Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

March 1st is the first day of school for students.

Wang An originally wanted to drive Wang Yi to school. The main reason was that for boarding students like Wang Yi, the school required them to take all their luggage, textbooks, and other items they used at school home during winter and summer vacations, and then bring them back to school when the new semester started.

Wang An didn't know the specific reasons for doing this; it was like this when Wang An was in school, and it's still like this now.

This is why when Wang An and the other two went to pick up Yang Qiuju, there was only her own set of luggage in Yang Qiuju's dormitory, while the other berths only had the meadow mats that the school had compensated them with.

Wang An wanted to drive him, but Wang Yi disagreed, insisting on riding his motorcycle with his luggage to school himself.

So Wang Yi strapped his luggage to the back of the motorcycle, carried a schoolbag on his back, and rode the motorcycle to school.

To be fair, aside from being good at studying and being diligent in his studies, which are two of his strengths, Wang Yi is even more prone to showing off, boasting, and acting like a big shot than his older brother Wang An.

He's just putting on airs because he wants to help this classmate or that classmate, but he doesn't actually have the ability to do so.

In the 80s, bicycles were considered a very scarce and high-end item, as many people only bought one for their children when they got married, as it was one of the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese house, a sewing machine, a radio, and a watch).

Wang Yi, who is only in the second year of junior high school, has already started riding a motorcycle to school.

Even in the 90s, there were probably very few cases like this in all of China.

Of course, this isn't entirely true. After all, the 90s was a period of rapid economic growth, and there were many wealthy people. For them, buying a motorcycle for their child was a very simple matter.

However, so far, in the entire DJ County, Wang Yi is definitely the one who has never been before.

In fact, Comrade Liu Guilan initially disagreed with Wang Yi riding a motorcycle to school, but she reluctantly agreed after being persuaded by Wang An.

However, Liu Guilan's conditions for agreeing were extremely "harsh": if Wang Yi's grades dropped, not only would Wang Yi be unable to ride a motorcycle to school, but Liu Guilan would also "skin him alive."

That's right, it's "live skinning," literally.

Because this was what Comrade Liu Guilan said to Wang Yi herself, with a gritted teeth.

I still remember Comrade Liu Guilan pointing at Wang Yi's forehead, her eyes widening, teeth clenched, nostrils flared, and she said to Wang Yi with a fierce expression:

"Little Wang Yi, you better watch out! I'll teach you to be so cocky, riding your motorcycle to school and showing off like that. Don't you dare to be cocky. If your grades drop, I'll skin you alive when you get back!"

Liu Guilan's fierce appearance terrified Wang Xiaomei, Wang Xiaoli, Xiao Lai, and Huang Ying. Even the noise they made while riding bicycles decreased significantly.

However, although Wang Yi liked to show off, he had extraordinary confidence in his studies. He didn't take his mother's threats to heart at all, and patted his chest while smiling confidently as he said:

"No way, just watch this semester, I'll beat all the previous ones and that'll be it."

As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black," and Wang Yi has learned the same tricks his older brother used to deal with his mother.

That meant either remaining silent or grinning broadly. While this would certainly get him a beating, Wang Yi was already 16, a grown man, and significantly taller than Liu Guilan. Liu Guilan's slaps barely hurt him. Sure enough, seeing Wang Yi's grinning face, Liu Guilan raised her hand and started slapping his back. Her fierce expression vanished, and she couldn't help but laugh and scold:
"You worthless bastard, you're just like your older brother, all you do is annoy me all day long."

Wang Yi chuckled and said:

"Mom, you're talking nonsense. I'm great, I didn't make you angry."

After a pause, Wang Yi suddenly became very serious and said:
"Mom, actually I ride my motorcycle to school not to show off. I just feel that every time school is on holiday, I waste time traveling back and forth."

"By cycling back and forth, plus the pile of stuff, it would take at least four points. By riding a motorcycle, it would take less than one point. With those extra three points, I could do so many problems!"

After listening, Liu Guilan stared blankly at Wang Yi, suddenly realizing that her youngest son had also grown up.

After Wang Yi finished speaking, he patted his chest again and said arrogantly:

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll try to be in the top four in the grade for the midterm exams and in the top three for the final exams."

Unexpectedly, Liu Guilan gave Wang Yi a rather unwelcome look and said rather discouragingly:
"If you have any guts, then bring me first place. If you're just hanging around in third or fourth, how dare you show off?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yi's previous arrogance vanished instantly, and he said with extreme embarrassment, like a wilted eggplant:

"First, huh? First, hehehehehehe."

After hesitating for a long time, Wang Yi still didn't dare to say that he could take first place.

Therefore, it is clear that Wang Yi genuinely lacks confidence in winning first place in the second-year junior high school group at the county's No. 1 Middle School.

After a pause, Wang Yi scratched his head and said with a bitter face:
"Actually, the top six students in our grade are all about the same academically. I have subjects where I get full marks, and so do they. But the top two are like beasts. Every time the total scores come out, they always score five or six points higher than the four of us, sometimes even seven or eight points higher."

After Wang Yi finished speaking, Wang An, fearing that if the mother and son continued talking, the mother would completely dampen the younger brother's enthusiasm for studying, proactively smiled and said:

"Alright, alright, Xiao Yi, as long as you stay in the top 5 of your grade, that's fine. We don't have any other requirements for you."

Although Wang An was not a very good student, he knew all too well how fierce the competition could be among the truly top students.

If you get a perfect score in this subject, and I get a perfect score in that subject too, but in other subjects, if I score higher than you in even one subject, even if it's only by 0.5 points, then I'll be ahead of you.

But often, that 0.5-point difference is like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard you try or how diligently you work, you're always just a tiny bit short and can't catch up.

The most crucial reason is that while you're working hard, others aren't idle either.

However, knowledge is a lifelong pursuit; everyone must not only review what they have learned each day but also continuously learn new knowledge. (End of Chapter)