The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 281 How did you know my daughter won the top prize in the national essay competition? (5.2K)

"A little higher here, hang it a little higher... Move it to the right a bit... Okay, like this..."

On the school road of No. 8 Middle School, several teachers and staff members were setting up ladders to hang banners.

Many students passing by were curious about what was going on and what was happening.
They found out very quickly.

The banner read: "Warm congratulations to Chen Qiyun, a student from Class 2, Grade 8, for winning the Special Prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Students' Essay Competition! Our teacher, Li Beixing, has also won the National Outstanding Instructor Award!"

"Huh? The top prize in the national essay competition?"

The students who witnessed this scene were all wide-eyed with astonishment.

I may not understand the rest, but I can understand the words "national" and "special prize". The fact that the school is using a banner to promote it shows that this award must be very prestigious.

Wow, that sounds pretty awesome!

"When was this essay competition held?" a student asked, puzzled.

The student next to him replied, "Didn't your class say a while ago that the teacher asked those who write good Chinese compositions to give it a try? They had to submit their compositions first, and then they would be selected before they could sign up."

"I do not know how?"

"You weren't paying attention in class, were you?"

"Why is there only a second-year junior high class? Aren't there any first- or third-year junior high classes?"

"Idiot, you definitely didn't win the prize!"

"I remember there was someone in Class 1 of the second year of junior high who wrote essays quite well."

A well-informed student added, "I know that. Li Shuwen from Class 1 won third prize in the preliminary round, and Chen Qiyun from Class 2 won second prize. I didn't expect Chen Qiyun to actually make it to the finals and even win the grand prize! That's amazing!"

"Huh? This Chen Qiyun is that strong?"

Many students expressed surprise.

"Yes, her grades improved quite quickly last semester; she's already second in the grade."

"She's very cute, and quite a few boys like her. But she's a bit aloof and not easy to approach."

"..."

A large group of students gathered under the banner, chattering excitedly.

During our school days, everyone was naturally curious about these popular figures on campus. Plus, No. 8 Middle School wasn't very big, only having a junior high section, so if you wanted to find out some information, you could just ask a few people.

In a short time, Chen Qiyun's name began to spread slowly among several grades.

……

The junior high school teachers' office was also bustling with activity at this time.

Congratulations, Teacher Li!

"You really made our school proud this time!"

"A national top prize, there aren't many like that in all the years in Jiangbei."

"..."

Several subject teachers smiled at Li Beixing, their eyes full of envy.

The school would definitely award a prize for this level of honor. Although Li Beixing looked down on it, the ordinary teachers were very envious.

Then there are honors. A national-level special prize, even if it's just a middle school essay competition, is still a national-level award. It can add a significant touch to one's resume and will be useful for future professional title evaluations.

"Same to you, same to you. Actually, I was just lucky; I didn't make any outstanding contributions."

Li Beixing answered with a smile.

"You've already won the top prize and you still say you haven't made any contributions? Teacher Li, you're being too modest."

"Hey, I'm not being modest. Chen Qiyun was able to win the top prize mainly because her brother helped tutor her. I just helped revise her essay."

Li Beixing explained with a smile.

"Oh? Is her brother a very good writer?" a teacher asked curiously.

Li Beixing smiled and said, "It's alright, just the level of publishing a few papers in core journals. Middle school students are not really good at writing essays. Last time, because the writing style was too simple, it didn't please the judges and only won the second prize. He was quite upset about it, so he spent time studying the essays of the first and second prize winners in previous years and gave Chen Qiyun intensive training for the semi-finals and finals."

A few articles in core journals, that's not so bad?
Everyone fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances.

Wow, this is way too Versailles!

As we all know, teachers need to be evaluated for professional titles, and to be evaluated as a senior teacher in primary or secondary schools, all you need is a paper published in a core journal.

If you have two papers, you're guaranteed a senior professional teacher title.

In addition, the school will give a bonus for publishing in a core journal. It's hard to say how much, but it will definitely be several thousand yuan.

Although the requirements vary across different fields, being able to publish in core journals, and more than one, is definitely a top-tier achievement for ordinary people!
It's worth noting that many top-tier 985 universities only require two first-author papers in core journals for doctoral graduation.

One teacher asked curiously, "Professor Li, is your boyfriend an academic researcher?"

