Chapter 157: Donating the Prize Money
"Haha..." Xiang Nantian laughed heartily and said, "Not bad, not bad, indeed not bad. Young man, the youth are to be feared, today this old man is completely convinced by my defeat!"
Wow...
The scene suddenly burst into surprise. Xiang Nantian actually admitted defeat. That was just too... disappointing, wasn't it?
Xiao Han quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Teacher Xiang, you truly live up to your reputation as a leading figure in the Chinese chess community. You have the respect of us younger players."
Everyone looked puzzled.
At this point, Xiao Han continued, "Actually, today's game was Teacher Xiang teaching me how to play chess. Today, I really understood Teacher Xiang's strength and sportsmanship. You are a teacher whom I respect, and a senior who deserves the respect of everyone in the Chinese chess community!"
"You flatter me." Xiang Nantian's expression relaxed considerably. Losing to a young person would have been quite embarrassing. With Xiao Han's words, Xiang Niantian's face brightened quite a bit, and moreover, he didn't have to worry about his image being damaged, and he also managed to earn everyone's respect. Xiao Han had given him enough face, and naturally, Xiang Nantian wasn't foolish.
He smiled and said, "Youth are indeed to be feared, you are the most talented child I've seen in recent years. Keep working hard and strive to become a well-known Chinese chess master in the country."
"Thank you for the praise, Teacher Xiang!" Xiao Han chuckled.
"No, this is not praise, but encouragement!" Xiang Nantian smiled.
By now, the match between Chen Zihan and the middle-aged uncle also seemed to be nearing its end. The middle-aged uncle was scratching his head in frustration because his unsettled mood from his defeat against Xiao Han carried over to his battle with Chen Zihan. As a result, he made two wrong moves.
On the chessboard, one wrong move can spoil the whole game, let alone two?
Soon, Chen Zihan swept her opponent away with the ease of a brisk autumn breeze clearing the fallen leaves.
The middle-aged uncle looked dejected. He hadn't expected to lose to two young people in one go; it was really as if he'd seen a ghost. If anything, he could only blame his bad luck today. If he had faced Chen Zihan at the start, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way.
It was just his bad luck to run into the strong Xiao Han first, which left him battered and forced him to surrender helplessly. After a few moves, he was nearly on the verge of collapse.
Missing out on third place meant that all his strenuous preparation for the competition was in vain, and he wouldn't get a single cent. He looked up and sighed deeply.
"Ah!" The middle-aged man sighed and said, "It seems that fortune doesn't favor me."
After saying that, the middle-aged man left the Mass Art Gallery in dejection. With so many people around, no one paid him any attention; all eyes were on Xiao Han. Everyone was especially curious and excited. They were curious about Xiao Han's background and thrilled that he had actually won the championship. It felt even more joyous than if they had won the championship themselves.
"Who is this young man, defeating Xiang Nantian?"
"Who knows!"
"Truly, the new waves of the Yangtze River push forward the old ones..."
In the midst of the crowd's discussions, Xiao Han wasn't too excited. The Wangjiang District Party Secretary brought his group to the venue.
"Young man, congratulations on winning first place in the LJ City Chess Elite Cup!" The secretary was amiable, shaking Xiao Han's hand with a beaming smile and said, "I love to see young faces emerge; it signifies progress in our city's chess scene, and it shows how vibrant the new blood in our city is..."
As expected of a District Party Secretary, his words were quite polished.
After Secretary Chen finished speaking, the organizers quickly sent out a representative to conduct the award ceremony. Xiao Han won the grand prize of one hundred thousand yuan, and also received a trophy and an honorary certificate. Xiao Han stood at the top while Chen Zihan took the third-place spot. She looked up at Xiao Han, genuinely happy for him.
"Xiao Han, you are the best." Chen Zihan gave Xiao Han an enthusiastic hug.
"Thank you." Chen Zihan returned her embrace with warmth.
Clapping sounds...
The venue immediately erupted into a round of warm applause.
At this time, representatives from the Fuxing Community Residents' Committee hurried over upon hearing the news. Auntie Zhou and the group from the Residents' Committee had not expected Xiao Han to win an award; after all, with so many experts in this competition, and Xiao Han being so young, surely he couldn't match those seasoned veterans. So, they hadn't held out much hope.
However, to their surprise, as soon as the competition ended, someone immediately phoned Auntie Zhou to inform her that a representative from Fuxing Community had won the championship.
At first, Auntie Zhou didn't believe it, thinking someone was tricking her, but to confirm, she deliberately called the organizers. Unexpectedly, the organizers also gave her the same response. Therefore, Auntie Zhou urgently gathered the group from the Residents' Committee and hurriedly rushed to the venue, borrowing a vehicle from someone else for transportation.
When the group from the Residents' Committee arrived, they saw Xiao Han standing at the top of the award podium.
"Oh my, Xiao Han really did take first place!" Auntie Zhou was so excited she nearly fainted.
"Fantastic, fantastic," the group started to exclaim excitedly, shouting, "Our Fuxing Community won first place!"
