Chapter 111
Tianli Junior High School’s Dragon Boat Festival performance was scheduled for the third day after the Dragon Boat Festival.
Because teachers and leaders from Ava High School and soldiers from the army were coming to participate in the children's performance, various leaders in the town and some public security officers were also invited by the school principal to watch, so the security at Tianli Junior High School was particularly strict today. In addition to the school security personnel, comrades from the public security department were also on duty.
The performance was held at seven o'clock in the evening, and the school auditorium was already full of audience.
There are so many officials visiting today. The principal attaches great importance to today's performance. He repeatedly reminded all the students who are preparing to perform on stage: "Students, please clean up your poop and pee. Don't be tempted to go to the toilet as soon as you go on stage, which will affect the performance. Before going on stage, check your clothes backstage for any flaws. If your clothes are torn or damaged, fix them immediately. After going on stage, just perform as you should. Don't be nervous."
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it, but once he did, everyone became extremely nervous.
Wang Songyue, who performs on stage every year, always whispers to Chen Tianyou: "Tianyou, I'm so nervous."
"Why are you nervous? It's just singing a song or reciting a poem on stage, just like talking at home. There's no need to be nervous," said Chen Tianyou.
For this performance, the principal specifically asked all the students to wear neat performance costumes.
Therefore, early in the morning, Chen Tianyou wore the clothes of the young actors in the art troupe that their class teacher had specially borrowed from the county. He was wearing a green military uniform, with the Youth League badge and a small red flower on his chest, and stood behind the stage.
He now looks more and more handsome, combining the best features of his parents. He is taller than boys of the same age and has fair skin. When he stands among a group of performing children, he not only stands out from the crowd, but also gives people a sense of dignity despite his young age.
As soon as he said this, the classmates around him turned to look at him. The girls looked at him with admiration and love, while the boys looked at him with envy and jealousy.
They are the same age and gender. Most of the boys are average looking with dark skin, but Chen Tianyou is so fair and handsome, and his academic performance is so good. God is so unfair.
Chen Tianyou was tall and thin with handsome features. Not only did other female classmates feel moved, but even Wang Songyue felt her heart beating faster than usual when she looked at Chen Tianyou.
She also felt that she was weird. She had grown up with Chen Tianyou and she had been used to seeing his face since she was a child. She didn't think he was much better looking than other boys. But why was he so good looking today, wearing a military uniform and standing under the lights backstage?
She looked straight at Chen Tianyou for less than two seconds before realizing that something was wrong with her. She withdrew her gaze and said, "Aren't there many leaders among the people who came to watch the performance today, as well as your parents. My parents are here too, and I'm afraid that if I don't perform well and don't get a good ranking, they will laugh at me."
Wang Songyue has an exceptionally beautiful face, perfectly inheriting Liang Xueqing's genes. Her facial features are delicate and not coquettish. She is wearing a military uniform for performance. The fabric fits her body very well. The army green fabric sets off her exposed arms and neck skin, which is as white and tender as cream. With two braids in her hair and a small military cap on her head, she looks fresh and indescribably cute. She doesn't even need to put on lipstick, rouge, or a red dot between her eyebrows like other female classmates. She is already very beautiful.
Chen Tianyou was stunned, and after a while he came back to his senses, smiling and said, "You also know that our parents are in the audience, they are our relatives, even if we don't perform well, they won't blame us. Besides, the other leaders, apart from their identities, are just ordinary uncles and aunts. You just need to think of them as our neighbors, and whether the performance is good or not has nothing to do with them."
After hearing what he said, Wang Songyue's nervousness disappeared.
Indeed, no matter who is sitting in the audience, apart from their identities, they are just ordinary people. It is not a tiger that will eat her, so why should she be nervous?
Thinking of this, Wang Songyue raised a confident smile on her pretty face, her eyes sparkling as she said, "This time, you can't give in to me anymore."
Chen Tianyou raised his eyebrows: "What did I ask you to do?"
Wang Songyue snorted, "You know it yourself."
Growing up with him, being his neighbor and living in the same courtyard, Wang Songyue knew very well that Chen Tianyou had always given in to her in terms of academic performance, but she had always refused to admit it.
