I am not Ximen Qing.

The Imperial College in question is not the one in Nanjing, but the one in Beijing. The Confucius Temple and Imperial College, revered as the teacher of all ages, began construction during the Yuan Dynasty. Genghis Khan, heeding the advice of the Daoist Qiu Chuji of Baiyun Temple, decided to lay down his weapons and become a Buddha or an immortal. Regardless, Master Qiu's merits were immeasurable, saving countless Chinese people. Of course, the Yuan Dynasty witnessed the tragic karmic retribution of the Jin Dynasty's martyrdom. After destroying the Liao Dynasty and occupying Youzhou, the Jin Dynasty went on an unstoppable rampage, desecrating graves and leaving no trace of the Song Dynasty's ancestral tombs. Similarly, when the Jin Dynasty fell, its ancestral tombs in Fangshan were completely ransacked. This cycle of cause and effect, this endless cycle of vengeance, was a deadly retribution. Therefore, the Yuan emperors believed in the Buddhist teachings of the sacred lands of the Tibetan Plateau. At least Kublai Khan, upon arriving in Dadu (Beijing), understood that relying solely on past methods of killing was insufficient; only through civil administration and military prowess could the country be governed and stabilized. Hence, the Confucian and Mencian doctrines were established, specifically the Confucius Temple in Qubu. The Imperial College and the Temple of Confucius in Beijing were an inevitable product of this. Just think about the stele forest in the Imperial College and the Temple of Confucius, which is full of the names of the second and third place scholars in the imperial examination. To be able to leave your illustrious name in the stele forest is truly a sign of great fortune and a meteoric rise to prominence.

Since the resumption of the college entrance examination, Ximen Xue from Dahe Forest Farm has soared to great heights, disappearing without a trace. Ximen Xue is like a dragon that flew out of the river; his fellow students fear being dragged back to the mountains to cut timber. Now, the Forestry Bureau has a similar tradition to the Imperial College. In the Forestry Bureau's square park, there is a large honor roll. Every year, college students who pass the exam have their photos, adorned with big red flowers, pasted on the glass shelf of the honor roll, eye-catching and dazzling, just like the old days when passing the exam were celebrated with gongs and drums. If you're on the list, even an ugly duckling can be praised as one of the Four Great Talents, such as Tang Yin, Zhu Zhishan, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Wei's Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Going further back, there are Su Shi, Su Xun, Su Zhe, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, and Ouyang Xiu and Wang Anshi, the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Speaking of the Tang and Song Dynasties, there is no shortage of poets and writers, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Yuan Zhen. Even if Wu Dalang made it onto the honor roll, he would immediately become a powerful figure like Tu Xingsun. Making it onto the honor roll meant a bright future; he had finally escaped the mountains and was heading towards the big cities, just like Su Shi of Meishan heading towards the Qingming Scroll or Bianliang (Kaifeng) in the Tokyo Dream Record.

For the children in the remote mountain villages, the only shortcut to escaping this land of towering mountains, towering trees, deep rivers, and frigid snow is to study diligently. Of course, Director Han's son, Han Jinlong, was the first talented young man to be admitted to a top university in Shanghai. He's the younger brother of Han Yuhua, the woman who married an electrician at the Dahe Forestry Farm. Director Han is most proud of his brother's admission to a prestigious university (like a 985 university). He encourages Wang Lunyu to study hard so he too can get into a top university. Therefore, every household in the bureau brings their children to see the photos on the honor roll, hoping they will learn from the university students in the photos and one day also get into university and go to the big city. The mountain villages are too backward; big cities have parks, skyscrapers, and jobs that pay well.

