“My Motherland”
—If miracles had a color, it must be Chinese red.
Five thousand years ago, we fought floods like the ancient Egyptians;
Four thousand years ago, we played with bronze ware like the ancient Babylonians;
Three thousand years ago, we contemplated philosophy like the Greeks;
Two thousand years ago, we fought valiantly like the Romans;
One thousand years ago, we were immensely prosperous like the Arabs;
And now…
For five thousand years, we have remained at the world’s gaming table, watching the rise and fall of one opponent after another.
If miracles had a color, what would it be?
I say, it must be Chinese red!
“Hiss!!!” Li Yanhong drew a sharp breath, utterly astonished.
Despite having some expectations, Li Yanhong found she had still underestimated this essay.
Impressive! This opening is absolutely stunning!
Eagerly reading on, “This…” Li Yanhong was shocked once more.
“Is this… an argumentative essay?”
Initially judging by the style, she thought it was prose, but as she continued, she realized this candidate had actually written an argumentative essay using prose-like sentences.
The three essential elements of an argumentative essay—thesis, evidence, and reasoning—were all skillfully woven into the prose.
First, “The color of miracles is Chinese red!” This is the thesis.
Then, evidence composed of beautifully crafted prose passages came into view:
“Chinese civilization is one of the five civilizations that independently cultivated food crops.”
“Chinese civilization is one of the four civilizations that independently domesticated livestock.”
“Chinese civilization is one of the seventeen civilizations that independently developed language.”
“Chinese civilization is also one of the earliest civilizations to use iron tools.”
“Foreigners say China is rising! But we say, no, we are reviving!”
“Because, on the world stage, we led the way for thousands of years, and now, we have only been briefly absent for a mere century.”
Reading further, to argue that the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation has existed since ancient times, the text continues:
“China has never lacked miracles, and the Chinese people have never feared adversity!”
“Because, whenever disaster strikes—”
Hunan people would say, “If China is to perish, unless all Hunanese are dead!”
Shaanxi people would say, “Fighting the barbarians at Two Wolf Mountain shakes heaven and earth; what do brave men fear in life or death for the nation?”
Sichuan people would say, “Without repelling the foreign invaders, we vow not to return to Sichuan!”
Henan people would say, “If the nation is broken like this, why should I cherish my head?”
Jiangnan people would say, “Tell passersby not to cover their noses, for the living are not as fragrant as the dead!”
Hebei people also say, “Yan and Zhao have many heroic souls singing mournful songs.”
The people of Guangdong and Guangxi further declare, “Drinking Ice for Ten Years, yet the blood remains hot!”
Northeastern men would say, “Why not fight to the death? Strive to fulfill our heavenly duty!”
This is our China—in a world carved by blades and axes, everywhere there are people unwilling to be slaves!
This is us Chinese—on backs bearing heavy burdens, we carry the unyielding loyal soul of our nation!
Even though—
Our homes were once trampled by the iron hooves of foreign tribes;
Our nation’s gates were once shattered by imperialist cannons;
We were once enslaved and driven by invaders;
We were once abandoned by the entire world!!!
Yet, we have never forsaken China, never forgotten the teachings of our ancestors.
Just as today, when a century flood threatens to engulf the land, the Chinese people build defenses with their flesh and blood, making even the raging waves fear!
Only to forge another miracle, a truth that man can conquer nature!
This! Is the unyielding backbone of the children of China!
This! Is the color of miracles, the color of China!
Go, my color!
Go, my country!
“Excellent!!!”
Li Yanhong slapped the table in admiration.
A veteran Chinese language teacher with over twenty years of experience was actually watching with surging emotions and sweating profusely.
“Marvelous!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
All the examinees stared blankly at the proctor, “Excellent? What’s so excellent about it? Can we even concentrate? We’re in the middle of an exam!”
Xu Qian furrowed her snow-white brow even more, her mind filled with doubt: Could that guy’s work have anything to do with “excellent”? Surely she wasn’t applauding him? What on earth did he write?
Li Yanhong, aware of her own impropriety, cleared her throat awkwardly, then had no choice but to become serious again.
Based on her years of experience, this essay might cause quite a stir.
In terms of style, it blended prose with argumentation—novel enough. Structurally, it was flawless—perfect enough. In wording, it pushed the limits—stunning enough.
Especially that line: China is not rising, but reviving!
In this era where everyone from top to bottom speaks of China’s rise, he actually went against the grain.
