Chapter 6

Director Wang glanced at a few people, his expression slightly easing.

He took out two large red envelopes from his briefcase and said very solemnly to Ye Lingtian, "Student Ye Lingtian, you are this year's top scorer in the national college entrance examination for the liberal arts, and the first top scorer from our Guixing County since the founding of the People's Republic of China! After Secretary Cheng of the County Committee learned this news, he made the decision to award you 20,000 yuan from his Secretary Fund. At the same time, our Education Bureau has decided to reward you with 10,000 yuan. This is the purpose of our visit today."

"This..." Ye Lingtian was instantly stunned by this good news, not knowing what to say for a moment.

He never expected that being the top scorer in the college entrance examination would come with a cash reward, and such a large amount at that.

20,000 yuan from the County Committee, plus 10,000 yuan from the Education Bureau, that's 30,000 yuan. 30,000 yuan is enough for the tuition to enroll at Yanjing University. As long as he pays the first year's tuition, he can work part-time while studying, and with his abilities, he can certainly earn the tuition for the next three years.

If he gets a good part-time job, he can even send some money home to ease his mother's burden.

Thinking of this, the flame of hope in Ye Lingtian's heart, which had already been extinguished, was reignited. His gaze towards Director Wang was filled with gratitude.

As if knowing what Ye Lingtian was about to say, Director Wang waved his hand to interrupt him.

After taking a sip of tea, Director Wang took out two more red envelopes and handed them to Ye Lingtian, "This is a small token of congratulations from Secretary Cheng and myself for your achievement as the top scorer. Secretary Cheng originally intended to come and congratulate you in person, but there was an emergency in the county, so he asked me to convey his congratulations on his behalf. We have not shown you enough concern in the past, and we hope you will not blame us."

"No, Director Wang, you and Secretary Cheng have already shown me great concern. You have already given me so much money, how can I accept your red envelopes?" Ye Lingtian quickly stood up to decline.

Yang Sulan also stood up and said gratefully, "Director Wang, we appreciate your kindness. Thank you, and please thank Secretary Cheng on our behalf! The money is already more than enough. We can figure out the future tuition ourselves and don't want to burden you further."

Seeing Ye Lingtian's refusal, Director Wang's expression turned serious. He forcefully placed the red envelopes in Ye Lingtian's pocket and said, "Student Ye Lingtian, education is the foundation of a nation. You are this year's national top scorer, the pride of all the people of Guixing County, and a role model for all the students. As an educator, I am proud of you and of our county for producing such a talent!"

After saying this, he took out two business cards and handed them to Ye Lingtian, "Go to Yanjing University with peace of mind. If you encounter any difficulties, you can call Secretary Cheng and me using the numbers on these cards. Secretary Cheng said that as long as it is within our capabilities, we will do our best to help you."

Seeing Director Wang's sincerity and the encouragement from Principal Gao and Teacher Yang, Ye Lingtian felt that further refusal would be overly pretentious. He had no choice but to accept the red envelopes and business cards, and said seriously to Director Wang, "Thank you, Secretary Cheng, and thank you, Director Wang! I will always remember your kindness and will repay you if I achieve something in the future."

Seeing Ye Lingtian accept the red envelopes, Director Wang nodded in satisfaction, his expression easing. "I will report your family's situation to Secretary Cheng when I return, so you won't have any worries."

After saying this, he got up to take his leave, as he needed to report everything he had seen today to Secretary Cheng as soon as possible.

"Thank you, thank you, all the leaders, thank you, all the teachers!" Yang Sulan pulled Ye Lingtian and bowed repeatedly to Director Wang and the others, seeing them off at the gate.

After seeing off Director Wang and his group, Ye Lingtian suddenly felt that he understood a lot. As the only man in the family, he not only had to bring honor to his mother but also had to ensure that he was not looked down upon by others! He finally realized how naive his previous thoughts were!

The news of Ye Lingtian being admitted to Yanjing University as the national top scorer and receiving rewards from the County Committee and the Education Bureau spread throughout Sanying Village in less than half a morning. The entire village was in a frenzy, and the villagers came one after another to congratulate Yang Sulan and Ye Lingtian. In no time, the usually quiet house was filled with guests.

Although the title of top scorer in the college entrance examination is just a title and has long lost its significance from ancient times, the villagers who came to congratulate were still very excited, their faces filled with genuine smiles, and their gazes towards Ye Lingtian were full of admiration and envy.

Although the villagers have lived in the mountains for generations, with the reforms and opening up of recent years, communication between Sanying Village and the outside world has gradually increased. Every household has a TV, and most have telephones and mobile phones. They naturally know the reputation of Yanjing University, one of the top universities in the country, which has produced countless famous people over the centuries. Ye Lingtian's admission to Yanjing University means his future is boundless.

As the saying goes, "Thirty years on the east bank of the river, forty years on the west bank." No one can predict what will happen in the future, no matter how poor Ye Lingtian's family is now. Throughout history, many emperors and officials have come from poor backgrounds, and Zhu Yuanzhang once begged for food as a beggar!

When the old man heard the good news, his usually calm face showed a hint of excitement, and he repeatedly said, "Top scorer, top scorer! The Ye family has a successor!"

However, compared to the sincere and enthusiastic congratulations from the villagers of Sanying Village, Yang Sulan's two brothers, Yang Baocheng and Yang Baolin, reacted very coldly to the news of Ye Lingtian becoming the national top scorer and being admitted to Yanjing University.

Yang Baocheng and Yang Baolin, who held positions in the county, have always looked down on their two sisters who married into the countryside, forgetting that they themselves also came from the countryside.

In the past, when Ye Liancheng was alive, everyone could still maintain a superficial harmony. However, after Ye Liancheng died under mysterious circumstances and left a huge debt, they began to clearly neglect Yang Sulan and her son, even mocking them during family gatherings.

Although they knew that Ye Liancheng's death was suspicious, they were afraid of offending their superiors and losing their positions, so they always evaded Yang Sulan's requests to help investigate Ye Liancheng's death.

What was even more infuriating was that when Yang Sulan needed to borrow money to compensate the victim's family, Yang Baocheng and Yang Baolin, who were deputy directors of the county tax bureau and the grain bureau, respectively, refused to lend her a single cent.

Even if they didn't lend her the money, it was bad enough, but they even said behind her back that Yang Sulan needed to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan, and if they lent her the money, she and her son would probably never be able to pay it back.