Chapter 1 (2)

  The truth almost came out "I just met you last night", but after saying it, it seemed that he and Jiang Kongyang were sworn brothers.

  Ma Debao had to secretly use a paragraph from Zhu Liyuan, one of Chiang's students, in an article remembering his teacher: "When I went to visit him at the time, he asked very carefully, and when he asked about Diderot's 'beauty in relationships' theory, I gave the example of Diderot's analysis of Corneille's tragedy 'Horace', and when I mentioned the key line 'Let him die' spoken by old Horace, my teacher quietly corrected me: 'It's "let him die"', this tiny matter left a deep impression on me.

  It's not easy to speak with the same sincerity and authenticity as Ma Debao, but every time a small thief spends ill-gotten gains for the first time, they will be nervous. After finishing reading, Ma Debao nervously pays attention to the reaction below, afraid of hearing the voice "Teacher, I've read this before". He mobilizes all the wisdom that can be mobilized in his body to prepare for an explanation. Fortunately, students are now too busy to read books outside of exams, and they all sound like they're true.

  Ma Debao again talks about the relationship between Greek mythology and aesthetics.

  Luo Tiancheng pushed Lin Yuxiang a few times and asked: "Do you understand what he's saying?"

  "Tell stories then. Heaven knows."

  Luotiancheng turned into a sky and said: "I know, he is deliberately showing off, pretending to be some kind of university student, haha..."

  Lin Yuxiang listened with a lukewarm interest. His understanding of beauty was still in its budding stage, not as profound as Ma Debao's. In the midst of extreme boredom, he randomly flipped through "The Wandering Life" and came across an article called "The Wind by the Railroad Tracks". He thought of his two childhood friends and let out a light sigh, continuing to read on. Ma Debao began with a pretentious tone, writing: "I have a premonition that I will wander along the railroad tracks." After the premonition, he wrote a grandiose passage: Two steel rails, a thousand lines of tears. When the wind rises, it quietly sleeps in the warm embrace of the earth, sleeping soundly. As dawn breaks. A thousand threads of sorrow swirl and entangle in this dense night sky; a hundred holes of deep thought revolve and disperse in this dark green land.

  Along the way she walked, like the wind. Such a desolate night, where will you extend to? Which road will you choose? You should follow the wind. The blue moon is also chasing after the wind direction. In a distant place, that piece of cloud... Yu Xiang thought, this article is undoubtedly the best in this book, he was overjoyed to have unexpectedly discovered a beautiful article. Actually, he hadn't really read "The Drifter's Life" before. The previous "infatuation" was because of the book, not its content, this time he really picked up something good from the trash heap, and was infatuated again.

  Ma Debao's first lesson was about what beauty is, which took two hours, and assigned a discussion paper. He prepared for the second lesson on how to select beautiful texts from among many mediocre ones, but didn't bother writing it all out, just scribbling "How to Select Beauty" on the lecture notes. The third lesson would be about recording and reflecting on the beautiful texts that had been found, naturally called "After Selecting Beauty". The fourth lesson would finally complete the selection of beauty, and teach how to write articles like him. A month's plan was all set, thinking that there is no greater joy in the world than being a teacher, except for the day when salaries are issued, which is somewhat painful, but the remaining 29 days are happy.

  Lin Yuhui returned home and reported the good news to his father that he had passed the literary society. Lin's father saw that his son had finally become a great talent, so he wanted to celebrate.

  It's just that my wife is not around, so I can't cook. Nowadays, the kitchen in most families is like a women's toilet, men never enter it.

  He became enthusiastic and asked his son with a playful heart: "When the clumsy wife is not around, what's good?"

