He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Lin Jing stared at the slightly worn red book on the coffee table, remaining silent for a long time. Her breathing slowed considerably, and her gaze lingered on the large, gilded characters.

Zhao Shuyao didn't urge him. He picked up the glass of water and took a sip of warm water. He knew that the previous discussion about the historical context and personal prospects was too information-dense, and the other party needed time to digest this cross-dimensional intellectual shock.

Ten seconds later, Lin Jing looked away from the book and picked up the ballpoint pen again, but stopped just as it touched the paper of the notebook.

"Zhao, classmate." Lin Jing's tone underwent a subtle change. The professional scrutiny that belonged to the editor-in-chief of an official media outlet faded away, replaced by an attitude of seeking knowledge from an equal perspective.

"The power this book has given you has indeed exceeded my previous understanding. However, what we have just talked about is the grand history and the past, and even the anxieties of our generation."

Lin Jing leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed on Zhao Shuyao's eyes.

"I'm very curious now. You have such a deep understanding of history, so when you walk around campus or on the street, what do you see when you look at the present and the future with that perspective?"

Zhao Shuyao put down his water glass, looked at Lin Jing, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

"I see the confidence behind it." Zhao Shuyao gave his assessment without any hesitation.

"Confidence?" Lin Jing repeated the two words, raising her eyebrows slightly as she quickly searched her mind for the current state of public opinion.

In early 2016, the internet was still filled with a lot of blind yearning for life overseas and criticism of various phenomena in our society. She did not feel that this "confidence" had become a consensus in the whole society.

"Yes, confidence." Zhao Shuyao interlaced his fingers and rested them on his knees. "Reporter Lin, when we discuss social sentiment, we always tend to focus on those of us in our twenties, or those of you in your thirties and forties."

Zhao Shuyao shook his head, a relaxed smile curving his lips.

"This is actually a blind spot. If everyone really wants to see the future direction of this land, there is absolutely no need to listen to those so-called experts sitting in forums and talking big." Zhao Shuyao stretched out his right hand and pointed out the window.

"When you get off work, go stand at the gate of the primary school more often and listen to the children born after 2010. What are they thinking?"

Lin Jing was stunned for a moment; this radical suggestion caught her somewhat off guard.

"Elementary school students?" Lin Jing's confusion was undisguised. "Children's words are indeed interesting, but expecting six or seven-year-olds to have insights into the future direction of society is a bit too far-fetched, isn't it?"

"Not at all," Zhao Shuyao immediately denied. He leaned back, placing his hands naturally on the sofa armrests, exuding an absolute sense of control.

"Reporter Lin, do you think that our generation, even someone like me who studied history in university, has a lingering sense of inferiority deep down?" Zhao Shuyao asked, and without waiting for an answer, continued to press the issue.

"Yes, whenever people see new technologies emerging from abroad, whether it's mobile phones or cars, their first reaction is always: We are still far behind, we still have decades to catch up. Even if we have done well, many people still dare not say loudly that we are very strong."

Lin Jing tightened her grip on the pen, and this statement precisely captured the prevailing mindset of many intellectuals and media professionals today.

"Yes," Lin Jing nodded with deep feeling, and sighed, "This is also something we often feel ashamed of when we do news reporting. We often see our own shortcomings in many cutting-edge technologies and industrial manufacturing."

"When facing the outside world, our generation always feels that we need to keep a humble attitude to learn, and we rarely have that kind of absolute confidence that stands tall and proud."

After listening, Zhao Shuyao suddenly laughed. His laughter was clear and resonant, with a penetrating clarity.

"That's the key point." Zhao Shuyao's laughter subsided, his eyes brightening. "But reporter Lin, go look at those children who are still in kindergarten or elementary school. Go ask them what they think of us?"

Zhao Shuyao spread his hands and began to imitate the scene he had observed.

"In their eyes, there is no concept of 'we are inferior to others' at all." Zhao Shuyao's speech quickened and his emotions began to rise. "They see high-speed rail lines crisscrossing on the map and they take it for granted; they see our space station plan announced and they think it's our own backyard."

"When these kids see foreigners showing off a certain technology in the news, their first reaction is not to look up in admiration, but to think, 'What's so great about that? We can make it right away.'"

Lin Jing's eyes widened little by little as she recalled her five-year-old nephew's daily behavior and his natural affinity for everything in China, which perfectly matched Zhao Shuyao's description.

"This confidence truly comes from their very bones." Zhao Shuyao tapped the sofa armrest lightly with his knuckles, producing a dull thud. "Those seemingly insurmountable technological gaps and historical burdens in our eyes are nothing to them."

Lin Jing was completely captivated by this perspective, put down her pen, and leaned forward again.

"How did this happen?" Lin Jing's eyes were full of curiosity. "Why is it that on the same land, with only a difference of ten or twenty years, the gap in people's understanding and perception is so vast? Is it simply because living conditions are better now?"

Zhao Shuyao looked at Lin Jing and presented an extremely rigorous logical deduction.

"The abundance of material conditions is only superficial; the real core lies in the reshaping of the 'foundation of the times.'" Zhao Shuyao gestured with his hands in mid-air to form a huge basic framework.

