An R&D Center nestled deep in the mountains and forests has captured the world’s attention—simply because every time it reveals a new breakthrough, it sends shockwaves across the globe. It has given streamers who dream of broadcasting from the wilderness hope that a metal sphere will follow their lead. It has offered those who wish to explore the mysteries of the deep sea a chance at success. Technology changes lives, and Wang Hao is simply researching one technological advancement after another.
Chapter 30: Buying Books
The Next Day “Bro, we’re heading out now,” Zhang Xin said to Wang Hao after finishing breakfast. “Alright, be careful on your way. I’ll probably be out of the mountains this afternoon,” Wang Hao said with a slight nod. Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan left, leaving him alone in the house once again. After a moment’s thought, he slung the graphics workstation over his shoulder—it was the one he’d spent 20,000 yuan on, and it contained several years’ worth of his hard work… Longnao. Given his physical condition, the graphics workstation might have been extremely heavy for others, but to him, it was merely a bit of weight. “I’ll pop over to the book market—they’ve been craving books for a long time.” Thinking of the 50,000 silver dollars he still had left, a serene smile spread across Wang Hao’s face. He planned to set aside another portion to bring some joy to the children in the mountains. After tidying up a bit, Wang Hao headed out for the book market. Sun Yan was enjoying a rare moment of leisure, browsing through books in Gancheng. She usually didn’t have much free time, but this time, she had just finished interviewing all of Wang Hao’s classmates at Gan City No. 1 High School. To her surprise, Wang Hao was actually quite a mystery at school. What stunned her even more was that nearly all his classmates described him as very low-key. She had specifically sought out several students from Wang Hao’s class, and their responses were all roughly the same. The only one who actually got along with Wang Hao—Fang Bing—she hadn’t been able to find. She felt she’d miscalculated; because she’d wanted to hear the opinions of Wang Hao’s classmates first, she hadn’t managed to interview him personally. She had no choice but to send back the interview materials she’d gathered. She planned to return to Gan City No. 1 High School to conduct interviews when it was time to fill out college applications, hoping to interview Wang Hao himself then. She never imagined that, as a veteran reporter for CCTV, she would one day make such a misjudgment. This set her back significantly, as she had originally planned to start with Wang Hao and ended up missing out on the explosive news story involving him. “Huh… that person is…” Sun Yan froze as she watched someone walk into the bookstore. To her utter surprise—and completely against her expectations—she actually spotted Wang Hao, the top-scoring valedictorian, right there. She instinctively wanted to go over to him, but seeing Wang Hao chatting familiarly with the bookstore owner, she slowly edged closer out of curiosity. “Xiao Hao, it’s been ages since you’ve been here,” the bookstore owner said with a broader smile as he saw Wang Hao approach. “Uncle Qian, the college entrance exams were just recently,” Wang Hao said with a light smile. “I know. Uncle Qian was right after all—you brought home the top score. Both you and Xiao Wei became top scorers. Once my son starts his senior year, could you help tutor him too?” Uncle Qian, the bookstore owner, said with a hint of flattery. “That’s still a long way off,” Wang Hao said, nodding slightly in agreement. “Great, ha ha! It’s a deal. I’ll even sell them to you at cost today.” Uncle Qian laughed heartily, his face beaming with excitement. Wang Hao often came here with Lan Wei to carry books back to Lanjia Village, and Uncle Qian was one of the few people who knew about their relationship. After receiving Wang Hao’s affirmative reply, he could no longer contain the smile on his face. After all, this man had taught Lan Wei to become a top-scoring student—if his own son could do the same, it would surely bring great honor to the family. “Alright, Uncle Qian, as you say… don’t hold back,” Wang Hao said with a gentle smile. “No problem. Once I’ve said it, I certainly won’t go back on my word,” Uncle Qian said, waving his hand. Wang Hao nodded and began browsing the bookstore. It was quite spacious—at least two hundred square meters—and filled with a dazzling array of books. This was also where he absorbed knowledge; whenever he had free time, he’d come here to read. He began picking out books at random, while Sun Yan followed not far behind. As she watched Wang Hao pull down a vast number of books, she was secretly marveling at how diligent he was after the college entrance exams. But