[170] The High School Entrance Examination

With Shen Mo's academic performance, there was no need for Chang’an Fang to worry about her admission to the top city high school. To be honest, securing a spot in the top ten amidst fierce competition at this prestigious school meant that Fang himself was no match for her based on a single exam’s results.

Originally, Fang had intended only to leak the exam questions to Wang Ke. However, seeing how diligently the young girl had compiled several pages of outlines and key points on her own, he felt guilty about keeping this from her. After a night’s consideration, Fang decided it was only fair to treat both girls equally.

This was not to boost Shen Mo’s scores artificially, but rather a long-term strategy. The saying “One cannot sweep the world without first cleaning one’s own house” applied here; justice and fairness were better guiding principles.

After reading the letter, Fang did not rush to reply. Instead, he continued drafting questions for Wang Ke, listing the day’s Chinese exam essay topic and, as before, left it to her to analyze and outline.

“The bigger the heart, the larger the stage. If you write on this essay topic, the most important element is the heart, but you must not forget the stage; otherwise, you’d be off-topic.”

“The heart can be understood in two ways: as one’s life ideals and aspirations, and as one’s attitude toward life, such as courage and confidence. The stage similarly has two sides: one as life’s achievements and the other as the space to showcase talent.”

“When writing about life attitude, such as confidence, it’s best to illustrate the big picture through small examples. For instance, during the exam, I lacked confidence, but you gave me confidence. Here, ‘you’ should not refer to Wang Ke herself but rather to figures like parents, to evoke stronger resonance.”

“For example, parents raising and escorting me to the exam hall, and some small event before the exam that shows their care and encouragement. Then I recall past memories, feel touched and inspired, and gain confidence.”

“The essay should have a clear structure, showing confidence growing from nothing to something, with the exam hall as the stage.”

“As for life achievements, it’s hard to draw from our own experiences, so this part is reserved for historical figures—like Xin Qiji and Lu You’s patriotism, Li Bai and Du Fu’s immortal poems, or Su Shi’s optimistic and open-minded life attitude. It’s best to focus on one figure, not mix them all together.”

“Let me tell you about these people. Take Su Shi, for example. He’s one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song, one of the three Sus. After the Wutai Poetry Case, he was demoted, though the demotion wasn’t directly tied to the case. Wang Anshi wasn’t petty and even helped Su Shi. You don’t need to write all that; just focus on Su Shi.”

“Su Shi was repeatedly demoted, but he remained optimistic and open-minded. When sent to Lingnan—a remote, desolate place—he said, ‘Eating three hundred lychees a day, I don’t mind being a Lingnan man for life.’ When demoted to Hangzhou, he built the West Lake and created the Su Causeway. Of course, he didn’t do the labor himself; he just gave the orders.”

“There’s also Dongpo pork. Back then, pork was called ‘swine meat’ and was looked down upon by the rich. Su Shi was poor; he couldn’t afford mutton and had to eat pork. He wrote a poem: 'Good pork in Huangzhou, cheap as dirt, the rich refuse to eat, the poor don’t know how to cook it.' So Su Shi ate it himself and taught others how to prepare it—that’s Dongpo pork, or braised pork belly. This also includes lamb spine dishes.”

“In his later years, Su Shi summarized his accomplishments by naming the places he was demoted to—Huangzhou, Huizhou, Danzhou. When he thought of his achievements, these places came to mind. That’s optimism and resilience.”

Fang knew the essay topic but couldn’t recall any perfect-score essays. Wang Ke, however, had been reading the Su Shi anthology diligently, so Fang was inclined to let her approach the topic through Su Shi, who embodied both attitude and achievement—a perfect fit.

Worried that Wang Ke might not write a strong first draft and thus affect her memory of the topic, Fang, unable to ask her to memorize the essay, decided to help her craft a good first attempt. He patiently lectured her, almost drafting the essay for her.

Wang Ke rolled her eyes at his lengthy explanations but listened earnestly. Unconsciously, she was influenced; the essay was only six or seven hundred words, and Fang’s advice covered most of what she needed. She just needed to organize and polish it with her own knowledge.

Still uneasy, Fang added, “I’ll send a reply to Shen Mo and ask her to write on the same topic. Later, the three of us can compare essays.”

At the mention of comparing with Shen Mo, Wang Ke immediately took it more seriously. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been serious before, but she now had a competitive spirit and treated this exercise like a formal exam.

Fang himself also wrote an essay, taking as his angle the aspiration: studying for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!

This was a grand theme, and if written spontaneously during the exam, he worried about its quality, but now he had time to refine it.

Both wrote through two class periods, exchanged essays, and Fang made some language adjustments to Wang Ke’s draft. To prevent others from seeing their work, he collected both essays immediately after class.

Being naturally suspicious and prone to assume the worst in others, Fang’s concern wasn’t that anyone would suspect he knew the exam questions, but that someone might imitate the essays during the exam.

It was only during evening study that Fang finally replied to Shen Mo.

Exam candidate Shen Mo enters:

“The big exam day approaches, and my heart is anxious. Your treasured secrets arrive at just the right time. I am greatly indebted and cannot repay you. I am outlining with Ke and have enclosed a topic to comfort myself.”

“The slogan is ‘The bigger the heart, the larger the stage.’ The heart means aspiration and belief; the stage means space and achievement. Please draft an essay on this topic.”

