Chapter 245: National Competition ②
But even though it was cheesy, when Zhang Haiyang appeared with a bouquet of flowers, Huang Yan still screamed with joy. She didn’t care about the flowers and rushed to hug Zhang Haiyang.
Fortunately, Zhang Haiyang was quick-witted, so the bouquet wasn’t crushed by Huang Yan. In fact, after seeing the fireworks Li Kai set off for Nie Qiu, Huang Yan was very envious, and what Zhang Haiyang was doing now made her very excited, as if she were a character from the novels she had read.
As it was almost twelve o’clock, Nie Qiu received gifts from Zhang Haiyang and Huang Yan. Since she hadn’t bought any gifts herself, Nie Qiu said she would give them to them when school started.
After the new year, with ten days left until school started, Nie Qiu went to the knitting shop and bought some yarn specifically for knitting scarves. She planned to knit scarves for Huang Yan and Zhang Haiyang, but the scarf for Li Kai was also a scarf. It’s worth mentioning that the yarn she bought was completely different from the yarn for Huang Yan and Zhang Haiyang.
The yarn for Huang Yan and Zhang Haiyang was the kind specifically for knitting scarves, with small fuzzy balls on it. A scarf like this could be knitted in less than an hour. However, for Li Kai’s scarf, she used ordinary black wool yarn. Because it was finer, it took longer.
However, Nie Qiu also bought thicker yarn material for herself, Nie Aifang, and Nie Aiwen. Nie Aifang’s was dark red, and Nie Aiwen’s was dark blue-black. For herself, she chose white wool yarn, the same type as Li Kai’s but a different color.
Nie Aifang started working at the vegetable market in her second year of junior high, and Nie Aiwen also went to the company to handle business matters. Nie Qiu was home alone, knitting scarves in the morning, delivering meals to Nie Aifang at noon, and knitting scarves again in the afternoon. By the day of school registration, she had finally finished the scarves.
Li Kai was very happy to receive the scarf. He also saw that Huang Yan and Zhang Haiyang had scarves, but Huang Yan’s and Zhang Haiyang’s were obviously hand-knitted. His, however, was made with the “up and down stitches” that Aunt Li mentioned, tightly woven, showing considerable effort.
School started, and the atmosphere this semester gradually became tense. Compared to the previous semester, not only the students in Class 10, but also those in Classes 6, 7, 8, and 9, began to work harder. This tension told everyone that the Senior High School Entrance Examination was slowly approaching.
People say that the College Entrance Examination is a test that determines a person’s destiny. But for many, the Senior High School Entrance Examination is more decisive for one’s life than the College Entrance Examination.
After the Senior High School Entrance Examination, some people were admitted to high school and continued their studies, while others who didn’t get in repeated a year. Some would choose vocational schools, but half of them would leave campus and enter society to start another chapter in their lives.
“Nie Qiu, the results of this monthly exam are out, and you’re first place in the entire grade again!” Huang Yan rushed into the classroom excitedly and said at Nie Qiu’s desk, “I heard there’s a national mathematics league recently, and each school will select two people to participate. Our school will definitely select two people! I just don’t know how they’ll choose. I heard it’s a program on the national television station!”
“Mathematics league?” Nie Qiu, who was reading the original book, looked up.
“Yes, I think you’ll definitely be chosen, I just don’t know how the school will select people,” Huang Yan said with a smile. “I heard that the champion will not only receive a trophy and a scholarship of 100,000 yuan but also get to travel abroad!”
A month into the new semester, after a monthly exam, many had to admit that just as Class 10 had a first-place student last semester, they could have one again this time. They didn’t get frustrated by their studies and give up; instead, they persisted. This time, Class 10’s overall performance ranked third in the entire grade, and two more students entered the top 100. This progress made many teachers, the principal, and parents very happy.
The subject teachers for Class 10 were eager to stuff all the previous knowledge into their students’ minds. The principal praised Class 10’s progress more than once at the flag-raising ceremony, and parents went out of their way to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for their children, focusing on brain-boosting foods.
Every student in Class 10 experienced both pain and happiness.
When Huang Yan mentioned the mathematics league, Nie Qiu didn’t pay much attention. After all, for such a national competition, each school selects people, each city selects people, and then each province selects people. In the end, only a few people would actually stand on the national competition stage.
Hearing Huang Yan say it was a national television station program meant that the competition must have had business sponsorship, a tactic to increase the exposure of the businesses’ products and the television station’s ratings.
The second class after Huang Yan spoke, Teacher Yang mentioned this matter at the lectern. From what Nie Qiu heard Teacher Yang say, it seemed that originally only Class 1 was supposed to be involved. However, considering that the first place in the grade was in Class 10, each class in the third grade would select two people to compete, and only the two winners would be eligible to participate.
The school competition was merely a formality. On the Sunday holiday, the top two students from each class in the third grade came to school and took a mathematics exam in a classroom. Of course, besides Nie Qiu, Li Kai was also among the top two from Class 10.
Nie Qiu had a good mindset. Whether she could participate in the competition was secondary; the important thing was to do what she was supposed to do well. Therefore, she didn’t feel nervous while taking the test and found it surprisingly relaxed.
After the exam, at the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, the principal announced her name and the name of Ai Si Yuan from Class 1. They were the undisputed first and second place in the entire grade.
Upon hearing that she had secured a spot in the competition, Nie Qiu didn’t feel nervous. In her opinion, the competition was about participation and gaining experience; winning first place was secondary.
However, the school clearly attached great importance to this competition. To ensure the participants had enough energy, they specifically gave Nie Qiu and Ai Si Yuan a day off. Since the competition was in City A, they were quite relaxed compared to students from other provinces and cities who had to travel by airplane.
Although the exam was in City A, it was held in the Central District. The day before the exam, the principal specifically spoke words of encouragement to them on the flag-raising platform along with the entire school after the flag-raising ceremony.
After the flag-raising ceremony, back in the classroom, students one by one came to cheer Nie Qiu on. Only after the class bell rang did they return to their seats.
Li Kai quietly reached out and held Nie Qiu’s hand, “Nie Qiu…”
Nie Qiu looked at Li Kai with some confusion, blinking her eyes, “What’s wrong?”
“Nie Qiu, Ai Si Yuan is quite good-looking,” Li Kai seemed a little wronged. “Don’t fall for him.”
Author’s Note: Regarding bonus chapters for rewards, how about tomorrow? I’m so sleepy, I’m going to sleep… Yes… sleeping…
