Fleeting Midsummer

Chapter 3: Preparing for the Beginning of School

The second day, the moment I woke up, the bed next to me had already neatly folded its bedding. When I looked at my watch, it was already half past ten. I withstood my fuzzy mental capability before going to the bathroom, swaying and lurching. Fang Yu Ke just happened to come out from the bathroom, holding a bunch of grapes. He looked at my hair style and frowned: “Were you sleeping or making bombs? Why is it that every time you wake up, you always have this type of hair style?”

I glared at him: “None of your business.” When I finished, I mercilessly slammed the bathroom door. I looked at myself in the mirror, and it was indeed a little scary. My hair looked like Lion King, spread out in all directions. My forehead even had a red mark on it. I patted my face, confidently telling myself: “The maiden waking up from a dream, when did you start getting more and more great from the ancient times?”

After I finished washing up, Xiao Xi and Fang Yu Ke were already watching TV in the room. When they saw me come over, Fang Yu Ke pointed at the grapes at the table: “Eat some fruit. People that are too grouchy need to get rid of all that fire. Careful that you don’t grow any pimples.”

I picked some grapes. It had been a long time since I had eaten fresh fruit, so sweet.

Xiao Xi asked me: “Do you still want to eat breakfast?”

I immediately made a blush-like appearance: “Xiao Xi, I’m really sorry. Usually I wake up pretty early, but maybe it was because I wasn’t used to the bed. Last night I didn’t sleep well. This sleep went all the way to the afternoon. So don’t make fun of me anymore.”

Xiao Xi laughed, exposing his nice dimples: “In the school, a lot of people’s days go from 5 to 9. In the morning at 5:00 they will sleep, in the nighttime at 9:00, they will wake up. Day and night are reversed.

I pretended to have a clear understanding: “I understand, I understand. Learning in the evening is more efficient.”

Xiao Xi shyly touched his head, and lowly laughed: “Haha, really everyone plays online games. Usually we will suddenly begin learning right before the test.”

I couldn’t react quickly enough. I didn’t know if I should say this game was good or not good, because I didn’t play games, but I also hated learning. So I could only turn the light towards Fang Yu Ke. My heart still scheming, if I should learn how to play games to narrow the distance between me and Xiao Xi.

Fang Yu Ke glanced at me, and said to me: “I advise you to still study hard. Don’t go play online games. Your brain can only handle one semester exam in a school year. Don’t belike others and cram. It isn’t that easy to hug Buddha’s feet [1].”

I angrily said: “How long have you known me? What’s wrong with my head? You don’t know how smart and clever I usually am. Otherwise how would I have tested in?”

Fang Yu Ke deflated his lip and didn’t speak. After a long time, he gave me a bunch of words that made me mad: “Usually, before the test, you only got into the top 20 places two times right? The top 20 places are usually the same people. We’re all pretty much very familiar with each other. I also heard of your name before. Aren’t you the type of person who will be in 20th place at one point, and go down to 120th place?”

I angrily retorted: “What’s wrong with 120th place? The day I got 120th place, I had a very high fever.”

I hadn’t even finished when Xiao Xi interrupted me: “Yu Ke, how do you know Lin Lin got 120th place? You rascal, do you usually keep your eyes on her?”

I immediately said: “Impossible, impossible, Xiao Xi don’t joke around. Me knowing him has only been a two day thing. He is only guessing. I actually did get 120th place. That day, I really did have a fever, so I didn’t test well, haha, I didn’t test well.”

[1] Buddha’s feet: Success

Also just thought I would explain to you some of the schooling procedures and the Gao Kao testing below since they’ve been referencing to it all a lot throughout this chapter.

Also school in China usually ranks their students from 1st to worst. It is also by this ranking that students go to middle school, high school and university. If you are a worse student, you will go to a worse school. If you are a better student you will go to a better school like Harvard. So China implements this earlier than at least some countries like America which has the SAT for university placements only.

You are also ranked as a student in your homeroom classroom based on your test scores. Your test scores are announced the whole class (which is apart of the motivation of it all since people don’t usually want to face public humiliation)

I believe Gao Kao is ranked nationally. Students can only take the exam once a year. If you fail, it’s all over. That’s why Gao Kao is known as the “most pressure packed examination in the whole world”.

Well if you guys have any questions about Gao Kao or Chinese school just let me know.