At the end of April, the District Education Bureau organized the graduating classes of each primary school under its jurisdiction to conduct a "preliminary examination". It is said to be "finding out", but in fact, it is to rank the total scores of each school. The principals were nervous, fearing that their schools would fall behind. Once you fall behind, it is a trivial matter to lose your face, the key is that next year's student source has become a problem, and next year's appropriation has also become a problem. The source of students is not good, the funds are insufficient, the teachers are not motivated, and the students' grades will decline. It's a vicious circle, and when it happens, the school is ruined.

I took three main courses: Chinese, Mathematics and English. The overall average score of Xinhua Street Primary School is 260 points, ranking in the middle of the district's primary schools, which is neither good nor bad.

The principal was in a hurry and immediately called a meeting of all the teachers. The principal said, "What does the middle of the rankings say? It shows that only one-third of our school's graduates can go on to key middle schools! The average score of each of the three homework courses is 87, which should have been very good in the past, but this year's competition is fierce, and it is getting more and more fierce every year! There is no doubt that we will not be in front of people but behind people, and we cannot relax at all in our thinking, and there are only two words for students: pay close attention! Now there are still 2 months before the entrance exam, and there is still hope for a surprise grab and a sprint. The graduating class of the military camp primary school has long implemented the 'seven in and seven out', that is, they arrive at school at 7 a.m. and leave school at 7 p.m. I also sent people to scout the Normal School, and they do almost twice as much homework every day as we do. This shows that our teachers are not ruthless enough. It's for the good of the students, comrades! Children are all rubber balls, and when you blow and blow they puff up, and when you let go of them, they deflated again. Now I have suffered them and wronged them, but in the future they will thank you and understand your kindness. ”

Teacher Xing said worriedly: "If this continues, in a few years, won't the entrance score of key middle schools be full marks?" Can't you allow a child to make a little mistake in any of the three subjects? How can this be? ”

The principal spread his hands: "What can I do?" My mind was also nervous and mentally stressed. I now sleep on sleeping pills every night. ”

The teachers sighed one by one and went back to work in their own classes.

Teacher Xing asked Hu Mei and Liu Yaru to help several class cadres, and copied the top 10 and bottom 10 of the class's scores in each subject on the blackboard, and copied the two blackboards in the front and back of the classroom. She called the parents for another meeting that day.

As soon as Hui Zi stepped into the classroom door, she saw the dense rankings on the blackboard in front and back, and her heart became nervous. She was almost trembling as she searched the list for the name of the golden bell. I looked through the front blackboard first, and there was none. I turned around and looked at the blackboard behind me, but there was still nothing. She slowly relaxed her body, feeling both happy and disappointed. What does the lack of rankings mean? It shows that Jinling's results in all subjects are neither good nor bad, and they are not slippery. If, according to Teacher Xing, only one-third of the students in the class can be admitted to key middle schools, then Jin Ling's hope is very slim.

Hui Zi's body began to heat up again. Sitting between the crowded desks in the classroom, I listened to the whispers of parents from front to back, left and right: talking about their children's scores, predicting the admission score of this year's key middle schools, and all kinds of complaints, rejoicing, anger, the fees of the tutors hired, and the recipes for their children...... There was a sadness in her heart that wanted to cry without tears. She doesn't know if her children are lucky or unlucky to be born in such a cruel era of competition, but one thing is certain: parents are unlucky. Parents are under more pressure than their children, and their children are tired and will be alive and kicking when they sleep; Parents are tired in their hearts, from the day their children go to school until they are admitted to college, until they are assigned to graduate from college, they climb through door after door, and their hearts do not fall into their stomachs.

Teacher Xing walked up to Huizi and said with concern, "Mother Jinling, your face doesn't seem to be very good." ”

Hui Zi hurriedly shook her head, shook off the messy thoughts in her mind just now, and said with a wry smile: "It's okay, I'm like this." ”

Teacher Xing said, "You already have a count of Jinling's situation, right?" ”

Hui Zi looked at Teacher Xing like a help: "What should I do?" Am I a failure as a parent? ”

Teacher Xing was silent for a moment, and said slowly, "If Jin Ling wasn't my student, I would have liked her very much, because she was so cute." But since she is my student, I must be responsible for her. To be honest, her grades still can't be at the top of her class. I know that you and your wife are intellectuals, arrogant people, and will not be satisfied with sending your children to an ordinary secondary school. According to Jinling's current situation, I would like to make a suggestion: Do you want to help her find a good tutor in the final sprint? ”

"What kind of tutor do you think is appropriate?" Hui Zi humbly asks for advice.

