The heavy book basket fell to the ground, and Jiang Nian straightened his back, wiping off non-existent sweat.
Zhang Ningzhi handed him a tissue, and he just put it in his pocket. This action left the girl dumbfounded, unable to say anything for a moment.
Jiang Nian was in a good mood, "Oh, I kept it to wipe the desk later. I've also been promoted to class 403."
"Really?" Zhang Ningzhi was a bit delighted. Suddenly joining a new group, having company is always pleasing, "You can just ask me for paper in the future."
At school, paper is a hard currency.
Zhang Ningzhi was indeed very happy. The promotion list only showed names from her class. She didn't know that the boy sitting behind her in the exam room had also been promoted.
As she spoke, she rummaged in her desk and pulled out another pack of tissues, handing it to Jiang Nian.
With the box of fruit milk he had given her earlier, accepting Zhang Ningzhi's things seemed natural, and their relationship became closer.
Soon enough, another boy arrived at the door of class 403. He wore glasses and seemed a bit quiet. Jiang Nian noticed he was moving his desk alone, so he went over to help.
"Hey, man, you also got promoted?"
"Yeah, my name is Yu Tongjie."
"I'm Jiang Nian. This is the lovely Zhang Ningzhi," he greeted, introducing Zhang Ningzhi as well, "Not many people got promoted to class 403, probably just the three of us."
Zhang Ningzhi spoke softly, and Yu Tongjie was a quiet type. After a brief chat, silence returned to the corridor.
Jiang Nian gave up too, leaning on the corridor railing, gazing into the distance.
The Zhen Nan County Middle School is located at the very center of the old street in the county town. The old campus is situated in the busiest area. Outside is a main road, lined with shops for all kinds of daily necessities.
There are two large supermarkets, flanked by the first and second hospitals of People's Hospital. At the end of the turn is the Zhennan County government. The Education Bureau is diagonally across from the school, with a multitude of roads branching out, dotted with various units.
The Agricultural Bureau, Maternal and Child Health Care, Epidemic Prevention Station, and Tax Bureau. Numerous agencies encircle the Zhen Nan County Middle School like stars around the moon, with no tall buildings in the vicinity.
A kilometer out, you can see old, low-rise residential areas. Beyond that is the upscale residential area, Nanjiang Bay, where bare house prices exceed 800,000.
Further out is by the river. A branch of the Nanjiang flows into Zhen Nan County, forming an alluvial plain.
The county government built the Nanjiang Park along the shore, the Zhennan Bridge connects to the distant mountains, being one of the most famous hiking and sunrise-check-in spots in the county, Qingmu Ridge.
Buzzing, the running drill ended, and bustling sounds came from the stairwell.
The scholars from the Olympic class came back.
Compared to regular classes, the Olympic class is like the outer disciples. Class Zero are inner sect disciples, the heart of the grade, future hope for top universities like Qingbei.
The Olympic class has a relatively relaxed atmosphere, similar to regular classes. A group of boys laughed and joked as they ran upstairs, girls gathered in twos and threes, like a flock of lively white seagulls.
Before entering the classroom, they curiously glanced at the three people carrying desks upstairs, roughly aware that these were the newly promoted students.
But whether they were new classmates was uncertain, as there were two promotion exams. One at the end of September and one at the end of October. September was a baseline test; October was the joint exam for the eighteen counties.
November was the joint exam for the Six Cities, and the year-end was the province joint exam led by the education bureau.
The class advisors had made these arrangements clear. Promotion opportunities only existed in September and October, but they didn't actually destabilize the class internally.
It's hard for those at the bottom to move up, and for those in the Olympic class to drop down. Mainly it's those promoted who fluctuate, unable to adapt or lacking substance, then they drop.
Ultimately, the October joint exams don't affect the Olympic class people. It's more a quality check for the newly promoted, also the last chance for class promotion in lower classes.
Zhang Ningzhi lowered her head under the scrutiny of others, instinctively hiding behind Jiang Nian, like a little ostrich.
Jiang Nian found it amusing and curiously asked her a question.
"How many points did you get in this test?"
Zhang Ningzhi looked up at the mention, timidly reporting a score, "609."
Damn, she's the real Great Demon King! She scored a top-notch score in a regular class!
Although it was just a baseline exam, and the questions weren't too difficult. Even if she didn't top in the Olympic class, in a regular class... she's certainly the undisputed first.
"How about you?" Zhang Ningzhi asked in return.
"Lower than yours, 573," Jiang Nian responded with a smile.
"Oh, 573." Zhang Ningzhi, seemingly unsure how to comfort someone, said softly, "It's okay, 573 is still pretty high."
My bad, Zhizhi-chan, didn't mean to get you down.
Jiang Nian didn't feel too concerned about the score, as long as he could maintain an average level. The knowledge has already imprinted in his mind, combined with some understanding, it's enough to tackle the exams.
As for reaching the pinnacle, he didn't have that ambition for now.
What a joke, challenging Susanoo?
Before long, the class advisor of 403, Liu Liangsong, arrived. Short in stature, lean, with sparse hair and wearing black-framed glasses, he introduced himself as the language teacher.
Liu Liangsong asked the three to wait a moment, then went inside to announce some matters. He got a few people to help move desks and chairs downstairs for the demoted three, encouraging them with a few words before they left.
A boy among them maintained a good attitude, "Lao Liu, luckily I wasn't in your support group. If I was in the group, wouldn't you have been busy for nothing? Will we see each other again, Lao Liu?"
"When we meet again, you must be happy, okay, Lao Liu..."
Lao Liu was speechless, "Study hard, don't slack off, and improve your grades."
Finally, Lao Liu sighed and turned to look at the new three. He asked for their names, likely to match scores with names.
"Go on in. Zhang Ningzhi and Jiang Nian, go to the third group where there are empty seats. Yu Tongjie, first group."
At the back door of the classroom, some were already curious and peeking.
Jiang Nian glanced at Zhang Ningzhi and offered proactively.
"We're both in the third group. How about I move your things in first?"
Liu Liangsong originally intended to call over some class committee members to help, but hearing Jiang Nian offer, he dismissed the idea. After all, moving a desk wasn't a big deal.
Thus, in front of everyone, Jiang Nian first moved Zhang Ningzhi's desk inside, and Zhang Ningzhi followed to help Jiang Nian with his stool.
Meanwhile, Yu Tongjie had also moved his desk and chair, seating himself in the first group near the wall.
The English teacher arrived, and class advisor Liu Liangsong smiled apologetically for taking a few minutes, asking the three newcomers to introduce themselves in turn.
Jiang Nian went first, "My name is Jiang Nian, from class 303 downstairs..."
With him as a model, Yu Tongjie went up second, basically following Jiang Nian's template. The introduction was simple: name, where he was from, where he lived.
Since it wasn't yet October, they couldn't really be considered classmates, just mentioning the key points was enough.
Zhang Ningzhi, a bit timid, went up last, stammering a few words.
"I... my name is Zhang Ningzhi, I was in class 307 before, I live in the Nanjiang Bay area."