Chapter 334
Si Nian hurried to the school as soon as class was over.
This time, she brought Yao Yao along. The little girl was used to following her around everywhere and remained quite calm.
Since she had a child with her, no one thought much of it, especially since Si Nian had already mentioned she was married yesterday.
However, having such a big child after only half a year of marriage made the looks people gave her somewhat peculiar.
After all, Si Nian appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, yet she already had a three-year-old daughter.
Although many people in their area married early, they usually stayed home to look after the children. It was rare for someone married to still attend school.
Once they understood why No. 1 High School hadn't accepted her, everyone felt it made sense.
Having a child out of wedlock was considered shameful in any era.
Especially in this rather conservative period.
A school with strict discipline like No. 1 High naturally wouldn't accept her.
People sized her up.
The boys thought: She really is a girl with no self-respect.
The girls thought: She's so pitiful, she must have been deceived by a bad man.
Si Nian: ...Let me explain.
Some looked down on her, while others felt sympathy.
Fortunately, the teacher soon called students in one by one. Probably to protect everyone's self-esteem, the grades weren't announced publicly.
Instead, each student went in for a private talk.
Si Nian saw some beaming with joy, while others walked out dejected.
She was just about to sit down when the teacher came over and called her: "Si Nian, is Si Nian here?"
Si Nian quickly answered and walked in.
Inside were the same few teachers from yesterday.
They were gathered around, discussing her test papers.
"I think her Chinese is excellent. She could join our class; we teach Chinese well."
"What are you talking about? Her math and physics are even better. Class 2 offers more opportunities to excel."
"Nonsense, her English is clearly the best—it's a perfect score! She might even become a diplomat someday."
They argued over which class she should join.
The department head finally coughed and said, "Alright, alright. Let her choose which class she wants to join. It's not for you all to pick and choose."
Top students always received preferential treatment.
It was never about others choosing her, but about her choosing them.
Although they were also surprised to learn Si Nian was married,
frankly, so what if she's married? As long as she loves learning, she's a good student and deserves this opportunity.
Especially one as academically outstanding as her.
Letting her slip away would haunt them for life.
Seeing Si Nian enter, the teachers stopped their squabbling. Some coughed, others adjusted their glasses, using small gestures to cover their awkwardness.
"Hello, teachers," Si Nian greeted.
The department head said, "Hello, Si Nian. Your papers have been graded. You performed excellently in all subjects. Although physics is slightly weaker, it's negligible. You are eligible to join any of the four top classes for senior year."
The other teachers immediately looked at her with hopeful anticipation.
Trying to ignore their eager, expectant gazes, Si Nian steeled herself and said, "Well, teachers, I'm fine with any class, but I might not be able to attend classes in person."
The office fell silent for a moment.
The department head, having seen his share of situations, asked her why.
Si Nian explained, "Because I have a job outside, and I also need to take care of my child. It's not very convenient for me to come to class every day. So, I plan to study at home and just come to take the college entrance exam."
The department head was actually quite opposed to the idea, but seeing the three-year-old little bean Si Nian held by the hand—
not even as old as his own daughter...
His heart softened.
He thought Si Nian really had it tough.
She was just a kid herself, having to juggle childcare, work, and studies.
Just hearing about it made one feel for her.
He said, "Are you short on money? If it's a financial issue, we can discuss the tuition fees. You're still young; you shouldn't let work interfere with your studies."
Although her grades were indeed excellent, the college entrance exam was only a few months away.
This was no time for any slip-ups.
Moreover, she was so outstanding, and coming from No. 1 High, her English in particular left him amazed.
Putting other subjects aside, with Si Nian's English level, she might actually stand a chance against No. 1 High's students.
Perhaps their perpetually second-place school could finally turn things around this year and even surpass No. 1 High.
Just the thought of that possibility made the department head grin involuntarily.
While English was emphasized now, honestly, not many students excelled at it.
The overall education level wasn't very high. Their city, surrounded by mountains, developed slower than the big cities outside.
This meant many children from mountainous areas started learning English quite late.
Some even felt it was a "foreign language" and unnecessary to learn.
As a result, even fewer students performed well in English.
The top students from that one foreign language primary school downtown all went to No. 1 High.
Very few came to No. 2 High. The whole school only had a handful of students with decent English scores.
Forget the students; after looking at Si Nian's English paper and reading her essay, he knew this was no ordinary level.
Many of their school's teachers with college or university degrees couldn't match her.
Si Nian shook her head and said, "Teacher, I'm not short on money. It's just that this job isn't easy to quit—I signed a contract. And work is secondary; the main thing is I can take care of my child there."
She could bring her child to work, but she couldn't very well bring a child to class.
The department head immediately said, "That's not a big problem. Our school can intercede on your behalf. Any reasonable boss would understand and not make things difficult for you. Where do you work?"
Si Nian explained, "Really, it's not necessary. Please don't worry. I can study effectively at home. I can't promise I'll get first place, but I can guarantee a top-five ranking."
The department head said apologetically, "Ah, it's not about that. I just want you to learn as much as possible and worry this might hinder your studies. Since you're unwilling, I won't force you."
If Si Nian's grades were poor, he would definitely object.
But with her results right there, everything was negotiable.
"In that case, I'll assign you to Class 1. Xiao Wang, you'll be Si Nian's homeroom teacher from now on." He then turned to Si Nian. "Si Nian, this is Teacher Wang, your homeroom teacher. He's our school's youngest and best English teacher, a top graduate from the downtown foreign language primary school."
Teacher Wang looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven. He coughed lightly and said, "Nothing worth mentioning, really."
Si Nian smiled and agreed.
Senior year didn't involve much new teaching anyway; it was mostly practice tests and problem-solving.
Although Teacher Wang agreed she didn't have to attend class, she had to come once a week to collect practice papers and complete them. If her performance fell below standard, she would have to return to school for classes.
It sounded strict, but it was clearly for her own good.
Si Nian naturally had no objections.
Not only that, he also gave her the previous set of practice papers to complete and bring back next time.
Basically, she didn't have to come to class, but the homework was mandatory.
Si Nian felt a headache coming on, but she couldn't very well refuse.
It seemed her workload had just increased.
With that settled, Si Nian was finally free to leave.
But she had only taken two steps when she was called back.
The department head asked with a concerned look, "By the way, Si Nian, where exactly do you work?"