"Can you learn it? I've heard your brother Jianguo and your sisters Daya and Erya say it's quite difficult."
"No matter how difficult it is, I have to study at home. Otherwise, how will I do the housework? I have to work to support myself."
Li Cuihua looked at Zhang Hongmei with pity. The child was right; they needed to eat.
"Auntie, I'm going back now. If you're too lazy to move, just lie down. I'll come back to see you tomorrow." Zhang Hongmei returned home, her excitement subsiding. She locked the door and went into her spatial dimension. She prepared a sumptuous dinner for herself: steamed sea bass, octopus stewed with pork belly, stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms, cucumber and egg soup, and rice. In her excitement, she made too much, so she had to set aside a portion for the storeroom.
I got ready and left at 5:30 the next morning. It would take two hours to walk to the village, so it wouldn't be until 7:30, which wasn't considered early. I ate sesame cakes and millet porridge for breakfast in my online space. I ate my fill and felt like I had endless energy in my legs.
I used the same equipment I had on my last trip to the countryside. Since I had plenty of time, I didn't rush and strolled leisurely towards the countryside.
This time, she walked, which was different from taking a car last time. The road felt incredibly long, and the population seemed so sparse. Even the villages felt welcoming. After an hour and forty minutes, she finally arrived at the township government, only to find the gates not yet open. She was too early. Zhang Hongmei inwardly mocked herself for how much she wanted to go to school; she hadn't had enough in her past life, and now she was starting over.
He stood outside the gate waiting for Li Juying. This was fine; at least it gave the impression that he was proactive and eager to learn.
Li Juying arrived promptly at eight o'clock and saw Zhang Hongmei standing at the gate from afar. "Hongmei, when did you arrive? I need to take you there in a bit. The township head checks the posts every day, otherwise it won't be considered absenteeism. The school is right there, why don't you wait for me at the school gate first?"
“Okay, Aunt Li, you can come when you’re done with your work. I’ll wait for you.” Actually, this suited Zhang Hongmei just fine. That Township Head Wang didn’t like her. If he found out that Li Juying was using her work time to find a school for her, wouldn’t he make her stand outside in the freezing cold waiting like last time at the meeting? Going to the school gate was perfect.
Li Juying knocked on the door and went inside, while Zhang Hongmei turned and went to the school.
The school gatekeeper noticed the little girl had been standing there for an hour and asked curiously, "Girl, are you looking for someone? School doesn't start for another few days."
"Sir, I'm here to register for school. I'm waiting for an auntie who will be here soon."
"Oh, you're here to sign up? Why don't you come in and warm up a bit?"
"Thank you, sir. I'll wait a bit. We agreed to meet at the door, so let's not mess things up."
"Which village are you from, girl? What grade are you in for your age?"
"Grandpa, I'm from Liujiatun. I want to take the exam to see what grade I can get into. I just don't know if the school will allow it?"
"I've never heard of it, and Liujiatun isn't even close. Did you come alone?"
"Yeah, I came alone, isn't that a bit awkward? I've been walking for quite a while."
"Then you can wait outside for a while. The principal has already gone in. When someone comes, you can go in."
"Sir, is the upper primary school located at this school?"
"Here, the junior high school isn't here, it's in the county."
Just as Zhang Hongmei was chatting with the gatekeeper, Li Juying arrived. "Hongmei, I'm here. Let's go inside. I can't stay out for too long."
"Okay, Aunt Li, you can go back to work after you drop me off at school. I can manage on my own."
"Okay, come find me when you're done." Li Juying led Zhang Hongmei into the school, stopped in front of an office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in! It's Comrade Li! Is this the child you were talking about?"
"Yes, Principal Qian, these are the families of martyrs and soldiers."
"Hello, Principal. I am Zhang Hongmei from Liujiatun. I am here to report for duty today."
"Hmm, this kid is good. What grade do you want to apply for?"
"Principal, can I apply directly to the upper primary school? You can let me take an exam. If I score below 80, I'll follow your arrangements. If I score above 90, can you let me enter the sixth grade of upper primary school?"
Li Juying and Principal Qian were quite dissatisfied with Zhang Hongmei's words. As teachers, they disliked students who were overly ambitious. Li Juying felt that the child was immature and had spoken too confidently.
Zhang Hongmei could tell from their expressions that neither of them was satisfied, but she couldn't do anything about it. "Principal, please give me a chance. Let me try. I've been trying my best to study at home. You've probably heard about my situation from my Aunt Li. I really don't have the time or energy to study at school anymore, and I think I can go to the sixth grade of elementary school."
Principal Qian, sitting behind the desk, looked at the anxious and frightened girl in front of him and couldn't help but soften his heart. "Alright, I'll let you try. We'll go to the teachers' office in a bit for the test. There are two subjects: arithmetic and Chinese. If you can really score above 90, I'll decide to let you go to sixth grade. Let's go."
Seeing that things had reached this point and there was no way to salvage the situation, but she didn't have time to stay with the student during the exam, she said, "Principal Qian, I have to go to work now. It's not good to be away for too long. Let the child take the exam first. I'll come back when I have time. Hongmei, you must take the exam seriously. If I don't come back, you must come to my place."
"Okay, go ahead."
"Okay, Aunt Li, don't worry, I'll come to the village to find you after I finish the exam."
Principal Qian led Zhang Hongmei to the office next door, where three teachers were preparing lessons. "Comrades, this child is here to register today, wanting to directly apply for sixth grade. Comrade Wang, please bring over the sixth-grade entrance exam papers and let her try them. Zhang Hongmei has one hour for each subject exam, so you can start preparing."
All three teachers turned to look at Zhang Hongmei, feeling that the child was too unreliable. Who would directly apply for the sixth grade of primary school? Teacher Wang, whose name was called out, took out a set of blank test papers from her drawer and handed them to the principal.
Zhang Hongmei took the test paper and glanced through it, but none of the questions seemed too complicated. She sat down and began answering the questions. To be honest, there were quite a few questions, so she decided to start with arithmetic. Although there were many questions, there were mostly calculation problems, so it would be relatively easy. She focused intently on answering the questions, unaware of the surprised expressions on the faces of the four others.
Principal Qian, watching Zhang Hongmei diligently answering questions, understood immediately. This child wasn't just aiming too high; she genuinely knew the material. The three teachers were also quite surprised. Although they were teachers, they were all only junior high school graduates, which was why they hadn't been pleased that this girl had directly applied for sixth grade. But seeing how she answered the questions, it was clear she truly knew the material, and they couldn't help but pay attention to the questions she had answered—all correct!
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