Chapter 78: Welcoming the Leader

Perfect score! Their school had actually produced a math Olympiad champion. If this champion had been Yang Liushan, Old Niu would have been over the moon. But when the same honor landed on Wen Xiaocheng, who had just gotten into trouble, Old Niu felt an inexplicable discomfort—he honestly didn’t know whether to be delighted or dismayed.

“I got a perfect score! Hey, Principal, shouldn’t you be happy about this? Why do you look so troubled?”

You understand well enough, so why make a show of it? Don’t you know why I look so downcast? Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you got a perfect score? When we were talking about your exam submission, you should have mentioned it then. Thinking back, no wonder you kept grinning cheekily, no matter what I said—you were sure of yourself all along!

While drafting his congratulatory remarks, Principal Niu couldn’t help but grumble inwardly at Xiaocheng. The feeling was indescribable, like being the cameraman while his wife filmed a kissing scene—he should support her, it was a good thing, but he just couldn’t help feeling sour about it.

“In the end, it’s still a good thing. You’ve brought honor to the school. Let’s just call it even; your merits cancel out your mistakes.”

He was a man of words, after all—no sooner had he spoken than he finished writing the speech. When Xiaocheng took the draft and read it, he found it as eloquent and splendid as expected, brimming with righteous fervor worthy of a national news broadcast.

“First of all, my achievement is inseparable from the school’s nurturing. Without the devoted teachings of my teachers and the earnest care of the principal, I could not have achieved this result…” Wen Xiaocheng put down the speech and scrutinized Principal Niu’s face, making the latter uneasy.

“What are you looking at?”

“I want to see if you’re blushing.”

Old Niu really was blushing a bit. “Listen, kid, formalities are necessary. In a little while, Director Chen from the City Education Bureau will be here—the top official! Compared to him, Director Qiu is nothing. You’ve already put me on the spot once, so this time you have to help me out!”

“Why don’t I just read my self-criticism? I just beat up Qiu Hui, and now you’re about to honor me. That’ll make Director Qiu lose face. One thing at a time—fighting is fighting, winning an award is winning an award. We can’t mix them up.”

Fat Niu frowned, the flesh on his face bunching together. You yield when it comes to honors and rush forward for self-criticism—are you even a student, or are you a party member?

“Xiaocheng, be reasonable. Fighting was just a moment’s impulse. Your achievement deserves recognition. We must look to the future!”

“It really wasn’t a moment’s impulse—I’d planned it for a while. Didn’t I discuss it with you beforehand? Sure, I beat up Qiu Hui and helped you clear out bad elements in the school, consolidating your position as the head here. But the method of fighting is still questionable…”

Old Niu felt bitter inside—fine, you can be the boss of the school if you want!

“Principal Niu, just because I got a perfect score in the math Olympiad, does that mean I can’t get into fights? Or that a champion can’t be criticized? As I see it, I don’t care about the punishment, but the self-criticism is a performance that cannot be skipped!”

Hearing this, Old Niu narrowed his eyes. He was an old hand at this game and immediately grasped the point. Flattering leaders blindly may not always work; sometimes, a novel approach leaves a deeper impression! If the leader comes to meet the math Olympiad champion, only to find him writing a self-criticism for fighting, that might not be a bad thing at all!

A school principal, more than an educator, is really an official—appointed by the organization, under the Ministry of Education—so he was well versed in officialdom’s routines. After receiving a call from Director Kang at the City Education Bureau, Fat Niu immediately sent a janitor out to wait at the bridge over Siyuan River. There weren’t many official cars in the small town, so there’d be no confusion. When the leader arrived, the principal, vice principal, and other school leaders hurried downstairs to greet them at the gate—proper ceremony was still necessary.

The call came—leadership was arriving soon! Old Niu couldn’t afford to fuss anymore. He patted Xiaocheng on the shoulder, saying, “We’ll do it this way: awards for achievements, punishments for mistakes, and the self-criticism will just be for show. You’re sharp—don’t trip me up in front of the leader. From now on, if there’s anything, we can always talk it over.”

His tone had turned familiar, as if they were making a pact. Xiaocheng smiled faintly and nodded, “You’re the star of the show, no matter how many lines I get—you're still the lead!”

Time was pressing. At the entrance, Vice Principal Zhou Zhicheng, Dean Bai Xuesong, and the others were already waiting. There really wasn’t anyone else at the school who could add to the occasion, so they called in Class Eight’s head teacher, Kong Qingguo, and the math teacher, Dong Yanju. Three on one side, two on the other, they lined up at the gate to form a welcoming committee.

The head of the City Education Bureau wasn’t a high official, but for Old Niu, local authority trumped distant power—this was like the emperor making a tour. When the leader stepped out of the car, the five teachers clapped in welcome. Chen Yongxu, for his part, acted approachable. After Director Kang introduced them, he shook hands with Principal Niu.

“Old Niu! You’ve gained weight! You weren’t this heavy at the provincial education conference last time. You really need to lose some weight!” A polite greeting, meant to show closeness. Old Niu, familiar with such courtesies, replied with a laugh, “I’m carefree—drinking plain water makes me gain weight. Not like you, working tirelessly every day! Let me introduce you: this is our Vice Principal Zhou Zhicheng, our Dean Bai Xuesong. You wanted to meet the perfect scorer, Wen Xiaocheng—this is his homeroom teacher, Kong Qingguo, and his math teacher, Dong Yanju…”

Each was introduced in turn, each exchanged pleasantries. Vice Principal Zhou and Dean Bai knew they weren’t the main characters, so they simply nodded and smiled, while Kong Qingguo and Dong Yanju, unfamiliar with official etiquette, joined in the laughter anyway. On the leader’s side, besides Director Chen and Director Kang, there was only a driver. Led by Niu Dalong, they were brought to a small meeting room on the second floor, where tea was served and the air conditioning turned on, waiting for the leader’s instructions.

A few words of officialese had to be spoken. In such settings, no one dared speak before Director Chen. Chen Yongxu took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and began, “This year, our Xiangyang City is hosting the International Mathematical Olympiad, the China regional contest. As the host city, we’re under great pressure! For Wen Xiaocheng to win the preliminary round, and even, unprecedentedly, to score a perfect mark—not only does this bring glory to our No. 2 Middle School, it gives pride to all of Xiangyang City! You all know, the provincial and city education departments have been under fire—public misunderstanding, media skepticism, it’s been like sitting on pins and needles! But no matter how great the pressure, being able to select a mathematical genius like Wen Xiaocheng proves our work is meaningful! The greatest joy in education is to find the world’s talents and teach them! Here, I want to thank all the faculty and staff of Dongfeng Town No. 2 Middle School! You have won honor and vindication for us all!”

Director Chen was a little moved; in his excitement, he let his true feelings slip. Realizing he’d said a bit too much, he changed tack and asked, “As educators, we must teach according to individual aptitudes and place people where they excel. To get a perfect score in the math Olympiad—this has never happened before. I came today, first to deliver this happy news to your teachers and students in person, and also to get a preliminary understanding of our math Olympiad champion. Who would like to introduce Wen Xiaocheng? Let’s have Teacher Dong speak first. With such an astonishing result, as his math teacher, your contribution is indispensable!”

———

Such officialese—I could actually make a decent leader myself.