The reason why she has good academic performance is not only because she has a mother who graduated from a prestigious university and has been teaching her since she was a child, which gives her a good academic foundation, but also because she works exceptionally hard.
While other girls are outside playing skipping rope, doing cartwheels, and playing with a group of other kids, she is practicing calligraphy, reading books, and solving problems at home. Is it because she doesn't like to play by nature?
No, she just didn't want to do nothing and waste her precious time, then suffer poor academic performance, fail to get into her ideal school, and not live the life she wanted. That's why she suppressed her desire to play with other children and worked hard to study.
When Chen Tianyou first arrived at the army, he was still a naughty boy with poor grades, who spent all his time causing trouble in her house.
The strange thing is that he listens to her very much. Every time she says, he listens, and whatever she asks him to do, he will do it.
Obviously, Chen Tianyou was always playing with other friends, and often he would drag her to play with him. Obviously, he looked lazy, didn't study, and didn't work hard, but she didn't know when his grades started to soar, and he was no longer as naughty as before. All his grades were always on par with hers.
Wang Songyue had a sense of crisis in her heart, and felt that she could not lose to him. She had always been the best student, the most obedient and sensible child in everyone's eyes, and the most wanted child in other parents' eyes. She could not lose to the frivolous Chen Tianyou, so she studied hard day and night to maintain the best grades in the class and the whole grade.
Gradually, she realized something was wrong. Chen Tianyou's score was always 99 points. He was always in second place and had never surpassed her. At first, she asked Chen Tianyou what was wrong. Chen Tianyou either said that he did the wrong questions or that his handwriting was not good. After comparison, the teacher gave him 99 points, and she did not doubt it.
But as time goes by, if she still believes what Chen Tianyou says, she would be a fool.
She had all kinds of doubts and guesses as to why Chen Tianyou was like that. There was an answer that she never dared to believe. At the same time, a desire to not admit defeat grew in her heart, so she decided to just lay down her cards today.
She doesn't need Chen Tianyou to give in to her. In the future, they will each rely on their own abilities to see who will be the real number one.
Chen Tianyou smiled, neither denying nor confirming, and simply said, "It's just the ranking, it's not important."
Under the stage, Yang Qiujin was holding little Tianxing and sitting in the second row of the audience with Chen Shengqing.
On the stage, a class of children was performing a play. Although Xiao Tianxing didn't understand much, he was still attracted by the performance of the older brothers and sisters. He clapped along with the adults from time to time and shouted in support, "Good, good!"
She was standing on Yang Qiujin's knees and watching. After holding her for a while, Yang Qiujin couldn't stand her and pushed her into Chen Shengqing's arms and said, "Hold her for a while."
Originally, Chen Shengqing should have sat with the border guards on the right, but Yang Qiujin came with her child, and Li Xiu'e didn't want to join in the fun and stayed at home. Chen Shengqing was worried that Yang Qiujin alone would not be able to handle the increasingly naughty and active little Tianxing, so he sat with her in the family area.
Because he was a military officer, the school specially arranged for his family to sit in the front row. Otherwise, just holding up the little baby to watch the performance would be a tiring task.
Chen Shengqing didn't mind his daughter's noise. He took Xiao Tianxing in his arms, kissed her chubby, tender face, and warned her, "When your brothers and sisters are performing, don't shout and yell to disturb them. Just watch their performance carefully. Do you understand?"
Xiao Tianxing likes his handsome brother very much, and also likes his pretty sister Songyue who speaks softly. He nodded seriously and said in a baby voice, "I know."
The performance on stage had just ended, the young actors were taking their bows, the adults were applauding, and some were shouting "good performance". Little Tianxing clapped and shouted out of habit.
Yang Qiujin put her index finger on her little mouth and said, "Children should keep quiet in public places and don't make noise. First, it's impolite, and second, it disturbs others. People who don't like noise will find it annoying. Tianxing wants to be a girl that everyone hates?"
"I don't want to." Xiao Tianxing quickly covered her mouth with her little hands, and her big eyes like grapes looked around nervously for everyone's reaction.
