Autor: Qian Feifei Machinenübersetzung
It was inconvenient to eat outside with guests because of the hustle and bustle of the customers and waiters, so Jiang Yuan would often call the manager to inform him that he was eating in the private room. Shuishui said, "If you really want to use this room, you can come at noon. No one uses it at noon. It's harder to have it reserved during nighttime because that's usually when Uncle Jiang comes."
2"Okay. I'll go back home with Jiang Li later. I'll send Mom and Momo back to the hotel first. You guys take your time." Qian Anzhi pulled Jiang Li away and left Shuishui and Ziyu.
2Shuishui placed her chin in her hands and said, "Anzhi and Jiang Li's friendship is really something. I wonder what will happen when they quarrel."
2Mu Ziyu shook his head and tapped Shuishui's nose. "If they do quarrel, won't you be troubled about it?"
2"Yeah, but there's nothing I can do. They have been friends for a while now. They're bound to quarrel or argue about something. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it will even deepen their friendship. I'm not worried about what happens to them in the future. They can go their own way and solve their own problems." She didn't like to control Qian Anzhi. He was older and had thoughts and plans of his own. He could be stubborn sometimes and would need supervision, but he was slowly becoming more mature. Her goal was to help and teach him become more independent.
2When they finished their meal, Mu Ziyu sent Shuishui back home. After all, Shuishui had classes the next day. He didn't want Shuishui to work so hard. Sometimes, she would go home late. She was also used to going to bed late. She would often stay up late to read. She was still a high school student, and he wanted her to be healthy and get more sleep, even if that meant spending less time with her.
2After sending Shuishui home, he left. Shuishui went up to the third floor to check on their dogs. The dogs were already familiar with the place and knew it was their home. They wanted to run outside all day. She made a wooden prosthesis for the bulldog to help him walk properly. She would need to change it when the bulldog grew older. She patted the bulldog's head and said, "What a strong little fellow you are."
2The two dogs were quite cute, and they weren't the type that would senselessly bark all day long.
2After playing with the dogs for a while, she took a shower. She planned to read before she went to bed, because the next day was a school day.
2When she returned to her room, Qian Anzhi knocked on her door. "Sis, I'm going to military school tomorrow. Where did all the snacks go?"
2He had been looking for them, but he couldn't find them. He was a little embarrassed to ask Shuishui about it.
2"I think it's in the utility room. Look at the box. I put it away. Just look for it. I'm going to take a shower and rest." She didn't like to eat snacks, so she put them all away. "You're going to do military training tomorrow? Then do your best. Don't cause trouble for me. Also, don't fight with the instructor. It won't do you any good. There was a group of hot-blooded young boys who fought with our instructor before. In the end, they were heavily punished." She remembered how hot-headed those young boys were. Being impatient wasn't a good characteristic. She wouldn't want Anzhi to act that way. He would be laughed at and mocked by others. He was her younger brother, so she wanted him to do well.
2"I know. And I'm not so stupid to behave recklessly during training. I won't hang out with hot-headed ones either. I also told Mom that they can do whatever they want. I have to attend the military training." He had to stay for five days during the military training, so he couldn't go home.
2"It's fine as long as we agree. They shouldn't be so unreasonable as to ask you to take them to various places," Shuishui said. Since Li Xue and Momo had chosen to settle down at the capital, they had to rely on themselves. They couldn't rely on Qian Anzhi, who was just a child. Shuishui found it very strange that they were at the capital at all. After all, they were unfamiliar with the capital, and the cost of living there was much higher than in City A. Moving there was not a wise choice.
2However, it was none of her concern. She took a hot shower and then sat on the bed. She opened her book and read. Reading for her was such a calming activity. She found her books interesting. They were her everyday escape from the monotony of life.
2When she felt sleepy, she closed the book, turned off the light, and lay down to rest.
2On Monday morning, Shuishui got up, stretched, washed up, changed into her school uniform, and left with Qian Anzhi and Jiang Li. They had eaten breakfast outside before they went to school.
