country bumpkin

At 7:00 a.m., at the Third Middle School in City B, a neat and orderly team was holding a solemn flag-raising ceremony on the playground.

There are eight classes in the first year of junior high, seven classes in the second year, and six classes in the third year, showing that the number of students increases year by year.

Watching the bright and dazzling five-star red flag slowly rise, every Chinese person feels a sense of pride and honor.

Yun Ya was assigned to Class 4 of the first year of junior high school. Sun Fei was assigned to Class 5, which was next to theirs.

When Yunya first arrived at the new school, she was a little apprehensive. Several of her close friends had left her. Her new class had many unfamiliar faces, and she felt a little empty inside.

My good friend Meng Fanxing was also assigned to Class 5, the same class as Sun Fei.

Another friend, Zhang Ruisong, went to a martial arts school at the end of fifth grade, and we lost contact with him after that.

Yunya was feeling down because none of her three best friends were with her.

She lacked the courage to make new friends because she was sentimental and valued relationships.

Their Class 4 homeroom teacher was a young man, tall, with short hair parted in a 3/7 ratio, and high cheekbones that looked like two round, plump steamed buns hanging under his eyelids.

Our homeroom teacher teaches history, and his name is quite interesting: Jia Zhengjing.

I don't know why his parents chose this name for him. Perhaps their intentions were good, because both characters have auspicious meanings when viewed separately.

The character "铮" symbolizes uprightness and integrity, and signifies perseverance. Its spirit and temperament embody honesty and integrity.

The character 璟 (jing) signifies looking forward to the future, being full of hope, being energetic, and being positive.

However, when read together, it makes one want to laugh. But his job is very good; he's a tenured teacher, a secure job.

These newly arrived teenagers gathered together in the classroom to form a brand new big family.

Their faces were still so innocent, their eyes brimming with hope and anticipation. They looked forward to the exciting life they would have in high school.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the students returned to their classrooms and began their morning reading sessions.

The homeroom teacher, with his slicked-back hair, walked in from outside. The students didn't dare to look up at him, only daring to secretly observe his actions out of the corner of their eyes.

Yunya kept her head down while reading, but secretly glanced at her homeroom teacher out of the corner of her eye.

Goodness, his hair is so shiny, even a fly could do a split if it landed on it. I refocused and continued reading.

The homeroom teacher walked up to the seat of a female student with a ponytail, stopped, looked at her textbook, listened to her reading for a while, and then left.

After morning reading, the first class was the homeroom teacher's history class. As soon as class started, Jia Zhengjing began selecting class representatives.

He took a liking to Su Xueru, the girl with the ponytail who read aloud that morning. The girl was quiet and cute, and her long, thick, black braid was very pretty.

Her round, fair face and rosy lips added to her playful and adorable charm.

No matter which teacher or classmate sees this girl, they can't help but want to talk to her.

After the homeroom teacher selected Su Xueru as the history class representative, she also selected Peng Yuxuan, a chubby, fair-skinned boy, as the Chinese class representative.

The math class representative was Chen Tengfei, a boy with glasses and slightly dark skin.

Biology class representative Lu Peng, Geography class representative Cao Sen, and Politics class representative Wei Yifan.

The music class representative was a tall, slender girl named Fang Qiaohui, with short, neat hair.

Lu Jiaqi, the art class representative, is a beautiful and gentle girl.

Lu Haiyang, the physical education class representative, is tall and strong, and looks very powerful.

The English class representative was chosen by the English teacher; she was a long-haired girl named Tan Lina who looked like a doll.

The girl has yellow pupils, naturally curly hair, and yellowish-white skin, making her look like a mixed-race person.

Finally, it was time to elect the class monitor. The homeroom teacher let the students elect themselves. Three people were voted for, and the position ultimately went to Yao Jing, a dignified and poised girl.

Once all the assigned "minor officials" had been chosen, the teacher could then begin the formal lesson.

First, the teacher opens the history textbook and begins a vivid and engaging lecture about historical figures and stories.

It has to be said that this lesson made even Yunya, who doesn't particularly like studying, very excited.

Especially when talking about the Upper Cave Man, who mastered the art of making fire, the teacher was just as excited as the Upper Cave Man himself.

After finishing the first lesson, two minutes had already passed. Only then did the new first-year students realize that this extended class time was just the beginning.

It wasn't until they started Chinese, math, and English—the main subjects—that they realized that running overtime was a common occurrence.

The most serious problem is that even though the art teacher and the PE teacher are sitting in the office, the main subject teachers insist that the art teacher and the PE teacher have taken leave because of family matters.

There are only two art classes, two music classes, and three physical education classes per week.

In the end, it became one art class, one music class, and two physical education classes.

Later, during the two weeks leading up to the midterm and final exams, there were no recreational classes. All classes were replaced with core subjects.

For new seventh graders, seventh grade life is novel, but it's not until eighth or ninth grade that they truly understand what junior high school life is like.

Junior high school life is endless test papers and countless nights of memorizing textbook knowledge. It's teachers' lectures, parents' criticisms, and students' nightmares.

Yunya gradually adapted to, yet felt somewhat helpless, her junior high school life. Sometimes she felt that junior high was a grueling process.

Because she wanted to work hard, she wanted to do well in her studies. But a brain is a good thing, and she... didn't have one.

I memorized it today, but after learning something new tomorrow, I've almost forgotten everything from yesterday.

She was terrible at math, and every time she managed to pass after trying her best, it was the result of giving it her all.

Sometimes Yunya wonders if her premature birth as a child caused her brain to not develop fully, which is why she is so slow-witted and doesn't understand anything.

During a break between classes, Tan Lina skipped over to chat with Yun Ya.

It turned out that Tan Lina noticed Yun Ya's serious demeanor during morning reading and wanted to be friends with her.

Yunya was a little reserved at first, but Tan Lina's enthusiasm quickly put her at ease.

After that, the two often went in and out together. Under Tan Lina's influence and her own hobby, Yun Ya's interest in English grew stronger.

She consistently scores over 90 points in English exams, making it the only subject in which Yunya excels.

However, the excessive time spent by teachers of core subjects and the increasing pressure on teachers of non-core subjects have led to more and more complaints from students.

After his physical education class was taken over again, Lu Haiyang mustered up the courage to go to his homeroom teacher to report the situation.

The homeroom teacher, however, said earnestly that this was all for everyone's good, and that they should focus their attention on the core subjects.

Lu Haiyang returned home helplessly, but everyone knew in their hearts that the "nightmare" of junior high school was far from over. They could only encourage each other amidst their heavy studies and try to find a rare moment of happiness.