Black Granny | Here's a Joke: You Can Tell Where You Are by Looking at a Boundary Marker

Old Yu shook his head. "I don't know. The maximum score on our last exam was... 24, I think? There were some extra points added and deducted too. I couldn't make sense of it. Anyway, it wasn't a whole number, and I haven't heard how many points the other exams are worth, so I can't work out the passing score."

Chen Bin asked, "Haven't you run into any veterans?"

Old Yu said, "No. Everyone in the last exam was just like us. It was their first time."

"Oh, that explains it," Chen Bin said. "I happened to meet a guy with some experience. He said the maximum score on each exam varies a little, but all five add up to exactly 100 points, so we need a total of over 60."

"60..." Old Yu counted on his fingers, his face full of worry.

Chen Bin looked even more worried. "I've only got 10 points after two exams. How well do I have to do on the remaining three?!"

Liang Yuanhao's face was ashen. Looking a little irritable, he walked a few paces away.

Chen Bin explained to the others, "He's a good guy. It's just that he's already taken three exams, and his score still isn't looking too good, so he's a little anxious..."

This was a matter of life and death, after all. It was only natural to be in a bad temper.

Everyone said they understood.

Yu Wen pointed at Mike and reassured them, "Don't worry! Look, we have a secret weapon, a real treasure! This is a foreign-language exam, and we have our foreign friend Mike!"

Chen Bin said tactfully, "We saw him as soon as we got here. But I just noticed that he doesn't seem to speak much Chinese. If we can't understand each other, we're still in trouble..."

Yu Wen pointed at You Huo and reassured them again. "It's fine. My cousin lived abroad for a while, so he can do it too. But... he doesn't talk much."

Chen Bin came back to life at once. "That's fine, as long as somebody understands!"

Even Liang Yuanhao perked up a little.

Mike and You Huo were like a shot in the arm. The mood in the group instantly

grew

a little lighter.

"So... where are we going now?" After chatting for so long, someone finally turned to the matter at hand.

You Huo pointed to the left, his face expressionless.

Only then did everyone notice a bus stop sign standing three meters away.

It was the most rudimentary kind of sign, propped up by an iron pole.

Luckily, the sign was in Chinese. It read "Intercity Bus," with an English translation politely provided underneath.

As for where the bus was headed or where it stopped along the way, the sign was blank. There was no information at all.

While everyone was standing there in a daze, a horn suddenly sounded through the snow.

A vehicle emerged from the thick fog and shuddered to a stop in front of the sign.

It was covered in so much dust that its original paint color was almost impossible to make out, and its wheels were splattered with mud. Calling it a "bus" was far too generous. It looked more like a rickety minibus from the nineties, the kind that wheezed whenever it turned a corner.

This bus?

A foreign-language exam?

Everyone wore strange expressions, grumbling inwardly.

Even Invigilator Qin Jiu didn't look too happy.

Seeing that 001 was unhappy, You Huo felt reassured. He picked up his backpack and was the first to board.

The interior wasn't quite so shabby, and the seats were fairly clean.

You Huo sat down by the window in the last row.

When he saw Qin Jiu board as well, he took out his phone and fiddled with it, then put in his white earbuds, leaned against the window, and went to sleep.

The driver was a dark-skinned, middle-aged man. He hadn't said a word the whole time; there was no telling whether he was mute.

Once he saw everyone board one by one, he stepped on the gas and set off.

Just as You Huo was actually about to fall asleep, the onboard broadcast began delivering bad news again.

[It is now 6:30 a.m. Beijing time.]

[There are 30 minutes until the exam officially begins. The examination rules will now be read aloud.]

The familiar examination rules were repeated one by one.

With Mike and You Huo there to put their minds at ease, everyone was generally calm, rather than trembling as badly as they had the first time.

[Anyone found violating the rules or cheating during the exam will be expelled from the examination room.]

[For all other examination requirements, refer to the specific questions.]

As if playing a prank, the broadcast paused there. Only after everyone had taken in everything did it slowly squeeze out the final few lines.

[Due to the special nature of this exam session, examination information will be announced in advance.]

[Duration of this exam: 10 days.]

[Subject of this exam: foreign language]

[Foreign language for this exam: Romani]

[We wish you all good results.]

Everyone: "..."

Say that again???

Chapter 16: Black Granny | Here's a Joke: You Can Tell Where You Are by Looking at a Boundary Marker

The broadcast died after announcing the exam information, leaving the bus in silence.

The great treasure and the reassurances all became pipe dreams in the face of "Romani."

Everyone sat there at a loss for a moment, then slumped in their seats.

The minibus instantly turned into a hearse, hauling a few people who were as good as dead.

It was bad enough to be woken from sleep, but to be woken by something this upsetting was worse. You Huo was about to sit up straight when he glimpsed someone walking over through the slit of his eyes.

He immediately closed them and pretended to be dead asleep.

The minibus drove as smoothly as if it were gliding through clouds, without a single bump.

Footsteps stopped beside him, and the seat back beneath You Huo's head sank in. Then someone gave his earbud cord a few gentle tugs.

"..."

You Huo kept his face cold and pretended to sleep.

The cord was tugged gently a few more times, making his earlobe and stud move along with it.

"..."

You Huo continued playing dead.

"There's no signal. What are you even wearing earbuds for? Stop pretending." A familiar, languid voice sounded.

"..."

You Huo really couldn't keep pretending anymore.

He half opened his eyes and glanced sideways at the hand on his earbud cord. "What is it?"

Only after asking did he look up at the person standing there.

From his expression to his tone, he made his arrogant attitude perfectly clear: Spit it out or fuck off.

Qin Jiu let go of the earbud cord and rested his hand on the back of the seat in front.

He gestured with his chin at the seat beside You Huo and said with a hint of a smile, "Your backpack? Sorry to trouble it, but could it make room?"