Chapter 32: Night School Enrollment

Recently, two transfer students were about to join the class, and Gao Qiusheng felt a severe headache coming on.

Two people who hadn’t attended school much suddenly aspiring to get into college might seem like an inspiring story to others, but for him, a high school teacher with many years of experience, it clearly didn’t seem realistic.

However, one of them was from the Huo family, and the other from the Qin family—neither of whom could be offended.

Under heavy pressure from all sides, this prestigious provincial school’s poor, long-suffering homeroom teacher, Gao Qiusheng, took a step back. “They can join the class only if they pass the entrance exam. If they pass, they stay; if not, they can pack up and leave quietly.”

In the afternoon, Gao Qiusheng received two sets of science exam papers—one done at school and the other completed at home and sent over by someone else.

Even before glancing at the papers, Gao Qiusheng silently judged one of the students with two words: “Arrogant fool.”

Both sets of papers had the names sealed off to ensure fairness, leaving only the exam sheets visible.

Initially, Gao Qiusheng only wanted to find an excuse to dismiss these two students because of poor academic performance, thus sparing the school’s face and satisfying both families without offense.

As such, he alone occupied the entire office; he hadn’t even informed the other subject teachers. He believed these two students wouldn’t produce anything worthwhile—most likely, they’d turn in blank papers.

Despite this, Gao Qiusheng squinted his eyes, leaned back against his chair, took a sip of tea, lit a cigarette, and prepared himself for what he thought would be a scribbled mess.

He grabbed a paper to take a cursory look, but as his gaze fell on the handwriting, his squinted eyes opened wide. His impression immediately improved by a few points. Eagerly, he reached for the other paper and sat up straight this time. Both sets of handwriting were beautiful, yet each had a distinct style.

One was neat and refreshing; the other was vibrant and fluid.

Gao Qiusheng concluded in his mind: “Such strength in their strokes—only those from exceptional backgrounds can achieve this.”

As a Chinese teacher, Gao Qiusheng held high standards for handwriting, and whenever he encountered elegant writing, he paused to admire it for ages.

With a red pen in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he quickly opened the two Chinese exam papers, feeling as if he were confronting a formidable challenge.

As he marked, his face turned red and pale, and after finishing one piece of paper, his cup of tea was already empty.

Reviewing the other paper calmed him a bit, though he couldn’t regain complete composure, leaving his ashtray filled to the brim with cigarette ashes.

After finishing grading both papers, Gao Qiusheng bolted out of the office without even bothering to close the door.

Old Liu, the school’s gatekeeper, had never seen Teacher Gao Qiusheng run so fast in his entire life! It was an astonishing scene indeed!

Moments after Gao Qiusheng had run past, Old Liu suddenly remembered Gao Qiusheng’s bicycle, a classic “Twenty-Eight” model, and called out to him. Gao Qiusheng didn’t hear a thing, completely oblivious.

Later, Gao Qiusheng summoned a few subject teachers to the office, still wearing expressions of utter bewilderment. That very morning, he’d said there was no need for them to come in, but now, he’d dragged each teacher from their homes in the afternoon. The urgency was such that all of them were practically out of breath from the rush.

Gao Qiusheng slammed the two exam papers down in front of the subject teachers with a series of crisp “thwacks.” Then, he took his seat with a composed air, took a sip of tea, and wiped the light sweat from his forehead. He put on an expression of a wise, detached scholar who had seen through worldly matters, humming a tune as he waited for the teachers to review the exams.

The Director of the department had also been called to the office. The Director observed Gao Qiusheng’s unusually animated demeanor and asked, “Are you really not planning to admit those two students?”

Gao Qiusheng nearly choked on his tea. He was about to blurt out a “Hell no!” but bit it back, casting a sidelong glance at The Director as if looking at the neighborhood fool.

It was inscrutable.

The Director shifted uncomfortably under Gao Qiusheng’s gaze.

Gao Qiusheng, meanwhile, sat back and waited for the other teachers to react.

He was convinced that the future would be an era of “Big Language Arts”—a time when students with strong language skills wouldn’t be lacking in other subjects either. If anyone dared suggest rejecting these two bright, sharp-witted treasures, Gao Qiusheng would be the first to fight back!

The department head, who had been nearly driven to despair that morning, now muttered under his breath, “Why does it suddenly feel even colder in here?”

The first to start grading was Physics Teacher Li, who turned the papers over again and again, silently scrutinizing each one.

Noticing Teacher Li’s furrowed brow and thoughtful expression, The Director, now with arms crossed and pacing anxiously, approached and asked in a cautious whisper, “What’s wrong?”

Teacher Li’s frown deepened further, and he mumbled, “Something’s not right!”

The Director leaned further into the office and asked again, “What’s wrong?”

Teacher Li repeated his earlier words, “Something’s not right!”

With no answer from Li, The Director stepped back, noticing the usually friendly Teacher Zhao. He’s in his fifties, had been brought in by Gao Qiusheng and was now out of breath.

Suddenly, the amiable Teacher Zhao slammed his hands on the desk and exclaimed, “Perfect!”

The Director peeked out again, asking, “Teacher Zhao, what’s going on?”

Each inquiry from The Director prompted another enthusiastic clap from Zhao. The Director shook his head and immediately jumped in, “Breakthrough!”

With another emphatic slap on the table, Zhao declared, “Amazing!”

The Director could hardly believe it, thinking to himself, “What’s going on? What’s happening in this world?”

How could they bully him for not knowing English!

