Study Monster Cultivation System - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: “Her Voyage”
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Despite the intense situation, the lesson had to go on.
For the sake of their average score, for the sake of a good seat, for the sake of territory, for the sake of snow.
Tang Zhifei, Li Zheng, Lin Yujing, and Jiang Qinghua quickly got into their best condition.
Tang Zhifei didn’t stop talking while the model essays were being given out.
“The question for the essay this time was modified from last year’s Shanghu’s college entrance exam…”
“Prediction.”
“Prediction is a preemptive judgment we humans make about the future based on our prior knowledge.”
“Some people are happy to accept predicted outcomes, while others are not.”
“Please write an essay about your thoughts on this topic.”
“You can create your own question. The essay must not be fewer than 800 words.”
“I have to first praise Liu Xin. He didn’t hand in a poem this time. Thank you.”
Amidst the familiar laughter, Liu Xin familiarly scratched his head.
It couldn’t be helped. Liu Xin was the go-to target for all of the teachers.
However, Mrs. Xiaotang was different. She made the person she was teasing feel good.
“Come, let us first dissect the question.”
“The keyword had been given to us from the start—prediction.”
“As long as the content of your essay revolves around this word, you won’t risk not answering the question.”
“Thus, the essay this time was extremely easy, and it was a great way for you to show your skills.”
“There was a great improvement in your performances this time around. Each of your essays had literary flair.”
“Here, we have to especially praise Liu Xin again. It’s real praise this time.” Tang Zhifei nodded toward Liu Xin and said, “Liu Xin wrote a narrative essay this time with the title “The Great Lottery God.” His essay narrates the story of his uncle predicting the results of the lottery. The language he used was moving and humorous, and there was even a hint of sarcasm. He even managed to end his essay with positive energy. I felt like I was watching a comedy when I read his essay, and laughed a few times. If not for his poor handwriting, and the fact that he had too many misspelled words, he would definitely have scored above 50 points.”
“Ah…” Liu Xin was dazed. “Mrs. Tang… Are you really praising me?”
“Yes, yes. Your talents were merely obscured by your abysmal handwriting.” Tang Zhifei nodded continuously. “But, writing a narrative essay is very risky. This time, you were fortunate enough to have an experience that was related to the topic, and you were able to write your essay in a very moving manner. You might not have such good luck when it comes to the college entrance exams. Remember to practice your argumentative essays from now on.”
“I’ll practice!! I’ll practice!!”
Liu Xin grabbed Li Zheng’s shoulder and nearly cried.
“Brother Li… I… I seem to be falling in love.”
“Scram.”
“Also, Li Zheng.” Tang Zhifei shifted her gaze to Li Zheng. “Your argumentative essay was also exceptional this time around. However, you took your essay in a dangerous direction. I started to feel worried for you when I saw your title.”
“A Gamble Between Nations—A Prediction of what Lies Outside the Light Cone.”
Rustle!
All of the students were confused.
“What the hell is he talking about?” they thought.
Tang Zhifei wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“Really, I was worried when I saw this title.”
“I was worried when I read every word.”
“There’s even a few Physics references in the middle. I only managed to understand them with much effort.”
“The general idea of your essay is that the gamble between major factions makes the future of a country hard to predict. Thus, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to blind predictions. Only by putting in the effort and fighting for the things we desire will we be able to get closer to our desired goal.”
“There’s nothing wrong with this thesis statement.”
“The problem lies with the examples you provided.”
“It’s dangerous for a high school student like you to write about these topics in your essay.”
“The teacher reading your essay would feel as though they were being educated.”
“My suggestion for you is to narrow the scope of your essay. Don’t talk about things at the level of national interest.”
“You can talk about an individual struggle or even a struggle in the workplace.”
“I’m sorry. I could only give you 30 points.”
Li Zheng nodded his head and accepted the result.
He hadn’t managed to control himself this time around. The question was too tempting. He wanted to flaunt his knowledge.
30 points was a decent result.
