The Spring Festival passed quickly, and the new school term started after the Lantern Festival in 1995.
Chen Xihua inquired about the "Nanjiang District Junior High School English Speech Contest": Registration officially begins on March 1st, with five outstanding students selected from each school first, then proceeding to the preliminary round in Nanjiang City at the end of March, and finally the grand final in Hai City in mid-May!
Without even thinking, she approached Ms. Zhou, her first-year junior high English teacher, and said, "Ms. Zhou, I want to sign up for an English speech contest!"
"An English speech contest? Chen Xihua, you got 89 points in English last semester. Are you sure you want to participate in the contest?" Ms. Zhou is a female teacher in her forties. She is a very responsible teacher and knows the students in the class very well. This Chen Xihua's grades are above average, and she rarely answers questions on her own initiative!
"Yes, Teacher Zhou, I want to give it a try. Anyway, there will be a selection process!" Chen Xihua touched her nose guiltily. She was worried that they would have to see her final grades before she could register.
After registering, Chen Xihua went to find Chen Xiuhua in the second year of junior high school (1) and asked her to register as well!
Until the official registration deadline on March 1, Chen Xiuhua was a little nervous. Every day on her way home, she would practice her spoken English with her fifth sister. Once, she almost forgot to pick up her third sister from the Second Middle School. She only remembered when she was almost home, so she quickly turned back.
Chen Meihua waited for ten minutes at the entrance of the Second Middle School, becoming increasingly impatient and jumping up and down, shouting, "What's wrong with you two? Have you forgotten about me?!"
Because at this time, the third-year students are the last to get out of school, and few of them live on campus, she was the only one waiting at the gate. There were hardly any pedestrians on the road. After several internal struggles, she still didn't dare to walk alone!
"No, Third Sister, we were delayed on the way!" Chen Xiuhua jumped off her bicycle and hurriedly explained, not daring to tell the truth for fear of being scolded by her third sister and possibly tattled to their father!
Chen Xihua sat on the back of the bicycle, watching her third sister throw a tantrum, yelling and cursing, then jumping around in fear of the dark. She wanted to laugh; her sister was all bark and no bite. Such a short distance, and she needed someone to pick her up—what a coward! There are far fewer unemployed young people in the county now, and police officers patrol the area around the school from time to time.
The school's selection process involves an English written test followed by a short English speech.
Originally, not many students enrolled in the first year of junior high school; it was mainly the second-year students, and the third-year students were busy with the high school entrance exam!
Chen Xihua, however, was successfully selected with first place in both the written test and the speech! This almost surprised all the English teachers in the junior high school of the county, because they had never heard of such a promising English student!
Chen Xiuhua ranked second in both the written test and the speech, and was successfully selected!
The English teachers even went to great lengths to find out that they were sisters: Could it be that they had some unknown learning methods, or that someone in the family spoke English?
Ms. Du, the head of the English teaching group for the second year of junior high school, even specifically asked Chen Xiuhua, a student in her class, about it.
Chen Xiuhua was a little nervous: "Teacher Du, I just speak English at home. There's no special method. I just listen to English tapes a lot!"
This was all thanks to Fifth Sister's method. She guessed that Fifth Sister was very good at English, but she didn't expect her to be number one in everything!
Of the five selected students, four were in the second year of junior high, with Chen Xihua being in the first year; there were three girls and two boys. Afterwards, every afternoon after school, they would be gathered together for training by Ms. Du, the head of the second-year English teaching group!
The English group leader is named Du Qingshan. He is a male teacher in his thirties and graduated from the English Department of a key university in the south province. He could have gone to teach at Jiangshi High School, but since his family is from Gaoyang County, he knew that the English teaching level in the county was limited and it was difficult to find English teachers in the county town, so he asked to come back himself.
When he was in school, he secretly learned English from an English professor who had been sent to the countryside, which enabled him to get into a key provincial university. Knowing how difficult it was to learn English at that time, he returned to the county with a grateful heart!
