Page 411 - updated on July
P. 411
Yu Jihui: “A Stinking Old Ninth – A Tale of the Coal Capital” (updated on July 2020)
“I went to school at the age of 6.” Xi Si
answered calmly.
To go to school at six was rare in the Northeast
but could be found. It seemed normal.
“In that case, how did you obtain a master’s
degree at 24?”
Xi Si only smiled but didn’t reply. The women
teachers went on asking and pressed her hard. But Xi
Si still smiled and didn’t reply. The women teachers
felt satisfied, thinking that their question had
stumped Xi Si. How could a person obtain a master’s
degree at 24? It must be a lie! Just as they were
feeling triumphant, Xi Si said, “I was an accelerated
student. I jumped two years ahead in middle school. I
entered university at 16.”
She had been forced to tell the truth. The
teachers were rendered speechless. They never had
heard of such a story. They were so amazed that they
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