Once Lin Susu had settled her new home, she began planning to attend school. The original owner of the body had never been cared for regarding education in the Lin household, so at twelve years old, she hadn’t attended a single day of school.
“Hello, sir, may I come in to see the principal? I want to study here.”
The thin, frail girl pulled a handful of fruit candies from her pocket and placed them on the table in the guard’s office, smiling obediently.
The elderly guard looked Lin Susu over for a while before slowly telling her where to find the principal.
“Go ahead! Do you see that two-story building? The principal’s office is on the second floor, second room on the left.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll go in now.” Following the guard’s directions, Lin Susu easily found the principal’s office.
Seeing her politely knock, Principal Yuan assumed she was one of the school’s students. He asked gently, as in his experience, students rarely had serious matters to bring to the principal directly. After all, the principal was far more authoritative than teachers.
“Student, do you need something? Are you facing some difficulty?”
“Hello, Principal. My name is Lin Susu. I’d like to ask if I can enroll in this school.”
It was early June, a while before the elementary school final exams. She could start fifth grade, then take the exam half a month later to earn her graduation certificate.
After summer vacation, she could enter junior high, learn all the junior high knowledge in a year, and skip a grade to attend a vocational or high school. If everything went smoothly, she could enter university before the college entrance exams.
“Oh? You’re not one of our students? Where are your parents? You’ll need them to bring you here to enroll.”
Seeing Lin Susu alone, Principal Yuan frowned slightly. Could this be one of those families that valued sons over daughters, unwilling to let their child study?
“But… I’m the only one in my family.”
To ensure she could accomplish her goal, Lin Susu put on a pitiful expression.
“Principal, I really want to go to school. When I was a servant in the Lin household, I secretly studied by myself. Now I can finally decide for myself. Please give me a chance to study.”
Lin family? A servant? Could it be the Lin family that had been the talk of the town recently?
By the time Principal Yuan learned more about Lin Susu’s situation, she had already shaped herself as a strong, diligent, and self-sacrificing child eager to learn.
A child like this, wanting to learn, deserved support. A twelve-year-old who had self-studied all elementary school knowledge? If true, this child was remarkable.
Principal Yuan personally took Lin Susu to the academic office to have the teacher prepare fifth-grade exam papers for her assessment.
Although she had never formally studied in this era, in her previous life she had attended a prestigious 211 university. She had tutored her granddaughter in the past, so she was confident she could handle elementary-level questions.
After finishing the math paper, the fifth-grade math teacher carefully graded it, only to be puzzled:
“Principal, this student’s answers are unusual. Her solving steps differ from ours, yet the results are correct.”
Math is all about logic. By the 22nd century, problem-solving methods had become much simpler. Her reasoning differed from the current era, but the logic was sound.
“What do you think? Since Lin Susu has mostly self-studied, you, as her teacher, can correct her method once she enrolls.”
When the teacher noted that the answers were correct, Principal Yuan agreed to let Lin Susu enroll and instructed the math teacher to pay extra attention to her.
“Principal, Lin Susu is self-taught? Without any teacher? If so, she might be a genius. Her solving method is unprecedented but makes the logic much simpler. I’d love to see her solve more math problems—her thinking is worth studying.”
The math teacher greatly admired Lin Susu’s reasoning. While she worked on her language exam, he kept pondering her math solutions.
For language, Lin Susu spent considerable time. She was surprised to find many poems and classical texts unfamiliar. Even famous Tang and Song poems seemed foreign.
Because she was taking the test, she didn’t dwell on it and focused on the questions she knew, finishing the essay.
“Teacher, I’m done. Could you please check if I passed? Thank you.”
Her glaring score of 82 was a little humbling—future 211 university graduate, now taking fifth-grade language, scoring just 82.
Though slightly dissatisfied, the school was pleased. The principal and teachers agreed to let her enroll.
“Lin Susu, welcome to our school. Teacher Liao is the math teacher and homeroom teacher of Class 5-3. Once your enrollment is complete, he’ll take you to your class.”
Teacher Liao had strongly advocated for Lin Susu to join his class. Now he smiled warmly at her.
“Lin Susu, the tuition is 2.50 yuan per semester. Do you have textbooks? If you need school textbooks, it’s an additional 2 yuan.”
Lin Susu realized the textbooks might differ from what she had studied in her previous life. She wanted to gather the textbooks and start learning anew.
“Teacher, my old textbooks were lost. I’ll use the school’s textbooks.”
“All right, then it’s 4.50 yuan. I’ll take you to your class.”
After paying, Lin Susu received the fifth-grade textbooks, and Teacher Liao directly took her to class.
“Everyone, quiet! This is Lin Susu. She will be studying with you from now on. Let’s welcome her!”
“Lin Susu? Is that really you? How come you’re in our class?”
Liang Hui looked up, astonished. She had often visited the Lin household with her mother and knew about Lin Susu. The previous Lin Susu had been timid, always walking with her head down.
Now, Lin Susu stood tall, calm, and poised—a completely different person.
“Miss Liang, hello.”
“Just call me Liang Hui or Ms. Liang.”
Calling her “Miss Liang” was unbearable. Back at the Lin household, their family had instilled outdated hierarchical practices—servants had to address the mistress formally. She couldn’t allow Lin Susu to continue this here.
“Since you know each other, Lin Susu, sit with Liang Hui. Chen Yi and the others, move back one seat.”
Teacher Liao ensured Lin Susu was seated next to Liang Hui. Liang Hui, eager to show hospitality, helped her adjust, guiding Lin Susu to sit.