Chapter Fifty-Six: In Truth, We Are All Fortunate!

During evening self-study, Lin Nan finished his homework swiftly and then sat in his seat, lost in thought. He glanced at Si Dong beside him and saw she was reading Youth Digest. Yet, faintly, Lin Nan seemed to hear the sound of someone crying.

He leaned forward, then lay on his desk, tilting his head to the right. Immediately, he saw Si Dong, her head bowed, eyes brimming with tears.

Lin Nan wondered: he was still upset about losing the match, so why was she crying?

He softly asked, "Hey, why are you crying?"

Si Dong slowly turned her head, her big, innocent eyes seemed covered with a watery veil. Suddenly, the veil rippled, turning into droplets that traced down her tender cheeks.

Si Dong wanted to say something, realized she was crying, and quickly turned away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

After a while, she turned back, choking out, "This article made me cry."

She picked up the book from the desk and handed it to Lin Nan.

Lin Nan took it, thinking: Youth Digest can make someone cry? Isn't it mostly inspirational stories? Could it be especially tragic?

He pondered this as he read the short story titled, "Actually, We Are All Fortunate."

Tom was the CEO of a photography company in London, England. At only twenty-four, he had already achieved financial freedom.

While everyone around him envied him, he made a bewildering decision: he sold his company, car, and house, then took the money and went to Africa to become a teacher.

After four years in Africa, traversing eleven countries, he returned home. Someone asked him: what made you decide to sell everything?

Tom replied:

I was "fortunate" to be born into an ordinary family in London, not particularly wealthy, but not poor either, and from a young age, I could receive a good education.

When I was nine or ten, a few classmates transferred into my class. They weren't from England or Europe, but from distant Africa.

At the time, I didn't understand why their circumstances were so poor—their school supplies were cast-offs, their clothes tattered.

So then, I had a dream: when I grew up, I would go to Africa and see their lives.

As I grew older, I gradually learned that Africa was a place of poverty and backwardness.

Many children are born without access to education, without clothes to wear, without shoes, struggling for food and water.

One day, I suddenly understood something:

That is—actually, I am fortunate.

I am fortunate to be born in a peaceful era, in a developed country untouched by war, in a "relatively affluent" family.

I could receive a good education from childhood, wear beautiful new clothes, eat delicious food, enjoy the love of my parents.

But none of these were my choices; I simply happened to be born lucky, possessing resources others lack.

After realizing this, I began to study diligently, sought ways to start a business. When I achieved financial freedom, I went to Africa to fulfill my greatest dream.

There, using the knowledge I had acquired, I became a teacher.

Whenever I saw those barefoot children, dancing happily at the sound of music, I felt that in that moment, the smiles on their faces were the coolest thing of all.

...

After reading the story, Lin Nan's eyes instantly grew moist.

Suddenly, he realized that he had been brooding over a lost basketball game—while those children in Africa might not even have the chance to play basketball.

Lin Nan glanced at Si Dong, who had just dried her tears, and immediately understood why she wept.

Because she, like himself, was one of the "fortunate ones."

Yes.

Actually, we are all fortunate.

Fortunate to be born in a China that grows ever stronger, fortunate to live in a relatively peaceful era, fortunate to receive nine years of compulsory education, fortunate to have three meals a day, to sleep soundly...

Even fortunate not to be infected by disease...

So, when we grow up and have learned our skills, shouldn't we also do what we can to help those less fortunate?

Lin Nan gazed at the starry sky outside the window, and a sense of enlightenment washed over him.

Since he first touched a basketball, Lin Nan thought he might play the game for his whole life—from this national high school league, to the CBA, then to the NBA.

But just now, his dream changed.

Lin Nan recalled a phrase to describe his current feelings:

The world is so vast—I want to see it.

The next day, early, at 6:00.

Before dawn, Zhu Bo and Screw, along with other senior students, stepped out of the dormitory building.

The air was chilly. Li Qing rubbed his hands and complained, "Isn't this a bit too early? Are you sure Lin Nan said six o'clock for training?"

Screw replied with a laugh, "If you don't want to go, you can go back to bed!"

Li Qing shook his head, signaling his resolve, and added, "But I think some players were out all night yesterday."

At that moment, Zhu Bo, who hadn't spoken yet, said, "Those who stayed out all night won’t get to play, nor need to come to the team anymore."