  "Hey, let's have some instant noodles," Lin Yuxiang said, pointing to the box in the corner. The "master of the house", Lin's mother, was rarely at home, as she was always busy playing mahjong with her friends, who were all influential people in town, including the town mayor Zhao Zhi Liang, who was a classmate of Lin's mother from their school days. They had been through thick and thin together since the Cultural Revolution, when they would play cards in the countryside, and later, after becoming town leaders, they would play mahjong, which had become an integral part of their lives. In fact, they were so engrossed in playing mahjong that they would often forget to eat or sleep. Lin's mother had established deep revolutionary friendships with her comrades through mahjong, which had greatly increased her social standing and reputation in town. As a result, Lin's father couldn't get angry with her, as it would be seen as going against the Party and the people. So, whenever they were hungry, they would just have instant noodles. But this time, Lin's father refused his son's suggestion, saying he wanted to change their ways, and ran out to buy two boxes of take-out food instead. Lin Yuxiang hadn't smelled cooked rice in a long time, but after joining the literature club, although his ears had suffered, his mouth had benefited. Weighing the pros and cons, it was still worth it.

  The two men did not expect Lin's mother to return home. Lin's mother was also helpless and could only watch from the sidelines, having gone out a little late today.

  Mahjong is something that can only be enjoyed "in the process", going out to watch others play is a kind of torture for one's body and mind, so I returned home early. After Lin Mu became infatuated with mahjong, she was like an owl, unable to see her way back home during the day, only able to find her way in the dead of night.

  Lin's father thought she was back for the money, and didn't say a word, lowering his head to eat. Lin Yuxiang couldn't bear her mother, softly saying: "Dad, how much does Mom owe you?"

  "You don't understand, owing someone a favor and owing someone money are the same thing, she won't feel good about it either."

  Lin's mother surprisingly still remembered where the kitchen was, put on an apron and started cooking. She said with a smile: "You two big men deserve to starve to death, you can't even cook, spending money to buy takeout. Come, I'll stir-fry some dishes for you." Lin's father was so moved that he wanted to help out. It's enough to see that owing people money and owing people favors are very different. For example, if someone owes you a sum of money and drags it out without paying back for a long time, you've already given up hope. When that person suddenly pays you back, you'll feel like it's unexpected wealth, not your own money, and then spend it lavishly. But if someone owes you a favor and doesn't return it for a long time, when they finally do, you will cherish this favor even more.

  Yu Xiang smiled in his heart. Lin's father helped him back and thought of the right thing, asking: "The teacher who appreciated you is 'Ma Laoshi, Ma Debao.'"

  "What's gotten into Ma Debao!" Lin's father exclaimed in astonishment, nearly jumping up from his seat.

  Lin Yuxiang thought that nothing good would come out of this, his father's tone was like chasing after an enemy. His earlier pride had vanished in an instant, and he asked: "What's wrong?" Lin Father shook his head and said: "How can such a person be allowed to mislead students? I've had dealings with him before, he's stubborn and narrow-minded, not someone who can teach alongside me." Lin Yuxiang hadn't noticed that Ma Debao was stubborn and thought everything about him was fine. People of the same kind often couldn't discover each other's shortcomings. But he still had to follow his father's lead, asking: "Really? Maybe a little bit?" Lin Father wouldn't let up: "He's too extreme in his views, if he thinks something is good, others can't say it's bad. He's very shallow and hasn't even attended university, just published a few articles." "But Dad, he just published a book recently."

  Lin Yuxiang suddenly disappeared, only to fill the small mountain cut off the old "In this kind of world, all the books that come out are harmful to people!" After flattening the publishing industry, he felt a bit extreme himself and corrected: "Books? Are there any? Bring them over and take a look."

  Lin Yuxiang didn't know that his father and teacher had a grudge, so he nervously flipped through the book and handed it to his father. Lin's father was prescient, and as soon as he saw the title of the book, he said, "No way," and after reading the outline, he shook his head so hard it almost fell off.

  Lin's mother started cooking, but then received a phone call asking her to play mahjong, so she rushed out leaving the dishes half-cooked on the stove. Lin's father sent her off downstairs and reminded her to come back early. Actually, Lin's mother usually came home very early, but this time it was already the next morning.

