Facing their confusion and incomprehension, I began to speak again, telling the two teachers all about my family situation, especially emphasizing how my parents didn’t want me to attend high school, while I wanted to change my fate through education.

I wasn't sure if my words would move them, but I knew that Teacher Zhang would definitely help me.

Because in my past life, she was the person I wrote about in my essays.

She helped many girls from impoverished families fulfill their dream of going to school, giving them the opportunity to have wings to fly out of the mountains.

At that time, I wondered if I had agreed to go with her to the high school in the city, would I also have a future like those girls?

However, I knew then that there were no roads of regret in this world. Even if I went to the high school in the county, I could still rely on my own efforts to fly out of the mountains. But...

Fortunately, there is still time for everything.

After hearing my story, the two teachers were silent for a while. Then Teacher Zhang spoke up and asked me:

“Xiao Hong, how much do you want to borrow?”

“Twelve hundred yuan,” I replied to her, “I will find a way to earn money to repay you after I start high school...”

“My family needs money now. I hope you can say that this 1,200 yuan is my scholarship for getting into high school. That way, my parents might let me continue my studies...”

“Teacher, I beg you...”

I lowered my head, wiped away the tears in my eyes. I really, really wanted to leave this place.

In my past life, the scholarship given by the county high school was one thousand yuan. At that time, my brother needed surgery on his leg, and every penny was very precious, so I had the opportunity to attend the county high school. This time, if the city high school could offer more, then could it be...

I heard Teacher Zhang discuss with Teacher Jiang for a while in the front row, then turned to me and said:

“Xiao Hong, you go back first. We will come right after.”

“We will definitely help you and make sure you get to study.”

I thought I probably hadn’t smiled for a long time, so I had forgotten how to smile.

Otherwise, why did I still cry after hearing this happy news?

Things developed as I expected. My parents were unwilling to let me continue my studies. But hearing that the county high school was willing to offer a scholarship of one thousand yuan per semester, and the city was willing to offer twelve hundred, with the possibility of even higher scholarships for good grades, under the persuasion of Teachers Zhang and Jiang, they agreed to let me attend high school.

After all, this time, although my brother's leg was not amputated, for a remote rural family, twelve hundred yuan per semester, twenty-four hundred yuan a year in scholarship, was still a considerable amount of income.