Chapter 50

"Everyone knows that my family is an ordinary rural family, with parents who have low levels of education. My father graduated from junior high school, and my mother from elementary school. Our ancestors were all farmers, so there are no family rules or teachings like those in more sophisticated households."

At this point, many of the students smiled in agreement, as many of their families were the same.

"My parents are not good at speaking, but from a young age, they taught me by example how to be a good person and how to do things. After I started school, my teachers taught us the five principles of conduct, the four beauties, and the three loves."

When he said this, not only did the students laugh, but many of the teachers did as well.

Feng Yiping continued, "The important thing is that teachers not only teach us to learn knowledge well but also to apply what we have learned effectively. It's not just about hard work but also about smart work, which can lead to better results. Teachers also encourage us to learn knowledge beyond the textbooks, such as how to scientifically and reasonably plan and allocate tasks, and how to work together to complete them. In my view, my parents taught us the basics, and on that foundation, teachers imparted us scientific methods and techniques."

These words were a bit dry, and the students were not very interested. Feng Yiping then changed the topic, "As you all know, by chance, I published two articles in a magazine. One of my intentions was to record my current thoughts and insights about life. The same events can be perceived differently by people of different ages. For example, we all feel that studying is very hard now, but years later, when we enter society, we will look back on this time and find it easy and pleasant. Similarly, when we are old, we will look back and find that the hard work of our youth was sweet."

The students still didn't react much to these words, but many of the teachers agreed, as they had also been through student life and found it much easier and more pleasant compared to the challenges they faced now.

Feng Yiping continued, "This leads to my second point. Teachers often use the phrase 'When you need knowledge, you regret not having learned more' to motivate us. I looked it up in a bookstore, and it seems to be the first line of a couplet written by the Song Dynasty poet Lu You, with the second line being 'You don't know the difficulty until you have experienced it.'"

This was something Feng Yiping found online later, and according to Baidu, it was probably a couplet written by Lu You.

"The first line encourages us to study diligently, and the second line encourages us to take action. Together, they mean the unity of knowledge and action. 'Knowledge' guides 'action,' and through 'action,' we improve our 'knowledge.' Therefore, when I wrote those articles, it was also a way of taking action. The fact is, the knowledge we are learning now can indeed support us in taking action."

The students agreed with these words, and it seemed that the mail at the local post office would be more than usual today, as many students, influenced by Feng Yiping, were preparing to submit articles to various magazines this week.

Of course, this topic was still a bit heavy and academic. The teachers agreed, but the students' enthusiasm was not fully engaged. Feng Yiping did not want his speech to turn into a boring lecture.

"Next is my third point. By publishing two articles, I earned some稿费 (manuscript fees)."

This topic was more popular. Money, after all, is something everyone likes, and the students immediately became more enthusiastic.

"Teachers teach us 'When you need knowledge, you regret not having learned more.' I think that life also teaches us another phrase, 'When you need money, you regret not having enough.'"

This was a bold and direct statement. There was a moment of silence, and then many students, realizing what he meant, clapped hard.

Feng Yiping felt that it wasn't that they deeply agreed with the phrase 'When you need money, you regret not having enough,' but that they were happy to have a phrase to counter the teachers' often repeated 'When you need knowledge, you regret not having learned more.'

The head of the teaching department's face turned a bit sour, and he had already stood up, but was pulled back by the principal.

Wang Yumin, who was sitting in the back row, lost her ease and stood up, signaling to Feng Yiping. Teacher Zhu, who had been wandering in the back, stopped and watched Feng Yiping on the stage with interest.

Feng Yiping noticed that the principal had pulled the head of the teaching department back, and the two vice-principals did not explicitly oppose him. He felt more confident, thinking that his words had not crossed their底线 (bottom line).

He took the microphone and walked out from behind the table, standing in front and moving around, "Now is not an era where talking about money is taboo. 'When you need money, you regret not having enough' is an objective fact. How can we earn money? The knowledge we are learning in school is the foundation for earning money. I was fortunate to earn some manuscript fees twice, which proves this point. The knowledge we learn will ultimately be transformed into wealth. Wealth comes in many forms, such as spiritual and material. Among the students here, some may become philosophers, writers, scientists, and some may become entrepreneurs."

"But the premise for all of this is that we must learn various knowledge and advanced technology. The more we learn today, the more solid the foundation we will have for a better future."

The leaders on the stage looked more relaxed after hearing this, and Wang Yumin finally sat down. Teacher Zhu stood in the back, supporting her chin and smiling, muttering to herself, "He can even turn it around like this, not bad at all."

Feng Yiping had been speaking for a few minutes. At this point, he needed to do some encouraging, so he followed the template, "Students, each generation has its historical mission. Our grandparents' generation worked to make our country stand up, our parents' generation worked to stabilize our country, and our generation must work to make our country prosperous. Let us not辜负 (disappoint) the heavy trust of history. Starting from now, starting from ourselves, let us study hard, lay a solid foundation, and contribute our share to this great era."

After saying this, Feng Yiping returned to his usual shy and timid self, put the microphone back on the table, and bowed to the leaders and the audience.

