My name is Lu Xing, and I just turned 17 in 1988, and I am at a critical turning point in my life.
My family's situation is not very good, but it is not a problem for food and clothing, my parents both work in a local factory, and the income is just enough to support the daily expenses of our family of three, so the family's hopes are almost all pinned on me alone, especially in terms of studies.
At that time, the reform and opening up brought new opportunities, and for me, the pre-selection of the college entrance examination that year was the big test of my life, and this result could determine whether I could further receive a better education and move towards a broader path.
01
There are 33 people in the class, each with their own dreams and pressures, but everyone knows that the cruelty of this competition is that maybe only a few people will have the last laugh in the end.
All the students were like athletes standing on the same starting line, their eyes shining with nervousness and anticipation.
My homeroom teacher is Mr. Li, a stern but passionate middle-aged male teacher, who is not only our teacher, but also like a commander in the army, and what we fear most is his sharp gaze and the "torture" of knocking on the palm of his hand at every turn.
Living in such a high-pressure environment, every day I struggle with a sea of books, trying to seize every opportunity to improve myself.
When I came home in the evening, looking at my parents' expectant eyes, I knew I couldn't let them down, they didn't say much, but I could feel all their hopes and pressures quietly pressing on my shoulders.
As the day of the college entrance examination preliminaries approached day by day, the air in the class seemed to freeze, and everyone's faces were filled with varying degrees of tension and anxiety, and even Li Ming, who usually likes to joke the most, became silent.
Our classrooms are like a boiling cauldron, and everyone is trying to win this academic competition with all their might.
The class atmosphere on the eve of exams was tense and depressing, everyone was behind closed doors, and the library and study hall became our main battlefield.
Some students silently immersed themselves in hard study, as if cutting off all social activities, while others frequently organized discussion groups, trying to find a breakthrough in revision through collective strength.
Among all the students who are nervously preparing for the competition, Li is obviously very anxious, he is a member of the study committee of our class, and he has always had excellent grades, but in the face of such high-intensity competition, he seems to have gradually lost his former calm.
A few times I saw him hurrying back and forth in the hallway, muttering physics formulas, his notes almost sweating from his hands.
Every time I walked past the library, I could always see her sitting in the corner, with a mountain of books staring at her notebook, and some dry food and water scattered around, as if she was ready to fight for a long time.
It wasn't until the day before the exam that the atmosphere in the class reached a boiling point, and our homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, said at the final group meeting: "Tomorrow, each of you will face your own fate. Remember that you are the best no matter what the outcome is, and you have done your best. ”
Although these words were encouraging, they also inevitably increased the pressure on the students.
At the end of the meeting, almost no one spoke, everyone silently packed their school bags, their eyes full of mixed emotions - fear, determination, uneasiness.
That night, I received a phone call, it was Zhang Hao, who was in the same class.
On the other end of the phone, his voice trembled: "Lu Xing, I'm so scared, what if I fail? My parents have too high expectations for me. ”
I tried my best to comfort him, telling him he just had to do his best and time would take care of the rest.
I remember once Mr. Li said in class, "Most of you will face failure, and only those who really persevere to the end can see the dawn of hope." ”
Yes, I was afraid of failure, but I was even more afraid of disappointing my parents! At that moment I told myself that I had to be the one who persevered to the end no matter what.
Every night, I would fight at my small desk at home, and books, notes, and workbooks would be piled up all over the table.
I tried to keep the knowledge of each subject in mind, and my parents tried not to disturb me, and they would quietly leave dinner at the door of my room, sometimes with a small note that said, "Come on, son, believe in yourself." ”
I thought about it a lot that night, and I remember that a week before the exam, the school organized a mock test, and after that exam, Mr. Li called me to the office, his expression was more serious than usual.
He said to me: "Lu Xing, you have made great progress, but in this last fight, you need to be more calm and accurate, the exam is not only a competition of knowledge, but also a contest of psychology." ”
I nodded, knowing in my heart that this was not just a test of knowledge, but also of will.
02
Finally, the day of the college entrance examination came, and when I walked through the school gate in the morning, the sun shone down through the sparse clouds, and I felt both uneasy and strangely calm, and I walked into the examination room with the expectations of my parents, as well as all my sweat and tears.
The bell rang for the exam, my heart raced, and the pen in my hand began to tremble slightly, and I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.
The moment the test paper came in, I hardly dared to look at the dense number of questions, but I knew that escaping was not an option. I began to answer one question at a time, and with each time I completed it, the burden on my heart seemed to be lighter.