Meanwhile, Gao Qiusheng, who had an insight into everything, sat back in his chair, slowly inhaling from his cigarette, muttering, “Breakthrough!”

The grades for the two papers were finalized at five in the afternoon. The Director held the papers in slightly trembling hands; the paper from the Qin family had nearly perfect scores in all subjects except for a few deductions in Chinese. The paper from the Huo family had a slightly better score in Chinese than the Qin family’s, but their science and math results showed some deficiencies. Still, it was clear that both were outstanding students—cream rising to the top!

No way could that cream be poured into the fields of outsiders!

The Director laughed maniacally, “With these two kids, it’s finally time to show those from City No. 1 High School what we can do!”

However, upon learning the final scores, Gao Qiusheng choked on an old breath, his heart constricting in disbelief. No! This was impossible!

How could the Chinese have become the weak point for these two students?

As a top-notch, all-around provincial-level senior Chinese teacher, he refused to allow such a situation for his two treasured pupils!

Gao Qiusheng immediately focused on crafting a special study plan for the two students.

“Since they can’t memorize the material, let’s have them memorize it to the point of exhaustion!”

Su Nianmei inexplicably felt a chill run down her back.

When she saw The Director again in the afternoon, he was now an almost sixty-year-old man, his face lined with wrinkles, laughing exuberantly at her.

Earlier that morning, The Director had seemed indifferent when he saw her, but after an entire afternoon, his expression had transformed into that of a gleeful bun.

Su Nianmei instinctively shrank back as she stood up.

The Director beamed with pride and handed her a large bag.

Su Nianmei took the bag with one hand, but it quickly sank under its weight.

The head’s expression turned a bit awkward as he remarked, “It’s a little heavy.”

Su Nianmei immediately wrapped both arms around the bag, replying, “It’s manageable.”

The Director nodded, regarding Su Nianmei with an approving gaze, thinking to himself: This child is quite impressive—humble and generous! Not only does she study well, but she can also endure hardships! She’s a well-rounded student in terms of morality, intellect, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor!

Unbeknownst to The Director, Su Nianmei felt uncomfortable under his gaze, as if a weasel were eyeing a chicken, sending shivers down her spine.

The Director adjusted his expression and, with a serious demeanor, asked, “Classmate Su, are you truly prepared to attend our school?”

Su Nianmei nodded, “Yes!”

The Director thought it was too easy for her to agree, so he asked again, “Classmate Su, are you really, really, really ready to come to our school?”

Su Nianmei sensed that The Director might not have heard her clearly, so she repeated her response.

Her voice spun and danced in the head’s ears, and he listened intently.

After she finished answering, the head’s smile stretched almost from ear to ear. “Classmate Su, on behalf of Kyoto No. 2 High School, I warmly welcome you! I believe you will lead our school to glory, success, and prosperity!”

Su Nianmei blinked, feeling like she had said something wrong moments ago.

Turning her head, she spotted Gu Xiaobao peering in through the window, his little head bobbing up and down as he smiled at her.

Looking further away, she saw Gu Xichao dressed in casual attire, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a pleasing sight to behold.

Su Nianmei sighed in relief; at last, the world felt normal again!

The Director noticed Su Nianmei gazing outside and quickly shoved a note into her hands.

Su Nianmei froze just as she was about to open it.

The Director added, “Classmate Su! You really need to attend our school!”

Su Nianmei nodded again.

The head’s expression contorted in a mix of emotions; after a long pause, he reluctantly said, “Then you can open it.”

Su Nianmei replied, “Oh,” and unfolded the note. To her surprise, what had been neatly folded into a small square unfolded to reveal an A4-sized sheet filled with dense text. The front was covered with book titles, while the back contained a lengthy message.

She scanned the text and noticed that it even had a title: On the Future of the Great Language Arts Era.

Peering closer at the other side, she read Basic Qualities of Outstanding Individuals. Please memorize the following pieces, Classmates.

The very first entry was Li Sao.

Su Nianmei stared at The Director, contemplating the possibility of returning the note.

Sensing her hesitation, the Director decisively pushed her out of the room and locked the door behind her!

Still pressed against the window, he said, “Classmate Su, you must attend classes!”

Gu Xiaobao shuffled back toward Gu Xichao, gripping his Dad’s hand, feeling that this grandpa was a bit intimidating.

The Director lifted his gaze, watching Su Nianmei leave, and remarked, “Tsk tsk, when did our school uniforms become so extraordinary?”

“Is that blue?”

“No, that’s not blue!”

That was the hope of their school to defeat City No. 1 High School!

It was the blue of Kyoto No. 2 High School!

The Director shouted triumphantly, “Ah, Mei Zi Ying!”

After finishing his laugh, he rubbed his stiffened face and turned to prepare for the next round of persuasive talks!

Gu Xichao held the bag in one hand and grasped Gu Xiaobao’s hand with the other.

As they exited the school gate, a black sedan slowly rolled in.

Inside the car, Qin Huai sat impatiently. He had already submitted his papers and expressed his wish to study at home. Yet, The Director insisted on having a face-to-face meeting to discuss things in detail.

Gu Xiaobao, with sharp eyes, called out, “Brother!”

The person in the car frowned slightly, but the vehicle continued to drive away.

On Friday, Gu Xichao received an invitation from the Ji family—the matriarch’s eightieth birthday celebration.

Ji Yuan sent someone to deliver the invitation to Gu Xichao, specifically inviting their family to attend.