Chapter 348: Going on People"s Daily!
Feel no torturing regrets for wasted years?
Never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past?
This was not a poem, nor was it prose. It was like a common sentence, but when Zhang Ye posted it on Weibo, many people, who were poking fun at or laughing at Zhang Ye immediately stopped speaking, and became silent!
What sort of person could write something like that?
What sort of person would have such feelings?
The moment many people saw this new Weibo post from Zhang Ye, they suddenly felt great amounts of respect for Zhang Ye. They did not know what to say, nor did they have anything to say!
"Haha, well said!"
"Teacher Zhang"s words are always so poetic!"
"This is his literary talent! It"s completely peerless!"
"Why is every word from Teacher Zhang Ye"s mouth so moving!?"
"That"s right! There are certain truths that everyone knows, or that can be said, but when the same words are come from Teacher Zhang"s mouth, and still has the same meaning when it comes out, but it feels completely different! Isn’t he just saying "I"m willing to devote my life to education", but why does it feel completely different when you hear it!? Just reading it gives me goose b.u.mps! I have to save this pa.s.sage! Too cla.s.sic!"
"Already saved!"
"I have a folder of Zhang Ye"s recordings on my computer. Haha, it"s devoted to recording Teacher Zhang Ye"s words. Every work of his is too great. Not only does it give you a rush, it is also thought provoking. I don"t know literature, nor do I know any great philosophical ideas, but I think this may be the most sublime literature!"
"Forever supporting Teacher Zhang Ye! If you aren"t convinced, fight me! My large saber is again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again again unable to endure the thirst!"
"Big Saber Bro has come too!"
"Teacher Zhang has already declared war! Let us blow the trumpets for war!"
"Hahahaha, which eye of yours saw Teacher Zhang declaring war?"
"Isn"t he fighting for the liberation of education!? Since he"s fighting, if that"s not a declaration of war, then what is!? Let"s go brothers! Teacher Zhang has summoned us!"
Zhang Ye"s fan club immediately felt their morale surging. Some people were still messing around with jokes. It was quite a relaxed atmosphere. Such an atmosphere could only be found in Zhang Ye"s fan club. If it was any other celebrity"s fans, they would be furious or worried if such a situation were to happen. They wouldn"t have been in the mood to jest, but Zhang Ye"s fans were different. These people had followed Zhang Ye from the beginning, and had gone through numerous storms! All of them were "battle-hardened", and no longer thought much of such "small matters". Everyone was accustomed to it! They felt that the matters of Teacher Zhang"s swearing at others daily with them joining...was the norm. If Zhang Ye stopped for one day, it would make these fans unable to get used to it!
Flurry of discussion!
Arguments!
The excerpt, from "How the Steel Was Tempered", that was thrown out by Zhang Ye was also the most famous pa.s.sage in the novel. It gave a boost to this matter!
Yan Jiantao also had Weibo. He stood forward to refute!
A few veterans of the education world and elderly professors, with more than a dozen people came forward to denounce him. They were probably egged on by Yan Jiantao!
Zhang Ye smiled and looked past it. He did not take it to heart. The only thing that he noticed was Wu Zeqing"s Weibo account had given him a Like. Wu Zeqing was famous in the education world, and was well known by the people. She was not a celebrity, and most people did not even know what she looked like. Although she had a verified account , and it was just a Like, which got flooded away by others with no one paying attention to it, Zhang Ye"s sharp eyes noticed it. President Wu"s Like was not for the "Ode to Young China" Weibo post that he had posted earlier, but that pa.s.sage from "How the Steel Was Tempered". Zhang Ye guessed the reason. The other post was a lot more sensitive towards the elderly, hence as Peking University"s Vice President, Wu Zeqing could not express her views. Hence, she supported Zhang Ye by Liking another Weibo post. She did not say anything, but her stance was clear!
What should have been seen had been seen.
What should have been said had been said.
Alright, time to finish dinner and sleep. Tomorrow, there will probably be more denouncement!
After finis.h.i.+ng dinner, Zhang Ye washed up. He did not listen on to Mom"s nagging. He returned to his room and tucked himself into bed. Before 8, he was already fast asleep.
The next day.
In the morning, Zhang Ye got up to go to work.
For this matter, he could not think of a way to resolve it. Although he had explained that he was not scolding old people, even this fellow would not believe his own excuses. Hai, if this was not properly dealt with, he might even be removed from the education system.
What should he do?
It really seems like he had to resign himself to fate!
When he reached the office, Zhang Ye greeted everyone, "Good morning."
"Good morning."
"Teacher Little Zhang, you"ve come?
"Teacher Zhang, what you said on Weibo yesterday was really good!"
Many people also looked towards him, while others consoled him.
Suddenly, the phone rang and Zhang Ye saw an unrecognized number. "h.e.l.lo?"
"h.e.l.lo, this must be Teacher Zhang Ye, right?" It was a middle-aged man"s voice. "I"m from Nanjing University. I know you are busy, so I"ll cut to the chase."