Actually, they rarely inquired about these things before, because it involved other people's privacy, and given Li Beixing's special identity, everyone tacitly refrained from asking further questions.

But Li Beixing was clearly in a good mood this time, and since the topic came up, he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Not really. He knows a little bit of everything and does whatever interests him. Writing papers is just one of his areas of interest. In his words, it's about summarizing what he's learned at a certain stage, turning input into output. Right now, he's researching calligraphy and painting the most. Of course, his best skill is cooking."

When Chen Jingle was mentioned, Li Beixing's expression changed completely, and his face was filled with a happy smile, which made everyone stare in amazement.

A classic case of falling in love!
The difference between having a boyfriend and not having a boyfriend is really huge.

However, it's understandable to connect academic papers with calligraphy and painting, but what the heck is cooking?

Seeing this, several teachers approached Li Beixing to inquire about her boyfriend.

When they learned that a single piece of calligraphy or painting by Chen Jingle could sell for fifty or sixty thousand yuan, they were utterly dumbfounded.

Be nice!

Is this the difference between people?

While they were still struggling to earn five or six thousand a month, others could casually write a few words and earn tens of thousands.

It’s so irritating that people are so different from each other!
……

Just then, the school's loudspeaker suddenly announced:
"We have some exciting news to share! Chen Qiyun, a student from Class 2, Grade 8 of our school, has won the Special Prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Students' Essay Competition Finals, and her teacher, Li Beixing, has won the National Outstanding Instructor Award! Congratulations to them!"

The once noisy school building suddenly became much quieter during the break between classes, and everyone curiously pricked up their ears.

After hearing the news broadcast, some people were puzzled, some were surprised, and some grimaced.

However, one thing is certain: after today, the name Chen Qiyun will be known throughout the entire campus.

Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class 2, Grade 8, the students erupted in chaos, as if a pot had been boiled over.

"Sister Yun!!"

"My God, the grand prize!"

"Chen Qiyun, you're amazing!"

"Take me under your wing, boss!"

"..."

Many classmates flocked to Chen Qiyun's seat, showering her with compliments.

Little did she know that Chen Qiyun herself was also confused.

What? The grand prize? Me?
Oh right, I participated in the essay competition. I actually won an award? And a grand prize at that?

She instinctively grinned, but then realized, "No, I have to maintain my aloof persona!"

Faced with everyone's congratulations, she tried her best to remain calm, but her lips were practically trembling with laughter. She couldn't laugh out loud, so she had to hold it in.

Even students from the next class, after hearing the broadcast, ran to the door of Class 2 to peek and see what the talented girl who won the national essay prize looked like.

At this moment, the homeroom teacher walked in from outside and tapped the podium with a large triangle ruler.

Upon seeing this, the students quickly dispersed and returned to their seats.

After the noisy classroom quieted down, the homeroom teacher smiled and said, "Did everyone hear the announcement?"

"heard it!"

Everyone answered in unison, their gazes towards Chen Qiyun filled with envy.

After all, this is the top prize in a national competition!

I valued honor a lot during my student days.

The homeroom teacher smiled broadly: "Let's give Chen Qiyun a warm round of applause and congratulate her, shall we?"

"Okay~~"

"Come on, 1, 2, 3—"

For a moment, the applause was thunderous.

The homeroom teacher smiled and looked at Chen Qiyun: "Although the certificate hasn't arrived yet, Chen Qiyun, why don't you come up and give your acceptance speech first?"

Since the homeroom teacher had already called roll, Chen Qiyun had no choice but to go up to the podium, no matter how embarrassed she was.

This time, she didn't pretend to be aloof. Instead, she smiled shyly and said, "Thank you everyone, I will continue to work hard!"

"Huh? Is it that simple?" The homeroom teacher was stunned.

Chen Qiyun thought for a moment and said, "Thank you to my brother and my... uh, and to Chinese teacher Li for their tutoring, and thank you to teacher Liu and everyone else for taking care of me."

After speaking, he bowed and looked at the homeroom teacher.

The homeroom teacher sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, go back and sit down."

This girl is indeed not very talkative in class.

But they are all my students, so I feel proud.

To Chen Qiyun's surprise, someone actually wanted to interview her. One of them was from the school newspaper of No. 8 Middle School, which is the school's publicity department. Although it doesn't have much of a presence, it publishes one or two issues every semester.

