Chapter 101

In this era, people who understood English were extremely rare talents.

China and the United States hadn’t even established friendly relations yet. Given the context of the 1960s and 70s, it was no exaggeration to call those who studied English “as rare as phoenix feathers.” Only those who specialized in the subject would deliberately expose themselves to English.

Although Peking University and Tsinghua University had long offered Western language majors, many professors were talented individuals with overseas study experience from back then. However, the students who entered through the 1977 Gaokao did not have the opportunity to receive systematic English education.

This English speech contest had effectively become the domain of senior students from the Foreign Languages Institute.

While others were still learning their ABCs, they could already fluently read English newspapers and handle simple daily conversations.

However, the embarrassing fact was that of the dozens of contestants who had already performed, the highest scorer and the second-highest scorer were both students from the Foreign Languages Institute. Third, fourth, and fifth places were divided between Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Although losing to the Foreign Languages Institute was not entirely shameful, as the saying goes, “Each field has its specialization,” and at least over half of their students had systematically studied a Western language.

The loss was devastating; the top three were almost completely swept by the Foreign Languages Institute.

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“Dkl Mkdtuw, vbl… vsr pnsala kd vbl Qysjys?”

Everyone had heard of Xie Tingyu. After all, he was the first national top scorer after the resumption of the Gaokao, and his reputation was quite high at Peking University.

However, according to the newspapers, before the Gaokao, he had been a “sent-down youth” in the countryside for two years. Having stopped studying for two years, how could he compare to students who studied every day?

High Gaokao score, and a face like a movie star. No wonder he was so popular. His appearance was like that of a star being fawned over.

But… a competition is a place to compete based on real ability, not looks.

It wasn’t that these teachers looked down on him, but Xie Tingyu was a 1977-class student, and he came from the countryside. It was already quite good that he made it to the final.

Comrade Xie Tingyu was unaware that he was being unjustly underestimated because of his face.

He stood up straight and began to speak in a clear voice.

“My speech topic is ‘When the Youth are Strong, the Nation is Strong.’ Seventy-nine years ago, Liang Ren Gong said, ‘When the Young are Strong, the Nation is Strong,’ but standing here today, I want to say that the Nation will be stronger when the Youth are strong. ‘The responsibility of today does not lie with others, but with our Youth.’“

This unconventional opening actually sparked some interest from the judging panel.

The judges’ ears were tired of hearing topics about the resumption of the Gaokao and studying diligently. Although the resumption of the Gaokao was the hot topic of the year, did it have to be mentioned in every essay?

Xie Tingyu spoke calmly and fluently: “Since ancient times, many people of lofty ideals have emerged in our Chinese nation. They worried for the country and its people, were willing to sacrifice their lives for the nation, or rose early and worked tirelessly. Our mountains and rivers are magnificent, and not an inch of soil shall be conceded.

The reason why China’s brilliant civilization has been preserved until today is due to the spirit of ‘taking the world as one’s own responsibility’ by these patriots. We, the youth, are in our prime, physically strong, and highly cultured, serving as the backbone of society.

Our country is entering a new era. In line with the development of the times, the youth will face more challenges and opportunities. I, as a youth, hereby make a solemn promise: The responsibility of today does not lie with others, but with our Youth…”

His grammar was exquisite, and the beautiful translation of Liang Ren Gong’s discourse on youth brightened the eyes of the judges.

What was the purpose of this competition?

Was it to select translation talent and rank them? In scholarship, there is no undisputed number one; in martial arts, there is no second. Personal preferences vary. Some move people with plain language, while others take a different path, conquering others with a strange and beautiful flair.

Xie Tingyu’s speech was highly sophisticated. Regardless of whether it was moving, the translation of Liang Ren Gong’s essay alone was grammatically beautiful.

Furthermore, this student’s pronunciation and word choice were extremely accurate, and his accent was pure, suddenly raising the bar among a group of unremarkable contestants.

The goal of this selection was to supply translation talent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!

If the English accents were messy, wouldn’t they be laughed at?

At least half of the audience in the auditorium could not fully understand Xie Tingyu’s speech, but they found his fluent voice pleasant to the ear—mellow and beautiful, like an electric current running through the heart, making them feel fuzzy and tingling.

Xie Tingyu’s roommates couldn’t understand the content but thought he was amazing.

The second eldest in the dorm said, “It’s a sure thing. Boss is secured. Peking University can win the championship!”

The fifth eldest excitedly clapped his hands raw: “He spoke for so long, and I didn’t hear him stutter once…”

The fourth eldest retorted, “How could Boss stutter? Would he be the Boss if he stuttered?”

Finally, the boys all looked at Ye Qingshui, their eyes burning: “Sister-in-law, did Brother Tingyu study English?”

Xie Tingyu’s gaze finally fell on her, and their eyes met. A smile appeared on his usually cold face, causing Ye Qingshui to flush and look away.

Ye Qingshui said modestly, “He has.”

Xie Tingyu’s room had a lot of audio-visual materials. Grandma Xie also had several colleagues who had studied abroad. He started learning foreign languages from a young age, and it was no trouble for him to read purely English tomes even in the countryside.

He hadn’t mentioned this competition to her. The speech draft looked like he had hastily written it on the table last night, which showed he hadn’t taken the matter seriously himself.

If Ye Qingshui had known she would witness such a grand event today, she definitely wouldn’t have brought just a box of braised meat.

She would have treated him to a meal at a restaurant!

