Above is the story of the college entrance exam that my father told me.

In 2002, it was my turn to take the college entrance exam.

My father was even more nervous than I was.

Because he was the first college graduate from our village, his achievement was directly recorded in the county annals, making him a true "phoenix man" (someone who rises from humble beginnings).

My father had a high opinion of himself and believed that I would follow in his footsteps, becoming the first master's, doctoral, and even academician in our village.

But I became interested in drawing symbols, reciting incantations, practicing meditation, and refining elixirs, gradually resembling more of a Taoist priest.

This made my father, who had a background in chemical engineering, feel devastated. He even doubted if I was his biological child.

He worried that if I failed the exam, the intelligent bloodline in him would come to an end.

Later, I changed my path and started studying painting. With the brushwork I developed from drawing symbols, I unexpectedly gained admission to a university's design program.

My father finally let go of the worry that had burdened him for over a decade. He bought a red T-shirt and proudly took me back to our hometown, returning in glory.

He arranged several tables in my grandmother's courtyard and invited everyone to a meal.

He said it was for me to experience what it feels like to go unnoticed during ten years of studying and then become famous in the whole village.

The villagers also said, "Don't judge Jinjiao by his foolishness; he's just as talented in academics as his father."

I also heard that since I was studying painting, a group of widows and widowers brought photos of their deceased spouses, asking me to paint their portraits. My father quickly sent them away, saying that I was a designer and not a painter.

I felt somewhat embarrassed. Especially, I didn't like my father showing off here.

At that time, the value of being a college student had already decreased. Many college students from our village graduated each year, and I didn't understand what there was to show off about.

My grandmother said, "You don't know how difficult it was to go to college back then. Your father brought you all into the city, and you have to go further, to the big cities. Then, in the future, when you have children, they will go abroad to study. Generations after generations, that's how things change."

I didn't know about my father's experience of going to college, so I asked him about it.

My father got drunk and became excited when he heard my question.

On that slightly chilly summer night, my father held a bottle of alcohol and told me about the strange things he encountered during his college entrance exam year.