This lunch cost a total of 105 yuan, which was much cheaper than the 150-plus yuan at the state-run restaurant last night. Divided into three portions, it only cost a little over 30 yuan!
Teacher Gao and his son seemed to enjoy their meal quite much, and even said with great seriousness that it was not much worse than that of a fancy restaurant!
Chen Xihua, Teacher Du, and Yang Xiaomei ate much more practically. No matter where they were, they could eat their fill, and the tastes were pretty much the same. They just wanted to save money!
In Chen Xihua’s opinion, the food in this era was always prepared in its original flavor, without any additives or pesticides.
After a one-hour lunch break, Chen Xihua and her group arrived at the third floor of the Cultural Building at 2 p.m.!
I arrived a bit late this time, and the front seats were already full. Except for the first row, which was reserved for leaders, everyone else could sit anywhere. There was an English lecture later, so many students moved to the front, leaving only the last one or two rows with empty seats.
"Big sister, why don't you find a seat in the front? There might be a few others, but if we all sit together, there won't be any left. I can just sit anywhere in the back!" Chen Xihua saw that Chen Chunhua, a good student, wanted to move to the front, so she didn't want to stop her.
"Anyway, I want to sit with Xiaoxi!" Yang Xiaomei didn't like sitting in the front either. As long as she was with Chen Xihua, she didn't care where she sat. She didn't want to sit with her aunt either. She wondered if her aunt would ask her questions privately during the professor's lecture if there was anything she didn't understand.
"Then I'll sit in the back too!" In the morning, she had no choice but to sit in the front because her younger sister had to participate in a competition. Now that she could sit anywhere, Chen Chunhua still hoped to sit with her sister. She wouldn't feel at ease if she didn't keep an eye on her.
Chen Chunhua was used to sitting in the front. She always sat in the middle or front of the classroom at school, and that was the same as the seats arranged by the teachers. She had never sat in the back. Moreover, when university professors were lecturing, wouldn't she have to sit in the front and listen attentively?
Finally, Chen Xihua, Chen Chunhua, and Yang Xiaomei sat in the back row, while the other teachers and Gao Yang and the other three went to the front to find seats.
"Turns out they're just three country bumpkins, spouting some weird ideas, and they got 9.4 points? The judges must be blind!" Chen Xihua and her two friends had just sat down when they heard a female classmate in the row in front of them say in a disdainful tone. A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, she didn't know how to hide her true feelings, and her sarcasm was blatant.
"Alright, Xiaolian, it's not easy for someone from a small place to be good at English. Don't say that. She must have worked incredibly hard to get to this level!" Another female classmate next to her, although speaking softly, used a contemptuous and scheming tone that made people even more annoyed. Chen Xihua recognized her as Zhou Ru and was a little surprised. Are middle school girls in their early teens really this good at English these days? White lotus, green tea, and all that?
"You're talking nonsense!" Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaomei immediately flew into a rage, indignant and resentful. Her temper was always on full display. Just as she was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, Chen Xihua stopped her, saying, "Sister Yang, it's alright, the meeting has begun!"
"Fifth sister, don't mind what they're saying, your English is just good!" Chen Chunhua was also embarrassed and angry at the two little girls' open and subtle mockery, but she quickly adjusted herself and treated them as children.
Besides, so what if it's a small county town? Her fifth sister is amazing! So she quietly comforted Chen Xihua, worried that her sister would be unhappy!
"Big sister, don't take it to heart. This is jealousy, and those who aren't envied are mediocre!" Chen Xihua said calmly. In her previous life, she was a rich girl who was raised from childhood to be an heir and a strong woman. She was just a little bit of a fresh-faced and artistic girl who wanted to play with her father. When did she become so looked down upon?
Zhou Ru and the two female classmates called Xiao Lian were a little embarrassed and angry when they heard this. They wanted to say something, but the meeting was about to start.
Yang Xiaomei's eyes instantly lit up with smugness: Serves you right!
The first event was the awards ceremony. The speech contest held in the morning had winners of first, second and third place, who received certificates and prize money. The remaining twenty-two winners each received a notebook as a souvenir.
The same host teacher from this morning said, "First of all, please come up and receive your souvenirs if your names are called. Thank you all for participating..."
"Everyone, stand in a line, line up properly. Now, please welcome Director Lü from our Education Bureau, and translators Zhao and Wu from our Foreign Guest Reception Office to come up and present the awards!"
"Okay, thank you very much. Photographer, take one more picture! Very good, that's enough, you can walk on slowly now!"
...
"Next, please welcome our third-place winner, Du Peishan. Du Peishan scored 9.3 in the speech contest, winning third place in this Nanjiang District Junior High School English Speech Contest. Please welcome Deputy Director Wang from the Education Bureau to present the award!"