After Xie Tingyu finished his speech, the judges marked their scores. After dropping the highest and lowest scores, the average of the three middle scores was calculated, and the final result was…

“Contestant 17, Peking University, Xie Tingyu, score 98.5.”

The Peking University students in the entire hall erupted. Xie Tingyu from the Mathematics department had secured the highest score.

After finishing his speech, there were still eight contestants left to perform. But as soon as he stepped off the stage, he decisively walked towards his wife.

Not only were the Peking University students watching Xie Tingyu, but students from other schools couldn’t help but spare him a few glances.

His ability was so strong that he directly unseated the previous first-place holder. He was as dazzling as a star. If people in this era weren’t so reserved and restrained, they would have been cheering by now.

But… why was he chatting and laughing with a girl?

Wasn’t that too… too frivolous?

Only the Peking University students understood that this year’s top Gaokao scorer was already married, and the girl beside him was his wife, who was reportedly close to giving birth. They only admired that the couple had such a good relationship, with the wife coming to support her husband even while pregnant.

The second eldest moved over to make space, squeezing next to the third eldest. However, Xie Tingyu took his wife’s hand and left the auditorium.

Ye Qingshui still wanted to know the result of the competition. She could find out her husband’s ranking if she just waited a little longer.

Xie Tingyu put his arm around his wife’s waist and asked her, “Your back must be tired from sitting for so long, isn’t it?”

“I asked the second eldest and the others to stay and listen. I’ll tell you the result tonight. Are you hungry? Let’s go have lunch.”

Ye Qingshui returned to the dorm with Xie Tingyu. She handed the lunch box she brought to her husband, “I didn’t know you had a competition today, so I didn’t make anything else delicious. Please don’t mind.”

Xie Tingyu tapped his wife’s cheek and buried his head to eat heartily.

Mind what?

How could he complain when he could eat a large portion of meat? The braised meat his wife made by hand filled the whole room with fragrance as soon as the lid was opened; money couldn’t buy this.

Xie Tingyu intentionally saved some for his roommates as a treat.

After satisfying his craving for meat, he contentedly held his wife’s hand and walked along the campus’s tree-lined avenues to help with digestion.

*

The first English Oral Competition jointly hosted by Peking University and capital universities concluded. Although the remaining contestants performed remarkably well, none could surpass Xie Tingyu in score.

Peking University, as the organizer, maintained its dignity. When the Dean of the Foreign Languages Institute at Peking University announced the top five, his stern voice could not hide his pride.

“First place, Peking University, Xie Tingyu, score 98.5.”

“Second place, Foreign Languages Institute, He Liu, score 97.5.”

“Third place, Tsinghua University, Tian Jing, score 96.”

…

Li Rong listened to the competition results with an expressionless face. The faint light scattered on her raised cheekbones, and her once refined and beautiful face seemed to reveal a hint of viciousness.

She said to her son, “You missed this opportunity. You cannot miss the next one.”

“Start learning English. Tomorrow I will find you a dedicated tutor. You…”

When Xie Tingyu walked toward Ye Qingshui, Zhou Pinghuai didn’t look at him at all and didn’t know what he had missed.

At that time, Zhou Pinghuai was looking at his mother, his usually elegant, generous, and refined mother, whose eyes were following Xie Tingyu.

He couldn’t help but feel annoyed and interrupted Li Rong without thinking.

“I have many courses to study. If I am going to learn something new, it will be because I like it. Please don’t say anything more, lest I come to resent English in the future.”

Li Rong’s cold face showed a trace of astonishment. A spark of anger ignited in her heart because her authority was being challenged:

“I am your mother. Would 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 surname is Zhou. Do you know what opportunity you just missed?”

Zhou Pinghuai stood up and bowed to Li Rong: “I’m sorry, your emotions are a little agitated. This is not the right time to discuss this. I’ll leave first.”

Zhou Pinghuai turned and left.

Unexpectedly, Li Rong’s face turned dark, and she smashed the bracelet in her hand. Shards scattered, and a female student nearby cried out, immediately covering her face and retreating.

Good heavens, where did this madwoman come from?

…

After Ye Qingshui and her husband returned home, Zhang Hongying eagerly emerged from the kitchen.

She whispered, “Qingshui, we are indeed missing half a packet of our spice mix.”

Before they left, they had specifically paid attention to the spices on the shelf. The lid of the glass jar containing the spices was evenly sprinkled with a layer of flour. When Zhang Hongying returned, she saw several handprints in the flour.

Zhang Hongying spat, “I thought she looked down on this work. Turns out she’s just envious that we can earn money.”

With a helper, after deducting costs, Ye Qingshui, who originally earned over two hundred yuan a month from this, now earned 350 yuan.

Ye Qingshui was not stingy. She paid Zhang Hongying thirty-five yuan for the first month’s salary, and it had now increased to forty yuan.

Xie Tingyu was also not in a good mood when he heard this news.

It was already hard work for his wife to earn money from this job, and to have someone watching her back, causing trouble from time to time—that feeling was truly difficult to describe. Xie Tingyu was no gentleman.

After dealing with He Fang last time, he hadn’t had to deal with anyone for a long time.

Xu Maofang had not been dealt with by Xie Tingyu before out of consideration for his sister, so he didn’t argue with her. He simply moved out to live with Grandma Xie.

Zhou Dongmei had framed Ye Qingshui, and Xie Tingyu no longer considered her his sister. How could he be so lenient now?

He pondered for a moment, “Leave this matter to me. Shui’er, you must be tired. I’ll get some water for you to wash your face.”

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