Political Commissar Xu took the report card and sat on the sofa. Xu Yi unconsciously straightened up, looked at his grandfather, and felt extremely nervous.
If his father wanted to discipline him, it would just be a beating with a whip, which would only hurt for a moment. But his grandfather wouldn't use force to suppress him; instead, he would reason with him, which would make him even more nervous.
"Xu Yi, your grades are okay in other subjects, but your English is terrible. You didn't even pass, and you're forty points behind Gu Yun Chu, who got the highest score."
Commissar Xu was an intellectual who had attended university, a rare find in that era.
"Grandpa, I just can't understand it. English is too difficult. I can't understand what I hear, and I can't speak it correctly either."
Xu Yi was also suffering in silence; he hated English and was resistant to it from the bottom of his heart.
"Have you asked Gu Yun Chu how she learned English?"
Political Commissar Xu doesn't speak English either, but if you don't know, you can learn; if you don't understand, you should ask.
"They've been learning English from a really great teacher for a long time, every weekend. Her pronunciation is even more standard than our teacher's. She says it's some kind of London accent, but I don't understand it."
As soon as Xu Yi mentioned it, Brigade Commander Xu remembered.
"For a while, everyone was saying that Commander Gu's family had hired a diplomat to teach their child English. It caused quite a stir, but the military stepped in to resolve it."
Political Commissar Xu was unaware of this matter. He disliked listening to gossip and thought it was something only a brainless person would do.
"Yes, I heard that it was Commander Gu's wife who went to the military to find out about this. In the end, it turned out to be a rumor. The retired staff member from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had an old acquaintance with the Gu family and didn't charge them any fees."
Xu Yi's mother knew the details quite well, and at the time she remarked, "Other people's children are so lucky."
"You should also go and inquire if there are any teachers who are good at foreign languages. Find one for Xu Yi so he can cram a little. Even last-minute cramming can be effective."
Political Commissar Xu felt this was the only way; otherwise, without passing the high school entrance exam, they wouldn't even be able to get into military academy. Graduating from military academy is a completely different starting point from regular enlistment—a huge difference.
To put it simply, Gu Ye graduated from a military academy, while his son didn't get in; the two are worlds apart. They're only a few years apart, but their careers are completely different.
Commander Xu and his wife had no other choice but to search for the missing person.
Xu Yi wasn't beaten up. He took his report card back to his room, feeling uneasy. He understood that if he didn't get into military academy, everything would be much worse.
The next day, school proceeded as normal, but the atmosphere for the second-year junior high students was a bit tense.
After yesterday's parent-teacher meeting, I don't know how many people were punished, but they've all quieted down today, and classroom discipline is quite good.
After class, Xu Yi ran to Class 1 to find Gu Xuanyi, harboring a shameless idea.
"Xu Yi, you were looking for me?"
Gu Xuanyi was surprised that Xu Yi came to see him. Wasn't his family against listening to decadent music? He thought Xu Yi had come to see him because of the music.
"Brother, let's go over there and talk."
Xu Yi pulled Gu Xuanyi into the hallway, where it was quiet and deserted.
"What's wrong? Why are you being so mysterious? Aren't you not allowed to bring tapes home?"
"Brother, I'm not in the mood to talk about the tape right now. Didn't you see my grades? I'm not even in high school anymore. My family is so worried. I'm so stressed. If I don't get into the high school affiliated with our school, I'm doomed."
Gu Xuanyi didn't understand why he should ask him about the grades; he couldn't take the exam for him anyway.
"Hey bro, I wanted to ask you a question, how do you study English? I didn't even pass English, I scored forty points less than Gu Yun Chu. If I could improve my English by just twenty points, getting into high school would be a sure thing."
Brother, we've become friends through a fight, so please save me. I'll be your servant from now on, I'll repay your kindness with my life, and if that doesn't work, I'll even offer myself to you..."
Xu Yi hugged Gu Xuanyi and rambled on and on. Gu Xuanyi was disgusted, feeling that he wasn't as strong as Xu Yi and couldn't break free from him.
At that moment, he envied Liu Jiu's strength. He thought to himself, "Should I go to the same university as Liu Jiu? With Liu Jiu by my side, I'd feel safe." But then he thought about the military training and had second thoughts.
Xu Yi noticed that Gu Xuanyi was lost in thought, so he let go of his hand and asked, "Brother, what are you thinking about?"
"If Liu Jiu were here, I would have overturned you in an instant. And you offered yourself to me? I don't need that. There are no tricks to English, just read more, speak more, practice more, and you'll get better with practice."
Gu Xuanyi was telling the truth; that's how they got here.
“Reading more, I can grit my teeth and do it, but speaking more, how to speak, and with whom? You guys go to foreigners to speak English, can they even understand them?”
Xu Yi, like a curious child, bombarded him with a series of questions.
"Where are we going to find foreigners? Let's discuss it among ourselves."
Gu Xuanyi didn't even want to talk to him anymore; he was lost in thought.
"Your little one can speak English too, that's amazing. Bro, can I learn from him?"
Xu Yi looked at Gu Xuanyi, blinking his eyes, wondering what this was all about.
"Ringling..."
The school bell rang, and Gu Xuanyi quickly ran off. Xu Yi was a bit off his mind.
"Sigh, how can you be so unappreciative? I see Liang Qi and the others doing the same thing."
Xu Yi muttered to himself as he ran back to his classroom.
After a long day of classes, Liu Jiu walked home with her schoolbag on her back; she was hungry.
Xu Yi quickly finished her meal at home, grabbed her schoolbag, and ran out without even hearing her mother calling her.
"Xuanyi, open the door, someone is knocking."
Gu Xuanyi ate quickly and finished his meal first. He had just taken a sip of water.
Who arrived at this time?
Gu Xuanyi couldn't understand why they hadn't had any guests since they moved in.
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