Chapter 286
The people around couldn't help but snort with laughter.
Just moments ago, they had felt sorry for her.
But now they realized, doesn't her own son have a seat?
Not asking her own son to give up his seat, but demanding someone else's son to give up his—how absurd.
The two women's faces instantly turned pale and flushed by turns.
That woman made an excuse: "I... it's just that my son isn't feeling well."
Zhou Zehan immediately said, "Ah, I'm not feeling well either. Brother, my stomach hurts, I think I need to poop."
After saying that, he couldn't hold back and let out a loud "Pfft—" fart.
He wore an expression that suggested he really was about to let it all out.
Everyone else's expressions changed, and they hurriedly chimed in, "Oh dear, you there, you're a grown adult, still fighting a child for a seat, aren't you ashamed?"
"Yes, yes, hold on, kid, we're almost there!"
The woman's face flushed crimson with a mix of disgust and contempt as she returned to her own seat.
Teacher Xu covered her nose with a look of revulsion and said disdainfully, "You child, you're really disgusting. Just as expected from the countryside, utterly lacking in manners. Farting in broad daylight, how revolting!"
Hearing her say they were from the countryside, the onlookers who enjoyed drama gave the two brothers another look.
Their expressions turned peculiar.
Especially the woman from earlier, who became even more disdainful: "So they're from the countryside, no wonder they're so ill-mannered. Good thing they didn't give me their seat, or they might have dirtied my clothes."
"Son, remember not to interact with kids like this in the future, understand? Who knows how dirty they are—they might even have bugs." She worked in a government office and had seen all sorts of people.
Some folks from the countryside brought their kids to handle affairs, and the children were filthy beyond words.
You could even see bugs crawling in their hair.
As she spoke, the woman exaggeratedly shuddered.
The other children were immediately frightened.
Their looks toward Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan turned fearful.
Seeing the strange glances from the people around, Teacher Xu immediately added fuel to the fire: "It's not that I look down on you two brothers, but your family raises pigs. That kind of environment is naturally dirty and smelly, so of course you can't be very clean either."
"I'm saying this for your own good, to teach you about hygiene. Don't blame your teacher."
A cold smile played on her lips.
Second Child feared nothing in heaven or earth—not beatings, not scoldings—but he was afraid of people looking down on him for being from the countryside.
He had been quite happy earlier; he just didn't want to give up the seat their mother had found for them to that auntie who didn't seem very friendly.
Usually, in class, he even competed with his classmates to see who could fart the loudest.
Everyone had a great time.
He never expected everyone here to be so disdainful and disgusted.
For a moment, he felt regretful.
He glanced fearfully at the crowd and instinctively shrank closer to Zhou Zedong.
"Teacher Xu, don't you eat pork?" Zhou Zedong closed his book.
He looked up at Teacher Xu, who wore a smug expression.
"Doesn't everyone eat pork?" he asked.
Everyone was stunned.
Zhou Zedong continued, "Why do you eat pork on one hand, yet scorn it as dirty on the other?"
"Everyone knows that 'every single grain in the bowl comes from hard work,' and that everyone saving food can build mountains. We strive not to waste even a drop, to contribute. Meat is even more an indispensable part of human life. During famine years, how many people went their whole lives without tasting a single bite of meat? Something that should be cherished and appreciated as sustenance is now being scorned and called dirty by a teacher, someone who should be modeling virtue. Is this what a teacher should be teaching us?"
The other teachers who disapproved of Teacher Xu stared at him in astonishment.
They were too shocked.
They truly hadn't expected someone so young to be so sharp, every sentence reasonable, every word hitting the mark!
Compared to Teacher Xu's behavior just now, it was utterly shameful!
No matter how much she disliked the two children, she shouldn't have used food to make her point.
Some sensible parents also couldn't understand what this teacher was saying. Instead, they looked at Zhou Zedong with great admiration.
Although he was from the countryside, he spoke with clear reasoning and understood what was important.
He didn't hang his head because he was from the countryside; he was neither subservient nor arrogant.
He was promising material.
The families of everyone present here had their own accomplishments.
Naturally, they understood the weight of his words.
Those who had just joined Teacher Xu in scorning the two boys now wore awkward expressions.
Especially the woman who had told her child not to play with the Zhou brothers—her face was a spectacular mix of colors.
As vivid as Teacher Xu's.
