A whistle sounded, and the Jinjiang Wharf was about to arrive. Li Jiangbei walked out of the cabin and came to the deck.

The rain is still falling, the rain started at one o'clock last night, it was urgent at first, and then it slowly became lighter. Although it was April, there was still a cool breeze on the deck, and the dense fog locked the mountains on both sides, and Li Jiangbei couldn't see anything except the layers of fog in his eyes. Assistant Xiao Su said: "Professor, it's cold outside, let's go back to the cabin." Li Jiangbei didn't seem to hear it, he wiped the rain from his face and took a few steps forward. The river is surging, the waves are splashing, and Li Jiangbei's heart is also undulating.

Li Jiangbei went to Jianglong County this time to visit the old farmer named Zhang Xingwang. Zhang Xingwang is not yet 50 years old, although he has gray hair, his waist is arched, and his back is hunched, but he is a few years younger than himself. Half a year ago, Li Jiangbei went to Jianglong for research and happened to meet Zhang Xingwang, a petitioner from Jianglong. Zhang Xingwang has a family of six, including a 78-year-old mother and three children. Five years ago, Zhang Xingwang's eldest son was admitted to Jiangbei University, because he was poor, he almost couldn't afford to go to school, and later with the help of the local **, this peasant baby finally arrived in the provincial capital and became the first college student in the history of Wangtian Village. Perhaps under the influence of the boss of the Zhang family, the people of Wangtian Village, who had never been very concerned about going to college, began to dream and began to hope that their son would become a dragon. In just five years, Wangtian Village, with a population of less than 2,000, has produced 28 college students, not including those who are studying in technical secondary schools. It is said that this is a good thing, and the people of Wangtian Village should be happy, and they should kowtow a few times to Wangtian Mountain: such a poor ravine where the emperor is far away and has not produced a single talent for hundreds of years, there are 28 college students at once, which is a great thing! But who knows, before the children's college is finished, the road of petitioning by the people of Wangtian Village has begun, and it is this Zhang Xingwang who takes the lead.

Unlike the boss, Zhang Xingwang's two youngest sons did not exceed the score line, and they only had the opportunity to enter the university after the country's enrollment was expanded, and they did not enter a first-class university, but the last class. This is what Zhang Xingwang said. The second child studied at Yucai College under Jiangbei University of Technology and graduated last year. The third student is at Yangtze University. According to the words "Yangtze University", it sounds louder and better than "Jiangbei University", but it turns out that this is not the case. The third child is in his third year of college this year, but he has been in school for less than two years in total. In another year or so, he was used to sue by the third child and his classmates.

When the students were first enrolled, Yangtze University was under the banner of Jiangbei Business School, saying that it was a branch of Jiangbei Business School, and when they arrived at the school, they knew that it was a private university. It is said that it is not bad to study in a private university, but for the poor children in the ravines, it is very good to be able to study in the provincial capital, how can they still pick and choose? Who made them fail to go online in the college entrance examination! This is the reason, but the matter is not the case. After less than a semester of study, Yangtze University fell into a dispute over illegal school running and false enrollment, and since then, the students' study path has been the same as that of this university, and they have begun to twist and turn, and they cannot find a direction. First, the rented school building was seized by the authorities, and the students had to be transferred to a abandoned warehouse of a company. Then, they were told that they had been cheated out of the high tuition fees they had given to the school at one time, and the school could not even maintain the most basic teaching. That's not all, what worries the students the most is that the 100% employment promised at the time of enrollment has become a blank check, and the employment rate of the first batch of students who walked out of school is currently less than 7%. More than half of the students took their graduation certificates from Yangtze University to employers to apply for jobs, but were told that the diploma was fake and not recognized by the state.

The students are angry, and the parents are angry!

Zhang Xingwang was the first person to stand up for the school theory, his three sons, except for the eldest son, who currently has a job, the second one stayed at home and did not go out all day, claiming that he had spent his father's money in vain, and he was sorry for his father. The third child worries all day about whether he can finish four years of college, he is young, and his hair has fallen out a lot, which is all caused by the school. In April last year, the third child and his classmates demanded that the school unconditionally refund the money and compensate for the losses in the past three years. Easier said than done, want school compensation, joke!

