Niu Ben was excited when he learned that he could join the first orchestra team, and when he heard the teacher say that the students of the first team could go to New York for an exchange performance, Niu Ben fell into ecstasy.

In particular, there will be several opportunities for performances in this exchange meeting, and at the last moment, the students of the seventh high school will go to New York City Hall to do a musical performance, and the local TV station in New York will broadcast it. Even though it was performing with other American high school orchestras, it was still a very rare opportunity.

Not to mention this opportunity, for a teenager, many adults who make music may not have the opportunity to be on such a big stage in their lifetime.

It can be said that everything is fine in this matter, the only bad point is that the cost is too expensive!

Although most of the cost is borne by both schools, students still have to settle their own basic airfare money. The airlines booked by the school are not particularly cheap low-cost airlines, but for safety reasons, they book tickets for relatively large state-owned airlines.

The round-trip air ticket price between China and the United States is 15,000. In addition to the airfare money, the rest of the basic food and accommodation expenses in the United States for a month do not need to be considered by students.

Is it expensive to go to the United States for a study exchange for a month? If you want to use the current cost of education, it is not expensive.

Because every year, many educational institutions in Huaihai City hold various summer camps and winter camps in the United States under various names. Often the price of a half-month summer camp is as high as 50,000 or even 100,000.

And this so-called summer camp is very watery a lot of the time, going to the United States is to take children to see free museums, and the formation of the so-called exchange with universities is just to take children to the campus of an Ivy League school for a walk.

I may have rented an auditorium at a certain university and invited a foreigner who didn't know where it was to give a few casual lessons to the children. I don't know if this person who is taking the class is a professor and lecturer at an Ivy League school.

And this kind of summer camp is extremely popular every year in Huaihai City. Because of the famous Chinese saying: don't let your child lose at the starting line. I don't know if these children have been running all their lives, and when the starting pistol will go off.

In short, parents are always willing to pay this kind of money to do these things, and these parallel summer and winter camps are so sought after, and even said that they are in short supply.

Now No. 7 Middle School is doing a real educational exchange student exchange activity, led by professional teachers, students can not only broaden their horizons but also communicate more with the outside world.

Moreover, it is very helpful to have a big performance outside to cultivate children's courage and courage. Compared with those parallel summer camps, this exchange meeting is undoubtedly more valuable. Not to mention that only 15,000 airfares are enough.

But to put it in two ways, 15,000 is really nothing for children with relatively superior family conditions in Huaihai City. Maybe it's just a month's or half a month's or even just a few days' wages for their parents.

But fifteen thousand is a lot of money for Niu Ben's family. Niu Xiaoli's monthly salary plus subsidy is more than 6,000 yuan. The daily expenses of providing her and Niu Ben, even if it is left and right, if you want a family of two to live in Huaihai City, the monthly expenditure will be at least 3,000 yuan. This is already a small overhead.

Fortunately, Niu Xiaoli's former husband left a subdivision of a unit in the 90s, although it is only a small room of more than 60 square meters, but at least there is a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Otherwise, if you want to rent a house, Niu Xiaoli's entire salary will be spent.

Even if you spend 3,000 to save 3,000 a month, 15,000 yuan will have to be saved for five months to have it. And spending only 3,000 a month is ideal, because there will always be some unexpected expenses.

For example, a friend gets married, or a relative's old man dies, or some other relationship expenses. Therefore, if Niu Xiaoli really wants to save 15,000 yuan, it will take at least half a year.

Niu Ben is a very smart child, he has long known that his mother works very hard and it is not easy to make money. Fifteen thousand yuan! How dare he ask his mother for it?!

However, Niu Ben knew that as long as he opened his mouth to talk about it, Niu Xiaoli would not hesitate to take out 15,000 yuan from the bank and hand it over to the school.

But how could he bear it? The Nizi coat that his mother Niu Xiaoli wore was still bought by her father when he was alive. Unless the thick clothes in winter are worn out, Niu Xiaoli will not spend money to buy them.

