Chapter 9: A Little Difficult
Chapter 9: A Little Difficult
To be honest, Fang Yuenian's grades were not very impressive. Out of about two hundred students in the grade, he would only be at the very bottom of the top fifty list at his best, just barely making it into the town's high school. As for the city's No. 1 High School, it seemed like an unattainable dream.
The atmosphere was a bit eerie.
Fang Yuenian hesitated for a moment, then gave him a stiff smile: "What, why have your expectations gotten higher? Didn't you tell me last semester to work harder to get into the No. 2 High School in the city?"
Cheng Bing didn't speak, she just shook her head.
Why do you look so melancholy?
“Isn’t No. 2 Middle School good?” Fang Yuenian also felt melancholy. “Isn’t Sister Jun also from No. 2 Middle School? Well, she went there because she had a fever during her English exam and didn’t perform well, but… we should set a goal that is reasonably achievable, right? No. 2 Middle School and No. 1 Middle School are close to each other.”
"Do you really want to go to No. 2 High School?" Cheng Bing finally spoke.
Without thinking twice, Fang Yuenian nodded several times.
"The 46th ranked student won't get into No. 2 High School," Cheng Bing coldly reminded him.
“Damn, then I’ll definitely fail to get into the top high school.” Fang Yue Nian blurted out.
Cheng Bing suddenly turned her face and stared at him.
Fang Yuehou moved a little, "What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Perhaps the homeroom teacher was right; Cheng Bing was indeed acting strangely. Lately, he seemed to be unhappy at the drop of a hat and always had a cold expression on his face.
After a long pause, Cheng Bing said, "Don't swear."
Fang Yuenian was taken aback, "...Okay, okay, I won't tell you."
This is hardly a serious swear word. He'd been exposed to it since childhood, and he'd said far worse things, but Cheng Bing had become more and more bothered by it each year, and now she couldn't stand it at all. Sigh, Fang Yue Nian thought, he really should get rid of this habit completely.
He sighed, then almost laughed, stretched out his leg to nudge Cheng Bing, and deliberately asked, "Do you really want me to get into No. 1 High School that badly? Why? Do you want us to go to the same high school? If you can't bear to part with me, just say so. Actually, I..."
“I want to go to high school with you,” Cheng Bing blurted out abruptly.
Fang Yuenian was suddenly struck by a shock.
"Ah...ah?"
After all, he himself had always been the one who followed the other like a shadow from childhood to adulthood.
That cement boat that used a shovel to shuttle back and forth between two wharves, that village road that became so muddy on rainy days that you couldn't even pull your rubber boots out, that patched-up road full of holes, that creaking bicycle... He followed Cheng Bing around for almost ten years, full of enthusiasm. He never imagined that one day Cheng Bing would sit upright in front of him, her face showing a hint of expectation and pleading, and say in a low voice, "I want to go to high school with you."
Thinking of this, he pursed his lips tightly, suppressing the excitement that was rushing to his head, and continued what he had just said: "...Actually, I also want to be with you in high school."
However, she immediately thought of the reality and was instantly dejected: "Even if I were to get into the top high school, I would definitely be at the bottom. You don't know how discouraging it is if you've never been at the bottom."
Cheng Bing said, "You've never been last either."
“How could I not? I was at the bottom of the intensive course,” Fang Yuenian said angrily. “I’m never going again.”
The school added an extra intensive review class after the afternoon classes for the ninth graders. Only the top 50 students from the most recent exam were allowed to attend. The class would discuss difficult and unusual questions, and everyone would have a chance to learn together. This was because it was estimated that only the top 50 students could get into decent high schools, so they deserved special attention. Fang Yuenian was in the bottom 50, so he always went with a heavy heart, which annoyed him terribly.
Cheng Bing said, "Many people have average grades in junior high school, but they can do very well in high school."
Fang Yuenian retorted dryly, "It might not be me."
But that wasn't the point. He then asked a more serious question: "Let's not talk about that later. Right now, it's already April. Do you think someone can improve from the top 50 in the grade, oh no, 46th, to the top 10 in less than three months?"
Cheng Bing said, "Our homeroom teacher said that based on our recent joint exams, the top twelve students should have no problem getting into the top high school. Didn't you go from over 100 to the top 40 when you were divided into classes in the second year of junior high?"
"Back then, it was so that I could be in the same class as you." Fang Yuenian spread her hands, then paused, stunned.
Cheng Bing asked, "Then why not now?"
He said this with such an air of certainty, as if he was absolutely certain that Fang Yuenian had the ability to turn things around, which made Fang Yuenian very uncomfortable. She subconsciously took a step back and stammered, "Wh...what?"
Cheng Bing fell silent again.
His silence made Fang Yuenian feel unbearably annoyed. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore, glanced at him a couple of times, and whispered, "...I'll think about it."
Cheng Bing's eyes lit up immediately.
"How long do you need to think about it? I can help you review, but time is running out, we can't afford to waste any more time."
"One week," Fang Yuenian said reluctantly. "After all, if I really have to take the exam, I won't have a single good day after that."
"OK."
Cheng Bing readily agreed, her eyes almost revealing a hint of joy.
Fang Yuenian rarely saw him like this. This person was quiet and academically excellent since childhood, and could do anything with ease. He was always very calm.
He seized the opportunity and suggested, propping his head up with his hand, "Let's go to the city tomorrow. Sister Jun is taking the college entrance exam soon. Let's go see her and buy some study materials and test papers on the way. I saw a lot of bookstores near No. 2 Middle School when I went there before."
Cheng Bing immediately agreed: "Okay."
I'm actually quite happy now.
Fang Yuenian muttered to herself, yawned, and lay down on the grass, using her arm as a pillow.
The sky was tinged with a hazy twilight, and the horizon was painted with large patches of gold by the setting sun. Shuibiwei is always exceptionally beautiful at dusk, unchanged for many years.
They couldn't stay in the pond for long; they had to go home. But their schoolbags and bicycles were still in the pond, so the two of them had to go to a nearby house to ask an adult for help.
When the old man saw that the two little boys were soaking wet, he said they had slipped into the pond while going down the slope. He quickly called over a young man with a fork and a net to help. After some effort, they managed to pull out the water-filled schoolbags and the bicycle that was about to fall apart.
The old man was busy while scolding, "You're going downhill! I've seen several students like you fall in. It's still cold outside, what's the fun in that? I know you can all swim, but this pond is very deep. There are so many scrap metal and junk thrown down there. You'll cry when you cut your feet!"
Fang Yue Nian shrugged at Cheng Bing, not saying a word in response.
Fang Yuenian's schoolbag was soaked through, and she needed to dry it before leaving. With a furrowed brow and a sorrowful expression, she flipped through the books until she found a green-covered notebook. The notebook was more than half-used, filled with dense writing, but it was clear that its owner was not a meticulous student, having thoroughly ravaged it. The water damage made it even more unsightly.
Cheng Bing was shaking water off a book when she saw Fang Yuenian stop. Her gaze shifted to the notebook, then back to Fang Yuenian's face.
“Here you go,” Fang Yuenian said generously, handing the notebook to him. “Take it.”
Cheng Bing took it, carefully rubbed the cover, and cleaned it little by little.
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