Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Inside the special care ward of Yanghe City Central Hospital, more than twenty students in college uniforms surrounded the bedside. Looking at Zhou Wenyao, who lay bedridden and looked emaciated, their faces were filled with sorrow.

Several female classmates, including Zhao Aying and Li Baihui, secretly wiped away their tears, while Yue Chuan, squeezed in the corner, stared blankly at the IV stand. Yellow liquid dripped into the drip chamber, passed through the drip rate controller, and finally flowed into Teacher Zhou's vein through the needle.

Yue Chuan leaned forward and finally saw his beloved teacher on the hospital bed. Even now, he still couldn't believe that Teacher Zhou had cancer!

Recalling his memories with Teacher Zhou, the boy's emotions surged, and a sour feeling rose in his throat—if it weren't for Teacher Zhou's strong protection, he would have been expelled long ago after the "Chonggang Incident"; from now on, no one would treat him as a close disciple, no one would help him collect study materials, and no one would pay out of their own pocket to buy him nutritional supplements and rhinitis medicine.

When students chose between arts and sciences in their second year of high school, Mr. Zhou had already reached retirement age. The school no longer assigned him teaching duties. However, this dedicated teacher, who had worked diligently his entire life, did not intend to enjoy his retirement and continued to contribute to the training of students in the Olympiad math class.

This veteran teacher harbored a secret wish: to recommend a group of top students from his Olympiad class, including Yue Chuan, to prestigious universities. These promising students were personally selected by him and would be his last batch of students. If he could witness them achieve academic success, then his professional career would have come to a perfect close.

Unfortunately, Zhou Wenyao's grand ambition of nurturing countless students ultimately ended in regret. Several months ago, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, and now the cancer cells have spread, leaving him in critical condition.

"Students, thank you for visiting Teacher Zhou!" Teacher Zhou's wife, a kind and understanding woman, comforted him with tears in her eyes. As a teacher herself, she understood the students' feelings best. "You are currently at a crucial time in your studies, so it would be more comforting for Teacher Zhou to hear good news from you."

Seeing the students clinging to the bed rails and refusing to move, Teacher Guo, who was in charge of the group, stepped in to smooth things over: "Students, Teacher Zhou needs more rest. I promise to organize another visit once her condition improves in a few days. Now listen to me..."

Ms. Guo is the homeroom teacher of the second year of high school in Yuechuan. She has now taken over from Zhou Wenyao and is fully responsible for the work of the math Olympiad class.

At this moment, Guo Xiaogang had already started to usher people out. Just as he was gently pushing the students out, Zhou's wife suddenly said from behind, "Xiao Guo, you and Qin, come here for a moment. Old Zhou wants to say something to you."

Guo Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, then pulled Yue Chuan back to the bedside. They saw Zhou Wenyao struggling to sit up, his left hand gripping Yue Chuan's wrist, his right hand clutching Guo Xiaogang's sleeve, his lips moving but no sound coming out. He probably realized then that his vocal cords had been removed.

Mrs. Zhou, who had been married to Mr. Zhou for thirty years, immediately understood and, choking with emotion, relayed her husband's words: "Xiao Guo, Lao Zhou wants to ask you to take good care of Yue Chuan. Since you are now in charge of the math Olympiad class, please help as much as you can, so that all the time Mr. Zhou spent teaching you will not have been wasted."

Even the taciturn Yue Chuan understood perfectly; this was clearly a deathbed entrustment. And he himself was the "orphan" Zhou Wenyao had painstakingly nurtured. Tears, which the boy had been holding back for so long, finally welled up and burst forth. He had suppressed his emotions for so long, and now they were finally released.

Seeing this, Mrs. Zhou gently comforted Yue Chuan, while Teacher Guo gave the boy a meaningful look, then turned to his mentor and solemnly promised, "Don't worry! I'll help Qin Yue Chuan the same way you took care of me back then! I'll follow up every step of the way, and as long as he doesn't mess up, I guarantee I can get him into a top university!"

Seeing Guo Xiaogang pat his chest and express his support, Zhou Wenyao nodded and then slowly lay down with the help of his teacher's wife.

