: Rich and Poor Kids Both Chase Celebrities, But the Differences Between Mountain and City

1

It was late at night, and the wall lamp in Zhou Sixuan's bedroom emitted a soft light.

The bedroom, though small in size, is exquisitely furnished and filled with warmth and tranquility.

Sitting on the headboard, Zhou Sixuan held a photo of herself wearing a black graduation cap and gown, with her boyfriend and classmate who had long hair like H4 in the TV series "Tomb Raider" adapted from a novel, on the university campus before graduation.

He stared at it for a long time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

A father's warm voice called from outside: "Xuan'er—are you asleep?"

Zhou Sixuan came to open the door: "Dad, it's still early!"

Mr. Zhou, who was wearing glasses, came in carrying several books on education.

Mr. Zhou: "Xuan'er, now that you're a teacher, these books are very important for being a good teacher. Read them carefully."

Zhou Sixuan took the book: "Hmm."

Mr. Zhou saw the photos on his children's desk and reached out to take them.

Zhou Sixuan immediately flipped the photo over.

Zhou Sixuan: "Dad, four years of love in college, in the end, it all came to nothing. I will never believe in love again."

Mr. Zhou: "Xuan'er, you'll gradually understand that all love must be based on shared ideals and feelings."

Zhou Sixuan: "Yes, as soon as he arrived at his workplace, he got together with the director's daughter. Our poor intellectual family is no match for that wealthy family."

Mr. Zhou: "Intellectuals are the conscience of society, and teachers are the engineers of the human soul. Even if others look down on us, we must stand tall and upright!"

Zhou Sixuan argued, "That's just empty rhetoric!"

Mr. Zhou: "Great principles are all derived from small principles."

Zhou Sixuan said irritably, "I understand!"

Mr. Zhou: "Sigh! Your mother passed away early, and I had to raise you single-handedly, being both your father and mother. Now that you're working, I'm old and useless."

Zhou Sixuan: "Dad—you're a university professor, you'll always be useful."

Mr. Zhou sighed, "Alas, I just can't teach my own daughter."

2

The living room of Zhou Sixuan's house in the morning.

Dressed up, Zhou Sixuan put the plastic bag containing fruit into her bag.

Then she adjusted her beautiful dress in front of the large mirror in the living room.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and prepared to head to school.

Mr. Zhou, wearing an apron and carrying breakfast, came out of the kitchen and placed the plates on the table.

Mr. Zhou: "Xuan'er, fruit can't replace a meal. It's not too late to go to school after you've eaten a proper meal."

Zhou Sixuan: "Dad, now that I'm a homeroom teacher, I have to go earlier."

Mr. Zhou: "Be careful on the road."

Zhou Sixuan said playfully, "I'm not a child anymore. Dad, I'm leaving!"

After Zhou Sixuan finished speaking, she slung her long-strap handbag over her shoulder, opened the door, and went out.

3

Zhou Sixuan arrived at Class 5-3 classroom with her lesson plan in hand.

As soon as she arrived at the classroom door, she was stunned by the scene inside.

The classroom was noisy and chaotic.

Several mischievous boys were running around in the classroom.

They were snatching a children's cartoon comic book called "Tomb Raiding and Time Travel".

Yuan Liuxing chased after him, trying to get his book back, but he couldn't catch up.

Lu Jiahan also helped Yuan Liuxing chase after "Tomb Raider Time Travel", but they couldn't catch up.

"Give me back 'Tomb Raider Time Travel'! Give me back my H4 file!"

Cheng Hongdou, Shi Xuankai, and a few other mischievous boys deliberately took out the book "Tomb Raiding and Time Travel".

It swayed in front of Yuan Liuxing, who was about to catch up.

He swayed and backed away, saying, "Here, here, give me a kiss too, and I'll give it to you!"

When Yuan Liuxing rushed forward.

They tossed "Tomb Raider Time Travel" into the air and threw it at Cheng Hongdou.

When he then threw "Tomb Raider Time Travel" at Shi Xuankai,

Lu Jiahan tried to block it with her hand, but it didn't work.

The book "Tomb Raider Time Travel" ended up in the hands of Gao Yuke, who was putting stickers of Hong Kong film star Gao Shuaiguo on his pencil case while sitting at his seat.

He smashed the image of Gao Shuaiguo in her hand, tearing it open.

Gao Yuke was so angry that she cried, grabbing Yuan Liuxing and making a scene: "Yuan Liuxing, you have to pay me back! You smashed my brother's portrait, you're so mean, you have to make it up to me..."

Taking advantage of the situation, Shi Xuankai also snatched away "Tomb Raider Time Travel".

Mao Zhiling, with her sharp eyes, spotted Zhou Sixuan arriving at the classroom door.

He hurriedly called out, "Teacher Zhou is here!"

The classroom was bustling with activity as students quickly took their seats.

Zhou Sixuan walked onto the podium.

Yuan Liuxing, panting, shouted, "Stand up—"

Zhou Sixuan did not return the greeting, but instead swept her gaze across the entire class with an authoritative look.

The students all stood there, stunned.

They all stared wide-eyed at Zhou Sixuan, trembling with fear, waiting to be scolded.

Gao Yuke was secretly wiping away her tears.

She couldn't control her emotions and was still sobbing softly.

Zhou Sixuan said sternly, "The bell has rung for class! Who's still grabbing books? What books are they? Hand them over now!"

Shi Xuankai obediently handed the book to the podium:

"Teacher Zhou, I'm sorry, this is Yuan Liuxing's 'Tomb Raiding and Time Travel'."