Li Xian's results were out, Zhao Yonghui's results were out, and his uncle's middle school entrance exam results were out too. In this world, joy is accompanied by tears. Li Xian straightened his back. He didn't want to become a Faust in a frivolous study; now he wanted to be someone who could dig up black gold and make a lot of money, someone who could go to an oil-producing university. His fifth uncle took it very seriously, researching everything. Li Xian's grades were more than enough to get him into a provincial university. Although he couldn't go to an oil university, there was a way around it—geology was a good option too. Li Siguang, who discovered oil in Daqing, was a geologist. China was an oil-poor country at the time, and it was thanks to Li Siguang's theories that they found oil. His younger uncle, Jin Suocai, had excellent grades and could go to a forestry school in Changchun. How wonderful! Uncle and nephew could study together in Changchun.

Only Zhao Yonghui remained immersed in the shadow of his failed college entrance exam, unable to pull himself out of it, spending his days in seclusion in his bungalow on Datai Mountain, reflecting on his mistakes. Logically, this nephew was a diligent student, his homework always written in neat, unconventional regular script. In reality, this was Zhao Mengji's mistake; his son, Zhao Yonghui, was a natural talent for calligraphy. Teachers marveled at the child's unfortunate fate, noting that his hundred exercise books were all neat and tidy, resembling the works of a calligrapher.

Zhao Yonghui, who lost his appetite and couldn't even drink tea, had ambitions that were too high. But the college entrance exam wasn't about who studied harder or did more practice problems; it was about selecting talent. This objective, nationwide standardized exam selected capable individuals, not fools. Zhao Yonghui was hot-tempered and hadn't grasped this point. He wasn't the kind of talent universities needed—he knew that perfectly well. His mother, Zhang Hongying, knew her eldest son best. Why be so ambitious? He only had the intelligence of someone who went to a vocational school. Compared to Li Xian, his intelligence was like Zhang Tiesheng submitting a blank exam paper versus Einstein, Newton, and Galileo. In abstract subjects like physics, Zhao Yonghui might have a systemic thinking disorder, while Li Xian was a physics genius in school, naturally gifted in physics comprehension—inherited from Li Jingshan's brilliant mind, and his mother, Zhang Hongyu, inherited her father Zhang Sirui's sharp memory. Forget Li Xian; even his uncle, a lazy opium addict and heavy drinker, was utterly humiliated. His uncle's math skills were so impressive that even the math teachers in the bureau admired him; he'd participated in math competitions—no joke. For the first time, Li Xian experienced the feeling of being the center of attention, receiving over a dozen love letters—all bold and beautiful declarations of love. Who could have imagined this? The girls who failed their exams now see Li Xian, who used to be like a gadfly, as a gentleman. Before, he was a gadfly on a cow's backside in their eyes, buzzing and annoying, and he didn't go to the public bathhouse often, leaving a stinky smell. Now, all of this is seen as a noble quality and virtue of his hard work in studying and his lack of concern for his appearance. Everyone is trying to please him, thinking that Li Xian is a candidate for future bureau chief, district head, mayor, or principal, or at least a candidate for cadre. Becoming a cadre means having power and influence. Li Xian has become a master in everyone's eyes. They have to give him money to spend, give him nice clothes, take him to restaurants, and satisfy whatever he likes.

Li Xian's extended family prepared a huge sum of money as a gift, because he was the first nephew or cousin in their extended family to be admitted to a university. He had brought honor to their ancestors and glory to Li Jingshan. Even Old Chen had to bow and scrape before Li Xian. In Li Xian's heart, he saw these people as corrupt and greedy. Li Xian was a little tired now. Who did he think of most? Thinking about it, the person who could best please him now wasn't his maternal great-uncle Huang Yumin, but his uncle Jin Suocai. The two of them shared a sense of kinship; neither of them had lost their fathers, and neither of them was truly lonely. Li Xian finally stepped out of his self-redemptive little dark room and headed towards his uncle's tenement building, a temporary paradise of freedom for him and his nephew.

