Chapter Eighty-two Lollipop

  Golden sunshine spills across the sky, thoroughly liberating the world from winter's chill and welcoming a new spring. As the first cockcrow in the east signals the start of a new day, households in rural areas and cities have already risen, busily washing up, having breakfast, and preparing for another day of work and life. The Spring Festival has gradually faded away, leaving behind great expectations for a better life, which still relies on diligent hands to create and outline one's own beautiful blueprint for life.

  A new year has begun, and students who have had a long holiday are returning to school for another academic year. Holidays are always short but wonderful, especially after working hard for a year and achieving excellent results, returning home for the Spring Festival, amidst the congratulations of relatives and friends, in the praise of parents and elders, simple-minded students are always the happiest, of course, they also look forward to the new academic year, especially those who live in remote rural areas.

  Most of the time, they stay in deep county towns or even prefecture-level cities, living a carefree collective life under the government's free education. Under the super-large government financial budget, millions of students live in collective groups for a long time, no longer children of China's traditional small-scale agricultural economy, and their eyes can never see how magnificent the outside world is. Also, due to the small family mode of rural life, many children lack the spirit of collective cooperation and even more lack the cruel consciousness of competition...

  The small peasant economy gave China a long history of agricultural civilization, but it cannot give birth to a large number of entrepreneurs, politicians, scientific researchers and so on. Because from childhood, they were either cowboys or child brides, and before growing up, they became long-term workers or other people's wives, spending their whole lives in the small circle under the feudal agricultural system. Even if land reform has been carried out, it is impossible to get rid of the consciousness of small peasant economy. The only way to change this situation is education.

  "Among all things, only reading is noble", the traditional Chinese petty-bourgeois economic consciousness is not entirely useless. In the eyes of people from any era, only reading is considered noble and it's also the only way to truly change one's fate. The rich hope that their children can increase their abilities and experiences through reading, making their family and even clan more prosperous. The poor hope that their children can break free from the constraints of fate and walk towards a happy and prosperous road.

  In feudal society, the pursuit of reading was to become an official. After entering modern times, the purpose of reading is no longer single-minded, and many Chinese people have come to realize that being an official is not the only path to happiness and prosperity. Reading can also enable one's children to be morally and intellectually well-rounded, to become highly paid technical workers, to become respected and beloved teachers with generous salaries, or to become astute and capable businesspeople earning huge profits. Of course, they can also become top-notch university students, and future researchers with boundless prospects...

  In people's eyes, perhaps reading books has these benefits and the purpose of reading books is to achieve these goals. However, in the government's eyes, especially for a party that aims to revive the Chinese nation, the arrangement of education mode contains more profound reasons than what ordinary people imagine.

  It has been said before that Chinese people have long lived in their own small circle, lacking a sense of crisis awareness, proactive competitive habits, teamwork collaboration capabilities and so on. Because for generations they relied on the land to make a living, every day was spent revolving around farm work, why would they need these abilities or consciousness? However, as the world progresses, when the feudal system is proven to be seriously wrong, it has been declared that the era of small-scale agricultural economy will become a thing of the past. People must integrate into society in order to be considered human, otherwise they are no different from wild animals.

  National rejuvenation is not just about China regaining its unity, sovereignty and having impressive economic strength and industrial power, especially military power that can deter anyone who covets Chinese interests. Rejuvenation also means rebuilding the great nation ideology deeply buried in the hearts of the Chinese people, rebuilding the confidence of the Chinese people. Otherwise, even if we have a strong exterior, without self-confidence and self-strengthening inner heart, what is the use of such rejuvenation? It will only lead to another invasion by the Eight-Nation Alliance, allowing foreign powers to plunder China's wealth...

  The long-term feudal rule has deeply ingrained the imperial power ideology in the hearts of many Chinese people. The "cutting off the queue but not the head, cutting off the head but not the queue" incident would have thoroughly emptied the national pride of many people, turning them into good subjects who shouted "slaves and masters". The emperors used cultural castration and ignorant rule to lead the people deep into the dead end of self-abasement and self-deprecation, willingly being enslaved and deprived. Until the powers coveted the emperors' greatness, wanting them to be their own masters, but unexpectedly touched the bottom line of the Chinese people. The two Opium Wars were enough to show how much the people yearned to be good people, but the subsequent defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War thoroughly returned China to its primitive state. The powers truly became the masters of the Chinese land, even more powerful and majestic than the emperors. Now, the Chinese people need to bow their heads and bend their waists to even more people. The curved spine, which has been bent for many years, needs to add a few more times of bowing every day. When will the Chinese people be able to stand up straight again?

  The older generation poisoned by feudal ideology, the Revival Party cannot eradicate the stubborn disease in their hearts. Of course, this stubborn disease also has its benefits, as it constantly drives the people to obey and unconditionally submit to the policies of those in power, without a hint of resistance or dissent. This deadly benefit has indirectly granted the People's Autonomous Government the ability to expand indefinitely. In the eyes of the common people, the Revival Party and the People's Army have become the latest, strongest, and best haven. Everything should be subordinate to this good government. After listening to their plans, did they ever know that Zhang Yu was disheartened by the people's unconditional obedience?