Not rising, but reviving!
How much power and confidence did those few words convey? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they pierced through the page.
And most importantly, from the very first sentence, almost every line was packed with knowledge, every sentence alluded to classical references.
For example: “If China is to perish, unless all Hunanese are dead!” comes from Yang Du’s “Song of the Hunan Youth.”
“Without repelling the foreign invaders, we vow not to return to Sichuan!” refers to the Sichuan Army marching out of Sichuan.
“If the nation is broken like this, why should I cherish this head?” is from ***’s “Poem on Facing Execution.”
“Yan and Zhao have many heroic and tragic figures.” comes from Han Yu.
“Drinking Ice for Ten Years, yet the blood remains un-cooled!” is from Liang Qichao’s Complete Works from the Ice-Drinker’s Studio.
Even with Li Yanhong’s expertise, she only recognized these few allusions. As for the rest, even she couldn’t pinpoint their origins.
This, this is the makings of a perfect-scoring essay!
Thinking this, Li Yanhong grew nervous again and carefully reread the entire essay from start to finish twice.
No typos, not even a misplaced punctuation mark.
Li Yanhong’s heart relaxed—excellent!
She couldn’t help but marvel again:
How many years has it been since Shangbei produced a perfect-scoring essay? How many years has it been since the Harbin region saw one?
This is extraordinary!
Casually, she flipped through Qi Lei’s earlier test papers, then tossed them aside disdainfully.
“What is this garbage? Wasting such a fine essay!”
She felt both amused and exasperated—such a poor student, yet with such remarkable writing skills. It was simply a waste.
There was no helping it. This was a system that valued scores and, even more, overall consistency. Any single weakness, no matter how strong other areas were, rendered one useless—unable to get into a good middle school, let alone a top university.
Especially since, aside from this essay, Qi Lei’s performance was a complete mess.
Although Li Yanhong quite liked this student, judging by his grades, no matter how strong his writing ability, he was destined to miss out on quality educational resources.
Three years later, in the college entrance exam, he was fated to remain mediocre.
What a pity!
Just as Qi Lei stunned the proctor with his essay, in Examination Room 14, not far from Room 17, with 20 minutes left until the end of the exam, Wu Ning felt like he wanted to die.
At that moment, Comrade Wu Xiaojian was supporting his gold-rimmed glasses, staring despairingly at the essay prompt and the blank essay paper, untouched by a single stroke of ink.
“So it really is ‘My ____’? How the hell did Qi Lei guess that?”
Wu Ning felt incredibly unlucky, downright cursed.
Among the three brothers, he had the best academic performance. Even if he couldn’t get into a key high school, he was firmly within the paid admission line.
He had performed well in the morning session, thinking he might have a chance to directly cross the key school threshold.
Then the afternoon session gave him this nasty surprise.
Just moments ago, when he saw the essay topic, he was completely stunned. Had Qi Lei actually guessed it right!?
And why hadn’t he trusted his brother? If he had prepared a draft in advance, even just mentally, wouldn’t he be set by now?
Now look at this mess – originally there was plenty of time for the essay, but the shock made him space out for so long. By the time he snapped out of it, there was barely any time left, and he still had no ideas.
Wu Ning wanted to cry. “What should I do? Qi Lei, you bastard, you’ve really screwed me over!”
He cursed Qi Lei in his heart at least ten thousand times.
But what good was cursing? He still had to take the exam! The grand goal of directly crossing the key school line and saving his dad thousands still had to be achieved!
Necessity being the mother of invention, he thought hard and finally decided… he could only cut corners.
Gritting his teeth, he wrote on the answer sheet: “My Father.”
“My father is a leader in the education bureau, busy every single day…”
He proceeded to vividly describe his dutiful leader father like some old farmer, barely finishing just before time was called.
Hmm, not bad! Maybe the grader will give my “father” some face?
So thought the wretched Wu.
…
,
(Next chapter at 8 PM)
Since publishing this book, I’ve seen many familiar faces, repeatedly saying “long time no see”… feeling deeply moved, heart unsettled.
Thanks to Beauty Nanke for being an alliance leader, thanks to “One and Three Parts Poison” for being an alliance leader, thanks to “12 Bugs” for being an alliance leader.
Also thanks to 125, Moonlight, and Xiaoxiao Rainy for their 10k rewards.
And to all the old friends who voted, rewarded, and left messages.
Cangshan loves you all, next lifetime… what was it again? You said it yourselves!