Chapter 7, Simple Topics

Afterward, I need to think of a way to raise some funds; living on steamed buns alone is not sustainable. Yang Rui recalled dinner with a look of disgust on his face

"Do not speak, focus on your own work." The physics teacher tapped the desk.

Of course, relying solely on rote memorization is not entirely unfeasible, but it is a significant waste of time. Students and teachers in the 1980s may have been accustomed to this, yet Yang Rui does not wish for his students to squander their precious energy in such a manner

Yang Rui laughed without any sympathy: "This Hu Yanshan has been taking the exam for three years and still hasn't scored 300 points. It seems he not only needs to become a member of the New Fourth Army, but he must aim to become an old Red Army soldier to have any hope."

"I will help you catch up on physics when you return," Yang Rui said softly

The ten-minute break passed in the blink of an eye, and the chemistry diagnostic test followed immediately

Hu Yanshan's status is the highest. He carries two types of cigarettes in his pocket. One is the common Yangqun cigarettes that he smokes regularly and shares with his entourage, priced at 0.9 yuan per pack, which is even better than what ordinary teachers smoke. The other is the extravagant Dayanta cigarettes that he uses to maintain his image, costing 2.6 yuan per pack, which is simply exorbitant. Not to mention among students, even ordinary adults cannot afford them, and they are mostly used as gifts.

Therefore, whenever there is even the slightest opportunity, students will choose to "study diligently and strive for progress every day"

The full score for physics is 100, and a score of 36 can only answer basic questions

Unlike other students, Yang Rui has become accustomed to guessing the intentions of the examiners rather than focusing on the questions themselves. This has become one of the few remaining pleasures for him after completing countless exam papers

However, from the perspective of students and teachers in rural areas, chemistry is a very strange and difficult subject. Due to the lack of resources in schools, it is challenging to have an intuitive understanding of chemistry solely through memorization, especially when basic experiments cannot be conducted.

Students mostly smoke Shan Hua cigarettes, which cost 3 cents per pack, or Jian Yu cigarettes, which cost 5 cents per pack. Students who cannot afford factory-made cigarettes but have a craving for tobacco secretly go to deserted places to smoke hand-rolled cigarettes

At 3:00 PM, the physics teacher collected the papers on time

Students who have submitted their papers hurriedly ran out to use the restroom, while those with a smoking habit seized the opportunity to smoke a cigarette

Upon graduating from a vocational school, one can attain a cadre status. If there are connections, one can return and enter an organization. However, to start at a higher level and surpass the achievements of one's father, obtaining a college diploma is quite necessary, which requires a score of 330 or even higher.

Wang Guohua also laughed with glee at the misfortune of others

Yang Rui glanced sideways at Wang Guohua, who had also nearly finished writing. Everything that could be done had been completed, and what remained could only be left to guesswork

Teachers 30 years from now, even with countless mock exam papers and materials available for reference, will find it quite laborious to create their own questions. In the 1980s, mock exams were almost entirely reliant on teachers to formulate the questions, and the workload was immense, difficult to imagine.

Her scores in the previous two college entrance examinations were 352 and 361, respectively, which were just a line apart from the undergraduate admission threshold. However, in an era where over 6 million candidates apply and only about 200,000 are admitted, crossing that line is not an easy feat.

Hu Yanshan cast a disdainful glance at him; in his view, Yang Rui had become rather too delicate.

Wang Guohua tilted his head and thought for a moment, saying: "It seems to be around 280 points; he probably intends to apply for a junior college. This should be his third year now"

At exactly 2:00, the physics teacher brought in the exam papers, which were, as usual, printed on oil paper with handwritten characters

Zheng Yaozhe, who was biting the pen holder, felt Yang Rui's gaze, grinned, and said: "The college entrance examination score was 36, and it hasn't improved much since then"

Compared to later generations, the difficulty of the physics exam at this time is noticeably lower. The major questions include simple electricity concepts that are taught in the third year of junior high in later years, and the highest difficulty of other questions does not exceed the level of an average second-year high school student. Of course, in the early 1980s, both junior high and high school were two-year programs, so from the perspective of selection exams, this cannot be considered a significant reduction in difficulty

At this time, the famous Qianmen was only selling at 36 cents, available by ticket supply, serving as the mainstay for gifts in the county and city. Hu Yanshan's father, as the director of the town's power supply station, mostly received Da Yan Pagoda and Baocheng, drawing one for himself each week and distributing two packets to his son

Wang Guohua nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with anticipation

This is the metaphor of the carp leaping over the dragon gate. Once it leaps over, it transforms from a fish into a dragon, instantly evolving into the elite of the nation, with official positions and records, becoming the pillars of the state that are in demand. Those who have not made the leap either stay at home repairing the earth, work in factories, or serve in the military, with their treatment and status being incomparable. As for individual entrepreneurs, today they remain a choice for the destitute and those released from prison who find themselves at a dead end

Other students looked at them in confusion, then continued to prepare their exam materials or crammed for the exam at the last minute

However, students who have repeated a year have a distinct advantage over first-time graduates.

