Free Web NovelChapter 445: Chapter 445: You’re Really Not Holding Back
Mr. Huang pushed a test paper over with a chuckle. "Your Teacher Li is in a particularly good mood today. He even called me specifically. I figured since all the other teachers have met you, I can’t be left behind. To make a perfect first impression, how about we start with a little test?"
Tan You smiled too. She casually picked up the black pen in front of Li Fugui, sat down at an empty desk in the small office, and immediately started writing, her pen flying across the paper. Huang Ruixiang watched her for a good while. When he looked away, he saw Li Fugui making faces at him. He couldn’t help but shake his head and shoot a look back.
Tan You’s test-taking speed was extremely fast. After all, she had been the Chinese language representative for her class. Even though she was now determined to study the sciences, she had never neglected her literature studies. Moreover, Tan You had read widely over the years, so her perspective was naturally broader than most.
And so, by the end of the second evening self-study session, Tan You had finished the Chinese language test. She had even written the essay on a piece of Li Fugui’s scratch paper, and she pushed it all, along with the test paper, in front of Huang Ruixiang.
Tan You wasn’t shy around him at all, which clearly pleased Li Fugui, but at the same time, he felt something was a little off. ’This girl really isn’t intimidated by teachers in the slightest,’ he thought. ’Why do I feel like I have zero authority in front of her?’
As for Huang Ruixiang, when he got Tan You’s test, the first thing he noticed wasn’t the answers, but her handwriting. "Excellent calligraphy!"
Tan You pursed her lips slightly. "It’s just average. I still need more practice."
’Thinking about it, I really don’t have many special talents,’ she reflected. ’The only thing I can do is some decent penmanship. I know a little about the four traditional arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—but I’m mediocre at all of them. I wouldn’t even dare to claim calligraphy as a skill.’
Huang Ruixiang had no time for Tan You now. The earlier questions had clear answers, and a quick scan gave him a rough idea of her score. What truly surprised him was her essay. The topic was "Copper Coin," and the task was to write an argumentative essay inspired by it.
Tan You wrote about the copper coin’s shape—round on the outside with a square hole in the middle. She connected this to the ancient concept of a round heaven and a square earth, and from there, she extrapolated to the principles of how one should conduct oneself. Her thesis and supporting arguments were incredibly clear, and her central idea was unique. Huang Ruixiang was certain that even as a college entrance exam essay, this piece would earn an extremely high score.
After calculating everything, Huang Ruixiang could no longer remain calm. He put down his pen. "Are you really set on studying science? With this kind of talent..."
Now it was Li Fugui’s turn to get agitated. "Old Huang, you’re playing dirty! You can’t just try to poach my student just because you’re also the Chinese teacher for Class 1, can you?"
’Thankfully, I was cautious and didn’t tell anyone except Teacher Yin about the mistake with Tan You’s score,’ he thought. ’By that logic, Teacher Yin is the only one on my side.’
’Come to think of it, Mr. Huang teaches Chinese for both Class 1 and Class 3. If he finds out, the homeroom teacher for Class 1 will probably find out too.’ Li Fugui was starting to regret it. ’Why did I have to run my mouth? Why did I feel the need to show off to Old Huang?’
Huang Ruixiang ignored Li Fugui, his gaze fixed solely on Tan You. She remained unmoved. "My mom wants me to study science. And I also feel that science isn’t as convoluted as literature. It’s simple and direct—you either get it or you don’t."
Li Fugui immediately broke into a smile. He had been so determined to get Tan You into his class, and now she was just as insistent on studying science. Wasn’t this a kind of mutual dedication?
Huang Ruixiang sighed. "What a pity. Your scores are truly excellent."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That can’t be right. With scores this good, how did you end up in Class 3?"
Li Fugui replied without batting an eye, "Didn’t I tell you? She wasted her time reading novels before and didn’t perform well on the entrance exam. Can’t a person turn over a new leaf and study hard during the summer break?"
He made up his mind. Before school officially started, he would absolutely not show Tan You off to anyone else. ’Some treasures are best kept to oneself.’ Besides, his fated student-teacher connection with Tan You was clearly meant to be.
Otherwise, how could Tan You have been assigned to his class for military training? Otherwise, how could it be that *he* was the one who saw Tan You solving math competition problems, and how could Old Ding have registered her score incorrectly? This whole series of coincidences proved one thing and one thing only: Tan You was destined to be his student!
Hearing Li Fugui string two idioms together, Huang Ruixiang clicked his tongue in mock amazement. "Not bad, Teacher Li. Quite the wordsmith."
"Of course," Li Fugui said. "Tan You, if there’s nothing else, you can head back to the classroom. School will be out soon."
Tan You thought for a moment. "Actually, there is something I’d like to ask you for."
The moment Li Fugui heard her use such a formal "you," his back straightened a little. He looked at Tan You quizzically. "When you talk like that, I get the feeling you’re about to spring something on me."
"It’s not that dramatic," Tan You said with a laugh. "Am I that untrustworthy? It’s like this: military training ends in two days, right? The school dorms will be reassigned based on our new classes, and I was thinking of not living on campus anymore."
"Teacher Li, could you help me ask if there are any vacant rooms in the teachers’ dormitory area? I’d like to live alone. It’s quieter."
Normally, the teachers’ dorms weren’t for students, but there were always exceptions. What teacher didn’t have a relative or a favorite student they could pull some strings for? Take Tan Ying, for example. Because her grandmother was related to one of her middle school teachers, Tan Ying lived in a teachers’ dormitory for all three years of middle school.
A private, single room. Compared to the noisy girls’ dorms, Tan Ying’s situation had been pure luxury.
Hearing Tan You’s simple request, Li Fugui immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that? I’ll ask about it when I get home tonight. Are you sure you don’t want to live in the dorms? I see you get along so well with Yin Xiu, Cao Haiyan, and Gu Qiuxia."
"That doesn’t mean we have to sleep in the same room at night," Tan You said with a small smile. "The dorm rooms are too crowded; I can’t fit all my things. Besides, it’s so noisy I can’t even get in the mood to work on problems."
Li Fugui knew perfectly well what kind of problems she was talking about. What else but those competition questions?
"Fine, living alone is a good idea too. But you have to promise you won’t fall back into your old habits." Li Fugui had to lay down the ground rules. "You can’t go back to how you were before."
"Don’t you worry. Who falls into the same trap twice?" Tan You rolled her eyes. "If you’re still not convinced, then just find me a room near you. I hear your wife is a great cook, so living closer would make it convenient for me to come over for free meals later."
Huang Ruixiang really couldn’t listen to this anymore. This girl truly didn’t see herself as a stranger. He shook his head, rolled up the draft of Tan You’s essay, and left the office. As for this teacher-student pair, he’d just let them have their battle of wits.
Li Fugui was so exasperated he almost laughed. "You really don’t hold back with me, do you? Fine, I’ll ask around tonight. Keeping you under my nose where I can watch you will give me more peace of mind anyway."
Tan You made an "OK" sign with her hand. "I’ll give you my dad’s number. You can have him come look at the room later."
Li Fugui could only sigh at Tan You’s knack for taking an inch and running a mile. How did he end up with a student like her? She really didn’t stand on ceremony at all. Still, he found he was in a good mood despite their bickering. After all, this was a first in his entire teaching career—the first time he’d ever bantered with a student as if they were peers.
