Chapter 6 — Ten Children?

The day the Tsinghua University admission notice was delivered, the whole residential area was shocked. A local newspaper reporter brought cameras and equipment to our small but clean house for an interview. The reporter held the microphone, using a prepared emotional tone, asked the lady sitting on the rattan chair:

"Sir, you are truly so great. May I ask how you raised ten people who were completely unrelated to become talented people?"

She frowned slightly. She did not like the superior way of saying "nurturing talent". She held a stick and pointed to her nine brothers who were busy in the yard, pouring tea and giving medicine to the neighbors who came to congratulate them.

"Comrade reporter, you're wrong. They don't need to wait until today to be called successful. They have been successful for a long time."

Her voice was not loud but the whole yard could hear clearly:

"The Elder just needs to close his eyes and listen to the sound of the engine to know where the car broke down. That's bravery."

"Second can stand in front of the kitchen all day, cooking a table of food that makes people eat delicious food. That is also bravery."

"Ba drives such a large truck, travels day and night, and can safely deliver goods to people. That is even more bravery."

"My grandchildren live on their own strength and have never done anything against their conscience. It cannot be said that just because their sister passed the Thanh Hoa exam today can be called a talented person."

“As long as you live uprightly and don't do shameful things, you're all talented people.”

The reporter was stunned by those words for a moment, then turned around and gave me the microphone.

“Trinh An, do you feel that your efforts for more than ten years have finally changed the fate of the whole family?”

I looked at my brothers standing not far away, smiling innocently at me, firmly shaking my head.

“No.”

I looked into the lens and said very seriously:

“Before I passed the Thanh Hoa exam, you guys relied on yourself to change your fate.”

“This family has never needed my salvation. I just went a little further on the path they paved for me with their hands.”

After the interview ends, life must continue. As the day of arriving in Beijing got closer and closer, the nine brothers started arguing over a small matter. They fought to pay my tuition and living expenses.

"I'm the eldest brother. I'm as big as my father, so of course I have to pay all the tuition fees."

Chu Tranh patted his chest.

"I used my ID to open a bank card for her, linked to my account. Every month I will transfer living expenses on time."

Tran Thuc placed the card firmly on the table. Mr. Ba did not give up:

“The cost of the high-speed train and plane tickets to and from school during the four years of college, no matter how expensive, is all up to me!”

Mr. Bay directly carried a large cardboard box:

“I asked my friend to go to the province to get a laptop with the latest configuration.”

Facing the crowd of people vying for money, I loudly announced that thanks to my high achievements, I had received a freshman scholarship. The school also called and said there was a subsidy, and they didn't need that much money at all. On the surface, they continuously nodded and agreed:

“Okay, don't waste it, just keep it and use it.”

But behind me, the night I packed my luggage, there was no shortage of gifts each person had prepared. Tran Thuc brought it from the back kitchen about several sealed glass jars, filled with beef sauce and spicy sauce that he cooked himself. He put the label on the lid, sighed and said:

"Northern food is rich in flavor. If your Southerner's stomach is not used to food in Beijing restaurants, mix it with some soy sauce and eat it. You absolutely must not leave hungry."

Mr. Sau gave me a thick and heavy album. Inside are all my photos from small to large, with the date and location carefully written next to them. Finally, Mr. Chin walked over and placed the newest smartphone in my hand. The phone is booted, the home screen is clean. I opened the phonebook, inside there were only ten phone numbers, neatly arranged in order: grandmother, then Elder Chu Tranh to Chin. Mr. Chin looked at me, completely abandoning his usual joking expression and seriously said:

“An An, go to a far away place, no matter what you encounter, no matter how difficult you find it to handle, don't endure it alone.”

“If you encounter a problem that cannot be resolved, call first.”

“The nine of us are always present.”

11 Carrying the whole family's expectations, I boarded the train heading North. But after entering the top school in the country, I forced myself into a dangerous corner. I'm so used to being the person my family has high hopes for. Even though she once said I didn't need to repay anything, I still subconsciously felt like I was carrying the enthusiasm of ten family members on my shoulders. I'm afraid that if my results are not good, I will waste every penny you earn in the heat and cold to pay my tuition. I was afraid that if I lived in Beijing without a future, I would disappoint the grandmother who brought me home during that windy and snowy winter. Under such pressure, my first semester in college was truly miserable. Outside of class, I spend almost all my time in the library, trying to read the most difficult specialized books. On weekends, my roommate went for a walk, watched movies, and I went to a far away place to work as a tutor to save money on living expenses. During winter and summer break, others packed their bags and went home to reunite, but I stubbornly stayed at school and boldly asked to join the lecturer's project group, wanting to accumulate more experience for my application. The intense lifestyle and mental pressure eventually broke my body. One night during the second semester of my second year, my stomach suddenly ached. The pain quickly spread, the world before my eyes gradually darkened. Finally, I fell hard onto the cold tile floor, completely losing consciousness. The academic advisor took me to the emergency room that night, and immediately contacted my family members listed on the emergency contact list. The next afternoon, amidst the strong smell of disinfectant, I had difficulty opening my eyes on the hospital bed and saw two people sitting next to me. Those were Elder Chu Tranh and Elder Chin. They bought standing tickets and traveled all night to Beijing. Chu Tranh was even still wearing his work clothes at the car repair shop, proving that he immediately ran straight to the train station when he received the phone call.