[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-171":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294589,4489,"Chapter 171: Li Ye, Shocked","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-171",171,"\u003Cp>When Li Ye and Sun Xianjin arrived at the lecture hall, most seats were already taken, with only a large stretch of front-row seats completely empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to ask—those seats weren’t meant for ordinary students like Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, finding four adjacent empty seats was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bian Jingjing couldn’t help saying, “Is the economics lecture this popular?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Xianjin replied, “Yes, every lecture brings fresh knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was already 1982 and the atmosphere of ideological liberation was strong, much of what was taught in classrooms remained outdated, especially in economics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the demands of industry and manufacturing, disciplines like physics and mechanical engineering had either reached or were nearly aligned with the latest international standards, but economics lagged far behind for many reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, open “lectures” became the most beloved and valuable way to acquire knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once a lecture was announced, not only students from Peking University’s economics department came, but also students from other schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still early now—if they waited longer, the hallways would be packed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, many from the 1982 economics class had arrived; Chen Xiaoling, who always hung out with Zhen Rongrong, stood up and waved at Li Ye and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, Sun Xianjin, come over here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaoling’s call naturally drew attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When people saw Bian Jingjing and Wen Leyu, nearly everyone turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look, that’s the freshman who does high jump.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Who’s the short guy beside him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t know him. Just some nobody.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, there were few female students in university, so attention was normal; Bian Jingjing’s height made it impossible for her to go unnoticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Wen Leyu, at 1.7 meters, stood out like a crane among chickens, but the girl was always reserved and low-key, unlike Bian Jingjing’s eye-catching presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaoling and the others made room by squeezing together, clearing a few seats for Li Ye’s group; Sun Xianjin then found a broken stool from somewhere and managed to squeeze into the aisle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sitting down, Wen Leyu gently nudged Li Ye and asked, “Is today’s lecture about the Japanese?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye nodded slightly, indicating he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very front of the hall hung a banner: “Morioka Michio: Marxian Economics Lecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first four Chinese characters clearly spelled out a Japanese name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the standard format for many lectures then: introduce a foreign economist, detail his research, then collectively study and discuss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morioka Michio was precisely such an economist from Japan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had known the lecture topic in advance, so when Sun Xianjin asked if he’d invite Wen Leyu, he said he hadn’t planned to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Morioka Michio’s research carried Marx’s name and seemed compatible with the domestic environment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the economic conditions differed, and for other reasons, if there wasn’t a fierce argument later, it would be a miracle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu asked again, “So are you here to voice your opinion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Li Ye well—he was a “big Zhonghua-ism” supporter—and assumed he’d come to stir up trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye shook his head. “I only brought my ears today. My mouth’s still in the dorm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu bit her lip, holding back a laugh; she was used to Li Ye’s random bursts of wit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Xiaoling, Zhen Rongrong, and the others laughed; what would become a cliché decades later was still fresh humor in the 1980s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not right,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a student in the front row, hearing the girls’ laughter, turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you’re at Peking University, you must be bolder. We don’t know what unknown difficulties lie ahead—only through vigorous discussion can we uncover gaps and problems, and better build our nation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Caution, self-concealment, and worldly cunning won’t help our society progress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was stunned, caught off guard by this abrupt remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was about to speak, but Zhen Rongrong cut in: “We’re all freshmen—we haven’t accumulated enough knowledge yet. Today we’re here to learn; listening more and speaking less isn’t wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if you’re freshmen? When we were freshmen—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. Be patient with your juniors,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>another student in the front row pulled the first one back and smiled warmly at Li Ye’s group: “He’s just impulsive—don’t mind him. Before you fully understand something, listening more and speaking less is correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impulsive student frowned, whispering to his companion: “Freshmen today are already learning the middle way. When we were freshmen, we didn’t have this much caution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright, the lecture’s starting. I’m warning you—don’t start a fight today! Don’t make us always have to fight your battles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arguing is a great way to learn and grow. You’re just too conservative. Besides, who asked you to help me? Just sit back, watch the show—no, watch me fire away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong and the others were torn between laughter and exasperation—they’d ended up sitting beside a cannon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu tugged at Li Ye’s sleeve, smiling and shaking her head as if to say, “Don’t mind it—Peking University is full of passionate youths like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled and nodded slightly, indicating he didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, university students were brutally direct—like they couldn’t tolerate a speck of dust; if they spotted a small issue, they’d argue for two hours regardless of who you were or how high your status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s university students had lost that passion and persistence; everyone had become pragmatic, unwilling to waste energy on meaningless arguments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This seemingly “rational” shift had sacrificed certain drives and beliefs for progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five minutes before the lecture began, Professor Zhang arrived early, entering through a side door with several young instructors and a group of special students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye spotted Nakamura Naoto and a few foreign students with blonde hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannon in the front row sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How strange! Students sitting with professors? Don’t they feel they’re unworthy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Yu, lower your voice! Don’t make Professor Zhang angry—no one can save you then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not talking about Professor Zhang—I’m talking about those guys up front. Went to Japan, came back acting like gods.