The Rise of the Youth in the War of Resistance

Chapter 81 A ray of light in life

With these items, he set out on the journey back to school.

With every step Zhao Shao took, he felt extremely heavy, as if the road under his feet was full of unknown thorns.

He was full of expectations for his future campus life, hoping to change his destiny through hard study, but he couldn't help but worry about how he would live without his father's support.

Occasionally, he would think of his father's warm smile and encouraging words, and longing would surge into his heart like a tide. How great it would be if his father were still alive.

Without his father's support, Zhao Shao's life became increasingly difficult.

In the school cafeteria, he always chose the cheapest meals, but the tiny portions were not enough to fill his growing body.

Whenever he saw other classmates having a warm meal with their fathers in the cafeteria, his heart ached and his longing for his father grew stronger. He wished his father could be with him, even if it was just to have a simple meal together.

On the fourth day after leaving his father, Zhao Shao was sitting quietly in the corner of the cafeteria eating his meal when his classmate Xiao Li came over, patted him on the shoulder, and said:

"Zhao Shao, why do you only eat this much every day?"

Zhao Shao raised his head and looked at him, forcing a smile on his thin face:

“As long as I can eat enough.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head and quickly took a few mouthfuls of rice.

In his heart, he actually envied his classmates for being able to eat a rich and varied diet, but he also felt inferior because of his poverty and felt that he was not worthy of those delicacies.

At the same time, he silently said in his heart: Father, if you were still here, I wouldn't have to endure this hardship on myself.

In the dormitory, classmates were discussing new electronic products and fashionable clothes, but he could only sit quietly in the corner, mending his worn-out schoolbag.

While he was sewing his schoolbag, he sighed secretly in his heart:

Why is my life so different from others? Am I destined to remain poor forever?

At this moment, his father's figure appeared in his mind again. The picture of his father mending his clothes was so clear that his eyes became moist. Father, I miss you so much.

At night, when other students were falling asleep in their warm beds, Zhao Shao was often woken up by the cold.

His thin bedding was no protection against the cold, but he had no money to buy new ones.

He curled up his body, struggling with whether he should borrow some money from his classmates to buy a thick quilt, but he was afraid of being laughed at, and even more afraid that he would not be able to repay the favor.

On this cold night, he missed his father's warm embrace so much. If his father were still alive, he would definitely find a way to help him.

He also faces tremendous pressure in his studies.

Without my father's encouragement and support, every problem seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

Hungry, he looked at the words as if they were vague hieroglyphs floating around. Especially when it came to food, his mouth would unconsciously water, as if the food was right in front of him.

Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to use his limited money to buy himself some extra food, thinking that maybe after getting the scholarship, he would be able to have a full meal...

So he often studied alone in the library until it closed, just to get good grades in the exams and win the few scholarships.

Once, Zhao Shao met the class monitor Xiao Wang in the library, who was also studying hard.

Xiao Wang looked at his tired face and said with concern:

"Zhao Shao, don't try too hard. Your health is more important."

Zhao Shao rubbed his eyes and answered firmly:

"I have to work hard, that's the only way out."

But he was also afraid in his heart, wondering what to do if his efforts still didn't produce any good results.

At this moment, he wished he could hear his father's familiar voice, telling him not to be afraid and to move forward bravely.

However, with such a violent study method and Zhao Shao's ability to only maintain simple life needs, his grades did not rise as he had imagined. Instead, they plummeted from the original basis, and he fell from the top ten in the class to the last.

This made him feel like committing suicide to put an end to it all.

On a quiet night, Zhao Shao wandered alone by the school lake.

The lake water shone with a cold light under the moonlight, as if telling him endless sorrow.

He looked at the calm lake, his heart filled with despair.

"Maybe if I jump, everything will be over and I won't have to endure this endless pain and pressure anymore."

he muttered.

Just as he was about to take that fatal step, he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him:

"Zhao Shao, what are you doing!"

It turned out to be his good friend Zhang Chong.

Zhang Chong rushed over, grabbed his arm, and said anxiously:

"Don't do anything stupid. If you have any difficulties, let's find a solution together."

Zhao Shao, thin and frail, gasped and choked, saying:

"I really can't hold on any longer."

Zhang Chong said angrily: "You are a coward, isn't it just a drop in grades?

What's the big deal? I've always been at the bottom, and nothing seems to be wrong."

Zhao Shao thought to himself: But without the help of this scholarship, the money I have is not enough for me to survive.

But at the same time, there was a voice in my heart shouting: I can't give up like this. If my father knew that I was such a coward, he would be so disappointed.

Then Zhang Chong took me back to the dormitory.

The holiday was approaching soon, and Zhao Shao struggled to survive half a month.

Who knows?

It was during this holiday that the neighbors in Zhaojia Village learned from his drunken uncle that he had left this sad place, and they told the village chief about it.

Then the village chief spontaneously organized an event to raise funds for him.

The village chief's concerned voice rang out from the loudspeaker in the village:

"Fellow villagers, Zhao Shao has had a hard life. Both his parents are gone, and he has to study away from home alone. We cannot let him suffer.

Everyone lend a hand, help this child!"

The news spread quickly in the village and every household took action.

Aunt Zhao took out the eggs she had been saving from her chicken coop and planned to sell them to donate to Zhao Shao. Although Uncle Li was not well off himself, he still managed to squeeze out a few dozen yuan from his own pocket.

Aunt Zhang took out the new quilt she had made at home and wanted to give it to Zhao Shao so that he could sleep warmer at school.

On the day of the event, the village square was crowded with people.

Everyone put money into the donation box, some ten yuan, some twenty yuan, and that bit of love gathered into a warm torrent.

The village chief stood on the stage and said with emotion:

"Thank you everyone. We in Zhaojia Village are one family. No matter who we are, we should help each other. We must let Zhao Shao feel our warmth!"

The village chief then contacted Zhao Shao’s class teacher at school.

The head teacher talked to him, encouraged him not to be defeated by difficulties, and applied for some subsidies for poor students on his behalf.

The head teacher took Zhao Shao's hand and said gently:

"Don't worry, kid, the teacher will always support you."

Feeling guilty, Zhao Shao had to try his best to stay alive, because he still had a group of people waiting for him to repay!

Whenever Zhao Shao encountered difficulties in his studies, his head teacher would always patiently answer his questions.

With the help of Village Chief Zhao and the teachers in his class, Zhao Shao managed to complete his last few years of school.

Finally, he graduated and entered the society full of hope.

He thought he could make a lot of money to repay those who helped him, but one failed interview after another made him realize that he still overestimated himself, so he didn't find a job in half a month.

His carefully prepared resume seemed worthless in the eyes of the interviewer, and the repeated rejections were like sharp swords piercing his heart.

"You don't have enough experience."

“We need more professional talent.”

"This position isn't suitable for you."

.........