In her words: "It's all down jackets, just keep warm." What are you going to do with all the bells and whistles. ”

But Niu Ben knew that in the final analysis, Niu Xiaoli was reluctant. A passable down jacket (real down) is at its cheapest cost five or six hundred. The slightly better ones are in the thousands. Niu Xiaoli is really reluctant.

But for her son Niu Ben, Niu Xiaoli is very generous. Huaihai City is a very realistic city, you have to wear tattered and walk to the stationery store to buy things, and the shops are looking at people with their nostrils.

Although Niu Ben is still young, he understands that Niu Xiaoli is not easy. He sighed, his mood falling from the excitement at the beginning to the bottom.

And Huang Zeying, who has been paying attention to Niu Ben, also saw the change in Niu Ben's expression, this young man is also a personal essence. He instantly figured out why Niu Ben's face became ugly.

Yes! This dead fat man must have no money to go to the United States! Hahaha! From the things Niu Ben usually uses, it can be seen that his family's conditions are very ordinary, and the school often assigns some homework on the Internet. Other students use brands of computers, Dell, Apple, Sony. No matter how bad it is, it is also Lenovo and Shenzhou.

Only Niu Ben used a netbook that I don't know what kind of miscellaneous brand it was, and it was estimated that it only cost more than 1,000 yuan. His family definitely couldn't afford to pay so much money for Niu Ben to go abroad.

Huang Zeying, who was still jealous of Niu Ben being selected for the first team, and was so lucky to catch up with the opportunity of the school's exchange performance, is not in a good mood now.

What if you choose? What if you play the saxophone well? What if you study well? Ha! Without money, you're not a!

After the afternoon rehearsal, Niu Ben was not even in the mood to greet Chen Yao. He went to the teacher in charge and said, "Teacher, I probably won't be able to go to New York." ”

The teacher's brows furrowed: "Why, Niu Ben." It's a great opportunity to learn and network. Next time, even if you want to participate in this kind of event, you may not have the opportunity to do so. ”

"Fifteen thousand dollars is a big burden for my family, and I don't think I have to be worse at school than I am to go to New York for an exchange. Niu Ben said this, although there was a little reluctance on his face, but there was also a kind of confidence in his eyes.

The teacher pondered for a while, and finally touched Niu Ben's head and said, "Go back and discuss it with your mother." This is a really rare opportunity. "The teacher is still optimistic about Niu Ben.

Niu Ben was in a heavy mood, nodded to the teacher, and left the rehearsal gymnasium. Chen Yao chased after him from behind: "Niu Ben, I called you several times before, why don't you ignore me." ”

Niu Ben glanced at Chen Yao, he was still a little depressed: "Oh, I'm sorry." I didn't hear it just now. ”

Chen Yao didn't pursue Niu Ben's ignoring her just now, but said to Niu Ben with some envy: "Niu Ben, you are really lucky this time." You can go to New York to exchange and study, and you can also perform on the big stage!"

"I'm not going. Niu Ben walked briskly towards the school gate.

And Chen Yao followed Niu Ben's pace and asked, "Why! Such a good opportunity, I can't go even if I want to." If my parents knew that I could have such an opportunity to communicate and learn, they would have fun. ”

Although Chen Yao's family conditions are not as good as Huang Zeying, they are not bad. At least her mother drives her Volvo S90 to pick her up from school every day.

And if Niu Ben encounters Niu Xiaoli working overtime, he will ride a shared bicycle home, and if Niu Xiaoli does not work overtime, he will just ride a battery bike to pick him up.

Niu Ben was not in a very good mood, but he was about to walk to the school gate. He rubbed his chubby face to make it less stiff.

Because Niu Xiaoli doesn't work overtime today, she will come to pick him up from school. He didn't want Niu Xiaoli to look at him with a strained face, otherwise she would definitely think that she was being bullied at school.

