Chapter 345 - 347: Gaokao 2
The proctor who had been observing her returned to the back of the classroom and shot the head proctor a look. ’She’s filled out the entire test.’
’As for whether her answers were correct, he, being a science teacher, wasn’t so sure.’
The head proctor nodded impassively and continued to supervise the exam.
An Ning, still working on her test, was completely unaffected by the teachers and continued at her own pace.
However, when she turned the page again, her movements were much lighter as she tried not to make a RUSTLING sound.
Soon, An Ning reached the reading comprehension section.
Her pace slowed slightly. She read through the passages several times before putting her pen to paper.
Soon, she started on the essay.
An Ning’s unique speed stood out in the examination hall.
By the time the other students were only halfway through, An Ning had already checked her work twice.
She was ready to turn in her test.
The moment she went to turn it in, every other student looked up. The head proctor even made a point to ask, "Are you sure you want to turn it in?"
"Yes, thank you."
An Ning’s calm demeanor convinced the head proctor that she wasn’t joking; this girl clearly understood the importance of the exam.
With a nod from the head proctor, An Ning walked out of the classroom.
As she left, An Ning ran into a roving proctor in the hallway.
"Student, you turned in your test already?"
"Yes, I finished."
With that simple explanation, An Ning walked past the roving proctor. Her steps were light as she left the examination building without a sound.
Only after she was outside did An Ning pick up her pace, running out the main gate.
Lin Cuihua and An Sancheng, who had been waiting outside the gate, were constantly looking around. He’d stared at the new watch on his wrist so much it was starting to look worn.
An Ning had told them she would be out around this time.
That was why Lin Cuihua wasn’t in a hurry to go home and cook. She could wait and go back with An Ning.
"She’s out! Mom, Little Sis is out!"
An Guoqing was tall, so he spotted the running An Ning right away.
Lin Cuihua stood on her tiptoes, peering anxiously until she finally saw An Ning.
"Daughter, over here!"
"Over here!"
Just as Lin Cuihua finished shouting, the other parents nearby also noticed An Ning.
"How did she get out so fast?"
"Was the test too hard for her?"
"No way. For the language arts test, you have to at least fill it all out."
Of the people around, ninety-nine percent assumed An Ning hadn’t done well or hadn’t finished. Very few wondered if the kid was just that brilliant.
While everyone was speculating, An Ning was already heading home with Lin Cuihua and the others.
Only after An Ning was long gone did many parents realize they’d forgotten to ask what the essay topic was or if the questions were difficult.
"I forgot to ask."
"What’s the point in asking that? Don’t ask your kids when they come out."
"Exactly. Don’t ask."
The parents went back to chatting in the shade, constantly fanning themselves with handkerchiefs and cattail fans.
About ten minutes later, Jiang Xia came out too.
The moment he was out, he picked a direction with fewer people and broke into a run.
An Guoqing, who had been waiting for him, didn’t even get a chance to do anything. He just heard Jiang Xia yell, "I’m heading back first!"
"Okay—"
An Guoqing’s shout earned him glares from several people nearby.
An Guoqing immediately clapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment, nodding at the people next to him. "Not shouting, not shouting."
It seemed An Guoqing, finally learning to read the room, had dedicated all his brainpower to the Gaokao.
Next, Yin Xuemei, Yang Jianguo, and An Guoping turned in their tests one after another.
The group had strictly followed An Ning’s instructions, taking their time and checking their answers twice before daring to turn in their papers.
But even so, they still finished a bit early.
Fortunately, other students were also starting to trickle out by this time.
However, the real flood of students only came out when the exam time was over and the papers were collected all at once.
As soon as the students emerged, the crowd at the gate, which had been quiet, erupted into a frenzy, no longer caring about the heat.
Many students who didn’t have a place to stay nearby set up makeshift beds in the shade under their parents’ care, eating takeout while they waited for the afternoon exam.
Those who lived close by all went home to rest properly.
Even more parents rented apartments or stayed in guesthouses, all with the single goal of not letting their children suffer.
At this moment, An Ning and the others were already eating lunch.
They had some refreshing side dishes, a simple soup, and a beef dish. After eating, the group walked around the courtyard to aid digestion before preparing for a short nap.
They couldn’t sleep for too long.
A brain that has just woken up isn’t that sharp.
During the lunch break, Lin Cuihua sat in the courtyard, keeping an eye on the time for everyone.
An Ning didn’t stop her. ’It’s good to let Lin Cuihua stay busy. She’ll relax after the Gaokao is over.’
With forty minutes left before the exam, Lin Cuihua called out to wake them up.
An Ning and the others washed their faces to wake themselves up, drank some water, used the restroom, and then slowly strolled back to the exam site.
Once they arrived, they re-entered the examination hall to prepare for the test.
All four of them, even Yin Xuemei who claimed to be bad at math, had chosen the science track, which was why they were all in the same exam room.
In the afternoon, the subject was politics.
The politics exam involved a lot of rote memorization, so for An Ning, it was another subject that wasn’t difficult.
When it came to the political comprehension questions at the end, she handled them with ease, thanks to her extensive practice.
Unsurprisingly, An Ning was once again the first to leave the examination hall.
Her departure startled the new proctor for this session. ’But seeing as her politics paper is completely filled out,’ the proctor thought, ’she must be a student who excels in the humanities.’
The Gaokao lasted three days, with two subjects tested each day.
After the politics exam in the afternoon, the day’s tests were over.
After their duties were done, some proctors who knew each other gathered to talk about their day.
As they talked, An Ning and Jiang Xia stood out in the conversation, the reason being that they turned in their papers so early.
"Do you think this year’s questions are too easy? We had some students turn in their papers early in our room too. Not as early as the two you mentioned, but still not slow."
"Easy? I didn’t think so."
After a language arts teacher spoke, a politics teacher also chimed in with agreement.
The questions weren’t difficult, but there were always some who turned them in early.
These few proctors all decided to see what would happen tomorrow. The science teachers, in particular, knew they would find out just how difficult the exams were tomorrow.
「The next day」
An Ning’s group followed their routine as planned.
This morning’s subject was math.
An Ning sat in her seat and took the test paper being passed back from the student in front. She gave it a quick glance. ’Easy.’
Just as she had that thought, she heard several students sigh.
An Ning looked up, confused, then looked back down at the multiple-choice questions. She already had the answers; she just had to wait for the start time to write them down.
The proctor at the back of the room stood behind a student and quickly glanced at the test paper. His heart skipped a beat.
’It’s over. With this level of difficulty, I’m afraid even scoring an eighty will be tough.’
’Forget eighty, just passing will be a challenge.’
Just as the proctor was lamenting, the exam began. The students picked up their pens and started to answer.
RUSTLE—
Less than two minutes later, the sound of a page turning echoed through the room again.