Chapter 45

On the motorway, Peng Yang was talking to Yin Xiaorui in the car. "Xiaorui, do you know anything about who we're interviewing?"

He'd had the instruction at short notice — go out to a town and interview a student — and had loaded the equipment and left before he could find out any more.

Yin Xiaorui, presenting the interview, was slightly better informed. "I do. A student at Yu No. 1 — apparently she's only in her first year and already confirmed for a recommendation to Tsinghua or Peking. The provincial education department contacted the station a few days ago wanting an interview as soon as possible."

Peng Yang clicked his tongue. Children today. First year and recommended to Tsinghua or Peking — and by the look of it a country girl too, which made a better story still. No wonder the department was in such a hurry, or that they'd sent somebody along in person.

He looked at the two cars ahead. The one directly in front held Section Chief Wang, who was responsible for basic education, and at the head of the convoy was another car carrying the student's form teacher and someone from the competition committee.

Feeling the speed drop — the exit, presumably — he checked the equipment again, and finding nothing wrong, positioned the camera ready to shoot. Beside him Yin Xiaorui was making the most of the time to get the script into her head; the notice had been too short for proper preparation.

At the Minhe exit, having heard that the province was sending people, the county education bureau director and the head of Beiguan's middle school had been waiting since early morning, and put on their hazard lights as soon as they spotted the plate.

Once the convoy stopped, the director came forward and bowed towards the car window respectfully. "Section Chief Wang, I hadn't expected you to come yourself." Seeing the county director so careful, the headmaster behind him was more careful still.

Section Chief Wang wound the window down, unhurried. "Director Zhu, thank you for waiting out here since dawn to guide us in."

Which made the director more deferential still. "Not at all. That you should take the time, busy as you are, to come out here for a student's sake — my small trouble is nothing. This is Headmaster Chen of Beiguan No. 1 Middle School, who'll be showing us the way today."

Section Chief Wang turned to him. "Then I'm obliged to you, Headmaster Chen. Time is short and there's a good deal to do — if the two of you would lead us to Li Lan's house."

They nodded repeatedly, got into their car, and with Headmaster Chen directing, the driver set off for Beiguan, the three cars from Yu city following.

Headmaster Chen looked back at them, curious about what these people from the city actually did. Director Zhu had contacted him urgently the previous evening, asking whether he knew of a student in the town called Li Lan.

Another student and he might genuinely have had no recollection; but the news of a city-wide first had been startling enough that he knew something about it.

Told that he did, Director Zhu had said nothing further and simply instructed him to come into the county town first thing to wait with him — and only on arriving had Headmaster Chen discovered they were waiting for a section chief from the provincial department.

He felt distinctly out of his depth. He ran a town middle school; the people he dealt with were from the county bureau, and he rarely met anyone even from the city's, let alone the province. He was dying of curiosity and didn't dare ask, and dutifully led the way.

Director Zhu knew little more, and was quizzing him about Li Lan's family, and about Li Lan herself.

Headmaster Chen thought about it. He didn't know much. "I know little about Li Lan. She came first in the city in this year's entrance exam and went to Yu No. 1. Beyond that, nothing."

Director Zhu had it. "That's why the name was familiar — the city-wide first. And at Yu No. 1, so presumably some distinction at the school has attracted attention from above?" It has to be said, he was close.

Neither could see another possibility. What else could a first-year do that would bring the provincial department out?

And on that speculation, the convoy arrived at the house.

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Under his mother's instructions, Li Jingyu had been watching the road since he got up, and spotted them before they had stopped. Seeing four cars pull up outside, he shouted to the front room. "Mum, Dad, there are four cars downstairs. Is that the television people?"

Both parents were at the window at once, in time to see somebody get out with a camera on his shoulder — and both of them went tight inside. So it really is the television people. What do we do. Why am I suddenly so nervous. At the thought of a camera, their breathing shortened and their hearts began to knock.

Li Jingyu had seen Peng Yang too. "Somebody's got a camera. It really is the television people."

Li Tieshi and Song Qiulan, in their new clothes, had arrived at the window at some point, and he said, to himself, "So they've actually come."

