Mountain boy picks stars

1

At dusk, in a park on a street corner, the light dimmed.

Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, Mao Zhiling, Huang Xiaoxing, Cheng Hongdou, and Shi Xuankai, six classmates, were still walking along the sidewalk.

Every now and then, passersby would look at them with surprise.

Three street thugs were also circling around them.

"Oh dear, my little sister, who beat you up like this? Tell me, and I'll avenge you!"

A tall, thug walked over with a grin and struck up a conversation with Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling.

Taking advantage of the situation, he put a dirty hand on Mao Zhiling's back, which Mao Zhiling slapped away.

Startled, Mao Zhiling grabbed Yuan Liuxing and Lu Jiahan's arms tightly and squeezed closer to them.

The other two thugs, however, shamelessly grabbed Yuan Liuxing and Lu Jiahan's arms, pretending to be helpful and saying:

"Little sister, look how badly you're hurt! Let me take you home!"

Yuan Liuxing rolled her eyes at him and shook off his hand.

He yelled, "What do you think you're doing? Get out of here!"

Three thugs blocked their way, speaking in a glib and slick manner:

"Oh dear! I came here with the intention of helping you, how dare you be so ungrateful? Don't you even know whose territory this is?"

Huang Xiaoxing, Shi Xuankai, and Cheng Hongdou bravely stood in front of Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling.

Confronting three thugs, he shouted, "What do you want? Get out of the way and let our classmate go home!"

"Hey! Trying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress? Don't you even know who I am? You bunch of crippled bums think you can take me on?"

"Come here!"

Three thugs stood in the middle of the road, looking like they were about to fight.

Worried that Huang Xiaoxing and his friends might get hurt, Yuan Liuxing called out to them, "Huang Xiaoxing, Shi Xuankai, Cheng Hongdou, let's go to Triangle Park over here first. Maybe the police will be patrolling here soon."

The six of them swallowed their anger and had no choice but to turn into the triangular park on the side of the road.

The three thugs followed them into the triangular park on the street.

2

Dusk falls outside the gate of Yellow River Experimental School.

After getting off work, Zhou Sixuan rode her beautiful bicycle a short distance out of the school gate.

A girl named Wang Xuefei from the class came running up from across the street, panting: "Teacher Zhou, something terrible has happened! Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling were run over by a car while they were getting autographs from a singer at the Superstar Hotel!"

Zhou Sixuan was shocked: "Oh! Is that so? Tell me quickly, where are they now?"

Wang Xuefei: "Later they went to a nearby street clinic. Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou were also injured. Huang Xiaoxing stayed with them. They told them not to tell the teacher or their parents."

Zhou Sixuan: "Oh no! This is terrible!"

Then he said to Lu Jiahan, "Xuefei, go home first, and don't tell anyone yet. I'm going to find them right now!"

After Zhou Sixuan finished speaking, she quickly got on her bicycle and sped off towards the Superstar Hotel.

3

Dusk, outside a private clinic on the street.

A middle-aged doctor in a white coat stood outside the door and said to Zhou Sixuan, who was pushing her bicycle and panting:

"Those kids looked like students to me. It's really pathetic to be so obsessed with celebrities. Yet none of them complained about the pain, and they wouldn't let us tell their parents or teachers. You, as a teacher, really need to discipline them! Otherwise, it'll cause trouble and ruin their future!"

Zhou Sixuan asked anxiously, "Doctor, where did they go after that?"

The middle-aged doctor pointed to the street on the right: "They were helping each other walk this way. It's getting dark, I guess they're afraid to go home, and they don't have any money. I haven't even paid my medical bills... Sigh! Oh well! Go find your student!"

"Doctor, thank you so much!"

Zhou Sixuan thanked the doctor and quickly rode off in the direction he pointed.

4

Late at night, in Gao Yuke's bedroom.

Gao Yuke was sitting at her desk under the desk lamp, writing in her diary with tears streaming down her face.

Ever since she read in the newspaper that her favorite idol, Hong Kong singer Gao Shuaiguo, had committed suicide by jumping off a building, she had been restless, as if her soul had been taken away by her favorite idol, Hong Kong singer Gao Shuaiguo.

She cried incessantly as she wrote.

Unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face, they dripped onto her diary with a soft "plop, plop".

[Gao Yuke's self-talk]:

"Brother, you're leaving, taking my soul with you. What use is there for me in this filthy world? Brother, my dear brother, why didn't you take me with you!"

Gao Yuke's mother had somehow appeared behind her daughter.

She read her daughter's message carefully for a while, then turned ashen with anger.

He grabbed his daughter's diary and slammed it onto the writing desk.

He scolded his daughter: "So that's why your grades have dropped lately! You're so obsessed with this Hong Kong movie star!"

Gao Yuke looked up with teary eyes and cried out:

"Mom—you don't understand your daughter's heart at all. You and Dad only know how to give me money, food, and clothes, but which of you truly cares about my inner world? I just love my brother. I would be happy to see him even just once a day, but now that he's gone, where can I go to see him again?"

Gao Yuke's mother angrily picked up Gao Shuaiguo's photo from the table and was about to tear it up:

"I think you're completely bewitched. Tear up his photo and see if you still chase after him!"

Gao Yuke, however, clung tightly to her mother's hand, crying and shouting:

"Mom—Mom—you can't, you can't! By tearing up your brother's photo, you're tearing up your daughter's heart!"

5

It was late at night outside Gao Yuke's apartment window.

Suddenly, her window was opened.

The torn-up photos of Gao Shuaiguo fluttered down outside the window.

Gao Yuke's mournful cries echoed for a long time among the rows of buildings outside the window.

"Oh my god—oh my god—tearing up my idol is like tearing my heart apart—"

6

As darkness fell, the streetlights came on.

However, the light is weaker in the Triangle Park, which is a little further away from the streetlights.

The night was exceptionally cool, and there weren't many people left in the park.

Huang Xiaoxing, Cheng Hongdou, and Shi Xuankai helped Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling settle down on a bench in Triangle Park.

The three thugs followed.

They insisted on sitting on either side of Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling.

He even started touching them inappropriately, pressing his body close to theirs.

Mao Zhiling cursed, "How annoying!"

He helped Yuan Liuxing up, trying to find a different spot.

But as soon as they stood up, the three thugs forcibly pushed them back down.

And forcibly pulled his hand and hugged him:

"Little sister, what's the rush? I really like you, let's be friends."

"Hehe, little sister's face is so beautiful, come here and let your big brother give you a kiss, and I'll pay for it."

Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling struggled desperately, shouting, "You filthy scoundrel, get away from me!"

Huang Xiaoxing, Shi Xuankai, and Cheng Hongdou, who had been unable to hold back any longer, rushed forward to pull the thug away.

"You scoundrel, how dare you bully students in broad daylight! We'll fight you to the death!"

Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou, both with injured arms in slings, worked together to pull up the tall thug.

Huang Xiaoxing pulled along the short, thugs, but they were still elementary school students.

He was no match for the adult street thugs and was quickly pushed to the ground by the three of them.

The three thugs then began to forcibly hug Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling respectively.

7

Late at night. On an empty street.

Zhou Sixuan sped along the street on her bicycle at full speed.

She was exhausted, covered in sweat, and panting heavily.

But he still gripped the handlebars tightly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

He pedaled the bicycle with all his might.

Zhou Sixuan's feet were moving rapidly up and down as she pedaled the bicycle...

The bicycle wheels were skimming along the ground...

8

Late at night, Triangle Park.

Huang Xiaoxing, who had been pushed to the ground, got up again.

He bravely lunged forward and fought with the short thug.

Shi Xuankai, who was lying on the ground, picked up a tree branch and held it high.

Treat it as your own "crescent moon blade"

But he was a little scared and didn't dare to fight alone with one hand, so he called on Cheng Hongdou to encourage him:

"Cheng Hongdou, quickly take out your Little Li Flying Dagger. With my Crescent Moon Blade, the two of us can definitely handle this tall guy."

With his uninjured hand, Cheng Hongdou painstakingly broke the tree branch into a sharp "tree branch throwing knife," and shouted, "Watch my Little Li Flying Dagger—"

He threw it at the tall thug who was rushing towards him.

Unexpectedly, the experienced tall man sidestepped and grabbed Shi Xuankai's "tree branch throwing knife" tightly.

