Time Travel: The Queen's Coronation

This day has finally come. There was a huge thunderstorm last night and the wind was chilly this morning. It seems that God still has pity on us students. He sent down a heavy rain overnight to cool down the temperature and create a comfortable examination environment for us.

Before entering the exam room, everyone should take the time to read some classical Chinese literature and poetry. However, I didn't want to read anything else because I wanted to enter the exam room with the most relaxed mindset possible. Reading now would only increase my nervousness. And people are greedy. After reading this, they want to read that. In just an hour before the exam, I couldn't finish reading everything. So I just relaxed and cleared my mind.

The announcement sounded, and I followed the crowd into the teaching building, into my exam room, and took my seat. I looked around, looking for any familiar faces, but sadly, there wasn't a single one. Then I looked at the classroom. It looked similar to ours, except now the books had been cleared out, leaving only thirty or so desks and chairs for teachers and students. It didn't feel as crowded and book-filled as it used to be.

As time ticked by, the process progressed step by step. I received my test paper and carefully examined it word by word, circling the key points and potential pitfalls. I meticulously studied the questions and meticulously wrote my answers on the answer sheet. The only sounds in the classroom were the flipping of papers and the writing of notes. Everyone was working hard, determined to get off to a good start in Chinese and secure a good score.

"Fifteen minutes until the end of the exam..." the announcement boomed. I glanced up at the clock in front of me. I needed to hurry. I wrote faster in the final fifteen minutes. When I finished the last period, I looked up at the clock. Five minutes left. Thankfully, I finally made it! I used those last five minutes to check my name, barcode, and admission ticket number. As for the answers, I just scanned them to see if I'd missed anything. There was no time left for a thorough check.

The Chinese exam was over, and everyone crowded into the cafeteria. Judging by everyone's state, Chinese didn't seem too difficult. Some people were still studying diligently at noon, but I fell straight into bed and slept until the announcement came on. When I woke up, everyone in the dorm was up and reading. It seemed like Chinese had consumed so much of my energy, and I slept so soundly that I didn't even notice them getting up.

In the afternoon math exam room, I sat brimming with energy, waiting for the teacher to hand out the papers, anticipating this year's Gaokao math exam. Shortly after the exam began, I began to hear sighs. Indeed, even the easiest multiple-choice questions at the beginning were quite computationally demanding. The middle questions were more complex than usual, and the last two were truly challenging, requiring me to put in a bit of effort to eliminate the answers. The overall difficulty of the fill-in-the-blank questions increased. I usually finish both the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions in 40 minutes, but this time it took me over 50. The later sections, with the exception of the first and last optional questions, which were moderately difficult, saw a significant increase in difficulty.

As the seconds ticked by, I heard sighs grow louder, and the sound of people scribbling anxiously on their draft paper. I could sense everyone's restlessness and impatience, but I kept my pace, writing slowly. With ten minutes left, I finished. I put down my pen, sighed, and leaned back in my chair. After relaxing for a moment, I seized the final ten minutes to review my answer. I made sure everything was complete, that nothing was left unfilled. With five minutes left, I reviewed the steps for the final question, looking for any flaws.

When it came time to hand in the papers, many students reluctantly put down their pens. After leaving the exam room, I saw many students crying. As I walked along, people kept asking me what I chose for this question, whether that question was written this way, and whether I had finished this time. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't resist their constant questioning, so I finally told them my answers. Some were happy, while others were sad. As I left the exam room, my homeroom teacher and math teacher saw me and came over to ask how I did. The students next to me also stopped to get my opinion.

"This time it's quite difficult!" I said calmly.

"Even the top students said it was difficult, so there's no hope this time." The classmate next to him said.

"Have you finished writing?" asked the head teacher.

"It's finished."

"Can you figure it out?" the math teacher asked.

"I've finished writing it, but I just don't know if it's correct." I said with a silly smile.

"A top student is a top student. He can finish such a difficult task."

"It's definitely all correct!"

"I'm giving you some good wishes." I said to the classmate who was talking to me.

"Is there anything you don't understand?" the math teacher asked.

"No."

"Look, it's stable!" the classmate next to him said loudly.

"Are you confident you can get full marks?" the head teacher continued.

"Yes! Actually, these problems require a lot of calculations. Just like nesting dolls, you have to calculate one after another and finally get the answer."

"The way the top students think is different from the way we think. We don't know how to calculate, they just think it's a lot of calculations."

"Alright, alright, let's go eat! Forget about it after the exam. Tomorrow is the last day, so hold on!" The head teacher clapped his hands and said, "Let's go eat first. After dinner, those who need to review can review, and those who need to rest can rest."

That night I just memorized formulas and read some excellent English essays. Then, at nine o'clock, I sat on the cafeteria steps, staring blankly at the sky, my mind full of beautiful childhood memories. That was until the head teacher came to inspect and "sent me off." I simply returned to the dormitory and washed up early to rest.

On the second day of the science comprehensive examination room, I heard the familiar sigh again. I was wondering why the science comprehensive was not that difficult. Physics only had a little more calculations, and chemistry was easy to write equations. Biology was even simpler. Why sigh? After leaving the examination room, someone cried again. I didn’t want to eat melons anymore. I just wanted to hurry to the afternoon, finish the last English exam, and then be over with it all. The English in the afternoon was not difficult, but you had to be careful. The test makers set up a lot of traps. After leaving the English examination room, the whole building cheered. Everyone cheered together, shouting out the anger that had accumulated for three years. Some people even threw pads and papers down. In the past, there would definitely be teachers who stopped us, but today the teachers condoned our behavior. Maybe they felt sorry for our three years of hardship, or maybe they felt that it was meaningless to control us anymore. In any case, our three years of high school youth are over!

Three years of hard work have culminated in four exams. Now, we've concluded our high school journey! Whether the outcome was good or bad, it's all in the past! We are now free, and before the Gaokao results are announced, we are all happy! We must seize this most joyful moment!

At night, most people were sorting through their belongings, selling their high school test papers and textbooks. They couldn't get them back anyway, so there was no point. I sold my high school test papers for ten yuan. I'd spent hundreds or even thousands of yuan on them, and now I could only sell them for ten yuan!

On our last night of high school, everyone left their contact information and exchanged final words. Some even asked everyone to leave messages on their uniforms as a souvenir. In short, everyone had endless things to say and do. At least the dorm supervisor would leave us alone tonight, so even staying up all night was fine!

The usually peaceful campus was bustling with activity tonight, and even the quiet and tidy dormitories were surprisingly noisy. Everyone enjoyed this wonderful evening, not thinking about the separations tomorrow!