The other one is quite impressive; it's a new media outlet under Jiangbei TV, a legitimate official media outlet. Whether they came on their own initiative after learning about it or were approached by the school, we don't know.

Chen Qiyun stood next to Li Beixing, posed for a few photos with him, and said a few nice words before she was allowed to return to the classroom.

Call ~
so troublesome!
Of course, I was secretly a little pleased; after all, I'm just a kid.

……

After school at noon.

"Brother Le!"

As soon as Chen Qiyun entered the house, she smiled and said, "I won the national top prize for my essay!"

Chen Jingle, who had already prepared lunch, replied with a smile, "Yes, I heard it from your sister-in-law. It's good. Remember to tell your parents and grandparents too."

"Know it!"

Chen Qiyun put down her schoolbag and skipped happily to her house.

Her parents didn't come home at noon; only her grandparents were home. When they heard the news, they were immediately surprised: "Nationwide?"

"Correct!"

"Wow, that's amazing?!"

Grandpa grinned, revealing a set of broken, yellowed teeth.

Although he hadn't read many books, he knew that this was a national competition, and the highest prize was the grand prize.

No one in my family has ever had this before.

Before this, her sister Chen Xiuyun's success in getting into graduate school was something she could be proud of.

Although it's just a writing competition, winning the national grand prize sounds really impressive. Now I'll have something to talk about when I play cards with my old friends this afternoon.

Grandma was all smiles. Although she can be quite blunt, at least she didn't spoil the mood today.

Chen Zhenlin, who had just finished lunch at the company and was about to take a short rest, received a photo from Chen Qiyun. His eyes widened, and he immediately made a voice call.

"What's with this banner? Is it you?"

"Who else could it be?" Chen Qiyun proudly raised her chin, looking quite pleased with herself, as she looked at the Little Genius watch.

Chen Zhenlin's grin stretched almost to his ears: "It really is the national top prize?!"

“Yeah, you can ask your homeroom teacher if you don’t believe me. The certificate just hasn’t been delivered yet, you’ll find out when it arrives.” Chen Qiyun was annoyed that her father didn’t believe her.

"Okay, I'll ask your homeroom teacher what happened later."

Chen Zhenlin was still dizzy after hanging up the phone and subconsciously grinned foolishly.

A colleague next to him asked, "Brother Zhenlin, what's making you so happy?"

"How did you know my daughter won the top prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Students' Essay Competition?"

"what?!"

"..."

Chen Qiyun's mother, Lu Xian, reacted in a similar way to her father.

To be even more exaggerated, my voice was much louder than usual today.

The couple were all smiles all day, sharing the news with everyone they met. Now everyone knew that their youngest daughter had won the top prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Students' Essay Competition.

Everyone was incredibly envious.

In addition, I heard that their eldest daughter was admitted to graduate school. They have more than one outstanding child. Who wouldn't envy them?
People in Lingnan have always admired and respected those who excel in their studies, and they all hope to change their fate and stand out from the crowd through education.

There are people who advocate that studying is useless, but they are not many.

Moreover, these are often the people who are most enthusiastic about buying school district housing.

……

in the afternoon.

At Chen Jingle's house, Li Beixing had just left when his second uncle, Chen Zhenlin, arrived.

"Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, Second Uncle, what about you?"

"I just finished eating."

Chen Zhenlin chuckled and poked his head in to ask, "Are your parents still at the shop and haven't come back yet?"

Chen Jingle replied, "No, I usually get back around 7:30. I need to keep the place clean, otherwise it will attract rats and cockroaches."

Chen Zhenlin felt a little envious and said with a smile, "It seems that business is getting better and better. I've heard from the young people in our company that now you have to queue up to eat at your restaurant."

"Hey, it's near the school gate. Students get tired of the cafeteria food and eat out. The small shops, only a few dozen square meters, can't hold that many people, so it's normal to have a queue. It's not like it's a big restaurant with a queue. If it were like a five-star hotel restaurant, people would have to queue for every meal, then that would be considered good business."

Chen Jingle waved his hand.

Chen Zhenlin chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, then changed the subject: "I heard from Chen Qiyun that you've been tutoring her in her writing practice lately?"

Chen Jingle laughed and said, "It's a small matter. She could have won an award anyway, given her level. I'm just a little annoyed by those participants who all hired ghostwriters, making the competition a mess, like it's their own private domain."