Cheng Hongdou also presented a laminated photo of the H4 characters from the movie "Tomb Raiders: Time Travel" to the podium: "Teacher Zhou, this is also Yuan Liuxing's."

Yuan Liuxing stared wide-eyed in horror at the direction of the podium.

I noticed that Ms. Zhou Sixuan had already turned her attention to that photo.

Then, Yuan Liuxing lowered his head to grab Gao Yuke's pencil case:

"Gao Yuke, hand in your 'brother's' photo too!"

Gao Yuke pressed down hard on her pencil case: "No, no, I won't hand it in! I'd rather die than hand it in!"

Hearing voices coming from inside the classroom, Zhou Sixuan looked up and scanned the entire class with sharp eyes.

The classroom fell silent again.

Huang Xiaoxing raised his hand in the crowd.

Zhou Sixuan gestured to him, "Please speak."

Huang Xiaoxing shouted, "Teacher Zhou, Yuan Liuxing wrote a love code for H4 in that book and photo, and we deciphered it! She's upset about it and is chasing after us!"

Zhou Sixuan held the book "Tomb Raider Time Travel" and the photo of H4, looking at it over and over again.

There was a line of Arabic numerals on it, but I couldn't make out what it meant.

He asked Huang Xiaoxing, "Huang Xiaoxing, what is the love code? Come up here and explain it."

Huang Xiaoxing ran up to the podium with a "thump thump thump".

He picked up the book "Tomb Raiders and Time Travel" and wrote a string of Arabic numerals on the blackboard with chalk—

721 521 7758 584 521134.

"Teacher Zhou, do you know what this means?"

Huang Xiaoxing asked the question knowing the answer already.

Zhou Sixuan read the numbers from the blackboard with a puzzled look: "721 521 7758 584 5211314".

The students, who had been standing for a long time, suddenly burst into laughter.

Zhou Sixuan was a little confused: "What are you all laughing at? If you're tired of standing, sit down!"

Even after the students sat down, they continued to whisper and giggle to each other.

Gao Yuke was finally freed from her predicament. She then opened her pencil case and carefully glued back together the damaged part of Gao Shuaiguo's portrait.

She gazed at him affectionately for a while, then smiled sweetly.

At this moment, Huang Xiaoxing had already written the answer to the "love code" under a string of Arabic numerals—

"My dear, I love you. Kiss me. I swear, I will love you forever."

Another burst of laughter erupted in the classroom.

Many students followed along and turned their attention to Yuan Liuxing.

Yuan Liuxing buried her head deep in the desk, her face almost touching the back of her neck in embarrassment.

After Huang Xiaoxing finished writing on the blackboard, Zhou Sixuan read it aloud word by word.

Zhou Sixuan was taken aback: "Huang Xiaoxing, did you decipher it?"

Huang Xiaoxing said proudly, "Of course it was me, but my dad taught me this decryption method."

Zhou Sixuan: "What does your dad do?"

Huang Xiaoxing: "My dad was a bricklayer who built skyscrapers!"

Zhou Sixuan: "Oh."

Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou joked, "Huang Xiaoxing is our class's 'Brick Prince'."

Zhou Sixuan criticized: "You can't just give classmates nicknames like that."

Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou lowered their heads.

Huang Xiaoxing: "Although my dad was a bricklayer, he would also use my pencil stubs to write many articles on the back of my used notebooks in his spare time. Many villagers even called my dad a 'migrant worker literature enthusiast'!"

Zhou Sixuan exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

Huang Xiaoxing ran back to his seat, took out one of his used notebooks from his schoolbag, flipped to the densely written articles his father had written on it, and came up to the stage.

To Teacher Zhou:

"Teacher Zhou, look! The back of my used notebooks is covered with writings by my dad. I can't understand them at all, it's so annoying!"

Zhou Sixuan carefully examined the densely written text on the back of the workbook Huang Xiaoxing had handed her. She glanced through it and saw the signature "Huang Dahe." She asked, "Is your father's name Huang Dahe?"

Huang Xiaoxing replied shyly, "Yes!"

Zhou Sixuan praised, "So many migrant workers from the countryside come to the city to do the hard, dirty, and tiring work that city dwellers don't want to do. They simply don't have time to read, let alone write. Yet your father was able to write articles that reflected the voices of the migrant worker community under such difficult conditions. That kind of spirit is truly remarkable!"

Huang Xiaoxing: "No, no, my dad doesn't work on construction sites during the day. He just writes in our rented apartment at night. I only cook when I get back."

Zhou Sixuan: "Your family has had such a tough time. Was your mother eventually found?"

Huang Xiaoxing lowered her head and wept: "..."

Teacher Zhou Sixuan: "I'm sorry, Huang Xiaoxing, I hurt your self-esteem."

Below the podium, some people saw Huang Xiaoxing crying and were secretly laughing.

Yuan Liuxing suddenly took the pencil case and several books from Huang Xiaoxing's desk and held them high:

"Teacher Zhou, look, Huang Xiaoxing's pencil case and books are covered with pictures of Little Phoenix from 'Palace Intrigue.' He's practically obsessed with Little Phoenix. And he's criticizing me, 'Brick Prince,' doesn't he even look at himself?"

Another burst of laughter erupted in the classroom.

Huang Xiaoxing was so embarrassed that her face turned pale and then red.

Gao Yuke quickly closed her pencil case and pressed it down tightly.

She was afraid that Yuan Liuxing would also give the teacher the photo of her "brother" Gao Shuaiguo from her pencil case and embarrass her.