2Shuishui was a little expectant that day because the results of the English competition would be released. If she could get a reward, she could go shopping again. However, she thought it would be better if she went to secondhand bookstores instead. She had bought many original editions because she felt they were more accurate than other condensed versions. However, there were other books that did not to be brand-new. She felt she would be able to find rare books in secondhand bookstores.
2Although she had money on hand, it was best to use the prize money to purchase more books. She remembered that she also had a book purchase card from her favorite bookstore. It would be quite good to buy some original editions. They had recently put several foreign books on display. Although they were expensive, they were indeed original editions. They were hardbound books and were of high quality. She wanted to go back to the bookstore some other time.
2Reading was the best way to accumulate knowledge. She believed that there was no end to learning. She wanted to gradually increase her book collection so she could read more. In her past life, she was also fond of collecting books. Reading was one of her most loved interests.
2The day passed peacefully. She was quite saddened because she thought the results of the English competition would be released on that day. In the end, after dinner, when she and He Xiaoying were preparing for the evening self-study session, the English teacher approached Shuishui and asked her to go outside. She said that she had something to say to her.
2Shuishui walked out and looked at the English teacher in confusion.
2The English teacher looked at Shuishui. She said, "Actually, we have been notified this morning that you won in the English competition. We're telling you only now because your test paper has been reexamined."
2"Why? Aren't papers always reexamined?" Shuishui asked. She was confused. "Does it mean my paper was the only one that underwent reexamination?"
2"Yes, they reviewed your test paper again. Your test paper in the math competition will also be reviewed again." The English teacher felt that she had to tell Shuishui, even though she felt it was unfair.
2"Why?" Shuishui was curious.
2"In the English competition, you and a student from another school tied for the first place. Their school felt complained about it, so he requested for your papers to be reviewed. Also, another student from the math competition also requested for a reassessment. Don't worry. There aren't any problems. Because of the reassessment, you ended up being granted two extra points. It was decided that you officially won the competition." The teacher was very happy that she had an exemplary student in her English class.
2Shuishui thought it was quite amusing. "Do you mean to say that the teacher of the student who ended up having the same score as me was the one who complained about it?"
2Shuishui's teacher also found it funny. "Yes, it was that student's form teacher. He didn't expect that the complaint would cause his student to end up in second place."
2Shuishui smiled helplessly. "It's my own fault."
2Shuishui was a little puzzled. "Teacher, do you have anything else to discuss with me?"
2"No, that's all. I will give you the prize tomorrow because the assessment was delayed. Also, I have something to tell you. Through this competition, two universities formed a partnership with our school. If you can maintain your good grades, you can be admitted to a university without having to take the college entrance examination. They are two prestigious universities. One is the Beijing University of Technology and the other is the University of Technology." Universities would often scout for excellent students in advance. Usually, the selection would only start in the third year of high school. However, because of Qian Shuishui's excellent performance, many of the university heads were interested. It was the first time Shuishui's school was recognized as being first place in that particular competition. They were particularly interested in Shuishui because she had won both the Science and English competitions.
2When Shuishui heard the names of the universities, she shook her head. "Teacher, my wish is to go to the Beijing University of Technology. Although the University of Technology is also a good choice, they don't have any programs that I'm interested in."
2Shuishui told her teacher that the availability of the programs offered was a big factor she considered in choosing a university.
2"I see. But you should think about it carefully," the teacher said. She felt that Shuishui was still young to make such decisions. It was better to give her some time to think about it.
2Shuishui simply answered, "Okay."
2"Anyway, you should go back to class." The English teacher gathered her things and went to another classroom for the evening self-study session.
2When Shuishui returned to the classroom, He Xiaoying came up to her. "Shuishui, what did the English teacher want with you? Was it about the English competition?"
2"Yeah, I got pretty lucky. I won first prize," Shuishui casually answered.
2He Xiaoying stared at her. "Amazing. But that's not luck! That's your strength."
2Ling Weiwei also walked over. "First prize? That's amazing."
2Ling Weiwei overheard what Xiaoying said. Shuishui also won the math competition. Indeed, she was an exceptional student.
2"Yeah, the prize is pretty good." Shuishui was only interested in the prize.
