Chapter 38: The Mentor

After a moment of reflection, Yang Xingwu quickly reined in his emotions. Even adults must choose a quiet, lonely time to have a breakdown, lest they become a burden to others.

"Are the other classes this sparsely populated?"

"The others are even emptier. Some classes only have a dozen or so students. Ours is actually doing better; the liberal arts classes have a few more."

Yang Xingwu chatted with his classmates for a while longer until the bell rang, prompting him to hurriedly pull out his math textbook.

When the chemistry teacher walked in, he followed the English teacher's example and began handing out test papers immediately.

"From now until mealtime, we have a 100-minute pop quiz! Class monitor, please distribute these."

Liu Dahe, having learned in the office that Yang Xingwu had returned, walked over to give him a few instructions before returning to the podium to watch the students work.

It must be said that most teachers of this era were truly devoted to their students. Every one of them hoped to see their students admitted to their dream universities. However, the preliminary exams had already eliminated nearly sixty percent of the students, a reality that the teachers saw with their own eyes and felt with heavy hearts. They studied the past years' entrance exam questions every day, but how many years had it been since the college entrance examination was reinstated? The teachers were tired of these few sets of papers, and the students could recite them in their sleep.

Yang Xingwu took his chemistry paper and glanced at it. They were standard questions. After a month of study, chemistry wasn't actually that difficult. Everything could be traced back to the periodic table of elements. If one mastered specific elements—such as the frequently tested carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen families—scoring a seventy was no problem. Organic chemistry was a bit trickier, but one could afford to skip those complex molecular formulas. Even then, one could still score around eighty. From Yang Xingwu’s perspective, the original owner’s score of sixty was baffling.

He recalled the preliminary exam results and felt a bit puzzled. Unable to figure it out, he decided not to dwell on the past; he needed to look forward.

Yang Xingwu focused on the test. Benefiting from his background as a science student—he was a mathematics teacher himself—and having reviewed for nearly a month, these questions were a breeze. It was a two-hour test, but he finished in sixty minutes. Aside from a few convoluted organic molecular formulas he couldn't recall at the moment—which he planned to learn properly when the teacher reviewed them—he handled the rest easily. However, to avoid showing too much improvement, he intentionally kept his score around seventy.

After checking his work twice, he handed in his paper once others started doing the same. Liu Dahe was taken aback when he saw Yang Xingwu’s paper, so he pulled it out to examine it. His brow furrowed at first, then slowly smoothed out, finally ending in a satisfied nod.

After turning in his paper, Yang Xingwu returned to the dormitory to grab his tea mug for dinner. Upon entering, he found the door locked. It was nearly six o'clock, the weather had cooled, and his father and uncle must be on their way. He opened the door and noticed that the bedding on his upper bunk had been neatly folded and placed on his bed.

Yang Xingwu was stunned. Since when were his father and uncle so meticulous? He didn't think much of it, grabbed his food coupons, fermented bean paste, and tea mug, and headed to the cafeteria.

By the time he arrived, other students were already trickling in. He exchanged his meal tickets for three large steamed buns and filled his mug with egg drop soup—so thin the egg was barely visible. After eating, he went to the courtyard to rinse his mug and filled it with boiled water to drink during evening self-study.

Not long after returning to the classroom, a classmate told him that Mr. Xu was looking for him. Yang Xingwu went back to the dorm to get some money before running to the office. Peering inside, he saw only two people; the other teachers were out for dinner. He stood at the door, knocked, and called out, "Mr. Xu, did you want to see me?"

Xu Wenhua was grading papers. Upon hearing the voice, he looked up, saw Yang Xingwu, and beckoned him over. "You're back? Wait a moment, let me finish grading these papers!"

Yang Xingwu walked to the desk and waited quietly. Xu Wenhua was fast; within two minutes, he finished the remaining papers, calculated the scores, and jotted them down. "How is your health? Did you get your exam results?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I’m much better, and my father told me my scores!"

"Good. You look darker and much stronger. This is a critical time, so study hard but take care of your health."

"I will, teacher!"

"Alright, go back to your studies."

Yang Xingwu didn't leave. Instead, he took out the five yuan he had retrieved from the dormitory and placed it on the desk. Xu Wenhua looked annoyed. "Didn't I tell you to focus on your studies? Why bring this back? I have plenty!"

"Teacher, you know my family sold a lot of wheat recently and made some money. My father insisted I give this to you! Please, don't refuse."

"That won't do. You keep it; I don't need the money. Give it to me after you pass the exam!" Xu Wenhua waved him away.

Helpless, Yang Xingwu engaged in a brief tug-of-war of politeness that ended with him being ushered out of the office. Xu Wenhua watched him leave before turning back to his colleague.

"Old Xu, you're sponsoring students again? Careful your wife doesn't find out and make a scene!"

"Go on, what do you know? Yang Xingwu has a high chance of passing! The boy is too frugal; this money will help him immensely."

"It will help, but I'm afraid you're just paving the way for someone else to reap the rewards."

"Liu Laonian, what are you implying? Why are you so against my student doing well?"

"Old Xu, we’ve both lived through those years; do you really think I don't want the best for a student?"

Xu Wenhua’s expression turned grave. "Are you saying Yang Xingwu has been targeted? Surely not?"

"Why not? The big fish don't care, but the small ones love this sort of thing. His scores are mediocre—right on the line between passing and failing. Plus, his family are just simple farmers, 'mud-legged' folks. People like him are the perfect targets!"

Xu Wenhua’s face darkened. "How could they dare?"

"How could they not? There are no ID cards yet; swapping a photo is easy. You! You better hope he either scores incredibly high—a 'satellite' performance—though that would just attract the big fish. Better yet, pray he doesn't pass at all!"

"Damn it, is there really no other way?"

"There is."

"What?"

"Pray to the heavens!"

"Liu Laonian, are you doing this on purpose?"

"Oh, young man, don't be so hot-headed!"

"Then tell me what to do!"

"Ah, this tea is a bit weak."

Xu Wenhua was speechless. "Here, take mine."

Liu Laonian took the tea mug, sipped it, and smacked his lips in satisfaction. Seeing Xu Wenhua’s impatient expression, he laughed and beckoned him closer. Xu Wenhua leaned in and listened intently. As he heard Liu Laonian’s plan, his brow finally smoothed out.

"I suppose that's why they call you what they do. Your nickname is well-earned—you intellectuals are truly cunningly wicked!"