The fifth watch!

Zhang Hongmei was speechless. "You still have to fight for this?" she thought. "Yeah, there are too many people who eat standing up, so you really have to fight for it."

He took the lunchbox from Liu Jingzhang and returned to the table to sit down.

At this moment, Liu Jingze also came over carrying two lunch boxes.

"Wenhui, why did you bring your own lunch and squeeze into the cafeteria? It would be so much better if you just rested properly in the classroom."

Liu Jingze was followed by two of his classmates.

"Brother Jingze, I'm here to have dinner with you. I also brought a lot, so I'll share it with you."

The two boys behind Liu Jingze burst out laughing.

Liu Jingze simply frowned and handed the lunchbox to Zhang Hongmei.

Today's meal consisted of millet porridge, steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat, water, and vegetables.

Zhang Hongmei looked at the lunchbox of millet porridge and worried. What if she drank too much porridge and needed to go to the toilet during the exam?

Xiao Lin sat down next to Zhang Hongmei and watched the girl staring at her lunchbox with a worried expression. "Zhang, I don't have much porridge. If you can't finish it, could you share some with me?"

"Great! I was just worried I wouldn't be able to finish it." Zhang Hongmei picked up the lunchbox and poured half of it into Xiaolin's bowl. She still felt it was too much and felt embarrassed to give any to Liu Jingze, since Zheng Meinu had brought him lunch. She glanced at Liu Jingzhang's bowl and saw that he didn't have much porridge either, so she poured half of it into his bowl as well. Now there was just one bowl left, which was just right.

Liu Jingzhang returned dejectedly, forgetting about the bench, but he was happy again when he saw Zhang Hongmei pouring him porridge.

Zheng Wenhui inwardly despised Zhang Hongmei's actions, but didn't say anything. "Excuse me, classmate, I'll give you my chair."

"No need, I'll just stand. How can I let a female classmate give up her seat for me?" Liu Jingzhang still maintained his gentlemanly manners.

Zheng Wenhui sat down and opened her lunchbox, which contained rice and stir-fried cabbage. "Brother Jingze, I'll give you half."

"No need, Wenhui, this is enough for me. You can take it home and eat it. Also, you don't need to bring me food anymore. The food in the school cafeteria is hot." Liu Jingze really didn't stand on ceremony.

Zheng Wenhui just smiled and said, "Okay, I'll bring my own lunch when it gets warmer. Also, starting tomorrow, I won't bring my own lunch and will eat in the cafeteria."

Zhang Hongmei and the other three just kept eating, and no one paid attention to Liu Jingze and the others.

After finishing her porridge, Zhang Hongmei looked up and asked Liu Jingzhang, "Liu, is this enough for you? Half a steamed bun is enough for me."

“Zhang Hongmei, I’ll eat with you all the time from now on. Give me any food you can’t finish.”

Zhang Hongmei smiled, picked up a steamed bun, broke it in half, and handed it to him before eating the bun in small bites.

Seeing that Zhang Hongmei had finished eating, Liu Jingze said, "Hongmei, go back to the classroom. You have an exam this afternoon. Go and rest for a while."

"Alright, everyone, please enjoy your meal. I'll head back now."

Back in the classroom, almost all the students were back. Instead of studying like everyone else, they were slumped over their desks. After a morning of exams, they were under a lot of stress and needed a break.

When the class bell rang, the same three proctors from the morning came in.

The first subject in the afternoon was math. When the papers were handed out, Zhang Hongmei's face turned ashen. This was all advanced math; she figured many students in the class were probably crying. Seriously, Ma Wei was really something else this time.

Resigned to her fate, Zhang Hongmei began answering the questions. It took her an hour and a half to answer these eight papers, and even the half-hour check time was not very generous.

During the twenty-minute break, Zhang Hongmei was still slumped over the table when she suddenly heard a sharp female voice.

"Hmph, a top scholar, huh? Now you've been exposed, haven't you?"

Zhang Hongmei didn't even look up; arguing with such a person would lower her own standards and class.

None of the other students in the class spoke up, neither in agreement nor in defense.

The bell rang again; this was the last subject, politics.

Zhang Hongmei glanced at the exam paper and thought it was alright. Since universities now have political textbooks, Zhang Hongmei had specifically reviewed it and felt that the knowledge points covered about half of the exam.

It took me an hour and a half to finish answering the question, and I wrote more words than I did in Chinese class.

Zhang Hongmei carefully read through the entire book, making sure there weren't any sensitive words, as she didn't want to cause herself any trouble.

After handing in her exam paper, Zhang Hongmei packed her things and went home after school.

This exam is even more tiring than the college entrance exam. The college entrance exam has four subjects over two days. This one has four subjects in one day, it's really exhausting.

I saw Liu Jingze next to the bicycle.

"Hongmei, how is it?"

"Each subject contains at least a third of university-level content. But I think it's acceptable."

"That's fine, ride slowly."

"Don't worry, Brother Jingze."

Zhang Hongmei returned home. She cooked herself some noodles, too lazy to make regular noodles, so she made noodles with soybean paste, topped with shredded cucumber and carrot—delicious!

Now I can use an electric blanket. Lying in the warm quilt, I fell asleep in no time.

The next day at school, new lessons began. Zhang Hongmei followed the teacher's pace, listening attentively and taking notes.

Zheng Meinu still came over at noon, and she really didn't bring any food. Instead, she stood behind Liu Jingze and lined up to get food.

"Zhang Hongmei, how did your exam go?" Liu Jingzhang had shared a seat with Zhang Hongmei today, but he had sprained his ankle.

"It's alright, it shouldn't look too bad."

"It's alright. I heard it was really difficult. Our math teacher even gave us the test paper to do. I guess I'll just pass."

Zhang Hongmei just smiled, not knowing what to say.

The afternoon session was for literary appreciation. The professor read an essay aloud with great intonation, followed by analysis.

Zhang Hongmei really had a headache when it came to literature, but she still forced herself to listen attentively. Although the literature professor looked old-fashioned, Zhang Hongmei felt that he was particularly knowledgeable and insightful.

The second lesson was in the fields. Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "Thank goodness it's winter. If it were summer, I'd probably be sleepy. This lesson plan is just ridiculous."

Wednesday afternoon, Professor Kong's Economics class.

"Today's classes are very intense, but I'd like to say a few words first. The results will be released tomorrow, and you can see them in the display window of our teaching building. That's where all the students from our entire graduating class will have their results. I hope you're all mentally prepared."

The room was quiet. Unlike students in later generations who dared to speak up in class, everyone listened attentively.

"Alright, let's begin the lesson. Since you've chosen economics, then study it seriously."

After Professor Kong left after class, Lu Yue turned around and said to Zhang Hongmei, "I'm so nervous. So nervous."

"Me too, but being nervous won't help. There are over a thousand students in our year, and the teachers graded the papers in just two days, which shows that the school really values ​​this exam. I believe all the students are nervous, so being nervous won't help."

Wei Huaqiang also chimed in, "I'm nervous too. Zhang Hongmei, you seem to be answering the questions very easily?"

"It was alright, but I didn't feel relaxed at all. My back and waist ached after the exam."