In 1998, Sprout magazine published a series of articles with the theme of "What to Do with Education", pointing out that middle school Chinese education is facing a huge crisis and is far from being able to meet the needs of the times.

It is in this context that the "New Concept Essay Competition" came into being, and its starting point is to explore a way to return Chinese teaching to the humanistic and aesthetic nature it deserves, so that the Chinese discipline full of lofty ideals, creativity and imagination can truly become a basic discipline to improve the comprehensive quality of students.

The idea is good, but even the organizers could not have imagined how far-reaching the event would be.

Someone summed up the impact of the New Concept Essay Contest in one sentence -

It created the "post-80s" and ruined the post-80s.

The new concept has created many symbols, such as the post-80s, angry youth, young writers, etc., some people take advantage of this to soar into the sky, while more people lose themselves in the hustle and bustle.

Negative effects aside, from an economic point of view alone, the new concept is a success. It really detonated the domestic youth book market, and the OEM youth novel writers were like leeks with urea, cutting off stubble after stubble, and fooling a whole era.

……

After taking a nap at home and staying up until one o'clock in the afternoon, Li Yuan excused himself to go to school and went out to buy a copy of "Sprout".

The magazine was not well known in the north, and it took a few newsstands to find one.

The first thing I do when I buy a magazine is to check the information about the competition. The format of the competition is not complicated, and it is divided into preliminary round and semi-final, of which the deadline for the preliminary round is the end of November.

It was already the beginning of November, and even if it was written and sent out on the same day, he didn't know if the time would come up, and Li Yuan was pessimistic about the efficiency of the postal service.

……

After buying the book, Li Yuan, who had nothing to do, walked to school.

The afternoon class had not yet started, and the classroom was as noisy as ever.

Zhao Min expressed surprise that Li Yuan would come to class, and said, "I also said that I would ask Guo Hua to call you later, why did you come here?"

"Thanks to you, I have more headaches to do now. ”

Li Yuan flipped the magazine to Zhao Min.

"New Concept Essay Contest?" Zhao Min had a strange expression, "Can you do it?"

"Remember not to ask men such questions in the future. Li Yuan picked up the magazine and knocked Zhao Min's head.

Zhao Min grabbed the magazine, flipped through it a few times, and threw it on the table: "It's boring, it's better to read my "Science Fiction World". ”

Zhao Min said and took out a brand new science fiction world from his desk and said, "It's boring to write essays, can you write a science fiction novel for me?"

"Did I knock my head, where did the hallucinations come from?"

Li Yuan joked, picked up the science fiction world and flipped through it, and remembered that he had read this magazine, but that was "twenty years ago", really speaking, who else is more science fiction than his own experience?

"Have you figured out how to write your essay?" Zhao Min was dissatisfied with his attitude of flipping through the books, took away the magazine, and asked, "Are you confident of winning the award?"

Li Yuan shook his head.

As a reborn, Li Yuan knows that the so-called new concept is a spoils sharing competition, as long as you pay attention to the list of previous winners, you will know that talent is not a shortcut to life, and having a good father is the key.

Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a little excited.

"Forget it, don't write it. Li Yuan decided to give up.

"That's giving up?" Zhao Min was unhappy when he saw this, "How do you know if you don't try?"

She spread out the magazine, pointed to an article on it, and said, "You see, people are also high school students, and they can publish novels......

Li Yuan glanced at it, it was a very ordinary novel in the campus science fiction section.

"Who knows if it was copied. ”

"It's a skill to be able to copy!"

It's a mouthless statement.

Li Yuan looked at "Science Fiction World" in Zhao Min's hand and couldn't help but recall a past event.

"Science Fiction World" is the main front of Chinese science fiction, giving birth to many "great gods", such as Liu Cixin, Wang Jinkang, He Xi, etc., but Li Yuan's most impressive authors are not them.

The author he was most impressed by was named Jiang Chunlong.

If nothing else, next April's "Science Fiction World" will publish a campus science fiction work called "Paper Age", written by Jiang Chunlong, a student at the High School Affiliated to Jinmen University.

Probably because of the resonance caused by his fellow student status, Li Yuan has been tirelessly submitting articles to "Science Fiction World" for a long time, hoping to satisfy his small vanity.

Although Li Yuan's junk manuscripts were never chosen, this did not prevent him from seeing Jiang Chunlong as a guiding stone on his creative path, but ironically, it was not until he was in college that he learned that the novel was plagiarized, and the original author was actually Zheng Yuanjie, a veteran fairy tale writer......

Jiang Chunlong is undoubtedly good at copying, but compared with some writers who concocted new concepts, his methods are really not worth mentioning.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan suddenly couldn't suppress the bad taste in his heart.

The monk can touch it, but I can't touch it?

……

Touching the nun's head should also pay attention to technique.

What kind of articles are suitable for competition?

Li Yuan replied: Sensationalism.

He took out a pen and paper and carefully wrote the title on the manuscript paper - "A Mad Dog".

……

The short essay was completed overnight, and it was snatched by Zhao Min as soon as it was written.

"A policeman killed a mad dog, and witnesses told an angry ...... about it"

The story is not long, Zhao Min read it quickly, and laughed back and forth.

"Hahaha, how did you come up with that?"

"I'm sorry, I copied it. ”

"Hey, really, where did you get it?"

Li Yuan didn't answer her, he couldn't tell her that this kind of joke would be rotten in the future life.