"Here, a little closer, yes, in the middle, Director Wang, please come this way! Du, the front of the certificate should face forward, yes, like that! Okay, that's enough, Director Wang, this way please, watch out for the steps!"
"Second place, the second place winner is Chen Xihua, with a score of 9.4 in the speech contest, winning second place in this Nanjiang District Junior High School English Speech Contest. Please welcome our teacher Lai... Minister Huang to come up and present the award!"
Chen Xihua continued walking forward at a leisurely pace, then went up to the podium and stood at the very front. Many of the audience members below were looking at her with scrutinizing eyes.
In this competition, many teachers from schools in Shanghai had already roughly guessed the rankings of the top few, but they did not expect Chen Xihua to emerge and win second place. They dared not think about the first place, as it was undoubtedly Minister Huang's daughter, Huang Feifei. However, they still wanted to try their best to win the last two places!
"Hmph, this country bumpkin got second place, even higher than Du Peishan!" Xiaolian, who had just spoken, whispered to her good friend Zhou Ru next to her, a little gloating. But when she remembered that her friend hadn't made it into the top three, her expression immediately disappeared!
Zhou Ru was indeed in a bad mood at the moment. She only got fourth place and a tattered souvenir book, and just a few days ago a bunch of people were standing on it to take pictures!
At that moment, the minister who had spoken in the back that morning came up and said, "Teacher Li, I'd like to say a few words!" Minister Huang interrupted the host.
"Hello Chen Xihua, my surname is Huang, and I work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was very happy to hear your speech this morning. I think your English was not only very standard, but the content was also excellent. I believe that our country's development in the next 20 or 30 years will reach the level you envisioned! Professor Lai was originally supposed to present you with the award, but I took the opportunity to get to know you. Thank you very much for your trust in our country!"
"Also, I was originally supposed to be a judge, but because my daughter was also competing, I asked to avoid any appearance of impropriety and didn't serve as a judge. Now I regret it. I shouldn't have avoided any appearance of impropriety. Otherwise, you would have won first place, and I would definitely have given you the highest score!"
Chen Xihua hadn't expected that Minister Huang would be so excited and happy just because she was giving a speech based on the country's development in her previous life. It was clear how much he supported and trusted his country. Her nose tingled, and she was suddenly very moved. No matter when or where, there are always such lovely people who unconditionally support and endorse the country's development!
"Minister Huang, you flatter me! I firmly believe that my vision will be realized, because I also believe in our country!"
At this moment, enthusiastic applause rang out from below, and many teachers and students were moved by what Minister Huang had said!
Zhou Ru and Xiao Lian looked a little pale and guilty. This was Minister Huang, after all. Luckily, they hadn't spoken loudly, so not many people heard them.
After taking a photo with Minister Huang, Chen Xihua walked down slowly, her steps a little heavy. She then sat down quietly next to Chen Chunhua, holding a certificate and an envelope containing a prize. The second-place prize was three hundred yuan, which she felt unworthy of. She should have taken the competition more seriously, instead of just using it as an excuse to come to Haishi!
The awards ceremony continues!
"Alright, finally, please welcome our first-place winner, Huang Feifei, who has won first place in this Nanjiang District Junior High School English Speech Contest with a score of 9.5. Please welcome Professor Lai to come up and present the award!"
Huang Feifei, who was receiving the award on stage, was smiling, but she seemed a little forced and aggrieved as she looked at her father, Minister Huang, sitting below the stage, and found that he had nothing to say.
...
"This competition has been a complete success. Next, please welcome Professor Lai to give an English lecture. Let's give him a warm round of applause!"
The lecture lasted about two hours, and by the time we got back to the hotel, it was already six o'clock!
Teacher Wang and Yang Xiaomei bought train tickets for Thursday night to rush back to the Southern Province because of a happy occasion at a relative's house over the weekend. As soon as the lecture ended, they hurriedly went to the train station!
Teacher Gao had also made appointments with other people in Shanghai, and after the lecture, he left the Jinhua Hotel with Gao Yang.
That evening, it was just the three of them, Chen Xihua and her sister, again. Teacher Du took them to that small restaurant serving stir-fries!
"Um, um, Teacher Du, my older sister and I want to stay in Haishi for a few more days. It's Friday tomorrow, and then it'll be the weekend. It's a rare opportunity to come to Haishi, so we can spend a few more days here. That's why we're not going back tomorrow!" Chen Xihua had prepared her words, but when she said them, they didn't come out so naturally. She was still a little guilty. Teacher Du stared at her intently!
"Not going back? Then when are you going back!"
