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Chapter 38: A Teenager’s Sense of Responsibility

The next day, Wang Hao got up early to exercise, then came back to wash up. After preparing breakfast, Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan emerged, still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. “Breakfast is ready. You two should eat quickly—we have to fill out our college applications today. I’m heading out first,” Wang Hao said to them. “Bye, bro,” Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan said, nodding. After saying goodbye to them, Wang Hao set off for school. As he stepped through the school gates once more, he noticed everyone staring at him as if he were a rare animal. A wry smile crossed his face—he was now experiencing firsthand the treatment Lan Wei had received the previous year. He had even spotted his own photo and profile in the “People” section, listed right alongside Lan Wei’s. “Wang Hao.” Just as Wang Hao was about to walk away, he suddenly heard a clear, young woman’s voice behind him. “Class President.” Wang Hao nodded slightly. He harbored no ill will toward Ma Ling; it was hard to feel any animosity toward such a responsible and attractive class president. “Wang Hao, I heard from Ma Ye that you’re planning to go to Yan’da University?” Ma Ling, holding a newspaper, quickened her pace to walk alongside Wang Hao and asked with a look of curiosity. “That’s right.” Wang Hao nodded slightly. He had already decided to go to Yan’da University. While walking together in the mountains, Zhao Chun had talked to Wang Hao at length; their discussions about college life and the culture at Yan’da University had piqued his interest, giving him an urge to go and see the place for himself. “You’ve been keeping that a secret for quite a while,” Ma Ling said with a touch of admiration in her eyes. When she first laid eyes on the newspaper in her hands, she was stunned—but more than that, she was deeply moved. She never would have imagined that someone her own age could possess such a noble spirit. To think he’d scrimp and save just to do something for the children in the mountain village—she now truly understood why he’d never participated in any of his class’s weekend activities since his freshman year of high school. She recalled how, on weekends when she was resting, shopping, and hanging out with her classmates, Wang Hao had already been deep in the mountains. Teaching those children, hauling extremely heavy books up into the mountains just so they could have better conditions for studying. What she never would have imagined was that Wang Hao was actually Lan Wei’s teacher. Wang Hao… a gifted young man with even more of a sense of responsibility than she had—that was Ma Ling’s assessment of him. “What’s wrong?” After hearing Ma Ling’s words, Wang Hao thought she was referring to why he had kept his grades a secret for the past three years, but when he turned to look at the admiration in her eyes, he felt that wasn’t quite it. “Here, take a look for yourself.” Ma Ling handed him the newspaper she was holding. Wang Hao took it and began to read. When he saw the front-page headline, he froze for a moment, then read it intently. The headline boldly featured his name: “The Responsibility of an Eighteen-Year-Old: The Talent of Wang Hao.” “Wang Hao—an ordinary, unremarkable name. But after one college entrance exam, everyone across the country following the exam came to know Wang Hao, the top scorer in Xijiang Province. Today, we’re not here to discuss Wang Hao’s test scores, but rather what he has done since entering high school. A chance encounter brought this writer face-to-face with Wang Hao, who had just taken the college entrance exam. It also gave me a clear understanding of what Wang Hao has done over the past three years and revealed the Wang Hao who has been quietly and selflessly contributing behind the scenes—an eighteen-year-old youth who possesses a sense of responsibility that most people lack.” “To provide children in the mountains with better reading materials, Wang Hao used the vast majority of his living expenses to purchase books for children living in remote mountain areas with extremely poor conditions. To ensure that children in the mountains could receive a normal education, Wang Hao would ride his bicycle for three hours every weekend, followed by a three-hour hike along mountain trails—spending six hours each day—simply so that these children could receive an education on par with that of the outside world. You might wonder: Can a high school student really teach these children well? Do you remember Lan Wei, the top-scoring student from Xijiang Province last year who was hailed as a “miracle”? Wang Hao was Lan Wei’s tutor... Finally, it should be noted that all the expenses Wang Hao incurs in supporting these mountain village children are covered by his parents. For more details about Wang Hao, tune in to the CCTV Documentary Channel at 8:00 p. m. for the documentary *The Responsibility of Hua Guo’s Youth*. Wang Hao read the newspaper carefully and let out a wry, helpless smile. The article described his life in such detail that he knew without a doubt it was written by that CCTV reporter, Sun Yan. He also hadn’t expected that what was originally supposed to be just a short segment had now turned into a full-length documentary. “Wang Hao, I want to say I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before, but why didn’t you say anything?” Ma Ling said, looking ashamed. “No need,” Wang Hao shook his head. It was both a response to her apology and an explanation for why he hadn’t spoken up. “Let’s go. It’s almost time.” Ma Ling’s words trailed off. Looking somewhat dejected, she shot Wang Hao a disapproving glance and headed toward the classroom. If it had been anyone else, they would have been happy to chat with her, but she’d run into Wang Hao. Meanwhile, inside the CCTV building, in the editor-in-chief’s office of the documentary channel. “Sun Yan, you did an excellent job this time. I can’t believe you managed to uncover such an uplifting story.” The editor-in-chief observed how Wang Hao’s immense influence had sparked widespread discussion and sparked concern for the educational needs of children in impoverished mountainous regions. If an eighteen-year-old boy could achieve this much, what about them—the adults? When he first laid eyes on the report Sun Yan had written, his face was filled with disbelief. After verifying the facts from multiple sources, he did everything in his power to spread the story through various channels. “Editor-in-Chief, I stumbled upon this by accident,” Sun Yan said, her face glowing with excitement. She, too, hoped more people would join the effort so that children in impoverished mountainous areas could receive a quality education. If the atmosphere around Sun Yan was one of harmony, the mayor’s office in Gancheng was in the midst of a full-blown uproar. “Look at the mess you’ve made. Everyone’s been saying there are no longer any impoverished mountainous areas in Gancheng, and that the children’s education has been properly addressed.” The mayor slammed the newspaper down on the table—not because he was angry that such an issue had been reported about the city he managed. Several middle-aged men stood with their heads bowed, silently enduring the reprimand. Among them were the Director of the Education Bureau for Gancheng and the heads of various relevant departments. He had long attached great importance to children’s education; his anger stemmed from the fact that not a single subordinate had reported this matter to him—the reports he’d received had all highlighted only the positive aspects. “Investigate whether there are any other villages like this in Gancheng. Also, allocate a special fund from the municipal budget—this funding is to be used exclusively to address the educational needs of children in mountainous areas.” The mayor of Gancheng felt somewhat ashamed; this was his responsibility, and he would not shirk it but would find a way to remedy the situation. “It seems I need to go out into the field more often—seeing is believing,” the mayor of Gancheng remarked thoughtfully after watching the group leave.