Chapter 2, countless materials

Do not mention a 4% acceptance rate; even a 0.4% acceptance rate does not concern him. Yang Rui, a graduate student in biology, naturally cannot limit himself to being just a biology teacher at the tutoring school. In order to earn more money, when the tutoring school offers a basic math class, he becomes the math teacher; when the school opens an advanced physics class, he becomes the physics teacher; when the school offers a summer chemistry class, he becomes the chemistry teacher. It is through this kind of experience that he gained the confidence to start his own business. Yang Rui, a graduate student in biology, naturally cannot limit himself to being just a biology teacher at the tutoring school. In order to earn more money, when the tutoring school offers a basic math class, he becomes the math teacher; when the school opens an advanced physics class, he becomes the physics teacher; when the school offers a summer chemistry class, he becomes the chemistry teacher. It is through this kind of experience that he gained the confidence to start his own business

Yang Rui shook his head vigorously. In his previous life, he was an overweight person, and he was one who disliked exercise and gained weight easily. Forcing him to march in step every day, one two one, was no different from taking his life. The laziness ingrained in his bones had penetrated into his soul, and it was the same no matter where he went

Wang Guohua diligently took notes, eager to write down every word spoken by Yang Rui

The students in the dormitory are getting up one by one

What surprised him even more was that with the emergence of these terms, a series of books he had once read suddenly sprang to mind. For instance, following the term "genetics," there would be the third edition of "Genetics" from Higher Education Press, the second edition of "Genetics" from Higher Education Press, the third edition of "Genetics" from China Agricultural University Press, the second edition of "Medical Genetics" from People's Medical Publishing House, and the third edition of "Principles of Genetics" from Higher Education Press

And he was certain that he had only skimmed through most of the books inside

"It doesn't matter if you don't go to university." Rui's mother thought her son was pretending to be strong, and tears of heartache were about to fall.

Yang Rui felt as if he had memorized the contents within; with just a slight recollection, he could recall large passages of the original text.

This summarizing memory method, not to mention that it did not exist in the 1980s, even if it did, there were no adequate means of dissemination

Yang Rui hesitated for a moment, then slipped inside, and immediately nodded, saying: "It indeed blocks the wind. What are you looking at?"

Yang Rui woke up early, staring at the ceiling with his eyes open

On an ordinary 32-page white notebook, the titles and knowledge points are densely written in tiny characters. Although the classification is not very detailed, it is nonetheless somewhat organized.

"Do not believe it." Wang Guohua is very sincere.

This is called the hexagonal memory method. First, draw a hexagon... Yang Rui took Wang Guohua's paper and pen, writing as he spoke: "Starting from the upper left corner, write down sin, cos, cot... Then, there is this pattern. Let me tell you, first, the values of the two trigonometric functions connected by the diagonal are reciprocals of each other. Second, the value of the trigonometric function at each vertex is equal to the product of the two adjacent ones. For example, cos is equal to sin multiplied by cot... Then, there is this pattern. Let me tell you, first, the values of the two trigonometric functions connected by the diagonal are reciprocals of each other. Second, the value of the trigonometric function at each vertex is equal to the product of the two adjacent ones. For example, cos is equal to sin multiplied by cot...

Yang Rui flipped through his notebook and habitually remarked: "Trigonometric functions can indeed be quite confusing at times, but as long as one understands sine, cosine, tangent, and cotangent, solving problems becomes straightforward"

Wang Guohua listened eagerly to Yang Rui's explanation, and in his heart, the so-called "hexagonal memory method" had already become a kind of secret technique.

Mom, please stop talking. I must participate in the college entrance examination. If I can't even pass this hurdle, what else can I do in the future? One must get back up from where they fell. Starting today, I will work hard to study and strive for good results, contributing to the four modernizations of our country.

Incredible

Yang Rui flipped his eyelids and thought to himself: If you were to make me take a doctor's degree now, I might feel a bit nervous, but if you were to let me take the college entrance examination, that would be a piece of cake.

Some of them took books outside to recite, some sat by the door and window with furrowed brows doing exercises, while others were writing letters with silly smiles

On the surface, Wang Guohua seems unaffected by the failure to be admitted, his lean cheeks adorned with a smile as he says, "The other side of the west wall is crowded; if you want to read, it is better to stay here where the wind is lighter"

The environment in the dormitory is quite poor, with two rows of ten-person bunk beds being the entirety of the possessions in this flat. Although many students return home after the college entrance examination, there are still many students like Yang Rui who continue to attend the "retraining class," which is commonly known in later years as a repeat class.

Wang Guohua exclaimed, "Oh, you rascal, what’s the matter? Have you figured it out?"

Yang Rui could no longer lie still, got dressed, and then shivered from the cold wind as he stepped outside

In my impression, he had shared a dormitory with Yang Rui a long time ago and they were also good desk mates. This time, in the college entrance examination, both of them failed to achieve success.

"You rascal, don't tell me you've caught a cold again." A student poked his head out from the gap between two broken door panels on the side wall and asked Yang Rui, "Are you feeling better now?"

