The interview will be broadcast on Friday, and the recording is scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday. The school generously gave Feng Yiping a day off so that he could prepare at home. This kindness gave Feng Yiping the opportunity to sleep in. These days, just like in his third year of junior high school, he gets up at three in the morning and sleeps until five in the morning. He is so sleep-deprived.
Before going to bed that night, Feng Yiping tried to remember when he had last slept in broad daylight. It was still the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, the day Huang Jingping had come from home, and that had been a quarter of a year ago. The next time he could sleep in like that would be after the college entrance exam, which would be another quarter of a year away. What a miserable high school student he was!
Without setting an alarm, he woke up at 6 o'clock on Tuesday morning as scheduled. After taking a look at the dark room, he just felt a little bit of the feeling of being able to sleep in, and rolled over to go back to sleep.
He slept very well, without even dreaming. When he closed his eyes and opened them again, it was already past ten o'clock. The sun was filling the room, and Huang Jingping sat by the bedside, softly calling to him, 'Get up and have breakfast, it's ten o'clock.'
'It's too late for breakfast, let's have it with lunch.' Feng Yiping then puffed up Huang Jingping's face like a dumpling, 'You're so cute like this!'
'No, get up, Gao Zhiyi and the others should be here soon.'
Fine, Gao Zhiyi is here to pick them up. It's too showy for him to drive his own car to the TV station today.
He had a very frustrating lunch. The other three people had a hearty lunch prepared by Huang Jingping, but he was the only one who had a bowl of vegetarian noodles with a few pieces of vegetables. He didn't have to worry about lacking energy, either. After the meal, two chocolates were prepared for him. This was a special instruction from Feng Zhenchang and the others, who were worried that he would get a stomachache and make a fool of himself on the show.
Li Jia, with the hateful thought of not letting him go until he was dead, turned the meal into a performance, transforming into a foodie and commenting on every bite. Feng Yiping, who hadn't eaten breakfast, really couldn't resist such temptation. Then, he took the bowl and went to the study, knowing that if he couldn't resist the temptation, he would stay away from it.
After getting in the car, Feng Yiping started taking deep breaths. It wasn't an easy task to talk to a few strangers for a class period of time while being watched by the camera and dozens of audience members.
Gao Zhiyi drove quietly, and Li Jia knew not to disturb him at this time, while Huang Jingping quietly held his hand.
As soon as they arrived at the TV station, Feng Zhenchang called, and Mei Qiuping and Feng Zhenchang kept saying on the phone, 'Be generous, bold, and polite...,'
They were of course inexperienced when it came to being interviewed on TV, but they weren't too worried about it, and they just told Feng Yiping as they normally would when dealing with strangers.
The two of them had originally planned to come to the scene, but Feng Yiping stopped them. He was under more pressure when his parents were there, and besides, if his parents came, Huang Jingping would have to hide again, and that wouldn't be good.
He hadn't thought about confessing to his parents now. Even if they were Western parents, they definitely wouldn't accept their son, who was still in high school, living with a girl his age, let alone parents like Feng Zhanchang, who were very old-fashioned at heart.
Feng Zhanchang and the others spoke for a few minutes before hanging up. Feeling like they had all the strength in the world but no place to direct it, and unable to go to the site to cheer, they would not be able to watch this episode when it aired on Friday.
It will be some years before cable TV reaches the countryside. The Feng family can currently receive CCTV-1 and the county TV station, and a few can receive the provincial TV station. As for the city TV station, none of them can receive it.
Gao Zhiyi, who knows the way well, takes him to the programme team. This is also the first time that the relevant people have seen Feng Yiping, who has been praised by his neighbours, teachers and classmates, as a flower. The first impression is that he is a tall, quiet and handsome young man, nothing extraordinary.
After a brief introduction, Feng Yiping was led away to get his makeup done. This was the first time he had ever been touched up by a makeup artist, and it didn't take long. He was young and had a good complexion, so it was just a matter of tidying up his short hair.
In addition to the female host, there were also two guests today, a man and a woman. The man was still a middle-aged uncle from the Municipal Academy of Social Sciences, and the woman was a middle-aged aunt with short hair and a blue suit. When the host introduced her, she said that she was a professor at the Provincial Normal University and a visiting professor at several other universities. She had studied in Europe and the United States for many years.
In front of outsiders, Feng Yiping acts like a good boy and student, as if it has become instinct. He greets the two of them with a slight blush and a very humble and low profile. Although the two of them also smile happily, Feng Yiping feels that Mr. Hu from the Academy of Social Sciences is really easygoing, while Professor Li from the Normal College always has a sense of superiority in his kind tone.
Seeing the four of them come out in a line, the audience, who had already taken their seats, clamoured, applauding and taking pictures. These spectators didn't know how they were selected either. Anyway, the host of the city channel was also a star to them, and a pretty one at that.
