Chapter 1055

If we want to stand tall and unyielding, we must have Buddha in our hearts and a sword in our hands.

These words were too powerful; they made people's blood boil, and they couldn't help but clench their fists.

"There's more."

Jiang Yeye broke the silence in the classroom.

"Below is an article by Gu Zengquan, the vice president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts: Public intellectuals are knowledgeable people with academic backgrounds and professional qualities; they are actors who offer advice to society and participate in public affairs; they are idealists with a critical spirit and moral responsibility."

"I also believe that most public intellectuals have the quality of hating evil as if it were an enemy; they love their country, love the Party, and love their families. Their criticisms all have some moral basis and will win the support of public opinion from the whole of society."

"Their criticisms help discover the symptoms or tumors of an era and help form a more sound society. It is in this sense that we need the criticism of public intellectuals."

"However, a small portion of public intellectuals, who should have played the role of finding the symptoms and tumors of the era, have instead become the patients and tumors of this era themselves."

"Their stance has already tilted toward the West, or they are swaying severely between China and the West. Therefore, when they expose specific social problems, they do not discuss the facts as they are, but instead engage in baseless slander."

"A public intellectual I know well is keen on giving speeches everywhere. From beginning to end, he uses witty and acerbic language to ridicule and mock his own country, while beautifying the West..."

"But it must be pointed out that we must allow and accept their existence, leaving space for them to play a constructive role. At the same time, we must also suppress the excessive expansion of their influence."

"We must never let them become the dominant force in society, otherwise we will face the final moments of the former Soviet Union."

"I have another article here, the author is the famous writer Kong Weihua." At this time, a male student holding the Culture News said loudly: "China's Yellow River civilization cannot compare to the West's maritime civilization."

"Our civilization can never nurture science and democracy. Relying solely on this piece of yellow earth and this Yellow River, it can no longer support the increasingly bloated population, nor can it nurture a new culture; it no longer has the nutrition and energy of the past..."

"Only when the azure sea breeze turns into rain and once again moistens this arid yellow land, can these amazing vitalities, which only burst forth during the festive days of the Spring Festival, possibly allow the vast Loess Plateau to regain its vitality..."

"Culturally, from the roots, we cannot compare to the West. Our Yellow River was not grown well from the very beginning; how could it possibly compare to the Mississippi River?"

"Bullshit." Someone cursed: "Just like Zhou Andong said, Kong Weihua has knelt for too long; he has forgotten how to stand up."

Below, the curses against Kong Weihua rose one after another, wave after wave.

Following that, several students who had received newspapers read them one by one; some supported Zhou Andong, but most were still cursing him or opposing him.

After a few people finished reading, Jiang Yeye held the evening paper and said: "The evening paper also has a painting. The author is a student from the Central Academy of Fine Arts named Song Xiaomei. Everyone, take a look."

Jiang Yeye handed the newspaper to the students in front. More than ten students gathered in a circle and looked at the painting in the newspaper.

In the sky was a full moon, and an angel wearing a suit, with wings, holding a gun in one hand and U. S. dollars in the other.

Below was a clown with a small braid and a big nose, kneeling on the ground very devoutly, looking up at the angel in the sky.

And the name of this painting was: "Foreign Slave."

………………

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Zhou Andong and Seeing Jian Qiu were eating out when the pager in his bag rang. He took it out and saw it was from Wu Chao.

"You eat, I'll go return it." Seeing Jian Qiu got up and walked toward the restaurant cashier: "Comrade, I'd like to make a phone call."

"Go ahead!" The waiter agreed with a smile.

Seeing Jian Qiu picked up the phone and dialed back. After just two rings, Wu Chao answered.

"Chairman!"

Seeing Jian Qiu said: "This is Seeing Jian Qiu!"

"Chairman Jian!" Wu Chao said: "This afternoon, Zhao Hongxing and several reporters went to see Song Ziyi. It was still the same rhetoric: Song Ziyi was pursuing An Qin, the Chairman disagreed, and arranged for people to beat him up."

"Wait a moment, I'll go call the Chairman." Seeing Jian Qiu put the phone aside, turned back, and whispered two sentences in Zhou Andong's ear.

Zhou Andong smiled: "Very clever. The timing chosen is also very subtle. It's exactly when public opinion is fermenting and unfavorable to me. Song Ziyi is also using his status as a returned overseas Chinese businessman to play the victim and splash dirty water on me. Those foreign slaves will definitely use this matter to attack me, thereby ruining my reputation."

Looking at Zhou Andong's calm and composed appearance, Seeing Jian Qiu knew that he had a solution in mind.

"The phone hasn't hung up yet, hurry and go answer it."

Zhou Andong picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, stood up, walked to the cashier, and picked up the phone.

"Dachao!"

"Chairman!" Wu Chao responded hurriedly.

Zhou Andong said: "Do as I say. Find a few media outlets that have a good relationship with us, and let Dabao..."

"Okay!" Wu Chao agreed.

"That's it then." Zhou Andong hung up the phone, took ten yuan out of his pocket, and placed it on the bar counter: "This is for the phone call."

"No need!" The beautiful cashier hurriedly handed the money back to Zhou Andong: "It's just a phone call, why charge for it?"

Zhou Andong smiled. He felt that this cashier girl must have recognized him; otherwise, it would be impossible not to charge for such a long long-distance call.

"Thank you!"

Zhou Andong thanked her, and just as he was about to leave, he heard the cashier girl say: "Zhou... Zhou Andong, can you give me an autograph?"

Sure enough, Zhou Andong guessed right: "No problem."

Zhou Andong picked up a pen and wrote his name in a sweeping, dragon-and-phoenix style on the cover of a notebook the little cashier girl handed him.

The little girl picked it up like a treasure and held it to her chest: "Thank you!"

Zhou Andong put down the pen and said with a smile: "I wish you eternal beauty, lovely girl."

The little girl blushed and said thank you again.

Zhou Andong returned to his seat, and Seeing Jian Qiu said with a smile: "Not bad, after finishing your call, you even knew to wish the little girl eternal beauty."

Zhou Andong gave a dry laugh: "I talked on the phone for so long, and she didn't even want money, so isn't it appropriate to offer a blessing?"

Seeing Jian Qiu rolled her eyes: "Are you finished eating? If so, let's go."

"Finished." Zhou Andong diligently helped Seeing Jian Qiu pick up her bag, "Madam, please!"

"You're incorrigible!" Seeing Jian Qiu said with annoyance.

………………

October 15, 1993, the first day of the ninth lunar month, Friday!

At the Youth Daily, Yan Qidong was holding the Beijing Evening News and looking at that painting. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that the clown with the small braid, the big nose, and kneeling on the ground looked very much like Xie Fusheng. Although the character was drawn somewhat exaggeratedly, the more he looked, the more he thought it looked like Xie Fusheng.

After studying it for a good while, Yan Qidong put down the newspaper, picked up the phone, and quickly dialed a string of numbers.

Soon, Xie Fusheng's voice came through the receiver: "This is Xie Fusheng!"

Yan Qidong took another look at the painting in the newspaper: "Old Xie, it's me."

"Old Yan!" Xie Fusheng recognized it was Yan Qidong's voice: "What's the matter?"

Yan Qidong asked: "Have you seen the Beijing Evening News?"