Zhao Min smiled enough and asked, "Are you going to take it to the competition?"

"Can't you?"

"It's not that it can't be, but there isn't even a famous saying, can the judges see it?"

Zhao Min's views represent the general attitude of contemporary "cultural people" towards literature.

In the literary and artistic circle in the 90s, literary and artistic pretenses were very popular, if an author didn't know how to talk about Nietzsche, Sartre, and Hegel, it was a manifestation of uneducatedness, and even the national father-in-law didn't spend Qian Zhongshu and his old man over and over again for many years?

Unlike someone who claims to be well-read and is actually better at driving, Li Yuan has really read a lot of books, or rather, really pretended to be a lot of coercion.

If he really goes for the award, he doesn't mind writing the article with flowers, but his goal has changed, and disgusting people are the most important thing.

……

Of course, it would be better to win the prize.

The first essay contest was full of fog, but one thing is worth affirming, that is, there are only a handful of second-generation contestants in the true sense, and the judges will not stuff their children into the list of participants until the effect is out.

Even so, if no one helps, Li Yuan won't even be able to catch up with the first test, let alone win the award.

Who should I call for help?

Guan Xuedao was ruled out first. He may have connections, but he will definitely not accompany Li Yuan to mess around.

What about Qiao Ruonan? Li Yuan felt that if she brought it up, she should be able to help, but subconsciously didn't want to trouble her with this kind of thing.

After thinking about it, a person appeared in Li Yuan's mind.

……

"Knock Knock Knock ......"

"Please come in. ”

Li Yuan pushed open the door of the principal's office and found the old principal Li Hongfei sitting at his desk reading a newspaper.

"Hello Teacher Li!" Li Yuan bowed.

"It's you," Li Hongfei put down the newspaper and asked with a smile, "Is there anything to do with me?"

"That's ......"

Li Yuan didn't go around in circles, and directly explained his intentions.

“…… Send it out now, it's too late, I don't know if Mr. Li has a way?"

"I'll look at the article you wrote. ”

Li Hongfei picked up the manuscript paper and read it carefully, took a sip of water from the tea jar, and said: "I have read the article on the sprout, do you know why they are holding this competition?"

"To put it mildly, it's because I'm not satisfied with the current Chinese teaching. Let's say it's to train a new generation of writers......"

"Hmm. Li Hongfei nodded again and again, very satisfied with Li Yuan's answer, and said: "I don't think your article is critical of education. ”

"I don't think there's a problem with language education. ”

"Oh?" Li Hongfei was surprised.

"Middle school Chinese cultivates listening, speaking, reading and writing, teaching people to apply, not to teach people to create. ”

Li Yuan said lightly: "Chinese education is not for cultivating literary families, creativity comes more from life, and it is very irresponsible to rely on the school to take responsibility." If you want me to say, the current situation of the lack of green and yellow in the domestic cultural circles is precisely the ...... caused by the literary and artistic workers themselves."

"This is a novel statement, is it your own idea?"

"yes. ”

"Then tell me, why is it caused by the literary and artistic workers themselves?"

"Does Mr. Li usually watch movies?"

"Very little to see. ”

"I don't watch it very much, mainly because the current movies are too boring...... Let's take movies as an example, there are not many people who like to watch domestic movies nowadays, unless they are organized by units, ordinary people rarely go to the cinema, watch CDs and videotapes at home, and mainly watch films from Hong Kong and Taiwan...... Film is an art, and art pursues elegance and common appreciation, and domestic filmmakers excessively pursue elegance and connotation, for fear that others will see through what he wants to express at a glance. The problem is that ordinary people watch movies for entertainment, not for education...... If the laity can't accept high art, they won't buy it, and if no one buys it, it will be a problem for the artist to even survive, and naturally he will no longer be able to create......"

"Detached from the masses. Li Hongfei said in one word.

"It's the same with literature. Articles are meant to be read, not to show off their knowledge, and while writing incomprehensible articles, strange people are unwilling to spend money on books, isn't it—"

Li Yuan braked in time and swallowed both the Biao smashed and the archway into his stomach.

"It makes sense, I believe you wrote it yourself. ”

Li Hongfei patted the manuscript paper on the table, and Li Yuan's face couldn't help but turn red.

"One last question. Li Hongfei asked, "Since you don't plan to criticize education, why do you want to participate in this competition?"

"To be famous. Li Yuan said frankly: "Although I don't agree with their views, I think this competition will cause a sensation, Zhang Hailing also said, it is necessary to become famous as soon as possible, I think this is an opportunity." ”

"What about after becoming famous?" Li Hongfei asked again.

Li Yuan rolled his eyes, and said a good question, why do you still ask?

Anyway, I still have to answer.

"To be famous is to make money. I usually like to write, if I don't have a reputation, no publishing house will deal with a junior high school student, and if I am famous, it is different, even if I talk nonsense, it will be regarded as a wise saying. ”

Li Yuan tempted like a demon: "And you think, if I am famous, it means that our school is famous......"

"Schools can't teach students like you. ”

Li Hongfei was helpless, and he didn't know whether to be happy for Li Yuan's honesty or worried about his utilitarianism.

Li Hongfei thought about it for a long time and finally made a decision.

"Some of my classmates work in Shanghai, I will fax your manuscript and ask someone to help you register, as for whether you can be selected, it is not my bad old man's ......"