  Lin Yuxiang looked at his father's back and muttered to himself: "Haha, casinos produce lunatics, love affairs produce fools."

  Ma Debao's theory class was deserted, with 15 people dropping out in two weeks. Ma Debao said, "Literature is voluntary, those who stay to the end are the most talented." But he was anxious and secretly reported to the school leaders. The school insisted on the principle of voluntariness, which coincided with Ma Debao's high opinion that those who stayed to the end were the most talented. Half a week later, more and more people dropped out, all with sufficient reasons, some writing their own resignation letters: "I still have a writer's dream, but recently I visited Teacher Ma and listened to his lectures, feeling that I am far from literature, not suitable for this major, so I quit halfway, it's a self-aware move. Here is my resignation letter."

  Here is the translation:

  This withdrawal letter was written in a half-ancient and half-modern style, Ma Debao held a dictionary for half a day to finally understand that it meant to quit, and got angry and tore it up. There were still a few more letters on hand, and with a sense of trepidation, he read the next one, which was straightforward: Teacher Ma, hello. I have some things going on and want to withdraw from the literature club. Wishing the literature club all the best! Ma Debao was still angry, and even the last sentence of blessing seemed like sarcasm, so he tore it up too. The third letter had a flying pen and a harmonious scene: I am an ordinary member of the literature club, but recently my grandfather has been bedridden, and I need to take care of him often. As a graduating student, in order to fulfill my dreams and add a layer of glory to my future, I have decided to temporarily withdraw from the literature club, focus on studying, and get into a good high school. Teacher Ma's lectures are magnificent and insightful, knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, and connecting East and West, I deeply admire him, but for the sake of exams, I had to give up my love.

  Ma Debao was called "love" for the first time, and he felt happy in his heart, so he didn't tear it up. After reading the letter twice, he was flattered and thought that this kind of student was considerate and kind-hearted.

  In formal teaching, Ma Debao finally walked into the right path and began to follow the rules. Teaching language is not easy, but teaching language may be a beautiful thing among beautiful things, as long as you keep asking students to read texts. "The more you read, the more you understand." This ancient saying doesn't work much today, it can be seen that readers are getting dumber and writers are getting smarter. The theme of the articles in the language textbook is like the love between men and women, vaguely feeling a little, but deeply hidden without revealing; students want to explore the theme, struggling like excavating cultural relics, first removing thick mud, then brushing away layers of dust, after the cultural relics are unearthed, they also need to be protected, and if they encounter larger ones, they need to be painted and repaired, exhausting.

  Ma Debao directly taught more, without discussion or questioning, and imparted the results of other teachers' years of archaeological research to students. Students were only responsible for copying, transcribing from the blackboard to their notebooks, and then from their notebooks to the test papers. After several tests, the results were impressive, with very few errors. The only thing that didn't go smoothly for Ma Debao was the Literature Club.

  He stumbled upon an article in "Teaching Garden" that said to spark students' interest, they should be allowed to participate. He thought this was absurd, wouldn't letting students participate undermine the teacher's authority and prestige? He silently cursed it as nonsense, but out of curiosity, he wanted to see the name of the author, took a glance and was shocked - the person had a long string of titles, including two expert titles, and was even a veteran educator. Suddenly, he felt a sense of reverence, carefully read the article again, and although he didn't fully agree with it, he found some valuable points, and decided to give it a try.

  For the third time, Ma Debao made an exception and didn't say "after the beauty pageant", but instead asked members to freely express themselves and write a prose about the passage of time. After collecting them, he let students read leisure books while he hid away to review them. Ma Debao was very particular about rhetoric and couplets, and any article that he could read smoothly was considered second-rate. Ma Debao was mostly dissatisfied with the compositions, thinking they all fell into common clichés. When he saw Luo Tiancheng's opening, which mentioned three animals in two idioms "a white horse passes swiftly, birds fly and rabbits run", he looked up the dictionary and sighed in admiration, calling Luo Tiancheng over to instruct him in person. Lin Yuxiang felt a pang of sadness, and when Luo Tiancheng returned, asked: "What did he ask you to do?"

