From child prodigy to chief scientist

"I'm tired. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Having just finished her night shift at the hospital, Yu Guilan just wanted to rest and didn't even want to say another word.

"I know you're tired, but this is very important."

"Okay, then you can go ahead and say it."

"When I got home today, I found Xiaoxiao looking at her high school math textbook by herself..."

"High school math? What's he going to do with that?"

Yu Guilan was also somewhat puzzled by this, feeling that Xu Xiao was just watching for fun.

"At first I was a little puzzled. When I asked Xiaoxiao, he said he felt that what he was learning now was too simple and he wanted to learn some more difficult knowledge."

"This child is still the same as before, he doesn't know how to be down-to-earth."

This was indeed a problem Xu Xiao had when he was a child. He often thought that what the teacher said was simple, but he would often lose points in exams and always used "carelessness" as an excuse.

"I thought so at first too, but guess what? I randomly tested him with some material from the book, and he answered all the questions correctly, even high school level questions! He even said he wants to take the college entrance exam as soon as possible!"

Hearing Xu Lang say this, Yu Guilan perked up, and her drowsiness vanished almost immediately.

"You...you're telling the truth?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you for no reason? I think this is something we should seriously consider. I plan to send Xiaoxiao to junior high school next semester; there's no need to waste her time in elementary school."

"Now that you mention it, I also feel that Xiaoxiao has been a bit different these past few days. She seems to have grown up quite a bit all of a sudden."

"Yes, I feel the same way. Xiaoxiao doesn't need me to supervise his studies at all now. Today, I had to tell him to stop studying and go to bed because it was getting late."

Xu Lang and Yu Guilan are both people who value education. For Xu Xiao's education, they bought a school district house early on and sent Xu Xiao to Gangdu Primary School, the best primary school in the city. They also spent a lot of money on Xu Xiao's education.

Realizing the importance of this matter, Yu Guilan began to think about it seriously.

"How about we let Xiaoxiao try for the junior class at Yucai School? I heard that if she goes to the junior class, she can study junior high and high school at the same time, and if she does, she can take the college entrance exam at the age of fourteen or fifteen."

"Yucai Children's Class? You mean the Yucai in Shengjing?"

"That's right, their children's classes are for fourth and fifth graders, and Xiaoxiao's age is just right."

Hearing Yu Guilan say this, Xu Lang couldn't help but hesitate.

After all, Yucai is one of the best public schools in the province. Whether it is primary school, junior high school or senior high school, only a small number of top students can be admitted to Yucai.

The children's classes at Yucai School have extremely strict requirements.

Unless a child is exceptionally intelligent and has outstanding learning abilities, they probably won't even be able to pass the preliminary test.

After a brief silence, Xu Lang finally replied:

"The chances of getting into Yucai Junior Class are still too slim, aren't they?"

"Yes, it's not easy to get in, but since Xiaoxiao can even teach herself high school math, I think it's definitely worth a try."

"That makes sense. Anyway, there's no real loss even if we don't pass the exam. I'll find some time to talk to Xiaoxiao's homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhao, and see if he can give us any advice."

Information dissemination was not advanced in that era. Unlike now, where you can easily search for information online, you had to rely on acquaintances to find out about many things.

"Okay, let's settle on that for now. Registration for the Yucai Children's Class is probably closing soon, so we'd better not delay too long."

"Okay, then I'll call Teacher Zhao tomorrow."

The next day at work, Xu Lang kept thinking about this matter, and he was somewhat absent-minded when handling business.

Finally, it was lunchtime. Xu Lang organized his thoughts in his mind and then called Zhao Mingyuan.

"Hello, Teacher Zhao, I am Xu Xiao's father..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Lang briefly explained Xu Xiao's talent in mathematics and their desire for Xu Xiao to apply for the Yucai Children's Class.

After understanding the situation, Zhao Mingyuan on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment before replying:

"Xu Xiao's father, if Xu Xiao really shows a very strong talent in learning, he can definitely try applying to the Yucai Children's Class."

"The deadline for exam registration this year is the 20th of this month, and Xu Xiao's age still meets the standard."

"However, in principle, they only admit students with Shengjing household registration..."

As Xu Lang listened to Zhao Mingyuan's words, his emotions fluctuated.

Xu Lang was overjoyed to learn that the registration period for this year had not yet ended and that Xu Xiao's age was not a problem.

But when Xu Lang heard that the Yucai Children's Class only admitted children with Shengjing household registration, his hopes were dashed once again.

"Teacher Zhao, since that's the case, let's just let it go. Thank you."

At that moment, Zhao Mingyuan revealed another piece of information.

"However, our Gangdu Primary School can also recommend students to Yucai School every year in the name of the school."

"Here's what we'll do: bring Xu Xiao to my house when you have time, and I'll give you a copy of the Yucai Children's Class exam paper."

"If Xu Xiao does a good job, then we can consider signing up and giving it a try."

Zhao Mingyuan's words rekindled hope in Xu Lang's heart.

"That's great, Teacher Zhao. Then tomorrow... tonight, if it's convenient for you, I'll bring Xu Xiao over."

Knowing that the deadline for registering for the Yucai Children's Class was approaching, Xu Lang still felt that every day earlier was better than none at all.

"No problem, I'll be home tonight. You can come over whenever you have time."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Mingyuan's expression was somewhat subtle.

To be honest, Zhao Mingyuan thought it was a bit unrealistic for Xu Xiao to want to apply for the Yucai Children's Class.

Xu Xiaoping's grades are indeed excellent; he consistently ranks among the top students in his class and is awarded the title of "Three Good Student" every semester.

However, Zhao Mingyuan was also very clear that Xu Xiao was still far from being a truly exceptionally intelligent student.

So far, Xu Xiao has not shown any particularly outstanding learning ability; he is only slightly above average.

However, Zhao Mingyuan didn't want to be too direct. It would be better to let them experience the difficulty of the Yucai Children's Class exam firsthand and let them give up on their own.

On the other side, after finishing his conversation with Zhao Mingyuan, Xu Lang immediately informed Yu Guilan of the situation.

"Great! I'm working the day shift today, so let's take Xiaoxiao over together after dinner tonight."

During dinner that evening, Xu Lang and Yu Guilan talked to Xu Xiao about this matter.