School Six

Chen Ran slowly awakened, the cold air brushing against his skin. Wearing thermal underwear, he quickly put on his clothes and pants. His mother stepped outside, murmuring softly, “Ran, don’t overthink things. Just focus on your studies. You don’t need to worry about anything else at home. Your most important task right now is to study well.”

“Mm,” Chen Ran replied, holding a steaming breakfast and eating as he spoke, “Mom, I will study hard.”

He had spent the entire previous night going through his Chinese language textbook thoroughly. Surprisingly, reviewing the textbook once more made the knowledge feel much more vivid. He wasn’t sure if it was the effect of the study system or some added benefit from his time-travel experience. Regardless, after just one read-through, he not only remembered the textbook content but also deeply understood its meaning. It was as if there was an automatic translator inside his body. No, that wasn’t quite it—it was simply that after one read, he could comprehend the lessons fully.

His experience with math and English was similar. After flipping through the books once and reviewing a few examples, he even tried recalling the various problem types the teachers had explained. It seemed he could solve them accurately. It felt like mastering one method unlocked all the others. Once he grasped the correct approach to a problem type, he could reason out similar problems by analogy.

Yes, it was the power of analogy.

Once he thoroughly understood the textbook content, no matter how the problems changed, he could seize the core of the question and solve the difficult ones. Was this the transformation brought about by the study system? Was it somewhat miraculous? Yet, even with such a golden advantage, he still needed to keep studying relentlessly.

Only through continuous study could his grades improve. Broadening one’s horizons was far better than remaining stagnant. Taking a deep breath, Chen Ran made up his mind: since he now possessed this talent—whether gifted by the study system or some other cause—he must use it wisely.

In no time, he finished his breakfast, set down his utensils, grabbed his school bag, and swiftly left the house.

Luo Mingxiu tidied up the home. With the family’s main breadwinner gone, and their daughter heading to college needing funds, the burden was heavy. Their son had just started middle school, which also required considerable money. She refused to solicit donations from anyone. She firmly believed in supporting her children with her own hands. Although reporters had once sought to interview her, she declined. Such matters were the responsibility of her late husband. Each day when he went to work, she had feared he might never return. The sorrow was immense when he truly became nothing but a lifeless body. Yet, with two children still to raise, no matter how much pain she felt, she needed to stay strong and plan how to earn money to support them.

Their daughter Qing Yan was fortunate to be in college, yet tuition remained expensive, and her academic performance wasn’t outstanding. The annual tuition was several thousand yuan, plus living expenses. Chen Ran’s fees were still manageable, only a few hundred yuan per semester. He ate at home but, being over ten years old, he naturally needed some pocket money.

Thinking about this, Luo Mingxiu felt a sense of despair. It was a significant sum of money. When her husband was alive, their frugality allowed some savings. Now, with only the three of them left, money was needed everywhere.

The local police chief had once tried to introduce her to a job, but Luo Mingxiu refused. She felt it was wrong to trouble others, as the funeral arrangements for her husband had been supported by neighbors and colleagues.

She couldn’t keep asking for help.

She needed to find a way out. Her health wasn’t strong, and she couldn’t do heavy labor. Finally, she recalled the many street vendors she saw near the school when picking up Chen Ran. Maybe she could try that. However, at Chen Ran’s age, he was in a phase of strong self-awareness, so she needed to consult him first. The compensation wasn’t large, but fortunately, the housing unit hadn’t repossessed their home and said they could keep living there, so at least they had a place to stay. Luo Mingxiu began planning how to use the compensation money to buy supplies and save carefully. With two children to raise, she couldn’t spend lavishly. She also needed to learn how others managed such businesses, which required some investment.

...

After leaving the police compound, Chen Ran walked along a rough, uneven road. Ningchuan City was not yet developed; dust covered the streets. Even the city sidewalks looked dirty, riddled with potholes that could cause someone to stumble.

The school was not far from the yard. Ningchuan City No. 5 Middle School was an ordinary junior high, not ranked among the city’s prominent schools. Many students who entered this school failed to advance to high school.

A dilapidated building appeared before Chen Ran, with the school’s main gate not far away. The driveway was only two lanes wide, flanked by many small paths, some covered in moss. Chen Ran inhaled softly as he approached the gate, where many vendors sat selling goods. The rusted iron gate stood before him, with many students wearing student ID cards entering the school.

Chen Ran checked for his student ID, put it on, and walked inside. The school was small, with buildings mostly dating back to the 1980s, appearing somewhat worn and precarious beneath the gray, overcast sky.

