Chapter 299: Cheng Siguang’s Dilemma

Listening to the broadcast, Eldest Uncle Yang was filled with emotion.

Who would have thought that, in just a few short months, a young man from their courtyard could be publicly commended multiple times? Now they were even encouraging everyone to learn from him.

As the Third Grandpa of the courtyard, he felt deeply honored and proud.

“Old Yang, the young man from your courtyard is impressive!” someone beside him complimented.

Who couldn’t see that Zhou Yimin was about to take off?

He was already a team leader—next up was section chief. He hadn’t even been working at the factory for a full year yet, and he wasn’t even twenty. At this rate, it was clear to everyone: Zhou Yimin had a bright future ahead.

And as for Master Yang, who lived in the same courtyard as Zhou Yimin and was even his third uncle? Well, he’d benefit from that close relationship too—maybe even get some help in the future.

“Yimin? I watched him grow up. Ever since he was a child…” Third Grandpa immediately started boasting.

Similarly, people like First Grandpa and Zhou Dazhong, who were connected to Zhou Yimin, also felt honored by association.

By evening, Zhou Yimin had returned to the courtyard. The residents praised him whenever they saw him, making Zhou Yimin feel both amused and helpless.

The other young people in the courtyard, however, got another round of lectures. People scolded them for not living up to expectations—same two hands, two legs, and one brain, so why was Zhou Yimin so much better?

Things were particularly interesting in the homes of Huang Suqin and Cheng Siguang.

At the moment, Cheng Siguang could no longer help his godson Cheng Shengli with his homework—it was giving him a headache!

He was both proud and anxious.

Proud, because the Cheng family had produced a genius. Anxious, because he was afraid his household would end up holding the boy back. Earlier that day, the school had asked him to come in for a meeting.

He had no idea what it was about at first.

Who would have guessed that the teachers and administrators told him Shengli had an exceptional talent for mathematics, but was average in other subjects? If he stayed in his current class, his math abilities would be limited. But if he skipped ahead to a higher grade, he might not keep up with everything else.

So the school asked him to come and discuss it.

“Suqin, what do you think we should do?” Cheng Siguang was feeling both happiness and frustration, torn between the two.

Huang Suqin shook her head. “I’m just a woman who barely went to school—what would I know? If you ask me, just go talk to Yimin and see if he has any good suggestions. That Yimin…”

Zhou Yimin had already become the role model for the younger generation in the courtyard—everyone agreed on that.

In her view, it was best to go and ask him for advice on something like this.

As soon as Cheng Siguang heard that, he slapped his forehead.

Right! Asking Yimin was the best idea.

“Then make some extra food—fry up that cured pork, steam the two salted fish Yimin gave us, and scramble a few eggs. I’ll go invite him over for dinner,” Cheng Siguang said.

“Got it!”

Cheng Siguang went over to Zhou Yimin’s door and knocked. “Yimin, you home?”

Zhou Yimin opened the door. “Uncle Cheng, what’s up?”

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Come to my place for dinner—I want to talk to you about something.”

Zhou Yimin didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Sure, I’ll come over in a bit.”

After informing Zhou Yimin, Cheng Siguang didn’t head straight back. Instead, he left the courtyard to pick up two bottles of liquor—and while he was out, he invited Teacher Wang from the neighboring courtyard to join them for dinner too.

It was clear how seriously and sincerely he cared about his godson Shengli’s future.

Zhou Yimin washed his face and brought along a small bag of dried seafood—scallops, dried squid, ribbonfish, and more—over ten jin in total.

That stuff was the most common item in his storehouse backpack. These days, when he gave gifts, it was usually dried seafood.

“Yimin, you’re here? Come on in—why’d you bring stuff? Take it back,” Huang Suqin said, quickly coming to greet him.

“Aunt Huang, it’s just some seafood. You know me—I brought a bunch back from Tianjin last time and can’t finish it all. Let Shengli and Shengyi eat more of it—it’s good for the brain.”

As soon as she heard it was good for the brain, she didn’t refuse anymore.

Both she and her husband cared most about the kids these days. If something was good for the children, they’d find a way to get it.

“Then thank you, Yimin. Shengli, Shengyi—come out and say hello to your Brother Yimin!” Huang Suqin called out to the boys, who were doing homework in the room.

Shengli and Shengyi quickly came out. “Hello, Brother Yimin.”

Zhou Yimin pulled out a handful of candy and handed it to them with a smile. “You two split these. Go back and do your homework. Work hard and learn more—help build the country in the future.”

“Thank you, Brother Yimin.”

The two boys were truly grateful to their older brother—it had all started with the taro he gave them.

Shengli, the elder of the two, was thoughtful enough to divide the candy into four parts and saved two shares for his godmother and godfather.

Not long after, Cheng Siguang came back with Teacher Wang from the neighboring courtyard.

“Teacher Wang, it’s been a while!” Zhou Yimin stood up to greet him.

Teacher Wang smiled. “You’re the most promising one on this whole street.”

He had once taught Zhou Yimin, and now he felt proud. Every time someone praised Zhou Yimin, he felt happy—like he’d played a part in it himself.

“Here, Teacher Wang, sit here,” said Cheng Siguang, offering a seat.

Once everyone sat down, he brought out cigarettes and offered one to both Zhou Yimin and Teacher Wang.

“You called me over because of Shengli, didn’t you?” Teacher Wang asked.

Zhou Yimin looked puzzled. “What’s going on with Shengli?”

Teacher Wang explained, “Shengli has a real talent for math. Our class can’t keep up with him anymore. To be blunt, even our school is holding him back.”

“A teacher from Dongcheng Normal School has taken an interest in him and came to negotiate with us.”

“Oh! That’s great news!” Zhou Yimin said, surprised.

He had known Shengli was talented in math, but maybe he’d underestimated him.

Right now, Dongcheng Normal School used to be the Workers’ and Peasants’ Accelerated Middle School. In the future, it would become the prestigious High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University.

After the founding of the People’s Republic, everything needed rebuilding—especially the education system. To create a school system that matched the new political and economic framework, they followed the Soviet model. Under the Ministry of Education’s direct guidance, the capital established experimental Workers’ and Peasants’ Accelerated Middle Schools.

Since the accelerated schools were a new concept, even after the system was formalized, experiments continued in areas like administration, curriculum, and teaching methods.

A couple years ago, the accelerated schools were dissolved and became what is now Dongcheng Normal School.

For this school to want a student meant Shengli’s mathematical talent was truly outstanding—so much so that they made an exception for him. After all, Shengli hadn’t received much formal education before and now was suddenly being moved straight into secondary school.

Teacher Wang continued, “It is a good thing, but Shengli struggles with his other subjects. If he goes straight to Dongcheng Normal, it might hurt his overall development. It would be like pulling up a seedling to make it grow faster.”

“Exactly! That’s what’s been giving me a headache. That’s why I asked you and Yimin over to hear your thoughts,” Cheng Siguang said with a wry smile.

Whether Shengli skipped ahead or stayed in elementary school, both options came with pros and cons.

(End of Chapter)