Yang Qiujin was amused by her quirky appearance. She exchanged glances with Chen Shengqing and whispered in his ear, "Did you see the middle-aged man sitting in the first row in the center of the audience? That's Mr. Guan Zhongguan, the teacher of the key class of Ava High School. I heard that most of the students he teaches can be admitted to college. After the high school entrance examination next year, he will be in charge of the key class of the first grade of high school. In addition to good grades and high scores, he also recruits students based on their character and background. Do you think we should go over to say hello to him and get in touch with him?"
Chen Shengqing glanced at the teacher with half white hair and a serious expression and said, "No need. If we go out of our way to greet Teacher Guan, no matter how well Tianyou does in the exam, in the eyes of outsiders, we have used Teacher Guan's backdoor, which will affect both him and me. It is better to let nature take its course and believe in Tianyou's ability. If he performs steadily, he will definitely be admitted to Ava High School in the next high school entrance examination."
"Will it affect you?" Yang Qiujin looked around and confirmed that no one was looking at them. She lowered her voice and asked, "Are you going to move up again?"
Chen Shengqing smiled mysteriously, "Guess."
Wang Jianjun, who was sitting next to them, came over and asked, "That teacher Guan is sitting in the front, why don't you go and make some friends with him?"
"Why don't you go?" Chen Shengqing asked back.
Wang Jianjun scratched his head and said, "Hey, you know I will be discharged from the army in two years. I don't know whether I will stay in the frontier by then. Even if I make friends with Teacher Guan, it will be useless."
"I think you are too embarrassed to make friends with them." Chen Shengqing exposed him mercilessly, "Your wife doesn't want to make friends with outsiders, and you don't want to go because you want to save face. Ava High School is the best high school in our entire region. It is a sure thing for your child to be able to enter the key classes of Ava High School and be admitted to university. Don't you want to make plans for Songyue?"
Wang Jianjun smiled undeniably, "I have full confidence in my Songyue. She doesn't need my husband and I to deliberately pull anyone in. She will definitely be admitted to the key class of Ava High School. I'm not asking you because I'm worried about your Tianyou."
"Since when have you cared so much about my Tianyou?" Chen Shengqing looked at him with deep eyes, as if he wanted to see into his heart.
Wang Jianjun was helpless at the look in his eyes and sighed, "You and I both know the truth, why bother asking about it?"
The two families have been neighbors for so many years, and the children are all in adolescence. Especially Chen Tianyou, who likes Wang Songyue, should not show it too obviously.
Each family prefers their own children. A few years ago, Wang Jianjun would have felt that Chen Tianyou was too naughty and mischievous, and his grades were not very good, and he was not worthy of his daughter who was well-behaved, sensible, and had good academic performance.
But after just a few short years, Chen Tianyou seemed like a different person. Not only did he become obedient and sensible, with excellent grades, he was also very responsible. He often helped the weak, punished evil and promoted good, learned to drive without any instruction, and followed his father to dangerous places several times, without any harm... proving the saying that a good father will have a good son.
Such a son is basically the ideal son in every soldier's mind. Although Wang Jianjun has a son, he asks himself if his son can be as good as Chen Tianyou or as outstanding as Chen Tianyou.
In addition, due to his wife's class background, he could not move up in age and would have to retire in two years. Chen Shengqing and his wife T both had red and professional class backgrounds. Chen Shengqing had countless military achievements and was the officer most favored by Commander Zhou. He had a bright future.
If Wang Songyue could marry Chen Tianyou, she would definitely not have to worry about food and clothing in her husband's family in the future. Chen Shengqing and his wife watched her grow up and would not bully her...
Chen Shengqing heard this and smiled, "You know my wife has always liked Songyue. There is still a long time to go. It is useless for us as parents to worry about the children's affairs. Let nature take its course."
His words undoubtedly gave Wang Jianjun a reassurance. He patted Chen Shengqing on the shoulder and said, "I feel relieved that Tianyou is with Songyue."
At this time, a young teacher came to the stage and announced: "Next, please invite the students of Class 1 of the first grade of junior high school to perform a group chorus of "The Spring Water in the Frontier is Clear and Pure". Please applaud and welcome them."
