Chapter 30

On the first day of the exam, the Chinese language test was in the morning, and the math test was in the afternoon. After finishing his paper, Lin Qiangsheng checked it once, mainly to look for any typos. He had answered all the questions he knew, and there was no point in randomly filling in the ones he didn't know.

He glanced around the classroom, where all the candidates were focused on their papers. A large portion of them looked tense, staring blankly at their papers.

Lin Qiangsheng felt a bit relieved inside. In this classroom, he didn't see any outstanding candidates. From the perspective of the entire school, everyone was about the same.

Perhaps there were excellent candidates in good middle schools, but they were few. After all, during the ten-year period, there were no conditions for studying.

Lin Qiangsheng looked up at the invigilators and saw that although they were still watching the candidates, their attention had significantly decreased.

The invigilators had spent too much energy in the first half of the exam, treating the first test as if it were a political event. As a result, they were clearly exhausted in the second half.

Lin Qiangsheng tidied up his things and stood up.

The other candidates noticed someone was handing in their paper and craned their necks to look. Some took this opportunity to peek at others' papers, while others quietly whispered to their neighbors.

With a loud slap on the table, the stern invigilator shouted, "What are you all doing? Do you want to answer the questions or not? If you keep craning your necks, I'll confiscate your papers!"

He turned to glare at Lin Qiangsheng, who was handing in his paper, and said irritably, "Are you done? Go back and check again. How many chances do you have in your life? Don't be so careless!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Thank you, teacher. I'm done."

He placed the paper on the table and said respectfully.

The teacher, seeing that this student was still polite, glanced at his paper and nodded, saying, "Go out, don't disturb the other students!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded with a smile and quietly left the examination room.

After leaving the examination room, Lin Qiangsheng walked out of the teaching building. The school gate was already closed, not allowing candidates to enter or leave freely. He had to buy three pancakes and a bowl of tofu pudding at the gate.

Squatting at the school gate, he slurped them down, the warmth reaching his stomach. Eating outdoors in the cold winter in Northeast China was a refreshing experience.

A series of bell rings sounded, and soon, the classroom was filled with noisy voices, occasionally mixed with the loud reprimands of the invigilators and the hysterical shouts of the candidates.

"How can it be so difficult! I don't know anything!"

"Ah! It's over, a wasted trip!"

Lin Qiangsheng waited at the entrance of the building, looking for Chen Yao and Chen Fang in the crowd. He occasionally heard candidates complaining.

Of course, a few people had a confident look on their faces, their happiness barely contained. They held their heads high, looking down on everyone else with a sense of superiority.

When these people saw Lin Qiangsheng at the entrance, they suddenly felt that there was always someone better, "This guy is even more confident than me!"

Lin Qiangsheng stood straight, glancing at these people with a strong sense of confidence, "I will definitely get into college!"

Some candidates quickly turned away after seeing Lin Qiangsheng.

Lin Qiangsheng's lips curled into a smile, "Those who persist in adversity are now reaping the rewards. But among you, there will definitely be someone like me!"

"Chen Yao, Chen Fang!" Lin Qiangsheng found the Chen sisters in the crowd and called out happily.

Chen Yao saw Lin Qiangsheng and excitedly waved at him.

The three met up, and Lin Qiangsheng couldn't wait to ask, "How did you do? Was it okay?"

Chen Yao nodded enthusiastically, clearly very happy. She grabbed Lin Qiangsheng's arm and said joyfully, "Qiangsheng, I answered almost everything! Just as you said, the questions were easier than I expected."

Chen Fang said to Lin Qiangsheng, "Thank you, Qiangsheng! Really, thank you!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and led Chen Yao out of the teaching building.

"Good job! It wasn't a waste of time," Lin Qiangsheng said with a smile.

He led the two sisters to a nearby restaurant.

Chen Fang looked around and said to Lin Qiangsheng, "Qiangsheng, let's change to another restaurant. This one is too big!"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "It's fine, it's quiet here, and we can review here as well!"

Chen Fang looked at her sister, and Chen Yao nodded. The three found a seat by the window and near the heater.

Lin Qiangsheng ordered a stew, and Chen Fang insisted on not ordering more. The two sisters then took out steamed buns and pickles from their bags.

After finishing their meal, they compared answers. Chen Fang asked Lin Qiangsheng curiously, "Qiangsheng, how did you guess so accurately? The essay topic was exactly what you told us!"

Chen Yao nodded in agreement, saying happily, "Exactly! My sister and I were so happy when we saw the essay topic. It was exactly what you told us! Great!"

Lin Qiangsheng looked at Chen Yao and said with a smile, "I rely on this! I always guess the essay topic right!"

Chen Fang didn't insist on getting to the bottom of it, just asking casually, and Lin Qiangsheng easily brushed it off.

In the afternoon, they had the math test. The three of them took out their books and studied nervously for a while. Around 1 PM, they entered the school gate.

Lin Qiangsheng, holding Chen Yao's hand, said, "Hurry up and answer the questions you know. Don't be too nervous; others aren't doing well either! Don't be afraid!"

Chen Yao nodded nervously, patted her chest, and said firmly, "Okay, I remember! You also need to do your best!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and nodded, squeezed Chen Yao's hand, and then went to the classroom.

Chen Fang turned and smiled at her sister, while Chen Yao looked puzzled, not understanding what her sister meant.

When Chen Fang also went to the classroom, Chen Yao's expression quickly changed. She stuck out her tongue, huffed at her sister's back, and entered the classroom with a smile.

In the afternoon, they all did well in the math test. As Lin Qiangsheng had predicted, the math questions were not particularly difficult. The questions were set by each province, and the teachers had fully considered the students' knowledge levels.

Intellectuals generally believed that the ten-year period had affected everyone in the country. They viewed this issue very seriously, and many people held this view, which later led to the emergence of things like "scar literature."

On the second day, they had history and geography, which were Lin Qiangsheng's strong subjects. Chen Fang was also good at these two subjects. She usually read history and geography as extracurricular reading, so these subjects were easy for her. Chen Yao had studied intensively for about a month, and with her strong memory, she also passed easily.

On the third day, they had politics in the morning and foreign language in the afternoon. All three planned to apply for foreign language majors, so they chose the foreign language test. Those who didn't choose it could go home after the politics test.

The three-day college entrance exam ended quickly. Chen Yao and Chen Fang walked on the road, feeling a bit lost.

Lin Qiangsheng, walking beside them, looked at their worried expressions and said loudly, "That's enough, you two don't need to worry too much! The exam is over! With the performance of the past two days, an average score of over 70 points is enough for a junior college, which is better than many people. What are you worried about!"

Chen Yao glanced at Lin Qiangsheng and said dejectedly, "Didn't I tell you, my sister and I didn't do well in politics! What should we do!"

Chen Fang also sighed and said softly, "It's really worrying! Many questions were answered ambiguously, and I don't know if they are correct!"

Lin Qiangsheng couldn't help but laugh and said to the two sisters in a low voice, "Maybe the teachers who set the questions are also unsure! Don't worry, as long as your answers are close enough! In the first half of this year, there were the 'Two Whatevers,' and in the second half, they were overthrown and trampled. Do you think the teachers understand? There are no wise people now!"

Chen Yao, seeing Lin Qiangsheng speak animatedly, became even more confused.

Chen Fang turned her eyes and said, "I understand a bit, but not completely."

Lin Qiangsheng said, "This kind of thing needs guidance from others for you to understand! Otherwise, if you understood, what would be the point of having so many secretaries and directors?!"

"Oh!" The two sisters nodded, finally understanding the political correctness.

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