Chapter 347: "How the Steel Was Tempered" excerpt!
Chapter 347: "How the Steel Was Tempered" excerpt!
At night.
Zhang Ye returned home.
The moment he walked in, Mom gave him a displeased look. "You even have the nerve to come back? Other people had a gala for primary and secondary school students which had nothing to do with you, but why must everything not lack you? Do you feel uncomfortable being too free? You don't feel good if you don't stir up some trouble everyday? Son, I'm really impressed by you. Your mother's heart isn't good. Stop giving me surprises all the time. We are in an aging society, and there are so many old people in society, but you sure were good. You scolded all of them in one breath. You even included your father and I!"
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Who did you hear that from?"
"Is there a need to hear? I saw it on the internet" Mom huffed and puffed.
Zhang Ye exclaimed, "You sure are getting better at using your cellphone. You are moving well with the times."
Mom said, "Don't try changing the subject. Let your father scold you to see if you are deserving of it!"
Dad looked at his son and ignored his wife. "Is it alright on the school's side? Would it affect your career at Peking University?"
"I don't know. It's hard to say." Zhang Ye took off his coat. "I'm now resigned to fate. I leave it to do as it pleases, for I'm not in the wrong. I did what I had to do as a teacher. For the children, sacrificing myself leads to the benefit of everyone."
Mom stared at him. "You’re still in the mood to jest!"
"Enough from you." Dad said to Mom, before saying to his son, "Little Ye, we know you are well aware of things. We don't understand your job, nor do we bother about it. We know you can handle it well."
Zhang Ye acknowledged. "Thanks Dad."
Mom was speechless. "The two of you are of the same heart!"
Dad said, "Stop nagging. Hurry up and prepare food for our son. Nagging all day won't solve anything, right? Hurry, I'm hungry too."
Mom snorted angrily before throwing her hands up and walking to the kitchen.
Once Mom left, Dad nudged his chin towards the kitchen and whispered, "Ignore her. She's suffering from menopause."
Zhang Ye laughed. Since dinner was not ready yet, it would take at least half an hour before he could eat. Hence, he returned to his room and closed the door. He switched on his computer and checked the effects of his speech.
The internet was also bustling.
"Aiyah, hey! Aiyah, hey!"
"Wife, come and take a look! Teacher Zhang is scolding people again again again again again again again again!"
"Husband, I'm coming! Teacher Zhang really scolded people again again again again again again again again?"
"A few days ago, he declared war on the entire literary world. Great, it's just been a few days and he has declared war again? This time it's on the older age groups?"
"Hahaha! What good news!"
"Face-smacking Zhang is back in action! Everyone, be careful!"
"Teacher Zhang's scolding increases in scale every time!"
"It's not scolding. Didn't you hear the original version of the closing speech? It's mainly to teach the children!"
"Right, how can you say he is scolding people? The 'old' mentioned was just a metaphor. It's just an analogy! This speech's intention is to educate, and not derisive!"
"That's right, although Teacher Zhang is notorious, and has quite a bit of 'stains' on record, this 'Ode to Young China' is really not scolding!"
"Did you hear the original speech?"
"I only saw the textual version."
"I suggest that everyone to listen to it. The power delivered through text is too weak. It lacks the punch. Zhang Ye's passion when he made the speech, especially those last few words, must be listened for it really f**king makes your blood boil! That literary talent is really defying of the heavens! I heard this finale's closing speech was assigned to Teacher Zhang at the last minute, so that he could save the situation. He did not have any preparations beforehand, and expressed himself on the spot!"
"Impossible!"
"Are you sure?"
"F**k! He could do it so well even while doing impromptu?"
"It's true. I heard about it too. When the Peking University's President couldn’t come at the last minute due to some sickness, there was only about ten minutes left to inform everyone else. No one wanted to do it since there was no script. So they thought of Teacher Zhang Ye, a person who never uses a script during his programs or classes, to let him do the speech. They really found the right person. Teacher Zhang really does not need scripts. Such a large prose with obscure meanings, yet is so orderly, poetic and logical. It was even educative and highly impactful. Zhang Ye is Zhang Ye! Awesome!"
"That's right, that's so empowering!"
"My magnificent Chinese youth!"
"Today, I have once again witnessed the quality of Zhang Ye's speeches!"
"Teacher Zhang has always had such a level. I'm not surprised about this, but what I'm worrying now is about those sentences about old people. It might cause quite serious effects!"
The official gala's video posted by Peking University did not have Zhang Ye's closing speech, but the reporters present were not to be trifled with. The moment they returned, they uploaded the missing parts on their own television stations or official newspaper websites. Following that, it had gone viral once again over the internet!
Just after ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ was over!
Alright, it was really one event succeeding another!
