Actually, if it weren’t for the hot weather and the bumpy roads, she would have really liked to bring back the basket of eggs that the villagers had sent her; supermarkets and malls were everywhere in Beijing, but they couldn’t compare to the natural food from the Southwest Mountain Area when it came to taste.
Living in a mountain village had its benefits, at least the water was sweet and one didn’t have to worry about pesticides on vegetables.
"Uncle, it’s a wonder you studied agriculture. In the summer, you can’t eat leafy vegetables, they’re all sprayed with pesticides." Xiao Xian picked up a piece of loofah with her chopsticks and put it into Zhuo Feng’s bowl. That plate of toon, full and green without a single insect hole, must have been sprayed with many pesticides.
"Pfft, you and your uncle-in-law, always snorting through the same nostril. Every time I ask grandma and grandpa to bring duck tongues and necks from Wenzhou, and just when you’re happily gnawing on them, he comments next to us, saying those are full of lymph and can cause cancer." Zhuo Feng was really out of temper with her niece’s mouth, but she still obediently followed advice; she finished most of her remaining bowl of rice just with loofah and spare ribs.
Before dinner, Zhuo Feng had already reached out to her friends at Feng Xing, confirming that Sacred Heart Middle School was still recruiting specialized students in the next two days. After much thought, she finally settled on a specialty for Xiao Xian: long-distance running. Children who grew up in the mountains, who could climb a whole mountain without getting out of breath, should be able to handle long-distance running.
Xiao Xian changed into new clothes bought by Zhuo Feng, a sailor-style pleated skirt and a white blouse, paired with a pair of board shoes, slinging a single shoulder bag, she really looked somewhat like a Beijing middle-school student.
"Xiao Xian, it’s hotter in Beijing than in the Southwest, your aunt has prepared mentholatum and miracle pills for you. If you feel uncomfortable while running, just tell me, alright?" Sitting in the car in front of the school gate of Sacred Heart Middle School, Zhuo Feng kept reminding her, she had never been so nervous, even during her own college entrance exams.
"Auntie, no worries, it’s just running. Yezi always says I run like a Tibetan antelope, really fast." Xiao Xian had never seen a Tibetan antelope, but after Yezi had traveled around, he got broadened his horizons and always liked to use metaphors Xiao Xian didn’t understand.
Sacred Heart Middle School was originally a comprehensive school with a history of a hundred years that included both a middle and high school, founded in the early last century by a patriotic educator surnamed Fu, who returned from studying abroad and spent all his family wealth to set up Sacred Heart.
After the liberation, the daughter of the educator d the school to the government, with only one requirement: the school’s independence in teaching and education must be maintained.
The government at the time promised to take good care of the school. After half a century of management since the liberation, Sacred Heart Middle School has become a well-known key school locally, and students who continue their education through this school often become top figures in various fields after entering society.
For this reason, the annual summer recruitment at Sacred Heart is very competitive. Sixty percent of the students come from local school districts, and the rest are outstanding specialized students from Jingjin, with specialties ranging from arts to sports.
Zhuo Feng and Xiao Xian followed the security guard’s directions, walking in and seeing many students. Some of the younger students were accompanied by parents carrying cello cases taller than the kids themselves. And there were some who still wore makeup, apparently just having finished their singing or dancing performances.
"What was the question the teacher just gave? When I signed up, I used the third prize of the city math competition, why did they test me on ancient poetry?" A little boy pouted, looking about to cry, and next to him was a parent who looked even more dejected than him, "Son, it’s fine, we can try again at Baiyun Middle School."
Zhuo Feng listened, there were many similar discussions nearby. After hearing them, she felt a bit uneasy; how savvy all parents seemed to be, almost each of them prepared two or three schools. Some students had to run from the south to the north of Beijing in one day, just to attend different specialized student recruitment exams.
Finally, after some difficulty, they got an exam card from a rather friendly female teacher. Xiao Xian saw a number and broke out in cold sweat: "444".
"Little girl, you’re only ten years old? You’re quite tall. With those legs, you look like a good runner. The sports specialized student exam is on the outdoor field," said the female teacher encouragingly as if Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng were a mother and daughter who looked quite unique.
Generally, the children and their parents are very nervous during the exams, but the young mother looked pale, seemingly more nervous than the child. Meanwhile the child appeared quite nonchalant, really reflecting the worries of parents everywhere.
Sacred Heart Middle School was divided into junior high and high school campuses, each with their own teaching areas and dormitories. Inside, there was a swimming pool and an indoor gymnasium. The only common facility between the two campuses was the outdoor sports field, located in the southeast of the campus.
During the summer vacation, the school’s field was almost empty, only these two days of specialized student recruitment would suddenly crowd the Sacred Heart’s sports field.
Every student was accompanied by a parent, some even brought several relatives. The 400-meter standard sports field was surrounded by people.
To prevent congestion and trampling, and to ensure that parents did not affect the performance of the students, the school organized a group of high school students to maintain order. A warning line was placed two meters away from the track, and each student could only be accompanied by one parent. No communication devices or backpacks were allowed in the field, making it just like a real exam environment.
Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng squeezed out of the crowd and were let into the field, just as they arrived, one group had finished running. Zhuo Feng asked and found out they had run ten kilometers. Just hearing the number made Zhuo Feng dizzy.
The sky was cloudless, the sun could bake people into jerky; in such conditions, people were expected to finish ten kilometers? No wonder there was a temporary medical center next to the field.
"Xiao Xian, ten kilometers? Are you sure you can do it? If not, shall we check other options?" Zhuo Feng sincerely felt for the middle-schoolers of today, it seemed too desperate just to enter a good school.
"No worries, that track is four hundred meters, just twenty-five laps will do." Xiao Xian stretched her neck, warmed up her legs, and pinned the "444" number onto her blouse.
Just as Xiao Xian was about to take her place, ready to demonstrate to everyone what antelope running looked like, the teacher in charge of the exam had already started packing up the table.(To be continued. If you work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued. If you work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)