I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 118: The National Top Scorer

"Mom, I’m going to the post office in a bit to call and see if the college entrance exam results are out. They should be by now. The acceptance letter might have even arrived."

After helping Nolan and the others move their things into the new private hospital room, Grace glanced at the time and spoke to Irene Lynch.

"I’ll go with you. Your brother can watch things here, it’ll be fine." Irene Lynch grew excited at the news of Grace’s results.

Their family had never had a college student before.

If Grace got in, it would truly be an occasion to bring honor to the family.

"Okay. When you get back, you and my brother can go home to wash up and rest. I’ll stay here with my sister-in-law," Grace nodded.

The two of them rode their bikes to the post office.

Grace went to ask if there was any mail for her first.

"Grace Winslow, right? I think there is something. Hold on." The staff member seemed to recognize the name. After flipping through the mail for a moment, they did indeed find her letters.

"You have two letters, and it looks like a package, too. One moment."

She handed the letters to Grace, then turned and went back inside to search. A moment later, she returned carrying a package.

"Check if this is yours. If everything looks correct, you can sign for it and take it with you."

Grace checked them. One was an acceptance letter from Crestwood University, and the other appeared to be a personal letter.

As for the package, Grace knew at a glance that it was from Archer Rhys.

She took out her ID for the clerk to verify. Once everything was confirmed, she took her items. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Who are the letters from? Is one from the university?" Irene Lynch could barely read and couldn’t make out the writing no matter how long she stared.

Grace smiled and nodded. "This is the acceptance letter from the university. Mom, I got in! I got into Crestwood University!"

"You got in? HAHAHA, wonderful, wonderful, that’s great! We’ll go to the co-op in a bit and buy some candy. We can share it with the neighbors when we get back so everyone can celebrate." Irene Lynch’s eyes lit up, and an unstoppable smile spread across her face.

Grace didn’t refuse.

Still, she wanted to check her score.

She made a phone call, gave her exam admission ticket number, and got her results.

They were even better than she had imagined.

She was just shy of a perfect score.

In later years, they would have called her the top scorer in the nation.

Grace was overjoyed.

After all, this was an honor she had never even dreamed of.

It felt incredible to have all her hard work be recognized.

"Mom, let’s go back."

Grace hung up, paid for the call, and left with Irene Lynch.

The two of them went to the co-op first. Irene Lynch bought lots of candy and cookies, as well as some red paper, saying she was going to make some red envelopes.

Back at the hospital, Irene Lynch immediately shared the good news with Nolan Winslow and Lily Callahan.

They were both overjoyed at the news.

"So, did you check your score, Sis? This is the first year the college entrance exams are back. If your score is good enough, there might even be a cash prize. The county and the province will probably give out awards," Nolan said, looking at Grace with pride.

Grace thought for a moment, a little uncertain. "I suppose so? If they’re really going to give out an award, they’ll come to our house to announce it."

"True."

"Okay, Brother, you and Mom should go home now. Go get some rest. I’ll be fine staying here with my sister-in-law," Grace said, glancing at the time.

The trip to the post office had taken up a lot of time, and it was already noon.

Nolan Winslow and Irene Lynch hadn’t slept at all the previous night and had long since reached their breaking point.

"I’m not going back. Mom, you go. I can rest here just fine. I’ll just sleep for a bit," Nolan refused, shaking his head.

Grace glanced at the small sitting area. It had a sofa, and two armchairs that could be pushed together to make a bed, though it wouldn’t be very comfortable.

But Grace figured Nolan was probably worried about leaving Lily Callahan alone at the hospital and couldn’t bear to leave.

In the end, only Irene Lynch went home.

Grace stayed behind so there would be someone to help in case anything happened.

When Irene Lynch got to the bottom of her apartment building, she noticed two cars parked downstairs.

’What kind of big shot has come here?’ she wondered. ’They even came in cars.’

Having never seen them before, she couldn’t help but stare for a few moments before heading upstairs.

"Irene, you’re back? You have guests at home. They came in sedans, looking very important! You should hurry back and see what’s going on."

"That’s right! Maybe one of them has taken a liking to your Grace and is here to ask for her hand in marriage."

Irene Lynch was initially confused to hear the cars were for her family. But after hearing that last comment, her expression changed, and she rushed home.

When she got home, she found the visitors already sitting in the living room, drinking tea and chatting.

From the look on Gregory Winslow’s face, the conversation was going quite well.

Irene Lynch took a glance. They were all wearing tunic suits and looked quite distinguished; she figured they must be government officials or leaders.

They looked respectable enough.

But one of them was a bit older, looking to be in his forties or even fifties.

She frowned but didn’t say anything, merely greeting Gregory Winslow.

Seeing Irene Lynch return, Gregory Winslow stood up to greet her. "How come you’re back by yourself? Where’s our boy?"

"He’s at the hospital. And who are these gentlemen?" Irene Lynch asked Gregory Winslow in a low voice, gesturing with her eyes toward the seated guests.

"They’re officials from the county and the city. They said our Grace got the top score in the whole country on her exam and was accepted to Crestwood University. They’re here to give her an award." Gregory Winslow’s face was flushed with excitement as he spoke.

The worry in Irene Lynch’s heart finally subsided. "Oh, they’re here to give an award," she said. "I was wondering what they were here for."

"Come, let me introduce you. This is our county magistrate, Peter."

"And this is the mayor, Julian Dalton."

Gregory Winslow pulled Irene Lynch over and made the introductions.

Irene Lynch greeted them with a smile.

Everyone was very cordial.

They complimented Irene Lynch and Gregory Winslow on raising their daughter so well, then asked where Grace was.

"Grace’s sister-in-law just had her baby, so they’re at the hospital now. She went to keep her company," Irene Lynch replied with a smile.

"I see. In that case, we won’t impose any longer. We just came to deliver the award. Miss Grace has brought us great honor," Peter said, standing up and speaking graciously.

There were quite a few items on the table that they had brought with them.

Irene Lynch and Gregory Winslow politely saw their guests downstairs. They only breathed a sigh of relief after watching the cars drive away.

Interacting with such important people was rather taxing.

The moment the officials left, the neighbors couldn’t resist swarming over.

"Mr. Winslow, did some big shot take a liking to your Grace? Were they here to propose a marriage?"

"They looked so important! Were they officials from the city?"

Everyone was bursting with curiosity.

Irene Lynch retorted good-naturedly, "What do you mean, ’take a liking’? Our Grace was the top scorer in the entire country on the college entrance exam! The officials were here to give her a cash award."

"Everyone, come over to my house in a little while. I bought plenty of candy to share so you can all partake in the good fortune."