Chapter 22: The Essay Revealed (Please Vote and Add to Favorites)

“You mean both of your articles were accepted?” Chu Lan looked utterly incredulous. “Just how blind are the editors at this magazine to let you two advance!”

Zhang Chu felt a bit exasperated, his own mother seemed to have so little faith in him. He protested, “Wait until the magazine is released in a few days, then you’ll see just how well I write.”

Perhaps having been discouraged by Zhang Bowen’s repeated rejections, Chu Lan finally seemed to recover her confidence. She waved her hand grandly and said, “Tonight, let’s go out for a feast to celebrate both your success and the end of your college entrance exams.”

“It’s already been two or three days since my exams ended; isn’t it a bit late for a celebration?”

“Good things are never too late. Consider this an early celebration. If your exam results aren’t good, we’d feel embarrassed to throw you a graduation party. You made your own promise, so you must bear the consequences.”

At this point, Zhang Chu had nothing more to say. Double happiness deserved proper celebration.

Actually, the post-tax manuscript fee of fifteen thousand seemed substantial at first glance, but according to Zhang Chu’s plans, it wouldn’t last long at all.

According to what Feng Tianrui and the others had told him, the driving school registration fee alone was four thousand, and that didn’t include expenses for drinks, cigarettes, or transportation for the test.

He also planned to buy a new computer. The one in his bedroom lagged horribly when playing games, and he’d need a laptop for college. A decent laptop would cost at least five thousand. For now, he didn’t need a new phone.

Moreover, earning manuscript fees for the first time couldn’t be spent only on himself. Zhang Chu intended to buy gifts for his father, mother, and grandmother living in the countryside.

Adding it all up, there was only a deficit, not a surplus!

“If only I could win the Sherlock Holmes essay prize. If not, I’ll just have to write another story.”

Zhang Chu calculated silently. Luckily, “Detective Sherlock” had plenty of stories. He could simply follow the plot and write another episode. This way of earning was much easier than handing out flyers or tutoring.

Zhang Bowen patted his son’s shoulder, just as he closed the bookstore for the night, deciding not to open for business. “Your mom asked what you’d like to eat, and you act as if you’re lost in thought.”

“I’m not picky. Whoever pays gets to decide.”

Zhang Chu then turned his gaze to Chu Lan; she held the purse strings in their family.

Chu Lan pondered for a moment, then pointed to Belle Plaza nearby. “There’s a new buffet steakhouse over there. I’ve heard it’s quite good. Eighty-eight per person, unlimited steak, lots of dishes to choose from—hot pot, barbecue, cooked food, all sorts.”

“Let’s go there. See if we can eat our money’s worth.”

…

While the Zhang family enjoyed their buffet steak dinner, the entire Jiangdong Province college entrance exam grading committee was working intensely to meet their deadlines.

Oddly enough, the Chinese language papers, which were examined first, were slowest to yield results. The math group, whose exam was half a day later, had basically finished. Now, the math teachers wandered around the grading center.

Grading the college entrance exams was a torment for these teachers as well. They couldn’t communicate with the outside world and were confined to the isolated area of Jiangdong University.

Though essays belonged to the Chinese grading group, teachers from the math and English groups often came by to take a look. Math was mostly science and English mostly multiple-choice; only Chinese had many subjective questions, with essays being a major component—perfect for candidates to make headlines.

Indeed, the number of papers requiring triple marking or with major disputes was far greater for the essay section than for any other subject. The reading comprehension was sometimes more entertaining than social media posts, featuring all sorts of bizarre and curious arguments.

What the grading teachers most hoped to see was a perfect-score essay. In fact, all the “zero-score” essays circulating online were completely fake. Unless an essay was left blank or the candidate was caught cheating, even writing just a title would earn two points.

Those zero-score essays that looked polished online wouldn’t actually receive zero, no matter how far off-topic; it was just a ploy by the media to attract attention.

Many of the teachers involved in grading were graduate or doctoral students, but they mostly handled math and English papers. Subjective questions were always assigned to experienced teachers.

“Ms. Cui, I heard your Chinese essay group produced a masterpiece with a perfect score. Do you have it on hand for us to see?”

Among so many graders, Tan Yaowen and Cui Chungui came from the same school and naturally knew each other well. He taught math, while she was a Chinese teacher.

Cui Chungui smiled and handed a printed A4 essay to Tan Yaowen. “Here, I was the first to grade this one. The student who wrote it is truly remarkable.”

Tan Yaowen glanced at the essay; the bold title, “The Death of Red Hare,” stood out. Though he specialized in math, he could still appreciate the beauty of words.

“Just the handwriting alone could earn extra points.”

“Yes, our group leader, Mr. Li Xiuwei, was praising the calligraphy, saying he wanted to take the original essay home and frame it. Unfortunately, the exam answer sheets have to be stored away for years.”

“Let me take this to show the others. You keep working.” Tan Yaowen took the printed sheet and left the Chinese grading group, letting Cui Chungui continue with the rest.

When he returned to the math group, dozens of teachers were already idle. The papers were graded, the scores were in, but with phones and computers off-limits, they could only watch TV to pass the time.

They sat in the big room, chatting about their students, the papers, family matters, and recent events—until there was nothing left to talk about.

“Tan, we’ve called you several times, but you didn’t respond. What are you so engrossed in?”

His roommate, the grader Zou Honghai, asked while leaning over for a look.

Tan Yaowen had finished reading. He’d once enjoyed “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and was familiar with the history; this classical essay brought back memories of those stories.

Zou Honghai saw the title on the A4 sheet and didn’t hide his excitement. “Is this the legendary masterpiece from the essay group?”

“This is the one. It’s excellent. The candidate really has ideas,” Tan Yaowen praised, admitting he himself couldn’t write such a piece.

“‘The Death of Red Hare,’ right?”

“Let me have a look too.”

“Tan, that’s not fair. Make some copies so everyone can see.”

And so, word spread quickly. “The Death of Red Hare” and its author Zhang Chu were soon known to the math graders, and gradually to the entire grading committee.

There are no walls in the world that cannot be breached. As the grading work drew to a close, this perfect-score essay from Jiangdong Province appeared on the internet!