Another sharp turn, and with a flick of the wrist,

The "twig throwing knife" landed precisely on the back of the wooden bench between Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling.

They were so frightened that they screamed "Ah!" and dared not utter another sound.

Shi Xuankai continued waving the branch in his hand, shouting, "Behold my crescent moon blade—"

They rushed up.

But before he could even make a cut with his "crescent moon dagger,"

He was grabbed by the tall thug and twisted forcefully.

The "tree branch crescent moon knife" was broken in two.

"Get out of here! If you meddle in other people's business again, I'll beat you to a pulp."

The tall man cursed as he twisted the heads of Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou with one hand.

With a sudden shove, they were both thrown far away and fell to the ground.

Their already injured arms were hurt again from the fall, and they lay on the ground crying out "Ouch!" for a long time before they could get up.

Over here, Huang Xiaoxing was also thrown to the ground by the shorter man.

He struggled desperately to stand up, but the short man stepped on his back with his smelly foot and he couldn't move.

The three thugs dusted off their hands.

He chuckled smugly at Huang Xiaoxing, Shi Xuankai, and Cheng Hongdou lying in front of him.

"You little brat, you really don't listen to reason, you'll only drink the punishment. Now you've learned how powerful I, the King of the Street, am, haven't you? What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Bring them all on!"

A burst of mockery followed, and the three thugs turned around to humiliate Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling, who were sitting on the bench, stunned by the noise.

At this critical moment, Zhou Sixuan arrived just in time.

She shouted, "Stop! You street thugs, how dare you bully students in the park! Come with me to the police station!"

The three thugs were taken aback at first, but when they saw that Zhou Sixuan was the only young woman, they quickly surrounded her with laughter.

"Wow—I thought she was a policewoman! Turns out she's another pretty girl! Bro, those three girls were too young and inexperienced, this one who came knocking is much more voluptuous. Bro, what do you say we do? Let's try something new!"

"Since they brought it to me themselves, I might as well try it."

The three thugs approached Zhou Sixuan step by step.

Zhou Sixuan shouted, "Stop! I'm calling the police!"

He quickly took out his phone from his bag and dialed 110.

9

Late at night, sirens wailed and police lights flashed on the streets.

Two patrol motorcycles sped towards the Triangle Park area.

The three thugs who were approaching Zhou Sixuan were so frightened by the long wailing of the police siren that they quickly retreated.

"Brother, run! The police are here!"

"Damn it, what a disappointment. They can't escape now. We'll have to go to the school to find them later."

The three thugs ran into the depths of the park, cursing and swearing.

At this moment, two police motorcycles had already driven to one side of the park, and four policemen quickly jumped off and chased after them.

"Stop! Stop!"

"Grab them—"

The three thugs turned around and, trembling with fear, ran even faster.

Huang Xiaoxing scrambled to his feet and pounced on the short thug, grabbing his leg tightly.

The short thug couldn't break free and kept kicking Huang Xiaoxing's head.

Huang Xiaoxing then bit the short thug's ankle hard, causing the short thug to scream "Ouch!" and fall to the ground.

Shi Xuankai picked up the two broken pieces of the "Tree Branch Crescent Blade" from the ground and threw them forcefully at the tall thug who was fleeing, hitting him squarely on the back of the head.

The tall man turned around and saw Cheng Hongdou throw a second "twig knife," which struck him squarely in the face. He cried out in pain, "Ouch—!"

He turned back and ran, but crashed headfirst into a tree and fell to the ground.

Four police officers quickly arrived, restrained the three thugs, and handcuffed them.

Zhou Sixuan rushed over and excitedly grasped a policeman's hand: "Officer, thank you so much!"

The police officer patted Huang Xiaoxing, Shi Xuankai, and Cheng Hongdou on the head: "These three thugs often committed crimes in this area. We finally caught them, thank you! Especially you three boys, you were so brave."

10

Zhou Sixuan hailed a taxi and told Yuan Liuxing, Lu Jiahan, and Mao Zhiling, who were injured and frightened, to get in first. She then let Shi Xuankai and Cheng Hongdou, who had sustained minor injuries, squeeze into the car and took them home.

The bus was already packed, so Huang Xiaoxing didn't get on and insisted on walking home by herself.

