On the day of the exam, I felt that my hand had pretty much recovered so I removed the splint.
Since there was no wind or rain, I ran my usual laps around Dongshan Lake.
When I was running, I saw the kung fu shirt gramps.
I took the initiative to say h.e.l.lo:
“Gramps, my hand is healed. Should I learn the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms first, or the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi?”
The old man gave me a blank look: “Someone as talkative as you can only learn the Monkey Fist.”
After carefully sizing me up, he waved his hand and said: “No, no, based on your running posture, I know your left hand has not fully recovered, it would take at least two more weeks.”
I was very surprised: “I feel better! I’m not even afraid of getting into a fight!”
The old man remained unmoved: “It’s fine for a fight, but it’s not fine enough to learn my kung fu! Stop jabbering, continue your run! Come talk to me after two weeks!”
I pouted and went to take the exam after three laps.
The examination room and seat number was a.s.signed according to the overall ranking of last year’s final exam.
Because I scored poorly last year (especially the physics exam, where I only finished half the test. I didn’t realize there were questions on the back. At the time I felt it was beneath me, I thought middle school physics was only at this level), so I was a.s.signed to the 4th exam room, 10th seat.
This was basically the area of the worst students in the whole school. Even a moron like Li ErLeng was also present.
In addition, Xiao Qin, who had just transferred and does not have a grade from last year, was also a.s.signed to this room.
She was seated right behind me…
“Haha, it’s really a fateful arrangement…” Xiao Qin looked at my back and acted like a love struck idiot. I didn’t pay any attention to her.
The first test was the wretched language exam.
Filling in the blanks was the most annoying problem type, and it still tormented me this time.
In an exile area like the 4th examination room, if there was a question you didn’t know, there was no way to copy others before, since they might not be right.
But today was an exception, Xiao Qin, who was unexpectedly in the 4th examination room, is very good at the liberal arts.
So I sat a bit straighter, while the invigilator wasn’t looking, I whispered to Xiao Qin:
“How do you write the character “磐” from the word boulder?”
Xiao Qin used her finger to write the character on my back.
b.a.s.t.a.r.d, are you s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with me? Such a complicated word, let alone through the clothes, even if you wrote it directly on my skin, I wouldn’t know how to write it!
“Hey, stop drawing on my back! After you finish, just pa.s.s me a note!”
“Okay o (>_
Xiao Qin agreed in disappointment.
I skipped the fill in the blanks and went on to answer the other questions first. After ten or so minutes, I heard a sound coming from behind my b.u.t.t. I looked down: Xiao Qin actually pa.s.sed her test papers from under her desk!
There are two sheets in the language exam, you finished the first one so fast! Say Xiao Qin, you are too bold! If the invigilator finds out that your first sheet disappeared, your score would be invalid!
But since she already pa.s.sed the sheet over, I have no reason not to take it. Instead of wasting effort to memorize the words that I couldn’t write, it would be easier to directly copy Xiao Qin’s answers.
So what if Xiao Qin loses her score? She was the one who gave her test paper to me, I didn’t force her. If she gets mad at me, that’s exactly what I wanted!
Xiao Qin’s language test paper was written clearly and neatly, I copied it in a natural and unforced manner. After I finished copying, I returned the paper to Xiao Qin from under the table. After she finishes writing the essay, I’ll borrow the second sheet of paper.
The invigilator of the 4th exam room yawned from behind the podium while playing with his phone. They probably think that this exam room is full of poor student. Even if we copied each other, we would not get good enough results to affect fairness.
When Xiao Qin and I exchanged papers, there were one or two students who saw us, but they did not dare to speak out, fearing that I would retaliate afterward.
Li ErLeng sat far away and his eyes lost spirit when he arrived at the examination room. He even ate a piece of the exam paper that was given to him.
Maybe she was afraid that I would be anxious, so Xiao Qin did not write the last essay question and pa.s.sed the second sheet of test paper directly over to me.
I was a little embarra.s.sed after receiving it. You have to know that the essay is worth 50 points! You wasted so much time giving it to me, if you didn’t finish the essay, you will fail one of the few subjects you are good at!
So I copied the answers as fast as possible and immediately returned it to Xiao Qin.
It should be enough to copy this much, I should write the essay myself.
What question did old man Zhang pose? Eh? It is a proposition essay, the topic is “Realization of Life”? You have to write about whether in the cla.s.sroom, because of a teacher’s words, you suddenly felt enlightened, like you have matured.
It seems that never happened… There was one time under the enlightenment of Xiao Qin, a certain part of my body suddenly became bigger!
However, if I wrote that, even if I had literary talent, I would only get zero points and be criticized in the school announcements.
No matter how I tried to remember the memories of the cla.s.sroom, I didn’t remember what the teacher said on the podium. But my head was filled with Xiao Qin’s whispers.
It took a while to recall the Cleopatra story the history teacher told, and I was able to write a bulls.h.i.t article about how life pa.s.ses like smoke and we should cherish our time.
After coming out of the language exam room, I was in a good mood, so I bought a drink for Xiao Qin from the shop as a reward for the time being.
I didn’t expect there to be so many people buying drinks. I went late and was only able to buy two bottles of oolong tea, which was not a popular drink.
Despite this, when Xiao Qin saw that the oolong tea I bought for her, she blossomed a smile and received it with joy.
As usual she pretended to be feeble and she asked me to help unscrew the lid, then she took a huge gulp.
I could tell from her expression that it doesn’t taste good, but it can’t be helped, even the mineral spring water was sold out.
Xiao Qin pouted and complained: “Ye Lin’s fluid is really bitter~!!”
