In September 1988, Chen Mengyan and Chen Hao officially entered middle school. Despite some bumps along the way, they both managed to get into Fudan High School.
Chen Yang was very relieved. His efforts in tutoring the two children every day, even though he suffered through it, had not been in vain.
Although Chen Yang didn't place much importance on his daughter's and son's grades, he was still happy as a father that they could get into Fudan High School, one of Shanghai's best junior high schools, based on their own academic achievements.
Grades don't represent a person's accomplishments, but good grades at least show that the children are excellent in their studies, which makes their parents proud.
However, something happened after sending the children to school that led to Chen Yang and Shen Xue being called in by the teacher, leaving Chen Yang in deep thought for a long time after returning home.
The matter wasn't complicated. The children had gotten into a fight at school. Chen Yang and Shen Xue were initially angry when they went to school, as no parent wants their child to cause trouble.
However, after the teacher explained the whole story to Chen Yang, he didn't know what to say. Looking at his son's bruised and swollen face, Chen Yang not only didn't scold him but felt a sense of pride.
Many people are wealthy, but their upbringing is not good. Chen Yang's biggest worry was that his children would develop bad habits like arrogance and bossiness because of their family's wealth.
But after this incident, Chen Yang was very happy; his son and daughter had not disappointed him.
The cause of the incident was complex to some extent, but simple in others.
It originally started with Chen Mengyan's deskmate. That girl was from a rural area around Shanghai and was admitted to the high school through a special enrollment due to her exceptional academic performance.
The child was from a rural family. Even though her family had bought her the most presentable clothes, in the city, especially in a school like Fudan High School, the families of these children were generally well-off. Their parents were either workers or leaders in government agencies.
That girl naturally seemed inferior. She wore patched clothes and stayed in the dormitory. Every time others went to the cafeteria for lavish meals, she would only have a meal costing one mao with a jar of pickles she brought from home.
Children of this age, though not inherently bad, loved to stir up trouble. Many children mocked the girl for her shabby clothes.
As Huang Cui's deskmate, Chen Mengyan naturally couldn't stand by and watch her deskmate being bullied, so she argued with some boys who were mocking Huang Cui.
Unexpectedly, the boys not only stopped but became even more aggressive, even cursing Chen Mengyan.
When his sister was cursed, her younger brother Chen Hao naturally couldn't stand it and directly got into a fight with the other boys.
Fighting five people by himself, even though Lei Baoguo had taught Chen Hao some fighting techniques, Chen Hao wasn't professionally trained and only learned a superficial bit. His opponents were five people, and in the end, he was beaten black and blue.
After understanding the entire story, Chen Yang didn't blame the children. He would have been unhappy with bullying the weak, but he was very happy that the children were helping their classmate resist those who bullied the weak.
However, when Chen Yang saw the girl with patched clothes and socks, he was also touched.
Children like Huang Cui are not uncommon in China; in fact, there are too many.
And due to poverty, incidents of campus bullying, and even children giving up on themselves and abandoning their futures, are not few. Sometimes, when individual events are exposed, they are truly heartbreaking.
In recent years, Chen Yang had focused solely on developing his business, but when real-life problems occurred around his children and in front of his eyes.
Chen Yang felt that he needed to slow down a bit and look at the land behind him.
That evening, Chen Yang had a heart-to-heart talk with his two children.
"Yan Yan, I'm very happy that you spoke up for classmate Huang Cui and defended your friend."
"Can you tell me why you wanted to protect her?"
Chen Yang first asked his daughter, as the incident started with her. If she hadn't tried to protect her sister, Chen Hao wouldn't have fought five people alone. Fighting when you know you can't win is foolish.
"Dad, Huang Cui is my deskmate. She studies very hard, and she often teaches me when I ask her questions. I just can't stand them bullying Huang Cui."
"Huang Cui isn't dirty at all. Although her clothes are torn, she washes them clean every time. She's not a beggar."
"Dad, I'm sorry. I caused my brother to get beaten up."
The girl hadn't cried at school, but when Chen Yang asked her at home, she burst into tears.
After all, she had just started junior high. It was good enough that she held back her tears at school. Her brother had been beaten black and blue.
"Sister, I'm fine. If they dare to curse you, I'll beat them up."
"They all took my punches. If they dare to curse you, I'll punch them in the mouth."
Chen Hao didn't seem to care at all. Unfortunately, a few words made his wound tighten, and he winced in pain.
"You think you're so tough. Look at how you're beaten. If you were any tougher, you'd be disfigured, you know?"
Before Chen Yang could speak, Shen Xue had already started crying with heartache. Children are flesh from their mother's body. How could Shen Xue not feel heartbroken when her child was beaten like this?
"Don't say anything more. You still went and fought when you couldn't win. Are you stupid?"
"I'll have Uncle Lei teach you a few more moves later. Your Uncle Lei can take down a dozen people by himself in minutes."
Chen Yang clearly had no intention of criticizing his son. Protecting his older sister was a matter of course. The only flaw was that he got beaten up quite badly.
"How can you teach children like this? You're encouraging him to fight and cause trouble everywhere. What will you do then?"
Shen Xue was worried about her child, fearing that Chen Hao would learn skills from Lei Baoguo and continue to get into fights at school.
"Don't you know our son's personality? He's not someone who actively seeks trouble. If he dares to, I'll be the first to beat him."
"Alright, hurry up and have Uncle Liu apply medicine to you, so you don't get a scar later."
Chen Yang waved his hand, dismissing the rascal, and then stroked his daughter's head.
"From now on, tell Dad and Mom and the teacher first if anything happens, understand? What if there's danger?"
"Look, your brother was beaten black and blue this time. What if someone hit him too hard and he got more seriously injured? What would you do then?"
Seeing his dad being so gentle, Chen Hao suddenly felt his wound hurt more. He was the one who was injured, but why was his dad so gentle with his sister, as if she were the one who was hurt?
"Mom will stew a pigeon for you to replenish your strength later. You love pigeon soup the most, and they don't have it."
Chen Yang glanced at his silly son, who was now even jealous.