  For the older generation who can no longer change, it's really impossible to change. Zhang Yu and the entire Revival Party, as well as the People's Autonomous Government, can only make good use of the high trust of the people, convert their trust into a solid foundation for the next generation of revival, and lead them towards a rich and beautiful life, which is the highest goal. More importantly, the work is to prevent the new generation of children from entering a dead end, not continuing on the old path of the previous generation, and not becoming another group of weak-willed Chinese people. Their inner world should be equal and positive.

  Respect the elderly and love the young, be honest and trustworthy, work hard and strive for self-improvement, unite and move forward... "Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person", the education industry in the autonomous region is on a road of hardship and excellence. Gather children who have never suffered any harm or pollution, provide them with modern education, nourish them with rich nutrients, provide the best living conditions as the foundation, and guide them with the best ideology... The people's government always puts education expenditure in the first place in the government budget for the healthy growth of future generations.

  "When the young are strong, the country is strong." What has been weighing on the hearts of Chinese people all along is not the intimidation of powerful nations, nor the oppression of feudal remnants and warlords, but rather the self-doubt, lack of confidence in one's own nation, and hopelessness towards one's own country. Many people shout slogans about loving their motherland and reviving China, but deep down, they are uncertain whether their country can truly become strong, or whether their nation can truly revive. Have you ever thought that if even you yourself doubt it, then how many others must also be doubting? If everyone is plagued by doubts about their own convictions, how can we talk about unity and marching towards a glorious future?

  It is not easy to restore the confidence of the Chinese people, to strip away the weak national mentality that has not been deeply ingrained in their bones, and to make the sons and daughters of China firmly believe once again that their motherland will surely prosper and become strong. As long as these three points are achieved, it means that we have embarked on the road to true revival, regardless of whether the country is currently poor and weak, regardless of how the powerful countries are coldly watching us, and regardless of how chaotic the world situation is. As long as we sweep away the gloom in our hearts and regain confidence, China will eventually become rich and strong. The best, fastest, and easiest way to achieve this is to make the "youth strong".

  Students spend almost eleven months of the year with their classmates and teachers in school, where they have access to three meals a day without worrying about food supplies. The classrooms are clean, bright, spacious, and equipped with annexes for book collections and magazines. There are seven-person apartments with independent toilets and balconies for rest. The sports fields are fully equipped and of high quality, the experimental buildings are well-equipped and rich in materials, and there are libraries, gymnasiums, academic exchange centers for teachers and students, medical clinics, etc. Each basic education school has almost the same hardware configuration as a university, and of course, there are also dedicated teachers who educate students with enthusiasm. The salary provided by the government is also very rewarding for their dedication, and the praise and respect from parents and society are also worth extra rewards after hard work.

  Such good educational equipment has many purposes. One of them is to let students live in a collective for a long time, emphasize active and initiative learning, be happy to engage in academic competition with their classmates, cultivate the spirit of autonomous learning, and of course, each class's classroom is equipped with a "logistics supply station" from pens, books, ink, etc. to teaching materials and extracurricular reading materials, all of which are available to meet the students' learning needs.

  Secondly, let students actively participate in course practice under the guidance of teachers and truly integrate into learning. Scientific experiments, social practices, etc. are all conducive to team collaboration, diligence, and good questioning, making each topic a report. In team collaboration, they learn to take the strengths and weaknesses, help each other, increase social knowledge, hands-on ability, and at the same time, let them experience the joy and significance of cooperation. The power of one person is limited, but when a group of people unite, that power becomes enormous and immeasurable.

  Thirdly, schools often organize various science competitions and sports games, etc. Students not only need to learn proactively and cooperate with each other, but also have a certain sense of proactive competition. On the green field, they sweat and exercise to promote friendship. In the competition arena, they compete with intelligence and bravery, testing individual or small group abilities and strengthening self-competitive willpower. If you don't know how to integrate into a competitive team, how can you better and faster obtain excellent physical quality and social skills? If you don't know how to perform on the spot in science competitions, how can you temper yourself and improve your level?

  To be timid and fearful of trying anything, to feel incompetent in the face of challenging things and hesitant to move forward, to worry about or rely on luck in competition. Education should enable students to develop a sunny disposition, strong willpower, good character, physical health, a willingness to cooperate, and the courage to strive for excellence, so that they never have the phrase "Chinese people are not capable" in their minds.

  And today, a new academic year is about to begin. From the first batch of primary school students starting in 1915, it has been more than six years now. The former first batch of students who started this year will enter their second year of junior high school. They have gone through half of their student life and entered the first year of the second half. Of course, this year, in Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, and some parts of the autonomous region, there will be a new batch of young people who will usher in their first academic year.