Teacher Du has high hopes for the Chen sisters, especially Chen Xihua. However, it can't be said that Chen Xihua is not serious. Every time it's her turn to give a speech, she will do so very seriously. When it's not her turn, she will sit on the side and listen to her classmates' speeches. She just doesn't take the initiative and doesn't ask any questions!
Du Qingshan was a little worried. Was this student a bit introverted? With such a good foundation in spoken English, he needed to take the initiative to communicate in order to make progress!
Chen Xihua was unaware of these things; she was mainly worried about Chen Xiuhua, as her fourth sister was still a bit reserved!
March 28th arrived quickly, and the next day was the preliminary round in Jiang City. Since it was only a two-hour drive away, we didn't go to Jiang City a day earlier.
The next day, at seven o'clock in the morning, Teacher Du took Chen Xihua and four others, along with three students and teachers from No. 2 Middle School and No. 3 Middle School, a total of sixteen people, and rented a minibus in the county to go to Jiang City.
Along the way, we first saw low-rise bungalows, but when we arrived in Jiang City, we saw many tall buildings. Although they were mostly around ten stories high, and very few were taller, there were only one or two landmark buildings. However, the development had been very rapid, and the roadside shops had already started to open, selling all kinds of goods!
When we arrived at the Jiangshi Children's Palace Square, it was 9:30. The written test started at 10:30 and lasted for one hour.
The speech contest started at 2:30 pm. Fifty or sixty students from the entire Jiang City and several surrounding counties participated in the preliminary round!
At 5:30 pm, the speech contest ended. Chen Xihua was still first in both the written test and the speech. She took it very seriously this time. She didn't dare to be careless because she didn't know the level of the other students in Jiang City. She was determined to go to Hai City!
The second place winner is Gao Yang, the son of the head of the senior high school English teaching group at Jiangshi Middle School. He is in the second year of junior high school and is tall and thin!
The third place went to a girl from Heshui County, who was also in the second year of junior high school. She was a cute little girl with a round face, named Yang Xiaomei!
As they left the Children's Palace venue, many teachers and students were discussing, "Unexpectedly, Teacher Gao's son didn't get first place!"
Teacher Gao is a very famous English teacher in the entire Jiang City, whether it is junior high school or high school. His son, Gao Yang, has always been ranked first in English!
"Yes, which county is that top-ranked female student from?"
"It seems to be from Gaoyang County, named Chen Xihua, and she's a first-year junior high student!"
"That student, Chen, speaks very standard English, almost like a foreigner I met in Shanghai last year!" a female teacher, presumably an English teacher, said with some disbelief.
Chen Xiuhua ranked fourth. Her written test score was the same as Yang Xiaomei, who ranked third. However, during her speech, she was nervous and paused for too long between sentences, making her speech less fluent!
She still lacked confidence. At school, she only saw familiar faces, but when she came to Jiang City and had to give a speech in front of so many strangers, she got nervous!
Only the top three from each city can be selected for the finals in the preliminary rounds. Moreover, there is no written test in the finals; it's all about the speech, and the results are what matters!
Unfortunately, Chen Xiuhua couldn't go! On the way back, she was sullen and frustrated.
Chen Xihua noticed it too, but there were other teachers and students on the bus, so she didn't know what to say!
Chen Xihua was happy for herself first. The city actually awarded fifty yuan to the first place winner, while the second and third place winners received thirty yuan and ten yuan respectively!
The fifty-yuan reward didn't seem like much, but junior high tuition for a semester was only a little over a hundred yuan. Actually, the main thing was that she could go to Haishi, so she was happy!
By the time I got home, it was already 8:30 p.m., and the teachers and students from other schools had also gone home.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen were waiting for them in the dining room. When they learned that their fifth daughter had won first place, they laughed out loud with rare joy.
Chen Baohua was so happy that he danced around, exclaiming, "Fifth Sister is amazing!" as if he had won first place.
Although Li Yumei doesn't care about her daughter's grades, if she could win an award, wouldn't that be something to brag about in the family quarters? Let's see who still says she's useless for having a daughter!
