Volume One, Chapter 15: The Birth of the Capital's Top Scholar

Life continued on, calm and undisturbed. For some time, Gao Yuan still hadn’t decided what to create next. He made good use of this quiet period by going fishing quite often—sometimes on his own, and on weekends, he would drag his brother Li Wei along. His father joined them twice, and each time, they returned with a decent catch. Gao Yuan also met up with Li Hongjun and the others a few times; their conversations grew more intimate, and their relationship progressed by leaps and bounds. However, he hadn’t seen Xiao Weihong again, and when he asked Li Hongjun, he was told that she hadn’t been seen for a while either. This made Gao Yuan feel like he couldn't quite read the girl.

While he was immersed in the pleasant days of fishing, resting, and occasionally cooking for his father and aunt or delivering meals to his uncle, the teachers on the college entrance exam grading committee were locked in a heated debate over two specific essays. Both bore the same title: "In This Year of Struggle."

Yet, the contents were diametrically opposed—one depicted the years spent as an educated youth in the countryside, while the other described the preparations for the college entrance exam. This was the crux of the teachers' dispute.

"First, we must acknowledge that both articles are excellent," said Zhao Peijie, the head of the grading committee.

"The writing is outstanding and substantive. Student Liu Xuehong’s essay connects to real life, describing her experiences in the countryside and vividly reflecting the true circumstances of the peasant masses. I believe this piece meets the standards for publication in the *People’s Daily*," Teacher Shen argued.

"I disagree with Teacher Shen. Of course, I am not saying Student Liu’s essay is lacking; I simply feel that our criteria for what constitutes 'good' have not been unified. Is Student Gao Yuan’s essay not excellent? I find it exceptionally so. He writes from the perspective of a high school graduate, describing how to overcome learning difficulties and how to study diligently after hearing the news that the college entrance exam had been reinstated. This offers a very positive and exemplary model for the vast number of candidates, showing them that knowledge can change one’s destiny. It is no exaggeration to say that as a graduate, Gao Yuan’s efforts in his studies, his thirst for knowledge, and his upright attitude make him fully qualified to be a benchmark among all candidates. And look at his phrasing—don't you find it remarkably layered?" Teacher Li retorted, shaking Gao Yuan’s exam paper with righteous indignation.

The other graders began to whisper among themselves. Zhao Peijie sighed deeply. Teachers Shen and Li had been arguing for nearly twenty minutes—Shen was on Team Liu, Li was on Team Gao; their views were irreconcilable, and neither could convince the other. It was all because of the *People’s Daily*. Why did they have to go and choose an "excellent essay" for publication? Wasn't this just deliberately making the grading work more difficult? Zhao Peijie had his own opinions, but he knew he couldn't fight the tide. It was easy to foresee that whichever student’s essay was published in the *People’s Daily* would gain immense social attention and popularity. In an era where honor was held in higher regard than anything else, having an essay published wasn't just a simple honor; it was a genuine change of destiny.

Seeing the teachers still debating, Zhao Peijie felt his head throbbing. He seemed to make a decision, slammed his hand on the table, and said, "Stop arguing. There will be no result if this continues. Let’s do this: recommend both essays to the *People’s Daily* editorial department. As for which one they choose to use, let them decide for themselves!"

Teacher Shen snorted and said, "You really know how to muddy the waters!"

Zhao Peijie glared at her fiercely. If you can't speak properly, keep your mouth shut!

Teacher Li smiled and said, "Perhaps they will publish both. Teacher Zhao, there is one more question: how should we grade these two essays?"

Zhao Peijie said flatly, "Give them both 99 points."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The quality of the two essays was simply too difficult to rank, making it impossible to choose between them. The art of balancing had revealed its grim face.

Three days later was New Year’s Day. At noon, Gao Yuemin pedaled his heavy-duty bicycle home, bringing Zhang Xuemei back with him in high spirits. Holding a copy of the *People’s Daily*, his mother shouted as soon as she entered the courtyard, "Yuan, little Yuan! Your college entrance exam essay is in the newspaper! Are you in the house?"

This shout brought both Liu Qianjin and his wife out of their room. Auntie Liu walked up and asked, "Xuemei, what did you just say? Whose essay is in the newspaper?"

Zhang Xuemei beamed, "Who else? My little Yuan, of course." She opened the newspaper, held it up before Auntie Liu’s eyes, and added, "See? Right here, this one, 'In This Year of Struggle,' the name is Gao Yuan. My little Yuan’s essay was published in full by the *People’s Daily*. So far, only two high school students in the entire country have managed to get into the *People’s Daily*."

Auntie Liu took a look, couldn't recognize a single character, and tried to dampen the mood by saying, "Could it be someone with the same name?"