  It's not yet 9 o'clock, and many children have arrived at the government compound with their parents to wait for the school bus. There is a big difference between new students and old students. The old students are all waiting alone, wearing spotless white uniforms that are dazzlingly bright, clean school uniforms and sports shoes are their direct distinguishing features from new students. However, the old students who are chatting and laughing together are very different from the new students who are still wearing casual clothes and looking shy. But at first, they were also like this "lonely and helpless". After entering the school and adapting for a period of time, and getting close to their classmates and adapting to the school environment, they will change. By then, when it's time to enter school again next year, they won't need their parents to accompany them anymore.

  "Xiao Long, your teacher will meet you soon and distribute school uniforms and socks. You don't need to bring anything with you. The school has prepared everything for the students, just go as an individual."

  An old man and an old classmate chatted for a while, then noticed a child from the same village standing with his parents, looking around at the many unfamiliar big brothers and sisters. Since there were not many children of school age in their hometown this year, he stood out as being somewhat awkward, alone with his father who didn't know what to do either.

  "That's right, what Xiao Yang said is correct. I told you at home not to be nervous. It's just going to school, isn't it? Look at how happy the older brothers and sisters are! The school has great food and living conditions, once you're there, focus on studying and don't be so anxious!" Xiaolong's father echoed his words of encouragement again, after sending off the child he also had to take a bus into the city to work for a while, so he truly felt that it wasn't necessary to send the kid this time. Many kids around them came alone."

  In the midst of conversation, everyone in the government compound, especially those wearing uniforms of different colors and styles, representing different school years, stopped chatting. The school buses and additional vehicles dispatched by the government had all entered the parking lot one after another. After the air-conditioned luxury buses were parked, just like every year, teachers holding name lists soon got off the buses, and the seniors had already lined up in order. Following a headcount, they boarded the buses in sequence, ready to depart. Meanwhile, teachers were also distributing uniforms and handling registration for new students.

  In less than half an hour, Little Dragon transformed from a little baby at home to a qualified young student. He may not be able to recognize many characters yet, but wearing that school uniform already proves he is going to receive regular systematic education. Next year when he comes back, he may no longer be so awkward and nervous. Through the huge transparent glass window of the car, Little Dragon waved goodbye to his father as the car started moving, then one by one they slowly drove out of the government compound, leaving behind a few parents who came to see off their kids. They might really be too worried about their children. The cars had already driven far away, but they were still standing on tiptoes looking into the distance, watching the disappearing car shadows, and seeing the future of their children.

  The spring rain came quietly and soundlessly, the sun that was lazy just now has gone to hide somewhere, a thin veil of rain gradually shrouded the earth, wetting the cement highway that runs through the small town in no time. The only bus station in the small town sent out today's second direct bus to the county seat, Xiaolong's father was also on the bus. Although both Xiaolong and his father were heading to the same county seat, they took different buses, of course, destined for different fates.

  The little dragon's father will return to continue tending the land after working in the city for a while, and then go back to the city to create wealth again. However, Little Dragon can spend twelve happy years of spring and autumn alternation in school, and twelve years later, he may not be the same timid Little Dragon who was afraid to start school today. Of course, his father may not be a migrant worker at that time either. The whole family will live a comfortable life without having to let their father work outside, living in a brick house, eating meat every day, and enjoying happy days. Although Little Dragon is still his father's son, his outlook on life, values, abilities, thoughts, and many other things are no longer similar to those of his father, because knowledge can change one's fate.

  "Little Dragon, don't worry! Once you get to school, you'll have many classmates who are the same age as you and can be friends. Of course, there are also many older brothers and sisters in school who would like to be good friends with you too!" Seeing Little Dragon staring out of the car window without blinking, some other new students started chatting, and the teacher who came to pick them up naturally knew what was on Little Dragon's mind, and quickly gave him a reassuring smile.

  "My name is Lin Xinyu, I'm from this small town! From now on, we're classmates in the same class, Xiaolong, can we be friends?" A girl with two small braids sitting next to him, very proactively greeted Xiaolong. Girls who grew up in the town were more open-minded, stretching out her soft and tender little hand to shake hands with Xiaolong as a greeting, looking very elegant. Of course, seeing this scene, the teacher returned to his own seat.

  "I... I'm Long Jun, from Longjia Village." Long Jun's small face was red, but he still politely shook hands with Lin Xinyu and asked in return: "Lin Xinyu classmate, when we arrive at school, do we have to shake hands with new classmates to greet them?"

  "I don't know, my mom and dad both said that when we go out, we should be more generous and proactive, make more friends and talk less bad things. My dad taught me to shake hands, he said it's what people do when they do business outside, it means...". Lin Xinyu thought for a long time but couldn't remember what her dad had said about the meaning of shaking hands before she left, so she just smiled slightly and said: "I forgot what it means, but from today on, we're good friends!"

  "Right, since we're good friends, do you still have those lollipops in your hand?"