Li Yumei showed some disdain for Chen Xiuhua, who almost made it to third place, saying, "She's hopeless!"
Chen Lao Er chuckled and said, "It's alright, fourth place is still very good!" He's becoming more and more like a loving father. Business at his pastry shop has been good lately, and he's planning to buy a motorcycle!
Originally feeling guilty and remorseful, Chen Xiuhua returned to her room without saying a word! When Chen Xihua went in, she found that her fourth sister was actually crying, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't cry out loud. She seemed to be holding back her tears, feeling both inferior and wronged!
Actually, Chen Xiuhua's tears weren't entirely because her mother scolded her; she was already used to her mother's tone and wouldn't feel wronged by her scolding. She was crying because she felt useless and began to doubt whether she could learn English well. However, it was also because of what her parents said that she couldn't hold back her tears!
"Alright, let's go for a walk. We should go to No. 2 Middle School to pick up Third Sister!" Chen Xihua thought that since she was going to pick up Third Sister, she would also take the opportunity to have a good chat with Fourth Sister!
"Fourth sister, it's okay. Think about it, you're already in fourth place. There are still more than fifty other students behind you!"
You're just nervous because you haven't encountered such a grand occasion in the county. You won't be nervous in the future!
Or, you could start speaking English not just at home, but also at school during your free time, speaking English with your classmates. You'll gradually get used to it!
Chen Xiuhua sniffed and said, "Thank you, Fifth Sister. I know, I just feel a little guilty!"
"What's there to blame yourself for, Fourth Sister? You've already done a great job. Do you really like English?"
"Yes, I really like it. I find it very interesting, but I'm also afraid I won't learn it well!" Chen Xiuhua was no longer sad. She felt much better after talking to her sister about what was on her mind.
"It's great that you like English, Fourth Sister. Do you know what a simultaneous interpreter is? The really amazing kind, not just ordinary translators, but the kind that diplomats translate on TV simultaneously. You can learn English with that in mind!"
Chen Xihua changed the subject and suggested that if she had bigger goals, she wouldn't be limited to just the gains and losses in front of her!
"Simultaneous interpretation? Little Five, can you do that?" Chen Xiuhua didn't quite understand, but she thought her fifth sister's English was already very good!
"Simultaneous interpretation is done at the same time, and I think I'm still a bit lacking, but Fourth Sister, keep practicing, I believe you can do it!"
Chen Xihua wasn't making empty promises or exaggerating without basis; she genuinely believed that her fourth sister was capable. Her fourth sister was truly intelligent; in terms of intelligence, Chen Xiuhua was probably the most intelligent in the family, the kind of person who could do academic work.
Chen Xiuhua is more of a genius, while Chen Xihua is at best a top student with an extra lifetime of experience!
Since Fourth Sister likes English, Chen Xihua definitely hopes that she can do her best and not be easily defeated. Fourth Sister is just a bit introverted. Her previous environment in the Chen family made her seem weak, but in fact, she was protecting herself and had not yet truly shown her strengths!
"Okay, I understand. Even if you didn't say anything, I would still study English diligently—no, not just learn English well!" Chen Xiuhua seemed to have made a huge decision; perhaps she really could do it! Translation? Simultaneous translation!
As May approached, late April was a long weekend, and Chen Chunhua and Chen Jinhua, who were studying at high school in Jiang City, both came back. During dinner that evening, Chen Xihua mentioned to Chen Lao Er: "Dad, I'm going to Hai City in two weeks to participate in an English speech contest. I want my eldest sister to go with me. I'll be going alone from the county. Although Teacher Du will be with me, it's so far away, I'll be nervous!"
"Is Chunhua okay? Do you want me to go with you?" Although Chen Lao Er couldn't tell why Xiao Wu was nervous, he felt more at ease having a parent accompany him. He had heard that Teacher Du was a male teacher, and it wasn't good for Xiao Wu to go alone!
But the eldest sister is only an eighteen-year-old girl, can she handle it? Chen Chunhua is not the fearless and clever Xiao Wu!
