The story of the teenage boy Zhoudi

The Story of Dripping Water Through Stone

　　When he was a child, he was very curious and often asked his father why he didn't understand a problem. His father would patiently explain to him every time.

　　One day, when he saw a line of small pits neatly arranged on the stone steps under the eaves of the house, he found it very strange and wondered what it was all about, so he asked his father, "Father, who knocked out the small pits on the stone slab under the eaves? What is it for?" The father, seeing his son so curious, said happily: "This is not a human chisel, this is the eaves of water dripping down to knock." Little child Di Zhou even more strange, water can still knock the hard stone out of the pit? Father patiently explained: "Of course a drop of water can not knock out the pit, but over time, the drips keep knocking, not only can knock out the pit, but also knock out a hole! The ancients used to say 'a drop of water penetrates a stone'! That's the truth." Father's words, in the young child Di Zhou's heart stirred a ripple, he sat on the stone steps under the eaves, looking at his father, seem to understand nodded.

　　Due to more farm work, Tong Dizhou lost some interest in learning and did not want to study. Father patiently enlightened Tong Dizhou said: "Do you remember the story of "dripping water through stone"? As long as the small eaves of water persistently for years, it can knock through the hard stone. Is a person's persistence not as good as the water in the eaves? Learning knowledge also depends on the accumulation of little by little, perseverance to achieve success." In order to better encourage Tong Dizhou, his father wrote four big words "Dripping water penetrates the stone" and gave them to him, saying with expectation, "You should take it as your motto and never forget it."

　　Two "firsts" at Ishizi High School

　　When Tong Dizhou grew up, his older brothers, understanding their righteousness, sent him to the Fourth Normal School of Zhejiang Province, where he could be accommodated.

　　Tong Dizhou's elder brother hoped that Tong Dizhou would study hard and make a career in the future, so that he could go back to his hometown to help his brother run the school. The youngest child Dizhou, who had already broadened his horizons, had another lofty ambition in mind at this time, and wanted to study at Ningbo Xiushi High School, which was very prestigious in the province at that time. The elder brother was happy for his younger brother's ambition, but also worried about him. Little Tong Di Zhou firmly told his brothers, "I will definitely get into Xiushi High School!" Little Tong Dizhou meticulously prepared for the exam, and the whole family mobilized to support him. His kind old mother often got up quietly in the middle of the night and watched the candlelight in her son's room through the window ......

　　Little Tong Dizhou was finally admitted to Xiushi Middle School and became a third grade interloper, but his grades were at the bottom of the class. Faced with the report card, the little child Dizhou shed tears of sadness ......

　　Soon, the news of "Little Tong Dizhou disregarded his studies and often fell in love late into the night" spread from his dorm room, causing concern for his classmates and teachers. Late one night, Mr. Chen, a math teacher, came back to school after doing some work and found a thin figure moving under the dim streetlight. Mr. Chen walked over with a question and saw that it was Tong Di Zhou who was doing his calculations by the street light. "Why don't you go back to your dormitory and rest at this late hour?" "Teacher Chen, I want to hurry up and catch up with my homework, I don't want to be the last one." Mr. Chen looked at the thin body of Tong Dizhou and urged him to go back to rest, but not far away, Tong Dizhou stood under the street light with a book and read again. Mr. Chen was deeply moved, he deeply understood the aspirations of Tong Dizhou, and felt proud of himself for having such a student.

　　The next day, Mr. Chen solemnly disproved the rumor in front of the class: "I tell you clearly that Tong Dizhou is a hardworking and studious person! Don't jump to conclusions by speculation in everything, and don't use rumors to slander others, especially not for a hardworking and studious person!" Mr. Chen said seriously, "I witnessed Tong Di Zhou concentrating on his exercises under the dim street light even after the lights were out. He worked too hard and was too diligent! He deserves to be studied by all students!" Mr. Chen finally raised his voice, "Yes, Tong Dizhou was once the worst student in the class, but a person's performance cannot be judged by just one test score. The measure of one's knowledge and ability ultimately depends on how he walks his own path of struggle!"

　　When the final exams arrived, Tong Di Zhou again became the object of attention of the whole school. He finally relied on his hard work to achieve an average score of 70 in all subjects, including a perfect score in geometry, which caused a school-wide sensation.

　　With his own efforts and the care of his teachers, by the final exam of his senior year, he ranked first in his class in terms of overall score. Principal Chen Xiachang said with boundless emotion, "In all my years as a principal, I've never seen a student who improved so quickly!"

　　Later, when recalling his childhood, Tong Di Zhou said with emotion, "The two 'firsts' in Xiushi had a great impact on my life. That incident made me know that I was not dumber than others, and that what others could do, I could also do with hard work. There is no genius in the world; genius is earned with labor."

　　In July 1924, Tong Dizhou, with the support of his brother, entered Fudan University, and from then on, he began the long road to pursue science and dedicate himself to his career ......