My name is Zhou Yi. I clearly remember having a father. When I was little, Dad came home every year during his vacation. Later, he disappeared.
Well, if he was gone, then he was gone. I had Mom, an older brother, my maternal grandparents, my maternal uncle and aunt, and plenty of relatives. I wasn’t missing just one person.
Mom was a teacher. When I was little, I liked following her to school, where lots of older boys and older sisters would play with me.
Mom was a math teacher. When she taught class, I would sit in the classroom and listen with the older boys and older sisters. At first, I couldn’t understand a thing. Several times, I was so anxious that I cried, feeling incredibly stupid.
Mom even teased me, saying I was a stupid child. I didn’t believe her at all. I was obviously very clever.
Later, whenever Mom teased me again, Grandma would hit her. In truth, that slap never even touched her. They were both fooling me, thinking I was still a three-year-old child.
Later still, I began studying with Grandpa. He taught my brother and me mathematics, and he also taught me how to read. I could remember everything after being taught just once, but that rotten brother could remember it just as well. It was infuriating.
I absolutely couldn’t let him outdo me. Mom said that women could hold up half the sky, so I definitely couldn’t be worse than him.
After my brother started school, he came home crying one day. Grandma immediately flew into a rage, thinking he had been bullied at school. After asking him, she learned that he felt the teacher was treating him like a little fool. He already knew everything being taught when he was five, and he didn’t want people treating him like an idiot.
After hearing this, Grandpa pondered for a long time and took my brother to the school. Later, Grandma told me that my brother had skipped a grade and was attending classes with older children.
I didn’t really understand it then, but there was no reason I couldn’t do what my brother could. I had to skip grades too.
Grandpa had already retired, and I pestered him every day to teach me new things. One day, I would surpass my brother.
Grandpa was delighted, saying that someone in the family had finally become enlightened. He even bought textbooks and made a small blackboard. The two of us attended class on schedule every day, while Grandma lowered her voice whenever she cooked, afraid of disturbing us.
Hard work pays off. I skipped two grades in elementary school and one in middle school. Just when I was about to take the Gaokao, my brother came to find me. I have remembered our conversation that night ever since.
“Little sis, why don’t you take the Gaokao at Mom’s school? Becoming a teacher would be pretty good too, wouldn’t it?” My brother’s voice carried both persuasion and pleading.
“Why should I? Can’t I apply somewhere else?” I refused to accept it. Although Mom’s university was quite good, I had loftier ambitions.
“Sigh, little sis, do you know which university Dad attended?” My brother’s tone was sorrowful, yet faintly proud.
“I know. Mom told me—it’s the same school as yours.”
“That’s right. Dad and I attended the same school and majored in the same field. We’re not only alumni; in the future, we’ll also be comrades-in-arms. Dad and I will both be away from home, and Mom will be lonely by herself.”
My brother’s words shook me. Yes, there were things I hadn’t understood as a child but understood once I grew up. Dad hadn’t been lost; he simply couldn’t come home. Now my brother was leaving too. What would happen to Mom?
“Have you decided where you’re going?” I asked my brother.
My brother nodded. “My Academician dissertation has already been approved, and I’ll be leaving soon. Little sis, let’s divide the work. I’ll take care of Dad, and you take care of Mom. Is that okay?”
At that moment, I truly wished I were a stupid child. Then I wouldn’t have to struggle with this choice. However, I still agreed to my brother’s proposal. Who said you couldn’t achieve anything at Normal University? I refused to believe it.
The day my admission notice arrived, Mom hugged me and cried, saying I was foolish. Fine, then. I had chosen this path myself. If being foolish was what it took, then so be it!
No one knows who is foolish until the very end.
After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I was recommended for graduate school. I devoted myself to mathematical research and published many papers on mathematics. It would be no exaggeration to say that the problems I set could burn through countless brain cells.
I also carried out secret missions, calculated many conjectures, and proved many sets of data. Although I didn’t know exactly what the missions were for, they were certainly useful to the country.
Mom had always believed that after graduating, I would become a people’s teacher like her. Actually, I really wanted to tell her that this might be difficult. I was probably never going to have the chance to become her colleague.
I often heard people say, “Excellent children are devoted to the country, while ordinary children remain at home to serve their parents.”
If anyone was to blame, it was Mom for giving birth to us far too intelligently.
This absolutely wasn’t our problem. Mom should look for the cause within herself.
On the day of the manned spaceflight broadcast, I recognized that person at a glance. Although I no longer remembered him, there were photographs at home. I wasn’t stupid; how could I not know who he was?
I also heard Mom cursing. She must have been proud. Her husband and son were both there. I wonder whether Mom saw my brother. The camera swept past in an instant, showing only his face for a moment. Big brother, keep working hard, okay? Try to get more screen time next time.
I also wonder whether Mom will cry when I go missing. In a family of four, she is the only one left behind. She has it the hardest.
I hope Dad can come back soon and keep her company. From now on, leave the road ahead to us young people. We definitely won’t disappoint you.