The next day, Zhang Hongmei was all ready and waiting for Zhuzi at home.
In fact, exams are nothing to Zhang Hongmei. Having gone through countless exams, both big and small, in her previous life, she has developed a very peaceful mindset.
Hearing the knock on the door, Cui Lin slung his satchel over his shoulder and went out.
The two didn't exchange any words along the way, walking forward in silence.
When Zhang Hongmei arrived at school, she was sweating profusely. She vowed never to walk with Zhuzi again, preferring to go alone.
Upon seeing Zhang Hongmei, the teacher who proctored the exam last time, I proactively went over to greet her, saying, "Hello, teacher!"
"Hello Zhang Hongmei, are you confident about the exam today?"
"It's alright, I should be able to get good grades."
"Hehe, that's good. I hope you get full marks."
"Teacher, your expectations are too high." The two said as they entered the sixth-grade classroom.
"Class, quiet down! This is our new classmate, Zhang Hongmei. Let's give her a warm welcome!"
After the applause, Zhang Hongmei bowed and said, "Hello everyone, please take care of me in the future."
"Zhang Hongmei, please sit on the last individual bench."
The first lesson was an exam, lasting one hour, which was essentially a monthly exam covering the knowledge points for the month.
This wasn't difficult at all; I finished answering it quickly. Only then did I have a chance to see my classmates. Almost all of them were boys; there were very few girls—only three, including myself.
Sitting in the back has its advantages. Seeing them all with their heads down, writing furiously, I realized that children these days cherish the opportunity to learn. The idea that knowledge changes destiny is an age-old truth.
An hour finally passed, and the ten-minute break was over. The classroom was bustling with activity as everyone discussed math problems, just like in her previous life. But no one spoke to Zhang Hongmei, and she didn't care.
The Chinese language test was relatively easy; reciting the text from memory was a piece of cake for Zhang Hongmei. She just wondered if it was the same as in her previous life—with stricter requirements for punctuation.
After the exam, it was time for class. Zhang Hongmei didn't dare show any impatience, afraid that the teacher would be annoyed. Actually, it was not bad. She could listen to the current teaching methods and see what the teacher's focus was on in the textbook.
After class, which meant school was over, everyone who lived nearby went home. Zhu Zi, who had brought his own lunch, came to Zhang Hongmei feeling embarrassed. "Hongmei, I forgot to tell you yesterday to bring your own lunch. Why don't you eat mine?"
"No need, Brother Zhu, I brought it with me." He then took out a lunchbox from his bag.
"It's alright, otherwise I would have felt embarrassed. I'll go eat now."
After Zhu Zi left, Zhang Hongmei opened the lunchbox. Inside were more than ten dumplings. They were from her spatial dimension, filled with cabbage and cockle. These were especially fresh; they were even packed from a restaurant by the sea.
He quickly finished eating, put away his lunchbox, and prepared to go to the principal to ask about Liu Erya's schooling. He had promised her, and seeing how hard she worked, he wanted to help her. Perhaps this was her chance.
She arrived at the principal's office and knocked, but no one answered. Zhang Hongmei wondered why no one was home during lunchtime.
"Zhang Hongmei, did you come to see me?" A voice suddenly came from behind.
Zhang Hongmei was startled. She turned to the principal and said, "Yes, Principal, I have something to ask of you."
"What's wrong? Do I need to beg?"
"It's still about school, but not mine. There's a girl in our village who wants to study, but she doesn't want to burden her family, so she dropped out after graduating from primary school and has been gone for two years. She's been studying with me lately. She wants to go to school like I do, and I wonder if the principal could make an exception for her."
"This is probably a tough problem. You're only able to get this treatment because you're a family member of a martyr, and you get special care. If all students were treated like this in the future, what would be the point of having schools?"
It would be a lie to say Zhang Hongmei wasn't disappointed. But the principal's words also made sense. She really didn't know what to do.
"Could the principal come to school for a few days and then take a longer leave?"
"You're too quick-witted; this is the only way."
"Thank you, Principal. Is it okay to enroll in fifth grade now?"
"Let her come over and try tomorrow. If she fails the test, there's nothing we can do."
"What's the exam scope? Is it the fourth-grade or fifth-grade monthly exam?"
"Fourth-grade knowledge, and the test paper from this month's exam."
"I understand. Then you can rest, Principal. I have to go to class soon. I'll come with her tomorrow."
"If you're not coming to class, it's better if you come to school less often."
"Okay, I'll remember that." Zhang Hongmei bowed to the principal before leaving. This principal is really nice.
I only had two classes in the afternoon. The teacher's teaching was very rigid, lacking the interactive and lively atmosphere of my previous life.
After school, I walked home with Zhu Zi again, and remained silent the whole way.
Zhang Hongmei didn't go home. Instead, she went to Liu Maocai's house. "Third Aunt, are you there?"
Li Cuihua and Liu Erya came out together. Zhang Hongmei told them about her conversation with the principal in detail: "Erya, you should think about it yourself. If you want to go, go to the school tomorrow to find the principal and take the exam."
Liu Erya looked at Li Cuihua and said, "Mom, I want to go to school. I'll go to school for a while, and I'll ask for leave when things get warmer."
Seeing her daughter looking at her pitifully, Li Cuihua decided to grant her wish and let her go to school.
"Go ahead, Mom wants you to go."
"Mom, don't worry, I always keep my word. I will earn my own tuition and work in the fields without neglecting my own food."
"Okay, Mom believes you."
"Second Sister, there's an exam tomorrow. It's based on the fourth-grade textbook and the fifth-grade monthly exam paper."
"Thank you, Hongmei. I'm sure I'll pass the exam."
Yes. You can do it.
When Zhang Hongmei got home, the first thing she did was start a fire, and she simply burned the corn stalks from the space in the house.
Hurry up and make room. There's still a huge pile of bean stalks. If all else fails, we can raise sheep ourselves and not have to cut grass ourselves.
I'll ask Liu Maocai tomorrow where I can buy lambs. We need to use up the straw in our space; we could afford to raise ten of them.
Zhang Hongmei didn't enter the space until it got dark. Today she was threshing soybeans, which was something that could be done with just strength.
A thick tarpaulin was laid on the ground, several bundles of bean stalks were placed on it, and sticks brought in from outside were used to vigorously beat the stalks until the beans fell off. This was repeated back and forth until Zhang Hongmei was so exhausted she could barely lift her arms.
However, the results were also gratifying. Thirty bags of 100-jin each were harvested, and the yield per mu was enough to reach 1,000 jin.
First, he put it into his storage ring, then into the warehouse. Only then did he happily leave the space.
I've taken a bath and eaten inside the space, and now I'm starting a fire. I don't want to cook outside, so I'm just boiling water. I'll have to fetch water later. After that, I'll go find Liu Maocai to ask about the lambs; maybe I should raise a few more.
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