These days, people who know English are extremely rare.
China and the United States had not even begun to establish friendly relations. Considering the background of the 1960s and 1970s, it is no exaggeration to say that there were very few people who learned English. Only those who specialized in this field would deliberately come into contact with English.
Although Huazhong University and Peking University had already opened Spanish majors, and many of their professors were talents who had studied abroad, the students who passed the college entrance examination in the 1977 class had no chance to receive systematic English education.
This English speech contest has become a sure thing for senior students majoring in English.
While others were still learning their ABCs, they were already able to read English newspapers and magazines fluently and their spoken English could cope with simple daily needs.
However, the embarrassing thing is that dozens of contestants have already appeared, and the highest scorer and the second place are both students from the School of Foreign Languages, while the third, fourth and fifth places are divided between Peking University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology respectively.
Although losing to the Foreign Languages College is not shameful, as the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. For such a large school, at least more than half of the students have systematically studied Spanish.
We lost so badly that the top three places were almost taken by the School of Foreign Languages.
The students of Beijing University were very unconvinced. If they were given another two or three years to study, it was still uncertain who would win. For example, if this was a Russian speech contest, Zhou Pinghuai would definitely be able to conquer the judges with his fluent and authentic accent, and he would definitely not be inferior to any of them.
However, at this moment he could only sit in the audience.
The teachers of the School of Foreign Languages attached great importance to this competition. The highest score of 97.5 was achieved by their students. The students who ranked high in the preliminary and semi-finals of Peking University and Huazhong University did not score more than 97 points in the final.
The remaining student from Grade 77 who is on the field is nothing to be afraid of.
This is what the students in the English Department thought, and even after it was Xie Tingyu's turn to go on stage, they still did not change their minds.
It was the turn of a contestant from Kyoto University to take the stage, and there was even a burst of warm applause. The teachers from the School of Foreign Languages sat up straight, looked at the young man standing upright on the stage, and then looked away with a lack of interest.
As soon as he came on stage, the students in the lecture hall were excited, and the teachers were confused and thought he was some powerful person.
"Xie Tingyu, the... top scorer in the college entrance examination?"
Everyone has heard of Xie Tingyu. After all, he was the first national top scorer after the resumption of the college entrance examination, and he was quite famous in Peking University.
But looking at what was written in the newspaper, he went to the countryside to work as an educated youth for two years before taking the college entrance examination. How could he compare with students who studied every day without studying for two years?
With a high score in the college entrance examination and looking like a movie star, it’s no wonder he is so popular. He is treated like a star as soon as he appears on stage.
But... competition is a place to test one's true strength, not to compare one's looks.
It’s not that these teachers look down on people. Xie Tingyu was a student from Class 1977 and was admitted from the countryside. It’s already very good that he can make it to the finals.
Comrade Xie Tingyu doesn't know that he is being innocently looked down upon because of his face.
He stood up straight and spoke loudly.
"The theme of my speech is 'Strong Youths Make the Country Strong'. Seventy-nine years ago, Liang Qichao said, 'Strong Youths Make the Country Strong'. Now standing here, I want to say that a strong youth makes the country stronger. 'Today's responsibility lies not with others, but with us young people.'"
This unconventional beginning actually aroused some interest from the judges.
The judges' ears are greasy after hearing too many topics such as the resumption of the college entrance examination and studying hard. Although the resumption of the college entrance examination is a hot topic this year, it doesn't have to be mentioned in every article, right?
Xie Tingyu looked calm and spoke slowly: "Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has produced many people of noble character and lofty ideals, some of whom were concerned about the country and the people, and sacrificed their lives for the country, while others worked day and night and devoted all their energy. The mountains and rivers are magnificent, and we will not give up an inch of land.
The reason why the splendid Chinese civilization has been preserved to this day is due to the spirit of 'taking the world as one's own responsibility' among people of lofty ideals. We young people are in the prime of our lives, strong in body, and highly culturally accomplished, and we are the backbone of society.