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannon clearly feared Professor Zhang; his voice automatically lowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Peking University’s economics department, middle-aged and young professors were called “teachers”; senior professors were called “Mr.”—old-fashioned, but a sign of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though not old, Professor Zhang was a giant in China’s economics circle; even the most arrogant students tempered themselves before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough, cough. Time’s up. Let’s begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Morioka Michio conducted in-depth research on Marxian economics, offering original insights on labor-value theory, reproduction theory, and the transformation of value.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Zhang said not a single word of fluff—he immediately launched into Morioka Michio’s two most famous findings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He proved that Marx’s propositions—“total production price equals total value” and “total profit equals total surplus value”—could both hold true, making his model the closest to Marx’s original intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now you understand why, in this sensitive year of 1982, Morioka Michio was chosen as a research subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of the actual content of his theories, on the surface, they sounded just like our own school!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So everyone in the hall, whether they understood or not, listened intently as Professor Zhang spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong and the others scribbled furiously, trying to record every word of the lecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For freshmen, this knowledge was still too abstruse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong’s hand ached from fatigue; she couldn’t keep up with Professor Zhang’s pace. Frustrated, she noticed Li Ye had nothing in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, didn’t you bring paper or pen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I don’t need them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye possessed the “biological hard drive”—he remembered everything he heard, so he had no need for notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannon in front heard this and turned back, staring at Li Ye several times, as if memorizing his handsome face for a future verbal barrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Go flirt somewhere else—why show off here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one-hour lecture ended quickly. Professor Zhang didn’t just explain Morioka Michio’s theories—he gave many real-world examples,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>discussing Japan’s rise and future prospects over recent decades from economics, sociology, education, history, and other angles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Professor Zhang said: “Therefore, I believe Japan’s economic boom is flawed, distorted,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>we must learn from their experience, but also be cautious of their mistakes, avoiding the risk of collapse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was truly stunned—he’d always felt superior: “Everything you consider unknown, I already know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, Professor Zhang’s closing words showed him what an “economist” truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That year, Morioka Michio had just published “Why Japan Succeeded,” riding Japan’s booming economy to sudden fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in another decade, Morioka Michio would write “Why Japan Will Decline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid Japan’s arrogant claims to “buy the Statue of Liberty,” Professor Zhang had boldly predicted Japan’s decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is brilliance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet nearly everyone in the hall assumed Professor Zhang’s remark was just “Zhonghua-style double-talk”—after all, Zhonghua people always liked to have arguments on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Li Ye and Nakamura Naoto believed otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Zhang drained the last sip of tea from his glass, packed his things, and prepared to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, the floor would open for discussion—but such discussions usually devolved into loud arguments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Nakamura Naoto stood up, blocking Professor Zhang’s path, and said in halting Chinese: “Mr. Zhang, your final statement was profoundly wrong and irresponsible. You must correct it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hall fell silent; even the young instructors were too stunned to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Peking University encouraged free debate, openly challenging a “Mr.” like Professor Zhang was extremely rare—and extraordinarily bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Zhang didn’t anger. He adjusted his glasses and said calmly: “Which of my words do you think is wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nakamura Naoto, agitated, said: “Sir, you claim our nation’s rise is distorted and will collapse—isn’t that clearly wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Zhang replied: “I only said it’s possible. Capitalism’s inherent nature ensures theoretical flaws—other nations have proven this. Your country cannot avoid this risk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Zhang patiently explained a few points—he normally scorned to clarify such basic knowledge, but because Nakamura Naoto was a friend of the guest, he was giving him face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Nakamura Naoto pressed on: “Mr. Zhang, we are different from other nations. Our people are hardworking, diligent, and intelligent—we’ve covered in just decades what took them centuries, creating a miracle that the whole world admires.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in the lecture hall grew awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several professors moved to stop Nakamura Naoto, but Professor Zhang waved them off, telling them not to interfere, letting Nakamura Naoto continue his passionate lecturing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, it was lecturing—Nakamura Naoto’s attitude had become extremely impolite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the recent humility of the Huā people had misled him into misreading their temperament, thinking the mighty Da Rì Empire had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, who had only come to listen, could no longer hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More often than not, “rationality” is a false concept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, in the future, “fighting”—everyone knows that if the other side strikes first, you don’t retaliate, just drop to the ground, pull out your phone, and pick your favorite motorcycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when blood boils and adrenaline surges, how many men would truly stay rational, let the other guy pound them, curl up, cover their head, and claim “invincibility”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s eyes flickered—he noticed the man in the front row, “Old Yu,” trembling with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he was about to fire the first shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve been holding back a fire—how could I let you strike first?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye stood up straight, his voice sharp and stern: “I’m truly sorry, but whether your little day nation thrives or collapses doesn’t depend on your effort, diligence, or intelligence—it depends on another, far stronger nation, doesn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I posted a bit late today, and I didn’t fix all the typos in time—sorry everyone! My apologies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you to my readers for your support, especially to “Pulling a Pig and Running” for the 500-coin tip, and thanks to both of you, seniors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1958,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","06d96ed022a227c5a97dc2a0383d8016a467d520a238940d083e75b2bfba7827","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-172","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-170",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]