Old Jin died, buried quietly and without fanfare in a solitary grave in the distant mountains. Now Jin Suo was finally free to do as he pleased. Li Xian flaunted his wealth to his uncle, boasting of his academic success and saying he could spend money however he wanted. This time, no one dared to interfere because he was a future cadre; offending him meant offending the leadership. Jin Suo was overjoyed to see his nephew. Actually, Li Xian was a year older than his uncle, as was Yonghui; they were peers and close friends. The key was that both his uncle and nephew were decadent, indulging in drinking, eating dog meat, and drinking baijiu. Now, he could eat whatever kind of dog meat he wanted at the dog meat restaurant downstairs. Li Xian had become truly wealthy, and he began to understand why Li Jingshan had been so strict, almost ruthless. He, Li Xian, was one of the eccentric and lazy characters Jia Yucun had described. If he had been born into a wealthy family, he would definitely have been someone important. Unfortunately, being on Li Jingshan's side only leads to a spoiled brat. He's a born playboy, lacking any ambition or foresight. It's already incredibly rare for someone from the Li family to get into a university; it's quite difficult. As for the younger uncle, he promised his second sister that if he got into Changchun Forestry School, his third brother and sister-in-law could move into a tenement building, while he would live in their single-story house. Being alone is nice, but using the toilet in the tenement building is much more complicated than in a single-story house. Jin Suocai has been pondering this issue: why not install automatic toilets in the tenement building? His second sister and brother-in-law say Suocai's thinking is too advanced. Zhang Hongyu knows Li Xian's temperament perfectly well. She didn't dare say anything when Li Jingshan was around, but now she often tells her son, "Who does Li Xian take after?" Let Li Xian guess. Li Jingshan didn't drink, fearing it would ruin his brain and wisdom. He could also enjoy watching his brothers-in-law and cousins' drunken antics. He truly had an awareness, a sense of being the only sober one in a drunken world. Historically, we've never seen Li Bai or Bai Juyi surrounded by courtesans, drinking and indulging in pleasure all day, buried in a sea of ​​cosmetics. He only wrote a poem praising the beauty of Yang Guifei, the ancestor of the opera world, comparing her to a peony. The Li family is full of talented people, but Li Xian truly hasn't forgotten his maternal grandmother's kindness. His third aunt's brother, Huang Yumin, was still a night watchman, yet Li Xian hosted a dog meat feast for his maternal uncles—Huang Yumin, Zhang Hongqi, Zhang Hongli, and Jin Suocai—and drank the finest pure grain liquor. Now do you understand? Li Xian has a bit of a Water Margin style; he even eats Korean dog meat with his wine.

Everyone says Li Xian is luckier than Yonghui; a carefree student like him managed to get into a university in Changchun without any effort. After a few drinks, Li Xian boasted that he planned to find a girl from Changchun with a house, and have her pay him a dowry—he wasn't going to buy a house anyway. He drank and played drinking games with his uncles, even telling them about letters from girls who had confessed their love to him, as a form of entertainment. His younger uncle repeatedly went to the large table to drink with Zhao Yonghui. Was Zhao Yonghui going to join them? He thought to himself, his uncles are all heavy drinkers, and he was annoyed that Zhao Mengji also drank from morning till night, from home to the factory. He thought he could offer some advice like Wei Zheng, but Zhao Mengji got angry, "Son, what do you know? Everyone in this place is drunk. How can I stay sober?"

"Why not?"

"Fine my ass! Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I can quit my job!"

"Oh, Dad. Do I have to drink to work?"

"Son, you should get a job soon. Go to a construction team and see for yourself. Can you manage without drinking?"

"Dad, I still need to study for the college entrance exam."

"My son is no good, absolutely no good."

"We don't have any college graduates in our family."

"Your brother Baoyu is enough."

"Dad, I need to study."

"Son, go eat dog meat with your uncle and Li Xian."