Teacher Xing smiled: "It's not easy. It is best to have teaching experience and be familiar with the 6th grade textbook. If possible, it is best to invite teachers from other Chinese schools, because the entrance examination papers of foreign Chinese schools are produced by themselves every year, and they are familiar with the ideas of their own schools, so that they can be targeted and prescribe the right medicine when helping students review. ”

Huizi hurriedly thanked: "Teacher Xing, thank you so much." ”

Teacher Xing said, "No, everyone is for the good of the children. Besides, I really like Jinling. ”

When she returned home that night, Hui Zi did not dare to delay in the slightest, dragged Jin Yiming out of the study, and began to rank all her relatives and friends, speculating who might know the teachers of foreign Chinese schools, or who could hang this hook for them.

Jin Yiming has a cousin who once said that he was neighbors with the principal of a foreign Chinese school. Jin Yiming called and asked, and his cousin explained that the neighbor was a neighbor, but there was a building between the two families, and he knew the principal, but the principal didn't know him, and he couldn't deliver a word if he wanted to.

Hui Zi said hatefully: "What stupid! Since they are neighbors, it is long overdue to find a way to get married! ”

Jin Yiming explained to his cousin: "It's not so easy. Which of today's key middle school principals is not worth a hundred times? Going out is much more beautiful than the president of the university, and you can get acquainted with each other wherever you want to. ”

In another row, there was a student of Hui Zi's father decades ago, who was the head of the school factory of the foreign Chinese language school for a while, and gave Hui Zi's father a running counter produced in their factory.

Huizi hurriedly called her mother's house. Her father replied that he would help her immediately. After a while, my father called back and said that unfortunately, his student had died of illness two years ago. Huizi's mother asked on the other end of the phone, "Do you want me to go out and ask my old colleagues again?" Hui Zi said disheartenedly: "Forget it, it's useless to ask, if you don't have a very close relationship, people are willing to give Jin Ling as a tutor?" ”

Ranking here, Huizi herself has no confidence. The two of them tore up the list and went to bed in a very sad mood. Before the lights went out, Huizi went to the small room to take a look at Jin Ling, and saw that she was sleeping very naively, and the corners of her mouth were still laughing, probably having some interesting sweet dreams. Huizi returned to the bed and said to Jin Yiming, "Why doesn't she have any thoughts at all? ”

Jin Yiming said: "What can a child think? She left everything to the adults to arrange. ”

Huizi felt even more heavy in her heart when she heard this, tossing and turning, and couldn't fall asleep all night.

In the past few days, the magazine has been published, and Huizi did not dare to slack off, so she sent away Jinling in the morning and rode to work. At the door, I met the editor-in-chief, Mrs. Yu, who came by bus. Probably because of her short stature, her head can only be clamped between people's shoulders, her hair is kneaded and unkempt, and her underwear is dragged out of her pants, which is slightly longer than her outer garment, which makes her look particularly embarrassed.

Huizi said: "You really, if you go out later, won't the car be a lot empty?" ”

Mrs. Yu patted the nylon bag in her hand and said, "It's almost time to go to press, and there is still one less masthead that has not been settled, where can I sit at home." ”

"Isn't Li Yu in charge of this manuscript?"

"yes. But Li Yu's child was admitted to high school this year, and Li Yu said that she was so nervous that she was about to explode, and she asked for leave. What do you say I should do? ”

Mrs. Yu has always been known for her soft-heartedness in the magazine, so although there is no great future to work here, everyone is still willing to follow her, and the picture is to be happy.

Hui Zi smiled bitterly and said, "Mothers who have children going to school, which one is not like this?" Li Yu's children were admitted to high school, and my daughter was admitted to junior high school, and I was almost about to collapse. ”

Mrs. Yu hurriedly said, "Can't! You all picked each other, and told me an old lady to jump up and down and toss this issue? ”

Hui Zi opened the door with the key and walked into the office where the manuscripts were piled up.

"Let's just talk about it, how can you not do the work? It's no wonder that we people are too serious, too serious about doing things, and too serious about being parents. Actually, when we were children, ......" She noticed that Mrs. Yu was looking at her thoughtfully, so she changed her words and said, "What ideas do you have in mind?" ”

"I was thinking, it is said that July is the black month of July every year, can I write a masthead on this issue? It's universal. ”

Hui Zi said, "It's really good. ”

"Then you can write it." Mrs. Yu saw the stitches.

Hui Zi was startled: "Me? Don't be funny. I can only edit, not write. ”

"Try it. Can you try it? "Mrs. Yu took out the pestering when she went out to make an appointment." You are a mother, you have a child to take the entrance exam, you have the deepest experience, and you will not write it in a superficial way. ”

After three talks, Hui Zi was moved by what she said and agreed to write one to try.

Mrs. Yu was overjoyed, and immediately gave her a holiday, asking her to go home and make this article carefully, and she must hand it in tomorrow morning, otherwise she will not be able to catch up with the press release.