"There is still a difference between the second and third prizes and the grand prize."

Chen Zhenlin was certainly not foolish enough to think that Chen Qiyun could win the grand prize on her own.

You have to understand that at this time last year, Chen Qiyun's grades weren't even among the top in her class, but now she's in the top three of the grade, a position she's aiming for.

He and his wife both have to work and don't have time to help their child with homework, nor are they capable of doing so due to their lack of education. The two elderly people are even less literate, not even as literate as Chen Qiyun.

It's easy to imagine how much Chen Jingle helped.

I owe this nephew quite a lot.

"Will this award give her extra points on her high school entrance exam?" This was Chen Zhenlin's biggest concern.

While honors sound impressive, they lack something if they are merely honors.

Chen Jingle thought for a moment: "It's not possible on the surface, but Jiangbei No.1 Middle School has been conducting independent admissions in recent years. In addition to the unified entrance examination, they also contact outstanding students from various schools. National awards like these are naturally included in the list of outstanding students. Generally, each school will allocate a few places. As long as these students list Jiangbei No.1 Middle School as their first choice in the high school entrance examination and their scores are close to the cutoff line, they will be given priority admission, with a reduction of about 10 points. You can also understand it as applying to Jiangbei No.1 Middle School adding 10 points to the high school entrance examination."

"It would be great if it could earn me extra points."

Chen Zhenlin breathed a sigh of relief: "So, getting into Jiangbei No.1 High School shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Chen Jingle smiled and said, "With her current grades, you can rest assured. She'll have an easy time in the experimental class."

"It's better to play it safe; there's still a year left." Chen Zhenlin nodded, feeling much more confident.

Chen Jingle nodded: "When she goes to high school, she can continue to participate in national essay competitions. If she can win an award, it will be useful for the independent admissions of top universities, such as comprehensive evaluation and the Strong Foundation Program."

Chen Zhenlin smiled and said, "We'll see how she performs then. It would be best if she could get it, but it's okay if she can't. As long as she does well on the college entrance exam, that's all that matters."

The two talked a lot, but it was mostly about everyday things.

Ultimately, we're all family. We just went to sweep the graves together a few days ago. The two families have separated, but we're not estranged.

……

Chen Jingle's parents returned from the store after he finished showering.

The shop has been open for over a month and is already on track. He doesn't need to do anything; his parents can handle everything.

The store's daily sales are about the same now.

My parents have also figured it out. Although they want to earn more money, they don't need to work too hard. They'll be content with what they have.

Chen Jingle told them about Chen Qiyun's award, and his parents were very happy.

"By the way, when your second uncle was chatting with me the other day, he mentioned Chen Jinghao and said that he was planning to change jobs."

Dad hesitated before speaking.

"You told me?" Chen Jingle asked in surprise.

Dad nodded: "Yes. I think he meant to ask if Chen Jinghao could help out at the store. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I feel that's what he meant, but he just didn't know how to bring it up."

After all, Chen Jingle is making the decisions at home now.

Chen Jingle pondered for a moment, no wonder he felt that his second uncle was hesitant to speak earlier.

It turned out to be because of this.

He looked at his mother: "Mom, what do you say?"

"What can I say? You paid for the shop, and we're just helping out. Whatever you say goes," Mom said with a smile.

Since that's the case, Chen Jingle said, "If he's willing, I definitely have no objection."

Not everyone is willing to work for relatives; on the contrary, most people are not happy about it. Many people find it difficult to adapt to the change from a kinship relationship to a superior-subordinate relationship.

Business owners are reluctant to hire relatives as employees, and many shops and companies have been ruined by their relatives.

Chen Jingle didn't care.

The main reason is that although Chen Jinghao is not good at studying and likes playing games, his personality is not bad. He studied cooking and his skills are passable. If he helps out at the shop, at least he won't make things worse.

"Then I'll talk to your second uncle." Dad smiled.

If it's one's own brother, it would be good to help him out.

After Chen Jingle's father and second uncle talked, the matter was settled.

Upon receiving the news, his cousin Chen Jinghao resigned from his job, packed his things, and prepared to return.

However, when Chen Jingle saw him again, he was stunned: "How did you become such a grotesque person?"

She looks completely different from when she came back to sweep the tombs last week for Qingming Festival.

(End of this chapter)