Chapter 40 Written Examination
Tao Nanfeng's left hand was held by Xiao Aiyu, and his right hand was dragged by Li Huilan. He had no choice but to follow them and eavesdrop.
The education I received since childhood was: Do not look at or listen to anything indecent. It was the first time in Tao Nanfeng's life that she was dragged by her companions to follow Ye Qin at dusk and eavesdrop on what she was talking about with her boyfriend Du Chenzhe.
Reason told her: This is not a good idea, right? After all, it was Ye Qin's private matter.
But her emotions told her: Go and listen, you can help if anything happens, right?
In this way, Tao Nanfeng and the other two came to the grove east of the No. 1 Youth League Site, hid behind a row of bushes, and watched Ye Qin and Du Chenzhe arguing face to face.
The sky gradually darkened, the light from the small trees was dim, and the sound of cicadas made people feel restless.
Ye Qin had been spoiled since childhood and spoke directly. He started off aggressively: "Why didn't you tell me that you signed up to be a teacher at the farm primary school?"
Du Chenzhe was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Can't I sign up?"
Ye Qin: "I didn't say you couldn't sign up, I asked why you didn't tell me!"
Du Chenzhe said calmly, "Hu Yiqin signed me up, but she only told me today. I didn't have time to tell you yet."
Xiao Aiyun whispered in Tao Nanfeng's ear: "Scammer, the registration form is so complicated, there is no way for others to help you register."
Tao Nanfeng's eyes darkened. Yes, why did Du Chenzhe hide it from Ye Qin? It's obviously a good thing, why do you treat it like a thief?
Ye Qin's focus was quickly diverted: "Why did Hu Yiqin help you sign up? What is the relationship between the two of you?"
Du Chenzhe smiled, reached out his hand and pinched Ye Qin's cheek.
"Little fool, Hu Yiqin is just an ordinary friend of our educated youth. She applied for the position of Chinese teacher this time. Maybe she wanted a companion, so she helped me apply. If I can become a teacher, not only will my income increase, but I can also have winter and summer vacations, which is a good thing."
Ye Qin frowned: "If it's a good thing, why did she hide it from you?"
Du Chenzhe put his arm around Ye Qin's shoulders and explained gently.
"At first, Hu Yiqin didn't want too many people to know about this. After all, there were many applicants, the competition was fierce, and there were many people saying different things. She was worried that it would have a negative impact. Later, when things got busy, she forgot about it.
Don't be angry, I was just about to talk to you about this. If you don’t like it, I won’t attend the trial lecture. Your opinion will prevail. Okay? ”
After hearing what Du Chenzhe said, the gloom on Ye Qin's face gradually dissipated: "I'm not the kind of person who holds back. Go ahead and take the exam. If you become a teacher, you'll have more time to accompany me."
Du Chenzhe smiled and patted her head, pretending to be indifferent and asked: "How do you know I signed up? Is the list publicized now?"
Ye Qin was a simple-minded person, so he just blurted out what he knew: "Xiao Aiyun told me. She also signed up, and like you, she signed up for the Chinese teacher position."
Du Chenzhe's heart tightened: "Why, Xiao Aiyun is very good at Chinese? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Ye Qin nodded: "Although Xiao Aiyun is not as good at writing poetry as you, she is an all-rounder. She is good at Chinese, mathematics, foreign languages, physics, chemistry, politics, and geography. It's just that she likes Chinese the most, so she signed up for this subject."
This is a bit of a headache.
Du Chenzhe didn't expect that anyone in Ye Qin's dormitory would sign up. At that time, everyone would be in the same examination room and everything would be seen clearly. What if it aroused suspicion?
At this moment, Du Chenzhe was a little nervous. Should he help Hu Yiqun? What if I get discovered?
Seeing him lowering his head in deep thought, Ye Qin thought Du Chenzhe was worried about the fierce competition, so he tried to comfort him seriously.
"You love literature so much, and you can write poetry and have good writing skills, so what are you afraid of? You and Xiao Aiyun will compete fairly. I promise to be impartial and everyone will rely on their own abilities."
Du Chenzhe forced a smile: "Impartial? Logically, I'm your boyfriend, you should be biased towards me."
Ye Qin straightened his back, pursed his lips, and looked a little serious.
"Let's put things in perspective. When I was a kid, I read ancient poems that said, 'I'm not afraid of being torn to pieces, I want to leave a clear conscience in this world.' My father taught me that I should be honest. You are my boyfriend, Xiao Aiyun is my friend, and you are both competing for the same position. My preference for either of you will not affect the test results. You two just need to work hard and do your best. As for the result... it doesn't matter."
