There was some laughter from the crowd, but there was more applause filled with goodwill.

After the leaders finished their speeches, it was the student’s turn to speak.

A sixth-grade girl walked onto the stage, dressed neatly in her school uniform with a ponytail. She was the student representative selected by the school, excelling academically and articulate.

She stood in front of the microphone, took a deep breath, and began reading her script.

"Respected leaders, teachers, and fellow students, hello everyone. My name is Wang Xiaoyan, I am a sixth-grade student. Today, standing here, I am very excited..."

Her voice was crisp, her Mandarin was standard, and the script was well written. People in the audience nodded frequently as they listened.

"...Our new school has spacious and bright classrooms, various laboratories, a beautiful playground, and even a swimming pool. We are really fortunate to study in such a wonderful environment. We will surely study hard, make progress every day, and live up to everyone’s expectations..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

After finishing her script, she bowed to the audience. The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Vice County Magistrate Liu clapped the hardest, asking Principal Li some questions as he applauded.

Principal Li answered in detail.

After the ceremony, it was time for the tour.

Vice County Magistrate Liu led a group of people on a tour around the campus. They saw the teaching building, laboratory building, library, indoor sports center, swimming pool, football field, basketball court, volleyball court, and table tennis court—all of them.

When they arrived at the swimming pool, Vice County Magistrate Liu paused and looked for a while.

"Is the water temperature-controlled?" he asked.

Principal Li nodded: "Yes, you can swim in winter too. President Huang specially insisted on it, saying children should learn to swim. There are even coaches and lifeguards!"

Vice County Magistrate Liu exclaimed: "I have mentioned in several county meetings that children should learn to swim, but it was never realized. I didn’t expect we would achieve it here first."

Deputy Director Zhang next to him said: "County Magistrate Liu, the standards of this swimming pool are even higher than those of the county’s top middle school."

Vice County Magistrate Liu nodded but said nothing, though his face was full of approval.

After touring the campus, the group came to the teaching building.

The classrooms were spacious and bright, with clean windows. New desks and chairs were neatly arranged, and each desk had a set of new textbooks. Surprisingly, the blackboard was a regular blackboard, not a multimedia one.

Vice County Magistrate Liu raised a question, and Principal Li immediately explained: "This was instructed by President Huang, who said that today’s multimedia blackboards harm children’s eyesight too much, so we don’t use them. Instead, we use regular blackboards, and when multimedia is occasionally needed, we use a dedicated projection screen."

Vice County Magistrate Liu walked into a classroom and stood at the podium, asking the accompanying teacher, "Does this projector work?"

The young female teacher nodded, stepped forward, turned on the projector and screen, and demonstrated it. The picture was very clear, and the sound was also very clear, even clearer than in the cinema.

Vice County Magistrate Liu watched, then suddenly turned to Deputy Director Zhang and said, "Old Zhang, does our county’s top middle school have multimedia as advanced as this?"

Deputy Director Zhang was taken aback for a moment and replied honestly, "No, we don’t have anything this advanced."

Vice County Magistrate Liu shook his head and didn’t say anything, but the implication was obvious: the village school is better than the county’s.

After the tour ended, it was free activity time.

Parents took their children around the campus, looking here and touching there, their eyes full of wonder and pride.

An old man stood in front of the teaching building, looking up at the four large characters, muttering to himself: "Yangping Primary School, Yangping Primary School... this child has done well."

Someone nearby asked: "Old man, do you know Yang Ping?"

The old man said: "How could I not know? He went to school here when he was little, and I watched him grow up. Back then, the school was very shabby, it was drafty in the winter and leaky in the summer. Who would have thought it would turn out like this now?"

Another person said: "It’s all thanks to Yang Ping."

The old man nodded: "Yes, yes, it’s thanks to him."

On the playground, the children were running and playing. A few boys were playing soccer on the football field, shouting as they played, their voices carrying far. A few girls were skipping rope on the basketball court, the rope drawing arcs in the air.

A little first-grade boy stood at the edge of the playground, watching the older kids play with wide eyes. He had just started school and didn’t know anyone yet, so he was a little shy.