2"Shuishui, you're pretty good at math. I've been catching up on math since the first year of high school, but I can't get good grades. Is it because my method of learning is wrong?" Ling Weiwei said in a melancholic tone. She felt her grades in math were quite average. She wanted to excel and do better in it.
2She did not feel inspired to do better and work harder because no matter how hard she tried, her grades remained average.
2She was amazed by Shuishui, who earned top scores even though she was a transfer student. She was able to easily adjust to the curriculum. Although she wanted to be jealous, she couldn't because she knew how smarter Shuishui was. They were simply on different levels.
2Shuishui was embarrassed. "Just practice answering more questions and solving more equations. Once you become familiar with the different types, you'll eventually be able to solve them with ease. Most mathematical problems stem from just one basic problem, and they are made complicated only by the type of solutions required in the test questions."
2The other felt like Shuishui's method was more complicated than what they were taught. They did understand that if they practiced solving more equations, the easier it would be to solve them. Their accuracy in answering would also improve with practice.
2Ling Weiwei was still not very convinced. "I also have to memorize the equations so I can understand how to solve problems that are similar. I don't solve them every day, but I do try to study every day."
2Shuishui shook her head. "No, it's different if you do it yourself and practice every day. You will have a deeper impression of it. If you practice solving problems, you'll soon figure out where your problem lies. For example, if you solve an equation and think it's wrong, you can review it and try to solve it again. You will immediately understand it afterwards. You just have to continue solving the equations so that they will become familiar to you. Some people can easily remember equations, but there are others who can't. It all depends on your understanding of the concepts."
2Shuishui had taught her younger brother to solve equations as well.
2Ling Weiwei thought it was troublesome. "Is there a shortcut?"
2"I don't know. I've never used shortcuts before. There's nothing I can do about it." Shuishui wanted to teach Mu Zilin shortcuts in problem solving, but didn't continue because it would make things a bit more complicated for Zilin. If he misunderstood the math equations, his entire solution could be marked wrong.
2She saw Ling Weiwei's expression. She said, "Just study hard. It'll be fine. There's still a year left. Besides, our scores in the the college entrance exam will depend on our state of mind during the test. If you come upon a question that you're familiar with, you can use that to your advantage to pull up your score."
2"Yes, indeed. It will still depend on how lucky one is during the test." Ling Weiwei's brother had performed exceptionally in the college entrance exam. His score was quite high, but if he had been luckier, he would have qualified for a key school. Their parents had to shell out money to get him into a key school. Ling Weiwei was no longer in a key high school, and she was no longer in a key class. It wasn't easy to get into a key high school. Students from key classes had really high grades. Basically, she was hopeless.
2He Xiaoying nodded. She agreed with what they had said. "If I'm not lucky enough, I'm really going to die from anger. Those who are lucky will definitely jump up in joy."
2Shuishui believed that nothing is impossible to attain if they understood, practiced, and memorized. "Yeah, but if you work hard for it, you will get what you deserve," she said.
2Everyone had a different way of learning. She patted Weiwei's shoulder. "Do your best. You'll be fine, really."
2They chatted for a while before starting their evening self-study sessions. Everyone was doing their homework. Once they finished their homework, they would be able to go home.
2Shuishui looked at the homework. It wasn't too long. She started to write down her answers. She finished very quickly.
2She packed up her things and left. When she reached the school gate, a car stopped in front of her. Beep beep. Who was it?
2"Ah?" Shuishui walked to the side.
2She realized that it was Mu Ziyu. She got into the car and asked, "Why are you here today?"
2"En, I'm here to pick you up. Anzhi is not at home because of military training, and he isn't staying at home with you. I was worried about you." He drove to the city center. "You must be hungry. I'll take you out to eat something."
2Actually, Shuishui wanted to go home directly, but there was nothing she could do since she was already in the car. They drove towards the city center. Anyway, there wasn't much to do that night. Shuishui felt she could make the most of it.
2Ziyu told her they would be eating at a casserole restaurant. Ziyu parked the car, and they walked into the restaurant.
2The waiter walked up to them and asked, "Two guests?"
2