Chapter 7: The Decennial Poetry and Prose Conference

  My dad took my brother to organize the men, dozens of big men were already waiting there, when my dad appeared they cheered, everyone had a smile on their face, my dad's prestige in their hearts is evident.

  My dad said a few words of courtesy and then pointed to my brother standing next to him, saying: "Fellow villagers, this is my son Gaoqiang (milk name, usually used in front of country people), today he will hunt with us, please help take care of him later." My brother thought: When did Dad become so leader-like? Is it the result of his personality merging with the stars of another world after crossing over? In fact, he guessed right.

  The men shouted in unison: "No problem! We would have taken good care of him even if you hadn't said anything!"

  Some even said: "He's still young, will he be afraid of danger?"

  Immediately someone objected: "Great! At such a young age, you dare to go hunting with us. You will definitely achieve great things in the future!!!"

  "That's for sure", someone chimed in: "You don't know, my family's Jian'er said that Gao Qiang is the second strongest in our grade, and I heard his strength surpasses that of the first place 'Little Demon Girl', it's just... hehe, hahaha..."

  He didn't continue speaking but burst out laughing with a "you know what I mean" expression.

  And then look at my brother, his face has turned red all the way to his neck, haha, now even the big fool who didn't understand before has figured it out. I want to explain one sentence: My brother isn't embarrassed because he's chasing after a girl, but rather because he feels awkward about being single on Qixi Festival. He thinks that if you're going to chase after a girl, why not be a man about it? But instead, you've made such a big show of it and now you're trying to cover your ears and pretend you didn't do anything. That's what my brother is thinking.

  A loud voice said: "Gao Qiang, when chasing a girlfriend, you must not be shy. I believe in you, with your conditions, which little girl can't you chase? Look at how handsome and masculine you are, be bold and go after her, I support you!"

  The others all chimed in loudly. At this time, my dad had a proud look on his face, looked at my brother who was still blushing but clenched his fists, with determination in his eyes. This kid is just too introverted and not good at expressing himself, my dad thought.

  It seems I have to help him achieve his goal of chasing after "Little Devil Girl" instead. With such a strong desire, my brother has a self-satisfied look on his face, as if saying: You little thing, watch me fulfill your wish!

  On the other side, my mom took me to join the organization for women and children. The situation was almost the same as that of the big men, except it became a group of big moms with their own elderly and children waiting at the designated location. When they saw my mom pulling me over, they all smiled kindly. My mom first said some words of blessing, then said some pleasantries (vernacular), arranged everything and set off towards the destination. As we walked, everyone's chatterbox opened up, and a group of big moms talked about nothing but their children.

  Three or five big moms walked up to my dad and me, one of them said: "Lan sister, your family's high-rise building is really lovely!"

  Other aunts also echoed: "Yes, yes, look at that small white face, tender and delicate like a baby's skin. And those little eyes seem to be shining with golden light, the more you look, the cuter they are."

  One by one, they said and touched my head, I couldn't bear it, but I couldn't get angry either, because of their kind hearts, and also because they didn't have any malicious intentions, it's just that this praise was really... speechless.

  The more they talked, the more people joined in: "Our little Gaoming (children's names often have a 'little' added to them, it sounds more affectionate), I heard he's even called a 'young prodigy', at three years old he could recite couplets, at five years old he was already composing poetry, at seven years old he was writing lyrics, and by nine years old he was already quite famous, isn't that impressive?"

  I was embarrassed, but deep down I didn't mind. I thought to myself: there will be even more surprises in the future, and I won't disappoint this title. Unlike me, my mom was beaming with pride - "This is my child!" she said with a smile. At that moment, some of the other mothers started complaining about how their own kids were stupid or something, but my mom just smiled and comforted them: "There are 360 professions out there, and every profession has its own top expert. Maybe your kid excels in another area."

  Everyone laughed...

  This evening, a miraculous sunset appeared; it seems like tomorrow will be a good day, worth looking forward to.

  The hunting activity in the first year of junior high school was successfully carried out under the correct leadership of the village heads and the conscious cooperation of the villagers, without any hitch, achieving great success. That night, people all returned home with a sense of satisfaction.

