All four of them were astonished; the speed and accuracy of their answers were simply too high.

Zhang Hongmei finished the first major question. Next were the true/false questions, which mainly tested basic knowledge. Zhang Hongmei quickly skimmed through them and wrote down her answers, and all of them were correct. She was even faster with the multiple-choice questions. When she got to the geometry question, Zhang Hongmei looked up at Principal Qian and said, "Principal, I need a ruler."

Zhang Hongmei took the ruler the teacher handed her and drew auxiliary lines. Suddenly, the problem became clear. Principal Qian knew that no one in the entire township had gotten this question right on the exam; it was beyond the syllabus and something they hadn't learned before. But this child had solved it correctly, and his gaze towards Zhang Hongmei became even more fervent. This was a promising student; she absolutely had to be nurtured. He'd heard that she had studied it all at home on her own.

The word problems below were even better, with simple and clear steps.

After finishing the math problem, Zhang Hongmei looked up at the time and saw that twenty-five minutes had passed. Without checking her work, she handed it directly to Principal Qian, marking the end of her exam.

She worked tirelessly on her Chinese composition. This took time; the vernacular Chinese was a bit awkward and difficult to understand, and Zhang Hongmei in her previous life hadn't been particularly fond of it. However, she had no problem with the basic knowledge. The essay topic was "I Want to Become—". Zhang Hongmei mentally drafted her essay. When writing, she had to pay attention to traditional characters and her wording, avoiding anything too radical. She also needed to express progressive ideas, especially including currently popular progressive statements, to prove that she was a good young person who sought progress.

I spent an hour answering the Chinese questions. I didn't check the earlier questions, but I read the essay from beginning to end to make sure there were no spelling mistakes or reactionary words before handing in the paper.

Actually, once Zhang Hongmei finished answering the questions, the teachers had already finished grading them. The teachers followed Zhang Hongmei's answers closely, and they knew whether she was right or wrong as soon as she finished a question.

"Zhang Hongmei, please sit here and wait a moment. We'll go and discuss this." Principal Qian and the three teachers went to the principal's office.

"Principal, where is this child from? He got 100 in math, and if we don't nitpick, he'd get full marks in Chinese too," an older teacher said excitedly.

“This child is from Liujiatun. Both her parents sacrificed their lives, and she is only ten years old now. I can tell that she is a good child, but she will not come to school after she enrolls. She will study at home and then take the exam. There is no precedent for this. If it weren't for Comrade Li from the Women's Federation's repeated requests, I would not have agreed to let her take the exam. After all, she is an orphan, and her parents were soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country, so I felt compassion for her.”

"If it weren't for your compassion, Principal, we wouldn't have discovered such a promising talent. We owe you so much." The elderly teacher, Mr. Zhang, was overwhelmed with emotion.

"Yes, Principal, special circumstances call for special measures. We can't let talent go to waste. Maybe our little place will produce a top student from a prestigious university someday." Teacher Wang also valued talent and was happy to give Zhang Hongmei a chance.

“I also think that children should learn. It doesn’t matter whether they come to school or not. But even if they do come, how much can we teach them? Others solved that geometry problem after just one look, but we know that it took the three of us two class periods to discuss it and solve it. It was still not as simple as their solution. So how are we supposed to teach them? In Chinese, you can see other people’s compositions. They write with great passion and without any mistakes. We might not be able to write like that.”

Principal Qian, seeing that his colleagues had all agreed to Zhang Hongmei's admission, also stated, "I also agree that Zhang Hongmei should come to school. Old Zhang is right; special circumstances require special treatment. Even if she weren't so outstanding, we should still help her. After all, she's an orphan now; her parents sacrificed their lives. We should take care of her in every way possible to honor those comrades who sacrificed for the country and the people. We can't decide to waive her tuition, but if three yuan a year isn't enough, how about we chip in a little?"

I agree.

I agree.

I agree.

"Since that's the case, let's make it a deal. Let's go talk to Zhang Hongmei."

The four returned to the exam office. Zhang Hongmei stood up nervously, and all four felt a sense of satisfaction. Principal Qian said, "Zhang Hongmei, after discussion among the school teachers, everyone has unanimously agreed to let you attend school. Just as you said, we will reserve your student status. You can come and take the exam. You are now eligible for further education."

Zhang Hongmei bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Principal and teachers. I will definitely study hard in the future and contribute to the country and the people."

"Good, good, good. The country and the people need talented people right now. We hope you will study hard and give back to society. If you have any difficulties in life, come to us. You will definitely become a hero like your parents."

"I promise I will not bring shame to my parents and will definitely make a contribution to society."

"Alright, we all believe in you and have high hopes for you. Come on, let's complete your enrollment procedures. You'll be a sixth-grade student from now on."

"Because you are a family member of a martyr, we discussed and decided that a few of us teachers would pay your tuition fees on your behalf."

“Principal, really, it’s not necessary. I can’t cause trouble for you or the country. I can support myself and pay my tuition. I want others to know that I can live well without their charity. Don’t worry about me. I just want to prove that I can do it.”

"Good, that's ambitious. Then you can pay three yuan for tuition. School officially starts next Monday. There's no busy farming season now, so you can come to school and get to know your classmates."

“Principal, I’ll try my best, but I don’t know if I can come. My parents’ ashes have been sent over by their comrades-in-arms, probably in the next few days. They also need to take me to the Armed Forces Department to handle the compensation issues for their sacrifice. If he doesn’t come on Monday, I will definitely come to the school. If he does come, I won’t be able to come.”

"Okay, you decide for yourself. Our school has exams every last week of the month, so you absolutely have to come."

"I understand, teacher. I definitely won't forget. And I promise I'll get good grades."

Zhang Hongmei paid three yuan for tuition and books, received her books and admission notice, her heart pounding with excitement. This was the foundation upon which she would gain a foothold in this era. She thanked the principal and teachers again before leaving the school.

Passing by the supply and marketing cooperative, I thought I'd buy something to thank Li Juying; it's not easy to owe favors. Today's rice cakes were a new arrival, so I bought two jin (1 kg), one jin per bag, just enough for Li Juying and her third auntie. It cost three yuan for one jin of grain coupons.

I can't buy too much. Given my current situation, buying something too expensive would only make people think too much.