Chapter 14: Expectations

Chapter 14: Anticipation

The bell for the end of class echoed through the empty hallways of the teaching building, carrying a lingering, hollow sense of finality.

The students of Class Five, Grade Nine, after a brief silence, as if released from some restraint, erupted into a tremendous uproar.

They exchanged personal terminal contact information, scrawled hasty names on each other's uniforms, hugged tightly, and loudly made promises to 'meet up after the exams.'

The entire classroom was enveloped in a complex emotion mingling excitement, sadness, and uncertainty about the future.

Qin Feng did not join in.

Holding the thin admission ticket that carried three years of youth and his future destiny, he walked out of the noisy classroom alone, arriving at a quiet corner behind the teaching building.

He leaned against the cold wall, lowering his head to carefully examine the admission ticket in his hand.

The admission ticket was made of a special composite material, tough and smooth, with all necessary information clearly printed in the Empire's standard font.

[Empire Unified Secondary Education Streaming Examination Admission Ticket]

[Name: Qin Feng]

[Student ID: 7351098]

[Test Center: Venus No.12 Junior High School]

[Examination Room: Building B - Comprehensive Test Field No.7]

[Examination Schedule and Subjects:]

[First Day Morning (8:30-11:30): Physical Test Subject 1 (Vitality Index Test), Physical Test Subject 2 (Comprehensive Physical Fitness Test: includes 100-meter sprint, peak punch force, neural reaction speed)]

[First Day Afternoon (14:00-16:00): Cultural Subject 1 (Empire Comprehensive History, Psychic Basics)]

[Second Day Morning (9:00-11:00): Cultural Subject 2 (Empire Common Language, Basics of Alien Linguistics)]

The Empire's educational streaming was a precise and harsh screening system.

It not only valued the 'Vitality Index' that determined martial arts potential, but also had strict requirements for cultural subjects.

Each item of the physical test was precisely quantified into scores, which together with the Vitality Index formed the 'Martial Arts Score' that determined the future.

The four cultural subjects, however, were assessed on a grade system.

The comprehensive score of all subjects must reach grade 'A' to qualify one's 'Martial Arts Score' for admission into key martial arts high schools.

Any shortcoming in any link meant complete disconnection from the path of martial arts.

Qin Feng carefully put away the admission ticket, placing it in his inner pocket.

He looked up, glancing at the square patch of sky cut out by the teaching buildings.

The sky was very blue, and anti-gravity vehicles glided silently along fixed routes.

Everything was no different from that day a month ago when Li Weiguo called him to the office for a talk.

But for him, the entire world had been completely renewed.

He turned, walked down the stairs, and merged into the bustling crowd of students leaving school.

At the school gate, it was packed with parents coming to pick up their children. Their faces all bore the same expression of tension and anticipation.

Qin Feng immediately spotted that familiar figure.

Qin Dahai stood alone under the shade of a plane tree, his posture straight as a pine, his empty left sleeve swaying gently in the breeze.

He did not anxiously look around like other parents, but stood quietly, his gaze calm and fixed on the direction of the school gate.

When Qin Feng walked out of the school gate, his eyes locked onto him at once.

Qin Feng walked over quickly.

"Dad."

"Let's go."

Qin Dahai did not ask a single question, just naturally turned and walked side by side with his son toward the distant maglev bus stop.

On the bus, Qin Feng took out the admission ticket and handed it to his father.

Qin Dahai took it, his eyes falling on the 'Test Center' column.

"No.12 Middle School... very close to your uncle's house."

He looked up, watching the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, then glanced at his son beside him.

"From our place, we need to transfer twice, over an hour on the road. The exam is early tomorrow morning, too rushed."

Qin Dahai made a decision, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Tonight, we'll stay at your uncle's place."

As he spoke, he raised his wrist, opened his personal terminal, and called Wang Ming.

A holographic screen popped up, showing Uncle Wang Ming's face, smudged with oil and slightly tired. In the background, there was still the deafening clang of metal and roar of machinery.

"Dahai? What's up?" Wang Ming shouted at the top of his voice.

"Aming, Xiaofeng's high school entrance exam, the test center is at No.12. We'll come over and squeeze in at your place for the night."

Qin Dahai's voice cut through the noisy background, clearly reaching the other end.

"Come! You must come! I'll call Li Juan right away and tell her to add a few more dishes for dinner! The high school exam, this is a big deal! I'll ask the foreman for leave and head back early!"

"Okay."

The call ended.

Father and son, in the swaying carriage, remained silent throughout the journey.

...

In the evening, the 'Red Leaf' community.

It was even more crowded than the 'Silver Gull' community, with narrower gaps between buildings and more tangled energy pipes and communication cables in the air.

Qin Feng and his father, carrying some fruit and nutritional supplements, walked up the familiar residential building.

Before they even reached the door, they could hear the laughter of children chasing and playing inside.

Wang Ming opened the door.

He had already changed out of his oil-stained work clothes into a clean home outfit, his hair carefully combed, looking much more spirited.