In the hospital corridor, Guo Xiaogang put his arm around Yue Chuan's shoulder and whispered, "Qin Yue Chuan, you'd better study hard! Teacher Zhou just came back from the brink of death and he's been thinking about you ever since. I'm also his student, but I don't get the same treatment as you!"

The young teacher's teasing was tinged with a hint of bitterness. Seeing the boy hanging his head in silence, he said seriously, "Since Teacher Zhou has entrusted you to me, please feel free to come to me with any learning problems you have. I will do my best to help you!"

He stared at the fire hydrant mirror on the wall, touched his nose, and continued, "The National Mathematical Olympiad is coming up soon, and I will arrange your study plan. If you want to take the direct admission route, you must win first prize in both the preliminary and final rounds. This is not an easy task. In short, don't get distracted by unimportant things. Focusing on the exam is the most important thing."

"I understand, Zhou... no, Teacher Guo," Yue Chuan replied timidly.

"You have a bit of a sneeze, do you have a cold?" Teacher Guo asked casually.

"It's nothing serious, just a bit of rhinitis."

"Health is the foundation of everything, so take good care of yourself. Since you're home this weekend, let an adult take you to the hospital for a check-up. Don't let it interfere with your studies."

Just then, a commotion arose from the end of the corridor, and Guo Xiaogang jogged after it—as the teacher in charge, he still had to safely get more than twenty children onto the bus.

Because it was "Da Zhou" (a period of the year), Yue Chuan did not return to school, but went straight to the city center bus station.

After a while, Yuechuan finally squeezed onto the platform, just in time to hear a sturdy middle-aged female ticket seller blocking the minibus door and shouting: "Shuangling Mountain! To Shuangling Mountain! It's leaving soon! Anyone who hasn't bought a ticket, hurry up and buy one!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd surged forward, and the female ticket seller sealed the folding doors tightly. By the time Yue Chuan squeezed onto the train with his crumpled ticket in hand, there were no seats left. Without thinking, he plopped down on the storage shelf behind the driver.

Just as the driver was about to close the doors and start moving, a shout suddenly came from the platform: "Driver! Please wait a moment!"

"Hurry! There's only one ticket left!" The female ticket seller rolled her eyes at the white-haired old man who stumbled towards her. He then asked, panting, "Comrade, is this bus's final stop Qin Family Village in Songyue Town?"

"Who cares if it's the final stop or not? It's just passing through Qinjiazhuang, isn't that enough? If you want to get on, buy your ticket now!" The female ticket seller said impatiently.

The old man didn't say anything more. He took out a one-yuan coin from his briefcase and was about to hand it over when the other person shouted loudly, "The ticket price is one yuan and fifty cents! Give me another fifty cents, and I'll tear up your ticket!"

"Comrade, I saw on the notice board that the ticket price is one yuan, you..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'! That's last year's price!" The female ticket seller scoffed, then shouted in her hoarse voice, "Are you leaving or not? If not, I'm closing up shop!"

The notice board in front of the ticket hall was posted last year, but the price has increased this year. It should have been a simple matter of saying a few words, but the female ticket seller was unwilling to explain further. Perhaps she was exhausted and didn't want to waste any more words on the other party.

The elderly man had a square face and slicked-back hair; he looked like a refined gentleman. Not wanting to argue with the ticket seller, he handed her a hundred-yuan bill. Unexpectedly, this action infuriated the female ticket seller.

"Hey! You old man, are you trying to rip me off? Do you think I can break such a big bill? If you want to get on the bus, hurry up and go to the convenience store over there to get some change. Hurry up, everyone on the bus is waiting for you!"

The female ticket seller was aggressive, her attitude incredibly arrogant and domineering. The refined old man glanced at the ticket seller, then at the small shop at the station entrance, a troubled look on his face. He had difficulty walking, and this back and forth would be quite an ordeal for him.

Seeing the old man being taken advantage of, Yue Chuan felt sorry for him and decisively took out his last fifty cents, saying to the ticket seller, "Can't you hear his accent? He's from out of town! Besides, do you think it's appropriate for an old man to run around like this?"

Yue Chuan's words put the female ticket seller in an awkward position. She tried to retort, but a chorus of voices erupted in support: "What kind of skill is it to bully an elderly person from out of town!"

Realizing she had angered the crowd, the ticket seller swallowed back the profanity she was about to utter...