Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Lin Jianjun excitedly picked up Lin Weidong, exclaiming, "My son is amazing! Our family is going to produce a great writer!"

Zhao Xiulan carefully put away the royalties, saying, "Dongzi, you are truly your parents' pride."

Lin Weidong nodded with a smile, but he had a new plan in mind.

He's already in fifth grade. With his knowledge, he's already finished the elementary school curriculum. Instead of wasting time, he should take the entrance exam for junior high school early and get into middle school sooner, laying the foundation for going to university or pursuing a technical career later.

The next morning, Lin Weidong approached Principal Wang again and got straight to the point: "Principal Wang, I would like to apply to take this year's junior high school entrance exam ahead of schedule."

Principal Wang was grading homework when he heard this and almost dropped his pen: "What did you say? Early entry into junior high? You're only in fifth grade now, you still have a year to graduate!"

"Principal, I've already finished the elementary school curriculum. You can test me if you don't believe me. I want to go to middle school as soon as possible, learn more knowledge, and contribute to the country in the future."

Looking at Lin Weidong's confident eyes, and recalling his previous feat of skipping a grade and his recent contribution to the People's Daily, Principal Wang pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I can agree to let you take the exam, but you must pass the school's preliminary exam and achieve the junior high school admission score to be considered."

"No problem!" Lin Weidong readily agreed.

Yan Bugui quickly learned that Lin Weidong was going to take the entrance exam for junior high school ahead of schedule.

"What? Lin Weidong is taking the junior high school entrance exam? He's only in fifth grade!"

"This kid is amazing! He skipped five grades at seven, and now he's getting into middle school early. He's a true prodigy!"

"I doubt it. Middle school courses are much harder than elementary school courses. He might just be wasting his time."

The people in the courtyard gathered under the locust tree, gossiping. Madam Jia Zhang pouted and said sourly, "I think he's just trying to get attention. Let's see how he handles it when he fails the exam!"

Xu Damao stood aside with his arms crossed, looking on with amusement: "This Lin Weidong is really something else. First he skipped a grade, then he submitted his work, and now he's taking the entrance exam for junior high school. I want to see if he can actually pass."

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui exchanged a glance, both seeing calculation in each other's eyes.

"If this kid really gets into junior high, there will be even less way to control him in the future."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, "We have to find a way to stop him."

Yan Bugui nodded and said with a sinister smile, "He's not old enough to take the exam early according to the rules. We can go to the school and complain that he's using his parents' status to get special treatment, and then imply that he might be cheating, so we can get the principal to disqualify him from the exam."

The two hit it off immediately and went to Hongxing Elementary School together that afternoon to find Principal Wang.

As soon as Yan Bugui entered the office, he said, "Principal Wang, Lin Weidong is taking the entrance exam for junior high school ahead of schedule, which is against regulations! He's only in fifth grade, he's not old enough, this is unfair to the other students!"

Yi Zhonghai chimed in, "Yes, Principal Wang, I heard that Lin Jianjun is an assistant engineer at the factory, and Zhao Xiulan is the deputy director of the street office. Maybe they're the ones who got Lin Weidong special treatment."

"Besides, this child is too young. He might have copied someone else's work and submitted it. He might also have cheated on the exam. You can't encourage this kind of behavior."

Principal Wang frowned; he hadn't expected Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui to come and complain. Just then, Director Wang from the neighborhood committee happened to be visiting the school and overheard their conversation.

Director Wang, Zhao Xiulan's superior, has always admired Lin Weidong's talent.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui's words, her face darkened, and she walked in: "Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, what nonsense are you spouting here?"

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui were surprised to see Director Wang. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly said, "Director Wang, we just feel that Lin Weidong's early exam is against the rules, and we are speaking up for the other students."

"It doesn't comply with regulations? The country encourages young people to succeed. As long as they have the ability, what's wrong with taking the exam early?"

She paused, then continued, "I think you're just jealous that the Lin family has produced a genius, and you're deliberately causing trouble! Yan Bugui, as a teacher, you slack off at work, take advantage of others, and even use your position for personal revenge. Now you're trying to stop students from taking their exams. Do you even deserve to be a teacher?"

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui were severely scolded and dared not speak, their heads bowed.

Director Wang continued, "Your actions have seriously damaged Lin Weidong's reputation. You are ordered to apologize to Lin Weidong within three days and pay him 5 yuan in compensation for the damage to his reputation!"

Principal Wang then continued, "Yan Bugui, as a teacher, your conduct is improper. You maliciously reported a student, so you will be responsible for cleaning the playground after get off work every day. You can stop when you have corrected your behavior."

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui had no choice but to nod in agreement. As they walked out of the school, their faces were so gloomy they could drip water. They hated Lin Weidong to the core, but dared not make any further moves.

Lin Weidong looked at Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui, who came to apologize and hand over 5 yuan, and sneered inwardly. He took the money and said indifferently, "I hope you won't cause trouble for no reason in the future and will do more decent work."

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui's faces turned pale and then red as they left the Lin family in a disheveled state.

Xu Damao leaned closer, a forced smile on his face, and said, "Weidong, you're really something, even Director Wang is speaking up for you. But the entrance exam for junior high school isn't easy, so don't let your guard down."

Lin Weidong glanced at him, knowing he had ill intentions, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Xu. I will do my best."

Watching Xu Damao leave dejectedly, Lin Jianjun patted his son on the shoulder: "Dongzi, don't pay attention to them. Focus on your exam. Dad believes you can pass."

Lin Weidong nodded, his heart filled with confidence.

For the next period of time, Lin Weidong went to and from school as usual, and would harass the beasts in the yard whenever he had nothing to do.

Because he was a child and his mother was the deputy director of the neighborhood office, people in the courtyard avoided him whenever possible, and even Jia Zhangshi didn't want to provoke him.

With the release of "Bright Sword," Lin Weidong has saved up a considerable amount of money. He plans to find an opportunity to buy some antiques, calligraphy, and paintings to collect so that he can indulge in the life of a collector when he gets old.

July arrived in the blink of an eye, and the entrance exams for junior high school were approaching. These past few days, Lin Weidong hadn't been going out much, as his mother had forced him to stay home and study.

"Son, be careful when answering the questions!" Zhao Xiulan said loudly as she watched her son enter the examination room.

Lin Weidong stared blankly at the ridiculously simple test paper in front of him, finishing it in just over ten minutes.

The proctor noticed Lin Weidong's appearance and walked over to him intending to give him a reminder, but when he looked down, he saw that the exam paper was already covered with densely written answers.