"Teacher Xu, you've gone too far. If I recall correctly, young Zhou Zedong just saved you, didn't he?"
"Yes, it hasn't been long since that incident, and here you are talking about the child like this."
"In our school, everyone is equal. We hope Teacher Xu doesn't bring that ancient hierarchy of classes here. The Qing Dynasty fell long ago."
Teacher Xu's face was metaphorically slapped swollen.
The children around looked at Zhou Zedong with admiration.
They thought he was amazing.
Especially Chu Xiang'er. Her gaze was fixed on Zhou Zedong, filled with adoration and shyness.
It was simply incredible.
Zhou Zehan also deeply admired his older brother.
His brother was right. Pork was so delicious, why did these people think it was dirty?
He didn't get it. Anyway, he thought pork was really tasty—whether it was fatty or lean, he could eat many pieces!
Even though it was still morning, Zhou Zehan was already starting to wonder, what would they eat tonight?
Soon, they arrived at the competition venue.
The respective teachers led the children and parents to separate areas.
"Xiao Han, wait for me at the school gate after the competition, understand?"
Zhou Zedong straightened his brother's crooked school uniform, tucked his cloth shirt into his pants to make him look more presentable, and then spoke seriously.
Mom wasn't here, and Second Child wasn't particular about his appearance.
Zhou Zedong was afraid he would run off.
Zhou Zehan's eyes wandered curiously left and right, just not looking at his brother, though his head kept nodding: "Mhm, mhm, mhm, I know, brother. I'm not a little kid anymore, why would I run off?"
Zhou Zedong was speechless.
It was Zhou Zehan's homeroom teacher who stepped forward with a smile and said, "Don't worry, student Zhou Zedong. I'll keep an eye on student Zhou Zehan for you."
To be honest, if it weren't for the P.E. teacher's recommendation, her class probably wouldn't have had the chance to participate in this competition.
Because the P.E. teacher was a retired national athlete, the principal had agreed.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had this opportunity to bring the children.
Earlier on the bus, no one dared to provoke Teacher Xu because her students had good grades and she was on good terms with Director Li. Everyone preferred to avoid her rather than get involved.
Yet this child had rebutted her so thoroughly.
It was truly remarkable!
No wonder Xiao Han had such a cheerful personality. With an older brother like this protecting him, it'd be hard for him not to be cheerful!
He was really such a darling.
Because of the incident on the bus, Teacher Xu didn't give Zhou Zedong a single friendly look.
Chu Xiang'er, however, kept circling around Zhou Zedong trying to talk to him, but Zhou Zedong paid her no mind.
Li Youcai, standing nearby, had a face even sourer than Teacher Xu's.
But he didn't dare cause trouble for Zhou Zedong, afraid he would tell Xiang'er about him wetting his pants.
He was so angry his little face turned green.
They soon reached the classroom for the math competition.
Math and English had the most participants.
Students from other schools also arrived in groups, two or three together.
After checking that the children weren't carrying anything on them, they were allowed to enter.
The competition hall had paper and pens prepared, and there were dozens of invigilating teachers.
These teachers were all from various schools.
To ensure fairness and competition, no one could try to manipulate anything.
Once the children were seated, the test papers were distributed.
Then, a teacher addressed them.
"For the preliminary round, a score of 88 is passing. Don't be nervous, just perform as you normally would. Even if you don't pass the preliminaries, it's nothing to be ashamed of."
These were students who usually scored over ninety, even full marks, on their exams.
Yet, hearing these words didn't put them at ease; instead, it made them even more tense.
According to the teacher, the passing score each year was set based on the difficulty of the test.
A lower passing score meant the questions were more difficult.
Last year it was 90 points, and everyone thought it would be easy, but in the end, they suffered a crushing defeat.
Out of the two hundred students who participated in the competition, only thirty remained.
And that was just the preliminary round.
Zhou Zedong couldn't help but become more serious upon hearing this.
Because his mother had said that teaching in the city was different from in the village, and there were many things he hadn't learned.
Although he had studied a lot recently, it was merely the tip of the iceberg.
One shouldn't be too arrogant—he knew this principle well.
He also couldn't afford to be eliminated in the first round.
The test papers were handed out, and the teacher said to begin.
Zhou Zedong immediately started looking over his.
After reading it, his expression turned complicated.
Teacher Xu happened to notice this expression and gave a cold laugh.
First time encountering this kind of competition, he must be bewildered.
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