Hui Zi didn't even sit in the office chair and rode her bicycle home. At this time, it was past work time, and there were not many people on the road, so she pedaled slowly while making a draft in her heart. Mrs. Yu said it well, she did have a lot of feelings in her heart, and with a slight trigger, all the things she wanted to say came out in line. She mentally lined up the sentences so that she wouldn't be too confused when she put pen to paper.

When I rode to the "Mona Beauty and Hair Center", I ran into Xinlan, a college classmate. Xinlan was wearing a pale pink silk dress, two huge pearl earrings on her ears, and a pearl-colored bag in her hand, dressed as if she was going out to a banquet.

Huizi jumped out of the car and asked, "Where are you going?" Have you had a party so early? ”

Xinlan pursed her lips and smiled, and then raised her chin towards the beauty salon next to her: "Just come here, do the beauty, and then do the hair when it's over." ”

Hui Zi asked in surprise, "So leisurely?" Stopped working? ”

Xinlan said, "What class are you still attending?" Just a few hundred dollars. I resigned. She warmly grabbed Huizi and said, "You can come in too, accompany me for a beauty treatment, and I'll treat you." ”

Hui Zi said, "Forget it, I can't afford these fashionable toys." ”

Xinlan grabbed her and didn't let go: "Let's try it, okay?" Women, who doesn't want to keep their youth longer? You see you've been so haggard these days that your skin is dry. If you don't take good care of yourself, beware of Jin Yiming's opinions on you! ”

Hui Zi sneered: "He still has an opinion about me? I'm now completely losing myself and becoming a nanny and tutor for him and his daughter! She raised her hand and touched her cheek, and sure enough, it felt loose and astringent, in contrast to Xinlan's radiant and moisturized face.

"Okay." Hui Zi promised, "Just listen to you, try the taste of beauty." But it's all right, and everyone pays their own bills. ”

Xinlan said helplessly: "You are still so strong. ”

Two men stepped through the door, one after the other.

The owner of "Monna" is a middle-aged woman in her 40s, with a dignified goose egg face, delicate gold-rimmed glasses, and white and delicate skin. She caught a glimpse of Xinlan entering the door, smiled and stepped forward, and said very casually, "You're here?" ”

Huizi thought that Xinlan must be a regular customer of this store.

The landlady led them to two side-by-side chaise longues, beckoned two more sophisticated-looking beauty ladies, told them what to use, and went away to greet the other guests.

The chaise longue was comfortable, and the feeling of the lady's fingers on her cheeks was also very gentle, but Hui Zi was irritated for some reason, and she just hoped that this series of processes would end quickly.

Xinlan looked sideways at her and said, "Huizi, what's wrong with you?" Five irritable looks. ”

Hui Zi said: "I am not better than you, I am a person with a job, and time is precious." ”

Xinlan smiled and said, "You can enjoy and work, don't forget this." ”

Hui Zi turned her head and saw the young lady coming over with a jar of face masks, and quickly hurried up to say a few more words: "I heard that not all junior high school students in foreign Chinese schools are promoted to high school, and there must be an elimination rate of about ten percent?" ”

Xinlan disagreed: "My son doesn't plan to go to high school at all. ”

Hui Zi almost jumped up, and said in her heart: "What foreign Chinese language school do you go to if you don't go to high school?" If you have this place, you might as well let Jin Ling go. ”

Xinlan closed her eyes and asked the young lady to apply a mask to her face, and said, "There is a new Italian pizzeria opposite the International Hotel, do you know how much the Italian chef is paid every month?" ”

Huizi shook her head.

"That's the number." Xinlan held out four fingers.

“4000？”

"40,000!"

Hui Zi subconsciously wanted to open her mouth, but her mouth was tightened by the mask, and she could only grin at the corners of her mouth.

Xinlan said casually: "If Chinese chefs go abroad for development, they can still make a lot of money." My son is not a student anyway, I want him to enter a business school cooking class after graduating from junior high school, learn to be a chef, and give him a sum of money in the future to open a restaurant in the United States. ”

Hui Zi said regretfully: "Then you really shouldn't let Li Erdong donate so much money to the foreign Chinese language school, you have to let your son go to that first-class school." Isn't it just going to junior high school? ”

Xinlan laughed that Huizi had never seen the world, because her son had to use English when he went to the United States, and couldn't he learn a good English when he went to a foreign Chinese language school?

Huizi thought to herself, with so much money, it would be enough to hire 10 English tutors. But she didn't say it. She feels that once people have money, their thinking is different from ordinary people.

Next, out of politeness, Xinlan also asked about Jin Ling's situation by the way. Hui Zi sighed with a sad face, saying that she was struggling with Jin Ling's homework, and wanted to find a tutor in a foreign Chinese school, but she couldn't find it by drilling holes in the wall.