“My own essay is excellent; I doubt you will dare to comment. I will send it later.”

“Our two-year promise is but daily moments. A thousand words cannot be fully expressed on paper.”

“Wishing us both good news.”

“June 13, 2006, evening. Candidates Chang’an Fang and Wang Ke jointly await.”

The next day, Fang sent this letter and, two days later, mailed the polished essays from both himself and Wang Ke. Three days later, on the 19th, Shen Mo replied.

“Brother Chang’an,

I won’t say you have no shame—saying it won’t help anyway. Could you please stop writing in Classical Chinese? It’s awkward and pretentious! I’ve attached my essay, written in Classical Chinese—read it well and learn, but don’t be discouraged. You’ve already written very well, just a notch below me (●?w?●).

Also, after you started ninth grade, it took you ages to write me a letter. I thought you’d forgotten me! Of course, I haven’t written much either, but it can’t always be me initiating. That’s unfair, and I’m a girl, you know—hmph.

But I get it now—you were saving words for when we meet, right? Heehee, me too. Ninth grade is really busy: early mornings, late nights, shamefully tired (you understand, right?). But whatever, it will pass, and there will be no misunderstandings like this anymore.

I’ve already talked with my parents; after filling in my choices, I’ll stay at my grandparents’ house, so I can come to your place to catch fish.

Alright, I didn’t mean to say so much—couldn’t help myself. I’ll say more after the exam.

Wishing us both good news.”

“June 16, 2006, late night, under a sparse moon with clear tea, Shen Mo.”

Before this letter, the correspondence between Fang and Shen Mo had become somewhat perfunctory. Both the content and frequency had waned compared to when Shen Mo first transferred.

This was expected by Fang. As Shen Mo settled into the top city high school, made friends, and integrated, her ties here naturally loosened. In fact, their correspondence had been surprisingly close throughout the second year of junior high.

Equally surprising was the sudden collapse in letter frequency entering ninth grade.

During that period, Fang often wanted to write more letters, but then reminded himself of the heavy academic load and strict management at the national key school. More importantly, believing she was well integrated on that side, he repeatedly suppressed the urge to write, only sending a letter after the monthly exam results came out.

The very next day, Shen Mo replied.

Letters took about three days each way, so her reply was likely written before receiving his last letter.

Fang’s letter spoke of recent happenings; hers did the same. He was first pleased then wistful after reading it, guessing Shen Mo felt similarly.

Though neither mentioned it further, their correspondence continued at a much lower frequency, with content shifting. The days of detailed accounts of meals or the cat’s antics faded, replaced by mere maintenance of contact.

From Shen Mo’s latest letter, Fang easily imagined the girl’s mindset:

Initially, she was genuinely busy, then suddenly realized several days had passed without letters. She began writing, but halfway or after finishing, wondered why Chang’an hadn’t written. Was he too busy? Had he forgotten her? Or had he moved on because of Wang Ke?

Anyone with a mature soul might feel sulky; for a teenage girl, it was perfectly normal.

Yet letting this situation persist was Fang’s choice. On one hand, his life was carefree, and he didn’t need Shen Mo; on the other, he used it as a “test.” It was foolish but a common error many make.

Regardless of the truth, he was prepared for the aftermath. Even the phrase “a thousand words cannot be fully expressed” had been crafted early on. Writing now was partly because there might be few chances left to correspond, and partly out of concern over Shen Mo’s feelings.

The latter reason was somewhat an excuse. Her grades were steadily improving, so he clearly overestimated his influence.

In any case, after these two letters, though their words were sparse, the slight rift caused by distance was tacitly dissolved.

After pondering, Fang sent another letter:

“By the grace of heaven, decree from Chang’an Fang:

Received your letter; no need to reply. Just put yourself in an envelope and send yourself over.

So ordered.”

“June 19, 2006. Chang’an Fang commands to Shen Mo.”

Worried the school might close and Shen Mo wouldn’t receive his letter, Fang sent it at noon. Shen Mo did not reply, and it was unclear if she received it.

The exams took place on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, with a three-day early vacation starting on the 21st. The second high school was also an exam site, but for the first two days, students could still review in classrooms. On the 23rd, the exam rooms opened for students to familiarize themselves with the setting, and classrooms were then off-limits.

On the afternoon before the holiday, Cheng Mengfei came to the classroom to distribute admission tickets one by one.

Fang was no longer lucky—he was assigned to the town’s first high school. It wasn’t that this school was bad, but Wang Ke was assigned to their own school. The separation saddened him.

Fang wasn’t prone to sentimental melancholy; his main concern was that Wang Ke would be upset not to be at the same school.

Whether Wang Ke was upset was unclear, but when she discovered familiar classmates like Zheng Lili, Liu Bei, Zhang Jing, and Mao Shanshan had also been placed at their school, she smiled brightly.

“Maybe it’s because I hide it too well. A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea—too deep to fathom…”

Fang consoled himself with this thought. Many others, including Li Xiaoyi, Yang Chengqi, Tang Shuai, and Liang Jingyu, were also assigned to the town’s first high school. Most were boys, but at least Liang Jingyu, a beauty, was there, and the exam room was right next to his.

On the 23rd, students familiarized themselves with the exam room; on the morning of the 24th, the 2006 Yunlong City entrance exam officially began.