What is execution? From the moment Principal Ji spoke to the moment the banner was hung up and the news was released, it took less than ten minutes.
Ten minutes later, through word of mouth alone, everyone in Deyang City knew that Deyang, a city that had never produced a Tsinghua or Peking University graduate, had produced a provincial science champion! It was said that she was a student from Deyang High School, and a little girl at that.
Who says girls aren't suited for studying? Who says girls are inferior to boys once they go to high school?
Didn't that prove me wrong?
"Have you heard? A top science student came from Dezhong! Look, they've even hung up the banner!"
Shu Hui and Deng Fangping were busy chopping meat to make meat sandwiches. Today, the school was checking scores, and there were at least several thousand people near Dezhong. Business was already good, but today it was completely packed. The two of them were so busy that they couldn't even look up to see what was happening at Dezhong.
They didn't see it when the faculty and staff came out to hang the banner; they only looked up when they heard people in the shop talking about it.
"Sister-in-law, what does it say on it? Can you see it?" Shu Hui wiped her hands on a towel.
Deng Fangping stared at it.
Congratulations to our student Zhou Chuyu for achieving a total score of 627 in the National College Entrance Examination!
"Our student Zhou Chuyu achieved the highest score in the provincial college entrance examination for science with 627 points."
Deng Fangping was overjoyed. "Oh my! Her aunt is our Chu Yu's name! Our Chu Yu scored 627 points and is this year's top science student in the province."
Shu Hui, clutching the towel, was momentarily stunned. Chu Yu scored 627 points? Was she the top scorer in the province this year?
Shu Hui's heart was pounding, and her mind was a little foggy. She could understand each word individually, but how could they be so hard to understand when put together? Her daughter had become the top scorer in the college entrance examination? Shu Hui didn't understand what this meant; she only knew that the customers in the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop were all staring at her.
Shu Hui heard many people congratulating her, and many people whispered envy in her ear.
They said your child is so successful, you've finally made it through the tough times.
They asked you how you raised such an outstanding daughter.
They said this roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop has good feng shui because their daughter passed the imperial examination with top honors, and we came to share in the good fortune.
Shu Hui's eyes blurred with tears. Being kicked out of the house by Zhou Jian'an was just a matter of time, and in the blink of an eye, her daughter became the top scorer in the province. What did Shu Hui do to deserve such a capable daughter?
Shu Aiguo was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He waved his hand and said generously, "To celebrate my child becoming the top scorer in the province, everything in our store will be half price for the next three days. Don't be shy, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Shujia Roujiamo (a type of Chinese sandwich) isn't cheap. Even men with big appetites who can eat five would only be willing to eat two. When they heard it was on sale for half price, they immediately ordered a few more.
Some people even packed a few things for their wives and children to take away.
Half price! The meat at the roujiamo shop is really good quality, less than the cost price. If the owner's daughter hadn't become the top scholar in the imperial examination, there wouldn't be such a good deal!
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop was packed with customers, all exchanging pleasantries, and Shu Hui was all smiles.
Zhou Fangchun also came to see the results. When she and Mao Xia arrived at Dezhong, everyone around them was talking about the results. Someone in the crowd said something about "top scorer" and Zhou Fangchun overheard it.
This year, the German-Chinese high school did well in the college entrance examination, with a total of 32 students admitted to undergraduate programs. Class 5 of the senior year did the best, with 5 students admitted to first-tier universities, 3 to second-tier universities, and 5 to junior colleges.
Thirteen students from one class passed the exam; this is the elite of the elite classes.
Zhou Fangchun beamed, "Xiaxia, eight students from your class will get into undergraduate programs. You're usually in the top three in the class, so you're definitely one of them."
The other parents listened with envy.
"Your child is also in Class 5? They must have done well on the test."
"Of course! My child consistently ranks among the top in their grade, a sure thing for getting into a top university. By the way, you mentioned earlier that a top scorer came from Deyang. Which school is that prestigious?"
"You're a parent of a student in Class 5 and you didn't know about this?" The parent looked incredulous. The whole of Deyang knew, yet this mother and daughter hadn't heard the news. "Isn't it just a student from your Class 5? Your daughter's classmate, who got the top score in the provincial science exam. The school even put up banners about it, look..."
When Zhou Fangchun arrived at the school gate, the banner had not yet been hung up, and the names on it were not clearly visible. She was extremely excited because if a student from Class 5 had become the top scorer, then it could very well be her daughter.
Mao Xia used to consistently rank in the top two in the grade, so she's not without ability. Besides Mao Xia, who else in Class 5 has that kind of talent?
Zhou Fangchun completely forgot about Chu Yu. Halfway there, she caught a glimpse of Mao Xia's guilty and dejected expression and suddenly realized something. She quickened her pace and squeezed forward in disbelief.
The bulletin board was packed with people, and Zhou Fangchun couldn't squeeze in at all. How could Zhou Chuyu, that jinx, that country bumpkin, possibly surpass Mao Xia and become the provincial champion?
Do you really think the top provincial scorer goes to the market to buy radishes and cabbages wholesale? Zhou Chuyu doesn't have that ability. Jiang Qilue from Class 5 has good grades. His mother works in the Education Bureau, and his parents are respectable people. Jiang Qilue spends all day doing practice tests and is particularly interested in mathematics. He does have the look of a top scorer.
Thinking that Jiang Qilue might have won the top scholar title, Zhou Fangchun felt much more at ease. As the number of people decreased, she smiled and squeezed forward. When she saw the three characters "Zhou Chuyu" written at the top of the first line, she was stunned for a moment, and her mind almost exploded!
This brat got first place! Was the test paper graded incorrectly? There's clearly something fishy going on. Why didn't the grader check it? What ability does she have to get such a score?
Zhou Fangchun's mind was buzzing as she looked down. She had read all the names of the more than 30 people who were above the undergraduate admission line, but she still couldn't find Mao Xia's name.
"How could this be? Is there a mistake? Mao Xia, why isn't your name here?"
Mao Xia stared blankly as she searched down the list, finally finding herself at the back. She had barely passed the junior college entrance exam, just barely making it. With such a score, she couldn't get into a good junior college and could only choose unpopular majors in remote provinces. Let alone Beijing, it would be difficult for her to even stay in Deyang.
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