Chapter 208: Chapter 197: Enrollment Chapter 208: Chapter 197: Enrollment On the opening day of school, Guh Xiuxiu and Guh Haifan escorted her to the school. When they arrived at the school gate, Guh Xiuxiu instructed her, “If teachers or students bully you, call me and I’ll solve it for you.”
Jiaxin replied, “Aunt, you’ve forgotten I know kung fu; no one can bully me.”
During her studies and work in Huadu, she had also encountered discrimination, but that’s present in every country. As long as you’re not weak and dare to fight back, they won’t dare to bully you anymore.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Guh Xiuxiu’s face.
Jiaxin advised Haifan, “If someone dares to hit you at school, hit back. Don’t be afraid, Aunt’s got your back!”
Guh Xiuxiu grinned, “Haifan, your cousin is right. If someone dares to bully you, hit back. As long as you don’t kill anyone, Aunt can handle it.”
Initially, she had planned to send Guh Haifan to a prestigious primary school, but Jiaxin’s words back then made her change her mind, and she, too, sent Haifan to a public school.
After speaking a few words, Jiaxin entered the school. As a transfer student, she was assigned to Senior Middle School 7 (Class 9). When she found her class, more than half the seats were already occupied.
A sweet-looking girl saw Jiaxin and took the initiative to say, “Classmate, you must be the new transfer, right?”
“Yes, classmate, do you know which seat here is unoccupied?”
The girl smiled and pointed to the back, saying, “No one’s sitting at the last row—you can find a seat there first, and the teacher will reassign seats later.”
Jiaxin sat down in the last row and noticed many people eyeing her, but she didn’t mind. She took an English book out of her bag and began to read.
About twenty minutes later, a middle-aged man with glasses and a lean face entered. He knocked on the desk and called for silence, and the classroom immediately fell quiet.
The middle-aged man introduced himself, “My name is Mo Hongwei, your English teacher, and also your homeroom teacher. This year you are in Senior Middle 7, facing exams next year. I hope you will study hard in the coming year and get into the universities of your choice.”
After his opening remarks, Mo Hongwei also asked the students to introduce themselves, starting with the class leaders. He had just arrived and wanted to get to know the faces for easier management later.
Jiaxin noted that the sweet-looking girl was named Dong Jiajia. When it was finally her turn, she stood up and introduced herself in Cantonese, “My name is Lu Jiaxin, ‘Lu’ as in army, ‘Jia’ as in family, and ‘Xin’ as in warmth. I’m good at drawing and I like playing badminton.”
Noticing her accent, Mo Hongwei asked, “Did you come from the Mainland?”
Jiaxin didn’t avoid the question and responded, “Yes, I came from the Mainland in July. I took the entrance exam and only got a good grade in music; for the other subjects, I got excellent marks.”
Some teachers look down on poor students, so it’s necessary to showcase your grades sometimes to avoid being targeted. Although she wasn’t afraid, it was a waste of time.
In Hong Kong, compulsory education lasts for twelve years, including three years of preschool education, six years of primary education, and three years of secondary education. This means you must study up to Senior Middle School 3, and if you don’t, the government will intervene; Senior Middle School 4 and 5 are free but not compulsory. At the end of Senior Middle School 5, you take the exams and, if you pass, you advance to prepare for university studies in Senior Middle School 6 and 7. At the end of year 7, you take the Advanced Level examination, and if you qualify, you can go on to university.
It’s easy to move up to Senior Middle School 4 as long as you apply yourself; however, the exams in Senior Middle School 5 are harder and will weed out many students. But for the Advanced Level exam in Senior Middle School 7, many students may not necessarily apply to universities in Hong Kong and can apply to many universities abroad.
After students introduced themselves, Dong Hongwei adjusted the seating. Jiaxin was assigned to sit beside a girl with long bangs and many pimples on her face, who seemed somewhat gloomy.
The Senior Middle 7 students had precious time, and by the second period, classes had already begun. The teacher spoke rapidly, and Jiaxin’s hand was somewhat sore from writing, but she managed to note down all the key points.
Class was over, and my deskmate said expressionlessly, “Move aside, I need to go to the bathroom.”
Lu Jiaxin also wanted to use the restroom, so she went with her. Outside the classroom, she asked for the girl’s name, “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier because there were too many people.”
The girl glanced at her but didn’t say anything and continued walking ahead.
School was soon dismissed, and the teacher, hearing the bell, didn’t linger to tidy up but left immediately. Middle schools and high schools in Hong Kong don’t have morning or evening self-study sessions, and the lunch break is only an hour long. The school has a canteen where students can eat, or they can bring their own meals. Some students from well-off families who don’t want to eat in the canteen or bring lunch have their food delivered by household staff.
The maid Jiaxin had hired would arrive tomorrow, but her room was already arranged and cleaned.
At the canteen, Jiaxin found the food offerings to be quite generous and the prices very affordable. She got a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a soup: pan-fried pork, stir-fried choy sum, and duck stew.
The food in the canteen tasted pretty good; the Hong Kong government had done a good job in this respect. After eating, she didn’t return to the classroom immediately but took a walk around the school first.
On the way back to the classroom, she ran into Dong Jiajia, who had had her meal delivered to her. Dong Jiajia asked with a smile, “I heard that English instruction hasn’t started yet in the mainland. Are you getting used to it here?”
Knowing quite a lot, Jiaxin replied with a smile, “My English is okay, I can keep up.”
Dong Jiajia came closer and whispered, “You should be careful with your deskmate. If you offend her, you won’t be able to stay in this school.”
Seeing someone approaching them, Dong Jiajia changed the subject immediately, “What brand is your watch? It looks nice.”
Jiaxin wasn’t shy to share, “It’s an Omega, sixteen thousand. My aunt gave it to me as a gift for starting school.”
Showing off one’s wealth just enough could prevent the melodramatic situations often seen on TV or in novels, where someone is slandered for stealing money or other people’s belongings. Although Huaying Middle School was not particularly prestigious, it still had its share of well-off students.
As soon as school was out, Jiaxin packed up her things and left. Dong Jiajia caught up with her at the school gate and, after looking around, said, “Last year, a classmate offended her and was forced to take a break from school.”
“Does she have any background?”
Dong Jiajia said, “Her elder sister used to be a streetwalker who later got involved with a small-time gang leader and now has a lot of underlings; Cui Zhihui can use those people to do her bidding.”
The so-called streetwalker is actually a sex worker. She suddenly understood why Cui Zhihui was always looking down, her expression somewhat gloomy. Having an elder sister in that line of work and known for it would certainly lead to disdain.
“What about her parents? Don’t they work?”
“Her dad is a tax officer, and her mom works at the police station…”
Before she could finish, Jiaxin interrupted with surprise, “Her dad is a tax officer, her mom is a police officer, and her sister became a streetwalker and is involved with a gang member?”
Dong Jiajia curled her lips and said, “Her dad got hooked on gambling four years ago, couldn’t pay debts, embezzled public funds, and got caught. Her mom divorced him soon after, married someone else, and took the youngest brother with her. The fact that she can even attend school is all thanks to her elder sister’s Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. You’d better be careful sitting next to her, or you might end up taking a break from school too.”
Jiaxin believed in trusting what she saw rather than what she heard, but still, she thanked her.