Chapter 14: Teacher, Are These the Only Textbooks We Need?

"Teacher, since I've decided to participate in the physics competition, I'm certainly aiming for the rematch."

Xu You's participation in the physics competition was not just about experiencing the atmosphere.

If he wasn't confident about making it to the rematch, he might as well focus on preparing for the college entrance exam.

"Alright, I'll recommend a few textbooks for you. I'll write them down on paper."

Gao Shang tore off a piece of paper and began writing, while explaining to Xu You.

"First off, for the physics competition, you can start with the green book and the black and white cover ones. Mastering these should easily get you through the preliminaries."

"To aim for the rematch, you must go through Cheng Jiafu's 'Mechanics' and 'Electromagnetism', and definitely work on the past years' rematch questions."

"To reach a higher level, 'Advanced Mathematics' volumes 1 and 2, 'Linear Algebra', and 'General Physics' are all essential."

"Including 'Mechanics', 'Optics', 'Thermodynamics', 'Electromagnetism', and 'Quantum Physics' in the general physics textbooks. I recommend Zhao Kaihua's set for these, and for 'Quantum Physics', you can use Zhe Shenglin's. Zhao Kaihua's quantum physics is a bit challenging."

"If you're aiming for the provincial team, 'Collection of Difficult Problems', 'National Training', etc., should all be meticulously worked through."

"Of course, if you're aiming for the national training team, 'Mathematical Methods', 'The Four Great Mechanics', and such should also be looked into…"

While saying this, Gao Shang had already filled a piece of paper with various textbooks.

Gao Shang didn't expect Xu You to finish reading all these books in just two months.

If Xu You could reach the level of the rematch within two months, that would be quite impressive.

All this was to intimidate Xu You a bit, to let him know how much knowledge the competition demands.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the amount of knowledge required for the physics competition alone is more than the total of all high school subjects combined.

And upon seeing the books recommended by Gao Shang, Xu You did indeed feel the enormous demand for knowledge in the physics competition.

But Xu You didn't feel pressured; instead, it sparked his desire to purchase them.

The education fund provided by Xu Zhou was hardly touched.

Seeing Gao Shang stop writing, Xu You asked:

"Teacher, are these the only textbooks I need?"

Gao Shang was momentarily speechless at Xu You's question.

Previously, when Gao Shang recommended textbooks to other students, they were already confused halfway through the explanation.

Any one of these books would take a long time to digest.

But Xu You seemed unsatisfied with just these books.

Gao Shang tried to compose himself and patiently explained:

"These books are not simple. If you really master them, making it to the national training team wouldn't be a problem. You can start with the few I mentioned earlier, just focus on the preliminaries and the rematch content. The preliminary is less than two months away, and there's only a two-week gap between the preliminary and the rematch, so you need to prepare for the rematch content in advance."

Let alone finishing these books, even buying them all would cost a few thousand yuan.

If you can't even make it to the rematch, it's not worth spending the money.

"No worries, teacher. My dad gave me an education fund. Should ten thousand yuan be enough for these books? If it's enough, I'll buy them all at once to save the hassle. If not, I'll ask my dad for more."

Xu You believed that Xu Zhou wouldn't skimp on spending for his education.

"Well… that should be enough. Buying all original copies, two to three thousand yuan should cover it."

Hearing the price, Xu You was relieved.

"By the way, teacher, do some of these books overlap with the materials for math competition review?"

Xu You noticed that many of the recommended books seemed to cover university-level mathematics.

"Yes, there is some overlap. Many problems in the physics competition require a good foundation in mathematics, especially calculus. However, the physics competition doesn't demand as detailed mathematical knowledge as the math competition. Just studying these math textbooks won't suffice for the math competition."

As a physics competition teacher, Gao Shang naturally didn't want Xu You to divert his focus to other subject competitions.

"Teacher, could you also find a math competition teacher to recommend some books? I'm thinking of signing up for the math competition as well, just to try. My main focus will still be on the physics competition."

Xu You suddenly thought that since he was already studying a lot of mathematics for the physics competition, he might as well

 sign up for the math competition too.

His mathematics scores met the standards for registration.

If he later found he didn't have enough time, he could drop the math competition and focus solely on the physics competition.

If he had enough time, he could spend the extra time on the math competition.

"Alright, I'll ask around for you. But Xu You, I must tell you, you have a better chance of winning an award in physics. Don't spend too much energy on mathematics."

"Okay, teacher. I'll make sure to focus on physics first."

Although Xu You agreed readily, Gao Shang still had an indescribable feeling.

Xu You said he'd focus on the physics competition, but he still wanted to register for the math competition and even asked for help with math competition materials.

Indeed, these top students often can't concentrate on just one subject; they want to try everything.

But Gao Shang only complained in his heart.

If Xu You really could win an award in any competition, it would be an honor for Si Zhong either way.

After returning to the classroom, Xu You told Liu Yanli about his plans to sign up for both the physics and math competitions.

"Xu You, are you really going to sign up for both competitions?"

Liu Yanli's thoughts were similar to Zhao Shuang's; she didn't recommend students sign up for competitions at this time without a good chance of success.

"Yeah, I'll try signing up for both, my dad agrees. Teacher, signing up for both is okay, right?"

"It's possible, but you can't focus all your energy on the competitions. Although your science scores have improved significantly, your Chinese and English were just average. Study hard, and you could even match Lu Zhiyao."

Xu You's math and physics scores indeed met Si Zhong's standards, allowing him to sign up for both competitions.

But for Xu You's sake, Liu Yanli decided to talk to Xu You's parents about it.

Xu Zhou, Xu You's father, also remembered to extend Xu You's evening self-study exemption and contacted Liu Yanli on WeChat.

Xu Zhou: "Teacher Liu, Xu You said his evening self-study exemption has expired. Could you please issue him a new one, possibly for a longer term?"

Liu Yanli: "We can only issue exemptions for up to a month at a time. Remember to contact me in advance when it's about to expire, and I'll issue a new one for him."

Xu Zhou: "Okay, thank you, Teacher Liu."

After resolving the exemption issue, Xu Zhou began to inquire about Xu You's recent status at school.

(End of Chapter)