Zhang Xuemei wanted to kick her. Her good mood was completely ruined by this old shrew. She put the newspaper away, glared at the woman, and said angrily, "If you can't speak properly, keep your stinking mouth shut! And don't try to disgust me with your suspicious attitude! Do you think my Yuan is as uneducated as your second son, who only knows how to chase after women? My Yuan is outstanding! Let me tell you, this newspaper was delivered by the editorial staff themselves to his father’s workplace, and the teachers from the grading committee have confirmed it—this essay was written by my son. Judging others by your own narrow standards—forget it, I won't bother arguing with you! I almost forgot, you’re illiterate; you couldn't read this paper even if I showed it to you!"

Auntie Liu’s face turned red from the barrage of machine-gun-like retorts. Liu Qianjin muttered, "Old Gao’s wife, that was a bit much." Zhang Xuemei snorted, not bothering to acknowledge him.

Gao Yuemin, having propped up his bicycle, said with a stern face, "Xuemei, why bother showing off to two illiterate people? Get back inside."

Just then, Gao Yuan pushed the door open, yawning. He had heard his mother’s words. He chuckled; he hadn’t realized before that his mother had a bit of a dramatic streak. His own sharp-tongued personality must have come straight from her. Zhang Xuemei glared at Auntie Liu one last time, wrapped her coat tighter, and turned toward the door. Upon seeing her eldest son, she was overjoyed. "Little Yuan, well done! You’ve really brought honor to your mother this time!"

Gao Yuan hugged her. His heart was calm, but his face beamed with sunshine. "It was just a basic operation, no need to be so surprised. Oh, you’re frozen through; let’s go inside where it’s warm."

The family of three went into the room. Gao Yuan poured two glasses of hot water for his parents. Zhang Xuemei took the enamel mug, set it on the table, and spread the newspaper out for her son to see. She said proudly, "My son is amazing! Your essay is in the *People’s Daily*. You don't know—the moment your father arrived at work, an editor from the paper found him. After showing him the paper, your father was stunned. He kept asking them, 'Did my son really write this?' When they saw your father didn't believe it, the editor brought out a recommendation letter from the grading committee. It had your name, your exam registration number, and your subjects on it. Only then was your father convinced. After he called the village committee where I am, I rushed right back. You rascal, you’re the first in our family to have an article published in a newspaper. Your father and I are going to celebrate your success."

Gao Yuan grinned from ear to ear, unable to contain his joy.

"Good boy, well done!" Gao Yuemin took a sip of water, set down the cup, and patted Gao Yuan’s arm. With a face full of smiles, he said, "Let me tell you another piece of good news. All morning, people haven't stopped calling me. Peking University, Tsinghua, Renmin University, Fudan in Shanghai, and Nankai in Tianjin have all called to invite you to study as an undergraduate. The admissions officers from Peking and Tsinghua even came in person, asking me to persuade you. Although you don't have to pay for college these days, both teachers have promised you can choose any of the sixteen newly reinstated majors. And there’s more—the Party Secretary of our college, after hearing your scores, had the nerve to ask me if you’d consider the Steel Institute. I turned him down on the spot! What dream world is he living in? My son is a candidate being fought over by Peking and Tsinghua; how could a Steel Institute be worthy of his talent? Son, I have never felt so proud. Like your mother said, you’ve brought great honor to us!"

Even after his rebirth, Gao Yuan had never heard his parents speak so much at once. Looking at their excited faces, Gao Yuan felt a stir of emotion. If he had been reborn, what could be more important than his parents' happiness? The answer was: nothing.

With one arm around his father and the other around his mother, Gao Yuan asked with a smile, "So, does that mean I’m this year’s top scorer in the college entrance exam?"

Gao Yuemin nodded and laughed, "The teachers from both Tsinghua and Peking confirmed it. Your total score is 387, making you the undisputed top scorer in Beijing. And you’ve set a precedent for university admissions. You know, before this, you just went to the university you applied to once your scores met the threshold. The moment your results came out, you immediately became a hot commodity that universities are fighting over. This is unprecedented."

"I told you before the exam not to underestimate your son," Gao Yuan said shamelessly. "I might have been a bit mischievous, but I’m smart. I only had to study a little to outperform the students who were burying their heads in books."

"That’s right, my son is the smartest. With your scores, even your father is basking in the glory. This morning, the college leadership officially spoke with me, asking me to report to the college first thing tomorrow morning and formally inviting me to participate in the student admission process," Zhang Xuemei added, launching another bombshell.

Before Gao Yuan could congratulate his father, a voice came from outside: "Dad, Mom, Yuan, are you home?"

Hearing the voice, Gao Yuan felt a shiver of emotion. He ran over, opened the door, lifted the curtain, and upon seeing who it was, his eyes filled with tears. "Sister, you’ve finally come home!"