She had already used this half-term to nearly complete the second semester of the first year’s curriculum.
Meanwhile, Tian Weiwei and Zhong Yuan had also started to delve into the second semester’s textbooks.
That day during class, Teacher Qiu entered with the teaching materials in her arms, and with a smile, she announced a "good news" to the students.
"Students, I have good news for you. In one week, our school will start the winter holiday. However, you must also know that before then, our school is going to hold the final exams. I have seen all your hard work this term, and I believe in you. You can definitely achieve good results. Do you have confidence?" Teacher Qiu asked loudly.
"Yes, we have confidence!" the students shouted in unison.
Because of the diligent studies of Jiang Mianmian and Zhong Yuan, they had not wasted their time playing this term, but had truly put effort into studying. Therefore, they were both looking forward to the end-of-term exam to achieve good grades to make their parents happy and enjoy a comfortable winter holiday.
"Good, since you all are so confident, I can rest easy. There are five more days until the final exams. Make sure you use this time to study hard," Teacher Qiu encouraged.
"Yes, Teacher, we understand," the students replied in chorus.
When the bell rang for the end of class and Teacher Qiu walked out, Zhong Yuan quickly got up to follow her. He reached the office almost right behind Teacher Qiu.
"Teacher Qiu, I, I have something to tell you," Zhong Yuan said, out of breath.
"Zhong Yuan, what’s the matter? What do you want to tell the teacher?" Teacher Qiu asked, taking him by the shoulder and leading him into the office.
Zhong Yuan looked at Teacher Qiu and sincerely suggested, "Teacher, the midterm exam papers were too easy. I think we should make the final exam questions harder."
Teacher Qiu, who had been a teacher for so many years, had never heard such a request before. Surprised, she glanced at Zhong Yuan and asked, "Zhong Yuan, why do you want the exam to be harder?"
"Because Jiang Mianmian, Tian Weiwei, and I have made a pact. We want to see who is the strongest. The mid-term exam was too easy for us, and we all scored full marks. I hope the final exam will be harder so we can distinguish who is first, second, and third," Zhong Yuan said truthfully.
After hearing his reasoning, Teacher Qiu laughed with satisfaction, "Haha, Zhong Yuan, I really appreciate the healthy competition among you young students. It’s a good thing that spurs you all to grow together. But you see, for the final exam, we also need to consider the average students in the school. If we set the questions based on a few of your levels, what about the other students?"
Upon hearing Teacher Qiu’s words, Zhong Yuan realized his earlier words had been inconsiderate. He nodded sensibly, "Yes, Teacher, you’re right. I didn’t think it through."
"Zhong Yuan, don’t be discouraged, the teacher hasn’t rejected your suggestion. How about this, I’ll note down your suggestion and discuss it with the other teachers later, to see if we can add an extra question at the end of each subject. This way, it won’t affect the other average students, and you few can still compete amongst yourselves, how’s that?" Teacher Qiu said with consideration.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yuan’s eyes lit up immediately. He had thought there was no hope, but he hadn’t expected Teacher Qiu to agree.