Overcome with emotion, Auntie Zhou rushed forward and embraced Xiao Han, saying, "Good boy, good boy, you are our pride!"
"Auntie Zhou!" Xiao Han chuckled and said, "There are so many people here."
"Who cares about them." Auntie Zhou was indeed a bit overexcited.
"Auntie Zhou, there's something I want to discuss with you!" Xiao Han said.
"Oh? What is it?" Auntie Zhou asked curiously.
"I'll only take half of the hundred thousand yuan prize money," Xiao Han started, "Distribute the other half to the poor households in the community. What do you think?"
"Really?" Auntie Zhou was stunned and said, "Your family could also be considered a poor household."
"Didn't I keep half?" Xiao Han said.
"Actually, you could keep all of it, couldn't you?" Auntie Zhou said with a smile.
"No way!" Xiao Han shook his head and replied, "A hundred thousand is a lot. I know there are still many truly poor households in the community. Their circumstances are even harder than mine. Please help me divide the remaining fifty thousand into ten parts, and deliver it to ten of the poorest families."
"Ah, alright," Auntie Zhou nodded.
"Auntie, please help me donate this twenty thousand as well!" Chen Zihan hurriedly stood up.
"What?" Auntie Zhou was taken aback, looking at Chen Zihan with a bewildered expression.
"Zi Han, you..." Xiao Han looked at her, puzzled.
"Although twenty thousand is a lot for me, my family's condition is still relatively good," Chen Zihan said seriously, "I hope this money can really end up in the hands of the poor households and provide them with some security."
"This..." Auntie Zhou was at a loss for words.
"Then on behalf of Fuxing Community's residents, I thank you," Xiao Han said with a smile.
Auntie Zhou was completely flabbergasted. Are people these days all keen on doing good deeds? Why is everyone so eager to donate money?
Rustle rustle...
Once again, a round of warm applause broke out at the scene for the kind acts of Xiao Han and Chen Zihan.
At that moment, Xiang Nantian smiled and said, "Please donate my fifty thousand as well, Xiao Han."
"Ah?" Xiao Han was startled and responded, "Teacher Xiang, why... why go to all this trouble?"
"I feel undeserving of this fifty thousand, so donating it will ease my conscience," Xiang Nantian, holding the second-prize trophy and standing a head shorter than Xiao Han at the award ceremony, naturally felt very uncomfortable. Fifty thousand yuan wasn't much to Xiang Nantian, and donating it would make him feel better. Thus, he decided to donate the money.
"Then on behalf of Fuxing Community's elders and fellow villagers, I thank you," Xiao Han nodded.
Secretary Chen was incredibly moved by the scene.
"Fantastic, this is the spirit and quality our Chinese chess community should possess!" Secretary Chen walked over excitedly and continued, "On behalf of the Wangjiang District government, I express my utmost respect to you. And in my capacity as Wangjiang District Party Secretary, I will donate ten thousand yuan to the poor households of Fuxing Community!"
Rustle rustle...
The applause at the scene became fervent once more.
"Wonderful, Secretary Chen is magnificent," someone in the crowd shouted.
"Good, good," Auntie Zhou said with tearful eyes, "On behalf of everyone from Fuxing Community Residents' Committee, I thank Secretary Chen, Teacher Xiang, and student Chen Zihan. You're always welcome to come and guide our work in Fuxing Community. Also, I guarantee with my honor that every penny you donated will absolutely reach the hands of the truly poor households."
Rustle rustle...
Applause erupted again, very warm. Stay updated with empire
At the Mass Art Gallery, the atmosphere was extremely lively. Xiao Han and Chen Zihan took the chance to slip away while Secretary Chen was speaking. Xiao Han's backpack contained fifty thousand yuan, and he quickly left the gallery holding Chen Zihan's hand.
"Zi Han, I've got money now," Xiao Han said, his face beaming with excitement, "Come on, I'll treat you to food. You've always been treating me, it's my turn today."
"Hee hee..." Chen Zihan giggled and replied, "Okay."
After that, the two of them, hand in hand, walked out along the street. The Mass Art Gallery was located in the city center, so in just a few steps, they reached the pedestrian street. The pedestrian street had many food stalls and a lot of local specialties, including famous snacks from Taiwan, ZQ snacks...
There were countless food options. LJ City was particularly suitable for leisure, with not only a slow pace of life but also a plethora of snack options. Along the street, pedestrians walked slowly, some shopping, some strolling, all at a leisurely pace.
Xiao Han held a cup of juice in one hand and grilled fish in the other. Chen Zihan cradled her milk tea and took a light bite from the grilled fish in Xiao Han's hand, saying, "Hmm, the taste is good, pretty delicious."
"Want to try anything else?" Xiao Han curiously asked.
"No more, I've had a lot already," Chen Zihan quickly shook her head and said, "Don't eat anymore. If I keep eating, I'll gain a few pounds."
"Hehe, don't worry, I won't mind even if you're heavier!" Xiao Han chuckled.