Chapter 34 p2: Uprising (2)
After preparing for a while, people gradually started to come over. Many people looked around curiously, but not many actually bought anything.
The first sale in the class was at the little fatty’s stall.
The little fatty and Tang Xiao had merged their stalls. He had a good business sense and had brought out many joke books, comic books, and other things from home to display. They were 5 cents a book, for rent. He had placed a glass jar next to it, which clinked with the rent money.
Many children were attracted by this small book stall. They stopped, and more and more people gathered. The sound of coins being dropped into the glass jar also became more frequent. The little fatty was so happy he was grinning from ear to ear. A child next to him, who hadn’t been able to sell anything, was a little anxious and called for the little fatty to help. The little fatty also enthusiastically promoted his friends’ things. Mi Yang came over just in time to see this and was a little gratified, but then he saw the little fatty collect a ten-cent promotion fee from the other person after he was done and happily put the money in the glass jar.
Mi Yang: “…”
It would be a real waste if this kid didn’t go into business.
Mi Yang was busy taking care of the other children and had no time to spare. Bai Luochuan’s lottery stall wasn’t getting much attention. He was flipping through the paper slips inside, searching for a long time, his brow furrowed.
People gradually started to come to the lottery stall. Thirty cents a try, the price of a small bag of plums. Compared to eating plums, the children were also quite willing to try their luck.
Bai Luochuan stared intently as people drew their lots. Seeing them exclaim in surprise and sigh in disappointment, his own heart was in his throat.
After a short while, sure enough, a lower-grade child let out a “huh” and said, “Tutoring in any one subject… What’s this?”
Bai Luochuan immediately stood up. “Give this to me, and I’ll let you draw two more times.”
The other person was a little hesitant.
Bai Luochuan stared at him. “Three times.”
The child immediately happily gave the slip of paper to Bai Luochuan and started to draw again. His luck was good, and he won a first prize. The prize was the large Ultraman toy, which immediately drew a chorus of envious sounds from the surrounding people.
Bai Luochuan’s lottery stall, as if it had become a living advertisement, attracted a swarm of elementary school students, all wanting to try their luck.
As Bai Luochuan collected the money, he stared at the slip of paper in each person’s hand, afraid that someone would take the tutoring slip and sneak away—he was worrying for nothing. Besides him, there really wasn’t any other elementary school student who liked the prize of one-on-one tutoring.
While the children’s stalls were in full swing, on the other side, Mrs. Bai and the orderly were talking to the school leadership. They passed by and, seeing them, only pointed from a distance and said with a smile, “Look, those are our two little ones. I’m not bragging, but they both got first place in their studies, one in the first grade and one in the third. Yesterday, the two of them came up with this idea of setting up a stall for a charity sale to help the children in the mountainous areas. As a mother, I definitely have to support them. I’ve already asked. They’ll only be setting it up for three days. Principal, it won’t cause you any trouble, right?”
The principal immediately smiled. “No, no, our school especially welcomes such smart and loving children. At the flag-raising ceremony next Monday, we will definitely praise them!”
And on the simple flea market on the edge of the playground, Mi Yang was holding a simple camera and, taking advantage of the last light of the evening, quickly took a few photos.
The Border Town Daily had a small column every day for student submissions. Although it was only a palm-sized space, it was the best for guiding public opinion. After taking the photos, Mi Yang was already thinking about how to write the article when he got back. It should be emotional and show selfless love. To be on the safe side, he had to do it himself.
Once it was in the newspaper and was a good deed, the matter would be set in stone. Even if Teacher Wang wanted to cause them trouble, she would have no reason to.
As Mi Yang was thinking about the article he was going to write, he also helped the children who passed by. He had an adult’s mindset, so he would help everyone as much as he could and was also more considerate and caring towards the girls. In elementary school, if a boy helped a girl, he would always be teased a few times. But Mi Yang was different. Mi Yang was small, and both boys and girls liked him.
At that time, the word “gentleman” had not yet become popular, but all the children in the first class of the third grade liked Mi Yang.
Mi Yang took care of everyone mentally, but in action, it was the children who gathered around and took care of him.
This made Mi Yang feel quite emotional.
As the sky grew dark, Mi Yang saw that it was about time. He blew a whistle, and all the children who were setting up stalls neatly began to pack up their things and send them to Tang Xiao’s side. This had also been agreed upon in advance. Tang Xiao and the little fatty and a few other boys were in charge of logistics.