"Brother, Xiaofeng, come in quickly!"

He warmly welcomed the two into the house.

Aunt Li Juan, wearing an apron, was busy in the small kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans mingling with the roar of the range hood.

The three younger cousins, seeing Qin Feng, excitedly gathered around.

"Feng ge!"

"Feng ge, you're here!"

The youngest one even grabbed Qin Feng's pant leg, tilting his little face up, curiously examining him.

"Shoo, shoo, don't bother your brother, let him rest a bit."

Wang Ming smiled and shooed the little ones away. He pulled over two chairs, let Qin Feng and Qin Dahai sit down, and personally poured two cups of hot water.

“Brother, don’t worry, the room is all set. I’ll squeeze in with Xiao Hao and Xiao Jie, and let Xiao Feng have a room to himself. I promise he’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Sorry for the trouble.”

Qin Dahai said.

“We’re family—saying that makes it seem distant.”

Wang Ming waved his hand.

He looked at Qin Feng, his gaze full of concern.

A month ago, when Qin Feng came to borrow money, he was still that frail, gloomy figure.

But now, though the youth before him was still lean, his posture was straight, his breath steady, and his eyes held a reassuring confidence.

He knew his nephew’s root ailment had been cured, and that he had been training hard at the Limit Martial Arts Gym for the past month.

But he dared not ask for details or results, afraid of adding pressure to the child.

“Xiao Feng, this month at the gym—must have worn you out, huh?”

Wang Ming asked in a roundabout way.

“It’s fine, I’m used to it.”

Qin Feng replied.

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Wang Ming rubbed his hands together. “Don’t be nervous. Tomorrow, just treat it like a test at the gym—perform normally.”

“Mm, I know, Uncle.”

In the kitchen, Aunt Li Juan poked her head out, her face bearing a trace of weariness, but her smile was genuine.

“Brother Dahai, Xiao Feng, dinner’s almost ready. Sit for a while, watch some TV.”

Half an hour later, a dinner so lavish it bordered on extravagant was laid out on that small dining table.

A whole “Red Feather Chicken,” roasted to a golden, oily sheen—a hard dish they only splurged on during festivals.

A large plate of shredded pork with green peppers, stir-fried with real exotic beast meat, the slices thick and fragrant, not the synthetic meat they usually ate.

A pot of thick soup simmered from exotic beast bones, the broth milky white, topped with emerald scallions.

And a few fresh vegetables.

The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire house.

The three younger cousins stared wide-eyed, circling the table, swallowing their saliva nonstop.

“Let’s eat!”

At Wang Ming’s command, the children cheered and immediately picked up their chopsticks.

“Slow down, no one’s fighting you for it!”

Li Juan scolded playfully, but her chopsticks kept piling food onto the kids’ bowls, stacking them like little mountains.

“Brother Feng, have a drumstick!”

The eldest cousin picked up the biggest drumstick and placed it in Qin Feng’s bowl.

“You have it too.”

Qin Feng put the drumstick back.

“You eat, you eat! You’ve got the exam tomorrow—you need the strength!”

The eldest cousin stubbornly returned it.

Qin Dahai and Wang Ming sat to the side, not touching their chopsticks, just silently watching the children, smiles on their faces.

Qin Dahai took out a bottle of cheap liquor he’d brought from home and poured a glass for both Wang Ming and himself.

“Brother, this…”

“Have a drink.”

Qin Dahai said succinctly.

They clinked glasses and downed them in one gulp.

The fiery liquor went down, and Wang Ming’s face flushed slightly.

“Brother, that boy Xiao Feng—he’s got a future. I can see it in his spirit—it’s like he’s a different person. He’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“I hope your words come true.”

Qin Dahai refilled his glass.

This meal was warm and lively.

The three younger cousins ate with greasy mouths, their small faces brimming with pure happiness.

For them, this was perhaps the most satisfying meal they’d had in months.

After dinner, Li Juan and Wang Ming insisted that Qin Feng and his father not lift a finger, and the two of them quickly cleared the dishes.

Night had fallen.

Wang Ming led Qin Feng to the small room specially prepared for him.

The room was tiny, with only a bed and a desk, but it was spotlessly clean, and the bedding on the bed gave off the scent of sunshine and soap.

“Xiao Feng, get some sleep early. Don’t think about anything.”

Before leaving, Wang Ming added another reminder.

“Okay, Uncle.”

Qin Feng closed the door, and the room fell into silence.

He could hear, from the next room, his uncle and cousins squeezed onto one bed, their voices deliberately hushed in conversation.

He could hear, from the living room, his father and aunt still murmuring softly.

And he could hear, from outside the window, the distant, ever-awake background noise of this city.

He took off his clothes and lay down on the bed.

After a month of extreme exertion, his body was in a delicate state of balance.

Tomorrow was the moment to test the fruits of all this effort.

Qin Feng closed his eyes, and his breathing soon became steady and deep.

A night without dreams.

(End of chapter)