Your sister! Yes, oolong tea is a fluid, but can you not exchange the terms so casually! What is my fluid!? The nearby male and female students are all looking at us! Especially Eunuch Cao, who is holding a bottle of Nutrition Express with his wretched smile, if he was not afraid of being beat, he would have already made a s.e.xual joke!
For the following exams, as long as it was a liberal arts course, Xiao Qin would always pa.s.s me her exam papers. One time, she was almost caught by the invigilator, fortunately Xiao Qin immediately wiped her tears and pretended to be pitiful. She said she accidentally dropped her paper under the desk and felt a lot of pressure after transferring schools. She asked the teacher for forgiveness and was able to get away with it.
When I walked out of the English exam, I was more confident than Keanu Reeves in the Matrix.
But when it came to the sciences, Xiao Qin was like a different person. I sat in front of her. The times I heard her write were fewer than the times she twirled her pen, it was obvious she was going to fail.
But, I was like a fish back in water. Good thing I prepared in advance for the exams. I did especially well on the physics exam, I even remembered the additional questions on the back.
Based on usual school days, Xiao Qin obviously knows that I was good at the sciences, but she would rather stare blankly than ask for my help.
I was surprised, as long as she asked, I will lend my sheet of paper to her, just like she did before —— it is common courtesy!
After I saw there was only 15 minutes left, I glanced back and saw her bitter face, so I could not help but whisper:
“Why don’t you want my test papers? Do you want to fail and get scolded again?”
Xiao Qin replied hesitantly:
“Although I’m happy that Ye Lin cla.s.smate is thinking about me… But I don’t want to trouble Ye Lin cla.s.smate. If we were discovered by the teacher again, I wouldn’t be able to lie again. In short, thank you, I will work hard to pa.s.s the exam…”
I couldn’t understand her persistence, so I ripped off a corner of my sc.r.a.p calculation paper and wrote the answers to several big questions that I thought were absolutely correct. Then I rolled it into a ball and threw it to Xiao Qin over my shoulder.
I can imagine the surprised expression on her face after she opened the paper ball.
“You copied the answer again just for me? Ye Lin cla.s.smate usually hates bothersome things… Thank you very much! I will take this paper filled with love, and the love letter Ye Lin cla.s.smate gave to me. Together, I will treasure them both as family heirlooms!”
Don’t keep it as a treasure! Don’t leave evidence after you finish copying, hurry up and destroy it! Also, the letter I wrote to you before was not a love letter, but a letter of challenge! How many times do you want me to repeat it until you understand!
After three days of nervousness and nine subjects, I was finally relieved.
At least my result should be better than last terms final exam? When my Dad is at the parent-teacher conference, he shouldn’t feel ashamed because of my grades.
When I accidentally heard Xiao Qin, the cla.s.s leader, and Loud Mouth compare answers, most of Xiao Qin’s answers for the liberal arts courses were almost the same as the cla.s.s leader’s. I realized that I might have committed a big mistake.
When I copied Xiao Qin’s papers, did I take it overboard? Was Xiao Qin’s liberal arts skills better than I thought, it’s even in the same grade as the cla.s.s leader’s score?
Because this time I reviewed the sciences ahead of time, I answered the question very well. Now, I even copied Xiao Qin’s answers word for word… Am I defying the natural order! I am a weak student who was placed in the 4th examination room. I don’t even want to think about the score I will get!
Please don’t get too good of a mark! Otherwise, with such a huge leap in grades, it would definitely be believed to be as a result of cheating and it will be criticized at the parent-teacher meeting! Dad will be hit twice because of my cheating and the poisonous tongue of Auntie Ren!
It’s all your fault, Xiao Qin! Why did you tempt me to cheat! I only asked how to write one character, why did you pa.s.s me your entire sheet! Didn’t you know that it is very difficult to stop once you start copying?
According to the cla.s.s leader, she said that this time the school will be very compa.s.sionate and wait until after the long break to announce the results, so that everyone won’t have to answer to their parents’ beating stick during the holiday.
This was a suspended sentence for me. I wanted to cover my ears whenever I heard someone else’s answer to the exam. I was afraid that it would prove that my answer to the test was correct.
During the May first holiday, I heard that the cla.s.s leader’s parents came back from Shanghai, and the family of four had a rare reunion.
Xiao Qin said that Auntie Ren couldn’t accompany her during the break because the film crew wanted to speed up progress. She hoped that I can go to amus.e.m.e.nt parks or go to the zoo to see elephants with her.
“If…, if Ye Lin cla.s.smate is not willing, you can even come to my house and game with me for three days!”
That proposal was actually a bit tempting. Xiao Qin and I still have not completely settled the fight in “Street Fighter”.
But I calmed down after thinking carefully: Xiao Qin’s home is the tiger’s den. A single man and woman, let alone stay for three days, even if it was only for half a day, the outcomes are unimaginable.
In the end, I rejected her suggestion. I only removed her phone number from the blocked list under her repeated requests.
I reluctantly agreed only after she promised to not call casually and she could only tell my father that we are only ordinary cla.s.smates.
As for Ai Mi, she took her newly healed back and went to film with Auntie Ren.
As for me and my dad, the way we spent the May Break was a bit **: we strolled around the computer marketplace for a day, saw all kinds of new digital products. We only looked and didn’t buy, but we acted like experts and pointed out the defects in the products in front of other customers, it p.i.s.sed off the owners.
That’s how we spent a full and meaningful day.
In the other two days, Dad lazed in front of the computer. I flipped through movie magazines while curling dumbbells with my left arm to recuperate the muscles.
After the three-day holiday, the fateful day arrived.
Although the final ranking was not given, the results of each subject were published.