Chapter 51 - Cla.s.s Streaming
His Majesty the emperor was really c.r.a.ppy in humanities, and his only way out was to study science. Song Xiao felt that this was really bizarre. After all, Yu Tang was still an olden day person in his thinking, and should’ve had an easier time studying humanities.
In a flash, it was the end of the second semester of the first year. Song Xiao’s results were still in the middle. Ever since he heard that he didn’t need to study science subjects once the students were streamed, he didn’t try as hard in physics, and let his average score go down. His own physics homework was all pushed to the emperor.
“You have the impertinence to have zhen do your homework?!” Yu Tang watched Song Xiao push his physics exercise book over to him, and widened his eyes.
“Your Majesty needs this,” Song Xiao said with an earnest expression. Helping the emperor do his humanities homework had led to Song Xiao not needing to memorize blindly, as he instead remembered every question. Thinking that this was a really good method, he wanted to recommend it to the emperor.
“…” Yu Tang looked at the empress, who had the appearance of a faithful official, and really couldn’t bear to throw the homework back at him. He could only toss it to Dugu An, who was sitting behind him.
Currently, most schools attached great importance to science rather than humanities. There were many more majors to choose from when writing college applications, and more study paths. When the time came to stream the students, the form teacher would call the students who wished to study humanities into the office one by one, a.n.a.lyze their results, and advise those who could still be saved to study science.
Not doing his homework directly caused Song Xiao’s final exam results to slide. The form teacher looked at Song Xiao’s report card, with full marks in every humanities subject, then at his bare pa.s.s in his science subjects. Silent for a long while, his form teacher finally sighed and said, “Your science subjects really aren’t good. You’ll have more future prospects in the humanities.”
Because there were many people in the science stream, students from Special Cla.s.s Two who were studying science were put into Special Cla.s.s One, which remained as it was. On the other hand, the humanities stream was no longer divided into special and normal cla.s.ses anymore, and students were just streamed according to their grades.
After eliminating physics, chemistry, and biology, Song Xiao’s results placed him in first place in the humanities stream and put him at the top of the list, as it should be. He was also the first to go up and introduce himself.
“h.e.l.lo everyone, my name’s Song Xiao.” Dressed in the school uniform, his body was tall and straight, he was as gentle as jade, and his voice was clear and sonorous. The girls in cla.s.s immediately became excited.
“How handsome!”
“It’s Song Xiao ah, Pudding gongzi ah!”
“Ahhh!”
Everyone was streamed into the cla.s.s according to their results, and were free to choose their seats. The girls strove to be the first to grab the seats around Song Xiao, and the girl who was ranked second in cla.s.s managed to s.n.a.t.c.h the seat as his deskmate.
The summer vacation started after the students were streamed into the cla.s.ses. Initially, Song Xiao had already made plans with Yu Tang to spend the break at the latter’s seaside villa, but he was called away by a phone call from his maternal grandfather.
Old Qu had signed his grandson up for the youth painting and calligraphy compet.i.tion which was held every three years. This was a national-level compet.i.tion. If Song Xiao won an award, he could even get extra credit toward his college entrance examination.
Song Xiao didn’t want to go at first, but when he heard that he could get extra credit, he agreed.
The emperor suddenly stood up, extremely unhappy. “What painting and calligraphy compet.i.tion? You’re going to the US to study, and foreigners won’t understand this painting and calligraphy award. You might as well come intern at Dayu Corporation for two months.”
“This… can count as extra credit to the college entrance examination,” Song Xiao lowered his head and said quietly.
“College entrance exam…” Yu Tang paused and looked at Song Xiao. “You’re planning to take the college entrance exam?”
Song Xiao pursed his lips. His family’s situation wasn’t good, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to go abroad for his studies. Song Xiao wasn’t embarra.s.sed by this, but if he said it like that, it was as if he wanted Yu Tang to give him money. Instantly, he found it hard to open his mouth. “Grandpa already signed me up for it, so it wouldn’t be good if I don’t go. Moreover, this servant can’t always live by relying on Your Majesty.”
Yu Tang watched blankly as Song Xiao turned around and left, and his hands slowly curled into fists.
What was meant to be a cheerful summer vacation became bitter days without his wife. Yu Tang swam back and forth in the swimming pool at home, an ugly expression on his face, before immersing himself in the water to sulk. Lifting his head, he saw his little brother, in a small yellow duck pool float, happily flopping around in the shallow area.
This was the first time little Yu Lin was playing with water, so he was especially happy. Extending a pair of chubby hands, he slapped them on the surface of the water. While he was playing happily, there was a sudden ‘splash’, and a monster named Gege emerged from underwater, stirring up tremendous waves.
“Wah!” Yu Lin was splashed with water from head to toe. The small amount of hair on his head was drenched and dripped with water. Reaching up to touch his face and wipe off the water droplets, Yu Lin moved his short legs and tried to distance himself from his brother. However, a large hand caught him by the leg, and he was dragged before the monster gege.
“Why aren’t you crying?” Yu Tang reached out and poked his little brother in the forehead.