Zhou Sixuan gave Yuan Xing another 50 yuan and instructed him:

"Take this money first, and make sure a taxi takes all four of you home."

"Master, please help me."

Zhou Sixuan then greeted the driver.

"Teacher Zhou, how can we spend your money?"

Yuan Liuxing held the money, tears of emotion streaming down his face.

"Go home quickly, we can talk about other things later. Your parents are getting impatient waiting at home."

Zhou Sixuan offered further comfort, and they reluctantly waved goodbye through the window.

The taxi slowly drove away.

Huang Xiaoxing also said goodbye to Zhou Sixuan: "Teacher Zhou, you should go home too. You've caused us so much worry, sigh—it's all my fault!"

Zhou Sixuan: "Huang Xiaoxing, where do you live? How far is it from here?"

Huang Xiaoxing: "It's not far, just at the north end of the Yellow River Experimental School. I walk fast, I'll be home in no time. Teacher Zhou, you should ride your bike now."

Zhou Sixuan: "Huang Xiaoxing, we happen to be going the same way, I'll give you a ride home."

Huang Xiaoxing clutched the notebooks tightly, shaking her head sheepishly, "Teacher Zhou, really, you don't need to. I can walk really fast!"

Zhou Sixuan was amused and grabbed Huang Xiaoxing's arm, saying, "Come sit down, you're such a young child, why are you already being shy?"

Huang Xiaoxing, clutching the notebooks, finally sat on the back of Zhou Sixuan's bicycle.

11

Late at night, on the street.

Zhou Sixuan rode her bicycle, taking Huang Xiaoxing with her, towards the Yellow River Experimental School.

12

Late at night, in front of a dilapidated rental house.

Huang Dahe paced anxiously in front of the dilapidated family building rental room, his hands behind his back.

Zhou Sixuan rode her bicycle with Huang Xiaoxing to the front of the building.

Huang Xiaoxing jumped out of the car and ran towards his father:

"Dad, I'm home. Teacher Zhou brought me back."

Zhou Sixuan pushed her cart over to greet him, "I'm so sorry, Huang Xiaoxing was working overtime for the class activity today, that's why she came back late."

Huang Dahe simply replied coldly, "It's nothing to do more work for the class."

After saying that, he grabbed Huang Xiaoxing and slapped him on the butt.

He scolded and beat her at the same time: "Why didn't you come home earlier to cook?"

Zhou Sixuan quickly stopped him: "Huang Xiaoxing's father, how can you hit your child like that? Huang Xiaoxing is so young, he's been busy at school all day, and you still force him to cook for you when he gets home. You're such an easy father!"

"What? You're saying being a dad is easy for me?"

Huang Xiaoxing's father glared at Teacher Zhou, as if he were arguing:

"His mother abandoned him when he was one year old, running off with a rich man. The land was abandoned, and I went to the city to work, but I never found a partner. With the meager income from my job, I raised him single-handedly, acting as both father and mother. During the day, I carried bricks, and at night I stayed up late writing novels, constantly receiving rejection letters. I had no other way to earn money, and I had to support my family. Tell me, isn't it difficult for a grown man like me?"

"Dad—what's the point of saying all this? Teacher Zhou was so good to me at school, and instead of thanking her, you keep saying hurtful things. People will laugh at us!"

Huang Xiaoxing's father got angry at Huang Xiaoxing again: "What a joke? What's so funny! If you don't like our family, you can go to whichever family you want! You can call whoever you want 'Mom'!"

Zhou Sixuan was taken aback by this sudden rebuke and said irritably:

"I initially thought you were a writer, but I never expected you to talk like this?"

Huang Dahe also said angrily, "What kind of writer am I? I'm just a bricklayer. At most, I'm an amateur literary writer."

Zhou Sixuan patiently said, "I've read many of your novels; they are sincere and moving. Keep going, and you'll have a bright future!"

Huang Dahe continued, his face grim, "Are you praising me or mocking me? In the eyes of you pretty women, what future could a bricklayer possibly have?"

Zhou Sixuan was once again rebuked.

She wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't.

Only tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.

She turned around, bravely refusing to shed a tear, and without saying a word, she got on her bike and hurried away.