  Lu Tiancheng said discontentedly: "This teacher doesn't have any level at all, I see through him."

  Ma Debao finished reading the article and said, "I have a message to pass on to everyone. The school is organizing an outing to stimulate your creativity and welcome the city's essay competition. There are two options for the destination: one is...". Ma Debao's words suddenly stopped, staring blankly at the word "" (water town) on the paper, regretting not having looked up the word in the dictionary beforehand. He had to take matters into his own hands and crossed out "water town", leaving only the other option, Zhouzhuang. Luckily, he recognized these two characters; otherwise, the students would have nowhere to go. The school leaders were also secretly anxious, having organized this autumn outing, and even Ma Debao was only just informed.

  All members cheered as soon as they heard it, and those who originally planned to hand in their resignation letters after this lesson decided to postpone for a week.

  The trip to Zhouzhuang is set for Sunday, and the deadline is tight, so all members are excited and can't help it. Those who have just withdrawn from the group regret it and want to come back, but unfortunately, this kind of thing requires mutual willingness; the horse wants to eat, but the grass may not be willing. Ma Debao is ruthless towards those who change their minds, taking the opportunity to vent his anger, saying that they can come in, but Zhouzhuang is not allowed to go. Those people are shocked that their thoughts have been seen through and are too ashamed to escape.

  When students reach a certain age, they will realize the value of money. In the past, when going on excursions in elementary school, they would always bring a lot of things and little money; now that students understand China's political situation is stable, there is no need to exchange RMB for goods to preserve their value, so they all bring a little something and a lot of money. Lin Yuxiang asked for 300, thinking it would be enough to spend in Zhouzhuang, and if he was careful, he could still use some leftover. Lin's father is frugal with money, but turned his dissatisfaction into hatred towards tourism. As a result, the tourism industry followed in the footsteps of the publishing industry, being negated by Lin's father as having "a hundred harms and no benefits", calling it "the hobby of idle sons" and "the choice of the bored". Although he gave the money, Lin's father was very dissatisfied with the school, saying that graduating students were still going out to play every day, what's the point?

  On Sunday morning, a small van was parked at the school gate. Although Tian Li didn't know where he was for the time being, the weather seemed to be under Ma Debao's control, with clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight, so good that it could make astronomers drool.

  Lin Yuxiang didn't love astronomy, gazing at the sky without drooling; he just saw a bread van and his stomach churned. Only then did he realize he hadn't eaten breakfast. He didn't have Hitler's "swallowing a country in one breath" appetite or sharp teeth, so he didn't dare to take on the bread van, and could only humbly ask Luo Tiancheng for breakfast.

  Lu Tiancheng didn't even lift an eyebrow, tearing off half a piece of bread for Lin Yuxiang. Lin Yuxiang thought Lu Tiancheng's personality was very worth studying, so he asked: "Hey, Xiao Chengcheng, you seem to like pretending to be deep."

  Luo Tiancheng said in a low voice that profundity cannot be pretended.

  "Have you been to Zhouzhuang?"

  "What's the difference whether I go or not?"

  "Just asking. It seems that in Zhouzhuang, there was a... great official who later spent money to build and repair the Great Wall, but was killed by the emperor. This person's brain was addled, leaving behind a large sum of money, without even spending it on flowers."

  "What's the point of money? When a person dies, all the fame, benefits, sorrow, joy, love and hate are just a wisp of dust on the coffin. Is it worth struggling for a lifetime for just a wisp of dust?" His tone was as if he had died many times before.

  Lin Yuxiang is not as lucky as Luo Tiancheng, who has no chance to climb out of the coffin and see the dust, saying: "It's okay to be happy now."

  "Human nature can be dissected: to be a person, one must either be extremely ordinary or extremely elegant. Being half-ordinary and half-elegant is the most painful state of being. Xu Zhimo was extremely elegant, Ma Debao was extremely ordinary, but they were both happy people. However, you are half-ordinary and half-elegant, your heart should be in great pain."

