Zhang Hongmei has no time to think about anything else; her entire attention is completely absorbed by the novel.
As the novel unfolded, my emotions rose and fell with it, and I even shed a few tears when I saw the female protagonist being wronged.
I finished reading this book today, and I'm going to school tomorrow. Even though I'm going straight into my second year of high school, I feel like the first day will definitely be an exam.
This year, I'll have to go to class every day as usual, especially since history and politics are my weak points. I also need to improve my Chinese, and I'm only a little better at math.
In elementary school it was called arithmetic, now it's called mathematics. I'm so used to hearing the name arithmetic.
I didn't even have lunch, and I finally finished reading the book before dark.
The eight-treasure porridge I had for dinner was especially thick and had a wonderful grain flavor. A bowl of this used to cost ten yuan, but it was worth it. I once went to eat porridge late at night after work and saw people cooking it in the kitchen; it wasn't the kind with additives. So, I've been eating there for breakfast and dinner ever since.
After dinner, I went into the space to wash up quickly and slept there tonight, as the kang (heated brick bed) outside is too cold.
The next morning at six o'clock, I went to fetch water with a carrying pole, but when I got there I was dumbfounded. There was no one there. Had they not started work yet?
He had no choice but to go home, put down his carrying pole, turn on the radio, listen to the broadcast, eat a bowl of wontons, tidy up the house, and then at 6:30 he slung his bag over his shoulder and rode his bicycle to school.
It took twenty minutes to get to the school, and by then students were already starting to enter.
"Zhang Hongmei, Zhang Hongmei!"
"Song Zigan, Happy New Year."
Happy New Year to you too. I didn't see your name on the class assignment list just now?
"Oh. I'm going straight into the second year of high school."
"Really? You can go to the second year of high school?"
“After I reported last time, I came to the school to take the test again, and the results were okay. So I asked to go to the second year of high school. So the school agreed.”
"You're so smart. I heard about this. You got almost perfect scores in every subject. That's amazing! So it was you!"
I was hoping to be in the same class as you, but it turns out you're a year ahead of me.
"Hehe." Zhang Hongmei laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"There's only one class in the second year of high school, and I heard the studies are extremely intense. This year they even added a political science class, which you have to take to get into college."
"Yes, what I'm most worried about right now is politics and history, but my teacher is really nice and even gave me news clippings. It's much better than blindly searching on my own."
"Of course your teachers treat you well if you get good grades. Every teacher likes students who do well in their studies."
"Are you free this week? Shall we go to the bookstore?"
"I don't know yet. I should go to the post office. I want to find someone to subscribe to the newspaper. If you're good at political science, you should read more newspapers and listen to the news."
"Shall I come with you?"
"Okay, let's go to the bookstore after we finish our business at the post office."
The two parted ways in front of the classroom. Zhang Hongmei entered the classroom and found several people already reading. The classroom was unusually quiet; no one was talking at all.
Zhang Hongmei found the last table, took out a rag, wiped it down, and then sat down. She took out her history book and began to read it carefully.
Everyone put down their books only when the teacher came in.
"Hello everyone, I am your homeroom teacher and politics teacher. Let's work together from now on. My name is Chen Sheng, and we will be spending the next year together."
Throughout this year, I will do my best to answer everyone's questions and help them resolve their academic difficulties. I also hope that everyone will use this short year to break through their limitations, strive for a bright future, contribute to the country's development, and become useful and contributing individuals to the nation and its people.
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from below. This was truly a political science teacher; his eloquence was remarkable!
The teacher waved her hand, and the classroom returned to silence. "I'll use these ten minutes to motivate you all. Of course, after ten minutes, it will be time to test you. Our first test will be Chinese, followed by math, politics, and history. Each subject will be fifty minutes long."
This set of questions is a midterm exam paper from three years ahead of you. I want to see your true level and also check your pre-study results. Of course, the politics questions are new.
Don't be nervous, stay calm and do your best.
There are five minutes left. Anyone who needs to go to the restroom should hurry. The principal will come to proctor the exam when the bell rings.
The teacher could tell from the students' expressions that the exam wouldn't go well; everyone had a sour look on their faces. Well, that was fine, it made them all feel the pressure.
As soon as the school bell rang, the principal came in carrying a stack of test papers. Without saying a word, he counted out the papers in a row and passed them on to the next student.
Zhang Hongmei breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the Chinese exam paper. It was alright; the number of questions wasn't too large, and the essay only required 300 words.
However, it took me forty-five minutes to finish the paper, leaving no time to check my work, especially since I hadn't drafted the essay. I could only skim through the reading comprehension questions, and I didn't even have time to check for spelling mistakes in the essay before time was up.
"Alright, time's up. Students at the back, please stand up and collect the papers."
When Zhang Hongmei was collecting the papers, she saw that two of her classmates had finished answering, and another student's paper only had a few words on it.
The second math class was relatively easy; I finished it in half an hour, checked it from beginning to end, and then it was time for get out of class to end.
Politics is relatively simple, because there are no textbooks yet, and the questions on the test are all adapted from news reports.
This wasn't difficult for Zhang Hongmei, but few of her classmates had radios at home or could read newspapers.
Therefore, Zhang Hongmei often heard the sound of turning over test papers.
The history exam was relatively the easiest, with almost 70% being modern history. After answering the entire exam, Zhang Hongmei had a better grasp of the material.
After Zhang Hongmei handed the history exam paper to the principal and left, everyone collapsed onto their desks, seemingly exhausted.
Some students grabbed their lunchboxes and hurriedly ran out of the classroom, and the others realized what was happening.
Zhang Hongmei didn't move; she hadn't handed in any grain on the day she reported for duty. She took out a lunchbox from her bag, containing cornbread and pickled vegetables she had prepared the night before.
He was the only one left in the classroom. He ate half a cornbread, drank a few sips of water, and then started to tidy up.
Those who came in quickly with food were very surprised to see Zhang Hongmei, assuming that she was starving because there was no food to deliver to the canteen.
Since everyone was unfamiliar with each other and no one came over to chat, Zhang Hongmei took this opportunity to open her history book again, always afraid of confusing it with her memories of her past life.
These are sensitive topics now, and I can't afford to make any mistakes.
It's hard to say for sure when the time comes, so it's best to be cautious.
There's an hour and a half break at noon, but almost no one rests; everyone's reading or doing exercises. It creates a good learning atmosphere.
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