Zhang Xingwang looked for the school first, but the school ignored it, and he continued to look for **. There are 28 college students in a village, and more than half of them have graduated so far, and none of them are employed, except for the boss of their own family, what is this not deception? Zhang Xingwang held a note, which clearly stated the cost of each child in college, and cumulatively, the 28 college students in Wangtian Village have spent more than 2 million yuan over the years. More than 2 million, the family property of the 2,000 people in Wangtian Village added up, and it did not exceed 200,000, and they spent more than 2 million for the sake of their children!

The result? Hit the water!

"So much money, there is still a sound in the water, and the result is ......" This is what Zhang Xingwang said to Li Jiangbei, this farmer who was so excited that he couldn't sleep for three days and three nights because his son was admitted to university, and now his eyes are on fire as long as he mentions the word "university".

Did you let the university cheat? After meeting Zhang Xingwang half a year ago, this question has been hovering in Li Jiangbei's mind. Over the years, Li Jiangbei has done no less than ten surveys around the reform of colleges and universities and the college entrance examination system, and each survey has brought him greater confusion, what happened to Chinese education, especially higher education?

This highly talented student of Peking University in the 60s of the 20th century, a doctor of education from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and a well-known education expert in the mainland, has made a unique voice again and again in the face of the booming Chinese higher education. At the "two sessions" held in Jiangbei Province last year, he set off a huge wave in the committee circles with his proposal to "stop expanding enrollment, straighten out channels, and replace private colleges and universities with vocational education." That's not all, in order to prove that his point of view is right, he also took the initiative to resign from the post of dean of the School of Education of Jiangbei University, and took a few of his graduate students to go deep into the people, collect evidence extensively, and plan to ask their parents for an explanation for tens of thousands of college students who have expanded in but cannot find jobs.

Lunatic! According to Feng Peiming, the current chairman of the Jiangbei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, he is a madman, an out-and-out madman!

Li Jiangbei received a phone call from Shu Boyang at noon yesterday, when he had just returned to Jianglong County from Wangtian Village. Shu Boyang said: "Jiangbei, you will come back soon, the National Political Coordination and Research Group will be here soon, you have to make some preparations in advance." ”

"Didn't you let me participate?" Li Jiangbei asked.

"I don't have your name, but we can fight for it." Shu Boyang sounded excited.

Shu Boyang's voice was rarely so excited, he was a person who was so calm that he couldn't get half a ripple when he inserted a rod. In Li Jiangbei's eyes, almost all the officials are like this, they don't seem to have the joys, sorrows and sorrows of the world, and in their eyes, there are only two words: normal. Therefore, their lives lack passion, and their words and deeds are even more old-fashioned. "When will they be able to get excited?" Sometimes, such a grotesque idea pops up in Li Jiangbei's mind, he thinks, if the ** officials are as good at excitement as himself, dare to be excited, what will the world be like?

Never numb! Li Jiangbei thought so.

Li Jiangbei couldn't figure out what tricks Shu Boyang had used to make him, a very unflattering member, enter the list of only three people. As far as he knows, whether it is the CPPCC or the provincial party committee, they have taken great pains to get these three places.

The research team was finally coming down, and Li Jiangbei's face showed a hint of relief. Is the problem of colleges and universities considered the national economy and people's livelihood? Is it considered a hot spot and difficulty in today's society? Li Jiangbei thought wildly, and his steps to the cabin suddenly stopped, and he turned around again inexplicably and returned to the deck.

The "Century" passenger ship was moored at Jinjiang Wharf at 11:42 p.m., and Li Jiangbei had changed into a beige shirt and a travel bag, and got off the ship behind his assistant Xiao Su. The rain has long since stopped, the pier is full of people, and the air is exceptionally fresh. Since the expansion of Jinjiang Wharf, the passenger and cargo flow have increased significantly compared with before, and it has now become one of the largest wharves in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After the rain, Jinjiang City fully presents its beautiful figure, with ships nearby, Jinjiang Bridge in the distance, the International Building towering in Jinjiang Square, and the faint Jinjiang Industrial Zone in the distance. Looking at this vibrant modern city, Li Jiangbei's heart boiled again.

