What Should I Do After the Gaokao?

School let out on June 3, and the Gaokao began on June 7, leaving three days for independent revision.

Generally, though, everyone visited their exam venues on the fourth or fifth to scope them out, checking the surroundings and the route so they knew what to expect.

On the fourth, Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan first went to exam room 116 at Guangya High School, then caught a ride to exam room 177 at Provincial Experimental High School.

The classrooms were locked, but through the windows, they could see admission slips attached to the upper-right corner of every desk.

By the time they had checked out both venues, it was only a little after two in the afternoon. Huang Bohan wanted to go home and revise, but he also felt that revision at this point wouldn't accomplish much. Yet not revising made him anxious.

So he asked Chen Zhu if there was any way to "not feel anxious without revising."

Chen Zhu thought for a moment. "There is."

Half an hour later, Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan arrived at the foot of White Cloud Mountain.

White Cloud Mountain wasn't particularly tall, but it boasted such flattering titles as "First Beauty of Yangcheng" and "Southern Sky's First Peak," along with Pujian Lianquan, White Cloud Evening View, Jingtai Monk's Return... the so-called Eight Views of Yangcheng.

Still, Chen Zhu had always felt that stacking so many buffs was merely a way to disguise the embarrassment of Eastern Guangdong having no truly majestic mountains or rivers.

If they had a world-class natural attraction like Mount Tai, Yellow Mountain, Mount Hua, or Mount Emei, why would they need so many gimmicks?

Looking at the ticket booth at the entrance to White Cloud Mountain, Huang Bohan agreed. "Climbing a mountain and working up a sweat would definitely help me forget my anxiety for a while."

Chen Zhu gave his friend a puzzled look. "Who said we were climbing the mountain?"

"Aren't we?"

We've come all this way. What else would we be doing? Huang Bohan thought.

Without another word, Chen Zhu led Bohan along the mountain path for a while, eventually arriving at a temple bustling with worshippers.

"Go in and pray."

Chen Zhu gestured with his chin. "I guarantee you'll feel calm afterward. No more anxiety."

"Huh?"

Huang Bohan was dumbfounded. "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? This is feudal superstition. Besides, we're still wearing our school uniforms."

"Nobody's going to notice you."

With that, Chen Zhu walked into the temple first.

Huang Bohan hesitated but ultimately followed. Then he suddenly realized that at least seventy percent of the people inside were final-year high school students taking the exam.

There were even students wearing the uniforms of elite schools such as South China Normal University Affiliated High School, Provincial Experimental High School, Guangya High School, and Zhizhong High School.

Looks like everyone's making a last-minute appeal to Buddha.

With all these people for company, Huang Bohan felt perfectly justified in offering incense alongside Chen Zhu.

Some particularly devout examinees even knelt and kowtowed, murmuring, "Please, Bodhisattva, let me get into Guangdong University of Technology. Please, Bodhisattva, let me get into Guangdong University of Technology..."

For Bohan, Guangdong University of Technology was a school he could get into without even attempting the long-answer math questions. He hadn't expected anyone to need divine intervention.

But seeing everyone choose burning incense over studying and striving instantly put Huang Bohan at ease.

After they left the temple, Chen Zhu asked with a smile, "Now that you've prayed, do you feel like someone up there has your back?"

"Not really."

Bohan answered with his usual earnest honesty. "But I'm definitely not anxious anymore. Are you still nervous?"

"Me?"

Chen Zhu smiled. He was doing all right. The last time he'd felt even slightly nervous was probably during the two-week public notice period for his promotion to Deputy Division Chief.

On the fifth and sixth, Chen Zhu stayed home reading, occasionally doing a practice paper to keep himself sharp.

Mao Xiaoqin had taken leave too. Every day, she prepared different delicious dishes for her son, and the rest of the time, she was careful not to disturb him.

His father was the same. Both parents spoke much more quietly than usual, and even providing logistical support had them walking on eggshells, terrified that saying or doing something wrong might affect their son.

These were probably the two days when his parents were at their most "obedient."

Their attitude would probably remain pretty good until the Gaokao results came out on June 28.

Once the results were released, though, if their child had bombed the exam, every privilege enjoyed beforehand would have to be surrendered immediately.

Whether they repeated the year or accepted reassignment to another program, they would spend the entire summer feeling guilty toward their parents.

If they did well, however, congratulations: they were now the family's "esteemed incoming university freshman," entitled to ask their parents for the three university essentials-a phone, a computer, and an MP3 player.

On the evening of June 6, there were twelve hours left until the Gaokao.

Chen Zhu checked his ID, exam admission slip, digital watch, 2B pencils, spare pens... everything once again.

Around ten, Mao Xiaoqin came over to check everything herself, then gently suggested that Chen Zhu take a shower and brought him a comfortable set of old clothes.

It was best not to wear new clothes for a major exam. They really could affect your performance.

After Chen Zhu showered and lay down, he could still tell through the gap in his bedroom door that his parents were tiptoeing around and keeping their voices as low as possible.

Chen Zhu smiled knowingly, then slowly drifted off as his breathing settled into an even rhythm.

The next day was June 7, the first day of the Gaokao.

At seven in the morning, Chen Zhu woke naturally, feeling refreshed. His mother had already made breakfast and was wearing a newly purchased qipao.

She hoped the qipao would bring her son victory right from the start.

Chen Peisong wasn't in a hurry to get to the office that morning either. He checked the exam supplies again, filled Chen Zhu's insulated flask with warm water, then waited patiently for his son alongside his wife.

