Chapter 17: I just finished the test.
At the end of the 90s, the college entrance exam was scheduled during the scorching heat of July, in the peak of the sweltering summer. Sun Rongfang had prepared a pot of cooling herbal tea for her daughter to take to the exam site.
“Mom, you don’t need to follow me, I can go by myself,” Xie Wanying turned back to say to her mother, who wanted to accompany her to the exam site.
Sun Rongfang didn’t have time to react before she saw her daughter walking out alone.
In the blink of an eye, Wanying mounted her rickety, creaking bike and sped off to the exam site.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the No. 8 Middle School exam site, Wanying faced a small sedan. She parked her bicycle in the bike shed and saw her desk mate Zhang Wei getting out of the sedan.
Truth be told, the entrance to the exam site was bustling with people. Many parents came personally to keep company with their children during the exams. The college entrance exam could change not just the fate of a student but also the fortune of an entire family. Parents pinned all their hopes on their children’s performance. One by one, they checked and rechecked their children’s bags, muttering nonstop as they did so.
Xie Wanying did not want her mother to come to the exam site precisely because she did not want her to tire herself out.
There were far too many people; not only was it crowded, but it was also hot. Standing for a while would leave everyone drenched in sweat, and with no place to cool off at the scene, it meant standing in the sun for hours on end.
All the parents who came here waited eagerly for their children to finish their exams so they could leave together.
The homeroom teacher, Liu Hui, was also present. Since Liu Hui wasn’t serving as an invigilator, she came here to cheer on her students. After Zhang Wei’s mother brought her over, she struck up a conversation with Liu Hui.
Wanying walked through the throng of students at the school gate and headed straight for the examination classroom.
In the hallway of the exam venue, she saw Zhao Wenzong planning to enter the classroom next door. Just like her, Zhao had come alone. The saying that ‘the children of the poor mature early’ couldn’t be more true.
Wanying had wanted to ask him whether he had changed his college application preferences, but then she thought better of it. Since everything had already been submitted, bringing it up wouldn’t help and might even affect his mood for the exams.
The first subject in the morning was Chinese.
After the exam, Wanying went home for lunch. Sun Rongfang did not dare to ask her daughter how it went. Xie Changrong had taken his son to his father’s house for a meal, pretending to be angry with the mother and daughter duo.
The exams lasted for three days, and because they took place during the hottest time of the year without air conditioning—only large fans—students felt somewhat enervated after finishing their exams. Wanying witnessed someone fainting right outside the classroom door after exiting the exam venue.
“Quick, take them, take them to the hospital,” several teachers carried the fainted student and rushed outside.
Later, when Wanying got back home, she found that Zhou Ruomei had suddenly called her mother.
“How did Yingying do in her exams? With the weather being so hot, did she complete all her tasks?” Zhou Ruomei’s tone seemed to convey genuine concern for the younger generation’s health.
Being straightforward, Sun Rongfang thought her cousin was truly concerned about her daughter and happily said, “I was also worried she wouldn’t cope, so I made her some herbal tea to take to the exam site. Now, after three days, she seems to be fine, as if nothing happened. I feel like she did quite well.”
“She didn’t faint, did she? I’ve noticed that Yingying is quite thin. That’s one of the reasons I worry about her becoming a doctor. To be a doctor, you must be in good health first and foremost.”
“Right, she told me the same thing. She’s gone for a run now that she’s done with her exams, saying she’s getting a head start on building up her strength.”