Xinlan suddenly shouted: "You are looking for me!" Why didn't you tell me earlier? ”

Hui Zi was stunned for a moment: "Looking for you?" Do you have a way? ”

Xinlan was in a good mood at this time, probably because she didn't have to worry about her son's enrollment problem, and she felt a head taller than Hui Zi. She said: "There is a foreign Chinese school teacher living downstairs in my house, who happens to teach junior high school mathematics. I helped him with the renovation of his house last year, and it shouldn't be a problem to ask him to take a student tutoring, right? ”

Hui Zi hurriedly chimed in and said, "It's definitely not a problem!" ”

Xinlan asked Huizi to go to her house in the evening, and she took Huizi to meet the teacher. Hui Zi was very excited all of a sudden, and secretly glad that she met Xinlan today and accompanied her to do this beauty. People say that "there is no endless road to heaven", and it really makes sense.

went home to write that masthead, and it was actually 12 points smooth, and the talent of the college years came back to her in the middle of every word.

After dinner in the evening, Huizi handed over the task of washing dishes to Jin Yiming, and rode her bicycle to Xinlan's house. knocked on the door, Hui Zi thought it was troublesome to take off her shoes, so she refused to go in, urging Xinlan to come out quickly.

Xinlan hurriedly changed her shoes at the door and said, "I'm not sure if it's okay!" ”

Hui Zi chuckled in her heart and asked her, "Did you tell him?" Did he say yes? ”

Xinlan said, "I mentioned it to his wife. His wife said that there were too many people looking for him to make up for the lessons, and it was impossible to deal with it. I think this is normal, what you can think of, why can't others think of it? ”

Hui Zi seemed to have been poured a scoop of cold water, and her face suddenly changed greatly, and she was cold from her heart. She followed Xinlan downstairs slowly, realizing that the success of this matter was probably not very certain.

Xinlan knocked on the door. The door was opened by the teacher himself. The moment the door opened, Hui Zi thought that she had strayed into a classroom in some school: in the living room of about 10 square meters, there were nearly 20 students sitting densely. There were not enough chairs and benches, some students sat on temporary cardboard boxes, some sat on small plastic round stools, and the remaining one really had no place to sit, so they simply stood against the wall, and the notebook rested on the back of the students in front of them to record. A high-powered light bulb hung brightly above the children's heads, illuminating their faces a grim cyan hue and dark shadows around their eyes. When they saw someone probing in, they all looked towards the door, their faces visibly relieved.

Hui Zi gasped. She never expected that today's teachers would make up lessons for students like this. She felt dazed and didn't know what to say. This is too far from the scene she imagined of a teacher and an apprentice whispering under the lamp, and I am afraid that there were not so many students in the private school in the past.

Xinlan whispered in her ear, "There are too many people in the house, you wait outside, I'll talk to him." ”

Without waiting for Huizi to say anything, Xinlan carefully stepped over the students' legs and feet and walked into the room. A moment later she came out and gave Huizi a look to go out with her to talk.

"He asked for 50 yuan per lesson to pay for tutoring."

Hui Zi shouted: "So expensive? ”

Xinlan sighed and said, "Seriously, he really can't help it. You have seen that so many students come to class at home, and they are all led by relatives and friends, and it is not good to refuse any of them, which is a matter of offending people. He had no choice but to raise the fee, which can be regarded as a fair treatment for all seekers. ”

Hui Zi said gloomily: "It is difficult for students to find teachers, and teachers are disaster when they accept students, what is wrong with this world?" ”

Xinlan comforted her: "Don't worry, think about it when you go home, and discuss it with Jin Yiming." In fact, I can help you pay for this tuition, isn't it just a matter of two months? But I know you won't accept it. ”

Hui Zi said, "Of course I won't accept it. ”

The two said goodbye, and Huizi rode home again in the night.

Jin Ling was very sensitive, and when she saw her mother's face, she immediately said, "The teacher refuses to accept me?" ”

Huizi informed her husband and daughter of the general situation. Jin Yiming said: "What's the point of asking this tutor? One or twenty students are in class together, and they can't figure out who is from which school, so it is better to do some review questions at home. ”

Jin Ling followed suit: "Yes, you can buy me a bicycle if you save money." ”

Hui Zi scolded her angrily: "Go! If you're not good at math, why bother with it? ”

Jin Ling defended herself: "I'm not too bad at math, it's because you are too demanding of me!" Why do I have to go to a key middle school? ”

Huizi suddenly became sensitive again, and asked her daughter if she was discouraged? Don't want to be the best kid anymore? Jin Ling muttered, "I'm just talking." ”

The next day, Huizi called Xinlan and politely declined her kindness. Xinlan said on the phone: "I don't think it's appropriate, how can I teach so many children in one night?" It's like an assembly line. ”