Chapter 66: We Must All Live Out the Lives We Desire

The college entrance examination! The college entrance examination! The college entrance examination! Like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate, this long-awaited day had finally arrived.

In the eighties and nineties, the college entrance examination could truly change a person's destiny. It held the highest prestige and produced the backbone of future generations.

However, Lu Jia'er's perspective was entirely different from everyone else's. She was only taking the exam to gild herself, seeking a legitimate and open origin for her skincare products.

Therefore, her sole target was a traditional Chinese medicine academy; nothing else entered her consideration. When filling out her application, she chose only the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, the Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine, the Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine, and the Jiangsu University of Chinese Medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine—it had to be traditional Chinese medicine. There was simply no other way. Herbal medicine and the spiritual herbs of the cultivation world were, after all, both herbs; the only difference lay in whether they possessed spiritual energy or not.

With the blessing of the Qingling Pill and the subsequent consumption of an Enlightenment Pill, Lu Jia'er's memory and intelligence had both surpassed her original baseline by a factor of five.

Do not underestimate a mere fivefold increase; it was at least enough to propel Lu Jia'er instantly from the ranks of academic slackers to that of top students. Of course, she could never become an academic genius, as the genetic foundation simply wasn't there. Academic geniuses were born with extraordinary talents, just as rare as prodigies in the cultivation world.

Even so, Lu Jia'er was already immensely satisfied. Who else could truly understand the agony of an academic slacker?! Knowing full well that studying was crucial, knowing full well that learning could alter one's destiny, knowing that high academic achievement guaranteed an official livelihood and represented a golden path to success.

Yet, dammit, she simply could not learn, could not absorb the knowledge, could not master it. The crucial point was that no matter how hard you tried, it was utterly useless. Alas!

Because knowledge recognized her, but she did not recognize knowledge.

They said that diligence could make up for a lack of intelligence. Lu Jia'er had once profoundly believed in such a supreme motto. As a result, after studying diligently, frantically, and bitterly from early morning until late night for over a month, she finally discovered... it was completely useless.

Of course, it wasn't entirely useless. It was somewhat helpful for certain subjects, allowing her to at least scrape a passing grade from a failing one. But as for mathematics, physics, and chemistry—forget it. They might recognize her, but she certainly didn't recognize them, nor did she know if mathematics, physics, and chemistry found her face familiar by any chance, considering she flipped through their pages every single day!

Therefore, after taking the Qingling Pill and the Enlightenment Pill, Lu Jia'er's studying became so smooth and fluent that it felt akin to having a thoroughly satisfying bowel movement. Blissful, intensely blissful, overwhelmingly blissful, making her want to shout with joy.

On the day of the college entrance examination, aside from her examination tools, Lu Jia'er did not bring a single book as she walked into the examination hall with absolute confidence.

The fact that she was able to take the exam in Beijing was entirely thanks to Gu Fengji and Elder Gu.

Because she and Gu Fengji were married, and with their marriage certificate, the certificate issued by the military unit, and all other necessary introduction letters and documents complete and in order, the Beijing College Entrance Examination Admissions Office ultimately approved her participation in the exam right here in Beijing.

Furthermore, for three consecutive days, Lu Jia'er walked into and out of the examination hall brimming with energy and absolute confidence, completely devoid of the anxiety, nervousness, and unease displayed by other candidates. Every question presented to her was something she knew, and her answers were likely almost entirely correct.

In the evenings, she continued to visit Elder Gu's residence to perform acupuncture and apply medicine for Gu Fengrui. No matter how the two men tried to persuade her otherwise—even urging her to stay overnight at the family compound—Lu Jia'er refused.

If not for her vibrant spirits and that radiant, confident smile, Elder Gu and Gu Fengrui would certainly have worried endlessly.

Once the college entrance examination concluded, Lu Jia'er headed to Xiangshan and the Great Wall to gather herbs, staying out for five consecutive days. She would leave before dawn and return to the elder's residence after dark to administer acupuncture and medicine to Gu Fengrui.