But the host, Lin Tian, didn't have time to pay them any attention at this time. She was taking the time to read the script, while her assistant was fixing her makeup in the mirror.
The set was also decorated in an interesting way, like a living room, with beige as the main colour. The main seat was of course for the host Lin Tian, with two double sofas placed on either side, and in the middle was a coffee table with a pot of flowers.
Before the official start of filming, the staff on site once again emphasised the need for discipline to the audience. Feng Yiping took the opportunity to take off the Yizhong school uniform he was wearing and handed it to Gao Zhiyi in the front row, revealing the white work uniform underneath. In fact, it was just a casual white shirt, except that the four conspicuous red characters 'Youjia Convenience' were embroidered on the chest pocket. Since it was a rare opportunity to appear on TV, of course he had to promote Youjia.
Of course, he could not forget Yizhong. The school badge of Yizhong was worn above his pocket in a proper manner. The school's request for him to wear the school uniform on the show made him think critically. Does Yizhong still need to be promoted in the city?
He originally wanted to have the words 'Youjia' embroidered on both sides and the back of the shirt, but Gao Zhiyi and the others were worried that it would instead cause the audience of the show to resent it, so they chose this shirt instead. Of course, the embroidery was specially adjusted, and the effect is great when photographed by a camera, and the effect when photographed by a video camera will only be better!
Lin Tian frowned a little as she looked at the four conspicuous characters on Feng Yiping's chest, but strangely, there were no instructions from the director coming through the headset.
Feng Yiping's little action certainly did not escape the attention of the programme producer and director backstage. He actually used our programme to advertise, but he didn't lose his temper. The mayor gave the order, so as long as it wasn't too out of line, what else could he do?
When Lin Tian said 'Welcome to tonight's Jiangdu Night Talk programme' for the first time during the broadcast, several members of the audience laughed out loud, so he had to start again.
After the opening remarks, the two guests were introduced. The two of them modestly nodded to the audience. When it came to Feng Yiping, he got up and bowed seriously to the audience, and the applause was a little warmer. He's still a student, so there's no need to put on airs.
They first chatted about some family matters. Lin Tian first asked Feng Yiping about his preparations for the college entrance examination, and Mr Hu passed on some words of experience. At this time, Feng Yiping sincerely thanked them, saying that while it was important to seize the time to study, it was also important to maintain a balanced approach to work and rest, and to keep a calm state of mind.
Lin Tian then asked a question that piqued everyone's interest: 'I heard that you had the opportunity to be recommended for admission, so why did you choose to give that up?'
'It was mainly because the school and the major that I was accepted into were not what I had hoped for.'
'So what was your first choice?'
'Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management.'
Lin Tian looked at Mr Hu, who was well-versed in this area, 'That's a pretty high goal,' said Mr Hu, 'just looking at grades, you'd need to be in the top three in the province to have any hope.'
Professor Li spoke up, "You said that was the main reason, is there another reason?'
'Yes," Feng Yiping answered her truthfully, 'my parents also want me to get into a top university in China.'
Professor Li had the expression of someone who had expected as much. 'From what you just said, I gather that your parents are farmers, right?'
'Yes,' she said. So what if they are farmers?
"Since the reform and opening up, domestic parents still cannot change such a mentality, hoping that their children will become successful, treating the university entrance exam as the same as the imperial examinations in the past, a way to the sky. They force their own wishes on their children. I have to say that this is a lack in our educational concept.'
'Sorry, I don't agree with what you're saying.' He really doesn't like it when people say things like "this is China" and "that's China". Is everything really better abroad?
'The hope that their children can get into a famous university is not just a concept among parents in China, but also among parents in many Asian countries. As for the United States, as far as I know, parents also hope that their children can get into an Ivy League school!'
It's not just China that values diplomas; developed countries value them too.
'So you wasted a year just to fulfil your parents' wishes, when you could have finished high school a year earlier. Do you know how precious that year is in your life?'
'First of all, I wasn't satisfied with the school or the major that I was accepted into. Besides, even if I was simply fulfilling my parents' wishes, I think I would be willing to spend a year doing it. I'm still young, and I lack everything except time.'
This time, without waiting for the stage manager to raise the board to indicate, many members of the audience spontaneously applauded. It can be imagined that those applauding were definitely parents with children at home.
'I think this is a bright spot,' said Teacher Hu. 'Between children and parents nowadays, there just needs to be more mutual understanding like this. Parents shouldn't force their children, and if possible, children should also learn from their peers like Yiping and be more filial.'
'Thank you, Teacher Hu!'
Feng Yiping felt that this episode was completely different from the one he watched. That episode was full of harmony, peace, and beauty, and was recorded smoothly. Although it was not very entertaining, it was full of positive energy.
Has the style changed in this episode, or did Professor Li forget to take his medicine before going out, and did he not drink his wife's Jingxin oral liquid?