Yu Lin blinked, stupefied. Then he hurriedly opened his mouth as he started to howl loudly without tears. Zhang Xiaoren was playing with a ball not far away when it saw them, and it came over to join the fun. With a crash, it jumped into the swimming pool and circled didi, crying along with the “aowuaowuuuu —”.
“Enough, enough!” Yu Tang reached out and slapped the dog’s head, then pulled on his didi’s jug ears. “Stop pretending.”
Yu Lin looked at his brother with tearful eyes and flattened his lips, looking like he wanted to cry, but didn’t.
Yu Tang leaped out of the water and sat down on the edge of the swimming pool. Using his toes to pull the yellow duck float over, he dragged his little brother before him and raised a gla.s.s of cola for a sip. “Let me ask you, how did your saozi finally die?”
“Wu —” The little child appeared unable to understand as he hugged the yellow duck and sobbed grievously.
Yu Tang stared at his little brother for a while, trying to discern what was in his big black eyes. According to the history books, his successor, Emperor Hongyuan, was a monarch who had perfectly preserved his predecessor’s work, taking care of and tightly defending the foundations laid down by his elder brother.
That excited history teacher had put it like this: “Emperor Hongyuan, Yu Jinlin, was conferred the position of imperial heir by his elder brother as a child. His elder brother had the a.s.sistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Song Xiao, act as his teacher. He could be said to be a monarch who was single-handedly taught by Empress Duanhui, so naturally he wouldn’t be lacking. This pair of husbands raised this didi as a son.”
In Emperor Jingyuan’s third year after he ascended the throne, and without children, he established his blood brother, Jinlin, as his imperial heir, and treated him the way a parent did.
After a long silence, Yu Tang sighed slowly. “Forget it…”
In the end, the reason why he insisted that Song Xiao sign some contract was that he still felt insecure. Now, they rarely mentioned matters of the past. After all, he was the one truly in the wrong when he selfishly demanded that Song Xiao be buried with him. Now, he was exploiting Song Xiao’s dependence on him in a despicable manner, slowly locking him up in his embrace. And in the future?
Once Song Xiao adapted to this society and became independent, this old account, which had always been the thorn between them, would be brought up.
Raising his cola, Yu Tang took a swig. He suddenly didn’t want to hear his little brother speak the truth, afraid that it would be even crueler than what popular history said.
Now was the perfect time for a pot of hard alcohol, but he was underage and could only drink cola to cope. Yu Tang furiously stepped on the little yellow duck, kicking his little brother back toward the center of the pool.
At the start of the second year, Song Xiao missed the first two days of school because of his partic.i.p.ation in the compet.i.tion. When he returned from his hometown, he went straight to school.
The moment he got there, he saw a disorderly crowd of students sitting in front of the office building. Student union members were holding a large banner, and the head of the sports department had a loudspeaker raised as he yelled under it, “No more getting up at 5, let us sleep normally!”
The other students yelled along, “Let us sleep normally!”
Written on the large banner was the president daren’s cla.s.sic saying: “Wake up earlier than a chicken, sleep later than a dog!”
Song Xiao pa.s.sed through the crowd and found Yu Tang at the very front. President daren was sitting in a chair and looking at a student pet.i.tion that had been put together by the vice president.
“What’s this for?” Song Xiao went to Yu Tang and asked quietly.
When Yu Tang saw him come over, he took a look at his watch. “It’s almost time; scatter ba.”
And so, at the sound of a whistle, the students went back to their cla.s.srooms in an orderly manner, just like after they were done with the in-between cla.s.s exercises. This was a protest activity which the student union had recently organized in the hopes of changing the terrible situation of getting up so early every morning.
Song Xiao watched blankly as everyone departed like the tide in a clear and orderly manner. This clearly wasn’t their first time doing this. Folding up the banner, picking up the loudspeaker, and even moving the president’s stool —there was a person specially appointed for each task. Looking up at the window on the third floor, it seemed that the headmaster’s balding head had become even balder.
Before the end of the day, the school issued a notice that the daily morning reading session was canceled, and the wake-up call was changed to 6:50 am.
“The president is too awesome! This is the only school in the whole city that has this!” It seemed that the girls in the humanities cla.s.s had managed to gather a crowd of people who liked to gossip the most.
“The president is so handsome ah; let’s go to Special Cla.s.s One to look at him ba,” a girl couldn’t help suggesting. High school was when the male students grew rapidly. The president had gotten a lot taller, and looked more handsome than last year.
Just then, the n.o.ble president, hero of the school, was striding down the corridor with long legs as he made straight for the humanities cla.s.s.
“Oh my G.o.d, the president is coming here!” The boys made way one after another, while the girls covered their faces with hands in the shape of hearts. Everyone looked on as the president walked to the window of the humanities cla.s.s and tapped on it with a finger.
Sitting next to the window, Song Xiao raised his head. Seeing that it was Yu Tang, he opened the window. “What is it?”
“Come.” Yu Tang raised his chin slightly. “To the toilets.”
Little Theater
Fish Tang: Do you still remember your past reincarnation?
Didi: The wind is too loud, I can’t hear you.
Fish Tang: (raises hand, smack) What use are you?
Didi: Where’s the agreed parent-child relationship? QAQ