He now had a premonition that this story would repeat itself in the lives of his grandchildren.
Uncle Sanjiang once said over drinks that the Li family’s ancestral grave had brought about the birth of Yuanhou. Indeed, several years from now, when Little Yuanhou grows up and takes the university entrance exams, it might just happen again.
The university students had been assigned tasks as part of their internships, and it is well-known that young people’s energy is unimaginable. Instead of rushing back to sleep, they gathered around a lightbulb on the dam, took out some snacks they brought, and began a tea party conversation.
Xue Liangliang noticed Li Zhiyuan; he was impressed with the young kid and walked over with a piece of meat floss bread wrapped in oil paper, placing it in front of Li Zhiyuan.
Li Zhiyuan looked up, saw him, and smiled: "Thank you, brother."
"Little friend, are you a local?"
Although he was also working on the river project and was dirty, the child’s clothes and temperament did not seem to be from a rural area, mainly due to the unconstrained and open demeanor that seemed natural to him.
"Yeah, I am. My name is Li Zhiyuan, this is my grandfather, and those behind are my uncles."
"Hehe, my name is Xue Liangliang. You’re in elementary school, right? Which grade?"
Li Zhiyuan nodded; in reality, sometimes he himself found it hard to explain to outsiders which grade he was in, only knowing that once students reached the appropriate age in his class, they would automatically move up to the next level.
There was a time when the old professors were almost tortured to breakdown by each other, then several very young teachers came to teach them, making the mutual ’torturing’ effect improve dramatically, and the scratching of each other’s backs was especially spirited.
It was only later that they found out that these particularly young teachers were the seniors of their class.
"Study hard, aim to get into a good university in the future."
At that moment, someone from the tea party called out, "Xue Liangliang, come get ready, it’s almost your turn to speak."
Xue Liangliang turned and went back to take his seat.
Li Zhiyuan glanced at the group of university students sitting together on the other side, a familiar scene he often saw at school.
Like him, those big brothers and sisters were all students who enjoyed sitting on the campus lawn, playing guitar, reciting poetry, and the boys even liked to grow their hair long to cover their eyes.
Tonight’s tea party topic was about their future prospects—a topic given by the supervising teacher during the internship, which was very in line with his role.
The speaker was Zhao Hequan, a boy from Xue Liangliang’s group who had been doing measurements during the day, and now he was entering the final summary stage of his speech:
"The United States is a country where even the air smells especially sweet.
And my future lies in the United States!
I have already applied to study abroad in the U.S. with my girlfriend, and we will stay there afterward, in the land of freedom and dreams to enjoy our liberties and to realize our life goals!"
As he spoke, his eyes and the bulb above shone with light.
A face intoxicated, yet also full of devotion.
When his speech ended, the students around applauded and cheered.
Currently, in the West, the concept of the American Dream, was sweeping up a storm, especially among the country’s intellectuals and young university students.
After the economic reform, the gap in material life and the impact of Western pop culture were destroying the confidence of this generation with terrifying force.
Going to the United States, staying in the United States, was not something to be ashamed of at that moment, but rather a perfectly normal political correctness.
Even the supervising teachers found nothing wrong with it; after all, the school had already sent out a good number of professors on public funds who simply wandered out with a team and stayed there.
"I also hope that everyone will have the opportunity to go to the United States to search for their life’s meaning. My girlfriend and I look forward to meeting all of you again on the other side of the ocean."
Li Zhiyuan looked up at Zhao Hequan, not using the "Life Chart Calculation Theory" to predict, but simply applied "Yin Yang Face Reading" to assess his facial features.
The results obtained in this way would be less and not quite precise, but Zhao Hequan had rather standard facial features:
[Marital strife, a solitary and widowed life.]
Li Zhiyuan fell into thought: But he seems to get along very well with his girlfriend, so did I calculate it wrong again?
After Zhao Hequan finished speaking, he stepped down, and next up was Xue Liangliang.
Li Zhiyuan handed the meat floss bread to Leizi, who had come back looking dejected after losing all his paper-wrapped talismans, and then closed his book, propping his cheek with his hand, determined to listen to how this brother envisioned his own future.
Xue Liangliang walked into the center of his classmates; he did not raise his head, his expression calm, not overly excited. The brightness from the lightbulb above his back created a halo, almost like the rising sun.
"My future lies in the great Southwest.
My major is in water conservancy, and I believe that the future lies in the Southwest, abundant with water resources—that’s where I want to apply my knowledge.
The geological conditions aren’t well-suited for nuclear power plant construction, but it holds the prospect of rich hydropower generation. The state will definitely invest in the construction of hydropower stations there, and energy is a crucial cornerstone for national industrial development.
I believe that Southwest’s hydroelectric power will not only meet the needs of locals for production and living but will also support the entire nation.
This is a great cause, and I feel honored to integrate my future into it."