However, she now only needed to apply the medicine for Gu Fengrui before heading home, leaving the subsequent chores to the guard. The guard was now capable of acting as her assistant, which genuinely lightened her workload considerably.

After finishing the exams, Lu Jia'er sent a letter home to report on her examination performance, once again reminding her younger siblings that she would return to pick them up as soon as her admission notice arrived.

"Xiao Lu, get me twenty bottles of each again."

On this day, she had not gone out to gather herbs and had just finished refining a fresh batch of skincare products. Fang Juan dropped by, and with a single opening remark, she requested sixty bottles right away.

"Sister Xiaojuan, didn't I hear that you're getting married?!"

Lu Jia'er found this young woman truly miraculous; she was on the verge of getting married, yet she still hadn't forgotten about doing business.

No, the impression she gave was that doing business was even more important than getting married.

Since her facial skin had healed, following the skincare and styling advice and methods provided by Lu Jia'er, this young woman had grown increasingly beautiful. Her temperament had elevated by a countless number of notches, and alongside her graceful posture, she exuded growing self-assurance.

Although she remained a female factory worker on the assembly line, anyone who laid eyes upon her refined demeanor would surely mistake her for an articulate, profound, and well-read university lecturer.

Regarding such a successful transformation, Lu Jia'er believed the credit didn't belong entirely to her; rather, the young woman was simply too adaptable, too spiritually attuned, and possessed an exceptionally high level of comprehension.

"Getting married doesn't delay my selling goods at all! Selling goods earns me money, whereas getting married simply adds a man to my life—it doesn't seem to have any other benefits."

Fang Juan blurted out without a second thought, entirely oblivious to what she had just uttered. Indeed, that was precisely how she felt.

Lu Jia'er: "..."

Wasn't this the exact mindset shared by many young women decades into the future? This young woman's ideology seemed a bit too advanced for the present era; it was hard to tell whether that was a blessing or not.

"Xiao Lu, let me tell you, this time I managed to connect with people from the film studio. After using your creams, several of them came looking for me and ordered two bottles of each kind! Heavens, you have no idea how wealthy those people really are."

Before Lu Jia'er could interject, Fang Juan excitedly shared the wonderful news that actresses from the film production studio had sought her out to purchase skincare products. Those individuals from the film studio alone had netted her over a dozen yuan in profit.

A truly massive order!

The film production studio?!

Indeed, such an organization had the highest demand for skincare and cosmetics, and the actresses adored using them. Moreover, individuals like them who applied makeup daily were the most sensitive and authoritative critics regarding skincare and cosmetics; they were practically her free brand ambassadors.

"Sister Xiaojuan, then you must cultivate a good relationship with them. Once they experience the benefits, they'll naturally promote you without realizing it. If they all vouch for it as good, you won't need to exert any effort in selling; others will proactively seek you out to buy."

This was a wonderful development.

A free pie falling straight from the sky.

Fang Juan had truly stumbled into this by sheer luck. She deserved to make money; this young woman would certainly live out her life looking precisely as she desired.

"That's why I'm asking for so many all at once this time! Oh, wait, no, I should take a few more. Let's add five more bottles to each variety."

Fang Juan's confidence was overflowing. Having immense faith in herself and Lu Jia'er's products, she suddenly found herself worrying: what would she do if Lu Jia'er stopped supplying her one day?

Better safe than sorry.

Unfortunately, her capital was insufficient; otherwise, if she could stock a hundred bottles of each cream at a time, it would easily sustain her sales for over half a year.

The freshly crafted skincare products were entirely purchased by Fang Juan, yielding yet another wave of income.

Both of them were thoroughly pleased.

"Sister Xiaojuan, since you've already made connections with people at the film production studio, have you ever thought about acting in television and movies?!"

Just as Fang Juan was about to leave, Lu Jia'er hesitated for a moment before offering this suggestion.

With Fang Juan's current appearance and presence, she was fully capable of acting in films and television dramas and would undoubtedly become a sensation.

"Xiao Lu, do you think I could become an actress?! Acting in movies and TV shows?!"

