Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Team Leader Liu was clearly itching for a fight. "Well... he did say it was him last time, but maybe, how should I put it, he got it wrong. Perhaps he was just answering his own question."

The old man was trying to save face.

Teacher Wu smiled and shook his head. "I think it's unlikely. This article in the New Taipei Daily is signed by Tadokoro, and he even used phrases like 'laymen shouldn't instruct professionals.' I think he's quite dissatisfied."

"Sigh." Team Leader Liu showed obvious dissatisfaction.

This Teacher Wu is interesting; he's clearly trying to embarrass Team Leader Liu.

Just then, He Lin finished washing the tea set and walked into the office from outside. She glanced at Li Zhao standing next to Huang Keyun, didn't say anything, and just picked up the newspaper to read.

Teacher Wu wanted to light a cigarette, but seeing Li Zhao put it back in his pocket, he started making tea instead. "I think the article on livability written by Si Kou Dao is quite thought-provoking. He must be a scholar, but different from the various so-called experts outside. He is very good at starting from the perspective of us ordinary people and seeing the big picture from the small. This time, the toxic chicken soup is also of this kind of meaning."

"Toxic chicken soup is an interesting term," He Lin nodded. "From a journalism perspective, it's a very concise term and easy to spread."

"But I'm afraid the level of expertise required is hard to say," Liu said in a muffled voice.

"What do you mean by Group Leader Liu?" He Lin immediately followed up.

"Tadasaku is the director of the New Taipei City Planning Institute. He's a very high-ranking person, not someone some small fry can easily mess with."

Is she directly siding with Tian Li, once again using "I have a good relationship with him" to cover up the embarrassment of her boasting being exposed?

Li Zhao chuckled to himself.

They didn't even notice that Huang Keyun was so anxious about not being able to look up words in the dictionary that she started rubbing her thighs.

"I don't know much about planning, but I think what Tian said might be a bit of an overreaction?" Teacher Wu went straight to the point. "I think the statement 'development is the greatest form of livability' is too abstract, and the emotions are a bit too strong."

"You see someone pretending to know everything publishing their article in the South China Weekly. As a professional, you're anxious too." Liu felt he had grasped the argument.

"But... Hua Nan Weekly is the number one publication in the South. If Tadokoro wants to refute, he should publish it in Hua Nan Weekly. What's the point of New Taipei Daily?" Teacher Wu said with a smile.

That makes sense. The New Taipei Daily is only slightly better than some low-quality media outlets. With the rise of independent media in the future, its influence will be less than that of many individual bloggers of similar size...

In his previous life, Li Zhao could only get published in the South China Weekly by his own ability. The New Taipei Daily was practically begging for his articles, and he was always available to come and go as he pleased.

Liu's expression over there was already very dark.

"What do you think, He Lin?" He wanted He Lin to join the battle.

He Lin had a sudden inspiration: "Li Zhao, come here."

Have a student come over and judge, even if they don't understand it, and then the topic can be smoothly shifted to "kids these days have such poor reading skills," thus successfully defusing the awkward situation.

That was absolutely divine.

Li Zhao said something to Huang Keyun and then went over. Teacher Huang breathed a long sigh of relief and immediately began flipping through the dictionary.

"Come on, Li Zhao, the teachers are talking about two articles from the newspaper. Take a look, and while Teacher Liu is here, let's discuss them."

After saying that, He Lin smiled and turned to look at the two Chinese language teachers, "This is Li Zhao, who ranked first in our class's diagnostic test."

Team Leader Liu raised an eyebrow. "Oh! That kid who was added to the English finals at the last minute, right?"

"Yes."

Ms. Wu nodded. "I heard from Ms. Huang that your English level is exceptionally high."

The three teachers started chatting, leaving Li Zhao watching from the side.

Li Zhao only read Tian Li's "Development is the Greatest Livability - A Unified Answer to the Current Question of 'Livability'".

Just by looking at the title, Li Zhao recalled the way Tian Li spoke.

