Chapter 16

With Jin Yongzhong home and after Su Xiaoxiao’s little “lesson,” Dong Xiaohong had settled down considerably.
Su Xiaoxiao had wanted to continue targeting Dong Xiaohong, but without a suitable opportunity, her plan was temporarily on hold.
The domestic crisis had been resolved for now, so it was time to tackle the school one.
Soon, it was time for the monthly exams. Su Xiaoxiao was practically bouncing with excitement.
She wanted to make a name for herself! She would prove herself with her grades!
Since the monthly exam was organized by the school itself and they were still in elementary school, the process wasn’t very formal. There were no divided classes; students just sat at their usual desks.
The first exam was Chinese, with Yao Yulian as the invigilator.
Even before entering the classroom, Yao Yulian heard the synchronized reading voices. She smiled in satisfaction. Cramming at the last minute wasn’t ideal, but if students didn’t even attempt that, there was no hope at all.
However, upon entering the classroom, Yao Yulian’s first sight was the hopeless Su Xiaoxiao. She was coloring the illustrations in her Chinese textbook, a row of colorful pens lined up neatly on her desk.
Frowning, Yao Yulian placed the exam papers on the podium and raised a cloud of chalk dust: “Some students, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This exam’s results are closely related to your seating. Don’t come crying to me asking to be moved forward if you do poorly. A girl sitting in the last row, I’ll see if you still have any shame left. Now, everyone, put your books and notes at the back. The exam is about to start.”
“Cough, cough, cough,” Su Xiaoxiao brushed some chalk dust off in front of her. Sitting here for a while, she had enough of chalk dust, especially in Yao Yulian’s class, where books often flew and dust went everywhere.
When the papers were handed out, Su Xiaoxiao glanced at hers. So easy. Literally, one look and the answers were already in her head.
She finished in just over ten minutes, even writing the short essay for “describe the picture.”
Done, she raised her hand.
Yao Yulian noticed and thought, What trick is Su Xiaoxiao trying now?
Yao Yulian: “What is it?”
Su Xiaoxiao: “Submitting my paper.”
Submitting?
Was she giving up because she couldn’t write?
Yao Yulian felt her blood pressure rise. Teaching for over a decade, she had never encountered such an insolent student, especially a female one!
Suppressing her anger, she tried to stay calm: “If you can, keep writing. Don’t leave it blank. Keep going, the exam has just started; there’s plenty of time.”
Su Xiaoxiao: “I’m done.”
Done already? Could she have just scribbled randomly? Yao Yulian frowned: “Really done?”
Su Xiaoxiao nodded.
Yao Yulian walked over and saw the papers filled with dense, neatly written characters, it was genuinely finished.
In all her years of teaching, she’d never seen anyone write so quickly. She just hoped the answers were correct, not all big red crosses.
“Some students, don’t assume finishing means it’s right. Check carefully.” Yao Yulian took the paper, glaring at Su Xiaoxiao. “You must be meticulous. Some of you see a question and know how to solve it, but when you write it down, it’s wrong. Why? Because you’re not careful. You think you know everything, but you make mistakes, that’s exactly the type of student I mean.”
Su Xiaoxiao snorted, thinking, Teacher Yao, just wait. I can’t wait to prove you wrong.
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s indifferent expression, Yao Yulian was furious. She slammed the papers on the podium, pulled out a red pen, and began correcting them immediately.
She wanted to slap Su Xiaoxiao in the face with the grades. Written so fast, how many could possibly be right?
She planned to make Su Xiaoxiao copy the mistakes a hundred times, till she was exhausted.
After correcting a few questions, she realized Su Xiaoxiao got them all right. She was shocked. The further she checked, the more astonished she became, nearly popping her eyes out.
Su Xiaoxiao had completed the entire paper in record time, and it was perfect!
The short essay, just over 200 words, used vocabulary precisely and showed a solid grasp of writing, evidence of good literary foundation.
A genius?
Su Xiaoxiao was simply a genius!
Their class had produced a genius!!!
Yao Yulian could almost see years from now, when Su Xiaoxiao was being courted by top universities, saying to everyone: “Teacher Yao was my mentor,”
She could also imagine Su Xiaoxiao, through exam after exam, bringing honor to her and to the class.
Yao Yulian clutched the exam paper, alternating between standing and sitting, her smile so wide it wouldn’t close.
Finally, she said, “Everyone, focus on your exams. Don’t look up.”
Then she spoke gently to Su Xiaoxiao: “Xiaoxiao, come out with me for a moment.”
In the hallway, Yao Yulian became even more excited. She asked a teacher from the neighboring class to watch the exam, and led Su Xiaoxiao to the grade head’s office.
The grade head, Wang Changgui, was also a veteran Chinese teacher; he taught Class 3-6.
Yao Yulian placed the exam paper on Wang Changgui’s desk: “Head, look at this, this is Xiaoxiao’s exam.”
Wang Changgui was surprised. The exam had only been going for twenty-some minutes, why would Yao Yulian bring a student to him now? Had she finished already? Was it random scribbles to anger the teacher?
He took the paper skeptically, only to see a big “100” written on it.
“Who graded this?” he asked.
“I did,” Yao Yulian explained. “I wanted to see what score she would get since she wrote so fast, so I graded it immediately. It turned out to be a perfect score!”
Yao Yulian didn’t mention that she had intended to publicly scold Su Xiaoxiao, but ended up being proven wrong instead.
Wang Changgui didn’t believe such a prodigy existed. He told Su Xiaoxiao to sit and went with Yao Yulian to find another teacher to monitor her class.
Outside the office, Wang Changgui clasped his hands behind his back, speaking seriously: “Teacher Yao, is it possible the exam answers were leaked?”
Yao Yulian was momentarily stunned, but then reconsidered. Even if some questions could have been memorized, what about the essay?
Su Xiaoxiao’s essay, with its vocabulary and techniques, far surpassed elementary school level.
Yao Yulian believed this was truly Su Xiaoxiao’s own ability.
“Head, have you read Xiaoxiao’s essay?” Yao Yulian asked.
“No, why?” Wang Changgui replied.
“I suggest you take a look,” she said.
Wang Changgui had the PE teacher supervise Class 3-2 and borrowed exams from grades four, five, and six.
Back in the office, he first gave Su Xiaoxiao a fourth-grade exam, without the essay.
She didn’t even glance at the questions, just picked up the pen and started. She finished even faster than the previous paper.
Wang Changgui could hardly believe it. He reviewed her paper from start to finish, she was perfect again!
He then handed her a fifth-grade exam, and again, she completed it quickly.
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s flawless work, he was thrilled and wanted to give her the sixth-grade paper as well.
Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head, clearly unhappy: “Teacher, I don’t want to do it.”
A genius having a bit of a temper is normal. Wang Changgui smiled warmly: “All right, all right, no more.”
He was so excited his voice trembled; his grade had produced a Chinese-language prodigy.