Niu Ben walked across the school gate and said to Chen Yao, who was walking side by side with him: "Don't ask, don't tell." If you see my mom later, don't talk about going to New York. ”

Chen Yao tilted her little head: "Why?!This is a good thing!"

"Because he can't afford to go!" Huang Zeying's voice sounded from behind Niu Ben and the others. Just now when he saw Niu Ben going to the teacher, Huang Zeying guessed that Niu Ben must not be able to afford to go to New York, not to mention how comfortable he was at that time. It's like drinking a bottle of iced Coke on dog days.

But such a good mood didn't last long, when he walked out of the rehearsal room and watched Chen Yao chasing Niu Ben and asking questions, looking like he was talking happily with Niu Ben, Huang Zeying was a little angry.

So he kept following the two of them, and when he heard Chen Yao ask why Niu Ben didn't go to New York, he couldn't help but speak: "Because he can't afford to go!"

Although Huang Zeying was very unhappy with Niu Ben in his heart, when he walked next to Chen Yao from behind, his expression when he looked at Niu Ben was still calm.

He said in a reasonable tone: "It costs 15,000 yuan to go to New York." Every time his mother comes to pick him up, she rides a battery bike, and she has the money to let him go to New York?"

"If you look at the computer he uses, his mom bought him a miscellaneous brand. I've never heard of anything. Jingdong only sold for 1,200 yuan. Even Shenzhou was reluctant to buy Niu Ben, and his mother was willing to give Niu Ben 15,000 to go to New York? Don't be kidding. Huang Zeying sneered.

Niu Ben looked at Huang Zeying very angrily: "You don't need to take care of my family's affairs!"

Huang Zeying snorted disdainfully: "Hmph~!Who cares about your family's, I'm afraid that the squad leader will get too close to you, and you will take advantage of the squad leader to eat and drink." Ask the squad leader for chocolates, by the way, you are also going to ask the squad leader to pay for Burger King!" Huang Zeying overheard Niu Ben's conversation with Chen Yao in the afternoon.

He said lightly: "The squad leader took you to Burger King, I'm afraid your mother didn't treat you so well." Is she willing to take you to Burger King for food? Have you ever eaten a burger when you're that big?"

Niu Ben, who was originally quite calm, instantly became angry when he heard this, and an irrepressible anger rose. He strode forward as if grabbing Huang Zeying's neck and fighting with him.

And Huang Zeying is waiting, fighting? Forget it, Niu Ben is tall and weight, and he can't win the fight. Just let him beat him, and he didn't resist, just treated the injured party as a little injured, and then asked his father to come forward and drive him away. It's not been a day or two that he hates him, Huang Zeying is planning to get out and get a little injured and expel Niu Ben from school.

Dad usually rarely abuses his power, but if he is injured by someone, can he turn a blind eye? Something must be done! Huang Zeying thought so, and he must say that this child is really a human being.

And Chen Yao saw that something was wrong and immediately stood in the way between the two boys, she said loudly: "Niu Ben, Niu Ben! You don't want to fight! You will be demerited by the teacher!"

Niu Ben shouted: "Chen Yao, get out of the way, if I don't beat this surnamed Huang today, I won't be a man! I'll tell you that the surname Huang is a kind of one-on-one confrontation between you and me! If you dare to speak ill of my mother, I dare you kneel down and call me grandpa!"

Huang Zeying still looked half-dead and snorted coldly: "Hmph~!"

Chen Yao dragged Niu Ben to death: "Niu Ben, don't fight, you will be in trouble!" But where can a little girl and girl hold a boy with a lot of strength.

Just when Niu Ben was about to break free from Chen Yao's restraint and almost hit Huang Zeying, a hand behind him pulled Niu Ben back hard.

Niu Xiaoli looked at her son with heavy breathing, the expression on her face was slightly entangled, and her eyes were a little red.

Niu Ben stopped when he saw Niu Xiaoli and said, "Mom." ”