Fang Shuwen walked through the school gate, crossed the stone path lined with plane trees, and headed straight for the examination room.
The campus was much quieter than usual. Only a few students hurried past with books in their arms, their faces tense.
This was the first major exam since Xikou County Public Middle School had implemented the new school system.
Word was,
anyone who failed would be expelled outright, without even a chance to take a makeup exam.
For students from ordinary families, being expelled meant losing their only way forward.
They had already spent so much on schooling. To be expelled now would be like a bolt from the blue.
The exam was being held in a classroom on the second floor of the teaching building. A seating chart was posted by the door.
Fang Shuwen found his name and sat in the third row by the window.
More than half the seats were already taken.
Some students lowered their heads over their books, while others closed their eyes and recited silently. They were cramming at the last minute, and the air was thick with tension and gloom.
He tucked his cloth book bag into the desk compartment, took out the Parker Pen, and unscrewed its cap.
The nib gleamed with a cold, silvery light in the morning sun. The pen felt satisfyingly heavy in his hand.
"Oh, a Parker Pen?"
A round-faced boy beside him leaned over, staring at the pen in his hand in astonishment.
"Fang Shuwen, did you strike it rich? That thing doesn't come cheap. Did you make Young Master Guo happy, and he gave it to you?"
His tone was suggestive, as though Fang Shuwen had done something shameful.
Fang Shuwen turned a cold gaze on him. A wave of Killing Intent surged toward the round-faced boy.
In an instant, the boy felt as if a ferocious tiger had fixed its gaze on him. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Fortunately, just then, the classroom door swung open.
It creaked.
Fang Shuwen turned his head.
Only then did the round-faced boy feel that the sense of impending death had finally passed.
He patted his chest, still shaken. After giving Fang Shuwen an uncertain look, he sat down, his heart still pounding.
A middle-aged man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit and round glasses walked in from the doorway.
He carried a stack of exam papers. His leather shoes clicked crisply against the floor.
The classroom fell silent at once.
Fang Shuwen recognized him: Zhou Changping, the director of studies. He taught Outline of New Learning and was famous for his strictness.
They said that in his youth, he had studied at Shenghai Martial University. For reasons no one knew, he had later returned to Xikou to teach, and had been doing so for over a decade.
Zhou Changping set the exam papers on the lectern and swept his gaze across the classroom from behind his lenses.
"I won't waste time explaining the rules for the entrance exams."
"Seven subjects, all in one day. Cultural subjects in the morning, physical education in the afternoon. Anyone caught cheating will be expelled immediately. There will be no exceptions."
He paused. His gaze lingered on Fang Shuwen for half a second, then moved on.
"Pass them out."
The papers were passed back from the front.
Fang Shuwen took one and unfolded it for a quick look.
It was a comprehensive exam covering Chinese, mathematics, English, Steam Industry, Steam Biology, and Antiquities Studies.
All six cultural subjects taught at the public middle school were on a single paper.
The questions were densely packed, but none went beyond the textbooks. Most tested memorization: either you knew the answers or you didn't.
He unscrewed the cap of his Parker Pen, lowered his gaze, and began writing.
The classroom was utterly silent, save for the scratch of pen nibs on paper and the occasional rustle of a page turning.
The Chinese section tested recitation and interpretation, as well as a short policy essay.
Fang Shuwen didn't write anything too outlandish. He quoted several standard arguments from the textbook, added a few thoughts of his own, filled out three hundred characters, and put his pen down.
Mathematics and English posed no difficulty to him, and he filled in the answers almost without thinking.
Steam Industry, Steam Biology, and Antiquities Studies took a little more effort.
After all, these three subjects were products unique to this world.
He had never studied anything like them in his previous life.
Fortunately, all the questions came from the textbooks.
He hadn't skipped any of the past few days' classes, and had reviewed his lessons.
So he finished the entire exam in only an hour and a half.
He checked it once and made sure he hadn't missed anything.
Then Fang Shuwen stood and handed in his paper.
Zhou Changping took it and glanced down. His brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
But he said nothing, only nodding at Fang Shuwen.
Then he added the paper to the stack on the left side of the lectern.
Fang Shuwen left the examination room. The hallway was still empty, as most of the students were bent over their papers, writing furiously.
He didn't linger on campus, heading straight for the cafeteria.
Xikou County Public Middle School's cafeteria was a single-story red-brick building on the west side of the athletic field. The aroma of food carried from far away.
There weren't many people inside when Fang Shuwen arrived.
He paid four jiao for lunch.
Two steamed buns, a plate of braised potato chunks, and a bowl of egg-drop soup. He carried his tray to a corner by the window and sat down.
He had barely taken a few bites when the cafeteria gradually filled up.
The morning exams were over, and students streamed in by twos and threes. A long line formed at the serving window.
Amid the clamor, students argued over answers and sighed in frustration.
"Did you answer that Steam Biology question? The one about compatibility? I couldn't even understand the question."
"Don't ask, don't ask. I left three whole questions blank. I'm done for this time."
"What are you panicking for? The big one's this afternoon. I heard that under the new school system, Martial Arts Physical Education counts for half the marks. Even a perfect score this morning won't help. If you don't pass this afternoon, you're still out."
Fang Shuwen's chopsticks paused.
Martial Arts Physical Education counted for half.
He lifted his egg-drop soup and took a slow sip, keeping his expression unchanged even as he pricked up his ears.
At a table not far away, several boys sat together. The one speaking was a tall boy with a crew cut.
His uniform sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing two sturdy forearms.
He spoke loudly enough for everyone around him to hear.
"My cousin works as a clerk at the Education Bureau. His information is absolutely reliable."
The crew-cut boy broke a steamed bun in half and stuffed a piece into his mouth, speaking indistinctly.
"Isn't that as good as a death sentence?"
A skinny boy beside him wailed, "I've always been at the bottom in martial arts class. I didn't even pass Body Strengthening Fist last semester."
"Then you'll just have to accept your bad luck."
The crew-cut boy shrugged. "The people up top said that from now on, the Great Flame New Kingdom wants people trained in both letters and martial arts. Just knowing how to study won't cut it."
Fang Shuwen broke his steamed bun into small pieces and ate them one by one, but kept his ears pricked up.
The crew-cut boy kept holding forth, spittle flying everywhere.
Fang Shuwen had only listened for a moment before returning his attention to his meal.
Just then, Guo Ziming appeared at the cafeteria entrance, as usual with two lackeys trailing behind him.
His gaze swept over the cafeteria and landed unerringly on Fang Shuwen in the corner. The corner of his mouth lifted as he strode over.
Looking at Fang Shuwen, Guo Ziming curled his lips into a smirk.
"Fang Shuwen."
"After the exam this afternoon, meet me in the woods behind the school. If you don't show up, you know what'll happen!"