"Clap, clap, clap." The applause was enthusiastic, and the principal led the way.

Feng Yiping walked quickly, leaving the things he had received on the table. Vice-principal Zhang quickly caught up with him, and Feng Yiping thanked him awkwardly. The students in the audience saw this and laughed again.

This was exactly the effect Feng Yiping wanted. He needed to show some small flaws or shortcomings so that everyone would see him as just an ordinary person, not much different from them.

People who appear too perfect are often envied.

When Feng Yiping returned to the audience, the applause sounded again. Most of the students thought that what Feng Yiping had said was good, not just a lecture, but related to the current situation, and was very practical.

Back in the audience, Feng Yiping felt more at ease. Seeing everyone applauding, he put down his things and bowed to the people around him. His traditional and now somewhat old-fashioned gesture made many students laugh again.

On the stage, the principal joked, "I think Feng Yiping could easily participate in a speech contest!"

"Ha ha," the students laughed again.

The principal gestured for everyone to quiet down, "Feng Yiping's speech was good, and his views were quite novel. He used his own experience to illustrate the necessity and importance of studying hard, so I won't repeat it. I can't think of anything more interesting or better to say right now. In short, remember to study well now."

The principal's self-deprecating remarks were met with enthusiastic applause.

This unexpected part of the agenda had one negative consequence: the carefully prepared speech by the student council president that followed was met with little interest, not only from the students but also from most of the teachers. While he was speaking, everyone was discussing the previous speech.

In contrast, his speech was abstract, empty, and grand, not as practical and relevant as Feng Yiping's.

When the meeting ended, Xiao Zhijie squeezed over, giving him a thumbs up, "Feng Yiping, you're awesome!"

At this moment, Wang Yumin was signaling to him from behind. Feng Yiping handed his chair and the things he had received to Xiao Zhijie. Xiao Zhijie was about to wait for Feng Yiping, but seeing fewer and fewer people in the playground, he pretended to struggle with the two people's things and walked toward the classroom. Wang Changning saw this and came back to help carry Feng Yiping's prize.

Wang Yumin looked at Feng Yiping with a playful smile, "Feng Yiping, you look so innocent and harmless. I feel a bit embarrassed and scared. If I did anything wrong today, just criticize me directly, and I will accept it all."

Wang Yumin laughed again, "I didn't expect you to surprise me so much, Feng Yiping. Your impromptu speech was so successful. What other talents will you show tomorrow?"

Feng Yiping said, "Teacher Wang, you know me well. I just summarized what you have taught us and added some of my own thoughts. It's all thanks to your guidance."

Wang Yimin laughed, "Alright, alright, you're getting cocky. Don't just play around during the holiday. Organize what you said today and submit it to me on Monday."

Feng Yiping had no choice but to agree.

"Alright, go on with your business."

On the way back to the classroom, Feng Yiping encountered many familiar and unfamiliar faces, all of whom smiled and greeted him. It seemed that from today on, there would be no one in the school who didn't know him.

The students in his class were even more enthusiastic, many of them patting his shoulder or giving him a light punch on the chest to show their approval. Eventually, Feng Yiping sat down, using a book to shield his chest and saying, "Don't hit my chest."

The female students, of course, couldn't do these actions, so they expressed their admiration verbally, "Feng Yiping, you're amazing!"

"Feng Yiping, really good!"

When Huang Jingping was leaving, she also came over and said with a smile, "Feng Yiping, you did a great job!"

Although Feng Yiping's speech today was spontaneous, he had thought about it before. Since he had a second chance at life, he wanted to not only change himself but also try to help the people around him.

Chairman Mao once said that his life had only influenced a few people around him, which was an extremely humble statement. In fact, his life had profoundly influenced the Chinese people and had a significant impact worldwide, changing the world.

With Feng Yiping's limited abilities, since heaven had given him this opportunity, he really wanted to do his best to influence the people around him. Otherwise, he would feel that he had wasted this chance.

At noon, Feng Yiping and Wang Changning went back to his grandfather's house, not bringing the prizes or certificates. The prizes were not yet needed by his younger cousins, and the certificates, if brought to his grandfather's house, might be torn by the children, so he kept them at school.

He had always been indifferent to these certificates, but someone cared a lot. During the Spring Festival when his son was in elementary school, Feng Zhenwu found a pile of certificates from a box, which were all the honors Feng Yiping had received from school. Feng Zhenwu showed them to his grandson, teaching him to learn from his father and to strive for certificates every term.

To be honest, it was the first time Feng Yiping realized that his father had such a delicate side and that his father had always been proud of him.

Thank you all for your support! Your support is my greatest motivation. In the past two days, the number of clicks has increased, thanks to everyone's help in promoting it. I am very, very grateful! I am new to this, and I am still not familiar with many functions. It was only just now that I saw that someone had given me a tip, which moved me deeply! I would like to thank them one by one: akakakakakhf, Xiaotongxie, Lianxingzhe, Shuyou150413225652625, GuangmingVShengVQishi, Tianbeiyue. Thank you very much!

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