"Here they come." Wang Jianjun was excited and applauded with everyone else.
Yang Qiujin pointed at the stage and said to little Tianxing, "Tianxing, brother and sister Songyue are coming on stage."
Little Tianxing clapped even harder and looked toward the stage expectantly.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Tianyou, Wang Songyue, and dozens of classmates from Class 1 went on stage together.
Chen Tianyou and Wang Songyue stood in the middle, one was handsome and the other was beautiful, both with smiles on their faces, looking at everyone with a generous demeanor, which was pleasing to the eyes.
The music gradually started to play, and Wang Songyue's clear voice like a yellow oriole began to sing, "The spring water in the border area is clear and pure, and the songs in the border area warm people's hearts, warm people's hearts..."
Chen Tianyou's unique youthful voice continued to sing: "The spring water flows endlessly, singing praises to my relatives, singing to my relatives, the border guards, the soldiers and the people have a deep friendship, a deep friendship..."
The two of them sang together: "Hey...Hey...Hey..."
Then comes the collective chorus.
The audience stopped making noise at this moment and listened attentively to the students singing on the stage.
Everyone knows how hard it is for the border guards to guard the border and how close the border soldiers are to the people. It can be said that without the border guards, the people living in the border areas would not have the stable life they have today.
There were military wives who came to watch the children's performances, thinking of how their husbands were guarding the border, risking their lives to patrol between snow-capped mountains and glaciers in winter in the blizzards that could freeze people to death, enduring thousands of mosquitoes and insects that could bite people to death in summer, eating dry food every day, and being ready to fight to the death with enemy spies and foreign soldiers at any time. As they listened, they burst into tears and turned their heads away and sobbed.
When the song ended, the wives of soldiers and border guards in the dimly lit audience seats all applauded with tears in their eyes. The entire auditorium was filled with thunderous applause.
After the first grade class bowed, Guo Shengrong, who was sitting in the first row of the audience and was invited to watch the children's performance, said to the principal beside him: "Who selected this program? This chorus has great significance for our border guards."
The principal smiled and said, "Initially, their teacher selected the song. Later, a classmate named Chen Tianyou strongly recommended this song, saying that we can't always sing about the motherland and the great people. We should also sing about our great People's Liberation Army, so that the soldiers and the people in the border defense department know that we are of one mind! The sacrifices and contributions made by the border defense troops for the army, the people, and the country should be known to all the people in the border areas."
Guo Shengrong was somewhat shocked when he heard this and burst into laughter, "Great, Xiao Chen has given birth to a good son."
Guan Zhong, who was sitting not far from them, heard their conversation, turned around to look at Chen Tianyou who was leaving the stage on the left side, and a faint smile appeared on his stiff face.
When all the performances were over, Chen Tianyou's class chorus and the two's individual poetry recitations unsurprisingly won first place.
After receiving the awards, everyone gradually dispersed. The last to leave were the leaders and border defense officers. Everyone shook hands with each other, got to know each other, and contacted each other's networks. After a while of greeting, they left.
Several leaders and teachers of Ava High School were arranged by the principal to stay in a hotel in the town. Before leaving, Guan Zhong, a teacher from Ava High School, looked at Chen Shengqing and said, "Deputy Head Chen, your son is very creative. I heard that he can assemble and research some firearms and has privately developed small shooting weapons and bombs, right? You must cultivate such talents well."
Is this true? Chen Shengqing frowned when he heard this. How could he not know that his boy was researching weapons and bombs? How did the teacher get the news?
Unfortunately, after Guan Zhong finished speaking, he got into the principal's special vehicle and never spoke another word to him.
After Chen Shengqing returned home, he immediately called Chen Tianyou into his room and asked, "When did you research weapons, cannons, and bullets? And it was known to outsiders and even reached the ears of the teachers at Ava High School?"
Chen Tianyou saw his serious expression and knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he said truthfully: "I just repaired the broken pistol you left at home before, and improved it based on the original one. The recoil became smaller and the range was longer. There was no major modification. As for the bombs, I got some saltpeter from some miners, refined gunpowder myself, and made a few small cannon barrels with Soviet cans. I went to the Gobi Desert with Li Dadan and others to hunt rabbits. I happened to see a few sneaky gangsters doing bad things, so I used the cannon I made to injure them and sent them to the Public Security Bureau. How did the news get to the Ava area?"