Our country is entering a new era. In line with the development of the times, young people will encounter more challenges and opportunities. As a young person, I make a promise: Today's responsibility lies not with others, but with us young people..."
His grammar is extremely beautiful, interspersed with Liang Qichao's "Young Stories", and the beauty of his translation dazzled the judges.
What is the purpose of this game?
Is it to select oral talents and rank them? There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Individuals have different preferences. Some people can impress others with plain language, while others take a different approach and conquer others with strange and bizarre beauty.
Xie Tingyu's speech was of high quality. Regardless of whether it could move people or not, his translation of Liang Qichao's article was very beautiful in grammar.
Moreover, this student's pronunciation of words was extremely accurate and his accent was pure, which made him stand out among a group of mediocre contestants.
The purpose of this selection is to provide translation talents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!
Your English accent is so messy, wouldn't it be embarrassing to show it to others?
At least half of the audience in the lecture hall could not fully understand Xie Tingyu's speech. They only felt that his fluent voice was mellow and beautiful, as if an electric current was flowing through their hearts, making them feel tingling and numb.
Xie Tingyu's roommates didn't understand what he was saying, but they thought he was amazing.
The second oldest in the dormitory said, "It's settled, it's settled. Beijing University can win the championship!"
Lao Wu clapped his hands excitedly: "I have been talking for such a long time, and I have never seen him stutter..."
The fourth brother retorted: "How can the eldest brother stutter? Can he still be the eldest brother if he stutters?"
Finally, several boys looked at Ye Qingshui with burning eyes: "Sister-in-law, has Brother Tingyu learned English?"
Xie Tingyu's sight finally fell on her, and their eyes met. A smile appeared on his cold face, and Ye Qingshui couldn't help but look away with a flushed face.
Ye Qingshui said implicitly: "I have learned it."
There are a lot of audio-visual materials in Xie Tingyu's room. Grandma Xie has several colleagues who have studied abroad. He started learning foreign languages since he was a child, and it is not difficult for him to read large books in pure English in the countryside.
He hadn't even mentioned the game to her, and it seemed like he had written the speech last night while leaning over the table, which showed that he didn't take the matter seriously.
If Ye Qingshui knew that he would see such a grand scene today, he would definitely not bring just a box of braised meat.
How can we let him be so shabby as to only eat braised meat? We could just invite him to a restaurant for a meal!
After Xie Tingyu finished his speech, the judges gave the scores one by one, removing the highest score, removing the lowest score, averaging the three scores in the middle, and finally scoring...
"No. 17, Jingda, Xie Tingyu, score 98.5."
All the Peking University students were excited, and Xie Tingyu from the Department of Mathematics scored the highest score.
After Xie Tingyu finished his speech, there were still eight contestants who had not yet gone on stage. But after he stepped off the stage, he walked decisively towards his wife.
Not only the students from Peking University were looking at Xie Tingyu, but students from other schools also couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
He was so strong that he directly squeezed out the first place. He was as dazzling as a star. If people these days were not so reserved, people would have cheered a long time ago.
But, why was he... talking and laughing with a girl?
Isn't this too frivolous?
Only the students of Beijing University understood that this year's top scorer in the college entrance examination was married, and the girl next to him was his wife, and they heard that they were about to give birth to a child. They only envied the couple's good relationship, and the wife came to support her husband even when she was pregnant.
The second child was moved to another seat and sat together with the third child. However, Xie Tingyu took his wife's hand and left the lecture hall.
Ye Qingshui still really wanted to know the result of the competition. He would know the men's rankings after waiting a little longer.
Xie Tingyu put his arm around his wife's waist and asked her, "Is your waist tired after sitting for so long?"
"I asked Lao Er and the others to stay and listen. I'll tell you the result tonight. You must be hungry. Let's go have lunch."
Ye Qingshui and Xie Tingyu returned to the dormitory together. She handed the lunch box she brought to the man and said, "I didn't know you were going to compete today, so I didn't make anything else delicious. Don't be disgusted."