Du Chenzhe's heart beat like a drum after hearing these words. His girlfriend's righteous face made his inner darkness seem even more gloomy.
Du Chenzhe's father was a clerk in the De County Materials Bureau. His mother had a rural household registration. Although the family conditions were average, his father often nagged at home about which leader had obtained a new batch of materials or which leader's relative had taken the opportunity to make a small fortune. He hated the world and himself for not having power.
Growing up in such an environment, Du Chenzhe's biggest dream is to become an official and have power. In his eyes, love and marriage are closely related to the future.
From the moment she arrived at the farm, Hu Yiqin fell in love with Du Chenzhe at first sight. They knit scarves in winter and fetch cold water in summer. They obey orders blindly and worship others blindly, and they are particularly enthusiastic in front of others and behind their backs.
But in Du Chenzhe's eyes, Hu Yiqun looked a little old and not pretty enough, and secondly, her family was a working-class family with poor conditions and could not provide him with any help. Therefore, Du Chenzhe had been enjoying her services with an ambiguous attitude but did not give any response.
Tao Nanfeng is capable, prestigious, beautiful, and the daughter of a professor. After weighing the pros and cons, Du Chenzhe decided to pursue her. Unexpectedly, the poem he sent did not move Tao Nanfeng, but instead attracted Ye Qin.
Ye Qin's father was the head of personnel at the Jiangcheng Agricultural Bureau. She was the youngest daughter in the family and had a good financial situation. It would be hard to find such a good partner. Faced with Ye Qin's passionate pursuit, Du Chenzhe took the opportunity to establish a romantic relationship with her.
Ye Qin is cheerful, cute and naive, and needs Hu Yiqin to obey and coax her in everything. Du Chenzhe likes Ye Qin very much, but he feels a little annoyed after spoiling her for too long. Occasionally, he will enjoy Hu Yiqin's dedication in order to achieve psychological balance.
While they were enjoying themselves, something unexpected happened.
Du Chenzhe was afraid that the truth would be exposed and wanted to break up with Hu Yiqin, but Hu Yiqin took the opportunity to make a request.
Hu Yiqun wanted to be a teacher at a farm primary school, but her academic performance was average and she had lost it for so many years that she couldn't catch up at all.
She heard that there were two hurdles in the application process, the first being a written test and the other being an interview and a trial lecture. She was worried that she would not be able to pass the test, so she begged Du Chenzhe to take the test for her.
Two people entered the examination room together, but wrote each other's names. When the time comes to hand in the papers together, who will know whose it is?
Du Chenzhe had not originally planned to apply to be a primary school teacher; his dreams were even greater.
He has good writing skills and a strong mass base. He is now the branch secretary of the No. 1 educated youth site. In the future, he wants to enter the farm leadership through the relationship between Ye Qin and Tao Nanfeng, and at least become the head or deputy head of the propaganda department.
When Hu Yiqin begged him for help, Du Chenzhe was actually unwilling. But he happened to have a brief relationship with Hu Yiqin, and he felt guilty, so he had to help.
When he heard Ye Qin say, "I'm not afraid of being torn to pieces, I just want to keep my innocence in this world," he felt very regretful. If he had no leverage over him, he could have lived a clean life like Ye Qin.
However, there is no cure for regret in this world.
Du Chenzhe was silent for a second, took a deep breath, and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, my little Ye Qin is the most righteous, and he is impartial, so let's be impartial. Come, I wrote another little poem and I'll read it to you."
The two began to get bored, and Tao Nanfeng hurriedly pulled Xiao Aiyun and Li Huilan away.
Only after they had walked more than a hundred meters did the three dare to speak in a low voice.
"Although there is no evidence, I still think there is a problem."
"Yes, Du Chenzhe was able to deceive Ye Qin, but he couldn't deceive me and Tao Nanfeng. Du Chenzhe must have known about the registration from the beginning, and he lied."
"Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary. I have to help Ye Qin keep an eye on Du Chenzhe... Oh, and that Hu Yiqin."
"Last time during the Chinese New Year, when she came with Du Chenzhe to pay New Year's greetings and send poems, I felt something was wrong with her. Isn't she a little too enthusiastic about Du Chenzhe's affairs?"
After much discussion, the three people still didn't dare to express their doubts directly to Ye Qin. Ye Qin is a straightforward person and doesn't know how to tread carefully. If he alerts the enemy, it will be bad.
In the end, Tao Nanfeng made the final decision: "Wait and see what happens."
In August, Xiufengshan Primary School was successfully completed.
Strictly following the drawings designed by Tao Nanfeng, the building plan is in the shape of an "concave" character. The teaching area is located in the center, facing north and south. There are five classrooms from grade one to grade five, with large eaves, long overhangs, and wide corridors without a single brick pillar. All rooms have excellent views. To the east of the teaching auxiliary area are offices, teachers' dormitories, and toilets, and to the west are a large comprehensive conference room and cafeteria.
Entering the gate, in the southeast corner is the vegetable garden allocated to the families of faculty and staff, and in the southwest corner is the playground and flag-raising platform.
There is a red brick hollow flower wall with a row of acacia trees planted beside it. In addition to the vegetable plots, the vegetable garden also has a circle of small flower beds where roses, roses, daffodils and wintersweets are planted, ensuring that there are flowers all year round, which is pleasing to the eye.
The overall layout of the primary school not only ensures the teaching and activity functions, but also takes into account the daily life of teachers. Even the space for future family members is arranged. It is really satisfying.
On August 25th, the primary school teacher recruitment examination officially began.
There are a total of sixteen people who signed up for Chinese language teaching, and the exam is taken in the first grade classroom.
There are fifteen math teachers who signed up and took the exam in the second grade classroom.
There are three art and music teachers in total, and the class is held in the third grade classroom.
Because they were all farm workers, the invigilation was not strict. Everyone goes to the podium to receive the test paper, find a seat and sit down to answer the questions, and submit them at the end of two hours.
Xiao Aiyun sat in a seat on the south side of the corridor, opened the test paper, and felt relieved. It was all familiar high school Chinese knowledge, and the test was not difficult.
Hu Yiqun and Du Chenzhe also received their test papers and walked from the front and back rows to the north window. They exchanged glances and sat down one after the other.
Hu Yiqin cautiously glanced at Xiao Aiyu, and felt relieved when she saw that she was concentrating on her homework and not paying attention to her. Du Chenzhe gave her a warning with his eyes, indicating that she should stop looking around, answer the questions carefully, write neatly, and not reveal her identity.
The two discussed privately for a long time, and Hu Yiqin practiced Du Chenzhe's handwriting for a long time. Although it was difficult to make it exactly the same for a while, it was barely passable.
When they both calmed down and looked at the questions on the test paper, Du Chenzhe breathed a sigh of relief, but Hu Yiqin was dumbfounded.
——Do you need to mark the pinyin and tones for the following sentence?
——Recite from memory "Farewell to Meng Haoran at the Yellow Crane Tower"?
——Translate the following two paragraphs of classical Chinese into modern Chinese?
——Give an example of what personification is?
It has been six years since Hu Yiqin graduated from high school. She has long since returned all the knowledge she learned to her teachers. This, this, this...
The classrooms for grades one to three at Xiufengshan Primary School were renovated on the basis of the original old earth brick houses. The cement floor, blue painted wooden window frames, transparent glass, brand new blackboard, and the newly painted wall with a red slogan "Study hard and make progress every day" look very festive.
Sitting behind the varnished desk, Xiao Aiyun wrote furiously.
It had been a long time since Xiao Aiyun had taken an exam, so instead of feeling worried, she felt excited. It felt like I was back in high school, with the teacher handing out test papers and students answering them seriously.
The ten educated youth who applied for the exam in the classroom were answering the questions seriously, except Hu Yiqin who had a frown on his face. She really didn't expect the test to be so detailed and in-depth. It was basically a high school graduation exam. Isn't this teaching in primary school? Isn’t it just teaching children to recognize words and read? Why do we have to take exams on rhetoric, poetry recitation, and classical Chinese translation?
She swallowed hard and could only grit her teeth and make up stories based on her memory. After waiting for two hours, Li Minli, who was standing on the podium, reminded her, "Time is up, please hand in your paper."
Du Chenzhe, who was sitting in front of her, coughed lightly. Hu Yiqun hurriedly wrote her name and stood up with Du Chenzhe in the corner of her eye.
The two walked one after the other. Xiao Aiyun also stood up. Everyone handed in their papers and filed out.
As soon as Xiao Aiyun came out, he said to Tao Nanfeng who was waiting in the corridor: "Nothing happened. Everyone should do their own papers. Du Chenzhe and Hu Yiqin are quite normal."
Tao Nanfeng nodded: "I'm glad you're okay. Maybe we were just worrying too much."
Xiao Aiyun looked at Du Chenzhe who was talking to Ye Qin with a smile. The more she looked at him, the more she disliked him and snorted.
"This guy was reading a poem to you earlier, as if he wanted to pursue you. But Ye Qin helped him submit his poem successfully, and he immediately started dating Ye Qin. This kind of person is too scheming, and I don't like him. I don't know why, but I'm always worried that Ye Qin was deceived by him."