  Because we had too much fun, everyone was very tired. After the activity ended, our whole family went home and rested. Through memory, I knew that tomorrow is the once-in-a-decade poetry conference, my brother and I will both participate, and my parents will go to watch and cheer us on. The original plan for Chinese New Year's visit was postponed, first because the conference is important, secondly because except for our neighbors, there are no relatives in Junlang Village. Anyway, through my brother's and my memory, we didn't find any information about our relatives, and it seems like our parents don't want to mention it either. However, by looking at our parents' temperament and style after they came over, my brother and I understand that their life experience must not be simple, possibly involving some stories that they don't want to mention. But I believe we will know eventually.

  This conference is another new plaything for us who have crossed over. The two brothers were almost excited to sleep, and they couldn't wait to get on stage immediately. That night, we were all confident, this is the advantage of being a crosser, after all, what Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and Yuan opera we can use at will, hehe. Of course, I wouldn't do this until I'm wordless, I still have some confidence in this regard.

  The weather on the second day of the trip was indeed great, with several rounds of sunrise emerging from the distant mountain tops. The early-rising birds were catching insects, and it was a beautiful sight. My brother and I took out our phones and snapped a photo. Although we wanted to take more, we restrained ourselves due to low battery; thinking to ourselves: must think of a way to generate electricity.

  After breakfast, the villagers gathered at the meeting place. My brother and I, along with several other kids, namely Dai Sanjian, Dai Yijiang, Dai Fengting, Dai Qingping, Tan Daohe and Hu Junji, were our village's representatives for the competition. This conference was a gathering of young talents from around the Junlang Mountains, all under the age of 15. Each village would send their best to participate, and then the annual Best Young Talent Award would be presented, which was an honor for the entire village. Generally, those who could participate in the competition and achieve certain results would become sought-after candidates for top universities in the future, with boundless prospects, and might even become prominent figures!

  This year, our village can send eight people, and the villagers are all delighted. Other villages have at most six (not that there is no one, but rather no literary talent, of course, some people also don't go, such as royalty and nobles). The town has a total of over 300 participants, still the highest peak in history, everyone is very happy because it's all for the common interest. This town is called Xingzhong Town, a trading place formed by a relatively concentrated population, also located southeast of Junliang Village.

  Because it was the New Year, everyone crowded around us and headed towards Xingzhong City, where the conference was being held. Of course, most people could only send us to the front of the town's only transmission array, and then a few village elders and the village chief led us to transmit away.

  Xingzhong City is one of the tens of thousands of main cities on the Moon Continent (the largest and most majestic political, cultural and commercial center in terms of scale and construction specifications). It's a new city but quite prosperous, not belonging to any empire. However, Xingzhong Academy (also known as Tianjiao Academy) is located within the city, having operated for many years it has almost become the lord's manor of Xingzhong City, therefore Xingzhong City is also called Tianjiao City, let's not mention this for now.

  We followed the elders and walked into Xingzhong Square, which is located in the center of Tianjiao City. It's a large square that combines training, competition, entertainment, gathering and leisure. I'm not sure how big it is, but two people with normal vision can't see each other when standing at both ends. This is where the conference will be held, everything is so well-coordinated, elegant and luxurious, "low-key luxury with connotation" is the most suitable description.

  We received a message that the conference will be held at 12 o'clock sharp, and when we arrive at 11:30, we can rest for half an hour, take in the beautiful scenery around us, and taste some fragrant tea.

  Thirty minutes passed quickly, and a host walked onto the stage. The host looked kind and gentle, with an air of elegance, but also had a natural sense of dignity that came from within. He spoke warmly: "Good afternoon, everyone!"

  A warm round of applause erupted from the audience, and his voice continued with a mesmerizing tone: "I'm honored to be hosting this conference. My name is Tianba, some of you may know me. Enough chit-chat, let's begin our once-in-a-decade poetry and songwriting competition."

  Applause continued from under the stage, and someone whispered: "He is Tianba, the founder of Tianjiao Academy, a legendary figure in the Moon Continent..."

  Someone immediately shouted: "I saw my idol and he even smiled at me!"

  Another person loudly retorted: "Obviously he was laughing at me! A person should have self-awareness..."

  ……

  My brother and I were left staring blankly, is this what it means to chase stars?

  Tian Ba obviously took it for granted, and he said lightly: "Next, the first round of the conference will begin. All participating children please go to the competition venue and take a seat. Remember the rules of the competition. During the answer period, you are not allowed to whisper to each other, nor can you use old drafts. If discovered, you will be disqualified. And I suspect my perception ability."

  The audience immediately fell silent, the contestants quickly entered and sat down, and the two brothers were among them. The two brothers focused their attention, not daring to glance around, waiting quietly for the competition to begin.