An older girl walked over and asked him: "Why aren’t you playing?"

The little boy lowered his head and said nothing.

The girl took his hand and said: "Come on, I’ll take you."

She led him onto the playground and introduced him to the other kids. Soon, the little boy was blending in with the crowd, a smile breaking out on his face.

Around the swimming pool, a group of people had gathered. The pool was already filled with water, a clear and dazzling blue.

A middle-aged woman looked at the swimming pool and said to the person next to her: "The water is so clean. I’ve lived all these years and I’ve never seen water this clean."

The person nearby said: "Well, it’s recycled water, filtered every day."

The middle-aged woman said: "So my grandson will be able to swim here in the future?"

The person laughed: "Of course, why not? It’s built for them, and there are coaches and lifeguards."

The middle-aged woman nodded, a look of satisfaction spreading across her face.

In the teaching building, a group of teachers sat in the meeting room, drinking tea and chatting.

They were all teachers from this school, some staying from the old campus, and some newly assigned this year. The older teachers were more experienced; the younger ones were full of vigor.

To attract quality teaching resources and retain people, Huang Jiacai and Cheng Liquan had specifically established a fund to pay teachers’ salaries, which were much higher than those for teachers in the county, more than double.

They knew well that the most important aspects of a school are its teachers and students, not its skyscrapers.

An old teacher said: "I have been teaching here for over thirty years, never imagining that one day I would teach in such a wonderful environment."

A young teacher said: "Teacher Wang, you can keep teaching here until you retire."

The old teacher laughed: "Yes, I aim to teach for another decade."

Another young teacher said: "I heard that in the future, we will be paired with well-known city schools, having urban teachers come for regular exchanges."

The old teacher nodded: "That’s great, we can learn from their advanced experience."

A teacher said: "Exchange with the city? I heard there’s an opportunity to go for advanced studies in coastal cities and even study abroad."

Just then, Principal Li walked in. The teachers quickly stood up, but Principal Li waved his hand, indicating for them to sit down.

"Please sit. I just came to see how everyone is doing. Today is the first day, how does everyone feel?"

The teachers all responded positively. A young female teacher said: "Principal Li, this school is so great, I wouldn’t dare not to teach well."

Principal Li smiled: "Exactly, you should feel that way. Now that the school is good, we must also improve our teaching quality. We owe it to the great conditions here and to those who donated to build the school."

The teachers nodded in agreement.

Principal Li continued: "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to let me know. If it’s something I can solve, I will definitely do it. If not, we’ll find a solution together."

An old teacher said: "Principal Li, rest assured, we will certainly teach the children well."

Principal Li nodded and then turned to leave.

In the afternoon, the visitors gradually left.

The campus quieted down, with only a few children still playing on the playground. The setting sun shone on the teaching building, making the four large characters glow with golden light.

Principal Li stood in front of the teaching building, looking at those characters for a long time.

Teacher Chen walked over to stand beside him.

"Principal Li, today went really well," she said.

Principal Li nodded: "Yes, it was perfect."

Teacher Chen said: "Do you think Professor Yang Ping would be happy to see this school?"

Principal Li thought for a moment and said: "He would, having grown up here, he knows what it used to be like. Now that it’s better, he will surely be happy."

Teacher Chen said: "When will he be able to come back and see it?"

Principal Li said: "Soon, he said he’ll try to come back when the school officially opens."

Teacher Chen’s eyes lit up: "Really? Then we’ll have to prepare well."

Principal Li laughed: "Yes, prepare well."

The sun gradually set, and dusk fell.

The lights on the campus lit up, illuminating the entire school like daylight. In the distance, cooking smoke rose from the village, blending with the evening scene.

On the playground, those few children were still playing. Their laughter carried far, drifting in the evening breeze.

Principal Li stood there, listening to the laughter, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

He thought, this is hope.

These children, in this brand-new school, will gain knowledge, learn life skills, and grow up to be adults. In the future, one of them may become another Yang Ping, perhaps leaving the village and going to faraway places.

But wherever they go, they will remember that there once was a school that provided them with the best starting point.