To better prepare for the examinations, starting this week, Sunshine Kindergarten will select children willing to apply to Experimental Primary School from the four large classes, ABCD, to form a graduation class and provide separate tutoring.
Although the tuition is free, not many are participating.
Experimental Primary School admits 720 age-appropriate children every year, and charges tuition fees on a sliding scale based on the students' entrance exam scores.
The top 20 entrants not only have their first semester's tuition fee waived but also, the first-ranked student receives a monthly subsidy of 400 yuan for meals, with each subsequent rank decreasing by 20 yuan.
However, the tuition fees after the 20th rank are exorbitant, and even though the fees for the top 100 students are halved, they still amount to a lofty 6400 yuan per semester.
In an era when the average monthly salary is around 800 yuan, even if their child does get admitted, few families can afford it; this is why, despite the tutoring being free, few are eager to sign up.
"Brother Qing Fan, I didn't understand just now, could you explain it to me again?" the adorable Wanning softly poked Xu Qingfan's arm and asked in a low voice.
A sweet "Brother Qing Fan" made him feel thoroughly comfortable all over.
Xu Qingfan suddenly understood those top-ranking brothers in live streams from his previous life, who could resist a female streamer cooing "Black-Bone Chicken Bro~"!
The teacher had just explained multiplication several times, yet there were still children in the class who didn't grasp it, so the teacher chose to give up.
Xu Qingfan didn't know what to say. As an adult, it was hard for him to explain multiplication in a way that children of this age group could understand.
"Actually, I didn't understand it either." Xu Qingfan whispered in the little girl's ear, leaning in close.
Lin Wanning, with her face full of innocence, looked up at him, nodded, and then said, "That's perfect, then! We can both get the same score on the test!"
Sitting in front, Xia Xiaoxiao turned her head with a stern face, "No talking during class!"
After speaking, she also glared at Xu Qingfan. He was sure, the intent to knife someone with a look can't be hidden.
"Sorry," Lin Wanning scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
"Hmph!"
[It's just because you're not sitting at the same desk; is there a need for such an attitude?] Xu Qingfan thought to himself, amused.
He really couldn't blame himself for this. On the day they were put into classes, he had been holding Xia Xiaoxiao's hand as they entered. Just then, Lin Wanning also walked in.
When the little girl shyly called him "Brother Qing Fan", Xu Qingfan instinctively patted her head and exchanged pleasantries.
Upon seeing this, Xia Xiaoxiao let go of his hand without a word, found another girl to desk-mate with.
Seeing Xia Xiaoxiao suddenly get upset and leave, Lin Wanning became flustered. Xu Qingfan had to console her, and naturally, the two of them became desk-mates.
Having zoned out for a bit, Liu Hua, who had initially understood a little, now completely gave up on trying to understand.
"Brother Fan, do you know why Xiaoxiao doesn't like Wanning?" she whispered into Xu Qingfan's ear, resting her head close to his.
"Maybe it's because Wanning is cuter than her," Xu Qingfan whispered back.
The little girl clearly hadn't learned how to hide her emotions yet. Upon hearing this, her face broke into an instant, mischievous smile.
"Xiaoxiao is also very cute, Wanning isn't as cute as her!" Remembering the teacher's instruction to be modest, Lin Wanning added.
"Then what do you think is the reason?" Xu Qingfan asked casually.
Lin Wanning's head shook like a rattle-drum.
Xia Xiaoxiao, sitting in front, was annoyed, but fortunately, she had already studied the lesson's material on her own. Otherwise, she would have to consult that jerk when she got home!
In Xia Xiaoxiao's heart, Xu Qingfan had successfully upgraded from a baddie to a jerk.
Xia Xiaoxiao really wanted to cover her ears to block out the noise behind her, but subconsciously, she couldn't help wanting to eavesdrop on what they were saying, wondering if they were talking about her.
Luckily, her eyes and ears were still operating on factory settings, working perfectly fine, and the whispers of the two were quiet enough that Xia Xiaoxiao didn't manage to overhear them.
[Stinky Xu Qingfan, bad Xu Qingfan!]
Xia Xiaoxiao took out her frustration on her eraser, ceaselessly stabbing it with her pencil, leaving behind a row of dense black holes.
[Hmph! So inattentive during class, he definitely won't score higher than me on the entrance exam!]
Xia Xiaoxiao thought to herself.
After coming to this realization, she pulled out a stack of Chinese language materials from her drawer and started reciting them.
I must score higher than that baddie Xu Qingfan!
Xia Xiaoxiao swore.
The class ended quickly.
After class, a pink water bottle with a "pop" landed on Xu Qingfan's desk.
"My mom said to share, half for each person. I've already finished mine."
Through the frosted body of the bottle, one could vaguely see the black liquid inside, the authentic Guangzhou herbal tea.
Xu Qingfan opened the water bottle and took a sniff, a very familiar herbal smell, likely honeysuckle.
He held his stomach and chugged it down, the remaining half-bottle of herbal tea quickly disappeared into his stomach.
Most people pinch their noses when drinking something they don't like, but Xu Qingfan felt that holding his stomach seemed to do the trick better.
Xia Xiaoxiao, seeing Xu Qingfan drink openly from her water bottle, felt as if she had won a victory, and cast a triumphant look at Lin Wanning.
Lin Wanning pursed her lips slightly, not minding at first, but after seeing Xu Qingfan guzzling the herbal tea, she felt thirsty as well.
"Brother Qing Fan, I forgot my water bottle at home, may I drink from yours?"
Xia Xiaoxiao: ???
Xu Qingfan naturally didn't mind and took out his water bottle from his drawer.
"No way! I bought this, you can't give it to someone else to drink!" Xia Xiaoxiao acted swiftly and snatched it away.
"But Wanning is thirsty." Lin Wanning said pitifully, staring at the water bottle.
Both of their water bottles were of the same brand; Xu Qingfan's was blue, with a cute Dingdang Cat on the cap.
"Use mine!" Xia Xiaoxiao poured half of the water from Xu Qingfan's bottle into her own.
"Okay, thank you!" Lin Wanning took Xia Xiaoxiao's water bottle sweetly and started drinking the water with a gulping sound.
Perhaps there was still a leftover medicinal taste, Lin Wanning's eyebrows instinctively frowned, but she must have been really thirsty as she quickly gulped down half the bottle.
"Thank you, Xiao Xiao, I'll treat you to some juice tomorrow!" Lin Wanning said with a smile on her face.
"Treat your Brother Qing Fan instead!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at Xu Qingfan and turned her head back around.
The little girl scratched her face awkwardly, not understanding what she had said wrong again.
Xu Qingfan found it a bit amusing; he hadn't noticed before that Xia Xiaoxiao's desire to control was so strong.