Chapter 5: The 38th Parallel
Re-entering the elementary school campus, Tang Ling felt a little dazed. Everything in the campus had not changed, but her mindset was different. The playground was very noisy, with jump ropes, punching bags and skipping ropes everywhere, filled with youthful energy!
Tang Ling and her group first went to the sports department to report, then returned to their respective classes. Tang Ling followed Duan Yu, who had a sullen expression, all the way. That little guy saw him smiling, but before he would have walked around him. Today, he was following closely behind, feeling somewhat pleased with himself for a while. Little did Duan Yu know that Tang Ling was following him simply because she didn't know where her seat was!
Re-entering the classroom, Tang Ling swept a glance at the door and slightly curled up the corners of her mouth. So many familiar faces! Tang Ling was very timid in elementary school, to the point that after graduation, she lost contact with her elementary school classmates. For this, Tang Ling always felt regretful. Unexpectedly, after turning around in circles, she ended up back here again.
Her eyes fluttered, and Tang Ling lifted her feet to follow Duan Yu back to her seat. She sat down at the old-fashioned desk, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it. Her hand stroked the wooden table as she stared at the crooked "San Ba Line" between the two of them. Suddenly, Tang Ling burst out laughing!
This is an important memory of elementary school!
Duan Yu saw it, slightly lowered her head, and leaned in to Tang Ling's side, saying, "Deskmate, I also think the 38 line you drew is too ugly, like a centipede crawling!"
For this "38th parallel" segment, Yu really can't accept it, unfortunately his little deskmate insists on drawing it, and it's simply affecting his image!
Tang Ling's mouth twitched, she remembered that this centipede was indeed from her hand!
What a blunder!
"Tang Tang, how was the match?" The girl in front of Tang Ling turned around and asked softly with a blink of her eyes.
"Usually 12 people!" Tang Ling shrugged and said to Liu Xin.
Liu Xin was Tang Ling's best friend in elementary school. She didn't finish junior high school because something happened at her home, and she dropped out of school. It was said that it was very difficult for her afterwards, and then there was no more news about her.
Tang Ling looked at Liu Xin absent-mindedly. Since she had been reborn once, she must help Liu Xin well and change Liu Xin's fate!
"Tang Ling? Tang Ling!" Liu Xin waved her hand, interrupting Tang Ling's thoughts.
Tang Ling's pupils contracted slightly, and she withdrew her distant thoughts, smiling softly and saying, "Sorry, I just zoned out for a moment!"
Liu Xin tilted her head, looking at Tang Ling with a puzzled expression, feeling that there was something different about Tang Ling today!
Liu Xin shook her head and smiled, "I mean, I estimate that the teacher will be able to announce the list of participants in this math competition tomorrow."
"Math competition?" Tang Ling thought for a moment.
Liu Xin sighed, "Right! It's always the same people every time, there's no need to announce it!" She propped up her chin with one hand, her eyes full of longing.
"How many places are there?" Tang Ling asked with great interest.
Since she's been reborn, she also needs to plan for herself. In her previous life, she had won many awards in sports competitions at school, but the college entrance exams didn't give her any advantage. She remembered that in the graduation exam, she scored 194 points, but lost to a student who scored 190 points!
The last student went to the prestigious Yizhong High School, but Tang Ling was sent to an ordinary middle school. She had angrily gone to the principal's office to question this decision, and the director explained that the other student had won awards for the school in elementary school knowledge competitions, while Tang Ling had made no contributions to the school, so the school did not recommend her to Yizhong.
Tang Ling was baffled, she had also won many awards for the school, didn't sports prizes count? From then on, Tang Ling took an extreme approach, vowing never to exercise again!
"Six spots! Su Jing, Situ Wen, Situ Hao, Liang Wenshu, Yuan Yue, Wang Zicong, the teacher will definitely choose them to participate!" Liu Xin counted with relish.
Tang Ling smiled and looked at Liu Xin who was pouting, "You really want to participate?"
Liu Xin's eyes widened and her mouth formed an "O" shape. "How did you know I wanted to participate?" She hadn't said anything about it!
Tang Ling pinched Liu Xin's small nose and smiled childishly, "It's all written on your face!"
Liu Xin shyly let go of Tang Ling's hand, made a face at Tang Ling and touched her nose with her hand!
Covering her face with her hand, Liu Xin whispered to Tang Ling, "My little aunt teaches Olympiad math in a tutoring class, and I've been learning it with my little aunt for a long time!"
Tang Ling seemed to have thought of something, twirling the pen in her hand, and said casually, "Maybe this time it will be you."
Liu Xin shrugged and pouted, thinking that Tang Ling was just comforting her. Seeing the teacher walk into the classroom, she quickly turned around and sat up straight, a speed that was obviously well-practiced, very afraid that the teacher would discover her private conversation.
The class was over in a flash, and Tang Ling felt like she was going to die of pain!
Two-digit multiplication and division? Oh no! Is her life going to be wasted on reading texts and doing math?
It seems that Tang Ling really needs to make good use of her class time!
Digression
PS: To those girls who don't know what the 38th parallel is, San Shao will explain it for you!
The desks in the 90s were those long wooden double desks, and to prevent the classmates from occupying too much space, a line would be drawn in the middle of the desk, which was called the "38th parallel"!
