Chapter 5 – Preparations! Preparations! Preparations!

Chapter 5 – Preparations! Preparations! Preparations!.

A few days remained before the Civil Servant entrance test. Dong Xuebing, committed to fulfilling his promise to his mother, poured all his energy into his preparation.

After dinner, Dong Xuebing headed to his room, determined to find any advantage he could. He sifted through cupboards and drawers until he discovered a stack of optically answered sheets and some writing papers tucked away under his bed. These were remnants from his high school days. He placed them on his desk along with his stationery: an eraser and 2B pencils. Then he began to practice his memory, reciting patterns like "ABCD, 1234…"

Dong Xuebing knew this was his best chance to pass the Civil Servant Test. Even though his chances were slim—less than 20%—he was determined to give it his all.

The next morning, Dong Xuebing woke up on the couch, surrounded by stacks of answer sheets. Without hesitation, he resumed his practice. "AABDDCCABDC…" he muttered, closing his eyes and trying to recall the answers from memory.

His mother, noticing his peculiar behavior, asked, "Xuebing, what are you doing?".

Clearing his throat, Dong Xuebing replied, "Just preparations."

His mother eyed the old answer sheets with concern. "Didn't you buy revision materials for the test? Why are you using those old sheets?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've got this covered," Dong Xuebing assured her. If he could use his time control power on test day, all his effort wouldn't be in vain..

Practice continued relentlessly.

One hour. Two hours. Three hours.

Ring, ring. Dong Xuebing's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID—it was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hi, are you Xiao Dong?" asked a voice that sounded quite elderly.

"Yes, who's calling?.

"My surname is Hu."

Dong Xuebing responded, "Oh, are you Grandpa Hu? How's your health?.

"Thanks for asking. I'm doing well. Haha, are you busy today? If you're free, could you come to the hospital to keep me company?"

Dong Xuebing hesitated. "Sorry, I'm preparing for the Civil Servant test in a few days and need to focus on my revisions."

The caller seemed surprised. "You're taking the Civil Servant test? Did you register for it in Beijing earlier this year?" There was a brief pause before Grandpa Hu continued, "If you're not confident about the written test, come to the Cancer Hospital's Oncology ward. Despite my age, I can teach you techniques for answering the written test, especially the essay questions. Are you interested?"

Dong Xuebing was taken aback. "Really?"

"Of course. Do you think this old man would lie to someone who saved his life?"

Dong Xuebing had managed to handle the multiple-choice questions but felt uncertain about the essay questions. "Alright, I'll come over now. Thank you."

After hanging up, Dong Xuebing informed his mother of his plans and hurried out with his materials and books.

At the Beijing Cancer Hospital, Dong Xuebing, who had been out of work for some time and had limited savings, bought some inexpensive fruits from a roadside stall on his way. Upon reaching the hospital, he inquired about the ward and located it—ward 3016. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." Grandpa Hu's voice came from within. Dong Xuebing entered to find Grandpa Hu sitting by the window, looking at a photograph through his reading glasses.

Dong Xuebing placed the fruits on the side table and greeted, "Grandpa Hu, I wish you a speedy recovery."

"You shouldn't have spent your money on this," Grandpa Hu said with a smile, gesturing for Dong Xuebing to sit. He touched the photograph and showed it to Dong Xuebing. "This is my eldest son, my daughter, and my youngest son and his wife." The woman in the picture was pregnant. "I almost missed the chance to see my newborn grandson. Xiao Dong, I'm truly grateful for what you did for me that day."

"Don't mention it," Dong Xuebing said, moved by the gesture".

Tears welled up in Grandpa Hu's eyes. "There's no hope for my lung cancer. Sometimes, I feel like giving up. But when I was on the brink of death, I realized I still want to live."

Dong Xuebing had changed both Grandpa Hu's and Qu Yunxuan's fates that day, and he was deeply touched by Grandpa Hu's words.

After exchanging some pleasantries, Grandpa Hu said, "Show me your revision materials. What part of it are you struggling with? I'll help you understand."

Dong Xuebing presented his questions about the areas he found confusing.

Grandpa Hu considered the questions and responded, "If you answer this way, your response will be too subjective. This is not an argument. Mistakes will happen, and the markers might deduct points for such answers."

Dong Xuebing didn't quite grasp it. "How should I answer then? Should I paint a picture or use high-flown language?''

Grandpa Hu chuckled. "Xiao Dong, don't underestimate the art of being 'Fake, Lies, Empty Promises.' Mastering this art isn't easy, but it's crucial. When you need to be fake, you must be fake. When you need to lie, you need to lie. When you need to make empty promises, do so. This principle applies not just to the Civil Servant entry test but also to government work. Let me explain…"

Dong Xuebing listened intently all afternoon,

Grandpa Hu's explanations were clear and insightful. As the hours passed, Dong Xuebing became more comfortable and spoke freely. "Sigh… The person who set these questions must be something else. Why make them so difficult? Is he trying to make it hard for us?" Dong Xuebing complained. "I've practiced past years' questions and noticed they're getting harder. It's easy for the person setting the questions—he just talks. We're the ones suffering. Who did we offend?"

Grandpa Hu's expression grew serious.

"Huh?" Dong Xuebing was startled. Had he said something wrong?

After a moment, Grandpa Hu said, "You shouldn't think that way. If the questions were easy, what would be the point of the test? There are only a few vacancies, and if all candidates scored full marks, they would still have to compete. It would be the same."

He flipped open a reference book and pointed to a page. "My son and I are both scholars. He's more capable than I am and became a professor years ago. Look, he set most of last year's Shanghai Civil Servant Test's essay questions."

Dong Xuebing realized he had indirectly criticized Grandpa Hu's son when he complained about the questions.

Oh no. My big mouth…

Remembering he hadn't used "Back" today, Dong Xuebing activated it.

Back!

… Whoosh 

Time rewound to a minute ago. Dong Xuebing saw himself mid-sentence, his words about the difficulty of the questions still hanging in the air. Grandpa Hu's frown indicated Dong Xuebing had used "Back" too late. "Err, Grandpa Hu, where did I stop?"

Grandpa Hu's expression softened slightly. "You were saying that the person who set these questions is making things difficult for everyone."

"Yes," Dong Xuebing replied, continuing smoothly, "making things difficult for all of us."

Grandpa Hu's frown deepened.

"But…" Dong Xuebing picked up the revision book with past questions. "But two years ago, Beihe Province and last year's Shanghai questions were quite meaningful. Although difficult, they show that the person setting these questions has a higher standard of education. If I encounter such questions this year, I won't grumble even if I can't answer them."

Grandpa Hu stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Xiao Dong, I'll tell you a secret. My son was the one who set last year's Shanghai essay questions."

Dong Xuebing feigned surprise. "Ah?"

"My son is indeed more capable than I am." Grandpa Hu stroked his beard with a smile. "Haha. Xiao Dong, I'll teach you how to handle essay questions, and I promise you'll score high marks."

"Really?"

"Of course. If you don't pass, come back and see me!"