Chapter 003: Teacher, May I Skip a Grade?

At Hongxing Elementary, the preschool class actually studied the first-grade textbooks; the idea was simply to let the students learn the material several times in order to build a solid foundation.

For preschoolers, as long as they could master the Chinese pinyin alphabet, the Arabic numbers from 1 to 100, and simple addition and subtraction, they were considered to have passed. It seemed simple enough, but for five- or six-year-old children, it was already quite difficult. Yang Tian, though already nine, had always been introverted and rejected everything from the outside world, so these lessons were not easy for him either.

Seeing the other children nervously flipping through their math books, Yang Tian, too, solemnly took out his still-brand-new math textbook from his bag and flipped through it back and forth.

“Yang Tian, He Xiaowen, both of you come to the blackboard for dictation!” Wang Xianqiang adjusted his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and called out with a strong voice.

The other children immediately sighed with relief, whispering to one another—some glad their names hadn’t been called, others gossiping about Yang Tian.

“Yang Tian is going to get punished again!”

“Yeah, I heard he’s been in preschool for two years already, and still can’t write 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!”

“He Xiaowen will be fine for sure. He’s only six, but his math score was sixty points higher than Yang Tian’s last time!”

The plump boy named He Xiaowen bounced happily to the blackboard, picking up a blue piece of chalk, looking very pleased with himself. Dictating Arabic numbers was far too simple for him.

Yang Tian, meanwhile, walked up more slowly under the sympathetic and disdainful stares of his classmates, picking up a white piece of chalk with practiced restraint.

“First group: seven plus fourteen!” Wang Xianqiang cleared his throat and announced loudly.

He Xiaowen quickly wrote out the equation: 7 + 14 = 21!

Yang Tian wrote at an unhurried pace. The preschool blackboard was still the old cement surface, painted black, the chalk making a hissing sound as it wrote, a fine dust drifting down.

After a morning of practice, Yang Tian was already getting used to this slightly frail body; his writing was naturally strong and forceful.

“Wow, Yang Tian actually wrote the answer!”

“It must’ve been his sister, Yang Xueling, who taught him again!” The students below started to chatter noisily, full of childish energy.

“Second group: thirty-four minus thirteen!” Wang Xianqiang was a little surprised, but still called out the next numbers loudly.

Both Yang Tian and He Xiaowen wrote the answer: 34 – 13 = 21. He Xiaowen’s handwriting was a bit crooked, while Yang Tian’s was firm and neat.

“Third group: one hundred and five plus twenty-four!” Wang Xianqiang was even more surprised. He’d intended to use He Xiaowen as an example of diligence and Yang Tian as a cautionary tale to urge the class to study harder. Unexpectedly, Yang Tian didn’t seem interested in giving him such an opportunity today. So, he raised the difficulty of the dictation. For preschoolers, addition and subtraction with numbers over a hundred was a real challenge.

He Xiaowen hesitated for a moment, but still wrote: 105 + 24 = 129, his writing even more crooked now. Yang Tian, on the other hand, wrote swiftly and smoothly—this shocked the students below; it was already the third set, and Yang Tian still hadn’t been stumped.

“Fourth group: one hundred fifty-seven minus eighteen!” Wang Xianqiang, an older man with somewhat old-fashioned views, began to take things personally with the children. He wanted to use Yang Tian as a negative example today and was reluctant to let his plan be foiled.

Yang Tian saw through it, but maintained his composure. Having the chance to live his life over, he wasn’t about to stoop to childish squabbles.

He wrote out 157 – 18 = 139 without hesitation, still standing quietly like a model student at the blackboard.

The classroom was suddenly silent, almost eerily so. Not only had Yang Tian not been stumped, but it was He Xiaowen who was now struggling—scratching his head in frustration, nearly tearing his hair out.

Teacher Wang had said there would be five sets of problems, and writing four correctly was required to pass; missing even one meant a smack with the switch. He Xiaowen had expected to pass easily and watch Yang Tian get punished, but now it seemed the roles were reversed.

This thought brought tears to He Xiaowen’s eyes.

“Fifth group: two hundred fourteen plus fifteen, then minus twenty-one!” Wang Xianqiang had no time to worry about He Xiaowen. Yang Tian’s performance today amazed him—not only had his handwriting improved, but his grades seemed to have soared as well.

Yang Tian accurately wrote the final answer on the blackboard: 214 + 15 – 21 = 208, then stood quietly.

“Very good! Yang Tian clearly studied hard after class. He’s improving rapidly and deserves praise! As for He Xiaowen, though you used to do well, you’ve obviously been slacking off lately and your grades have dropped. I have always told you, no matter how slow a student is, as long as they are willing to learn, they are still a good student and will make quick progress. On the other hand, no matter how smart a student is, if they get lazy, their cleverness will backfire. He Xiaowen is a perfect example!” Wang Xianqiang shook his head and spoke like a philosopher.

Though He Xiaowen was now crying bitterly, Wang Xianqiang still struck his palm with a willow switch.

The other children quickly changed their attitudes and began to praise Yang Tian, many secretly giving him little thumbs-up. Yang Tian just smiled faintly—children always followed the teacher’s lead, praising whoever the teacher favored.

“Teacher, can I skip a grade?” Just as Wang Xianqiang was about to let Yang Tian return to his seat, Yang Tian said something that nearly made the teacher’s eyes pop out.

“Skip a grade? Which grade do you want to go to?” Wang Xianqiang asked, eyes wide. Although school registration was tightly controlled now, overaged children like Yang Tian were still allowed to skip grades to finish their studies sooner. Yang Tian understood this, which was why he brought it up; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered speaking to the old teacher at all!

“Third grade!” Yang Tian answered directly. At his age, he should be in third grade. Though he could probably handle high school material, he didn’t want to skip through his childhood so hastily—there were many memories here he longed to relive.

“Third grade? Yang Tian, don’t think that just because you can do a few addition and subtraction problems you’re ready for third grade. The coursework there is far more difficult than in preschool…” Wang Xianqiang began a long-winded explanation.

“Teacher Wang, I just want to know what I need to do to skip to third grade,” Yang Tian waited patiently for the complaints to end, then asked politely and maturely.

“If you get full marks in both subjects on the final exam this time, I’ll consider letting you skip to third grade!” Wang Xianqiang, surprised at how grown-up and courteous Yang Tian sounded today, gave him a definitive answer.

“Thank you, Teacher Wang. I’ll do my best!” Yang Tian gave a respectful bow, then walked slowly back to his seat. The other children stared with wide eyes and blinking lashes—this big brother Yang Tian was actually going to skip a grade? Wasn’t he the one everyone always said was slow?

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