Nanjing University?
What are you looking for me for?
Zhang Ye was stunned as he said, "Oh, please go ahead."
The middle-aged man said, "We are thinking of inviting you to teach at Nanjing University"s Chinese department next semester. The course will be up to you to choose. You can continue teaching ancient cla.s.sics electives or a main course. That can all be discussed. Then, we can see how the situation is, and if we need to change it, we will do so. Right, the Chinese department is also intending on opening up a new elective in the second half semester..." The person said a lot.
Zhang Ye was at a loss. He quickly avoided people and went to a window by the corridor outside the office. "Thank you, but I currently do not have such plans. I"m a Beijinger, so it"s more convenient for me to teach here."
The middle-aged man said, "Now by plane, it"s not far. You just need two to three hours to travel through the entire country. Why don"t we do this? Every cla.s.s, your air tickets will be reimbursed by us. As long as you come, anything can be discussed. We can do so in detail face to face."
Zhang Ye tactfully rejected. "We"ll talk about it in the future. Thank you for your trust, but I"m not ready for such large steps yet."
After he hung up, another telephone call came in. It was a middle-aged woman. It was Beijing Normal University"s Chinese department Dean. Her goal was the same. She was trying to invite Zhang Ye to their school to teach. The compensation was good, and everything could be negotiable.
What"s going on?
Two famous schools want to invite me over?
Didn"t they realize that this bro has a "criminal record"? The dispute of him scolding the elderly hasn"t been resolved yet, right? If it was decided that Zhang Ye was to be disciplined, it might not just be as simple as leaving the Chinese department or Peking University, but rather it was highly likely that he would have to leave academia altogether. Even if they roped him in, he would not be allowed to teach either. Once the teacher qualification Peking University had applied for him out of exception had been canceled or suspended, then he would not be able to teach at all. It was the same as how the SARFT suspended his broadcasting host qualifications.
What"s the situation?
Zhang Ye was a bit confused.
But when he returned to his office, Zhang Ye completely understood. He knew why Nanjing University and Beijing Normal University had invited him!
Su Na came to work!
Not only had she come, but she was holding a newspaper in her hands!
The moment Su Na arrived, she shouted, "Where"s Teacher Zhang? Is Teacher Zhang not here yet? Aiyah, hey, take a look. Quick! This is a copy of today"s People"s Daily!"
Professor Zeng asked in surprise, "What about People"s Daily?"
Su Na said, "You"ll know once you see it! Third page!"
"What"s the matter?" Zhang Ye happened to enter at that exact moment.
"Teacher Zhang, quick take a look. You were really impressive this time!" Su Na exclaimed.
With Su Na"s shout, the other teachers from the Chinese department gathered around. "Let me take a look. What"s this about?"
When they flipped to the third page and saw it, everyone exclaimed or turned silent from shock. "Little Zhang! Your "Ode to Young China" made it onto People"s Daily!"
Zhang Ye looked at it and was also stunned!
Holy sh*t! He really was on it! This was the People"s Daily!
The People"s Daily was no stranger to the people. It was the country"s largest newspaper. It was a mouthpiece of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. No commoner bought it, as it was mostly political news. There was little to do with daily life and there was nothing much in it. It wasn"t very readable, but everyone had to recognize the status of this newspaper in the country. It was the head of the pack. Every relevant inst.i.tution or state-owned enterprise would subscribe to it!
This was a political newspaper!
The things written in it even indicated the inclinations of the political powers!
And at this moment, "Ode to Young China" had been published in People"s Daily! This completely stunned everyone! Although the newspaper did not publish the full text of Zhang Ye"s speech, and had only published the last few paragraphs, it was still a very fascinating thing!
Su Na laughed. "Teacher Zhang! You must really treat us now! You have to treat us today!"
Professor Zeng also said excitedly, "There aren"t many teachers from our Peking University who have ever gotten onto People"s Daily despite its years of history! They can be counted with one"s hands! Little Zhang, you are really in the limelight this time!"
Zhang Ye did not even expect this himself. His heart thumped heavily. Zhang Ye was quite flattered by the affirmation given to him by the People"s Daily.
At this moment, Yan Jiantao also arrived at work. "Why is it so noisy?"
Then he noticed the newspaper that everyone was pa.s.sing around. When he took a glance, his expression changed to that of a frozen eggplant. He did not say a word. The moment he finished reading the article, he turned around and left.
Everyone knew that Professor Yan would no longer gather people to denounce Zhang Ye. The criticism and invective towards Zhang Ye by old comrades on the internet would probably be put to an end today! Why? There was no need to ask why! The People"s Daily had already published "Ode to Young China"! This explained that the higher-ups had affirmed Zhang Ye"s speech! This was People"s Daily! This was a protective charm! Zhang Ye no longer needed to be afraid that people would accuse him of showing disrespect to the elderly! The publication in People"s Daily was all Zhang Ye needed!