Therefore, as a commuting student, Xu Su's only mode of transportation was a bicycle. In her past life, she had biked back and forth all by herself, even before she'd fully learned the route.
The bus pulled to a smooth stop at the City No. 1 High School station. The moment she stepped off, Xu Su saw the school gate in the distance, already swarming with students and their parents. Three-wheeled rickshaws and private cars jammed the area, making the road impassable.
Even here at the bus stop, there were over a dozen students and parents hauling bedding and washbasins. Despite the sweltering heat, Xu Su even spotted a few people carrying thermoses.
These were all new students from the surrounding county towns. Their families didn't live in Chang City, so they would be moving into the dorms as soon as they enrolled. Getting a taxi wasn't so easy back then, and a trip to the city was a major undertaking, so they brought everything they needed for boarding school from home in one go.
Xu Su watched them with a hint of envy. She wanted to live in the dorms too, but when she'd brought it up at dinner last night, the idea was immediately shot down.
In Chen Shulan's words, City No. 1 High School was so close; why would she stay at school instead of living at home? If she ran off to the dorms after just a few days with her parents, outsiders might think they were mistreating their daughter.
After more than a decade, Xu Su once again stepped through the high school gates. She took a fresh look at the aging school.
City No. 1 High School was Chang City's key high school. Its annual college matriculation rate ranked among the best in the city, and even the province. Because of its excellent academic record, the school wanted for no resources.
Compared to the middle school Xu Su had attended in her small county town, the academic buildings at City No. 1 High School were far more impressive.
It was also Chen Shulan's first time visiting this renowned city school. Spotting a beautiful new building that looked recently constructed, she remarked with a sigh, "You kids today are so fortunate, getting to study in a building like this."
"Study hard, get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and be a good role model for your younger brother."
Xu Su smiled slightly, not bothering to argue. "I know. I'll study hard."
'But schools in Beijing aren't my goal.'
Asking for directions as they went, the mother-daughter pair soon spotted a five-story building. A crowd was gathered at the base of its right side. Xu Su knew this was the academic building where the class assignment lists were posted.
Although she had her memories from her past life and knew she had made it into the "Rocket Class," she still had to take Chen Shulan over to confirm it.
Chen Shulan, who only had an elementary school education, squeezed up to the class assignment list. Scanning from top to bottom, she instantly found her daughter's name. Her voice boomed, "Susu, you're in the Rocket Class! Your name is the fifth one down!"
WHOOSH!
All the students and parents crowded around the list swiveled their heads toward the sound. A moment later, a noisy chatter broke out.
"Look at that girl. Smart and good-looking too."
"I heard that the top five students in the Rocket Class are, at a minimum, the top scorers on the high school entrance exam from their respective counties. That girl is really something."
"How did her parents raise her? She gets good grades and looks so sharp."
As the surrounding murmurs reached her ears, Xu Su's face began to flush. She was just about to pull away the smug-looking Chen Shulan when a teacher standing by the notice board called out to them.
The young teacher looked as if he hadn't been working long. He pointed them in the right direction enthusiastically. "Xu, the first-year classrooms are all in the easternmost academic building. There are two staircases, and the Rocket Class is on the second floor, at the far end of the hall. It's quickest to go up from this side."
He pointed to a building in the distance and added, "Oh, right. Your homeroom teacher teaches math. His surname is Wu, and he's one of our school's decorated math teachers and an exemplary homeroom teacher."
Xu Su didn't recognize this teacher, nor could she recall this encounter from her past life. At her side, Chen Shulan thanked him with a very polite smile.
The teacher's enthusiastic attitude left the other families gawking.
Seeing an opening, another person asked for directions, and the teacher patiently gave them. Then someone else asked where on campus they could make photocopies; clearly, they had come unprepared, unaware they needed copies of their ID and household registration.
Having been through this once before, Xu Su had already prepared all these documents.
It was the first time in her life Chen Shulan had received so many looks of envy. She felt positively giddy, her face glowing with pride as she followed Xu Su.
They soon reached the brick-red academic building. The pair went up to the second floor, and after just a few steps down the hall, they saw the sign for the "Rocket Class" hanging above a classroom door.
The Rocket Class really was in a league of its own. It was First High School's undisputed top class. The teachers' office was just on the other side of the wall, meaning the students' every move was under the faculty's watchful eyes. The importance the school placed on this class was obvious.
Xu Su stepped into the classroom where she had spent one semester in her previous life. About ten people were already inside, two-thirds of them parents. Many students had come to register with both of their parents in tow.
Xu Su's gaze fell on the man sitting in the middle of the room. He was in his thirties, wore a pair of rimless glasses, and had a gentle, scholarly air about him. Only the students he had taught knew just how strict Teacher Wu could be.
The man glanced their way, and Chen Shulan quickly hurried her daughter forward.
Handing over the copied documents, Chen Shulan offered a polite smile. "Teacher, we're here to register."
Teacher Wu took the documents and glanced at them. "Xu Su?"
"Here!"
The word escaped Xu Su reflexively. Although he had only been her teacher for six months, a deep-seated respect for him was ingrained in her.
Teacher Wu nodded with a small laugh. "I've seen your grades from all three years of middle school. You were outstanding at your previous school. However, good grades in middle school don't mean a thing."
His smile vanished, his expression hardening. "You can't let your guard down now that you're here. The real challenge is maintaining first place in your grade all through high school. Being number one in the whole city on the college entrance exam—that's what's truly impressive. Understand?"
"This class gathers the most gifted students from the entire school. Remember, your entrance exam score placed you fifth in this class. You'll have to work even harder than you did in middle school to keep from being overtaken, and maybe you can even surpass the four students ahead of you."
Xu Su nodded obediently. 'Hearing the exact same speech for a second time, her state of mind was completely different now.'
A hint of a smile returned to Teacher Wu's face. "I'm your homeroom teacher. If you have any trouble adjusting academically, feel free to come and talk to me."
After speaking to Xu Su, he turned to Chen Shulan. "Tuition is three hundred fifteen, two sets of military training uniforms are fifty, and two sets each of the spring and fall school uniforms are two hundred, for a total of five hundred sixty-five. Is she boarding? If so, there's an additional four hundred for the dormitory fee."
Chen Shulan had already found out about the high school fees, so she wasn't surprised by the amount. She pulled a wallet out of her pocket, counted out the bills one by one, and replied, "She's not boarding."
Teacher Wu nodded. "Come back to school on August 20th to register and pick up your books and uniforms. Formal military training starts on the 21st. The training will last for ten days and will be held here on campus. All students are required to live in the dorms during that time. Leaving campus and taking days off are forbidden without special permission."
Having explained everything, he accepted the fee, wrote out a receipt, and handed it to them. "If that's all, you should go find the dorms to get familiar with the layout. Come find me later if you have any other questions."