  Lin Yuxiang sorted out his inner feelings, no pain. It's understandable to say that Ma Debao is happy; Xu Zhimo, except for the plane crash with a big hole on his head, died in a not-so-elegant way, and it's uncontroversial to comment that he was elegant; but Lin Yuxiang had no evidence to prove that he was not vulgar or inelegant, so he asked: "What about you?"

  Lu Tiancheng was speechless after being refuted by his own question, gazing out of the window at the scenery without saying a word, transforming from eloquence to dumbness.

  Lin Yuxiang's question was met with Luo Tiancheng's response, and he asked again, "What about you?"

  Luo Tiancheng couldn't avoid it and solemnly became the fourth form of existence, saying: "I am nothing."

  "Then who are you?"

  "I see through all of this."

  Lin Yuxiang was laughing loudly in his heart, thinking that this person was pretending to be real; but on the surface, he was serious with him and asked: "How old are you?"

  "I'm older than you. Believe it or not, I've been retained for a year."

  Lin Yuxiang was shocked and thought that this person was neither elegant nor vulgar, but actually a big fool.

  I had hepatitis and was hospitalized, so I took a semester off from school.

  Lin Yuxiang's smile suddenly froze in his heart, thinking that he had just eaten one of his buns and was doomed. His body also involuntarily shifted outward.

  Luo Tiancheng said lightly: "Are you scared? People are like this. If you're scared, sit in the back, it's safer that way."

  Lin Yuxiang's thoughts and actions were all seen through by Luo Tiancheng, so he couldn't just do as he said. To prove his correctness with his own safety, he used his own pain to prove his mistake. He said, "What's the big deal about hepatitis?" to clarify his calmness. He almost wanted to say "I'm not afraid even if I lose my liver", but then thought that if Luo Tiancheng lost his liver, he wouldn't be afraid of being infected, on the contrary, it would stir up his sadness. So he changed his words and said, "My dad has hepatitis too."

  Lin Yuxiang said his father had a history of hepatitis out of thin air, and then he continued: "My grandfather also had hepatitis!" After finishing speaking, he found that he had blown it out of proportion, and his grandfather was innocently turned into a sick devil. He corrected himself in a low voice: "Also suffered from hepatitis!"

  "You're kidding, right?"

  "No."

  "It will be later." Luo Tiancheng's words of experience.

  Lin Yuxiang put on a sorrowful look.

  "It isn't until you've fallen ill that you realize how cold and warm human relationships can be."

  "Is it?" Lin Yuxiang said, his butt shrinking another inch.

  The car arrived at Dianshan Lake, next to the Grand View Garden. The people in the car were so excited that they shouted loudly. Most of Shanghai's lakes are tainted with the narrow-mindedness and pettiness of Shanghainese people. It seems that the creator was only able to arrive in Shanghai on the sixth day of creation to dig out a lake, but unfortunately, he was too exhausted, so he just symbolically dug a few holes to appease the people. Canadians who saw Shanghai's lakes all exclaimed "Poo! Pit!", and wished they could bring the Five Great Lakes to open the eyes of Shanghainese people. Dianshan Lake is the most presentable natural scenery for Shanghai people, and it has already earned the respect of Canadians, who call it a "POd". Everyone in the car took photos of Dianshan Lake.

  The pride of Shanghainese people is gone in the blink of an eye. As soon as we left Shanghai, the highway became bumpy like it had athlete's foot, and the car was jumping non-stop, making everyone feel nauseous. Yu Qiuyu once said that the best way to get to Zhouzhuang was to rent a boat and take the water route, probably because the water surface wouldn't have athlete's foot, but the underlying meaning is definitely that the land route is unbearable. Ma Debao is not someone who listens to advice, he'd rather die from jumping or make the car jump to death than change his mind. After all the jumping, we finally arrived at Zhouzhuang, it was almost 9 o'clock.