Shen Qiqi pinched the thin piece of letter paper, stroking the gold-plated words on it repeatedly, as if holding a restless little rabbit, her heart beating loudly.
This invitation letter from the provincial capital invited her to attend a seminar on rural education reform.
"What the hell is this talking about? Reform and research, it sounds so grand!" Shen Qiqi scratched her head and handed the letter to Lu Qing, "Take a look, do you recognize the words on it?"
Lu Qing took the letter and read it word by word, his brows gradually relaxing.
"Qiqi, this is good news! This means that the higher-ups have approved your education reform plan!" He patted Shen Qiqi's shoulder excitedly, "You're going to be at the center of your debut!"
"Standing in the center to debut? What does that mean?" Shen Qiqi was confused.
Lu Qing explained with a smile: "It means you are going to be famous! Become a big star!"
Shen Qiqi rolled her eyes. "I don't want to be a big star! I just want all the children in the village to be able to go to school and receive a better education."
This invitation was like a spark, igniting a bigger dream in Shen Qiqi's heart.
She seemed to see a brand new school, filled with laughter and joy, with children studying in spacious and bright classrooms and running on the tree-lined playground...
"What are you thinking about? You're so engrossed." Lu Qing gently pushed Shen Qiqi.
Shen Qiqi came back to her senses, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "I want to build a library and laboratories in the school, and also offer more courses, such as music, art, and physical education..."
Lu Qing also began to look forward to it, but soon, the reality of the situation poured cold water on him.
"But, Qiqi, this will cost a lot of money! How can the school have such a large budget?"
The next day, Shen Qiqi and Lu Qing came to school together. Principal Huang was looking through the budget sheet with a sad face, like an eggplant hit by frost, wilted.
"Principal Huang, what's wrong? Your expression is uglier than eating two kilograms of bitter melon." Shen Qiqi joked.
"Oh, don't mention it! The school's funding is so limited, barely enough to cover daily expenses. How can there be money to build a library and a laboratory?" Principal Huang sighed.
Shen Qiqi's eyes rolled, and she already had an idea in her mind.
"Principal Huang, don't worry! I have a good idea!" She leaned close to Principal Huang's ear and whispered a few words.
After hearing this, Principal Huang's eyes lit up and the worry on his face instantly disappeared. "Is this... is this possible?"
Shen Qiqi patted her chest and said confidently, "Don't worry! Leave it to me!" She turned and looked at Lu Qing, "Come on, let's go for a walk around the village!" Shen Qiqi and Lu Qing walked through the winding village road and came to the center of the village.
At this moment, the sun was high in the blue sky, the breeze was blowing gently, and the leaves were rustling, as if accompanying Shen Qiqi's speech.
She took a deep breath, stood on the makeshift podium, and scanned the venue, seeing villagers gathered in groups of three or four, looking at her curiously.
"Fellow villagers, I am standing here today and have something important to tell you!" Shen Qiqi cleared her throat, her voice firm and full of enthusiasm.
Her voice echoed in the quiet village, like the first ray of sunshine on a summer morning, warm and full of hope.
"As everyone knows, the conditions in our village school are difficult, and the children's learning environment needs to be improved. Now, I have a plan. I hope that through everyone's joint efforts, we can build a new library, add experimental equipment, and offer more interesting courses to give the children a better future!" As soon as Shen Qiqi finished speaking, the villagers
"Qiqi, how much does this cost?" Teacher Liu raised her hand and asked.
"Yeah, the village is so poor, where would we get the money to do this kind of thing?" A few murmurs came from the crowd.
Shen Qiqi listened to these voices, and a resolute strength surged in her heart.
"Fellow villagers, I know our village is limited, but as long as we work together, there is nothing we can't overcome! I can assure you that we will use every donation openly and transparently, and every expenditure will be subject to your supervision."
Her words were like a fire, igniting the enthusiasm of the villagers.
Some people nodded in agreement, some smiled, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
"Yes, children are the hope of the future, we have to think more about them!" An old lady stood up and expressed her opinion loudly.
"I am willing to contribute as well!" Mr. Wang stood up and said,
Lu Qing stood beside Shen Qiqi, silently handed her a water bottle, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Shen Qiqi looked at him gratefully, her heart filled with warmth and happiness.
The two smiled at each other, as if all the difficulties were no longer a problem.
"Every bit of support from everyone is our driving force to move forward!" Shen Qiqi said loudly. Applause rang out in the village, and an exciting atmosphere filled the entire village.
Shen Qiqi and Lu Qing then visited every household, and the villagers responded one after another with great enthusiasm.
At each house, Shen Qiqi would explain the fundraising plan in detail, and Lu Qing would silently support her.
Some villagers gave out the few dollars they had saved for a long time, while others donated extra books from their homes. Each donation carried a heavy weight of hope.
“Qiqi, you are amazing!” An aunt took Shen Qiqi’s hand, her eyes full of admiration.
Shen Qiqi smiled, but a trace of uneasiness surged in her heart.
She knew that this was just the beginning and there was still a long way to go to realize her dream.
Suddenly, she heard someone muttering, "Where did all this money go? Someone needs to keep an eye on it."
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