Xie Tingyu tapped his wife's face and started eating with big mouthfuls.
What are you disliked about?
Can you eat meat with big mouthfuls? The braised meat made by my wife fills the whole house with fragrance as soon as the pot is opened. You can't buy it even if you have money.
Xie Tingyu specially left some for his roommates as a reward.
After he had eaten his fill of meat, he contentedly held his wife's hand and went to walk on the boulevard on campus to help digest the food.
The first English speaking competition jointly organized by Peking University and other universities in the capital has ended. Although the performances of the last few contestants were remarkable, none of them could surpass Xie Tingyu in score.
Kyoto University maintained its dignity as the host. When the dean of Kyoto University's School of Foreign Languages announced the top five, his serious voice couldn't help but reveal pride.
"First place, Xie Tingyu from Peking University, score 98.5."
"Second place, He Liu from the School of Foreign Languages, scored 97.5."
"Third place, Hua Datian Jing, score 96."
…
Li Rong listened to the result of the competition expressionlessly. The dim light shone on her raised cheekbones, and her once pretty and beautiful face seemed to reveal a hint of hideousness.
She said to her son: "You missed this opportunity, so don't miss it next time."
"Learn English. I'll find you a special teacher tomorrow. You..."
When Xie Tingyu walked towards Ye Qingshui, Zhou Pinghuai didn't even look at him, and didn't know what he had missed.
At that time, Zhou Pinghuai was looking at his mother, his mother who was always elegant, graceful and beautiful. His eyes were always following Xie Tingyu.
He couldn't help feeling annoyed and interrupted Li Rong without thinking.
"I still have many courses to learn. If I learn something new, it must be because I like it. Please stop talking, lest I hate English in the future."
Li Rong's cold face showed a trace of surprise. She was a little angry because her dignity was challenged.
"I am your mother, how could I harm you?"
She said coldly: "If you were a child of the Li family, you wouldn't have to study so hard. But your last name is Zhou, do you know what opportunity you missed this time?"
Zhou Pinghuai stood up and bowed to Li Rong: "I'm sorry, you are a little emotional. It's not appropriate to discuss this issue now. I'll leave first."
Zhou Pinghuai turned and left.
Unexpectedly, Li Rong dropped the bracelet in her hand with an ugly look on her face, and the fragments flew everywhere. The female classmates around her screamed, covered their faces with their hands, and dodged.
Oh my God, where did this crazy woman come from?
…
After Ye Qingshui returned home with the man, Zhang Hongying couldn't wait to come out of the kitchen.
She whispered, "Qingshui, our seasoning packet is indeed missing half a packet."
Before they went out, they paid special attention to the seasonings on the shelf and sprinkled a layer of flour evenly on the lid of the glass jar containing the seasonings. When Zhang Hongying came back and looked, she saw several handprints on the flour.
Zhang Hongying pouted, "I thought she looked down on this job, but it turns out she is jealous of the money I can make."
With an extra helper, after deducting the costs, Ye Qingshui's original earnings of more than 200 yuan a month have now increased to 350 yuan.
Ye Qingshui was not stingy either. He paid Zhang Hongying 35 yuan in the first month, and now it has increased to 40 yuan.
Xie Tingyu was not in a very good mood when he heard the news.
It's hard enough for a wife to earn money doing this job, and there are people watching her from behind, making things difficult for her from time to time. This feeling is really hard to describe. Xie Tingyu is not a gentleman.
After dealing with He Fang last time, he hasn't dealt with anyone for a long time.
Xu Maofang had never been punished by Xie Tingyu before, because he did not argue with her for the sake of his sister. He immediately moved in with Grandma Xie.
Zhou Dongmei had framed Ye Qingshui, and Xie Tingyu no longer considered her a sister, so how could he be so easy to talk to?
He pondered for a while, "Leave this to me. Shui'er, you must be tired. I'll get some water to wipe your face."
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