. If Xiaxia fails, that plot of land goes to Dabao. No backin’ out now.”
Dad’s shoulders went rigid. He handed me his old Nokia: “Go on. Check.”
Auntie cracked sunflower seeds, her voice drippin’ malice: “Xiaxia, everyone’s watchin’. Put it on speaker.”
I knew. My score wasn’t just about my future.
It was Dad’s pride. Mom’s backbone. That plot of land our family never got to use.
I took a deep breath, dialed the number, punched in the exam number burned into my brain. After an agonizing wait, a robotic voice droned:
Chinese: 121
Math: 92
English: 105
Liberal Arts: 240
Total: 548
That year, the cutoff for Tier 2 was 523. Tier 1 was 578.
My hands shook. My ears rang.
Thought I heard wrong. Hit redial.
The noisy hall fell dead silent.
Only the robotic voice echoed, cuttin’ through the air.
Sister reacted first. She threw her arms around me: “Jie! Jie! You made it! You got into Tier 2! You beat the line by 25 points! You’re amazing!”
Dad’s eyes turned red. He downed his drink in one gulp, mutterin’: “She made it … she actually made it …”
Mom was leanin’ against the doorway. I hadn’t even seen her come in.
She turned away, wipin’her eyes. Then she slid down the wall, crouchin’.
Dad walked over.
She clung to his legs, sobbin’.
Dad patted her shoulder: “Why cry? This is good news!”
“Xiaxia’s in college. We got hope now.”
Sister reached up, wipin’ my face, grinnin’: “Jie, don’t you cry too.” Was I cryin’?
I touched my cheek. It was soaked.
548 points. Might not seem like much to you smart folks.
But I’m just ordinary Zheng Xiaxia.
All my life, I gave it my all and never came first. Counted my awards on one hand.
Never solved that last math problem.
Never the kid Mom and Dad prized most. Never a single word of praise from the family.
A year ago, that foreign company slammed the door in my face.
But now? I made it.
Chapter12
Just Tier 2, maybe. But it was enough to pull me outta the mire I was stuck in.
Auntie gripped her chopsticks like she’d snap ‘em. Her smile was all teeth: “It’s only Tier 2, not some fancy university. What’s all the fuss about?”
I wiped my tears hard: “Course I’m happy! Beats 300 points, don’t it?”
“Brother One and Brother Two didn’t even make it to high school. And Didi’s got his entrance exams comin’up soon, right?”
Cousin had been glued to his game console. Now he looked annoyed: “Don’t drag me into this. School ain’t my thing.”
Auntie’s teeth practically ground to dust. She snatched the console: “Can’t you take this seriously?!”
Cousin shot back: “You never took me seriously! Uncle and Auntie moved to the city for Jie and Qiu! Why don’t you move for me?!”
Auntie fumed: “With your 300-point grades …”
“So what? Jie couldn’t even get 300 before!” Cousin kicked his chair back. “This is such a pain.” Grandma stood up shakily: “Sanbao, where you goin’? You haven’t eaten!”
“Not hungry. Too mad to eat.”
Cousin stormed out.
Grandma snapped at Auntie: “Look what you did! Boy left without eatin’! No wonder he’s so scrawny!”
Mom had pulled herself together.
I led her over, sat her in Cousin’s empty seat: “Ma, sit. Eat.”
She wiped her eyes: “But the water spinach ain’t cooked yet!”
I shot Auntie a look: “Let her do it. You’ve been workin’ all day.”
Auntie’s face changed. She opened her mouth to refuse.
Grandma glared at her: “Standin’ there like a statue? Go on! Guests are waitin’!”
Mom finally sat down, a relieved smile on her face.
I was the first Zheng kid to make it to a real university.
Among all these relatives, the best any of the young’uns had managed was a vocational college. In just ten minutes, the tune changed completely.
Congratulations and envy poured in.
Usually, at these gatherings, Uncle’s family—with their three sons—was the center of attention. Today, all eyes were on us.
“Jianjun, you got guts! Xiaxia’s in college, Qiuqiu’s a shoo-in too.”
“Two college daughters! Life’s gonna be sweet for you!”
Great-Aunt chuckled: “You’ll be drownin’in good wine every holiday now!”
Custom back home—sons-in-law bring wine for their fathers-in-law.
A cousin sighed: “No sons means no need to earn bride money! All that cash from the bride price?
You get to keep it! Makes me wish I’d had more daughters myself!”
“Yeah, a college daughter? That bride price oughta be 80,000, maybe 100,000!”
My smile faded.
Listen to that. Scary, ain’t it?
- Writer
