Chapter 4
Getting a Degree
Su Hanyan smiled and took out a few books from her luggage. Placing them on the desk, she said, “Look. I’m planning to take the entrance exam for Ye University, too.”
She was already prepared the moment she left her family’s house with her luggage. The house was a mess and full of muddy waters. How could it be more peaceful than staying in the factory dormitory?
“You plan to get into Ye University, too?” Zhu Lin was surprised. “Why?”
Back then, she wanted to get into that university purely out of spite.
She was about to get married to the man whom she had been dating for three years, but he had had a change of heart midway and gotten together with a female student, who had just graduated from the said university.
Bluntly put, it was because the man had his eyes on the other party’s high academic qualifications and brighter future.
Even though her academic qualifications were not bad, how could she compare to a graduate from a prestigious university? The moment the girl graduated, she was assigned to work in a government agency. Her future was not something ordinary people could compare to.
In a fit of pique, Zhu Lin became determined to get into that university, too.
Ye University’s degree was recognized throughout the country. If she graduated from there, she could also be considered a degree holder. Besides, she was prettier than that girl. When the time came, she would go and flex her diploma to that heartless man and make him regret it!
“For…” Su Hanyan blinked twice and looked outside the window “…my future!”
She had transmigrated into a novel set in the eighties. This novel’s original female protagonist, Lin Zhiqiu, knew how to cook delicacies and, thus, relied on selling food at street stalls and hotels to reach the peak of her life.
As for her, she did not know how to cook!
She had been pampered by her family since she was young. Her hands had never touched anything dirty, so how would she know how to cook?
It was difficult to set up a small eatery in this city in the eighties. Even if she could open one, she had no skills to cook or sell.
Moreover, in this decade, it was still a planned economy. The country had been busy tackling potential trades. For example, Han City preferred noodles over rice, while Jiang City preferred rice over noodles. By selling the noodles from Han City to Jiang City, one would be able to capitalize on the difference in price. That would be terrible for the economy since one was just playing the market.
Therefore, it was not easy to do business.
The stakes were high, but it was all or nothing. If one was not afraid, they could participate in such a business venture.
However, this was not possible for Su Hanyan. With a working-class family like hers, if they were caught, not only would they suffer, they would also implicate others.
There was only one way, and that was to take the exam and get a degree!
Furthermore, in the next thirty years, the country would grow to be more concerned about diplomas and certificates. In the future, examinations would be prerequisites.
Therefore, it was not a bad idea for her to get a degree!
Besides, she was good at studying in the real world. She should be able to handle the exams of this decade.
“Future?” Zhu Lin hurriedly asked. “What future? Isn’t our current job already good? Many people are even envious of it. Won’t it be the same in the future?”
“No!” Su Hanyan turned around to look at the girl. “Look at how much the country values scholars; they are already giving us a strong signal—the future will be an era of knowledge! Junior high school education is better than primary school education, and high school is better than junior high graduates. University students are even rarer! Times are changing quickly; how can we catch up if we don’t study? Believe me; just give it a try for now! In any case, if you manage to succeed, there’ll be better jobs awaiting you. If you don’t, you already have this one. Isn’t that right?”
Upon hearing this lengthy speech, Zhu Lin’s demotivated heart started pumping again.
The other was right. Just try taking the exam first!