Hearing this, the group fell silent.

When they reached the sports field, Zhu Bo and the others saw that Lin Nan was already there with the freshmen and sophomores, warming up on the track.

Young people really do rise early.

Lin Nan noticed that a few seniors were missing, but he said nothing.

Everyone has their own ambitions; after last night, Lin Nan seemed to have matured.

Now, he only wanted to help the basketball team win the championship—his final dream for basketball.

When everyone finished warming up, Lin Nan announced today's first task: a ten-kilometer run.

At that, the players’ expressions changed.

Wang Jinsong and Zhu Bo turned liver-colored.

Ninety-five and Screw went silent.

Li Qing and a few school team members beamed with delight.

They were both on the school team and the basketball squad; it was just ten kilometers—they ran daily.

Unexpectedly, by the time they had run twenty-four laps, Lin Nan had already finished, while Ninety-five and Screw still had three laps to go, Wang Jinsong and Zhu Bo five.

As the morning sun began to crest the horizon, then reached halfway up, everyone finished their run.

Seeing Wang Jinsong gasping for air, Lin Nan quickly said, "Don’t breathe through your mouth, use your nose. There’s morning mist, and breathing it into your throat can make you catch a cold."

"Don’t stop moving, walk a bit."

With that, Lin Nan went to Wang Jinsong's side, helping him walk and catch his breath.

Seeing Lin Nan’s attentiveness, Li Qing and the others, now rested, ran up to help Zhu Bo as well.

Zhu Bo pushed them off, declaring seriously, "Why are you helping me? Don’t you know your captain’s stamina by now?"

On the other side, Wang Jinsong, hearing this, found his breath becoming unsteady again, wanting to say something but unable to speak through his laughter and panting.

Internally, he thought: We’re all the stragglers here, and you’re pretending...

Everyone laughed at their antics.

And in their hearts, they realized just how strong Lin Nan’s endurance was.

Next, Lin Nan organized everyone for high-intensity circuit training.

He demonstrated first.

Five quick push-ups, then a jump onto the steps for five single-leg squats each, then stand below and jump up, high-knee with one leg on the step, swapping legs continuously, and finally a ten-meter sprint.

The actions had to be precise, no shortcuts. Each group could switch up their sequence, but groups couldn’t pause; three full rounds, then a two-minute rest before continuing.

So, a dozen people lined up at the base of the steps and began the high-intensity training together.

Except for Lin Nan, everyone finished the first round at about the same speed.

By the second round, their pace varied, but no one stopped.

By the third, some moved sluggishly, but they all persevered, until the last person gritted their teeth and finished the final ten-meter sprint.

Lin Nan was pleased—no one slacked off. Clearly, they truly wanted to get stronger.

As the sun fully rose, the field brightened, and the basketball players’ morning training was complete.

They shed their sweat-soaked clothes, wiped themselves dry, changed into fresh shirts.

Dragging their exhausted bodies, they went to the basketball team’s exclusive canteen window, each devouring a large bowl of beef noodles and several glasses of milk.

Their hearty appetite left the early-rising students nearby stunned.

After breakfast, everyone went back to class.

In class, the teacher announced the results of the first monthly exam of the semester.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Nan ranked first in the class in physics, chemistry, and mathematics—mathematics, even with a perfect score.

Everyone knew Lin Nan was a member of the school basketball team, had recently shone in the basketball world, and hadn’t attended morning or evening self-study often.

But how could he be so good at science? Was he a genius? Yet sports and math are two unrelated realms!

The students couldn’t understand, but upon learning that Lin Nan scored only sixty-something in English, they felt more at ease.

People must have flaws, or else he wouldn’t seem human.

Lin Nan, in fact, wasn’t surprised by his scores.

A year of diligent textbook study in junior high, coupled with extracurricular learning driven by interest, had made his foundation in these three subjects very solid.

Moreover, Lin Nan was naturally sharp, always attentive in class, and used English lesson time to complete his assignments carefully, integrating all the knowledge points in his mind.

So these results were perfectly normal.

Lin Wolf had explained it clearly to him: persistently and earnestly doing something you love can only lead to success.

If you have a bit of talent as well, that success will come faster and higher.

Lin Nan increasingly felt his father was right, and was grateful—fortunate—to have such a father.