They are arrogant and self-righteous, while using some rather awkward connecting words.

Before their casual conversation had even ended, Li Zhao placed the New Taipei Daily newspaper on the coffee table. "Teachers, I've finished reading it."

"Oh, and this one too, the South China Weekly..."

"I watch it regularly."

"Well, not bad." Teacher Wu nodded again. "These two articles are directly contradictory, did you see that?"

"Um."

Which article do you think is better?

"Four-word knife, South China Weekly is still the top publication in the south. The quality of the articles selected by the editors is excellent, and its professionalism is far superior to that of New Taipei Daily."

Li Zhao gave the conclusion directly.

He Lin was taken aback for a moment. Team Leader Liu immediately put down his teacup. "Child, I'm going to give you your first lesson. The quality of an article should be judged by its content, not by where it's published. Even the South China Weekly has rubbish articles. At such a young age, judging a book by its appearance is not good."

"Liu is right. I'll talk to him about it later. How can a kid understand this kind of article..." He Lin said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

"It is precisely from the content that I have made this judgment."

Li Zhao's words interrupted the relaxation of the four people: three Chinese language teachers who had no intention of seriously chatting with Li Zhao, and Huang Keyun, who had just looked up a word and was now gossiping.

"In my opinion, regardless of whether Si Kou Dao's article is correct or not, at least it is reasonable and well-founded, and at least it has substance. In comparison, Tian Li's article is pure garbage, utter nonsense, and utterly repulsive."

The entire office fell silent.

Even the math teacher who was listening to MP3s in the corner quietly took off his headphones to watch the drama unfold.

"Li Zhao! How dare you talk like that?" He Lin was anxious, but because of Li Zhao's previous "threat," she managed to control her emotions.

"Teacher He, children speak without thinking," Teacher Wu said cheerfully. "Come on, Li Zhao, right? Tell me, how exactly does he stink so badly?"

"Leaving aside the technical details..."

As soon as this opening line appeared, Liu Zu and He Lin exchanged glances—this kid's showing off.

"Starting from the article itself, Tian Li's article is actually about emphasizing the importance of urban development. The specific arguments are all written from the perspective of seeking development through urban expansion, and it doesn't mention livability at all. He wanted to respond to the question about urban livability, but he kept talking about the importance of development. Apart from a conclusion that sets 'livability' against 'development,' where is the livability he's talking about? This is completely off-topic."

Liu Zu frowned, preparing to respond to Li Zhao, when he heard Li Zhao say, "That's one thing."

Ok?

"Secondly, from a professional perspective, this is a piece of garbage with no academic value. Currently, cities across the country are judged solely by their GDP, and it is generally believed that city size equals city strength. The academic community encourages large cities to expand outwards and build new districts, and development is the mainstream. Mentioning this point alone is meaningless."

The article equates urban expansion and increased built-up area with economic growth, which oversimplifies a complex issue. Livability and development are not mutually exclusive. Blindly carrying out large-scale demolition and construction may not only lead to hollowed-out new cities and inadequate supporting facilities, but also cause irreversible damage to historical and cultural heritage and the ecological environment.

"The essence of seeking development is also about improving people's livelihoods. If development destroys livability and then we have to spend a lot of money to restore it, what does that have to do with the word 'planning'?"

The entire office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The math teacher silently put his headphones back on and disappeared into the corner.

The three language teachers were stunned and momentarily dazed.

Who is this person in front of me?

Is he a sixth-grade student?

Are we the Chinese language teachers at this school?

"Moreover, the article makes no attempt to conceal its admiration for Western-style urban planning, and completely fails to consider or explore the planning paths of New Taipei City, Linjiang Province, or even the entire country. The trend of wholesale Westernization has long been criticized by academia. Professor Wang Zhi criticized this approach in his book 'City Walls' in 99, and even today, some people are still using it as a 'unified explanation' in newspapers, so..."

Li Zhaoyi shrugged:

"I would say this article is pure garbage."

Huang Keyun even stopped breathing.