Mountain boy picks stars

1

The vast universe is dotted with twinkling stars.

The Wentian module of China's International Space Station is orbiting the Earth at high speed in the vast expanse of space.

The stars outside the "Wentian Cabin" porthole are like scattered diamonds on black velvet, their sparkle warming one's heart.

Inside the "Wentian Capsule," a space payload specialist and aerospace scientist, dressed in a blue spacesuit, adjust experimental equipment with the assistance of two astronauts.

Once everything was stable, with the assistance of his two astronaut companions, the space payload specialist and aerospace scientist began to give a fascinating space science lesson to primary and secondary school students around the world.

He began by vividly demonstrating experiments on "ice and snow" in microgravity, liquid bridges, oil-water separation, and parabolic projection in space. Through these easy-to-understand explanations of experimental phenomena, he helped more primary and secondary school students better understand how "small principles can play a big role."

"Look here, students!"

The voice of this space payload expert and aerospace scientist was transmitted via signal to classrooms around the world.

He picked up the container filled with the transparent liquid and gently poured it out. Instead of falling to the ground like it would on Earth, the liquid solidified into a shiny "ice ball".

"This is 'space ice and snow' in a microgravity environment. It seems like a simple phenomenon, but it hides the big principles of fluid mechanics. Small principles can also play a big role, just like the small dreams of each of us. With hard work, they can also shine."

The speaker of this space science class that has attracted global attention is Huang Xiaoxing, nicknamed "Shanwa" (Mountain Boy). He comes from a poor mountain village on the banks of the Yellow River—a true "mountain boy".

Who would have thought that the space payload experts and aerospace scientists who now stand on the space podium had never even been to their county town when they were young?

After completing the space science experiment, Huang Xiaoxing pulled out an illustration from the Classic of Mountains and Seas from the holographic projection and continued, "Students, did you know that in ancient times, people talked about 'Kuafu chasing the sun', trying to catch up with it? Now we have the 'Xihe' and 'Kuafu-1' satellites, which can really 'chase after the sun' and study its mysteries?"

As Huang Xiaoxing spoke, his fingertips lightly traced the solar system model in the projection, where the eight planets resembled colorful marbles orbiting the sun.

"Students, look, Jupiter is more than a thousand times larger than Earth, and Saturn's rings are made of ice and rock—the ancients said, 'I lie down and watch the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars,' and now we can 'walk' into the Milky Way. This is the power of science and technology."

After sparking the scientific interest of the young people, Huang Xiaoxing started with the sun goddess and calendar goddess in ancient Chinese mythology, namely "Xihe", who is known as the sun mother. He then talked about "Kuafu chasing the sun", "Zhurong exploring fire", "Houyi shooting down the sun" and "Chang'e flying to the moon".

Huang Xiaoxing's detailed explanations guided young people step by step to understand my country's solar exploration satellites "Xihe", "Kuafu-1", "Tiangong" space station, "Chang'e" lunar mission, "Zhurong" Mars probe, and "Xihe" solar probe.

At this point, Huang Xiaoxing, a space payload expert and aerospace scientist, had become a true "space teacher." He then went on to recount the new "myth of chasing the sun" being written by modern technology. He vividly and simply described how the Chinese people, step by step, are touching higher and farther into space, exploring near-Earth space, the moon, Mars, and the sun, and fully exploring the mysteries of space.

It turns ancient myths and dreams into reality, starting with the romance of the ancients gazing at the stars and looking out over the vast universe. Together, we "travel" through the eight planets of the solar system, "roam" the Milky Way, open the door to the vast universe, and explore the frontiers of the cosmos.

Space instructor Huang Xiaoxing delivered these lectures on various topics related to space and astronomy, covering topics such as understanding the universe, planets in the solar system, space astronomy, and the frontiers of the universe. He vividly and engagingly described the romantic imagery of ancient people gazing at the stars: "The night sky is cool as water on the celestial street; I lie watching the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars. The candlelight casts deep shadows behind the mica screen; the Milky Way gradually fades as the morning star sinks."

The two fellow astronauts on the International Space Station gave a thumbs-up, praising the space payload specialist.

And aerospace scientist Huang Xiaoxing:

"Teacher Huang, you're amazing as a space instructor!"

"Teacher Huang, you are amazing!"

"Teacher Huang, your lectures are even more vivid than space documentaries! We hear from back home that the children are all looking forward to your classes."

"News from within China also indicates that young people across the country enjoy your space science lectures. They've opened up a true cosmic perspective for them!"

"That's right! Our space payload expert and aerospace scientist, Mr. Huang Xiaoxing, must have been an outstanding student in primary and secondary school!"

"That's not all! You must be an outstanding student who excels in moral character, intellectual ability, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills!"

"Then they must be outstanding student leaders, ranking first in their class and grade every year..."

Huang Xiaoxing shook his head with a wry smile: "No, no, I never ranked first in my class during my primary and secondary school years, let alone first in my grade. I was never a top student!"

A fellow astronaut: "That's impossible, isn't it?"

Huang Xiaoxing: "Really, I wasn't an outstanding student leader during my primary and secondary school years."

Another astronaut colleague said, "As a nationally renowned expert in space payloads and aerospace scientists, it's unbelievable that you didn't develop morally, intellectually, and physically in all aspects during your primary and secondary school years!"

Huang Xiaoxing said earnestly, "I'm telling the truth! My nickname is 'Shanwa' (Mountain Boy). I was born into a poor farming family on the banks of the Yellow River. I was a grassroots cowherd boy in the mountains, and one of the left-behind children in the village. I grew up listening to my mother tell stories about the stars in the sky. My mother often said, 'For every star in the sky, there is a Ding (a person) on the ground.' Every person on the ground corresponds to a star in the sky and a Ding. That is, a person."