In the future, he could think about this pitiful score when he encountered another question that made him lose control.
Tang Zhifei no longer elaborated on Li Zheng’s essay. She turned to look at Lin Yujing.
“Finally, let’s talk about the model essay we handed out just now. It is Lin Yujing’s expository essay.”
“Normally, we wouldn’t use an expository essay as a model essay.”
“However, this time around, she did exceptionally well.”
“All of the teachers who read her essay gave her the full score.”
Everyone in the class looked at Lin Yujing once again.
Admiration.
The blush on Lin Yujing’s face had just receded slightly, but it burned bright hot once again.
She quickly buried her head into her knees.
She seemed to be particularly humiliated that her essay was the model essay this time.
Li Zheng couldn’t help but feel excited. He picked up the photocopied essay that had just been passed over to him and started reading it.
The title of the essay was “Her Voyage.” It was about how a probe by the name of “Voyager 1” flew out of the solar system.
At first glance, just her clean and neat handwriting alone made her essay worthy of more than 50 marks.
In other words, the saying of “handwriting mirroring its owner” was utter nonsense.
“Looking at this elegant, soulful, pen-written script, who from the book club would think that it belonged to a petty, selfish person?” Li Zheng thought.
He then looked at the body of the essay.
“During the last century, by predicting the orbits of planets, scientists discovered that the year 1977 presented an exceptional astronomical occurrence.”
“During that year, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and the Sun would be aligned on the same side.”
“If they launched a satellite during that phenomenon, they would be able to tap into the catapult effect of gravity and make use of the gravities of these four planets to create an extraordinary thrust for the satellite.”
“In doing so, they would be able to send a man-made satellite out of the solar system for the first time.”
“With the scientists’ meticulous predictions and calculations, “Voyager 1″ was launched carrying a gilded record.”
“In the following years, she danced around with the four planets like a ballet dancer, only to leave them shortly after.”
“Finally, she carried the greetings of mankind toward infinite possibilities, toward the sea of galaxies that have never been predicted before.”
“Humans control predictions, yet are obsessed with unknowns.”
Li Zheng thought, “She elevated an expository essay to such a degree.”
“It’s a piece of science history, yet she managed to turn the event into a romantic dance, a dance of science revolving around meticulous prediction.”
Even Li Zheng had no choice but to admit that this essay was better than many of the pieces in “Science Fiction World.”
“D*mn it,” he thought.
“Reading “Science Fiction World” over the years really does have the effect of improving essay grades.”
“She managed to gain that advantage. How infuriating.”
Li Zheng indignantly raised his head, only to notice that Lin Yujing was secretly observing him from the slit between her arms, her head still buried.
“Is she looking for the feedback of a science fiction fan like me?” he thought.
Li Zheng glanced at the essay again.
The expository essay had been written like a short story.
Her literary flair was exceptional.
Li Zheng nodded and said, “I’ll help you submit it to ‘Science Fiction World.’”
“!”
Lin Yujing scratched her desk.
“You won’t allow it?” Li Zheng could only keep the piece of paper. “Then I’ll go copy your essay 20 times. Your literary flair will be mine, then.”
“???”
At this moment, the classroom door suddenly opened a crack;
Without warning, a fear-inducing head peeked into the room.
It was Sun Xiubin.
“The procedures for the new student have been completed. Is now a convenient time?” she asked Tang Zhifei.
“Yes, come in.”
Sun Xiubin moved to the side, and a girl wearing a small dress and tiny leather shoes jumped into the classroom.
She had mid-length hair and looked very chic.
She had a naughty smile on her face and looked exceptionally cute.
After she bowed and greeted Tang Zhifei, she turned to look at the rest of the students in the class. She raised her right hand and winked, as though she were making a pose while greeting her classmates.
“Good afternoon. My name is Zhang Xiaoke. My grades are average, and I love anime. I am happy to join class 2-4~”
She stuck out her tongue in a silly manner and let out a naughty laugh after she finished introducing herself.
