After the New Year’s Day celebration, the success of the school’s event even made it to the news, and Jiang Zhenghao and his friends gained some popularity. Xu Mumu often hears people talking about the funny lines when she walks around the school.

With things easing up for Xu Mumu, Yin Yang and Huo Qingze became even busier as their graduation application exams were just under two months away.

The meeting over there was a complete success, and policies were changing rapidly.

However, many people were quietly observing, and few dared to step forward to test the waters.

Although Yin Yang and the others were busy studying, the factory over there was not a state-owned enterprise, so it was easier to make changes, but there were some people in the factory who felt anxious.

This was all expected, and Yin Yang and his group didn’t implement any specific policies, as they believed it was enough to wait and see the results. Results are the most convincing.

When Xu Mumu returned home in the evening, she received a call from back home, learning that Xu Minglei and Xu Jiaojiao, along with some others, were participating in an English speech competition, and they had been studying hard recently.

Xu Mumu was quite surprised, but there was a tape recorder at home, which Xu Minglei often used, and she had confidence in her younger brother.

As for the ones back home, there wasn’t much to worry about, as they already had a significantly higher starting point than others. Winning such a competition might earn them bonus points for their high school and college entrance exams.

The children at home had all skipped grades to the third year of middle school and were preparing for high school entrance exams in the second half of the year.

If they could achieve good results, it would be easier to attend a better high school.

Knowing they were going to participate in a competition, Xu Mumu took advantage of the weekend to take her little brother and Madam Chen to the department store to buy some materials to send back home.

The department store had a wide range of items, far more complete than other places. Xu Mumu took her brother directly to the study section.

There were plenty of English materials. Xu Mumu selected some suitable materials for the children, picked a few books on speeches, and also selected a few tapes for Xu Minglei.

"Why buy so much?" Looking at the books, Madam Chen felt a pang seeing they spent over ten yuan on this pile.

"Grandma, these are useful things. Minglei and the others are participating in a competition. Their basics are good, and since they’re participating, they should aim to win." Xu Mumu said with a smile. She was always willing to spend money on learning materials.

"What’s the point of winning? Do they give money?" Madam Chen paused and then remembered the money Xu Mumu had won, her eyes lighting up.

"I’m not sure about that; if it’s a significant prize, there might be a money award." Xu Mumu said with a smile, knowing her grandma’s focus was always on money.

In this era, there were certainly fewer participants than in future years, and winning would also be relatively easier. She had personally taught those kids their pronunciation and grammar, and she didn’t think they were inferior to others.

After buying the items, on the way back, Madam Chen called back home. She had learned how to use a phone, and although calls were expensive, Xu Mumu and the others often slipped money into her hands, so she wasn’t short on money and wasn’t as tight-fisted as before.

Xu Mumu was helping Mrs. Liu prepare lunch, and her sharp ears overheard what her grandma was saying on the phone.

It was a Saturday, so even if Xu Hai and the others had to work, Xu Minglei was still at home and received the call from his grandma.

Upon receiving the call, Xu Minglei thought that since his grandma had been gone for so long, she probably missed them and wanted to come back.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. As soon as he got on the phone, his grandma warmly inquired about the competition and then sternly reminded him to work hard during this period and preferably bring back a big prize for her.

In the kitchen, Xu Mumu’s mouth twitched. Indeed, this was the grandma she was familiar with. With the prize money hanging in front of them like a piece of fat meat, Madam Chen wished she could return and oversee the kids, making sure they studied hard every day and spent all their time on learning.

A dizzy Xu Minglei hung up the phone, wondering what was up with his grandma. What had stimulated her to suddenly show concern for his studies? Not only was she concerned about him, but also about all those grandchildren back home. She asked him to convey to Xu Jiaojiao and the others that they must be serious, and if they didn’t win a prize, she’d "care" for them one by one when she went back.

The learning materials Xu Mumu bought were mailed back to them, using a relatively fast service. With the competition date not far away, she wanted them to receive the materials soon. Even if the postal fees were steep, she didn’t hesitate to spend the money, while Madam Chen really winced at the expense.

Fortunately, when they got back, Madam Chen went off to inquire about her grandson, temporarily putting this matter aside, so she didn’t pay attention to it anymore. Otherwise, Xu Mumu would’ve had to continue listening to her complaints about squandering money.

Even Yin Yang, who was reading, heard Grandma’s words as Madam Chen’s voice was quite loud.

Other people participated in competitions for honor; Madam Chen was entirely focused on the prize money.

However, Xu Mumu’s family’s younger siblings had a solid foundation, and Xu Minglei, in particular, had that tape recorder, making English his strong subject.

They might not compare to those diplomats’ kids, but compared to others, they were already doing quite well, and winning a prize wasn’t out of the question.

Moreover, Xu Mumu sent them materials from the Imperial City; naturally, these materials were more comprehensive than those from other places. As long as they made good use of them, winning was completely possible.

After the call, although Madam Chen still didn’t fully understand what the competition was about, she even went to seek advice from Professor Song. Being a professor at Hua University, Madam Chen had come to know over time that he was very knowledgeable.

Professor Song was quite patient, explaining everything clearly that Madam Chen didn’t understand. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The purpose of the competition was fundamentally to select talents for the country, and if they were excellent enough, they might even be offered early admission to universities.

Understanding the benefits of having outstanding grandchildren, she had already tasted the sweetness and wished she could immediately return to oversee the children’s studies.

Professor Song was rather surprised to learn that Madam Chen was concerned about the competition, and didn’t expect that Xu Mumu’s siblings were taking part in it.

Participating in the competition was naturally a good thing, and even if they couldn’t win, it would still broaden their horizons.

Of course, he wouldn’t say this out loud, seeing Madam Chen ambitiously aiming for a grand prize; he didn’t know what to say.

Actually, given the current situation, there were still many outstanding children, and Hua University’s threshold was high, but many could still pass the entrance exam, which was evident.