A bunch of people exclaimed over Zhang Ye's speech. A bunch of people supported Zhang Ye's speech, while another bunch of people appeared and started scolding Zhang Ye. They said things like how he was full of nonsense and how he lacked respect for his elders. Anyways, regardless of what Zhang Ye did or say, it would cause quite a big commotion. This fellow was naturally born with a "Hatred Halo". Ever since he entered Peking University, he had never been lying low. He was the most controversial teacher in academia. No one disagreed on this point. Wherever Zhang Ye was, there would definitely be controversy. Those who liked him loved him to death, and right to their bones. As for those who disliked him, they hated him to the death, all the way, deep into their flesh!
On Weibo, discussion forums, or Tieba, there were constantly people questioning Zhang Ye, scolding his disrespect towards the elderly. Regardless of his intentions, saying such things was incorrect. There were even people asking him to scram from academia!
......
These praises and scoldings were all seen by Zhang Ye. After being in the entertainment circle for some time, Zhang Ye no longer suffered from a pale face of anxiety towards all this. Regardless of the matter, he had already done and said it. There was no such thing as taking back the water that had been spilled, hence, Zhang Ye did not "repent" and instead began typing, posting the original text of "Ode to Young China" on his Weibo and Tieba. The textual version had been posted by others, but as many of the words were rather obscure, people did not have the ability to simplify or understand it too well. There were still many mistakes, so Zhang Ye typed out the official version of the text, so as to prevent the wrong version from leading people astray!
The moment he posted his speech on Weibo and Tieba, his fame hit the roof!
Weibo's forwarding kept rising and in a blink of an eye, it increased by a few hundred, and after another, it was at a thousand!
"Supporting Teacher Zhang!"
"Unconditional support for Teacher Zhang!"
"Teacher Zhang is the conscience of the industry!"
"Who shouted to dismiss Zhang Ye? I'm the first to disagree!"
"Swearing to support Teacher Zhang Ye! Supporting 'Ode to Young China'!"
"If Teacher Zhang is fired because of this, I'll drop out of school! I'll never go to school in the future!"
"Count me in! If a teacher like Zhang Ye is removed from the educational world, then the educational world has no one else! Teacher Zhang Ye is the only good teacher in my heart!"
"Students! Everyone unite together!"
"Right! Teacher Zhang has been spurned by others because of us! If we don't step forward to speak for ourselves, then when do we speak!?"
"We cannot let Teacher Zhang leave!"
Seeing others denouncing Zhang Ye, a countless number of students rushed over, expressing their support. There were more and more people, such as Zhang Ye's Tieba fan club. As the number of people posting increased sharply, just a refresh of the page would see dozens, if not a hundred new threads appear. In the end, there was nearly an "Exploding Flood". Zhang Ye's Tieba fan club could not be opened for a whole two minutes, as people from everywhere surged over to express their support! Nearly all the students and youths stood behind Zhang Ye! Although it was an aging society, the power of the youth was always the largest and most craziest in any society!
Replies reached 10,000...
Replies reached 50,000...
Weibo's forwarding hit 8000!
Weibo's Likes reached 28,000!
Zhang Ye once again stood on the precipice of the wave!
Seeing countless numbers of children vocally supporting him, Zhang Ye felt different from the past. In the past, be it him scolding people or deriding people, it was all done on impulse. It was mainly for him to vent, but now, Zhang Ye was really without blame or regret because this was not only venting for himself, but the speech was also for the millions of children. From ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, Zhang Ye felt that as someone who came from a different world. He had some responsibilities to shoulder. He could not always do everything for himself, so he had used the astounding "Ode to Young China" from his world today, so as to give this world's "lethargic" youths a boost.
There was not much he could do, so that was pretty much the only thing he could do.
Thinking of the people of the past, and the greats that had sacrificed and dedicated their lives towards education from his world, Zhang Ye felt that the bit of trouble he got himself in was nothing. He had to persist on!
"Zhang Ye is too great at causing trouble."
"He must be regretting to death now."
"Regardless if he is right or wrong, Zhang Ye really does not know the ways of the world. For some meaningless things, he goes all around offending people, ending up having enemies everywhere. At some point, he will have reached his end. Can't he take things easy? In our country, people talk about not going too far."
"That's right. Look at him now. Just from this speech, his job at Peking University might even be lost."
On Weibo, there were some people, who sat on the fence, discussing this matter.
After many people saw this, they were also puzzled if Zhang Ye was feeling regret at this moment? Or was he furious? If he knew this would be the result, would he still have said that speech this afternoon?
"@ZhangYe."
"Is Teacher Zhang around?"
"Why hasn't Teacher Zhang spoken a word today?"
Many people were worried about Zhang Ye. They either @ him or private messaged him.
Zhang Ye saw this and closed his eyes to think. Then he immediately touched his keyboard, and typed out words that immediately tied up tongues and popped eyes, "Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying, he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world──the fight for the Liberation of Education!"
This was an excerpt from his world's "How the Steel Was Tempered", but had been slightly altered!
Zhang Ye used it to perfectly express his unwavering attitude!