"Because those hooligans you caught are not ordinary hooligans, they are oil thieves who pour oil."
After hearing the whole story, Chen Shengqing recalled what Yu Gongan had told him about a gang of kids helping out. He immediately guessed that it was Chen Tianyou and his gang who did it, and he sneered, "Do you know what confidentiality means? Can the things in Dad's room be moved around or easily modified? You are young and unstable. If you go out with a pistol and accidentally discharge it, and kill someone, what will happen? You will be sentenced to jail and your life! Besides, how did you get to know the miners at such a young age? How did you get saltpeter? How can you refine fire and powder to make artillery shells?"
"We just got to know each other in town, Dad. Your broken pistol was in the cupboard and was not used, so it rusted there. I fixed it and didn't take it out to do anything bad. I'm not a three-year-old child. I know what I'm doing. Besides, you supported me in modifying equipment before. I learned those modification techniques and the artillery manufacturing techniques from the military equipment theory book you gave me, and some of them were Soviet equipment books that I bought in the bookstore myself, and some were books that Songyue's father bought for her. I just learned how to operate it, and it didn't cause any serious casualties. I also caught those oil thieves. Why are you angry?" Chen Tianyou said unconvinced.
"You're still right!" Chen Shengqing blew his beard and glared, "I support you in learning the technology of the equipment, not to allow you to modify it privately and blow up others without adults! Have you ever thought that if your cannons and bullets are heavier, those people will be blown to death by you. Can you bear the consequences?"
"Dad, I know how to prepare the gunpowder for the bomb. I won't kill anyone. Don't always treat me like a child. I've grown up!" Chen Tianyou said with his neck stiff.
Seeing that the father and son were about to quarrel, Yang Qiujin, who was outside, hurried in to smooth things over and said, "Okay, Shengqing, it was indeed Tianyou who did something wrong, but you should think positively. Tianyou can assemble guns just by reading books, and he can also refine gunpowder and make small cannons and bullets. He helped the comrades of the Ministry of Public Security catch the oil thief who poured oil. He is so smart and powerful. As long as we train him well, he will definitely be useful to the country and will not go astray. Don't be so angry."
Chen Shengqing said nothing. God knows how shocked he was and how proud he was when he found out that his son, who was only twelve years old, could do such things.
Yang Qiujin turned to her son and said, "Chen Tianyou, you are a soldier's son. Don't you know the three points of attention and the four confidentiality policies? You can enter mom and dad's room at ordinary times, but you can't touch dad's things. Those are things involving military secrets and confidentiality. Not only you, but also mom, grandma, Xiao Tianxing, and everyone else are not allowed to touch them. This is a matter of principle!
What your father said is right. You are only 12 years old and your mind is not stable yet. You think you can solve problems and do things by yourself, but in the eyes of us adults, it is actually a very dangerous thing! This time you are lucky, a blind cat encounters a dead rat, and you caught the oil rat, so what about next time? Do you think you can be so lucky? Do you have the ability to stay out of it? If you insist on your own way and cause casualties and immeasurable consequences, can you bear all the responsibilities by yourself?"
Yang Qiujin had not scolded Chen Tianyou so harshly for many years. Chen Tianyou's eyes were red from her scolding. At the same time, he realized how wrong he was and choked up and said, "I'm sorry, Dad and Mom. Next time, I won't modify anything randomly, and I won't make cannons and bullets to blow people up privately."
Yang Qiujin looked at the boy who had jumped to her shoulders and was almost as tall as her. She admitted her mistake with red eyes and sighed, "Okay, Mom knows you didn't mean it. This time I'm teaching you a lesson. If you want to assemble a gun or make something, or do something big outside, you must let your parents know. Otherwise, if something happens to you and your parents are still in the dark, who will save you? You have to understand that in this world, the only people who can save you unconditionally and love you are your parents."
Chen Tianyou hummed in a muffled voice and dragged his heavy feet back to his room.
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