"Teacher Du, we're not going back yet. We'll be going back next week. We've already told our parents, which is why I asked my older sister to come with me. Besides, my older sister is eighteen years old and an adult!" Chen Xihua looked at Du Qingshan cautiously, afraid that Teacher Du would insist on taking them home!
Du Qingshan was shocked by Chen Xihua's words, which caught him off guard. He was the one who brought the person out, but he couldn't bring them back with him, which put him in a difficult position!
Chen Chunhua sat upright to the side, not daring to speak, afraid that Teacher Du would ask her for details! She couldn't possibly withstand the teacher's questions; she couldn't lie, and she felt guilty if she did!
"Chen Chunhua, is that right?" Du Qingshan asked Chen Chunhua very seriously.
"Yes, Teacher Du, we're just going to the Haishi Department Store to shop a bit! I'm an adult now, and if I get into university in a year, I'll be going to a big city, so having my younger sister with me this time is a good opportunity for her to get some experience!" Chen Chunhua said, following the story her fifth younger sister had rehearsed with her.
"Eighteen years old, you're an adult, right! ...Then I'll trust you this once. You have to make sure you bring your sister home, can you promise?" Du Qingshan couldn't really refuse. Although he suspected the two sisters had some kind of secret, he was only seventeen back then and went to university in the South Province by himself!
"I can do it, Teacher Du!" Chen Chunhua made a gesture of assurance!
"Alright, I'll leave the return fare with you. You can get it back for reimbursement from Xihua when she gets back to school! Do you know how to get to the train station and how to buy tickets?" Du Qingshan was very worried and checked with the sisters again and again to make sure they knew how to buy tickets and which station to buy them for!
"Teacher Du, don't worry, there's a direct train from Haishi to Jiangshi, no transfers needed. My older sister is in high school in Jiangshi and knows the city very well, so everything will be fine!" Chen Xihua assured her again.
Upon hearing this, Du Qingshan felt a little relieved. Indeed, as long as he boarded the train at Haishi Railway Station and returned to Jiangshi, there was nothing to worry about!
"Teacher Du, we will still stay at Jinhua Hotel. If you are worried when you get back, you can call the hotel anytime to check if we have returned!" Chen Xihua reassured Teacher Du again, trying her best to put her mind at ease and relieve her of any psychological burden.
"Alright then, it's a promise, I really will call every day to check up!" Du Qingshan said seriously.
After the matter was settled, Chen Xihua breathed a sigh of relief. As a conscientious and responsible teacher, she couldn't bear to lie to him, which was why she felt guilty. If it were someone else, it would be different.
Meanwhile, a conversation also took place at Minister Huang's home!
"Feifei, did what Daddy said this afternoon make you unhappy?"
"...No, no!...Dad, I'm a little unhappy! Dad, my English is clearly the best among all the contestants!" Seeing the serious expression on her father's face and the look in his eyes that said not to lie, Huang Feifei still told the truth. She was indeed a little unhappy and unconvinced. She was clearly the first place winner in the speech contest, but her father gave face to the second place winner, making her, the first-place winner's own daughter, almost lose face!
Minister Huang's voice was a bit deep: "Yes, your spoken English is indeed quite good, but it's about the same as Chen's. You only have an advantage in spoken English because you studied abroad. It's just that you're good at English. Besides, the judges gave you a high score because of me!"
"You know, your parents agreed to let you study English abroad, and it's not just for the sake of learning English!"
Especially for your parents' generation, learning English is not just for the sake of learning English, but for the better development and future of the country! Perhaps when the time Chen envisions comes, it will be common to see Chinese people learning English simply out of interest, and we will be happy to see that.
But now, you should know what Dad's job responsibilities are!
Hearing her father's earnest words, Huang Feifei knew how heavy the burden was on his shoulders as a diplomat!
"Okay, I understand. I'm not unhappy!" Chen Xihua's speech was indeed more captivating, so she reluctantly forgave her father.
Minister Huang smiled with satisfaction. He knew his children were good people. Although they could be a little arrogant at times, they were good at listening to advice and were not arrogant or conceited.
The next morning, after seeing Teacher Du off in a taxi to the train station, Chen Xihua and her sister repeatedly assured her that they would be careful and would definitely return next week, Teacher Du finally got into the taxi and left!
"Come on, big sister, let's take a taxi to Haishi New District now. Do you have your bankbook and ID card?" Chen Xihua asked Chen Chunhua again to confirm.
"I brought it all, it's in my schoolbag!" Chen Chunhua said softly. At school, she also deposited the 500 yuan her mother gave her for travel expenses into the savings account. Now there is 10,000 yuan plus 150 yuan in the account. She is always worried about losing the savings account because she carries it with her!
