Looking at his father's figure from the window, Li Ling waved for him to go back.
Watching his father's retreating figure, for some reason, Li Ling thought of Zhu Ziqing's essay "The Back View" in his textbook.
—"I saw him wearing a small black cloth cap, a black cloth long gown, and a dark blue cotton robe. He walked unsteadily to the edge of the railway and slowly leaned down, which was not too difficult."
But it wasn't easy for him to cross the railway tracks and climb onto the platform on the other side.
He used both hands to pull himself up, and then pulled his legs up as well.
His obese body leaned slightly to the left, showing that he was trying hard.
Then I saw his back, and tears quickly streamed down my face.
Seeing the scenes of fathers seeing their sons off from home, Li Ling felt his father's deep love.
...
At that time, there were no high-speed trains or bullet trains, and the trains were incredibly slow.
The train started moving, chugging along into the distance. Li Ling looked through the glass at the distant green mountains and white clouds.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Ling felt sleepy, hugged his military green backpack tightly, and dozed off.
The train is particularly chaotic at this time, with pickpockets and robberies frequently occurring, so you have to take your belongings with you.
After a full half-day train journey, we finally arrived in Beijing around 3 PM.
After exiting the station, Li Ling stretched his stiff body; his bones were numb from sitting for so long.
Traveling in the 1990s was truly a painful experience! Li Ling sighed inwardly.
After taking the bus to the vicinity of the drama academy, Li Ling found a decent hotel to stay in, ate noodles at a random restaurant, and then went back to the hotel and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
The professional exams start tomorrow, Wednesday, and will last for three days.
The preliminary test on Wednesday consists of a skit performance and recitation, while the final test on Thursday tests general knowledge of literature and art, film reviews, and argumentative essay writing. Each of the preliminary and final tests eliminates a large number of people.
On Friday, the final interview will be held, during which candidates will showcase their talents and answer questions from the teachers.
The basic questions include what performances the applicant has seen, what qualities they believe are required to apply to the directing department, and what advantages they possess.
Of course, there are also some teachers who deliberately make things difficult for test takers by asking them strange questions.
If you encounter a teacher like this, you're on your own.
The results will be posted on Saturday, and then the candidates will know whether they have passed or not, just like the announcement of the results of the imperial examinations in ancient times.
Li Ling had already read books related to the directing department exam long ago. With his inherited super memory from Xiao Zhuang, he had memorized all the knowledge points in his mind early on, otherwise he wouldn't be sleeping now instead of reviewing.
I had a wonderful sleep, and when I woke up it was already the next day.
Due to his powerful biological clock, Li Ling realized it was six o'clock.
After getting up, quickly washing up, locking the door, Li Ling went out for her daily 10-kilometer run.
The power of habit is truly remarkable. Li Ling feels uneasy if he doesn't run at least ten kilometers every morning after waking up.
After running, I felt completely refreshed.
I had breakfast at a street stall: a set of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) and a bowl of tofu pudding. It was a very satisfying meal.
I got back to the dorm at exactly seven o'clock, washed off the sweat, picked up my books, and reviewed the key points.
The exam started at nine o'clock. Li Ling studied until eight twenty, then changed her clothes and went out for the exam.
...
Three days later, after completing the final interview and walking out of the drama academy, Li Ling breathed a sigh of relief.
I did pretty well on the exam. I'll just have to wait for the results to come out tomorrow.
After the first two rounds of exams, very few people are taking the third round today.
Li Ling looked at the students who had just taken the exam; those who did well were elated, while those who did poorly were dejected.
Actually, after the exam, everyone basically has a good idea of what to expect, but until the final results are released, no one can guarantee that they will pass.
Li Ling, however, was quite relaxed. He performed very well and wasn't worried at all about getting into the directing department.
Of course, even if something unexpected happens, the worst outcome is simply joining the army; you have to go through this process anyway.
As for applying to the drama academy, it was simply because it was Xiao Zhuang's childhood dream, and Li Ling didn't want this dream to remain unfulfilled.
On Saturday, when the results were released, the school's posting area was crowded with students. Some of those who had seen their results were happy, while others were disappointed.
Li Ling squeezed through the crowd to the front and immediately saw Zhuang Yan's name.
It was number one!
Li Ling smiled slightly. "Xiao Zhuang, I've made this dream come true for you."
I called home from a public phone booth on the roadside, and my mother answered the phone.
Li Ling exclaimed happily, "Hey Mom, it's Zhuang'er! Yes, the results are out, and I got first place in the whole country... Haha, that's right, who is your son? Of course he's amazing!"
"Um...okay, I'll go back tomorrow. Don't worry, that's all for now."
He called Xiaoying again to share the good news. Xiaoying was also very happy. They couldn't meet this week because he was going back home. They agreed to meet at their usual place next week. After whispering a few more words, they hung up the phone.