when she got a closer look at the books, she froze in surprise. Most of them turned out to be children’s books—a far cry from the image she’d imagined of a top-scoring student reading. To her surprise, the majority were children’s books. “That’s all, Uncle Qian.” Wang Hao carried a thick stack of books back and forth several times, piling them onto the counter. Uncle Qian watched in astonishment—there were simply too many books—but he didn’t hesitate for a moment and offered to buy them at cost. After paying, Wang Hao found a tricycle outside and loaded the books onto it—he couldn’t possibly handle over a thousand books by himself. Sun Yan stood there staring blankly; after a moment’s thought, she didn’t run after him but went straight to Uncle Qian instead. “Hello, boss. Could you tell me what that guy was planning to do with the children’s books he bought earlier?” Sun Yan asked. “Who are you?” Uncle Qian gave Sun Yan a wary look. “I’m a reporter for CCTV. That man was likely Wang Hao, this year’s top student in Xijiang Province. I came all the way from Yanjing specifically to interview him,” Sun Yan said, looking at Uncle Qian—who was clearly skeptical—as she took out her press pass and handed it to him. Fortunately, she always carried her press pass with her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had any proof to convince him. “Ah, that boy has had a hard life. Four years ago, a flash flood killed all his relatives. After he came to me three years ago, he’d stop by from time to time to pick up some books. At first, I didn’t know why he was buying them, but it wasn’t until Lan Wei came to this store over a year ago that I accidentally learned a bit about his situation.” Thinking of Wang Hao, Uncle Qian’s face betrayed a look of pity, mixed with admiration. “Lan Wei… that name sounds familiar.” Sun Yan lowered her head and pondered for a moment, but she couldn’t place exactly who it referred to; however, she was certain she’d heard it somewhere before. “Last year’s top student in Xijiang Province,” Uncle Qian said, watching Sun Yan as she racked her brain. “Right… that’s last year’s top student in Xijiang Province.” After being reminded, Sun Yan also recalled where she’d heard that name before. Although she hadn’t interviewed the top student herself, she’d done a bit of research on him at the time. “Boss, please continue,” Sun Yan said. Although she was curious about the relationship between Wang Hao and Lan Wei, she was even more curious about why Wang Hao had bought these books. “A year ago, Wang Hao brought Lan Wei to my store to buy books. It was only by chance, overhearing their conversation, that I learned that for the past three years, all the books Wang Hao had purchased were donated to children living in poverty.” Uncle Qian spoke with a look of deep emotion on his face, recalling how Wang Hao had bought a considerable number of books from him every year for the past three years. His actions made even him, as an adult, feel deeply ashamed. Sun Yan also heard the story about Wang Hao from Uncle Qian. She never would have imagined that this eighteen-year-old boy had been venturing into the mountains every weekend for the past three years to teach children who had suffered severe disasters and had no relatives in the outside world—come rain or shine. He also frequently carried thick stacks of books on his back for the children in the mountains. The books Wang Hao had just purchased numbered at least a thousand; although some were duplicates, Sun Yan learned from Uncle Qian that Wang Hao didn’t visit just one mountain village on weekends—he visited as many as three or four. “Boss, do you know… where these mountain villages are?” An intense gleam flashed in Sun Yan’s eyes—a gleam that reflected not only her hunger for a news story but also her desire to learn more about Wang Hao. “I don’t know. I only know the general location of Lanjia Village; as for the other villages, I have no idea. They’re all deep in the mountains, accessible only by mountain trails. It takes at least three hours to walk there.” Uncle Qian, seeing that she was about to rush off, paused for a moment before offering a reminder. “Okay, then tell me where Lanjia Village is,” Sun Yan asked immediately. After jotting down the address, she walked out, leaving Uncle Qian there, lost in his own thoughts. “I hope this person really is a reporter. It’s great to have more people getting involved—even an eighteen-year-old kid shows such responsibility,” Uncle Qian muttered to himself. Ever since he learned what Wang Hao had done, he hadn’t made a single penny off him; in fact, he’d even spent quite a bit of his own money on him. Seeing that an eighteen-year-old could achieve so much, he wondered why he, as an adult, couldn’t do the same. His actions had also received his wife’s wholehearted support.