Mi Yang took five minutes to briefly read through the sales situation. After confirming that there were no omissions in the records, he said to everyone, “Today’s records were made by classmate Yu Tian. She was very serious, and I think her writing should also be compensated. Those who have money can contribute money, and those who have strength can contribute strength. Let’s all work together to achieve our donation goal, okay?”
Yu Tian’s little face was flushed. Before she could speak, she was swept up in the loud “okay” shouted by the class. She moved her tongue and also said “okay.” She rubbed her eyes hard and revealed a big smile. This was not the time to cry!
Before leaving, Mi Yang had everyone gather together, put their arms around each other’s shoulders, and shout “Go!” The children’s voices were particularly loud. It was unknown whose hand touched whose, but in that moment, they felt that they were a collective and had a strong sense of honor.
In just a few short days, in this small flea market, the classmates of the first class of the third grade got to know each other again. From the most well-behaved class monitor to the most unruly Tang Xiao, they all recognized Mi Yang’s leadership. The entire class was united like a rope, working hard to achieve their goal.
On the second day, Mi Yang, not surprisingly, received the newspaper with their story. There was even a reporter who came to interview them for a few sentences. After receiving the newspaper, Mi Yang, without waiting for Teacher Wang to speak, pasted the freshly printed newspaper on the blackboard at the back of the classroom. But to his surprise, Teacher Wang didn’t say a word about it, as if someone had spoken to her.
When they set up their stalls again, everyone was much bolder and more skilled, especially the little fatty, who was a fast and charming talker, and he sold the most things. What was even more unexpected was that more and more classmates were helping each other, as if it had become a habit.
Seeing this, Mi Yang couldn’t help but sigh, “The power of team building.”
The little class monitor, who was passing by, happened to hear him but didn’t catch what he said. She pressed on, “Mi Yang, what did you say?”
Mi Yang shook his head with a smile. “Nothing. I said unity is strength.”
The little class monitor expressed her strong agreement with this statement. She looked at Mi Yang seriously and said, “Through this matter, I’ve discovered that your ability is indeed stronger than mine. Classmate Mi Yang, if you want to run for class monitor, I am willing to give up the position and take the lead in voting for you!”
Mi Yang repeatedly waved his hands. “No, no, I can’t do that. I have other things to do.”
Bai Luochuan, beside him, interjected, “I’ll do it.” He glanced at Mi Yang and said seriously, “Next semester, I’ll skip a grade and go to your class. I’ll do it.”
Little class monitor: “…”
The honor I love as much as my life is treated as a chore by you all. So angry.
After the third day ended, Mi Yang led everyone back to the classroom for the final count. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the final tally of the last group to be announced on the blackboard.
Tang Xiao was writing the numbers on the blackboard, and all the classmates were calculating below. Even the little fatty, who had only scored 5 in math, was trying hard to calculate. This was their group’s score!
“The final result, the total income of the fifth group for three days is 102 yuan and 70 cents!”
The members of the little fatty’s group couldn’t help but cheer. They were first, the most among the five groups!
Mi Yang’s second group came in second by a narrow margin of seventy cents. Bai Luochuan sat to the side, not looking at him, feeling a little guilty. He had taken back all of Mi Yang’s tutoring slips and had let people draw for free several times.
Mi Yang went up to look at the total. It was nearly five hundred yuan, the collective effort of forty children. Now, these children were looking at him with flushed little faces and sparkling eyes. They had never been so full of spirit, so full of confidence and expectation.
Mi Yang said, “Everyone has worked hard. The task has been over-fulfilled. The average donation per person is 12 yuan and 30 cents. Congratulations, everyone! Tomorrow, Bai Luochuan and I will go to purchase the stationery. A list will also be made and posted in the class. Next, everyone can take a good rest!”
All the children cheered.
Mi Yang patted the blackboard, signaling for everyone to be quiet, and said with a smile, “I brought a camera today. Does everyone want to take a photo together as a souvenir?”
The whole class cheered, “Yes!!”
In the first class of the third grade, forty-one children were crowded into a small photo—including Bai Luochuan, all with smiles on their faces. Mi Yang was pushed to the center of the front row, and Bai Luochuan stood beside him. They were holding hands. Mi Yang smiled, revealing a shallow little dimple on his right cheek, which was very sweet.
