August 30th is the first day of school at No. 1 Middle School.
The tuition fee was three dollars and fifty cents, and before 1981, junior high school and high school were both two-year programs. Four years later, the college entrance examination was resumed. If nothing unexpected happened, Zhang Qiurui could go to college at the age of fifteen.
After her third brother paid their tuition, received their new books, met with their homeroom teacher and asked the teacher to take good care of them, Zhang Wenmin hurried to work at the shoe factory.
There are only two classes in the first grade of No. 1 Middle School, with about sixty students in each class. She and Mingqi were assigned to Class 1.
When I arrived at the classroom, many students were already cleaning the classroom. Some were sitting alone in their seats, flipping through the new books in their hands, their faces filled with desire for knowledge and longing for a new life.
Zhang Mingqi was slightly taller, so he chose to sit in the back row by the window.
After a while, more and more students came into Class 1, and the head teacher Li Xin walked into the classroom. She was a young female teacher with a gentle face, and her eyes revealed her care and expectations for her students.
Li Xin stood on the podium, looked around the classroom, and said with a smile, "Students, welcome to No. 1 Middle School. This will be the place where your dreams begin. We will spend the next two years of junior high school together. I hope you will cherish this time, study hard, and make progress together."
Teacher Li then called the roll, inviting each student to introduce themselves. Some shyly, some confidently, they took to the podium, sharing their names, interests, and aspirations for the future.
Even the head teacher looked at everyone's height and reallocated their seats, and they were placed in the second to last row of the third group.
Zhang Qiurui smelled the scent of ink from the new books. It was the smell of knowledge and the breath of hope.
In 1975, the first-year junior high school curriculum was Chinese, mathematics, and English as the main subjects, with minor courses such as politics, history, geography, biology, physical education, and music.
In the second year of junior high school, physics will be added to these courses.
Zhang Qiurui looked through the textbooks of these courses and found them not difficult. After all, she was a graduate of a 211 university. She just had to review the courses for this junior high school, remember what she needed to memorize, and she would have learned most of them.
Chinese and English are her strong points. As for mathematics, she found that the questions were not as complicated as those in later generations. As long as she applied the formulas and calculated carefully, they could basically be solved.
For her, courses such as politics, history, geography, and biology are more like revisiting old memories. She has a more macro and in-depth understanding of these basic subject knowledge.
Zhang Qiurui secretly felt fortunate. Although she accidentally traveled back to the 1970s, this knowledge reserve from the future became her most valuable asset.
"Hello, my name is Wang Shi, and I'm from Sha County."
"Hello, my name is Zhou Tan, and I'm also from Sha County."
At this time, the two boys in the last row behind Zhang Qiurui gently patted Zhang Qiurui and her aunt and nephew and introduced them to each other.
"Hello, my name is Zhang Qiurui, from the Zhangli Village Production Brigade. We'll be classmates from now on. Please give me your guidance."
"Hello, my name is Zhang Mingqi, from the Zhangli Village Production Brigade. I'd appreciate your guidance in the future."
"It's not really about guidance. We are just learning from each other and making progress together. You two are from the production team of Zhangli Village, and your surname is Zhang. Are you relatives?" Wang Shi met a new classmate today. The atmosphere was harmonious, and he couldn't help but smile and asked.
"Oh! We are aunt and niece. Mingqi is one year older than me."
"I see."
"The seats have been arranged and everyone knows each other. Now it's time to elect the class monitor and vice-class monitor. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer for these two positions?" At this time, the head teacher Li Xin began to select class leaders.
In this era, there are not many entertainment activities, so there is no need to select so many class leaders. Most of the time, they choose class monitors and deputy class monitors to manage the daily affairs of the class for the teacher. In addition, each subject teacher will select class representatives to be responsible for collecting and sending homework, and communicating with the teacher about learning progress and difficult problems.
The classroom was silent. The students either lowered their heads in thought or glanced around secretly, as if they were weighing whether they were suitable for this responsibility, or hesitating whether to take this brave step.
Seeing this, Li Xin smiled and encouraged them, "Students, being a class leader is not only a way to exercise your abilities, but also a way to contribute to the class. Don't be afraid of challenges, and stand up bravely."
"Teacher, I recommend Zhang Mingqi to be the class monitor.
Zhang Mingqi was an excellent student in elementary school. He is honest, enthusiastic, cheerful and helpful.
I believe that if Zhang Mingqi can serve as the class monitor, she will be able to help the teacher share the worries and solve the problems.
I strongly recommend Zhang Mingqi for the important position of class monitor. At this moment, Zhang Qiurui's eyes flashed, and she immediately stood up and recommended Mingqi for the position.
If Mingqi becomes the class monitor in the future, she will be entangled with trivial matters in the class, so the time Mingqi spends watching her and staying with her will naturally be reduced, making it more convenient for her to do her own things.
Originally, Zhang Qiurui didn't want to be in the same class with Mingqi, but her third brother disagreed, saying that if the aunt and niece were in the same class, they could take care of each other and that she couldn't win.
Zhang Qiurui's mind began to form a plan. A subtle smile appeared on her lips.
"Classmate Zhang... Zhang Mingqi, are you willing to be the class monitor?" Li Xin looked at Zhang Qiurui in surprise. She had seen people volunteering to be class leaders, but she had never seen anyone recommend others to be class leaders. This immediately left an impression on Li Xin.
"I... do." Zhang Mingqi blushed when she heard the head teacher call her name. After her aunt pulled her clothes, she mustered up the courage and answered in a soft but firm voice.
Everyone's eyes in the classroom were focused on Zhang Mingqi, as if at this moment, she had become the center of the entire classroom.
At this moment, Zhang Mingqi was nervous, excited and frightened. She was nervous because she had never thought that she would be in such a position and become the class monitor.
What’s exciting is that this is a recognition of her ability and sense of responsibility, and an important attempt in her growth path.
She was afraid because she knew that the position of class monitor was a heavy responsibility. Not only did she have to set a good example, but she also had to coordinate relationships among classmates and solve various possible problems. She didn't know if she could do it and whether she would disappoint the teacher's expectations.
"Is there anyone who can recommend or volunteer for the position of deputy monitor? If no one is available, then let..."
"Teacher, it's not tiring to work with men and women together. If Mingqi is chosen as the monitor, then it would be more appropriate to choose a boy as the deputy monitor.
"I just met two male classmates, Wang Shi and Zhou Tan. They're both generous and cheerful, and they're from Sha County. It's quite appropriate for one of them to be deputy monitor." Zhang Qiurui seemed to have predicted that Li Xin wanted her to be deputy monitor. She quickly stood up and pushed Wang Shi and Zhou Tan out.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com