Chapter 23: 23

Chapter 23 - Villagers

Although the reporters from the Guo City TV station had seen photos of Shen Shao, they almost didn’t recognize him when they saw him in person. In real life, Shen Shao looked taller and more handsome than on TV.

“Hello, Student Shen Shao.” The reporter, Liu Zhong, had a kindly personality. He didn’t neglect etiquette just because Shen Shao was young, but shook hands with him seriously. “I’m Liu Zhong, a reporter for the ‘Daily Living’ segment on Guo City TV News. This is our cameraman, Peng Jie. We’ll be imposing on you all day today.” In his eyes, a genius student like Shen Shao shouldn’t be treated the same as an ordinary teen.

“You’re welcome, Uncle Liu.” Shen Shao turned to the cameraman and greeted him, then asked, “Do you want to start now?”

Liu Zhong nodded. “You don’t have to worry about us, just do what you normally do.” What they wanted to shoot was Shen Shao’s daily life in school.

“That’s fine.” Shen Shao smiled at them. He and his two friends pushed their bikes through the school gate. Liang Cheng and Zhou ZeYu weren’t used to having a camera on them, but they did their best to ignore the black box that was following.

As Liu Zhong walked behind Shen Shao, he saw that many people in No. 3 High School knew the young man. In the short distance from the school gate to the bicycle parking lot, multiple students greeted Shen Shao. Some called him ‘senior’, some called him ‘Shao Ge’, and others called him ‘Shen Shao’ by name. Although they used different names, Liu Zhong could tell how familiar they were with Shen Shao and how much they valued him.

“Shao Ge, want to play a game during PE this afternoon?” A boy from the neighboring class came over and patted Shen Shao on the shoulder. A moment later he noticed Liu Zhong and his colleague. At first he was startled, and then he turned his head and threw a sentence to Shen Shao: “See you this afternoon.”

“Didn’t they lose to us last time? Now they’re back.” Zhou ZeYu watched the boy as he walked away. He put his hand on Shen Shao’s shoulder. “We’ll beat them again this afternoon.”

Shen Shao glanced at him and said noncommittally, “Assuming we’re not busy during PE.”

The three arrived at the classroom, put the books they needed on their desks, and began their day of study.

When Liu Zhong saw this, he asked Peng Jie to take shots of Shen Shao reading a textbook. Then, with a sense of discretion, they left the classroom. No. 3 High School was willing to let them film, but it was mostly as a favor to Shen Shao. Otherwise a small local station like theirs wouldn’t be allowed to spend an entire day filming in the province’s best high school.

The school’s serious attitude towards Shen Shao made the reporter respect Shen Shao even more. In his opinion, Shen Shao had a promising future and would probably become an important person someday. Because of this, when he interacted with Shen Shao, he instinctively spoke to him with respect.

During the break between classes, Liu Zhong noticed that Shen Shao wasn’t buried in his books. Whenever it was time for recess, Shen Shao would chat and hang out with his classmates instead of reading. During lunch, Shen Shao invited them to eat in a neat and clean restaurant outside school. Then, half-joking and half-serious, he said, “Uncles, both of you came all the way from our hometown. Let me treat you, OK?”

Liu Zhong had learned about Shen Shao’s family situation before he came here. How could he agree to let this child pay for his meal? Not to mention that the station had approved plenty of activity funds for the trip. To be honest, their intention was to find a way to buy Shen Shao some learning supplies and things for daily life. In the end, he forced Shen Shao to give up the idea of treating them, giving the reason that “if you don’t let us pay, you’re looking down on us”.

The food was served quickly. After filming a few shots, Peng Jie also sat down and ate with them. The three men didn’t have strict rules about eating in silence. They made some small talk while enjoying their food.

“Have you gotten used to living at school?” Liu Zhong thought of Shen Shao’s background and felt both admiration and sympathy for him. When he was Shen Shao’s age, he was nowhere near as promising.

Shen Shao nodded. He swallowed the food in his mouth and replied, “My teachers and classmates have all been really good to me. Most of the time, I’m the one who’s taken care of.”

By now Peng Jie had turned on the camera and was filming silently.

“I noticed that a lot of your fellow students like you because of your good grades.” Liu Zhong said. “Or is it because of your good looks?”

“That’s too difficult to answer.” Shen Shao looked at Liu Zhong with an embarrassed face, then smiled. “Everyone is just really friendly.”

Liu Zhong laughed and said, “I thought it was because you have good looks, good grades, and play basketball.”

Shen Shao scratched his head. “Uncle Liu, don’t keep making jokes. If my classmates find out, they’ll tease me until graduation.”

After the two finished joking, Liu Zhong’s tone became solemn. “A lot of people in your hometown are worried that you won’t be able to take good care of your health because you’re living on your own. Do you have anything to say to everyone?”

When he heard the question, Shen Shao had a grateful smile on his face. He said sincerely, “Some people may feel sorry for me, but the truth is that I’m a lucky person. When I was in junior high school, my fellow villagers worried that I wouldn’t eat well. Whenever I went home on vacation, they found all kinds of reasons to send me eggs and fruit. The village committee supported me, too. They gave me subsidies for the Spring Festival holiday. Before I started high school, the village collected a lot of money for my tuition. My two uncles live ordinary lives and have their own children to raise, but every year they always gave me a lot of money. The same goes for my two aunts. The sweater and vest I’m wearing right now are things they knitted for me. They’re ordinary people, but they gave me the greatest love and care possible. For me, their love is the greatest treasure and good fortune I could ask for. “

After hearing these words, Liu Zhong’s throat felt tight. He took a deep breath, then said, “They sound like kind-hearted people.”