Due to the extremely low admission rate of the college entrance examination, most students, except for those who do not plan to continue their studies, must attend remedial classes for two to three years in order to gain admission to a university, or choose to give up entirely

Indeed, as soon as he spoke, Teacher Lu, who was standing nearby with deep-set eyes, unexpectedly began to applaud, agreeing with a remark: "Well said!"

Yang Rui forced a smile, realizing that her ex believed that if she studied for another year, she would only be destined for a junior college or vocational school. However, it has become common for students to repeat two or three years nowadays

He lifted a broken door panel, allowing Yang Rui to squeeze in

The two quickly entered a cycle of praise and gratitude

Mother Rui was very pleased to hear Teacher Lu's words and immediately began to express her gratitude and praise for Teacher Lu

This is the rhythm that will make me a lifelong academic overachiever... Thinking of the many classic papers and books that have yet to be published, Yang Rui found himself at a loss.

The scope of the college entrance examination is quite limited. It can be said that apart from needing to review politics, Yang Rui can directly enter the examination room for all other subjects

If judged by the standards of future generations, only a few major cities and certain key secondary schools in educational hubs are likely to achieve an average level across all subjects. As for rural secondary schools like Xibao Middle School, they rely entirely on graduates from vocational schools and high schools from earlier years for teaching. Among them, the highest qualified teacher is actually a high school graduate from the old third cohort. Having already married, he had to give up further studies after failing the college entrance examinations in 1977 and 1978, and thus remained at the school.

However, Yang Rui could not sleep, not because the heated kang was too hard or the wheat straw pillow was too prickly, but because his mind was filled with too many words and images

The following day

Have ambition, your mother supports you. Study hard, if you don't pass in one year, try again in the second year; if you still don't pass, try again in the third year. I will speak to your father about this.

Since the restoration of the college entrance examination, it has only been a brief period of five or six years. Not to mention that students are still trying to find their way, even teachers are in a state of confusion. What is being tested, and how is it being tested? What should be taught, and how should it be taught? No one can provide clear answers, leading various local education bureaus to organize teaching groups, gathering those who have a slightly clearer understanding, to conduct re-education for teachers across different regions

In just a few short minutes, Yang Rui began to "re-read" the few books he had read the most during his graduate studies

Mathematics is a formidable challenge, as many students in rural areas do not even achieve an average score of 20. This is particularly true for those who have only recently begun their studies; if they do not put in significant effort to catch up from elementary school, they struggle even with quadratic equations. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, once took the college entrance examination in 1982 and scored 19 points

As a distinguished gold medal tutor, if he cannot even grasp such fundamental knowledge points, how can he expect to make a living

Yang Rui was speechless and said, "I suppose I have figured it out."

Plants, animals, cytology, genetics... The words that Yang Rui recited to the point of nausea during his time as a research student came flooding back to his mind, one after another

Yang Rui's mother was taken aback by her son's words. She had only one precious son, whom she had spoiled since childhood, and even now, he was still called "Little Treasure." She never expected her son, whom she always thought of as still young, would say such powerful words. In her surprise, she quickly felt happy again. In her eyes, her son was capable and would surely achieve great things in the future.

Alright. Yang Rui glanced at him and immediately recalled his name: Wang Guohua, which is indeed a common naming trend of this era

Therefore, the number of students in the re-enrollment class often exceeds that of the graduating class combined

Then let's listen. Wang Guohua felt a bit more spirited; in this day and age, the atmosphere among students for mutual learning is quite strong. Due to the scarcity of resources and high-level teachers, they can only gather information from various sources and help each other.

Yang Rui stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Seeing that there were no other students around to overhear their conversation, he said: "I get nervous during exams and forget everything I memorized beforehand. However, I do know a few special methods."

Around 6 o'clock

Yang Rui curiously examined his notebook

... ...

Wang Guohua expressed disbelief: "You only scored over 20 points in mathematics, did you perhaps earn all of that from trigonometric functions?"

Try recalling other books, and even the complex examination workbooks for the college entrance examination, and it is the same.

For students in rural middle schools, copying questions has become almost second nature

Wang Guohua handed him his notebook and smiled apologetically, saying: "In this exam, I basically didn't score any points on the trigonometric functions. I just want to study it again. Sigh, what is the point of these symbols being turned back and forth?"

Wang Guohua's eyes widened in astonishment after hearing a few sentences

Even more exaggerated is the fact that the assignments he has graded can all be recalled

Although reference books became available in 1982, their quantity and variety were quite limited, and their prices were not affordable for the average person's income. Generally, middle-level cadre families could not afford the strategy of drowning in a sea of questions. Wang Guohua's father was the director of the post office in Xibao Town, a cadre at the stock level, which, in terms of administrative rank, is even lower than that of a deputy section chief. With three children in the family, they naturally aimed to save wherever possible

It is a common sight in the rural secondary schools and factory schools of this era for high school graduates to teach high school students, as for the effectiveness, only heaven knows

The dormitory has naturally become more crowded

However, Ruima's statement was also endorsed by Teacher Lu: "Yang Rui is quite intelligent, but he lacks focus. If he studies for another year this year, there is still great hope. If he is determined and puts in one or two years of effort, it wouldn't be difficult to gain admission to an undergraduate program."

Yang Rui also smiled and said, "Shall I share with you the methods I have learned?"