Chapter 3 — Forgot Admission Notice

"The other person has turned on friend verification, you are not her friend yet..." "This girl, you betrayed me! How dare you block me?!" Mom sat up, her face turned pale, so angry that the mask on her face fell off. Dad didn't think it was right and waved his hand: "Probably just going to a friend's house to play. Children in their twenties, rebellious age, why are they angry? If they're hungry, they'll naturally come home, so why should I take care of them?" "No! If he's not at home, who will hand-wash Duong Duong's real silk clothes? Before I left, I specifically told him to finish washing them today!" The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, imagining a big drama. "It's definitely going to an internet cafe or hanging out with a bunch of worthless people! Does he still want to go to twelfth grade! Doesn't make anyone feel secure at all!" Mom was so angry that she flipped through the phonebook to search. I searched for half a day to find the phone number of Ms. Luu, my twelfth grade homeroom teacher, in an old parents' group. She did not hesitate to call straight over. As soon as the phone was connected, her mother scolded her like a storm: "Miss Luu! I'm To Ran's mother! I'm sorry to bother you so late. I want to ask, this damn girl hasn't come home all day today, her phone is also turned off, is she hanging out with any of the boys in your class? With this kind of study attitude, will she still take the university entrance exam next year?!" Ms. Luu on the other end of the line was clearly stunned by this continuous shouting. There was silence in the receiver for five seconds. Then, a voice filled with doubt and extreme shock came from the receiver: "To Ran's mother, what nonsense are you talking about? To Ran graduated in June of this year!" “She got 687 points in the university entrance exam this year, top 100 in the whole province, don't you know?!” 5 Mom's hand stiffened in mid-air, her fingernails stuck into the slot of the phone case. Ms. Luu's voice continued to echo in the receiver: "To Ran took the university entrance exam in June, with a total score of 687, top one hundred in the whole province. This achievement even in the history of our school's founding can still rank high. At that time, I especially praised her in the class group. The admission notice was sent out in mid-July, didn't you receive it?" Mom opened her mouth, unable to say a word. "To Ran's mother? Are you still listening?" “I heard.” Her voice seemed to be forced from deep in her throat, dry and hoarse. "Miss Liu, are you talking about my Ran Ran? To Ran?" "That's right, To Ran, class 12-2. This kid usually doesn't talk much, but his results are always very stable. In the last test, he was in the top three grades. As a mother, wouldn't you really not know?" Ms. Liu's tone changed from shock to one of unbelievable doubt. Mother did not answer. She hung up the phone. When the phone leaves your ear, the screen is still lit to indicate the call has ended. Forty-seven seconds. Dad saw that her expression was wrong, put down the wine glass and sat up: "What's wrong?" Mother turned her head to look at him, her lips trembling. “Old To, Ran Ran took the university entrance exam this year.” "What?" "Ran Ran has already graduated from high school. She got 687 points on the university entrance exam, top one hundred in the whole province." Dad's expression was like someone had poured a basin of ice water on his head, from confusing to confused, then to a kind of complexity that even he couldn't define. “No way, it's not until the new year…” “He finished his exam in June of this year!” Mother's voice suddenly rose high, carrying almost hysterical panic. "The July admission notice has already been sent to our house! We don't know anything!" The room was quiet for three seconds. The next room heard my sister's voice: "Mom? What are you two arguing about?" No one answered me. Mom jumped up from the bed, ran barefoot to the front of the suitcase, rummaged for the phone charger, and with trembling fingers dialed my number again. Turn off the machine. Call back. Turn off the machine. Call back. The subscriber you just called is currently turned off. “It blocked me.” Mom squatted on the ground, her voice suddenly became very, very soft. “It stopped us all.” Dad stood next to me, saying nothing for a long time. After a while, he spoke up, his voice not too stable: "Where is his admission notice? Did he say where he was going?" Mother raised her head, her eyes red: "He didn't say anything. At

We went, he just stood at the door, I told him to remember to take out the trash and water the plants. It said yes. Just one word, yes.” “I also told Duong Duong to tell him to take the exam next year at a better second-rate school.” The moment this sentence came out, my mother was also stunned. Next year, a second-rate school will be a little better. Her daughter scored in the top 100 in the entire province and held the admission notice from a top university in her hand. And their whole family, right in front of that door, the last thing they said to her was "try to get into a good second-rate school next year." The girl pushed the door open and walked out, wearing a cartoon headband on her head and a mask on her face. “Mom, what happened?” Mom looked at her sister and suddenly asked a question: "Duong Duong, do you know that your sister is taking the university entrance exam this year?" The girl tilted her head: “Huh? Won't you take the exam next year?" No one knows.