Shen Shao nodded heavily and said to the camera, “Thank you, everyone. I’ll study hard and try not to let you down.”

“You didn’t let them down.” With a particularly gentle smile, Liu Zhong looked at the serious young man in front of him. “You won first place in the national math league. Your entire hometown is proud of you.”

Guo City wasn’t highly developed, and their educational resources were barely average in the province. If a student from their town could be admitted to Hua U or Jing U, it was worth celebrating, not to mention a talent like Shen Shao, who’d won the championship on national TV. For Guo City, it wasn’t much different from being a star.

“Thank you, but I haven’t done enough yet.” Shen Shao shook his head. “Far from enough.”

All the honors he received had gone to himself. Even the championship he won was in the name of Furong No. 3 High School. He hadn’t made any contributions to Guo City.

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Liu Zhong didn’t expect Shen Shao to take this issue so seriously, but as a person from Guo City, he was moved by Shen Shao’s thoughts. “You’re still young. We believe you’ll go on to achieve even more.”

Shen Shao smiled shyly at the camera, then bowed his head and drank the soup in his bowl.

In the afternoon, Liu Zhong and Peng Jie filmed Shen Shao’s performance in physical education class and interviewed some students about him. When they finished shooting in the evening, they gave Shen Shao the gifts they’d prepared and returned home.

The footage they shot was broadcast on Guo City TV station a week later. Although the entire program was only an hour long after editing, it showed Shen Shao in a good light.

He was modest and polite, loved by his teachers, close to his classmates, got good grades, and played basketball. He was also a child who knew the meaning of gratitude and kindness and hadn’t forgotten his roots.

The words Shen Shao said to the camera to thank the people of his village weren’t edited at all. With his sincere expression, no one would have thought that he was acting. Instead, they felt moved by the emotions he expressed.

How many teenagers in this world could make so much progress with no mother or father, remaining steadfast and motivated, and recognizing the kindness others gave them?

Later, thanks to the promotion of Guo City TV station, the Peng County TV station went to interview Shen Shao’s two maternal uncles. The two men talked about Shen Shao and were full of praise. They also showed reporters the things Shen Shao had sent them over the years. Although the things weren’t expensive, they showed his heartfelt feelings.

“After Xiao Shao went to the capital to participate in the competition, he sent us a roast duck he bought there.” Shao QingWu smiled and placed the roast duck in front of the camera. “How many times have we told him not to spend his money frivolously? But he just doesn’t listen. He saves his money to buy us these things. We can’t do anything with him.”

The reporter told himself silently: The grin on your face is bright enough to blind people. Maybe if you managed to restrain it a little, I could trick myself into believing these fake complaints of yours.

Compared with Shen Shao’s two uncles, the family of his eldest paternal uncle, Shen JianJun, felt a lot more awkward.

Most people in the village knew that when Shen Shao was in high school, Shen JianJun’s family contributed hardly anything to him. Even the donations they made weren’t much different than other villagers. At the time, people heard that the two girls in Shen JianJun’s family didn’t like their cousin Shen Shao. Sometimes the things they said were hard to listen to. Now that Shen Shao was doing well, the villagers wondered what that family felt about it.

Shen JianJun and Liu ShuLian had mixed emotions. At dinner, Shen Hong gnawed on the roast duck while complaining that Shen Shao sent too little. Shen JianJun, who’d always kept silent on these things, finally spoke out. “You shut your mouth. Don’t brag outside that Shen Shao is your cousin when all you do is complain about him at home. That person doesn’t owe you anything. If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you come up with good grades like your cousin!”

“Why do you think I can’t do it? If you weren’t so poor, would everyone in school laugh at me?!” When she heard this, Shen Hong burst like a balloon that had just been poked. She tossed away the bone in her hand and stomped back to her room.

“She’s spoiled!” Shen JianJun said impatiently. “If you’re so unhappy with your parents, show us that you can do better. Shen Shao has no mother or father and still managed to get ahead. All that girl does is complain about us!”

Shen JianJun felt guilty towards Shen Shao. Recently, some people outside were saying that his family was too hard-hearted. He’d felt unhappy about it for a long time. When Shen Hong criticized Shen Shao at the table, her words lit the fuse that ignited his silence after all these years, and his reprimand was particularly harsh.

Liu ShuLian and Shen Yuan didn’t say anything. Shen Yuan was older than Shen Hong and had gradually become more sensible. She realized now that she’d misunderstood her cousin. The dissatisfaction she once felt towards him had turned into admiration.

She looked at her father, whose face showed the vicissitudes of life, and her thoughts were a little sour. If they weren’t so poor, her family wouldn’t have such embarrassing quarrels, right?

Shen Shao didn’t know his eldest uncle’s family got into an argument because of him. For Shen Shao, the most important thing right now was the college entrance exam.

Two months later, more than five million senior year students nationwide made it through the final sprint to the college entrance exam, an event which only happened once a year.

Thousands of troops had to cross this single-plank bridge. The most important exam of Shen Shao’s life was on its way.

 

TL Notes:

senior – 学长 – xuézhǎng – (a polite form of address for) a fellow student; senior or older male schoolmate

the vicissitudes of life – 沧桑 – great changes / ups and downs / vicissitudes

thousands of troops – 千军万马 – thousands upon thousands of horses and soldiers — a powerful army; a vast host of infantry and cavalry; hordes of troops and horses; millions of troops

single-plank bridge – 独木桥 – single-plank bridge; single-log bridge; a difficult path

 

Transliterated names, places, and titles—new in this chapter:

Liu Zhong – 刘忠

Peng Jie – 彭杰

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