"Back then, I always thought that when I grew up, I would fly to the sky and pluck my mother's star. I fantasized about flying up to 'pluck stars' someday. But later, after my mother went to work in the city and we got separated, I followed my father, who worked on a construction site, to the city to go to school. My dream of 'plucking stars' was ridiculed by my classmates who were obsessed with chasing movie and music stars, who said I was ignorant and didn't understand star chasing. I was also mocked as a 'mountain idiot' and a 'star idiot,' and I once gave up on myself, doubted my childhood dream of plucking stars, and almost became a 'star chaser,' which would delay my studies and future, and make me an outcast of society..."

A fellow astronaut: "Really?"

Another fellow astronaut asked, "Can it really be that serious?"

Huang Xiaoxing sighed deeply: "Alas... it really proves the old saying—the road of life is long, but the crucial moments are only a few steps, especially in childhood and adolescence, the budding period when one's outlook on life, values, and worldview are formed..."

Astronaut's fellow astronaut: "Hmm, that makes sense!"

Another fellow astronaut: "So... how did you later become a space payload specialist and a space scientist?"

Huang Xiaoxing sighed, "I have to thank my homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhou Sixuan, whom I met in fifth grade. She didn't scold me for having a 'star-chasing' dream that was 'not doing my job properly.' Instead, she helped me and my classmates to carry out a 'star-chasing reform.'"

Astronaut's fellow traveler: "What is 'star-chasing reform'?"

Huang Xiaoxing smiled, "It's not about chasing after distant stars, it's about chasing 'stars' you can actually touch. It was through her 'star-chasing reform teaching practice' that she not only changed myself, but also the fate of our entire class. If I hadn't met Teacher Zhou, I might be like my father, carrying bricks and cement on a construction site, or like my grandfather, back in my impoverished mountain village, digging the ground with a hoe..."

Astronaut's fellow astronaut: "Yes, this kind of 'star-chasing reform' is so important."

"It was Teacher Zhou who completely changed my destiny..."

After saying that, Huang Xiaoxing looked at the Earth outside the porthole, the blue arc wrapped in white clouds, and suddenly remembered how he used to sit on the hill at the entrance of the village when he was a child - at that time he thought the stars were untouchable, but he never expected that twenty years later, he would really be standing in the place closest to the stars.

Huang Xiaoxing recalled his early life as a grassroots cowherd in the mountains, one of the village's left-behind children, and his journey to the city to attend school with his father, who worked on a construction site. Influenced by the then-prevalent "celebrity worship" craze, his understanding and pursuit of "chasing stars" and "reaching for the stars" evolved, reflecting on the winding and complex process of his childhood. These memories filled him with emotion and reflection, drawing him into his unforgettable school days…

2

Two weeks later, Huang Xiaoxing landed in the Shenzhou return capsule. On the first day after his quarantine ended, he received an invitation from his alma mater, Yellow River Experimental School. His alma mater was about to celebrate its 80th anniversary and was the same age as the People's Republic of China. They asked him to go back and give a speech to his younger schoolmates.

Because a major scientific experiment mission to return to the International Space Station was scheduled soon, Huang Xiaoxing had to return to his alma mater, Yellow River Experimental School, ahead of schedule to give a lecture on space technology and aerospace science to his students.

The huge lecture hall was filled with young students who were full of imagination about space, their rosy little faces full of curiosity.

A student held up a hand-drawn poster with stars drawn on it and happily showed it to Huang Xiaoxing on the big stage.

A student in the front row timidly asked, "Teacher Huang, have you really touched the stars?"

Huang Xiaoxing didn't directly talk about aerospace knowledge. Instead, he took out a yellowed photo from his pocket. The photo showed a little boy wearing coarse cloth clothes sitting on the back of an ox, holding a "star" made of sweet potato vines.

"This is a photo of me when I was ten years old."

He projected the photo onto the large screen behind him.

"Back then, I lived in a small mountain village by the Yellow River. Every day, I had to cross two mountains to get to school. After school, I had to herd cattle and gather pig feed. I looked forward to the night the most, sitting on the mountaintop looking at the stars, wondering if my mother was also looking at the same starry sky."

Huang Xiaoxing made no attempt to evade his childhood and adolescence as a poor child from the mountains. He recounted his awkwardness when he followed his father, who worked in the city—the first time he saw an elevator, he was too afraid to enter; the first time he wore his new school uniform, he was reluctant to get it dirty. He also talked about the hurt he felt when his classmates first called him "Brick Prince"; how he pretended to like celebrities he didn't know in order to fit in with the class, even though he couldn't remember their names; and how Teacher Zhou helped him rediscover his dream of "reaching for the stars," and how he led the whole class from "chasing others" to "being themselves."

During the Q&A session in the middle of the lecture, a student asked, "Professor Huang, how can one become an aerospace scientist?"

Huang Xiaoxing squatted down and made eye contact with the child in the front row who asked a question.

"Actually, I never thought I would go to space when I was a child. I just never gave up the idea of ​​'reaching for the stars.' You are the same. There's no need to rush to chase distant stars. First, do your own little dreams well—like listening attentively in class today or helping your parents with something tomorrow. These are all ways to 'reach for the stars' for yourself."

After the speech, the students surrounded him and kept asking him questions.

Countless students were also extremely excited and expressed their dreams:

One student said, "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up..."

One student said, "I want to be a scientist when I grow up..."

One student said, "When I grow up, I want to be a space designer..."

One student said, "When I grow up, I want to be a space teacher..."

…………

Huang Xiaoxing responded with a smile, but in his heart he thought of himself twenty years ago—back then, everyone in the village called him by his childhood nickname, "Shanwa".

He, like these children, had a light in his eyes, but it was almost blinded by the ridicule of others.