Just as I was engrossed in the exam papers, there was a commotion outside the exam room.
I looked up and saw that a student had fainted due to excessive nervousness, and the invigilator and several medical staff in the examination room entered the examination room in a hurry.
Despite this, I forced myself to go back to the test paper and continue to answer the questions, and at this moment I realized that the college entrance examination is not only a contest of knowledge, but also a challenge of mental endurance.
I told myself: I can't give up on proving for myself, for my parents, for all the days I stayed up late!
The bell rang at the end of the exam, and I put down my pen and felt that the whole world was quiet, and although I was exhausted, there was an indescribable relief in my heart.
When I walked out of the examination room, I saw some of my classmates smiling and some of them sad, and all kinds of emotions were intertwined, like a complex picture.
For a few days after the exam, I was almost in semi-autopilot mode, and everything I did on a daily basis seemed to have lost its color.
There is only one thought in my heart: the result!
It was a life-changing outcome that made my heart tighten involuntarily every time someone brought up an exam, but I tried my best to stay calm and not let my family see my anxiety.
When the day finally came, all the students and their parents who participated in the pre-audition gathered in the school, and there was an air of nervousness and anticipation.
My heart was beating like a drum as I stood in front of the leaderboard, and after taking a deep breath, I mustered up the courage to look up at the results.
My eyes swept over the dense crowd of names, and finally, on the long list, I saw my own name—actually above the passing line.
At that moment I felt like the whole world was still and it was as if countless celebratory bells were ringing in my ears, I did it, I really did it!
I turned to look at my parents, who were anxiously looking for me in the crowd, and when we met eye contact, their eyes filled with tears and pride.
I walked over and hugged them tightly, and neither of us could contain the excitement in our hearts, and all the hard work and sacrifice became worth it at this moment.
The reactions of the students around me were different, some cheered, some were disappointed, and some left silently, and I saw the disappointed expressions of Li Ming and Zhao Li, who stood quietly in front of the list with empty eyes.
Although they tried to hide it, the unspeakable loneliness and loss on their faces could not be concealed.
Then I noticed Mr. Li walking towards me, Mr. Li walked up to me and patted me on the shoulder, his eyes revealed deep affirmation and relief: "You have done it Lu Xing, you have proved that your efforts will not be in vain." ”
When I got home, I became the pride of the whole village, my parents took me on the village path, and the neighbors came out of the house and gave me approving glances, some even clapping their hands.
I felt the glory that I had never felt before, and all the hard work and dedication in this moment became worth it.
The old people in the village came around and said to me: "Xiaoxing, you are really the pride of our village, and you will definitely come back in the future to benefit us fellow villagers!" I nodded and smiled, and my heart was warm.
In this joyful and celebratory atmosphere, I often think of the students in my class who failed the exam.
A few days later, at the last gathering of the school, all of our classmates got together, and the atmosphere was a little heavy, but there were also students who tried to cheer up.
Li Ming came to me quietly and said lightly: "Congratulations to you Lu Xing, you really did it." I looked at him, with mixed feelings in my heart, and replied softly: "We have all tried our best Li Ming, there is still a road ahead, don't give up." ”
He nodded, a hint of determination in his eyes, despite the disappointment in his eyes.
The moment I walked out of the school gate, I looked back and my heart was full of mixed emotions, yes I succeeded, but this success belongs not only to me, but also to all those who support and encourage me.
As the dust settles on the pre-selection for the college entrance examination, my life is slowly back on track, and the joy of successfully passing this hurdle gradually fades, and I begin to prepare for the bigger challenge that is coming - the official college entrance examination.
But this time I had a new self-confidence, a calm power that came from within.
03
In the last few months of school, I was not only studying, but also thinking about the direction of the future, and I understood a truth: success is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey.
I started to be more actively involved in extracurricular activities, sharing my study methods and insights with my classmates, and helping those who might feel lost in the upcoming exams.
With everyone's blessings and support, I stepped into the examination room again, this time, I did not have the fear and anxiety I had at the beginning, but only an unwavering heart.
About half a month later, I received my acceptance letter from university, and I was in a small room at home, holding the thick envelope in my hand.
Parents were smiling, our eyes were full of tears and anticipation, and I knew that a new journey was about to begin.
This story is purely fictional, the names and events in the story are fictional, and the purpose of using place names is only for the purpose of describing the plot and making it easy to read and understand
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