On the way out of the dock to the parking lot, the figure of a group of students attracted Li Jiangbei's attention. I saw that in the flow of people coming and going, more than 40 young students dressed in the uniforms of Yangtze University held leaflets in their hands, stopping passers-by from time to time and whispering something to them.

"What's going on?" Li Jiangbei asked his assistant Xiao Su vigilantly. Recently, he heard that Yangtze University was encouraging students to petition everywhere and put pressure on **, demanding that the education department revoke several banning orders against Yangtze University and recognize the legitimacy of its school. At the same time, it is required to return the original site of Yangtze University, which has been transferred to foreign-funded enterprises.

"It's students at Yangtze University, and they're handing out leaflets to citizens." Xiao Su said.

"Nonsense, they don't know it's illegal?" Li Jiangbei said that he was about to go over there, but Xiao Su hurriedly stopped him: "Professor, you can't go, if they recognize you, you will be entangled again today." ”

"What, they're going to take me hostage?"

"The hostages don't dare, they will definitely petition you." Xiao Su explained.

"Play the piano!" As soon as the words fell, his mobile phone rang, and it was Shu Boyang who called, asking him if he had disembarked. Li Jiangbei said that he was in the snack square outside the pier, and Shu Boyang told him that the car was parked in the No. 2 parking lot and he was waiting for him in the car.

As soon as he heard that the secretary general came to pick him up, Li Jiangbei had no choice but to dispel the idea of stepping forward to stop the students, but his eyes still stared at the students for a long time. At this moment, Li Jiangbei's mood is heavy, Yangtze University is the first private university in Jiangbei Province, and it was once a banner of reform in Jiangbei's university circles. However, in just a few years, Yangtze University has been reduced to such a point that it has no fixed campus, no stable teaching staff, and even its qualifications have been questioned. Thousands of students are now living in abandoned warehouses, living a life where today does not know tomorrow......

Li Jiangbei stared for a long time before he retracted his gaze unwillingly and turned around slowly. After passing the snack plaza, you will see the entrance to the parking lot.

Li Jiangbei was about to go to the parking lot when a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Professor Li, please wait." ”

Li Jiangbei turned around and saw a girl with beautiful eyebrows looking at him with a smile.

"You're—"

"I'm sorry, Professor Li, for bothering you." The girl smiled sweetly and introduced herself, "I'm Lu Yu, a third-year student in the English Department of Yangtze University, and we have a petition that we want to give to you." ”

"Petition, what do you want?" Li Jiangbei subconsciously straightened his face, and he was more vigilant in his heart.

"We just want to finish our studies, and we have no other intentions." The girl is articulate and generous, and she is not too scared to speak just because the other party is a celebrity in the education industry.

Li Jiangbei sighed, and at the same time blamed himself in his heart, why is everyone suspicious when he sees it now? He politely said thank you and motioned for Xiao Su to take the petition.

At this time, Shu Boyang had already walked out of the parking lot and beckoned to him. Li Jiangbei glanced at the girl again and asked, "Do you know a classmate named Zhang Chaoyang?" ”

The girl said enthusiastically, "Of course I know, he is our newly elected student body president, and lo and behold, he is over there." ”

Following the direction pointed by the girl, Li Jiangbei saw a young man in a white shirt, tall with a small flat head, directing the students to distribute petitions to passers-by in an orderly manner.

Li Jiangbei's eyes flashed Zhang Xingwang's face.

"Professor Li, don't bother you, please go." After the girl finished speaking, she walked away with curling steps. Li Jiangbei was in a trance, feeling that the girl's walking posture was very familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere. The back is also very familiar, but I can't remember it for a while. When he turned around again, he remembered the girl's name: Lu Yu.