"Reporter Lin, you can make a comparison. In the course of our country's development, there is a generation that is very similar to today's children." Zhao Shuyao posed the question, then quickly revealed it: "That is the older generation born in the 1950s."

Lin Jing's mind raced as she tried to find common ground between the two generations.

"People born in the 1950s witnessed the re-establishment of order on this devastated land. Although they experienced extreme material deprivation, their inherent confidence in 'daring to change the world' was extremely strong." Zhao Shuyao's voice was steady, each word deliberate and forceful.

"Now, the post-2010 generation was born when the country was already the world's second largest economy. They did not have to go through the long waiting period of having to be mindful of others' opinions in the international community. Their perception was set from birth at a level where they could look down on the world and even look down on certain corrupt systems."

Zhao Shuyao smiled, his eyes filled with confidence about the future.

"I believe that in ten years," Zhao Shuyao's tone became drawn out, "when these children grow up to be fifteen or sixteen years old and have a complete sense of self, they will be more confident than they are now. In their eyes, those foreign filters will not exist at all."

"Nothing is better than the land beneath our feet. This is the most precious spiritual wealth left to us by generations of people who have worked so hard to develop the country and by those who have worked silently."

The suite fell silent.

Lin Jing sat there, her mind replaying Zhao Shuyao's deduction. The shift from the weight of history to the precise portrayal of the new generation was astounding. This graduate student in his early twenties possessed an incredibly broad range of ideas.

Today's interview, which was originally intended to explore the online controversy, has been transformed into a large-scale cognitive lesson about the nation, ethnicity, history, and future.

"This is so different." Lin Jing nodded repeatedly, letting out a heartfelt exclamation. Looking at the young man before her, her eyes held a deep respect. "Zhao, you've truly taught me a valuable lesson today."

"I used to always analyze macroeconomic data and focus on the pain points of various social problems, but I neglected this most fundamental cultural gene reshaping."

Lin Jing tidied up the documents at hand, and the smile on her face became very warm.

"Just like you said, this is the whole meaning of our generation's hard work from dawn till dusk every day." Lin Jing's tone revealed relief. "We endure anxiety and face the gap so that these children can show this different kind of confidence when facing the outside world, and no longer have to walk with their backs bent like we used to."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuyao did not immediately respond, but instead turned his gaze to the window.

An extremely complex emotion surfaced in his eyes, a profound emotion that had settled after two lifetimes and extensive reading of historical materials.

"Of course." Zhao Shuyao turned around, his smile carrying an indescribable clarity. He looked at Lin Jing, his voice softening. "It's not just about helping them stand tall. Actually, many times, when I hear these children online or in real life, speaking patriotic words in their purest voices..."

Zhao Shuyao paused for a second, organizing his thoughts, trying to express the deepest romance in his heart.

"I often have a very strange illusion." Zhao Shuyao rested his elbows on his knees, interlaced his fingers, and rested his chin on his hands. His gaze became extremely deep.

Lin Jing held her breath, waiting for him to continue.

"Reporter Lin, I am an extremely staunch materialist," Zhao Shuyao said, enunciating each word with solemnity. "However, whenever I look into these children's eyes, listen to their undisguised love for this land, and feel their unreserved confidence..."

Zhao Shuyao's eyes were slightly red, but he controlled his emotions very well, and the corners of his mouth still had that gentle smile.

"I can't help but think about it." Zhao Shuyao's voice echoed in the quiet room. "I always think about those martyrs who ate frozen potatoes in the snow, who died heroically on the execution ground, who closed their eyes because they couldn't see the good life we ​​have today..."

Zhao Shuyao's Adam's apple bobbed again.

"Could it be that the purest of them have returned in this way?"

The moment those words were uttered, the air in the suite seemed to freeze instantly.

The cameraman next to him, who had been holding the camera the whole time, suddenly trembled and quickly steadied the machine with his other hand, his eyes welling up with tears.

Lin Jing felt a buzzing in her brain, and every hair on her body stood on end. It was a soul-stirring shock, an ultimate romance that transcended life and death, and crossed the dimensions of time and space.

A history student studying the suffering of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a materialist well-versed in the "Selected Works of Teachers," used this conjecture, which almost contradicted his beliefs, to express his highest respect for this land and the martyrs.

"Their thinking, their confidence, are completely different from those of us middle-aged people who grew up in peacetime. That clarity and determination is so much like theirs." Zhao Shuyao put down his hands and straightened his body again. "Every time I think of this possibility, even though I know it is not scientifically sound, I am still deeply moved."

Lin Jing blinked rapidly a few times, trying to suppress the tears welling up in her eyes. She took two deep breaths and forced herself to keep her voice steady.

"Yes," Lin Jing's voice had a noticeable nasal tone, "That's absolutely true. If that's really the case, then everything we're doing now has even more reason to not back down. Seeing the children like this, our future has even more hope, doesn't it?"

"Of course." Zhao Shuyao's smile was bright and clear, without a trace of gloom. "More than anyone else, I hope that our lives today, where we don't go hungry or suffer from foreigners, can truly be seen by those martyrs."

"If they really saw all of this through the eyes of these children, I believe they would be extremely happy."