On the sandy playground, many students were running, while few played basketball on the cement courts. Students hurried into the three- or four-story teaching building. Just as Chen Ran passed the playground, someone called his name.

“Chen Ran.”

The voice was soft. Chen Ran turned around to see a young female teacher walking briskly toward him.

“Teacher Gao,” Chen Ran greeted cautiously. She was their class advisor and Chinese teacher, having recently graduated from a normal vocational school. Teacher Gao approached Chen Ran. “Chen Ran, please come to the office later.”

“All right,” Chen Ran nodded, puzzled as to why she wanted to see him. Frankly, the teaching quality at No. 5 Middle School was poor, not even ranking in Ningchuan City. His own grades were average, so he could only attend this school. He had barely passed the high school entrance exam before and barely made it into an ordinary high school, nearly failing to enter university.

The best high schools in the province were in Linjiang City: No. 9 Middle School for junior high, and No. 2 Middle School for high school. Ningchuan City had little to do with those. Every year, a few students from Linjiang’s No. 2 Middle School were admitted to prestigious universities in the capital, like Beijing University or Tsinghua University—true top scholars beyond his reach.

Chen Ran never dreamed of such heights; he only wanted to study well and ease his mother’s burdens.

Now, being suddenly called to the office by Teacher Gao, he was at a loss.

After Teacher Gao left, Chen Ran entered the teaching building and climbed the stairs, passing classmates busy cleaning. He quickly reached his classroom, found his seat from memory, opened the desk, placed his bag inside, closed the wooden lid, and without looking at anyone, turned and left the classroom.

The corridor was short but served several classes.

Classes One through Five were all on the second floor; Classes One through Four were advanced classes, while Class Five was a regular class. Unfortunately, Chen Ran was assigned to Class Five, the regular class.

The advanced and regular classes differed greatly. The advanced classes covered deeper material at a faster pace, while regular classes progressed more slowly with less in-depth explanations. Many students in regular classes dropped out before finishing junior high to work or stopped schooling altogether.

Although dropout cases existed in advanced classes, they were rare.

Chen Ran hurried down the corridor to the office and knocked on the door. A voice called out, “Come in.”

“Reporting!” Chen Ran said. Teacher Gao turned and saw him standing at the door. Smiling, she beckoned, “Chen Ran, come here.”

“Teacher Gao,” Chen Ran approached, “Did you need me for something?”

“The past few days you’ve been absent, but our lessons have continued as usual. You’ll need to catch up on what you missed,” Teacher Gao whispered. “I spoke with your math and English teachers. Since you’ve been away for over a week, it’s normal that you’ve fallen behind. After school today, don’t go home right away; come to the office. I’ll help you catch up first. Tomorrow the math teacher, and the day after, the English teacher will come to give you extra lessons. But you must keep up with the pace.”

Chen Ran looked at Teacher Gao, initially thinking she wanted to discuss his academic performance. Unexpectedly, she was concerned he might not keep up and wanted to help him catch up.

“I... I will be serious,” he promised.

Although he had finished the Chinese textbook in one night, he had only skimmed through math and English. No one could read so fast; even speed reading required time to process.

Still, Chen Ran did not worry about grades. The content of last night’s lessons in Chinese, math, and English was vividly imprinted in his mind. He remembered every word clearly. It was as if the more he read, the sharper his thinking ability became.

“Thank you, Teacher Gao.”

“You’re welcome. Go now, morning self-study is about to start,” Teacher Gao waved him off. She knew he had just lost his father but couldn’t speak to him too bluntly. Observing his expression, she could not tell how he truly felt. She chose to focus only on academic matters, not wanting to upset him.

Just then, the math teacher, Teacher Liu, entered the office and saw Chen Ran preparing to leave.

“Oh, Chen Ran’s back,” Teacher Liu said.

“Hello, Teacher Liu,” Chen Ran respectfully bowed. Teachers usually appreciated students like Chen Ran who were quiet, performed decently, behaved well, and were polite.

“Back to class today?” Teacher Liu asked.

“Yes,” Chen Ran nodded lightly.

“Good, study hard. The class has been moving fast recently. If you don’t understand anything, be sure to ask me,” Teacher Liu advised.

“Thank you, Teacher Liu.”

“Old Liu, how’s your competition going?” a voice called from outside. Chen Ran looked out to see a middle-aged man, likely another math teacher.

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