Zhao Yonghui hadn't expected it to be Zhao Yongyu. Baoyu, the only one in the family who held the hope for the family's revival, was drinking merrily with his uncles. It was all because his mother, Zhang Hongying, was too frugal, feeding them only cornmeal. Now, Zhao Yonghui had lost his appetite for cornmeal and anything related to corn. A whole dog meat feast! The incredibly successful college student, Li Xian, was hosting! Zhao Yonghui realized that in their first encounter with his aunt's family, the Li family had completely triumphed over the Zhao family. His younger brother ate a large dog leg and drank heartily. When Baoyu saw his brother, this menacing figure, arrive, he knew better than to fight a losing battle. The clever Baoyu dodged, grabbing the dog leg and disappearing. Anyway, before Zhao Yonghui arrived, they had already devoured the dog skin, dog meat, dog sauce, and dog soup. Huang Yumin, now worried that the righteous Zhao Yonghui would get dizzy, went to keep watch. It was truly a land of alcohol; everyone was in a daze, only the women and children remained sober. Zhao Yonghui thought about how Li Xian would soon see his drunken photo, adorned with a big red flower, on the honor roll near People's Square in his city, while he himself would be nowhere to be seen. He also thought that in a few days, the bureau's honor roll would be filled with the names of classmates who had been admitted to university. This was incredibly disheartening. The school beauty had even gotten into a four-year university; their eyes had once sparkled with hope, but now, all that was gone. His hopes for the future and glory were shrouded in darkness. Heaven was unfair! Even his good-for-nothing uncle, after a period of hard work, had passed the entrance exam for a vocational school in Changchun in just six months. His uncle and Li Xian were going to study in the big city of Changchun, while Zhao Yonghui was left behind in this remote mountain village. Thinking of his tragic fate, and seeing his uncles, who were secretly drinking themselves into oblivion, and his second uncle, who often argued with his mother, loudly praising Li Xian as the savior of the Li family and other such nonsense, he felt that with his two younger sisters, he could finally pull himself together again. "Come on, have a drink, my little uncle and I will be waiting for you in Changchun next year. Come on, Junzi, bottoms up."

“Yes, nephew, don’t listen to your mom and dad. Study for another year. I had no choice back then. If I had, I would have gone to university too.”

"Brother, it's your own fault for not wanting to go to university."

"Suo Cai, why are you siding with outsiders? Lao Jin isn't your real father, he's the one who ruined me. Otherwise, would I have failed to go to university?"

"Second brother, why are you swearing?"

"Second Uncle, don't do that! How can you argue with my younger uncle?"

"Alright, all of you, stop arguing. Is anyone as upset as I am? I'm finished, I'm hopeless, there's no hope left."

“Junzi, why is there no hope? Don’t be afraid. Your second uncle will talk to your father, Zhao Mengji. How can we let my eldest nephew not repeat a year?”

"Forget about exams for now. Today is to congratulate Li Xian on passing the imperial examination with flying colors, and for me to get into a vocational school. Junzi, let's have some dog meat and a drink, have some fun. Alcohol is a good thing; a little can help you forget your troubles. Cheers, Junzi."

Zhao Yonghui couldn't resist the enthusiastic urging of his uncles, including his third, second, and Li Xian, to drink. After a few cups, he did feel better. He then ate dog meat and drank dog soup. "Ah! I understand what my dad means now. It's true that you can't survive in society if you're the only one sober when everyone else is drunk. Don't laugh at me, don't laugh at me. This is my secret. I have no intention of repeating a year of high school. I'll just go work on the construction team."

"Don't be like that, Junzi. Go to a technical school for a few years first. You need to learn how to draw first."

"I don't want to learn to draw anymore."

"It's drawing blueprints, designing buildings and houses, drawing blueprints."

Uncle Zhang Hongqi, who was quite familiar with engineering, gave Junzi some advice: if he couldn't get into university, he could go to a technical school to learn how to draw blueprints first. He didn't want Junzi to take any more detours, right? Right now, the bureau is building a lot of houses and buildings; being able to draw blueprints is a skilled trade. Besides, Uncle Zhang knew Junzi's abilities. He patted Junzi on the shoulder, saying that if it weren't for university, he'd be good at painting and calligraphy. Unlike Li Xian, who was naturally bright and, like Suocai, drank and smoked opium all day, he could learn quickly if he wanted to. He inherited his second sister's naturally slow mind. Baoyu really inherited the best qualities of his second sister and brother-in-law; he was a good candidate for university.