novelraw Chapter 36 Mission
Chapter 36 Mission
This was Lu Yuan and Gao Zhe's first evening self-study session of the semester.
The long-lost campus atmosphere filled Lu Yuan with emotion.
The last time I sat here for evening self-study was more than ten years ago. At that time, I felt that the days were dragging on and I was living in a daze, not knowing what was going on.
But now that he has been given a second chance at life, this evening study session has become an excellent opportunity for him to fill in the gaps in his knowledge and achieve a breakthrough.
Gao Zhe, standing beside him, was a completely different person.
As soon as the bell rang for evening self-study, his head hit the table and he immediately started snoring, completely out of place with the atmosphere of diligent study around him.
Lu Yuan did not blame him.
After all, I used to be a complete "loser," and it was only because I had no direction and was confused that I wasted my time.
But it's different now.
Lu Yuan is clear about his weaknesses and can focus on learning them, so he naturally has the will to give it his all.
Gao Zhe, however, had no such goal. Sitting there, he felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
Evening self-study is divided into two sessions, with a ten-minute break in between.
When Gao Zhe woke up, he was still sleepy and his whole body ached.
He wanted to complain to Lu Yuan, but he saw that the other was sitting upright in his seat, his pen moving quickly, and he was concentrating on doing practice problems.
Gao Zhe was stunned.
When did Lu Yuan become so diligent?
Lu Yuan didn't even look up. He simply put down his pen, flipped through his Chinese textbook, and said in a calm but unquestionable tone, "Gao Zhe, I have a task for you this week."
"What?" Gao Zhe had a bad feeling.
"Memorize all the required classical Chinese texts thoroughly."
"Huh?" Gao Zhe groaned, his face falling. "Why?"
Memorization has never been his forte, let alone those obscure and difficult classical Chinese texts.
"The classical Chinese punctuation and fill-in-the-blank section accounts for six points in the college entrance examination. You can easily get these six points as long as you memorize them."
"Only six points..." Gao Zhe curled his lip, looking disdainful.
Lu Yuan frowned, casting a displeased glance at him: "One point in the college entrance exam can eliminate hundreds of people. Do you know how big an advantage six points is?"
Gao Zhe shivered, his tone immediately softening as he began to reason: "I understand the logic, but what difference does one more or one less point make for someone who can't even score 300?"
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have to eat one bite at a time, and grades are earned one point at a time." Lu Yuan explained patiently, "First, you should thoroughly read all the required texts. I'll circle the key points for you, and once you've memorized them, those six points will be yours. As for the rest, I'll devise a different plan for you."
"But……"
"No buts. Trust me, you definitely won't regret it."
Lu Yuan's tone remained calm, but the unwavering determination that came from the depths of his soul left Gao Zhe speechless.
"Alright, alright, I'm just killing time anyway."
Gao Zhe reluctantly gave in, picked up his Chinese textbook, turned to the classical Chinese texts, and began to read.
Lu Yuan did not specify a particular text because he could not recall which classical Chinese text was tested in the 2010 national exam.
I seem to recall Su Shi's "Ode to the Red Cliff"...
But I'm not sure.
Rather than taking a gamble, it's safest to have Gao Zhe memorize everything, securing six points.
After the first evening self-study session ended, Lu Yuan got up and went to the corridor, dialed Ye Yixian's number, and asked her to come to Class 5.
Ye Yixian arrived quickly, his hands behind his back, his eyes darting around.
"What did you do during evening self-study?" Lu Yuan asked bluntly.
"I'm reading..." Ye Yixian's voice carried a hint of guilt.
She was indeed reading a book, but it was a romance novel that Wang Qingyu had secretly given her.
Everyone says Lu Yuan is a poor student, and his grades are indeed like that.
Ye Yixian had caught Lu Yuan secretly doing practice problems and studying textbooks several times, and he didn't seem like someone who really didn't like studying.
If he's just pretending, then there's nothing wrong with him openly admitting he's reading a novel;
But what if he is really working hard? I'm afraid that my lack of focus on my work will upset him.
Lu Yuan gave her a half-smile: "What book are you reading? Take it out and let me see."
"Uh... just browsing." Ye Yixian mumbled, quickly hiding the book behind his back.
"Alright then." Lu Yuan didn't expose him. He knew that even if Ye Yixian read the text, he would mostly just skim through it.
He then said to her, "Here's a task for you."
Upon hearing that a task was to be assigned, Ye Yixian immediately straightened his back, like a warrior ready to go.
"These past two days, I've memorized Su Shi's 'Ode to the Red Cliff.' Recite it to me during Tuesday evening self-study."
"What?" Ye Yixian's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.
Lu Yuan's review strategy for her was similar to Gao Zhe's, both starting with the most basic memorization to secure the most reliable score first.
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and go back to memorize it. If you can't memorize it by Tuesday..." Lu Yuan raised his hand as if to hit her on the head.
"I can recite it right now!" Ye Yixian suddenly covered her head and dodged away, then realized that she had overreacted, and her cheeks turned slightly red.
Lu Yuan paused for a moment, somewhat surprised: "Oh? Then try memorizing it."
Ye Yixian took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to recite with slight hesitation:
"In the autumn of the year Renxu, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, Su Shi and his guests went boating on the shore beneath the Red Cliff..."
The words are clear, the rhythm is rhythmic, and the writing is smooth and coherent, with almost no pauses.
Lu Yuan looked at her practiced movements, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He paused, then asked, "What about Han Yu's 'On Teachers'? Can you recite it?"
"I can too." Ye Yixian nodded, though she didn't understand why Lu Yuan was suddenly testing her like this, she still recited it without hesitation:
"In ancient times, every scholar had a teacher. A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts..."
It was still flowing smoothly, almost word for word.
Lu Yuan gasped.
He never paid much attention to Ye Yixian's grades, treating her as just an ordinary underachiever.
But now it seems that her grasp of the basic knowledge in the textbook is far superior to Gao Zhe's, and she is by no means an ignorant person.
This reminded him of something Ye Yixian had casually mentioned before: one of the reasons Chen Li was causing her trouble was that her grades were better than Chen Li's.
It seems he's been wrong all this time.
Ye Yixian's grades weren't bad; rather, he was disobedient and had a bad reputation. His grades might not have been as bad as Gao Zhe's.
In that case, she needs to change her study plan, which might help her change her current situation more quickly.