Chapter 12 "Dream of College"

Su Xiuling is pregnant, and Yunxiangxiang takes this opportunity to ask Su Xiuling for advice on her cooking. In the previous life, Su Xiuling died of stomach cancer, and in this life, Yunxiangxiang cares a lot about her stomach and thinks she should learn some simple cooking.

Su Xiuling feels that her daughter should play the piano, paint, and write, instead of focusing on cooking. She is particularly reluctant to let her do strenuous work in the winter.

After a brief argument, Yunxiangxiang had a clever idea and called Yunlin to her, "Little Lin, Mom is pregnant with a little brother. We can't let Mom do too much work. We need to divide the household chores between us. From now on, I will clean the room and you will wipe the tables and coffee tables; I will cook, chop vegetables, and stir-fry, and you will be responsible for choosing and washing the vegetables. After the meal, we also need to do the dishes."

Yunlin looked at his sister's beautiful face and enchanting eyes, and his mind was filled with one thought: "My sister is so beautiful, whatever she says is right!"

So he nodded stupidly, "I will definitely do it!"

Su Xiuling watched with amusement from the side. However, she didn't pamper her son as much and left all the water-related tasks to Yunlin. But she wouldn't bully her son and assigned the dishwashing duty to Yun Zhibin.

Yunxiangxiang had just finished her final exams and planned to study hard to consolidate what she had learned. At that time, Zhou Wei called her, "Xiangxiang, Uncle Zhou recommended a movie to you, directed by Han Jing."

"Han Jing, the teacher?" Yunxiangxiang asked uncertainly.

"Yes, the one you're thinking of," Zhou Wei replied confidently, "This is her debut film as a director."

"Is Han Jing going to be the lead actress as well?" Yunxiangxiang continued to ask.

"No, she's only the director. They are currently looking for a female lead. I'll send you the script later. If you are willing to take it, I'll ask Han Jing to contact you," Zhou Wei explained.

Yunxiangxiang didn't expect to be given the script so directly without even speaking to Han Jing.

Ten years ago, Han Jing was a well-known international actress. She got married when her career was at its peak, but unfortunately, the marriage broke down after seven years. Three years ago, she divorced and lost custody of her child. She went abroad to further her studies. At only forty years old, she could still make a comeback, but no one expected her to venture into directing.

Being able to learn from such an experienced senior, Yunxiangxiang was immediately intrigued.

But she still wanted to carefully read the script. With Han Jing's connections, it was impossible for her to have trouble finding an actress. If she was being too picky, they wouldn't have given her the decision-making power through Zhou Wei. It was clear that the limitations of the script made it difficult for Han Jing to find an actress.

Yunxiangxiang received the scanned script from Zhou Wei and although it was not as comfortable as reading a physical copy, she still read it very carefully. The movie was called "University Dream."

It tells the story of Xia Hong, who grew up in a remote mountain area, and her journey to get an education.

Xia Hong came from a family with many children and was the fourth daughter. Her parents desperately wanted a son but were unable to have one, so she and her mother were seen as the culprits in the family and had to live very cautiously. She had a kind uncle who, by the pretext of taking care of his son, allowed Xia Hong to live with them and attend school with his son.

The school was very far from their home, requiring them to cross over mountains and walk over twelve miles of mountain roads, through a canyon, and a path through a cliff. Looking up at the mountain top, the summit was not visible; looking down at the canyon, the bottom was out of sight, with only clouds and mists swirling around the mountains, and the sound of rushing water in the valley. Standing there, their legs trembled.

However, the opportunity to study was so rare that she cherished it. Walking in the scorching hot summer felt like walking on roasted ground, and in the freezing winter, the snow and wind made her face shiver. With a near forty-degree fever, she still climbed to the school, afraid to fall behind in her studies.

Her family did not provide her with food or money, and what her uncle gave was often taken by her cousin. She often went hungry all day, even suffering from stomach spasms due to starvation. Every time she passed a bun shop at the school gate and smelled the aroma, she longed for it, standing there for a long, long time, never having eaten a meat bun in her life.

She had to do double the homework at school and was constantly bullied by her cousin, afraid that if he got upset, it would disrupt her studies.

Teachers often said that getting into university could change her fate, which she yearned for more than anyone else. Despite not achieving outstanding grades, her efforts put her at the top of her class. Her success also made her uncle increasingly dissatisfied with her cousin's behavior.

This resentment led her cousin to hate her even more. He didn't dare do the same things again after her mother caught him trying to bully her, so he resorted to other means. Knowing that Xia Hong only had one pair of pants to wear, he deliberately tore a big hole, causing Xia Hong to grit her teeth and patch it with multiple patches. Previously, he would steal a meal from Xia Hong, but now he started taking everything.

Xia Hong could only get up very early in the morning. She learned to forage in the mountains and forests, eating wild fruits, vegetables, and edible roots. She would eat whatever she could, even sneaking food to school and sometimes riskily going fishing in the mountains after school on Fridays, devouring the food without any regard for its taste.

After tasting the flavor of fish, even without any seasoning, she became fascinated. There was a river at the foot of the mountain, and she found a way to catch many aquatic products to eat. She felt that her life was finally becoming flavorful.

Finally, she managed to get into college, causing a sensation throughout the entire village. Her parents, grandmother, and uncles all felt happy for her, taking her existence seriously for the first time. Every household in the mountainous area was willing to contribute money for her, and the school, aware of her hardships, provided some assistance and made preparations to help her apply for a student loan.

The solution to the tuition fees brought golden smiles to the faces of everyone.

On the day the teachers were arranging the loan for her, her whole family went to the county seat. Her uncle asked Xia Hong if there was anything in particular that she wanted to eat, as they wanted to treat her to a meal.

She had been longing to eat buns for a long time.

So they went to the bun shop, and the first thing to arrive was a basket of soup dumplings. Xia Hong couldn't wait and took a bite, intending to warn her about the scalding soup, but the teacher just watched her, seemingly unaware, as she chewed.

Her father followed suit and ended up burning his tongue when he took a bite. Enraged, he slapped Xia Hong.

And it was just that slap that ended Xia Hong's life.

Her neck was twisted, and when she was taken to the hospital, her body was infested with parasites, a result of eating unseasoned, saltless aquatic products to fill her stomach.

For some people, college will forever be a distant, unreachable dream.