Fang Juan abruptly halted her departing footsteps, turned around with a tremor, hurried straight over to Lu Jia'er, and asked with an expression of intense excitement.

She had visited the film production studio and witnessed firsthand the actors filming movies and television shows. In truth, she felt immense envy and yearning deep within her heart.

Had anyone else uttered those words, Fang Juan certainly would not have believed them. But the person speaking was none other than Lu Jia'er.

Fang Juan had long since secretly regarded Lu Jia'er as her noble benefactor and lucky star. Every single word Lu Jia'er spoke was absorbed deeply into her heart, and every syllable was thoroughly digested in her mind.

"Why couldn't you become an actress?! Look at your image and temperament—how wonderful they are! You're tall, attractive, and as long as you are bold enough and possess a dream, there is nothing in this world that cannot be achieved."

Now it was Lu Jia'er's turn to speak with absolute earnestness. She believed that as long as one was willing to put in the effort and seized even the slightest opportunity in that direction, one could naturally climb upward step by step.

Her words caused Fang Juan to nod vigorously with excitement and agitation. What Xiao Lu said was simply wonderful.

It was fortunate that the person Fang Juan had encountered was Lu Jia'er. She had no inkling that the person sitting across from her possessed worldly experience far beyond ordinary comprehension—calling her a mentor, friend, and guiding beacon on her life's journey was no exaggeration at all.

At Fang Juan's fervent insistence, Lu Jia'er provided her with a wealth of guidance, sharing everything she knew with Fang Juan.

Consequently, shortly after Fang Juan's departure, Mother Fang arrived at the doorstep carrying a plump, fat chicken in person. Shoving the heavy bird directly into Lu Jia'er's arms, Mother Fang turned around and left immediately.

Upon leaving Lu Jia'er's place, Fang Juan had pivoted straight into her eldest aunt's house. Aside from recounting her massive profits from selling skincare products, she had also shared the suggestions Lu Jia'er had offered her.

After listening to her niece's account, Mother Fang instantly recognized that Lu Jia'er was destined to be a monumental benefactor in her niece's life. Thus, the moment her niece departed, she hurried to the chicken coop, snatched the plumpest and finest chicken, and delivered it directly to Lu Jia'er.

Caught completely off guard, Lu Jia'er could only watch as Mother Fang waddled away into the distance: "..."

Where there is a will, there is a way; Lu Jia'er firmly believed that Fang Juan's endeavor to become an actress would undoubtedly succeed.

Time flew swiftly. In the blink of an eye, nearly a month had passed since the conclusion of the college entrance examination. Lu Jia'er heard that admission notices were being distributed successively, though she had yet to learn when hers would arrive.

Regardless, she remained entirely confident.

Sure enough, less than five days later, Lu Jia'er's university admission notice arrived. Delivered bright and early by a postman brimming with joy, it was handed directly into her hands.

Receiving a university admission notice brought even greater joy than collecting a year-end bonus or celebrating the Lunar New Year; it was a profound honor.

Lu Jia'er was similarly delighted and asked the postman to wait a moment. She swiftly retrieved a large kraft paper bag she had prepared in advance and shoved it straight into his arms.

Leaving the postman no opportunity to refuse, she merely offered a few polite remarks about sharing in her good fortune so that his own household might produce more university students, and the postman accepted it with a cheerful smile.

Lu Jia'er unsealed the envelope of the admission notice, and the first sight that greeted her eyes were twelve prominent characters:

Admission Notice for Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

…………

Ahem, ahem, ahem. Who was that academic slacker? It was none other than unfortunate me! Did you think I was unaware of the importance of studying? I knew it full well, but it was useless; my brain simply wasn't wired like a top student's.

Back in the day, I truly studied diligently and earnestly from early morning until late night for over a month, only to discover that I remained utterly clueless about mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Frustrated, I gave up. However, I still believed that diligence could compensate for dullness—it was simply that my perseverance fell short.

By the way, regarding today's title: if I could live my life over again, I would choose to live like Lu Jia'er, or perhaps strive for something even more perfect, happier, and freer. I hope everyone can also live out the lives they truly desire.