Riding the wind of rebirth

Chapter 1663: Not Available

"I understand Lao Tu's thoughts best." Wu Renzhong hugged the grown-up Zilong and said with a smile, "He's afraid that after reading the letter, he'll know that you have an academic mission, and he won't be able to order you around like he does now!"

"You, kid, you should respect your leaders." Liu Mei'e seemed to know the character of the grassroots cadres. Although she criticized Wu Renzhong, she smiled and took Zhou Zhi's letter of introduction and read it. After basically confirming that there was no problem, she said in surprise: "What is Elbow? It turns out that his name is Zhou Zhi..."

Then Liu Mei'e's expression suddenly became serious: "Hey, Zhou Zhi, sophomore, Chinese Department of Shu University... You, you were the top scorer in liberal arts in our province that year!"

"Wow! Brother Elbow is so awesome!" Zilong shouted.

"You should call me uncle! Elbow and uncle are from the same generation! So am I. You should call me aunt, not sister!" Shama seemed to have some objections to Zilong calling him sister before, and took the opportunity to propose a change.

"Sister, how do you know it so clearly..." Zhou Zhi was also a little surprised.

"Don't forget that I'm from the Education Committee." Liu Mei'e said with a smile, "You are the top scorer in liberal arts, which is rare in recent years. You also gave up Tsinghua University and Peking University and chose to study Chinese at Shu University."

"Do you know how much of a sensation this incident caused in our system?" After confirming Zhou Zhi's identity, Liu Mei'e's eyes changed: "It's not a perfect bonus, but giving up a several dozen point advantage to choose Shu University is not something that ordinary people can do."

"But now it seems like a good deal. You're doing research in your sophomore year. Did Shu University agree to let you skip a grade before admitting you?"

“Two years of undergraduate study, and another two years directly leading to a master’s degree?”

Zhou Zhi didn't expect Liu Mei'e to come up with so many ideas in such a short time, and quickly said, "I received guidance from Mr. Gu of Shu University when I was in high school. He is a master of ancient Chinese character phonology and exegesis, so I made up my mind very early on to become his disciple. After the college entrance examination, I directly applied to the Chinese Department of Shu University without choosing any other majors."

"As for completing the undergraduate course in two years, it was after I entered the school that Professor Gu arranged the study schedule based on the knowledge I had already mastered. I don't know if he had this idea before, but he never mentioned it before I entered the school."

"Come sit down, come sit down, let's sit down and talk." Liu Mei'e invited Zhou Zhi to sit down. "If that's the case, you should be studying phonology and exegesis under Master Gu, right? Why did you go to Lianhe Township to be a Bimo to collect folk songs? Is there any connection between the two?"

"That's right." Zhou Zhi said, "Yi script is actually much older than Chinese, but its system is a completely independent system of meaning compared to Chinese. There is no direct relationship between the two. However, the Yi phonetic system carried by Yi script has great inspiration for us to decipher the true pronunciation of ancient languages."

"For example, in Chinese, there are no more affricates and stops like // and // in English, but in Yi language, there are still stops and affricates, and depending on the region, there are differences in whether they are nasal or not."

"Because Yi is an ancient language, many of its initials and finals are independent of the Chinese pronunciation system, and can also provide some reference for us to interpret the phonetics of Chinese."

"Of course, this is only the most direct academic connection between the Yi language and the Chinese phonology. In terms of literature, history, and culture, it is even more meaningful."

"For example, in Yi legends, there is a huge flood, just like in Central Plains and Western legends." "For another example, regarding the creation of Chinese characters, the Yi people say that a wise old man named Jilu first carved the images of six kinds of poultry and six kinds of beasts, and recorded years on trees and months on stones, eventually creating the Yi script."

"This legend is similar to the saying that Cangjie created Chinese characters by looking up at the round shape of Kui Star, looking down at the patterns of fish and birds, and pointing at mountains and rivers."

"Generally speaking, preserving the traditional and unique culture of ethnic minorities is one of the important measures to maintain the cultural diversity of our Chinese nation. The Yi language and Yi script, as one of the oldest, most continuously passed down, and relatively widely used ethnic minority languages ​​and scripts, are a very important part of this."

"Our country's current focus is of course on economic development, but if we completely ignore or even completely abandon the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, and wait until we have more material wealth in the future and then turn around to look for spiritual food, I'm afraid we will find that the loss is huge and we can never find it again."

"Good! This classmate said it well!" A middle-aged man in cadre uniform also appeared at the door. He looked somewhat similar to Zilong, with a briefcase under his arm. He was looking at the people in the living room and greeting them: "Renzhong is back? Shama, is this your classmate?"

"Dad!" "Brother-in-law!" Zilong and Wu Renzhong Shama greeted the visitor together.

"No, he is a top student from Shu University. He came to Liangshan for a cultural survey. He happened to be in Lianhe Township and stayed with Renzhong." Liu Mei'e stood up and took the man's briefcase. "I don't know if you remember what I told you about the summer before last. The provincial champion in liberal arts went to Shu University with a score several tens of points higher than the admission line of Tsinghua University and Peking University. It was him! Zhou Zhi, this is my wife, Li Yutang."

"If that's the case, I've heard a lot about you." Li Yutang extended his hand to Zhou Zhi: "It's just that the conditions in Lianhe Township are very difficult. It must be difficult for a college student like you from the provincial capital to adapt, right?"

"Hello, Brother Li." Zhou Zhi stretched out his hands and shook hands with Li Yutang: "It feels good to be with Renzhong. He can adapt, and I can learn from him."

"I..." Wu Renzhong opened his mouth and wanted to say "I can't adapt to it", but Shama Ricong stepped on the instep of his foot, so he knew to shut up.

However, how could these little tricks be hidden from Li Yutang's eyes? He smiled and said, "I know Renzhong's character very well. You don't have to cover up for him, and you still learn from him. He has scolded me a lot in the village, right?"

"I really haven't heard of that." Zhou Zhi said sincerely, "Of course, I just arrived in Lianhe Township. The township is organizing spring ploughing, installing small solar power stations, and installing classroom lighting for children. Renzhong has been too busy these days, so I may not be available."

“Hahahaha…” Li Yutang couldn’t help but laugh happily after hearing what Zhou Zhi said: “That’s why I always emphasize that the grassroots can train people very well! The fact that they were so busy that they even forgot to scold me shows that Renzhong has made great progress!”

"But don't lose the good work style you just learned as soon as you return to the city." Li Yutang had just finished praising him, and before Wu Renzhong had time to be happy, he immediately criticized him: "Who lent you the car at the door? I have told you many times that some people seem to be nice to you, but in fact they want to drag you and the people behind you into making mistakes. Return it quickly, don't you understand the sugar-coated bullet!"

"Brother-in-law!" Wu Renzhong finally managed to be righteous, but immediately shot back: "That was someone else's car. I only touched the steering wheel after I passed Meigu!"

"Your car?" Li Yutang looked at Zhou Zhi in surprise. "Is that a Land Rover? There's a lead and zinc mine owner in Mianning who made a fortune. He drives this car, and I remember it was very expensive."