PS: In 1993, there was no estimated scoring program, and filling out college preferences was like shooting in the dark. For the plot's needs, the college entrance exams referenced in the book are modern. Also, this is not a rebirth story; it's set in a background similar to the 1990s, so don't take it too literally.
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At eleven thirty in the morning, the Chinese language exam finally ended.
"Chen Hai, how did you perform on the test?"
"I did pretty well, I think I did okay. And you, Brother Jian?"
"Me? Whether I did well or not doesn't matter; I'm definitely getting into college!"
...
After leaving the exam hall, Chen Hai and Liu Jian walked out of the campus, talking and laughing.
Liu Jian's mom was sitting in a black sedan.
As soon as she saw Liu Jian, she quickly opened the door and went to meet him.
After chatting for a while, the two of them headed to a large restaurant near Ninth Middle School.
As for Chen Hai, he had naturally separated from Liu Jian long before.
Follow him to mooch food and drinks? His relationship with Liu Jian hadn't reached that level.
Staying at Chen Dongmei's place was just Chen Hai alone; Meixian felt it was somewhat troublesome to the host, even more so since both mother and child were staying there. She felt truly sorry about it.
After all, her son was quite self-sufficient in daily life. Having dropped him off at Chen Dongmei's the day before, Meixian had already rushed back home.
With no one to bring him meals, Chen Hai had to solve his lunch issues by himself.
He indulged in a rare luxury, spending two yuan to buy a fast-food meal with fish, meat, and even a soup.
Squatting by the roadside, he finished his meal and felt almost too full, belching several times.
The college entrance exams would last for three days; after a short rest at noon, he had to continue testing in the afternoon.
With his Taoist skills up his sleeve, Chen Hai performed quite well in the following exams.
In the blink of an eye, it was June 9th, and the final subject was finally over.
He didn't go back to his cousin Sun Jinzhong's place but directly took a bus to Wuyang Town Middle School.
Inside classroom 103, many classmates whose exam rooms were nearby had already arrived earlier.
"Chen Hai, how did you do?" Teacher Chen greeted him with a smiling face.
"If you didn't do well, don't lose heart. Just maintain the studying attitude you had these past days. If you retake the exam for a year or two, you will eventually get into university!"
Before Chen Hai could respond, Teacher Chen immediately added another sentence.
It seemed that he just asked casually, never really believing that Chen Hai could make it into a university.
"Teacher Chen, I think I did okay? Where are the answer sheets? I want to check and estimate my score!"
Teacher Chen seeing him this way didn't surprise Chen Hai, and he didn't think much of it.
He had indeed performed well in several exams, but he had mostly been copying, unsure whether his answers were right or wrong!
The main reason he rushed back to Wuyang Town Middle School was to estimate roughly how many points he could score.
"The answer sheets are on the lectern; you can check them yourself!"
Smiling, Teacher Chen responded.
Before the exams, he might have been very strict with the students, but at this moment, whether they were poor or good students, he greeted everyone with a smile, showing a friendly face.
Before Chen Hai, more than a dozen classmates had already rushed back to the classroom to check the answers and estimate their scores.
Among these people, some acted carefree, not caring at all, while some sat in their seats, utterly dejected and silent.
Two female classmates, upset about their poor performance, were lying face down on their desks, quietly sobbing nonstop.
Chen Hai was a science student, with six subjects in his exams.
Chinese, mathematics, and foreign languages each constituted a hundred and fifty points, biology, physics, and chemistry, each subject had a maximum score of one hundred.
The total score for the six subjects added up to seven hundred and fifty.
Retrieving a standard answer sheet from the lecturer's desk, Chen Hai returned to his seat.
Chinese probably around one hundred and ten, mathematics should be around a hundred and five points… Adding up the total score for the six subjects, it was roughly around five hundred and eighty.
After estimating his scores for a long time, he concluded with such a result; had it not been for the inappropriate setting, Chen Hai would have probably danced with joy.
With these scores, it surely wasn't sufficient for renowned universities like Tsinghua and Peking University.
However, it was enough to meet the cutoff marks, allowing him to choose from numerous universities.
To put it in perspective, for a poor student like Chen Hai, attaining even three hundred points based on his true abilities might have required his ancestors to emit green smoke from their graves.
"Going to university is secured!"
He loosely exhaled, sitting in his seat with a foolish smile, Chen Hai thought silently to himself.
However, he kept this matter to himself, without making a big announcement.
After all, his usual grades were too dismal.
If he suddenly staged such an impressive turnaround and performed so well, not only would others not believe him if he spread the word, it might even stir up some unnecessary trouble.
"After a while, when the scores really come out, I'll blind everyone with their titanium alloy dog eyes!"
Glancing around at the other students in the classroom, Chen Hai secretly thought to himself.
As time passed, the number of people in the classroom gradually increased.
How well did he perform? Chen Hai already had an idea.
Just having completed the college entrance exams, filling in university preferences had to wait a bit longer.
Generally, around the twentieth of this month, the college entrance exam scores would be released, and that would be the time to fill in the university preferences.
Remaining in the classroom was pointlessly idle.
Just as he was contemplating whether to go back to his hometown in Chenjiaping or head over to his cousin Sun Jinzhong's house in Liuyuan County, someone suddenly called out to him!
"Chen Hai, the class plans to gather tomorrow. Do you want to come along?"
The speaker was a tall male student named Hu Zhiyong, the class president of class 103.
Besides him, there were another male and female class cadres, individually asking each student who had arrived in the classroom.
"A gathering tomorrow? Where?" Chen Hai asked, slightly stunned.
"Downtown Shuang State, we're planning a barbecue. It's more fun with more people!"
Hu Zhiyong replied with a smile.
Liuyuan County, near the Yuan River, and this Shuang State was in the middle of the river.
To go there conveniently, from downtown one could take a boat directly to Shuang State.
Of course, if one didn't mind taking a detour, it was possible to walk there without needing a boat.
Now, Shuang State, with its lush green trees and stone beaches near the riverbank, was an excellent spot for picnicking or wild cooking.
On holidays, many people would gather in groups and head there!
It was only early June, and in a little while, when the water level of the Yuan River rose and flooding began, it wouldn't be quite suitable to go there!
Hearing Hu Zhiyong say this, Chen Hai felt indeed tempted.
After all, with the college entrance exams over, classmates would soon be parting ways.
This class-organized gathering was set to be their final moment of joy together.