Chapter 1 — Forgot Admission Notice

1 The party to celebrate my sister passing the exam was held on June 25, the day I received my university entrance exam scores. The hotel lobby hung a banner: "Warm congratulations to To Duong Duong for achieving eighth place in the entire district and entering a key high school!" Balloons, fresh flowers, a special cake ordered by dad, on top of which four words "Golden Name List" were written with cream. I sat on the chair in the corner of the room, my phone suddenly lit up. Message from the Provincial Department of Education: university entrance exam score 687 points, ranked in the top 100 in the entire province. I quietly placed the phone face down on the table. The third uncle at the table patted his head and asked: "Ran Ran, I remember you taking the university entrance exam this year, right?" Mom held a glass of wine and smiled and answered for me: "Hey, it's still very early, the university entrance exam will be next year." The chopsticks in my hand stopped. June 7 and 8, Literature, Math, English, Natural Combinations, two days, four subjects. I set my own alarm, took the car to the test site, and returned by myself. The day the exam was over, my mother just sent me a text message: "Wake up early tomorrow, I have to go book a place for a party to celebrate Duong Duong passing high school." I lowered my head again, picked up a piece of food, but didn't taste anything. That night, I returned to my room alone, opened the application registration system, and filled in the first wish for the most prestigious school. Distance from home: one thousand three hundred kilometers. …… The entire first floor lobby of Hong Van restaurant was generously covered by my father. In the lobby hung an extremely eye-catching red banner: "Warm congratulations to To Duong Duong for achieving eighth place in the entire district and entering a key high school in the city!" Right now, I'm sitting at the farthest table in the corner. This table is all distant relatives who are not too close, and the surrounding is noisy and bustling. The adults took turns coming forward to offer their little sister a drink and stuffing her with a red envelope. The compliments continued endlessly, and could still be heard clearly from three tables away. "This child Duong Duong has been smart since he was little, now he has entered an important high school, and in the future he will definitely be Thanh Hoa Bac Dai kindergarten!" "What's more, Mr. To's family has truly honored their ancestors this time. This girl has the same mind as you and your husband, she is extremely intelligent!" Dad's face was rosy, holding a glass of wine, boasting as if he were talking about his family's treasure: "This girl, Duong Duong, really makes people feel secure. In the eighth grade, with just a little effort, she won first prize in the city-level Math Olympiad. This time, she has excelled even more in the high school entrance exam. Because of her three years, her mother and I have been mentally prepared to take care of her comprehensively..." At this moment, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated. I opened the screen. This is a message sent from the Provincial Department of Education and Testing. “To Ran, my university entrance exam scores are: Literature 132, Math 145, English 142, Natural Combinations 268, total score 687. Ranked in the top 100 in the whole province.” I stared at those short lines for half a minute. After that, I calmly turned off the screen, turned the phone face down, the screen facing the table covered with a red towel. The third uncle at the table probably drank too much, his cheeks were red. He suddenly patted his head, passed everyone, and turned to look at me. "Wow, look at your mind! Ran Ran, you remember that I also took the university entrance exam this year, right? The scores are out today, the results should be out, right? How was the exam? Have you passed the university entrance exam yet?" This noisy table suddenly fell into three seconds of strange silence. The smile on my father's face stiffened, his eyes flashed with confusion, as if he was frantically searching his mind to see what grade I was in. The younger sister blinked and turned to look at her mother. Mom walked over with a glass of wine and very naturally continued: "Oh, my brother-in-law remembered wrong! Our Ran Ran family will take the university entrance exam next year. Today is the main stage of our Duong Duong, come on, let's have a drink!" The chopsticks in my hand were suspended in mid-air, frozen. Two days, four subjects. I set my alarm for five thirty in the morning. He reheated the leftover cold rice from the night before, walked to the apartment gate, scanned the code on a shared bicycle, rode to the subway station, then sat ten stops to the test site. At noon, the other contestants had their parents bring them meals and book a room to rest

