Chapter 24: Lively and Superstitious
Chapter 24: Lively and Superstitious
It's Monday again, and Fang Yuenian, back at school, is being treated like royalty.
Before class, the homeroom teacher and the subject teachers asked him a few questions. Fang Yuenian's grades were average but still acceptable. With various exams approaching, everything should proceed as normal. More importantly, Cheng Bing was the top student in the grade, so it was more reassuring for him to stay in the classroom and listen to the lessons.
His classmates naturally gathered around and started talking all at once. Looking at his bruised head, they exclaimed in alarm that it would leave a scar and that the entire scarred area would be bald.
Fang Yuenian didn't care about this. Even if it really stopped growing, it wouldn't matter, right? It's not that big of a difference, and the hair on the side can cover it up and you won't be able to see it.
He now believes he must work hard to catch up and aim for the gates of No. 1 High School. He doesn't care about anything else. He listens very attentively in class. Whenever Cheng Bing sees his upright posture and the back of his head wrapped in two layers of gauze, she feels deeply comforted.
After class in the afternoon, I went to sports training as usual.
Fang Yuenian had wasted a week at home, taking all sorts of supplements. When he started exercising, he felt very light and agile. His PE teacher specifically asked him if he could run, and he answered decisively, "No problem!"
So, he put on a hat, covered his injured head, and, in a way that was both inspiring and funny, mingled into the groaning crowd and began to practice diligently.
The junior high students' dinners were postponed due to sports training. The cafeteria staff took good care of these students preparing for the exams. When they went to eat after training, the food was always hot and plentiful. Cheng Bing and Fang Yuenian often received preferential treatment when getting their food because they were good-looking, and their portions were larger.
The two of them carried their food trays to a table and sat down. Fang Yuenian had just finished running and was covered in sweat. He wiped it off when he got back to the dormitory and had Cheng Bing re-bandage his bandages, which took up a lot of time. Now he was starving and didn't even have time to talk before wolfing down his food.
Cheng Bing stared at him like that, and after a long while, she finally reminded him, "Could you eat a little slower?"
Fang Yuenian looked up at him, blinked twice, swallowed the food in her mouth with difficulty, and explained, "I haven't had this much training in a week, I'm really hungry."
Cheng Bing said, "I told you to eat slower, not to eat less."
Fang Yuenian pouted and reluctantly slowed down the speed at which she swept the rice into her mouth.
While eating, Cheng Bing continued to talk about studies, saying, "I've corrected your math test from last week. There were a few key points the teacher highlighted last night, and I'll go over them with you before our evening tutoring session."
"Okay, but won't you be too lenient with me when grading my papers? You can't just go easy on me to give me confidence; I have to rely on myself..."
You only got 82 points.
The tone clearly implied, "If this score is something I let slide, why did you even get into the top high school?"
Fang Yuenian almost choked on a slice of cucumber in his mouth. He put on a stern face and tentatively asked, "How many people in the class scored above 90?"
Cheng Bing replied, "Seven or eight, I guess."
Fang Yuenian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
"There was a proof question above that was a typical question that the teacher had talked about before. You got the first step wrong, so the rest of the questions were wrong. If you had solved that question correctly, you should have gotten 90 points."
His words seemed to carry a hint of compassion and comfort.
Fang Yuenian found it both amusing and smug, and leaned closer to whisper, "Are you trying to comfort me?" But before he could get too smug, Cheng Bing immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "But there are no 'what ifs' during exams."
Fang Yuenian was discouraged, but then rallied: "It's okay! I'll never do it again!"
This person can now make tough statements on their own without needing anyone to tell them what to do; they are quite self-aware.
During the evening tutoring session, the chemistry and physics teachers took turns going over the test papers. Both tests were taken last Thursday night. Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing had completed their tests at home and hadn't had time to give them to the teachers for grading, so they could only listen to the explanations and grade themselves. Fang Yuenian gave herself a 46 out of 60, feeling that she had done quite well. When she looked around, she found that there were seven or eight other people in the class who scored above 50, not including Cheng Bing.
Hatred arose instantly on the spot.
