The next morning.
The campus of Lincoln High School was already crowded.
More than a dozen cameras had been set up in front of the school auditorium.
Reporters from various media seized positions early, and the "beep beep" sound of debugging equipment came and went.
The most eye-catching thing was the satellite broadcast van parked outside the auditorium with the logo of the local news station, and the satellite antenna on the roof was erected high, shining with a metallic luster in the morning light.
When Ethan followed his parents into the auditorium, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
He saw a group of middle-aged people wearing white shirts and black slacks standing neatly on both sides of the red carpet—some with beer bellies, some with standard "leadership hair," and a few people arranging the flag pins on their chests.
Although appearances differed, the aura of authority was the same.
In addition to these, Ethan also saw an interview van painted with the local TV station logo on campus.
Good grief, the TV station was here—this was going to make him famous!
There was no doubt that all of this was for Ethan.
In the center of the auditorium, the huge LED screen looped the slogan "Warmly Congratulate Ethan Hayes Miller on Winning the 2014 State SAT Championship."
State Department of Education, District Education Bureau.
Leading officials from relevant departments gathered in the school auditorium under the witness of the state TV station.
Director Johnson from the State Department of Education kindly held Ethan's hand and looked at the tall and handsome young man in front of him with a smile:
"Excellent! Excellent! What a fine young talent!"
He turned to Director Anderson from the District Education Bureau beside him and sighed:
"Look at the spirit of our champion—this is a model of outstanding young people in the new era!"
When the leaders of the State Education Bureau saw that Ethan was tall and handsome, and his academic performance was so outstanding, they praised him and liked him very much.
Principal Mr. Thompson also introduced Ethan's "glorious achievements" to the leaders.
Ethan had performed very well since entering the school as a freshman, developing comprehensively in all areas—academically, athletically, and in character...
The more Director Johnson listened, the happier he became, and suddenly turned around and explained to his entourage:
"Such outstanding young students should be promoted as a model case of quality education in our state!"
This statement caused the shutter sounds to resound again.
Director Johnson suddenly straightened his face and said to Principal Thompson in a slightly reproachful tone:
"Mr. Thompson, why wasn't such an excellent student like Ethan recommended for state honors in time? Your work needs improvement!"
Mr. Thompson nodded repeatedly, but in his heart he was cursing at Ms. Jensen—why didn't the school know there were such excellent students in your class!!
If Ms. Jensen could hear Principal Thompson's thoughts, she would say: Principal, I didn't know either! Ethan played a trick on all of us! I just found out!
Ethan, who was standing aside, felt his ears burning when he heard this, and unconsciously touched his nose, not knowing he was so excellent...
After some expressions of support.
The leaders of the State Education Bureau, the District Education Bureau, and Principal Thompson respectively awarded Ethan honorary certificates and bonuses as encouragement.
Ethan stood in the center of the red carpet, and the corsage on his chest was particularly bright in the spotlight.
He held an exquisite wooden frame in both hands, and the gilded honorary certificate under the glass prominently read "2014 State SAT Champion."
The parents on both sides were equally radiant: Linda was dressed in a light blue dress and held a scholarship check board with "$100,000" printed on it in both hands.
Robert wore a straight suit and held a $200,000 award issued by the district government.
The three of them stood together, like a perfect picture of the "champion's family."
Congratulations to Ethan Hayes Miller for winning the 2014 State SAT Championship.
The shutter sound of "click, click" came and went.
After taking group photos with Ethan, the leaders shook hands with Ethan and his parents one after another to say goodbye!
...
Ethan held two checks in his hand, feeling happy.
He thought that if he had another $300K, he could go all in again!
However.
As soon as he walked out of the auditorium door, the two checks in Ethan's hands were in Linda's possession.
Linda skillfully folded the checks in half and stuffed them into her personal wallet.
The beautiful excuse was: Mom will save this for you to get married in the future.
The family had never handled checks like this before and didn't know the process, so they simply went to the bank first.
They found a bank staff member and asked.
When the staff saw that the issuing institutions were the Education Bureau and Lincoln High School, they inquired a bit and were shocked.
It turned out that this handsome guy in front of them was this year's state champion!
A middle-aged female staff member took Linda's hand and kept asking: Your child is really amazing—how did you educate him? Can you tell me about it?
Linda's posture unconsciously straightened. She coughed lightly and instantly switched to "champion mother" mode.
Gushing enthusiastically:
"Educating children, you can't be too deliberate... The more you force them to study, the more they resist. If there's no desire for knowledge in their heart, no matter how much you push, it's useless."
"The most important thing is to stimulate interest! You can reward your children and encourage them, but don't scold them when they're learning!"
"When children study, you should also pay attention to giving enough space. Moderate attention is good—too much intervention will be counterproductive."
She spoke like this for more than half an hour.
Ethan and Robert on the side were drowsy listening.
....
The bank staff exchanged the two checks with smiles on their faces, and the $300K was quickly transferred to Comrade Linda's account.
After completing the formalities.
Under the enthusiasm of the staff, the family walked out of the bank entrance.
As soon as he stepped outside, Ethan couldn't wait to speak:
"Mom, so this money..."
Before Ethan finished speaking, Linda simply interrupted him:
"Mom will keep this money for you. Don't you have $100,000 on you? When we go back to your hometown in a few days, your grandparents, uncles, aunts, will definitely treat you—that's enough for you to spend!"
With the morning news broadcast!
Linda and Robert's phones never stopped.
Colleagues and friends from Linda's workplace called one after another to offer blessings, and congratulatory text messages from Robert's regular customers came one after another. His phone vibrated so much it almost slid out of his hand.
Congratulations and well-wishes one by one made Robert and Linda smile from ear to ear.
Their son was really making them proud.
It was strange to say—since the Harvard and Yale admissions offices called, Linda's tone when speaking with her son had suddenly become eight degrees gentler.
This made Ethan feel very uncomfortable, so he asked Linda:
"Mom, are you really my mother? You can't be my aunt!"
Of course, he was greeted with scolding, and Ethan felt comfortable instantly after being scolded. This was right—this taste was authentic! This was his mother!
At this time.
After answering a phone call, Linda turned around and asked:
"Son, do you still have your SAT prep notes? You didn't throw them away, did you?"
Ethan didn't take it seriously and said casually:
"Nope! Why?"
Linda: "My coworker son is taking the SATs next year, and she wants to borrow your notes to study."
Robert immediately spoke:
"No, no—I have a friend too. His son is also taking the SATs next year. Even Mr. Johnson's kid—you know him too!"
He'd just been busy answering the phone and forgot about it.
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