hours, or impatiently standing at the school gate handing out a bottle of cold water. As for me, I bought a discounted rice ball at the convenience store opposite the test site, sat under the shade of a tree on the side of the road, and swallowed it with a bottle of filtered water that I brought with me. That afternoon, after finishing my final English exam, I returned home and there was no one in the house. It wasn't until nine o'clock at night that my mother sent me a message on WeChat: "Get up early tomorrow, clean the house, then go with me to the hotel to set up a party to celebrate Duong Duong passing high school, don't oversleep!" My third uncle smiled wryly, followed his mother's instructions and went down the stairs: "That's it, I remembered wrongly. Next year Ran Ran will also give the family a valedictorian exam!" I lowered my head again, picked up a piece of cold mixed cucumber and put it in my mouth. In this house, being ignored is a daily occurrence. When the party ended, it was ten o'clock at night. Mom paid at the front desk, conveniently threw me a cloth bag containing a red envelope, and told me to check my relatives' congratulatory money. I sat on the sofa in the lobby, opened each envelope, and wrote the amount of money in the red book my mother gave me. The eldest boy celebrates one thousand six, the second aunt celebrates eight hundred, and the youngest aunt celebrates one thousand. When I turned to the last page of the notebook, my mother turned around and said: "The envelope the adults gave you also counts as a gift to congratulate Duong Duong on passing high school." I was a little stunned. When my third uncle left, he clearly stuffed a thick envelope into my hand, patted my shoulder and said: "Ran Ran, take this and buy some delicious food to eat. The twelfth grade is hard, you have to nourish your mind." In that envelope there were two thousand yuan. Now, it has become a stepping stone for girls to enter key high schools. I quietly closed the book, folded the money neatly and put it in my mother's bag. When I got home, my parents were still excitedly calculating how much money they would receive today, while my sister next to me was chirping and asking for the latest tablet. I didn't pay attention to them, went straight to my room, locked the door. I turned on the old computer and just turned on the fan, which made a loud rumbling sound, and logged into the registration system. In the first wish box, I did not choose any prestigious school in the province, even though with my score, I could freely choose any university in the entire province. I applied to the top university in the South. Distance from home: one thousand three hundred kilometers. Taking the high-speed train takes ten hours, taking the blue hard chair train takes twenty-four hours. Click "Submit", "Confirm". I looked at the words "Registration successful" appearing on the screen and let out a long breath. The light from the computer screen shone on my face, and I suddenly felt relief like never before. 2 After the high school passing celebration ended, the house completely entered a state of highest level combat preparation. The topic on the dinner table every day forever revolves around "City's Number One School", "following care", "nutritious meals". On the weekend morning, my father's excited voice rang out in the living room. "Wife, what do you think about this house in the school district? Two bedrooms, fully decorated, right in the area opposite City Number One School, only a ten-minute walk. Duong Duong can go home and take a nap at noon, it's convenient for us to take care of it there." Mom stopped to look at the tablet screen and nodded repeatedly: "This room is good, the light is clear. But the bed in Duong Duong's room must be changed to real wood, her neck is not good, she can't sleep on a mattress that is too soft." "That's right, is the kitchen large? The three years of high school are a crucial period, every day I have to stew brain-boosting soup for her. The kitchen is too small and I can't manage it." They sat on the sofa, discussing very enthusiastically, as if they were planning a major project worth several hundred million. I walked past them, dad didn't even lift his eyelids. “But the rent for this house is not cheap, it costs four and a half thousand a month.” Dad clicked his tongue, seemingly calculating. Without hesitation, Mother decided: "Because of Duong Duong's achievements, even if she breaks pots and sells iron, she still has to rent! Besides, it's not like we can't afford to pay for this old house. Ran Ran can live alone in this old house. Next year she'll be in twelfth grade, no matter where she goes to study, she won't be studying.

It's old and still quiet.” I stopped walking, standing in the darkness in the hallway. So, in their plan, there was no such thing as me. “That's right.” Dad nodded, finally turning his head to look at me. “Ran Ran, did you hear that? We will move there early next month. When you're home alone, you have to understand things a bit. You're also a twelfth grader, so don't bother others. Don't make us worry about you." I didn't object, just a faint "yes". July 15 is a normal Tuesday. The phone rang, it was a call from the postal delivery staff: "It's To Ran, right?" Your college admission notice has arrived, bring your ID down to sign it." I hung up the phone, didn't even have time to change my slippers, and rushed downstairs. When I received the thick red envelope with a gold-plated badge printed on it from the delivery staff, my hand couldn't help but tremble slightly. Opening the envelope, inside was a delicate admission notice. My name is clearly printed on it, along with the name of the top university in the top three in the country. Returning home, I placed the acceptance notice in the middle of the most prominent tea table in the living room. In my heart, I still kept an extremely small and funny glimmer of hope. I wanted to see, if they saw it, how they would react. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the main door rang. Parents brought their younger sister back carrying big bags and small bags. “Oh, I'm so tired, it's such a hot day.” Mom lamented while changing her shoes and conveniently threw the two bags in her hand straight onto the tea table. Coincidentally, the bottom of the shopping bag fit right on top of the red envelope containing the acceptance notice. “Ran Ran! Quickly come here and help mom put the newly bought sheets and pillowcases into the washing machine!" Mom shouted loudly at the entrance. I stood in the corner of the hallway, looking at the messy pile of things on the tea table. At that moment, the last bit of hope in my heart was like being extinguished by a basin of ice water. I went out, calmly pushed aside the miscellaneous items on the tea table, and pulled out the acceptance notice. Mom turned her head to look at me, frowned and said: "What kind of random advertisement is that?" Hurry up and throw it away, tonight we'll take Duong Duong out to eat Japanese food, you can fry rice yourself for a temporary meal. You're in twelfth grade, stop eating the junk from outside." "Yes." I said. I didn't say anything more, returned to my room, and carefully put the acceptance notice in the deepest part of the drawer. 3 At the end of August, less than a week until my sister starts school at a key high school. The house rented for taking care of has been cleaned and all household appliances have been moved there. That night, while eating dinner, Dad excitedly announced a decision. “Duong Duong, I decided that while school hasn't started yet, let's go to Sanya for the whole family to relax comfortably! I've booked the plane tickets and the five-star hotel, leaving tomorrow afternoon!" The younger sister shouted, rushing to hug her father's neck: