Early July is the hottest time of the year. The weather is so hot that people feel like dogs. There are no electric fans in the classrooms. When the afternoon sun shines in, the room is like a giant steamer. The teachers open the windows as wide as possible in an attempt to cool the room down.
The cicadas chirped outside, and Chu Yu buried herself in writing, feeling relaxed nonetheless.
She wasn't good at politics, but that's in the past. This year, she helped her classmates learn English, and they reciprocated by helping her study politics.
Chu Yu has made great progress in politics. At least he can write everything down now, and his thinking is quite clear. Unlike when he took the entrance exam, he memorized an entire book but still felt completely lost and couldn't understand anything.
With politics, that stumbling block, over, the other subjects are minor, and English is a piece of cake.
When the last doorbell rang, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Yu walked to the school gate, and Zhang Zhihe rushed over, "How is it? Is there anything you don't understand in politics?"
"It was alright, I performed normally, and I feel pretty good about myself."
Hearing her say this, Zhang Zhihe breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Deyang had never produced a student who went to Tsinghua or Peking University. As the leader of education in Deyang, it was important for ordinary students to do well in exams, but even more important was to have someone who could set an example.
If a top scorer emerges from Deyang this year, Principal Ji will advertise to every household. If there is even one person in Deyang who doesn't know that Deyang Middle School produced a top scorer, it's because Deyang Middle School hasn't done its job properly.
Chu Yu was the one on whom high hopes were placed.
Zhang Zhihe had been living in fear for a month, but he finally managed to escort her until the end of the college entrance examination. Chu Yu said that she performed normally and felt good about herself, which was the best affirmation for Zhang Zhihe.
"That's good! That's great! Principal Ji told me that I had to go back and report on the situation as soon as the exam was over, because he was worried that you didn't do well!"
Before the college entrance exam, Zhang Zhihe was too embarrassed to tell Chu Yu that Principal Ji had instructed the school's printing room to get a batch of red paper specifically for printing Chu Yu's good news report! Not enough colored paper? Insufficient student funds? If Chu Yu really did get the top score, how could the Education Bureau not allocate funds?
If we really don't have the money to print, then we'll just handwrite them! We'll call on all the more than one hundred teachers, students, and staff in the school to come and each handwrite one hundred copies, which will amount to ten thousand copies!
Ten thousand copies are enough for everyone in Deyang city to know.
Ten thousand servings would be enough for even the street sweepers to know.
Principal Ji has achieved his goal!
After cheerfully greeting his classmates and reminding them of the time to fill out their college applications, Zhang Zhihe rode his bike back to find Principal Ji. Principal Ji was waiting in the guardhouse, and only when he saw Zhang Zhihe's smiling face did he feel completely relieved.
"You did well on the exam?" Principal Ji was extremely anxious, holding a brown teacup, his forehead covered in sweat.
Zhang Zhihe wiped his sweat. It was really too hot in early July. It was hard for the students to take the exam in such high temperatures. He wished the authorities could change the exam time someday.
"I feel pretty good about myself. Even my worst subject, politics, is okay. I finished all of them."
"What about mathematics?"
"She must have done well in math, otherwise she wouldn't have had time to copy the questions and write down the answers for me. Most of the math answers here were given to me by her. I'll compare them with the other teachers' answers later to confirm the correct answers, and then use them to estimate my score before applying to universities."
Principal Ji slapped his thigh, completely overjoyed. He had taught his whole life without producing a single student who would be admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University. If Chu Yu could really get into Tsinghua, it wouldn't just be his glory, but also the glory of Dezhong, Deyang, and the Deyang Education Bureau!
The German-Chinese school's enrollment next year will all depend on her!
"Teacher Zhang, you've worked so hard this year, bringing ordinary students to the level of the top classes. Our school is so grateful to have a backbone teacher like you!"
Principal Ji glanced at his receding hairline and thought to himself that this comrade was really working too hard. A few days ago, when the Education Bureau came to inspect, they even asked if Teacher Zhang was forty-five years old. Teacher Zhang is only 26 this year, but he is balding at a young age and looks older than he is. He doesn't look like a forty-five-year-old at all.
Ultimately, men rely on women to dress them up. Teacher Zhang's clothes are too unfashionable; she has no sense of style whatsoever.
Teacher Zhang smiled and said she didn't deserve it.
"At your age, you should start thinking about your personal life. If Chu Yu achieves his goal this year, you, as his teacher, will definitely have to speak on stage. Buy yourself some smart clothes and dress up smartly for the interview. Maybe you can take the opportunity to resolve your personal issues."
Zhang Zhihe looked innocent and shy. It wasn't that he didn't want to find a partner, but his family was ordinary and his appearance was average, so the girls didn't like him.
She devoted herself entirely to her students, living in the school's staff dormitory. Where would she find the time to date?
Teaching is a low-paying profession, and Zhang Zhihe doesn't have much savings. He's worried that the girl might suffer if she's with him. However, if Chu Yu really achieves her goal this year, the school and the education bureau will reward him, and he might even get a house.
Once a man owns a house and receives bonuses, he'll start thinking about his personal life.
"Understood, Principal Ji."
Chu Yu never expected that her grades would be related to Zhang Zhihe's lifelong happiness.
After the exam, she went to find Dai Donglin.
The two agreed that Dai Donglin would not visit her during the college entrance examination period, for fear of interfering with her studies, but she would have to tell him her results immediately after the exam.
Chu Yu had just stepped out of the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop when he was bumped into. A male student who looked familiar was carrying books and was knocked to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Chu Yu apologized.
The male student squatted down to pick up the book, and as he stood up, he whispered, "You're being watched. Don't go out lately, or something serious will happen."
Chu Yu was taken aback. This male student seemed to be a senior at the German High School. She had run into him a few times when she went to the restroom. He was good-looking, but every time their eyes met, he would quickly look away, appearing somewhat reserved.
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