Free Web NovelChapter 431: Chapter 431: Yanxi 39
Jin Li chimed in, "Teacher, you knew I longed for a life of being noticed and loved, but you never discouraged my dream. Instead, you diligently taught me to dance, often choreographed for me, and were stricter with me than with any other student."
"Even though the academic requirements for art students weren’t high, you still insisted I had to get into a public university before I could chase my dream. That way, I would always have a fallback plan."
As the pair spoke, a spotlight quietly shifted onto Xu Yanxi. The rims of her eyes had reddened as well. She prided herself on having seen all the ups and downs of life, but after witnessing the heartwarming results of Tan You’s kindness, Xu Yanxi couldn’t help but feel she had somehow failed to live up to the title of ’teacher’.
Song Yuan was still speaking on the stage. "I came from a poor family, so I always dreamed of making a lot of money one day, so our parents wouldn’t have to toil from dawn till dusk for a meager living."
"I wanted to live a comfortable life. I didn’t want my wife to have to suffer with me, and I didn’t want my future children to grow up poor like I did. Teacher, you never thought I was too materialistic. When I wanted to start a business in college, you gave me your full support."
"You took me out to research the market and find business opportunities, taught me how to run a company, and then, once my business started to take off, you wisely stepped back and let me make my own way."
"You were like a wise sage, carefully nurturing us when we were still incapable, and then decisively letting go when we could stand on our own, allowing us to face the storms of the world by ourselves."
Jin Li, who usually cried at the drop of a hat, was smiling the entire time today. "I met you when I was seventeen, Teacher, and this year I’m twenty-five. In these past eight years, you’ve done so much for us. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have become of us. We will be grateful to you for the rest of our lives."
Every one of Tan You’s former students in the audience had red-rimmed eyes, and some were frequently wiping away tears. Most of these students of Tan You’s had come from poor backgrounds; only a very small number were from middle-class families.
Jin Li and Song Yuan’s words easily resonated with everyone, and for a moment, the entire hall fell silent. Meanwhile, Jin Li’s streamer friends were the busiest people in the room; some were recording the stage, while others aimed their cameras at Xu Yanxi, filming her non-stop.
Xu Yanxi wanted to say something, but the host quickly walked over and offered her a microphone. "Teacher Xu, would you like to come up and say a few words? I’m sure that with your blessing, the newlyweds’ celebration will be even more perfect."
Xu Yanxi did as he asked, rising and walking onto the stage. The spotlight followed her back until she came to a stop in front of Song Yuan and Jin Li, and only then did the guests get a clear look at her face.
Compared to Tan You’s assertiveness, Xu Yanxi was undoubtedly gentler and more reserved. Just by standing there, she exuded an incredibly calming presence.
Bathed in the gazes of so many people, Xu Yanxi could no longer see anyone but Song Yuan and Jin Li. Swallowing the emotion that rose in her throat, she lifted the microphone. "I am so honored to have met you. Truly, so very honored."
"As a teacher, watching you progress in your studies, get into your dream universities, and build bright futures for yourselves brings me joy. I haven’t done anything particularly great. I’m not like a doctor, saving lives, or a soldier, defending our country. I’m certainly not comparable to the researchers who win glory for our nation. Compared to them, I feel very insignificant."
"I have only done some small things from the heart in my position as a teacher. If these small things have managed to change your lives, then it was all worthwhile."
Listening to Xu Yanxi’s words, the students in the audience gradually stopped crying.
"Someone once asked me why I do this. There’s no money or fame in it, and all the effort I put in is often met with suspicion and doubt from the outside world. There are even occasional complaints to the school from parents."
Xu Yanxi thought of what Tan You had gone through and couldn’t help but smile self-deprecatingly. "But many things can’t be measured by such standards. Some people just lack an opportunity. If I can be the one to provide that opportunity, or if I’m fortunate enough to hold an umbrella for someone through a storm, I would feel deeply honored. At the same time, I believe it’s an incredibly meaningful thing to do."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently touched Jin Li’s veil. "So you really don’t need to make such a big deal of it. Back when I was with you as you grew up, I never thought about receiving gratitude or repayment. It was just a fortunate coincidence that we met, and so I did what I did."
"And in the process of watching you grow, I too experienced many moving moments."
Withdrawing her hand, Xu Yanxi smiled. "If Teacher Wang were standing here today, she would definitely be able to deliver a beautiful wedding speech, because she’s a literature teacher."
"But as a math teacher, I can’t come up with such eloquent blessings. So, I’d like to use some numbers to express my good wishes for you."
The moment she said this, some people in the audience started cheering playfully. The ringleaders, of course, were a few of Tan You’s more boisterous former students. Even though some had already graduated and others were still in college, personalities, for the most part, don’t change.
Xu Yanxi cleared her throat. "If ’meeting’ simply means crossing paths, and we calculate that you encounter 1,000 new people you’ve never met before each day, by the time you’re 80 years old, you will have met a cumulative 29.2 million different people. With a current global population of 6 billion, the probability of you meeting any one of them is about five in a thousand. This probability is roughly equivalent to winning the fourth prize in a lottery with a 1.2 billion jackpot."
As the guests murmured in amazement, Xu Yanxi smiled. "Just think, when you’re walking down the street, every person you meet is like winning a fourth-prize lottery ticket. Isn’t that a happy thought?"
A student below immediately played along, shouting, "It is!"
Xu Yanxi continued, "Now, if ’meeting’ means getting to know someone, using the bare minimum standard of finding them memorable. Let’s say you get to know 10 new strangers every day. By the time you’re 80, you will have gotten to know a total of 292,000 people. Out of 6 billion people, your probability of knowing them is five in one hundred thousand.
"To use the lottery analogy again, that probability is likely smaller than winning the grand prize."
"If ’meeting’ means becoming true confidants, ask yourself honestly: how many people in your life carry that weight? No more than 60. Therefore, the probability of you becoming confidants is at least one in one hundred million."
"And in reality, not everyone lives to be 80, nor does everyone cross paths with 1,000 different people or get to know 10 new friends every day."
"The vast majority of us go to the same places, see the same people, and do the same things every day. The vast majority of us might only ever live in one or two cities our entire lives, and by the end, most of the people in even that city will still be strangers."
"Similarly, most of us will search our whole lives and find, at most, only two or three true confidants, not to mention the many who live their entire lives in solitude. So for most of us, the probability of crossing paths with a specific person is far less than one in a thousand, and the chance of getting to know them is far less than one in one hundred thousand."
"And if you are fortunate enough to have a partner who is your soulmate, then congratulations. Because the intersection of your life paths can only be described as a miracle. You’ve managed to hit a probability smaller than Halley’s Comet striking the Earth."
When she mentioned that probability, a burst of laughter erupted in the hall. Clearly, the guests found Xu Yanxi’s speech quite amusing.
"From the perspective of probability theory, the greatest miracle in the universe isn’t the collapse of a star, the formation of a planet, or even the annihilation of a black hole. It is, across a timescale of hundreds of millions of years, the meeting, knowing, and loving of two lives."
"I wish for you to forever cherish one another, and to forever treasure this greatest of all universal miracles."
Jin Li had been smiling throughout her own speech of thanks, but as Xu Yanxi finished speaking, tears finally fell from her eyes.
"There’s no crying on such a happy day." Wiping Jin Li’s tears, Xu Yanxi gave her a hug. "I wish you both happiness."
After Xu Yanxi returned to her seat, Jin Li’s mother couldn’t hold back any longer. "Teacher Xu, how did you come up with all those numbers? It made my head spin just listening. I couldn’t keep track of any of it."
