Chapter 18: Another Victory

On Thursday evening, the breeze passed through the apartment buildings.

Dinner at home was especially plentiful. A rich aroma of fish soup drifted from the kitchen. Mom had prepared a large clay pot of clear-stewed bighead carp head, sprinkled with green cilantro and tender strips of ginger. Steam rose from the milky broth.

As soon as I sat down, a piece of fish head flew into my rice bowl. Whoosh—pew.

I was speechless.

“Fang Luo, let me tell you, fish head is excellent for the brain!”

Mom removed her apron and sat across from me, her eyes full of concern. “Tomorrow’s the selection exam for that English competition, right? Two children out of sixteen—that’s a frightening elimination rate… Tell me honestly, are you confident?”

Dad came to the table with his newspaper and looked over too, though he spoke reassuringly. “Don’t put pressure on yourself. If you get in, good. If you don’t, that’s fine too.”

“Don’t worry, Mom, Dad. I’m confident.”

Faced with their concern, I answered calmly. If I took an elementary-school competition seriously, I wouldn’t lose.

Besides, I had a reason not to lose: the System’s second mission was the English competition.

“Have you been tired these days? You’ve come home an hour late every afternoon. Your father says his backside gets sore waiting.”

“Ahem!” Dad looked a little embarrassed.

I thought back. Tired? I didn’t think so.

The extra training in room 501 every afternoon might be intensive advanced work for the other children. For me, it was just waking up grammar and vocabulary buried in my memory. As long as I paid a little attention while Teacher Lin went through the kinds of questions, I’d have more than enough to handle a third-grade advanced test.

“Not tired.”

My parents relaxed at my immediate answer and smiled. They clearly hoped their son would excel.

After dinner, I read my programming book as usual; I’d finished well over half. Then I obediently took a hot shower and brushed my teeth carefully.

At eight forty, it was time for elementary schoolers to sleep. I climbed into bed too, ready to close my eyes.

A healthy routine always came first for physical development. Enough sleep not only kept the metabolism in good condition, but also made the skin clear. Otherwise, once puberty hit in middle or high school, hormonal trouble and a face full of painful acne would make life miserable. Sleep mattered, and having lived once before, I paid attention to such things.

Though in this third-grader’s body, puberty was still a long way off.

…

The night passed without dreams.

Before I knew it, it was Friday afternoon after school. The day of the decisive battle.

After four days of English competition training, the children would finally learn the outcome. Who would stay and who would go in the selection from sixteen to two?

As soon as the bell rang, before Class One had dispersed, several girls who usually played together gathered around Wen Shuyao’s desk.

“Shuyao, I heard you’re deciding who’s going to the city this afternoon?”

“Your English is so good. You’ll definitely make it! Good luck!”

Surrounded by them, Wen Shuyao blushed faintly and smiled. “Thank you, everyone. I’ll do my best.”

She really was well liked in class. Gentle and quiet, with nothing about her that put people off, she made everyone willing to come over for a few words.

I put my pen and eraser in my pouch. Seeing how busy she was, I picked up my stationery and started upstairs ahead of her.

I’d taken only a few steps outside the front door when quick little footsteps sounded behind me.

“Fang Luo, wait for me.”

Wen Shuyao came jogging after me with her books in her arms, loose strands of hair moving in the breeze. I stopped.

She caught up beside me and looked up. After catching her breath, she said, “Fang Luo, thank you for helping me with English these past few days… I’m really confident about today’s test!”

“Good. Glad you feel ready. Do your best.”

I didn’t think that was too perfunctory.

But just then Wen Shuyao caught sight of Zhou Wei, the English representative, coming around the stairwell. Zhou Wei was biting her lower lip, clutching a notebook, her face pale with nerves.

Wen Shuyao stopped and waved at me apologetically. “I’ll go keep Zhou Wei company. See you in the exam room!”

She turned and went to meet the girl who’d been walking alone, her steps light.

Watching the two girls go upstairs arm in arm, I thought their friendship had progressed quickly. I shook my head, gave it no more thought, and headed to multimedia classroom 501 on the fifth floor.

Today’s selection would be tested, marked, and announced on the spot. It had two demanding tracks: a closed-book written test followed by individual oral reading assessments with Teacher Lin.

To prevent cheating, the desks and chairs had been arranged in single rows, one student per seat.

“Hurry, hurry—”

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes!”

Once everyone arrived, Teacher Lin cleared her throat and explained the rules: written and oral tests, with scores marked immediately, just as she’d described before.

“All right, that’s everything. Keep your spirits up, check each question carefully, and don’t be careless.”

When she finished, she quickly passed the papers down the rows. Pages rustled throughout the classroom. A child from another class near the front drew a small, sharp breath at the sight of the questions.

I scanned my paper too.

Mm. There was some substance to it. The first few multiple-choice questions skipped third-grade basics and went straight for the difficult points of competition material.

(1) There ________ a pen and two rulers on the desk.

A. is B. are C. have D. has

(2) My uncle usually goes to work by bus, but he ________ to work yesterday.

A. walk B. walks C. walked D. is walking

That woman with long hair is ________ mother.

A. Lucy’s and Lily B. Lucy and Lily’s C. Lucy’s and Lily’s D. Lucy and Lily

…

These questions were very deceptive for third-graders.

But it was still third grade. A few glances, and they were done: A, C, B.

Anyone who got them wrong should reflect on how they could miss an elementary-school question.