DEFYING FATE

Chapter 5: Preparation

It was a few days more to the Civil Servant entrance test.Since Dong Xuebing had promised his mother, he had to do his best.

After dinner, Dong Xuebing returned to his room and startedto go through all the cupboards and drawers, looking for something. He found a stackOptically answer sheet and a stack of writing papers from under his bed. He hadused these Optically answer sheets during his high school days. he placed the sheetsand paper on his desk and prepared his stationaries, like eraser and 2Bpencils. He started training his memory. ABCD, 1234...

This was the only way Dong Xuebing could pass the CivilServant Test. Although the chances of him passing was less than 20%, he wasdetermined to try.

The next morning.

Dong Xuebing woke up on the couch among the stacks of answersheets. He immediately continued practising. "AABDDCCABDC..." He closed his eyesand started to rattle off the answers from his mind.

Dong Xuebing's mother felt he was being weird and asked:"Xuebing, what are you doing?"

Dong Xuebing coughed and replied: "Preparations."

His mother looked at him: "Didn't you bought the revisionmaterials for the test? Why are you looking at those old answer sheets?"

"Oh... don't mind me. I know what to do." If Dong Xuebingcould still use Back on the day of the test, all his efforts will not bewasted.

Practice... Practice... Practice...

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One hour... Two hours... 3 hours...

Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing's handphone rang. He took alook at the caller ID and it was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hi, are you Xiao Dong?" The caller asked. He sounded quiteold.

"Yes, you are...?"

"My surname is Hu."

Dong Xuebing replied: "Oh... You are Grandpa Hu? How's yourhealth?"

"Thanks for asking. I am feeling good. Haha... are you busytoday? If you are free, can you come over to the hospital to accompany me?"

"Huh? Sorry, I am taking the Civil Servant test in a fewdays. I am still doing my revisions."

The other party on the phone sounded a bit surprised: "Youare taking the Civil Servant test? Did you register earlier this year inBeijing for this test?" There was a slight pause. Grandpa Hu continued: "Hmmm...if you do not have confident with the written test, come and look for me at theCancer Hospital's Oncology ward. Don't think I am old, I am able to teach youabout the techniques to answer the written test, especially the essayquestions. Are you interested?"

Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Ah.... Really?"

"Of course. Do you think this old man will lie to someonewho had saved his life?"

Dong Xuebing had found the way to handle the multiple-choicequestions. But hhe was not confident on the essay questions. "Alright. I willgo over now. Thank you."

After hanging up, Dong Xuebing told his mother where he wasgoing and ran out with his materials and books.

Beijing Cancer Hospital.

Dong Xuebing was not working for some time, and he did not have much savings left. On theway to the hospital, he bought some cheap fruits from a roadside stall. At thehospital, he asked around and found the ward. It was ward 3016. He stoodoutside the ward and knocked on the door.

"Come in." On a bed near the window, Grandpa Hu was lookingat a photograph with his reading glass.

Dong Xuebing walked over and place the fruits on the sidetable. "Grandpa Hu, I wish you a speedy recovery."

"You should not waste your money." Grandpa Hu smiled andpull Dong Xuebing to sit down. He touched his family photo and showed Dong Xuebing."This is my eldest son, and this is my daughter. This is my youngest son andhis wife." The woman in the picture was pregnant. "sighed.... I almost miss thechance to see my new-born grandson. Xiao Dong, thanks for pulling me back fromhell that day. I really want to thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Tears start to well upin Grandpa Hu's eyes: "There is no hope for my lung cancer. Sometimes I feellike I should just die earlier. But when I was almost killed, I realized that Ican't let go. I still want to live."

Dong Xuebing had changed both Grandpa Hu and Qu Yunxuan's fatethat day, and he was also deeply moved.

After some pleasantries, Grandpa Hu suddenly said: "Show meyour revision materials for the test. Which part of this you are unclear about?I will explain it to you."

Dong Xuebing immediately asked some questions about theareas where he does not understand.

Grandpa Hu thought for a while and answered: "If you answerthis question this way, your answer will be too subjective. It is not a goodanswer. After all, this is not an argument. There will be bound to havemistakes here and there. The markers might deduct your marks with your answer."

Dong Xuebing did notunderstand and asked: "How should I answer this question then? Paint a goodpicture? Answer in a high-sounding way?"

Grandpa Hu laughed: "Xiao Dong, don't look down on being 'Fake,Lies, Empty Promises.' It is not easy tomaster this art. If you learned this, youwould be able to score points in your answers.When you need to be fake, you got to be fake. When you need to lie, you got tolie. When you need to make empty promises, you got do that. This does not applyonly to the Civil Servant entry test. Even when you become a governmentofficial, you need to use this too. Come... Let this old man explain this toyou..."

Dong Xuebing listened thewhole afternoon attentively.

Grandpa Hu was very knowledgeable. His explanations were clear and easy to understand.

After a few hours, Dong Xuebing got more comfortable withGrandpa Hu. He was able to talk freely. "Sighed... The person who set thesequestions is too much. Why did he set such difficult questions? Is he trying tomake things difficult for us?" Dong Xuebing grumbled. "I had practiced the past year's questions and noticed that the questions were getting harderand harder each year. It is easy for the one who set these questions. He justmoves his mouth. But we are the ones who are suffering. Who did we offend?"

Grandpa Hu frowned and did not say a word.

"Huh?" Dong Xuebing was shocked. Did I say the wrong thing?

After a while, Grandpa Hu said: "You should not be sayingthese. If these questions are easy, then what's the use of having this test?There will only be one or two vacancies, andif all the candidates scored full marks, they wouldstill have to compete with each other. Itwill still be the same." Grandpa Hu flipped open a reference book and pointedto the page: "My son and I are scholars. But he is more capable than me and hadbecome a professor years ago. Look, he is the one who set most of last year'sShanghai Civil Servant Test's essay questions."

Dong Xuebing realized that when he grumbled about the personwho set the questions, he had also scolded Grandpa Hu's son indirectly.

Shit. Me and my big mouth...

Oh yes, I still have not use"Back" today.

Back!

...

The time returned back to one minute ago. Dong Xuebing couldfeel his mouth moving. He should be in the middle of saying something. GrandpaHu who was listening to him frowned. Dong Xuebing looked at his facialexpression and knew that he had used Back too late. "Errr... Grandpa Hu, wheredid I stop?"

Grandpa Hu smiled weakly and said: "You are saying that theone who set these questions is making things difficult for you all."

"Yes." Dong Xuebing immediately thought of how to continue."Making things difficult for all of us."

Grandpa Hu knitted his brows.

"But..." Dong Xuebing continued and picked up the revisionbook who contains all the past years'questions. "But two years ago, Beihe Province and last year's Shanghaiquestions was quite meaningful. Look at the questions. Although it isdifficult, but from the questions, youwill know that the person who set these questions have a higher standard ofeducation. If I encounter these questions during this year's test, I will haveno grumbles even if I can't answer them."

Grandpa Hu stared blankly at him for a while and burst outlaughing: "Xiao Dong... I will tell you something. My son is the one who set theessay questions for last year's Shanghai essay questions."

Dong Xuebing pretended to be surprised: "Ah?"

"My son is more capable than me." Grandpa Hu stroked hisbeard and smilingly said: "Haha. Xiao Dong, I will teach you how to answeressay questions, and I promise you willscore high marks."

"Really?"

"Of course. If you can't pass, you can come and look forme!"