Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 175 - 10: Her Special Talent (2)

Chapter 175: Chapter 10: Her Special Talent (2)

Living in a mountain village has its perks; at least the water is sweet, and there’s no need to worry about pesticides in the vegetables.

"Auntie, it’s surprising you majored in agriculture. In summer, we shouldn’t eat leafy vegetables; they’re all sprayed with chemicals." Xiao Xian picked up a piece of bottle gourd with her chopsticks and placed it in Zhuo Feng’s bowl. The plate of toon was full of lush leaves without a single insect bite, making one wonder how much pesticide had been sprayed on it.

"Tsk, you and your uncle think just alike. Every time I ask Grandma and Grandpa to bring duck tongues and necks from Wenzhou, you munch on them happily until he starts talking about how they’re full of lymph and cause cancer." Zhuo Feng was really at a loss with her niece’s sharp tongue. Still, Xiao Xian obediently ate her meal, finishing most of the rice with the gourd and spare ribs.

Before dinner, Zhuo Feng had already contacted a friend from Feng Xing to confirm that Sacred Heart Middle School was still enrolling students with special talents. After much thought, she settled on a special talent for Xiao Xian: long-distance running. Children who grow up in the mountains can climb a mountain without getting winded, so running should come naturally to them.

Xiao Xian changed into the new clothes bought by Zhuo Feng - a sailor-style pleated skirt with a white shirt, paired with new sneakers. Carrying a shoulder bag, she indeed looked like a Beijing middle school student.

"Xiao Xian, it’s hotter in Beijing than in the Southwest. Auntie has prepared some menthol oil and magic pills for you. If you feel uncomfortable while running, just tell me, okay?" As they arrived at the entrance of Sacred Heart Middle School, Zhuo Feng kept reminding her. She wasn’t as nervous taking the college entrance exams as she was today.

"Auntie, don’t worry. It’s just running. Yezi says I run as fast as the antelopes in Tibet." Xiao Xian never saw the antelopes from the Tibetan area, but Yezi, after wandering far and wide, gained much knowledge and liked to use metaphors that Xiao Xian didn’t know.

Sacred Heart Middle School was originally a comprehensive school offering both junior and senior high school education with a history of a hundred years. It was established by a patriotic educator of Fu surname who, after returning from abroad in the early last century, spent all his wealth to build Sacred Heart.

After liberation, the daughter of the educator donated the school to the government, asking only to maintain its independence in educational philosophy and practices. The government of the time promised to manage the school properly. After half a century since liberation, Sacred Heart Middle School had become a renowned local key school, with its graduates excelling in various fields after entering society.

Therefore, the annual summer admissions process for Sacred Heart is fierce. Sixty percent of the school’s students are outstanding local students, with the rest made up of excellent students with special talents from Jingjin. The range of special talents includes academics and sports.

Following the directions of the security guard, Zhuo Feng and Xiao Xian walked further inside and saw many students. Some were quite young, accompanied by parents carrying cello cases taller than the children themselves. Others had makeup on their faces, seemingly just having finished singing or dancing.

"What kind of questions did the teacher ask just now? I applied using my third-place award in the city math competition, but they tested me on ancient poetry." A little boy with a sullen face looked like he was about to cry, accompanied by an even more dejected-looking male guardian, "Son, it’s okay. We can go try at Baiyun Middle School."

Zhuo Feng overheard the conversation and similar discussions around her. After listening, she felt a pang of insecurity as all the parents seemed so savvy, each preparing two or three schools. Some students had to rush from the south of Beijing to the north in a single day just to attend different schools’ special talent admissions tests.

Xiao Xian finally managed to get a test card from a friendly-looking female teacher. She saw the number and felt bewildered: "444".

"You’re only ten years old? Quite tall for your age. Looking at those legs, they indeed seem built for running. The tryouts for special talents in sports will take place on the outdoor field," the female teacher encouraged Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng, observing the unique mother and daughter. Typically, the children and their parents are very anxious during tryouts, but this young mother seemed paler and more nervous than the child. On the other hand, the kid seemed drowsy, truly a reflection of parental love.

Sacred Heart Middle School consists of both the junior and senior departments, each with their own teaching areas and dormitories, as well as a swimming pool and an indoor gymnasium. The only shared facility between both campuses is the outdoor field located to the southeast.

During the summer holidays, the middle school’s field is all but deserted, but these two days of special talent tryouts have made it incredibly crowded. Every student is accompanied by a parent, and some of the more delicate ones are even joined by a host of relatives. The four-hundred-meter standard track and field was surrounded beyond capacity.

To prevent congestion and stampedes and to keep parents from affecting their children’s performance, the school organized a group of high school students to maintain order. A warning line was placed two meters away from the running track. Each student was allowed only one accompanying parent, and no communication tools or bags were permitted to enter the field, creating an environment simulating an actual exam.

Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng pushed through the crowd and entered the field to find that a group had just finished running. Upon inquiry, Zhuo Feng learned they had run ten thousand meters. Just hearing this number made her head spin.

The sky was cloudless, and the sun could turn a person into jerky. How could anyone be expected to run ten thousand meters in such conditions? No wonder a temporary medical center was set up next to the field.

"Xiao Xian, ten thousand meters? Are you sure you can do it? Maybe we should consider other options?" Zhuo Feng genuinely felt for today’s junior high students - the lengths they go to for a good school seemed excessive.

"No worries, the track is four hundred meters, just twenty-five laps." Xiao Xian twisted her neck, stretched her legs, and pinned the number "444" onto her shirt.

Just as Xiao Xian was about to demonstrate her antelope-like running to everyone, the teacher in charge started packing up the tables. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)