His words finished, the students in the audience couldn’t help looking at one another, feeling that an odd one had suddenly appeared among them.
Some classmates familiar with him lowered their heads and snickered, clearly accustomed to Xue Liangliang’s usual behavior.
However, nearby villagers who were sleeping on the ground were also listening to the commotion of the college students. When Xue Liangliang finished speaking, many shouted "Good!"
At this moment, the one who felt like he couldn’t save his face the most was Zhao Hequan. Although the classmates and teachers didn’t show much, he personally felt that Xue Liangliang was purposely targeting him and couldn’t help but respond with sarcasm:
"Ah, what a poser. I don’t believe for a second that you would turn down an opportunity to go to the United States. Heck, even if it were to South Korea or Japan, you’d go."
Xue Liangliang retorted, "If it’s for study, why not go?"
Zhao Hequan snorted and pointed at him, "See, there comes the truth. Once you go there, you won’t think about coming back. You don’t understand how big the gap between us really is, and it’s a gap that’ll never be bridged."
Xue Liangliang shook his head, "It will be bridged. Under its leadership, we have already made significant development achievements, and the future will only get better."
"But whilst you develop, do you think others aren’t developing too? With such a huge gap, even if they stood still, you could spend a hundred years and still not catch up!"
Xue Liangliang shook his head again, "That’s not possible. This world operates on material principles. Unless nuclear fusion makes a breakthrough and becomes commercially viable, the global market pie is inherently limited. As long as we keep developing, this won’t just be a chase anymore."
Zhao Hequan frowned; he didn’t understand, and neither did the other classmates or even the instructor who looked puzzled.
"Xue Liangliang, what on earth are you talking about? Aren’t we simply the ones lagging behind?"
"We are behind, but it’s not just about chasing. The better our development, the more advanced our industry becomes, the more we can capture of the market and its opportunities. In the future, they won’t just stand there waiting for us; on the contrary, they will continuously regress, approaching us reciprocally.
I believe, in fifty years, our total economy will surpass that of South Korea and Japan."
The classmates stared at Xue Liangliang as if he was a fool, and the teacher couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.
Yet Xue Liangliang continued:
In the future, there’ll come a day when our shipbuilding volume will surpass South Korea’s, our automotive industry volume will surpass Japan’s. Once they lose these industrial advantages, wouldn’t they inevitably fall behind?
As for what you said about staying, maybe it’s true that there are now good living conditions there, but staying doesn’t suit me. I hope the knowledge I acquire can be put to use.
And I do not believe that, in a country where being from different provinces and speaking different dialects can lead to discrimination, going abroad and being in a place where people are of different races and skin colors would somehow not discriminate against you and even provide you with a free platform for growth.
It’s unreasonable because it’s too against human nature."
"Good!" "Good!" "Good!"
The shout of approval from nearby villagers grew even louder, including Li Weihan and his four uncles who also joined in the enthusiasm. Although they didn’t understand many words, something earnest and hopeful touched them deeply, making them feel heartened by the student’s words.
Zhao Hequan was somewhat embarrassed and angry: "You don’t understand, you don’t understand anything, you don’t understand the United States, nor the true essence of freedom."
Another student chimed in: "Xue Liangliang, since you’re so confident, you surely know what will ensure big earnings in the future, tell us, huh."
"We could follow you to learn how to foresee the future, and make money together."
After a moment of thought, Xue Liangliang seriously replied: "According to the development patterns of advanced economies, an economy in a rapid developmental phase is destined to see enormous growth in its real estate industry.
Thus, for a relatively stable investment appreciation, everyone can consider buying properties in the central areas of big cities, even if it means taking out bank loans."
Everyone first paused, then burst into even louder laughter, with many laughing until tears came.
Xue Liangliang sat down as the next student went up to speak.
Yet, many classmates continued to whisper to each other while casting mocking glances at him.
But Xue Liangliang didn’t mind and just continued sitting in his spot, applauding the student who was speaking.
Li Zhiyuan stayed silent, not using fate chart but just silently observing Xue Liangliang’s physiognomy,
[Marriage will thrive, life will be peaceful and long.]
Li Zhiyuan blinked, if this turned out to be the opposite result again, he would truly be annoyed.
The night grew deep, and the tea session had long ended.
The villagers on the embankment had all gone to sleep, and so had the group of college students. However, due to insufficient room inside and the need to avoid male-female mixing, some boys also had to sleep outdoors.
Xue Liangliang and Zhao Hequan were among them.
On the embankment, the snoring continued, resembling a symphony.
Still, everyone had worked hard during the day, so no one had trouble sleeping soundly.
Li Zhiyuan lay next to Li Weihan, using a book as his pillow.
As he slept, Li Zhiyuan suddenly felt cold, which seemed odd as even sleeping outside shouldn’t be so cold this season, especially with the straw under him provided by the elder uncles and the blanket his grandfather had covered him with.
But soon, Li Zhiyuan realized what was happening.