Once Chen Zhu finished breakfast, the three of them left for the subway station. At a time like this, taking a taxi or driving was best avoided, since they could easily get stuck in traffic.

They reached the entrance to Provincial Experimental High School at around eight. Examinees holding study notes were everywhere, and most of the mothers seeing them off wore qipaos. Ambulances, fire engines, and police cars were stationed all around.

They had barely taken a few steps when two prominent signs appeared before them:

Parents of examinees, please stop here!

No honking!

That meant his parents could accompany him no farther. Chen Zhu said goodbye to them and walked through the school gates alone.

"Son!"

Unable to hold back, Mao Xiaoqin rose onto her tiptoes behind him and called out, "Stay calm and keep your head! Your dad and I believe in you!"

Chen Zhu turned and waved, then soon disappeared into the streams of examinees.

At the entrance to exam room 177, Chen Zhu passed the invigilator's metal-detector check and finally sat down in his assigned seat.

First, he checked that the admission slip on the upper-right corner of the desk matched his own details, then listened to the instructions over the loudspeaker. Before long, the fully sealed exam papers arrived. The two invigilators reiterated the exam rules as they waited for the bell signaling that they could open the packet.

The first subject was Chinese, from nine to eleven thirty that morning.

Ring, ring!

When the bell sounded, the invigilators tore away the paper sealing the packet. A slight stir passed through the room, a shift in the atmosphere brought on by nerves.

Every examinee understood: ten years of hard study had led to this one battle!

At the second bell, the invigilators began handing out the papers.

The Gaokao paper was a little thicker than the paper used for their regular monthly tests. It felt almost like the pages of a book, pleasantly smooth to the touch.

After receiving his paper, Chen Zhu first glanced at the essay prompt:

All things endure through transmission, and humanity continues to flourish through what it passes on. Skills and experience can be passed on, as can thoughts and feelings... Write an essay of at least 800 Chinese characters on the theme of "Passing on."

Then, while answering the earlier questions, Chen Zhu planned his essay in his head, considering which angle would earn the highest marks.

Having been reborn seventeen years into the past, Chen Zhu genuinely couldn't remember the essay prompt from his original Gaokao. Too much time had passed, and he hadn't worked in education. This prompt was entirely new to him too.

But Chen Zhu knew that an essay without the spirit of its times couldn't be considered a good one. Realism had always been the Gaokao's historical mission.

The hottest topic right now was undoubtedly the 2008 Summer Olympics. Thus, passing Chinese civilization on to the world through the Olympic spirit became the central idea of his essay.

He wrote some nine hundred characters with easy confidence, then added the final period with satisfaction.

About ten minutes later, the bell signaling the end of the exam rang. Having checked everything, Chen Zhu let the invigilator collect his answer sheet and exam paper.

When he reached the school gates, his parents had already gone home. They had agreed on this beforehand: they could see him off, but they weren't to wait outside during the exam, as that would put pressure on him.

In truth, looking at the scorching sun, Chen Zhu simply couldn't bear to make his parents endure it.

He took the bus home, where Mao Xiaoqin had already prepared lunch. Even though she was nervous herself, she didn't ask so much as, "How did it go?"

When his father came home at noon, the three of them enjoyed a cheerful lunch together, just as they usually did.

That afternoon, Chen Zhu went to the exam venue alone.

After the two-hour math exam ended, well over half the examinees looked grim.

One girl even wiped away tears with the back of her hand as she packed her things.

Chen Zhu's expression remained calm. He thought it had gone fairly well.

June 8.

Physics, from nine to eleven in the morning.

English, from three to five in the afternoon.

Chen Zhu found the physics exam rather complicated, but he had expected that. Besides, if even he found it difficult, the other examinees would surely find it harder still.

As for English...

Why couldn't the First Emperor of Qin have unified the whole world back then?

June 9.

Chemistry, from nine to eleven in the morning.

After finishing the chemistry paper and checking his answer sheet, Chen Zhu found that there were still five minutes until hand-in time.

He checked the two earlier questions he wasn't sure about once more, until the bell rang and an announcement came over the loudspeaker:

All examinees, please arrange your materials on your desk with the answer sheet on top, followed by the exam paper and then your scratch paper. Once you have done so, remain seated. You may leave the exam room in an orderly fashion only after an invigilator has checked your materials individually...

"Whew..."

Chen Zhu exhaled deeply and slowly capped his pen, like a warrior sheathing his blade in the setting sun after slaying the last enemy.

The Gaokao was finally over!

When Chen Zhu left the exam room, he felt quite calm, except for an indescribable sense of emptiness. Many of the examinees around him seemed to feel the same.

He couldn't help wondering whether those students shown sprinting out of exam venues on television were genuinely that excited or merely putting on a show.

After he got home, Empress Dowager Mao still asked no questions, simply ushering Chen Zhu off to rest.

Chen Zhu lay on his bed for a while, only to discover that he wasn't sleepy at all.

It was like how playing on your phone was only fun when you had to sneak around to do it.

Apparently, sleep was sweetest only when you couldn't get enough of it.

But thinking of phones, Chen Zhu suddenly climbed out of bed and went over to his father and Empress Dowager Mao.

"Dad, Mom, the computer and phone can wait, and I don't need an MP3 player anymore. But I'd like to get my driver's license first."

(Another chapter at eight tonight. Please vote, please vote~)

(End of chapter)