Tao Nanfeng waved his hand: "He didn't pursue me before. It's just a poem. It doesn't mean anything."
Hu Yiqin, who had short hair, thick eyebrows and big eyes, greeted everyone with a smile and walked out with the crowd. When he passed Du Chenzhe and Ye Qin, his smile became even brighter: "Secretary Du is taking an exam today, and Ye Zhiqing is here to see him off."
Hu Yiqin is kind, approachable and easy-going, giving people the feeling of a big sister next door. No one noticed that her right hand was clenched into a fist, and the nails of her index and middle fingers pierced into the palm of her hand, oozing blood.
The exam will be held in the morning, and the results will be posted on the wall of the primary school conference room after the test papers are marked in the afternoon.
A bulletin board was framed with wooden strips on the red brick wall of the conference room, with a blackboard hung on one half and the other half for posting big-character posters.
Xiao Aiyun and the others returned to the educated youth camp to have lunch. Li Huilan asked, "How did you do on the exam?"
Xiao Aiyun smiled confidently: "I did OK in the exam. I wrote the essay at the end very happily. I haven't taken an exam for a long time, and I really missed it."
Li Huilan laughed so hard that she fell backwards. "It's you, the one who likes exams. People say that exams are the teacher's magic weapon, and grades are the lifeblood of students. People like you whose eyes light up when you mention exams should become teachers."
Xiao Aiyun asked Ye Qin: "How did Du Chenzhe do in the exam?"
Ye Qin shook his head: "He said no, after all, it's been six years since he graduated, and he has forgotten some of the Chinese knowledge."
Xiao Aiyun comforted her: "It's okay, his composition score will definitely be very high. You are only required to write 300 words, and the subject matter is not limited. You can also write poetry."
When Ye Qin mentioned the composition, he laughed: "What was the topic? I think his composition score should be quite high. It's just that he has always been a low-key person and doesn't like to brag."
This... Xiao Aiyun rolled her eyes: "Okay, okay, Secretary Du is low-key and talented, I can brag about myself, okay?"
Tao Nanfeng was surprised by Xiao Aiyu's rolling eyes and burst out laughing.
Ye Qin was scolded by Xiao Aiyun, and bit his lip embarrassedly: "Okay, I said the wrong thing, you are a magnanimous person, don't bother with me."
Xiao Aiyun was in a good mood and laughed: "The topic of the composition is very simple, hometown. Write a short composition of 300 words based on your hometown. The subject is not limited. Later, you can ask Du Zhiqing what masterpiece he wrote, and let us read it."
Ye Qin nodded, smiling with his eyebrows curved.
Everyone in the dormitory was talking and laughing, but over there in Du Chenzhe's dormitory, it was gloomy and cloudy.
Du Chenzhe was so angry when he heard Hu Yiqin's description of the test paper: "You don't know this or that, why do you have to take the Chinese test? Can't you take the math test? You are really trying to kill me!"
Hu Yiqin's hands were almost twisted into a knot, and her face was full of confusion.
"I, I didn't know the test would be so difficult. I originally thought that teaching in elementary school would be just about correcting incorrect sentences and reciting a poem, but I didn't expect it to be as difficult as the college entrance examination! But... I did write a poem for the composition, so I put a poem you wrote before on it, so they won't doubt you."
Du Chenzhe finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Which poem?"
Hu Yiqin's smile was almost flattering: "It's that song: Really, I saw half a tree/On a desolate hill/Like a person/Standing sideways to avoid the oncoming storm..."
Du Chenzhe almost vomited blood: "Who asked you to write this poem! What does this have to do with my hometown?"
Hu Yiqin saw that he was angry and felt a little overwhelmed.
"I, I can't guess the title. I can't remember any poems about my hometown. This is the poem you gave me before, saying that I have the tenacity of this half tree. I remember it best. Besides... I changed 'a desolate hill' to 'my desolate hometown', so it barely fits in, right?"
Du Chenzhe was so anxious that he was pacing around the room: "Confused! Confused!"
Hu Yiqin saw that his face was not right and was a little panicked: "What's wrong with you? Is it because I wrote it wrong? Anyway, you are not planning to be a teacher, so what are you afraid of?"
Du Chenzhe is really like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his grievances in words.
How could he have written this song "Half Tree"? At that time, I just wanted to coax Hu Yiqin and gave her this poem by modern poet Niu Han. But she couldn't remember any other poems, but this one.
It's so embarrassing!
Li Minli is a Chinese teacher and also a literature lover. Niu Han’s poem is so famous that she must have read it. It is so shameful that I plagiarized famous people's poems on the test paper and forcibly applied them to "Hometown".
