Yun Jian’s school was organizing the spring outing on the same week as Yun Zhu and Yun Yi’s schools but it was not on the same day. Hers was on Friday.
Her homeroom teacher had informed the class regarding matters of the spring outing and told them that this was the last outing for their junior high school years. After the spring outing and a Labor Day break, they would have to start the hectic preparation for their Senior High School Entrance Examination.
The Senior High School Entrance Examination was the starting point that would decide a regular child’s future achievement. It was the pivotal examination in one’s life as often mentioned by teachers and parents.
The year 1999, especially, was when economy was not as developed as it was now. There was no internet either. Children had no other path for success; they could only rely on the Senior High School Entrance Examination.
With the homeroom teacher’s repetitive emphasis, everyone in the class was already rather numb with it.
Chen Xinyi was still on her sick leave, so it was confirmed that she would not attend activities like the spring outing. Zhang Shaofeng and Zhang Jian were still around, though. When they lined up to board the bus to the outing destination in the morning, Zhang Shaofeng and Zhang Jian fought to help Yun Jian carry her backpack.
The other guys in class said nothing about it, taking pride in the fact that Yun Jian was Team Monarch’s Slaying God after finding out about it. Some of them even boasted about it saying that Team Monarch’s Slaying God was in their class and made the other classes envious.
The destination of the spring outing was a mountain in Longmen City called Zhaobao Mountain.
Unlike its name, Zhaobao Mountain was not a mountain that could actually summon treasure but going from the bottom to the top of it, there was a temple built at the peak where one could pray.
The very basic reason that the school had organized a spring outing here—other than the feasibility for all the students to join as they only had to pay for the bus fare and there was no entrance ticket—was the physical training.
The way up to the top of the mountain from the base was all steps. The hike from the lowest part to the peak had at least thousands of steps.
“Master, grandmaster, go slower. I’m dying! Phew, sh*t, these steps—oh my goodness!”
Carrying Yun Jian and Zhang Shaofeng’s backpacks, Zhang Jian had one backpack on his back and two more in his hands. He was worn out, shouting at Zhang Shaofeng and Yun Jian while he walked.
“This is physical training. You can do it!” Zhang Shaofeng cackled stroking his nose.
By the time everyone hiked up the mountain following the steps, it was already noon. The weather was exceptionally scorching with the sun shining down without mercy.
There was already a crowd at the top of the mountain and judging by the school uniform, it was discernible that there were students from other schools, aside from Yun Jian’s school, here for the spring outing.
“Eh? Jianjian, you’re here too?” Yun Jian had just gotten up to the peak when a girl came toward her cheerily. A clearer look revealed that it was Ning Lanlan.
Yun Jian was not surprised. Back when she met with Ning Lanlan, the girl had told her that their school was about to hold the spring outing and mentioned it to be today. Yun Jian had just not expected their destinations to be the same.
“Mn.” Yun Jian nodded with crescent eyes.
“Huh… Master, you know each other?” Zhang Shaofeng did not know Ning Lanlan, so he looked at her in astonishment before asking Yun Jian.
“Master?” Ning Lanlan came over with a giggly shake of head, answering after a glance at Zhang Shaofeng, “Yeah, we got to know each other not too long ago, heh!”
Ning Lanlan winked at Yun Jian with that and shuffled closer to whisper to her, “Jianjian, let me tell you, Shan Zihao and Wan Siyao quitted school. Your better half’s people spread words in school about what happened in the zoo previously and they were too embarrassed to stay in school!”