Chapter 347 - 349: Gaokao 4
The girl who had been crying in the exam hall stood up amidst the mutual complaints, sniffled, and followed the crowd heading outside.
At that moment, the crowd waiting outside the exam hall was also growing restless.
Countless parents were staring at the watches on their wrists.
"What time does your watch say?"
"It’s almost eleven. They should be coming out soon. I just wound this watch yesterday, and the time has been accurate for the past two days."
"Yeah, mine too. Why aren’t they out yet?"
"Someone’s coming out."
"How come it’s only those two?"
Those with watches checked their watches; those without asked the ones who had them.
Amidst the parents’ clamor, the students finally emerged.
But their aura...
How to describe it?
It was like preparing for a battle you were guaranteed to win, only to lose before it even started due to unforeseen circumstances.
A wave of pent-up frustration and depression washed over the crowd as the students walked out.
As the students drew closer and the exam hall gates opened, even the parents who hadn’t noticed at first knew that the test must have been difficult.
Because a chorus of cries and wails erupted at the entrance.
"Mom— WAAAAAAH—"
"Dad— AHHH— WAAAAAH—"
"Teacher— I’m done for—"
In an instant, the area outside the exam hall turned into a scene of mass mourning.
One student’s tears set off a chain reaction, and more and more students joined the chorus of wails.
"It was too hard! Oh my god! It was too hard!"
The moment one student stepped out, he dropped to his knees and screamed about how hard it was.
The parents at the gate found their own children and did their best to comfort them.
"It’s okay, it’s okay. No one found it easy."
"Don’t worry, the cutoff score will definitely be lower."
"What kind of questions were they? That hard? Did you remember any?"
Parents and teachers, whether they were comforting or trying to find out what happened, all focused primarily on consolation.
Yin Xuemei, Yang Jianguo, and An Guoping also emerged from the crowd. The three of them had planned to compare answers, but they instantly felt the atmosphere was off and abandoned the idea.
’We’ll talk at home!’
The three exchanged a look, split up, and skirted the edge of the crowd to head home.
When the three of them finally met up, they huddled together. An Guoping was the first to ask, "Was it hard?"
"It was alright. I was just a bit slow with my calculations, so I’ll probably lose points on the last two major questions."
"Same here. I finished, but I didn’t have time to check my work."
The three of them spoke one after another, then nodded at the same time and straightened their hunched backs.
"Holy shit! You scared me to death!"
An Guoping let out a classic curse, jumping in place. He pointed at a student who had been eavesdropping behind them and asked, "Dude, what are you doing?"
"I’d like to know what *you’re* doing! ’Not hard’? ’No time to check’? ’Probably lose points’?"
"Are you sure you guys are human?"
The boy in the white shirt, his face streaked with tears and snot running from his nose, stared at them with a look of angry indignation.
He was one of the top three students at his school. On a 120-point test, his math score had never dropped below 110.
Occasionally, he even got a perfect score.
When he came out of the exam hall, he was so afraid his teacher would ask him how he did that he quickly slipped away to find a corner to cry in secret.
But what did he just overhear?
The boy’s questioning made An Guoping realize that things were probably different from what they had imagined.
’But hey, if I know the material, I know the material. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.’
"Hey man, don’t be sad. Our situation is rare. As far as I know, there are only six of us."
An Guoping placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and said with a straight face, "Don’t worry, everyone else did as badly as you."
Satisfied that he had comforted the boy, An Guoping left with Yin Xuemei and Yang Jianguo.
The boy watched their retreating backs, not feeling comforted in the slightest.
The math exam had left the students in a sea of tears, but upon learning that everyone else had done poorly too, their anxiety lessened considerably. After they collected themselves, the exams continued.
At noon, after An Ning and the others finished eating, they took a short rest.
During their break, An Guoping and the others compared answers with An Ning, giving them a rough estimate of their scores.
After comparing answers, they went to their rooms for a quick nap, then headed to the exam hall just in time that afternoon.
By then, the exam hall gates were already open. An Ning and her group, walking at the very back, found their respective rooms.
Inside the exam hall, the proctors had been replaced with a new set.
The proctors were changed for every exam, and they were always teachers who didn’t teach the third-year high school students or serve as their homeroom teachers.
However, the student who had turned in her paper early was already becoming a little famous among some of the teachers.
An Ning was the last to enter the exam hall. The moment she found her seat and sat down, the test papers began to be distributed.
The sealed papers were opened on the spot. During the five-minute waiting period, An Ning had already finished the fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions.
When the exam officially began, her pace was just as fast.
Fortunately, while this science comprehensive exam was also difficult, it wasn’t as insane as the math test.
An Ning was once again the first to turn in her paper. The head proctor glanced at her, mentally matching her face to the rumors, gave a casual nod, and An Ning walked out.
After this subject was over for the day, there was still the foreign language exam the next morning.
Initially, the foreign language exam was optional, but An Ning and her group had all chosen to take it.
An Ning walked out of the exam hall, expecting to be swarmed with questions about the test’s difficulty, but that scene never materialized.
Not only did it not happen, but many of the parents acted as if they didn’t even see her, looking right through her.
An Ning wasn’t bothered in the slightest. On the contrary, she enjoyed the peace and quiet. She found Lin Cuihua, and they went home together.
Just as before, Jiang Xia came out shortly after An Ning and received the exact same treatment.
Jiang Xia thought back to the math exam that morning and pretty much knew why.
The first day of exams ended, and Lin Cuihua still set three alarm clocks.
The next day, An Ning and the others woke up on time, followed their routine of exercising and eating, and then prepared to leave.
"It’s the last subject today! How about we have hot pot and watermelon after it’s over?"
"I want popsicles, too!"
An Guoping raised his hand in response to An Ning’s suggestion. They hadn’t eaten things like that in many days.
According to Lin Cuihua, those things were too cold. What if they got diarrhea?
Lin Cuihua, standing to the side, also relaxed a bit and said, "Eat! Once the exam is over, even if you want dragon meat, I’ll get it for you."
"Alright!"
Amidst An Guoping’s cheer, the group walked to the exam hall.
Outside the exam hall, the boy who had been crying in the corner saw An Guoping’s group. He counted them on his fingers. ’Only five people? Didn’t he say there were six?’
The boy didn’t have time to figure it out; it was time to enter the exam hall.
The final exam subject seemed to pass quickly. For An Ning, who had no vocabulary barriers, English wasn’t difficult.
She was once again the first person to walk out of the exam hall. The moment she stepped out, she felt a wave of relief.
’It’s over.’
「Meanwhile」 in Beijing, Zhou Xiaoshan ran out of his exam hall and rushed toward An Guoming, Yu Zheng, and Master Tang, who were waiting for him outside.
"Let’s go! Back to Teacher An’s house!"