These past two days, Qiu Xi had been busy at home filling out forms and writing her speech.
The application process went smoothly with the whole family supervising and the homeroom teacher's guidance.
The speech, however, was revised countless times. Only after feeling it was just right did she send it to the homeroom teacher for review. Once there were no issues, it was approved.
"Phew, done." With a long sigh of relief, this major task was finally over, and all that remained was the commendation ceremony.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the commendation ceremony arrived.
"Finish eating quickly and get ready. Your father and I will take some photos to commemorate the occasion," Mom started nagging early in the morning.
"Alright, alright, I understand, Mom. Don't worry," Qiu Xi replied, wolfing down her food before rushing upstairs to get ready.
Her mother's nagging seemed to have reached a level of mastery.
Facing the mirror, Qiu Xi meticulously applied her makeup. Then, staring at her wardrobe, she went back and forth, agonizing over her choice, before finally settling on the school uniform.
After all, it was the last time.
But truth be told, the school uniform now made Qiu Xi look vibrant and energetic. She was sure to turn heads as she walked down the street. (Perhaps this is what being beautiful feels like, a teardrop of the Willow Way of life.)
Once ready, Qiu Xi set off with her parents.
They had originally planned to bring Qiu Ge along, but Qiu Ge said he finally had a chance to relax and play, and didn't want to join the crowd. He mentioned he would be content with looking at the photos later.
The three of them thought about it and realized there wasn't much for him to do there anyway, so they didn't insist.
School Auditorium –
The commendation ceremony had been underway for a while. Qiu Xi stood to the side, thinking about her speech, taking deep, calming breaths.
"Next, please welcome our school's top scholar, Qiu Xi, to the stage to give her speech."
As the host's voice announced her name, Qiu Xi straightened her clothes and walked onto the podium, seemingly at ease, but her heart was pounding.
It was her first time speaking in front of such a large audience, and anyone would be nervous.
"Teachers and fellow students, good morning! I am Qiu Xi... As my classmates know, just half a year ago, I was still a... Therefore, we must always believe that there is still glory ahead. Since we have chosen the distant path, we must not fear the years. We will eventually return bathed in the light of dawn, still a youth."
As she reached the end, Qiu Xi looked up, gazing at the sea of faces in the auditorium and her dear friends, and offered her blessings, "Finally, I wish us all a bright future, and may we always return as youths."
"Clap, clap, clap, clap!"
Amidst the thunderous applause, no longer feeling the initial apprehension, Qiu Xi gracefully departed.
As her figure receded, it seemed to hint at the grandeur of future endeavors.
After the main proceedings, it was time to receive awards. Qiu Xi also went up and received the scholarship from both the school and the city, totaling 150,000 yuan.
Qiu Xi knew there would be an award, but she hadn't expected such a large sum. She had originally anticipated only thirty to fifty thousand yuan.
She was pleasantly surprised.
The money from her previous tasks was almost spent after a trip, and although she still had some from her parents, who could ever have too much money?
After the commendation ceremony, Qiu Xi offered to give the money to her parents, but they refused, saying she should save it for university.
Qiu Xi thought about it and realized there would indeed be many expenses ahead, so she kept it.
That day, Mom was tidying up in the kitchen when she suddenly remembered, "Xiao Xi, your grandmother mentioned wanting to celebrate with you. What do you think?"
Lying on the sofa, Qiu Xi replied, "Sure, that sounds good."
"Why don't we wait for Xiao Ge? We can all go back to Grandma's place together then," Qiu Xi suggested, thinking it was an excellent idea.
She didn't suspect her younger brother of anything.
"That works too. I'll tell your grandma, and we'll go back together," Mom agreed.
Qiu Xi nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Time flew by, and it was already July 5th.
"632! Hahaha! That's perfect, we can go to Haishi No. 1 Middle School!"
That's right, the Qiu family was looking at Qiu Ge's results today, and they were very good.
Hugging Qiu Ge tightly, Qiu Xi exclaimed loudly, "Great job! My little bro."
"Hahaha!" He was still grinning foolishly. Boys will be boys; it was a small but significant academic achievement.
Patting her brother again, Qiu Xi expressed her understanding.
"Alright, alright, now I can rest easy. I'll call Grandma and the others later to set a date, and we'll go back in a few days to celebrate together," Mom said happily, immediately deciding on the celebration.
"Exactly, let's make your parents happy too," Dad chimed in, rubbing his forehead, clearly in a very good mood.
"Mm-hmm."
"Okay!"
Both Qiu Xi and her brother agreed, showing no objections. (In reality, they dared not have any objections, as Mom held all the power.)
And so, the family agreed on a date to go back and celebrate.