When she noticed her father looking at her and asking a question, Chen Chunhua felt a little guilty. She really wanted to blurt out, "Why don't you go with Fifth Sister, Dad?" But thinking of her younger sister's money-making plan, she could only bite the bullet and say, "Dad, I can do it!"
"Dad, it's alright, my eldest sister can go with me. Besides, if you come with me, it will take about a week, and the family pastry shop will be left to Mom alone. Will she be able to operate normally?" Chen Xihua didn't want Chen Lao Er to go with her, because that would get in the way of what she wanted to do!
Upon hearing this, Li Yumei realized that if Chen Lao Er wasn't home for about a week, she wouldn't be able to make many pastries to sell, maybe only for less than a morning. She would also have to go home to cook for Xiao Bao and wouldn't be able to manage the shop, which would mean losing a lot of money. "Isn't it enough to have Chunhua with you? She's not a child anymore!"
"Okay!" Chen Lao Er agreed after thinking for a moment, though he was a little disappointed. To be honest, he had never been to Haishi before. He had heard that it was a metropolis that was connected to the international community, and he was really looking forward to going there!
Sure enough, Li Yumei was very helpful. In her eyes, nothing was more important than making money. Of course, Chen Xihua herself was the same and wanted to make money as soon as possible!
"Fifth sister, I want to go too!" Chen Baohua hasn't been spending much time with his fifth sister lately. He knows she's going to participate in a competition, but he's a little unhappy to hear that she'll be gone for a week. Since she started junior high, she's rarely accompanied him to school.
"I'm going to a competition. We'll go out and play together again next time! I'll buy you a little gift!" Chen Xihua also knew that she had neglected Chen Xiaoliu recently. She thought that boys should have their own space, so she hadn't asked him much about what was going on at school!
"Hmph!" Fifth Sister no longer likes him!
Chen Xihua thought of a gift, "Comrade Li Yumei, you are the head of our family. There are many new and interesting things in Shanghai. Would you like me to buy something for Xiaobao?"
Chen Xihua also gave Chen Baohua a meaningful look, urging him to hurry up and ask his mother for money!
"Yes, Mother, I want my fifth sister to help me buy some extracurricular books!" Chen Baohua immediately realized that his fifth sister wanted to ask his mother for some money. He remembered that his fifth sister said she wanted to save up 10,000 yuan for something!
"We'll talk about it later!" Li Yumei felt uneasy again when she heard about the money! She had been thinking about the 10,000 yuan she had lent to Uncle Chen's family at the beginning of the year, and she hadn't been able to eat or sleep well for days, constantly worrying about what would happen if Uncle Chen's family didn't pay her back!
"Baohua's mother, prepare these things first. Give each of them five hundred yuan to carry with them. When traveling, it's better to be frugal at home than frugal on the road!" Although Chen Lao Er knew that the school would cover the travel expenses, including the cost of a family member accompanying him, he still knew that it was essential to have some money on hand when traveling.
"Five hundred? Isn't that a bit too much! Three hundred should be enough!" Li Yumei felt a pang of heartache again. Don't ask her why she cared so much about money. Hadn't she heard? Her sister-in-law had so much money, yet her husband still managed to have an affair and keep a mistress.
I thought my sister-in-law had my husband completely under her thumb, but who would have thought he'd be caught having dinner with another woman before the New Year? Luckily, it was just the beginning, and he didn't have much money on him! In the end, my sister-in-law made a huge scene, and he said he wouldn't dare do it again!
However, seeing Chen Lao Er's unhappy face, I decided to accept five hundred. In recent years, the family's conditions have improved, and my husband has become more and more carefree and dashing, as if he has returned to his former refined and handsome self.
Li Yumei felt that she was being controlled by this family. She couldn't say anything to her son and daughter, and she couldn't say anything to her own husband either. Who told her to fall for Chen Lao Er's handsome face? Now that he was in his forties, he hadn't gained weight and had become even more mature and charming!
Therefore, she couldn't let Chen Lao Er keep the money; she didn't trust him to do so!
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