It takes an hour and costs fifteen yuan to get from the center of Cultural Square to the Haishi New Area Exchange Building by taxi!
When the Chen sisters arrived at the entrance of the exchange building, Chen Xihua was very excited as soon as she got out of the car, saying that she had finally arrived here.
Although she doesn't understand finance or the stock market, and certainly doesn't know how to trade stocks, she remembers several important time points because they have been recorded and analyzed!
Today is May 17th. Over the next three days, there will be a surge in prices. She doesn't need to worry about which stock to buy; she can just find one that's reasonably priced!
Chen Xihua pulled the somewhat reserved Chen Chunhua along and walked confidently into the exchange hall. There were already many people inside, because it was Friday and the market was closed on weekends!
Chen Xihua skillfully maneuvered through the crowd to one of the service windows, intending to ask the manager inside to help her older sister open a trading account. "Hello, we..."
"Young ladies, it's you!" An excited male voice rang in Chen Xihua's ears. She looked up and saw that the manager inside the window next to her was Zhang Hai, the man who had met the family of three at the train station last time!
"Hello, this is us!" Chen Xihua then turned to the window that Zhang Hai was in charge of!
"Young ladies, wait a moment, I'll come out and talk to you!" Zhang Hai got up and went inside. Two minutes later, the person came out from the side passage. "I'll take you to the reception room next door to talk!"
Upon entering one of the small reception rooms, Zhang Hai was overjoyed to finally see the little girl who had saved his son again!
"Are you looking to buy stocks, futures, or something else?"
"Uncle Zhang, we don't have much time to talk right now. Could you please open a trading account for my older sister first, and then we can transfer the money in now?" Chen Xihua was a little anxious and had to get it done before the afternoon!
"No, are you in such a hurry? Do you even know what you're going to buy?" Zhang Hai has been working here for three or four years and knows how deep the water is. These two young girls don't know anything and they want to transfer money in. Isn't that just throwing money down the drain?
This young girl is my son's benefactor; I can't let her do whatever she wants!
"Manager Zhang, please treat us as customers. Please open a trading account for my sister now, or I'll go find someone else!" Chen Xihua didn't have time to chat with him anymore!
"No way, forget it, I'll open one for your sister!" Zhang Hai saw that the girl was really stubborn and determined, with a serious expression. He thought that it was just opening an account, so it was fine. Besides, it was being opened with him, so he could keep an eye on it!
After the trading account was opened, Chen Xihua pulled Chen Chunhua out to a nearby bank to withdraw money. "Big sister, take out your passbook and withdraw all 10,000 yuan!" Chen Xihua was also anxious and didn't ask if she could transfer the money directly to the account.
"Ten thousand? Withdraw it all?" Chen Chunhua was a little startled, but seeing her fifth sister's anxious and unwavering face, as well as her earnest eyes, she could only carefully hand over the passbook. "Please help me withdraw ten thousand yuan!"
"Okay, please wait a moment!" The bank teller carefully took the passbook.
Ten minutes later, the salesperson handed over a stack of blue-black 100-yuan bills, along with a bankbook! "Hello, this is 10,000 yuan. Please count it, and please keep the bankbook safe!"
"Okay, thank you!" Chen Xihua took the money directly from Chen Chunhua, turned around and walked out, then returned to the exchange hall. Chen Chunhua jogged after her. This fifth sister was too bold, just holding a wad of money in her hand like that!
After opening a trading account for Chen Chunhua, Zhang Hai hadn't seen the two sisters again and thought they were just playing around. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that young Chen come in again with a wad of cash in her hand. His heart pounded. Are all young girls these days so troublesome?
"Miss Chen, are you just going to let your sister act like this? You opened the account, so you have to agree to the purchase!" Zhang Hai realized that the little girl Chen was completely ignoring him and was about to go to the window next to pay, so he could only try to talk to the older sister and hope she could stop her!
Chen Chunhua shook her head; she was powerless to stop it!
"Wait, wait a minute, Miss Chen, I'll buy it for you, I'll buy it for you! Okay?" Zhang Hai was furious. He realized he couldn't stop them, so he had to act as their agent. He didn't trust the Chen sisters to buy from anyone else! Who knew what they'd buy, and he couldn't keep an eye on them!
"Okay, Manager Zhang, please help me buy the one that's 9.98 yuan per share, 1,000 shares, that'll be 9,980 yuan in total. Here's 10,000 yuan, please count it!" Chen Xihua didn't waste any words and directly bought the one with the right price. 10,000 yuan was just enough to buy 100 lots!
"Buy all 10,000 yuan of this stock?" Zhang Hai was completely dumbfounded. The stock price was low, but it had been in a slump and hadn't changed much!
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