Hu Yiqin carefully looked at Du Chenzhe's face and asked again: "What's wrong with you? Is there any problem?"
Du Chenzhe waved his hand and sighed: "Forget it, don't worry about it, just prepare for the trial lecture. I have tried my best to help you with the exam, and the rest of the road depends on you."
Hu Yiqin nodded heavily: "I'm not afraid of the trial lecture. I have borrowed a third-grade textbook. I will just teach the kids to recognize words, read and write. No problem." She has always been good at speaking and has a friendly attitude. She is really not afraid of the trial lecture.
Du Chenzhe said coldly: "This is the last time I will help you. If you succeed in becoming a primary school teacher, please don't use the past to threaten me again in the future."
Hu Yiqin felt a sharp pain in her heart. She bit her lips tightly, tears welling up in her eyes: "I, I don't mean to threaten you. I just beg you to help. You are the only one in my heart..."
Du Chenzhe lowered his head and looked towards Hu Yiqun.
Hu Yiqin, who has been working in the fields for many years, has a tanned skin. She wears a plaid short-sleeved shirt, wide-leg black cloth pants, and red plastic sandals - she looks no different from a country girl.
Although such an ordinary girl gave him her most precious thing, he did not show any gratitude at all. He is a romantic and a pragmatist, a very contradictory combination.
Du Chenzhe is a talented writer and a romantic person. He can transform the images in his mind into beautiful poems and move his readers. He likes all beautiful things, Tao Nanfeng's exquisite beauty, Ye Qin's cuteness, the sunset, the setting sun, the wheat waves in the fields...
But at the same time, Du Chenzhe is utilitarian. He actively approached the party organization, became the secretary of the educated youth site, and looked for everyone who could help him.
Hu Yiqun looks ordinary and her family has no power or influence. What else does she have except a heart that loves him?
Du Chenzhe narrowed his eyes mercilessly, with a cold light in his eyes: "But you are not in my heart, you know this. I didn't force you, nor did I say I need you, I love you, right?"
Hu Yiqin's shoulders slumped, and he looked completely devoid of energy. Yes, she was very enthusiastic about the task and did everything willingly.
"If you keep pestering me, we won't even be friends anymore. I hope you can take care of yourself and not taint our pure friendship."
There was a chill in Du Chenzhe's words, and Hu Yiqin's heart felt as if it was soaked in cold water, completely chilled.
Hu Yiqun smiled bitterly: "Okay, I know. I won't bother you anymore. I wish you sweet love and a happy life." After that, she turned around slowly and left quietly.
In the office of the farm primary school, Li Minli is grading test papers.
Although they talked about fair competition and that there would be no backdoor for Xiao Aiyun, Li Minli still took out her test paper to mark it first. After making the changes, I calculated the score and wrote a big 90 in red in the upper right corner.
"Well, 90 points is very high. I should be able to make it into the top five." Li Minli said to herself. After all, only the top five can enter the second stage: interview and trial teaching.
I made several revisions later, and none of them were too high. However, Du Chenzhe's test paper surprised Li Minli. She complained while correcting it.
"A farm poet? What a boast! He had the nerve to write such a plagiarized poem on the test paper. I don't know who gave him the title of poet! He even published poems in magazines. Is this his level? Could he have plagiarized as well?"
Teacher Zhao Yingjie, who was grading math papers, couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Teacher Li, don't be angry. Sometimes it's better to be famous than to meet in person. Du Chenzhe can only write a few crooked poems, and he doesn't have any real skills. Even if someone like him enters a primary school, it's probably difficult for him to teach with peace of mind. It's better to eliminate him."
After Li Minli finished grading all the test papers, she happily marked 92 on Hu Yiqin's test paper.
When the list of primary school teachers who entered the re-examination was announced, Ye Qin did not see Du Chenzhe's name on it, but saw Hu Yiqun's name, and he was immediately furious.
"Du Chenzhe, what the hell are you doing? Why didn't you even make it to the retest? What a joke! Didn't you always say that you have a high level of literary attainment? Is this your level of literary attainment? There are sixteen people and you didn't even make it into the top five. You really disappoint me!"
The author has something to say:
I have seen half a tree / on a desolate hill / like a person / standing sideways / to avoid the oncoming storm
——This is a poem by Niu Han.
[Note] Niu Han (October 2, 1923 - September 29, 2013) was originally named "Shi Chenghan", later changed to "Shi Chenghan", also known as "Niu Han", and once used the pen name "Gu Feng". He was from Dingxiang County, Shanxi Province, and was of Mongolian ethnicity. A famous modern poet, writer and litterateur, and one of the representative poets of the "July" School.
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