No one turned in their papers early.

Even Xia Xiao Lan carefully checked her paper twice, and for the essay, she drafted it mentally before writing it on the answer sheet in neat, clear handwriting.

This was another exam technique – it didn’t matter if the handwriting was beautiful, but it had to be clear. Avoid cursive writing – exam graders had to grade so many papers, especially during the sweltering summer of the college entrance exam. Wouldn’t they get irritated seeing unclear handwriting?

Neat, clear handwriting immediately earned presentation points.

Use scratch paper extensively, and avoid crossing out and rewriting on the answer sheet – ink stains on the test paper looked unsightly too.

“Time’s up! Put down your pens! Make a final check of your name and exam number, leave your papers on the desk, gather your things, and exit the room in order.”

Having been thorough during the check, Xia Xiao Lan wasn’t slow to submit.

She was the first to stand and leave the exam room. After the first subject of the preliminary exam, many students weren’t relaxed at all – they had to compare answers, especially with Xia Xiao Lan. Though temporarily ranked second in her grade at Anqing No. 1 Middle School, everyone believed she would eventually overtake the current top student. How could they not grab this chance to compare answers with Xia Xiao Lan?

Chinese wasn’t even Xia Xiao Lan’s strong subject, so why would her answers be considered standard?

The County No. 1 Middle School students didn’t care about that, crowding around Xia Xiao Lan. Students from other schools stared at this group in bewilderment – how could they know the standard answers right after the exam?

“Are they from the county below?”

“Just a bunch of country bumpkins…”

“Since when could you pass exams on looks alone!”

These were Fengxian City students, and Xia Xiao Lan wasn’t surprised. Big cities looking down on small cities, small cities looking down on rural areas – this chain of contempt existed everywhere. Provincial city people felt superior to Fengxian City people, and Fengxian City students naturally felt superior to county students.

How many of these students coming for the preliminary exam would get into university?

The Anqing No. 1 students were stunned – they were just comparing their answers, not bothering anyone. Who said you couldn’t compare answers after an exam?

Xia Xiao Lan couldn’t stay aloof. She originally didn’t want to compare answers, but after being provoked, she couldn’t be too polite.

“Ignore them, let’s continue. They probably did poorly on the exam, so everything irritates them!”

If a male student had said this, it might have led to a fight. Only because it was Xia Xiao Lan did the Fengxian students hold back. Young people were always ready to challenge everything, partly from arrogance, partly from wanting to attract pretty girls’ attention.

The pretty girl gave as good as she got, making the Anqing No. 1 students burst out laughing.

Student Xiao Lan was right – these people probably hadn’t done well. The preliminary exam was cruel – only a small portion would pass and qualify for the college entrance exam. Others doing poorly meant more opportunities for themselves, right?

County No. 1 Middle School might only be impressive in Anqing; Principal Sun’s pride couldn’t extend to Fengxian City.

Even Fengxian’s worst-performing No. 3 Middle School was slightly better than Anqing County No. 1. The gap in educational resources couldn’t be bridged by individual willpower. The County No. 1 students’ confidence likely came mostly from Xia Xiao Lan.

Even if they were weak students, Student Xiao Lan was exceptional.

Student Xiao Lan would get into university, a good one at that. What right did these city students have to act superior in front of her?

The County No. 1 students united around Xia Xiao Lan, glaring at the provocative Fengxian students.

The others backed down, muttering, “All talk now, but don’t cry when the preliminary results come out!”

“You…!”

“Who’s going to cry? How well could you have done?”

The verbal sparring outside the exam room finally settled down when Teacher Wang, face shining with sweat from the early May sun after a morning of supervision, rushed over: “What are you doing? After the exam, hurry to eat and rest – there’s still an afternoon exam!”

With a teacher present, the County No. 1 students calmed down, and the troublemaking Fengxian students stopped showing off.

Xia Xiao Lan, having given her prepared water to the motion-sick student earlier, was now parched.

“Teacher Wang, how are we handling lunch?”

Lunch was, of course, everyone’s responsibility.

Conditions were slightly better this year – the school had provided a bus to transport students to Fengxian City for the exam. In previous years, students assigned to city exams had to arrange their transportation. Some took buses, some rode bicycles, and some walked. The school was especially generous this year – Principal Sun had a feeling that County No. 1’s college admission numbers this year might be the highest since the revival of the college entrance exam!

Regular test scores had shown a trend, and the province-wide preliminary exam results should prove his intuition.

While the school covered transportation, it naturally couldn’t cover food and lodging – the school budget couldn’t stretch that far.

Xia Xiao Lan suggested providing lunch for everyone, “I have two relatives from out of town doing business here who are willing to sponsor our meals during the Fengxian exam period.”

Teacher Wang was puzzled – someone sponsoring meals?

There were dozens of students taking the exam in Fengxian, and two meals a day for so many people wasn’t a small expense.

Xia Xiao Lan had no choice – she’d just seen a No. 1 student eating a rice ball they’d brought, probably made the night before. After being carried to Fengxian, it started to smell sour. Though it was only early May, the weather seemed to be testing the preliminary exam students, being particularly hot today.

No. 1’s students came from varying family backgrounds – some from urban working families, others from rural villages around Anqing. Their clothing showed it, which was why those students had mocked them for being country folk. Bringing food to Fengxian was clearly to save money, but if they got sick from spoiled food, how could they take the exam?

Xia Xiao Lan couldn’t ignore it once she’d seen it – these County No. 1 students had been very supportive of her.

Using Li Dong Liang and his companion’s names to cover the students’ meals in Shangdu wouldn’t cost Xia Xiao Lan much. When called over, Li Dong Liang went along with Miss Xia’s wishes, telling Principal Sun:

“Students work so hard studying, they should eat clean, healthy food. We don’t have much money, but we want to do what we can.”

Li Dong Liang’s words were faultless, and Teacher Wang reluctantly agreed. He didn’t want to see students eating sour rice balls either, but with his monthly salary, even if he spent it all, it wouldn’t cover two days of meals in Fengxian City for so many students.

He wasn’t alone – he had his own family to support, with elderly parents and young children. Teacher Wang’s heart was willing but his means were limited!

Though it seemed odd that Xia Xiao Lan’s two relatives had come to Fengxian, the students were happy that they were willing to sponsor everyone’s meals. The student with the sour rice ball understood clearly – earlier, Xia Xiao Lan had told them not to eat yet… Why would her relatives randomly sponsor everyone’s meals? It must have been Student Xiao Lan’s request.

Student Xiao Lan was truly noble, doing good deeds without seeking credit!