That night, Fang stayed in his dormitory with a small flashlight hanging from his arm, diligently studying chemical equations until the early hours of the morning.
—Once you start thinking about getting something done quickly, there's never enough time, and another week passes by in no time.
On Friday, the two stayed at school and did some practice tests before packing up and going home. Cheng Bing was going to No. 1 Middle School the next day to take the entrance exam for the direct admission class, which would take up most of the day, so she had to finish some of her homework first.
This exam was no less important than the high school entrance exam, so the school took it very seriously. They specially assigned two teachers to take the four top students there, accompany them until the exam was over, and then bring them back. This way, everything would be foolproof. However, Fang Yuenian was not happy about it. Cheng Bing ordered him to do his homework at home and added, "It's about a kilometer from your house to the village committee. Rest for a while and then run back. Get up early and practice a couple of times."
"I don't need to practice the 1000 meters!" Fang Yuenian reiterated through gritted teeth as she pedaled hard. "I can get a perfect score every time!"
Cheng Bing said, "It's not about improving your running performance. The exam is next weekend, so you can't stop training even at home."
Fang Yuenian dared not speak her anger: "Fine—" It's a waste of your talent that you're not going to be a teacher. You were born to manage students.
Cheng Bing ignored his resentment and rode her bike with peace of mind.
He was in a good mood.
The weather was lovely this afternoon. The sunset painted the sky with vibrant colors, and the surface of a nearby body of water shimmered with brilliant light. The pointed tips of the metasequoia trees along the way were bathed in a soft, warm yellow glow from the setting sun, creating a scene that was both comforting and peaceful.
Fang Yuenian is lively and energetic again.
very nice.
Fang Yuenian is not only lively and energetic, but also a bit superstitious.
He couldn't help Cheng Bing with the entrance exam for the direct admission class, and he felt uneasy. That night, he went to the temple in the back village to pray for him.
The people of Shuibiwan believe in this, and the place is always packed with people on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. But this is Fang Yuenian’s first time to come and properly worship. Fortunately, there is no one here at the moment, except for an old monk leaning against the gatehouse, dozing off.
He earnestly explained the current situation to the Bodhisattva, fearing the Bodhisattva might not understand. He even listed several older students from the rumored top classes at the prestigious high school, focusing only on the outstanding ones. He said that once they entered the top classes, they studied diligently without any slackening, and sure enough, after a few years, they were admitted to good universities and became very successful. Cheng Bing had always been a promising student in the village, and he had to be as successful as them, therefore he also had to enter the top class. So, he prayed to the Bodhisattva to bless him in this exam!
He talked to the Buddha statue for a long time before he went to the gatehouse, donated some money for incense oil, and got a small peace charm.
No, this is a peace charm, it doesn't seem to have much to do with exams... Oh well, it should be about the same, anyway, may the Bodhisattva bless us.
The next day, Lin Guohui took Cheng Bing to town to meet up with his teachers and classmates. Fang Yuenian waited near his house early in the morning. While Cheng Bing was waiting by the roadside and before Lin Guohui's motorcycle was out, he rushed out and stuffed a lucky charm into Cheng Bing's hand.
"I'll pass every exam! Keep this safe!" He kept his achievements hidden, waved his sleeves, and ran a kilometer with boundless energy.
Cheng Bing watched his retreating figure, clutching the small amulet in her hand. After a moment of silence, she put it into her pocket.
There was another identical one lying inside, but Cheng Qiuyan said that it was specially blessed by the Bodhisattva to ensure her academic success.
And so, Cheng Bing entered the examination hall with two amulets for good luck and came out smoothly.
The exam was difficult and full of unexpected questions. He couldn't say for sure that he would pass, but he had already decided to take the high school entrance exam. Whether he passed or not, it wouldn't make much difference to him. Although it would be great to get into the top class, who could predict the future? He just needed to do his best.
Fang Yuenian, on the other hand, strictly followed the teachings at home. After getting up early to go for a run, she also bought a bag of meat buns to bring back for the whole family to have for breakfast.
Wang Jing had never seen him so diligent and considerate before, and she was so happy that she was practically jumping for joy all day long.
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