Yang Rui habitually waved his hand in front of his nose and got up to stand by the window. When he first entered university, he would occasionally smoke a cigarette with his classmates, but since the ban on smoking in public places, he has even spared the effort of pretending.

Yang Rui looked at the questions with wet ink, secretly nodding in agreement. Although Xibao Middle School is merely a rural school and the teachers' academic qualifications are not high, their dedication is truly admirable

As he lay down to rest again, Yang Rui felt a bit perplexed. If he were to tutor his study group in chemistry, relying solely on paper and pen would not suffice; he would also need teaching equipment and reagents. At the very least, he needed to establish a decent chemical thinking system for them

Yang Rui answered even faster this time, controlling the pace and taking only 20 minutes. Compared to several other subjects, chemistry appeared increasingly simple.

Yang Rui arrived at the classroom ten minutes early and unexpectedly found that Hu Yanshan had come even earlier than him. Moreover, Hu had prepared his stationery and was there, scratching his head in frustration while reading a book

If one can be promoted while serving in the military, it is roughly equivalent to having completed a secondary vocational education, but it falls significantly short of a college diploma. However, the director of a local power supply station still holds some influence in the locality, yet is far removed from the military.

The emphasis placed on learning by students in the 1980s is difficult for later generations to imagine. Whether at school, at home, or on the sports field, students at that time always talked the most about studying. This is partly due to the prevailing social atmosphere, where fewer temptations allowed for greater focus; on the other hand, it is also because there were very few opportunities for young students, with the college entrance examination being almost the only avenue for advancement.

The topic is similarly modeled after last year's college entrance examination. In recent years, the outline of each college entrance examination has undergone significant changes, and schools can only refer to the most recent one to make adjustments

Wang Guohua laughed and said, "What is he doing going back to remedial classes if he doesn't study? He might as well have joined the army already"

Otherwise, continuously working on similar problems is truly devoid of interest

In approximately 30 minutes, Yang Rui neatly completed a physics exam paper with meticulous notes.

Even students from well-off families may ultimately find themselves in entirely different circumstances regarding their ability to gain admission to university and their future prospects

Yang Rui glanced at his paper with a sidelong look. For the major questions, he had mostly written only two or three calculations, and had not completed them at all; the rest were all left blank. It goes without saying that his score of 36 points was merely cobbled together from a few points here and there

To systematically learn chemistry, the conditions at Xibao Middle School are actually inadequate. Even their chemistry teacher is merely a worker transferred from a municipal chemical factory, relying solely on his enthusiasm, hoping that diligence can make up for his shortcomings. Moreover, the exams he sets are much clumsier than those for mathematics and physics, almost entirely consisting of basic patterns, and the last question even has obvious omissions.

It seems that after spending half a lifetime as the director of the power supply station, Father Hu does not wish for his son to spend his entire life idling in the countryside

His two followers immediately chimed in to support him, but their voices were not loud. Yang Rui's words from noon were still fresh in their minds, and they were somewhat fearful.

What was his score in the college entrance examination? Yang Rui's curiosity remained unabated

Ladies! The evaluation of Hu Yanshan was uttered without hesitation, with a clear direction

He can also be considered someone who has worked as a teacher, understanding how troublesome it is to create an exam paper. It must encompass as many knowledge points as possible, while also distributing the frequency and scoring of these points according to their importance and difficulty level. Furthermore, it is a tedious task to exclude knowledge points that are outside the syllabus and to ensure that the solutions to the questions are diverse.

Is this guy also studying?" Yang Rui couldn't help but murmur in surprise

One would need to work at least an additional week to produce such an exam paper. Yang Rui first examined the paper from front to back before he began to focus on answering the questions

Upon seeing Yang Rui, Hu Yanshan merely raised an eyebrow, treating it as if he had not seen him.

Students with a bit of spare money often light cigarettes in public, puffing away in the classroom while speaking loudly, exuding an air of authority as if they were discussing grand matters. The students nearby have grown accustomed to this, calmly inhaling the secondhand smoke.

Yang Rui hesitated for a moment; instead of directly marking the errors on the paper, he followed his own approach to the questions and produced the correct calculations.

Yang Rui smiled faintly, flipped the paper over to review it once more, confirmed that there were no omissions, then covered the draft paper and feigned sleep.

The first class in the afternoon is a physics exam

Class monitor Liu Shan also raised her head due to the noise in front, and upon seeing Yang Rui's usual demeanor, she couldn't help but pout her lips, let out a perplexed sigh, and lowered her head to continue with her own work

Compared to the New Fourth Army of the anti-Japanese forces, the old Red Army is further away from the date of liberation