Chen Shanxing, watching the entire family stand at the window staring down, found it both maddening and funny. "Quan, Yingzi, stop looking. Take Lanlan down and meet them. You can't leave people standing about down there — and a department official at that."

Which brought them round. "Yes, yes. Down, quickly, we can't keep him waiting. Where's Lanlan?"

"Here." Li Lan was in the doorway with her phone, waving.

Travelling with Jiao Wenfu, she'd been in contact with him to ask when they'd arrive, which was why Li Jingyu had been watching in the first place. She'd learned yesterday that the provincial department was coming too, which changed the flavour of an ordinary interview — and on the strength of it her mother had specifically summoned Chen Shanxing.

Li Lan had been rather startled by that herself. She'd assumed a small interview, not a provincial department official. Jiao Wenfu told her it had been decided at the last minute: originally it was to be the programme team, himself and two competition committee teachers.

Whether by good luck or bad, while they were discussing her, Section Chief Wang had been on an inspection visit, had found her case interesting, and decided to come and see for himself. Hence this.

Fortunately they reacted quickly, and the three of them got downstairs just as he was getting out of the car.

In front of the supermarket her parents wanted to greet people and were embarrassed to find they didn't know a single one of them, and stood in the doorway rather at a loss.

Mercifully Jiao Wenfu came over and began the introductions. "You'll be Li Lan's parents. I'm her form teacher, Jiao Wenfu. This is Section Chief Wang from the provincial education department, and these are colleagues from the television station—"

For each name, her parents produced a greeting in awkward Mandarin. Stiff, and the Mandarin poor, and nobody said a word about it; every one of them greeted them warmly.

Introductions done, Section Chief Wang stepped forward and looked at them with real sincerity. "Hello. Teacher Jiao has done the introductions, so I won't add to them. I've come today to thank you both. You have raised a fine seedling for this province."

Such courtesy left them more overwhelmed still, waving their hands and, in their haste, forgetting to use Mandarin at all. "No, no, we didn't do any raising. It's all the school and the teachers."

He didn't mind their stiffness and smiled. "Let's not stand about talking. All of us in your doorway must be interfering with trade."

They looked round, and only then noticed that although the shop wasn't busy at that hour, everyone passing was looking, and a few had already gathered to watch.

Li Quan was annoyed with himself. "Where are my wits? Section Chief Wang, Teacher Jiao, everyone — come upstairs, we'll talk up there."

He and Section Chief Wang walked ahead, talking, which did something to ease his nerves — to good effect, since by the time they were seated on the third floor Li Lan could see he was visibly more relaxed.

Section Chief Wang stood on no ceremony, and talked to her parents mildly, and having got the situation from them, said with satisfaction, "It is precisely parents like you that this country needs, to raise the people it needs. Li Lan, I hope you'll value that, and not disappoint your parents' hard work."

Everyone in the room nodded in emphatic agreement, and Li Lan nodded seriously. "Thank you, Section Chief. I'll keep working."

Peng Yang had the camera running and got the whole conversation.

Having said what he came to say, Section Chief Wang set off back to Yu city. He'd come to make his position clear; the interview itself was for the family.

Because of him, though, the production team had settled on their register for the piece: sentiment, laid on hard. Look at this family — material everywhere, inspiration everywhere. Cut properly it would have the entire audience in pieces, and make Li Lan, the child belonging to somebody else, seem rarer still.

With him gone the atmosphere was noticeably easier. Having finished on the third floor, Peng Yang turned to Li Quan. "I gather you've an old courtyard as well? And is the scrap yard still there? We could get some footage."

Chen Ying had relaxed considerably too. "It is. I'll take you."

The exteriors done, there were individual interviews — for which the team had, of course, chosen a set of questions calculated to move, and only at the end asked Li Lan, as a formality, about her study methods.

Interviewing the others, her parents especially, Peng Yang made a point of framing their hands. Four or five years of collecting scrap had left both pairs rough, one worse than the other; the supermarket required no heavy lifting now, and the record of the work was plainly written on them.