A live-streamed Chinese language lesson under the sky—the ancients were taken aback.

The next day, the canopy opened, and people from all dynasties discovered that the canopy used to tell the story of Kong Yiji was lit up every day, sometimes for a long time and sometimes for a short time.

Keen observers noticed the timetable at the angle of the blackboard; what they saw were the contents of Chinese language classes, which were held every day, so the sky also lit up.

Other courses included something like math, English, biology, physics... It's hard to understand what these courses are. What exactly did students in later generations study?

When Shen Moyan entered the classroom, he was carrying a teacup.

She placed the teacup on the podium and opened her textbook.

"Classmates, today is the last lesson of 'Kong Yiji.' In these lessons, we have read about the entire life of a man, from drinking standing up to disappearing crawling. How many pages did it take? Lu Xun wrote less than three thousand words. Three thousand words, a man's entire life."

She glanced at the lesson plan, then looked up at the students.

"In today's class, I would like to discuss a question with you."

Have you noticed something? When you studied "The New Year's Sacrifice," some of you cried, and you felt sad when Xianglin's wife died.

But what about when we talked about Kong Yiji? Some of you laughed, you laughed when we talked about how to write the character "茴" (huí), remember?

Some people think he deserved it; he got beaten for stealing, and he brought it on himself.

Of course, some people feel sorry for him, but this pity comes slowly, hesitantly, and uncertainly.

Both were people who died under the feudal system, so why did one receive tears while the other received indifference?

This is the question I'm going to answer today.

She turned around and wrote a line on the blackboard: Do you really sympathize with Kong Yiji?

"The first reason, you yourselves have already stated."

Kong Yiji stole books; he did something wrong.

Xianglin's wife did nothing wrong; she was hardworking, kind, and submissive—a perfect victim.

Kong Yiji has a flaw. There is a characteristic of human nature that when a person is hurt, people's first reaction is often not to ask who hurt him, but to ask what he did wrong.

If he made a mistake, then the subsequent harm would be justified.

Should thieves have their legs broken? Nobody seems to think about that.

But this is the most crucial issue in the entire novel.

Should someone lose both legs just because they stole a few books?

"The second reason is that Xianglin's suffering was physical: she was sold, remarried, lost her child, and froze to death."

This kind of suffering can be understood without any education. Anyone who can feel the cold, hunger, pain, and loss of loved ones can empathize with Xianglin's wife.

But Kong Yiji's suffering was spiritual.

He didn't starve to death; strictly speaking, he didn't even die of poverty.

He was eaten by something unseen.

Obsessed with status, by the hierarchy of the imperial examinations, and by the slogan "All other professions are inferior, only studying is superior."

He was penniless, yet he refused to take off his tattered long gown and maintained his meager dignity by laying out nine copper coins.

A farmer who has spent his whole life farming would see this and, based on his life experience, tell him, "You're so poor, why are you still wearing a long gown? Wouldn't it be better to take it off and go back to farming?" He had never worn that long gown, and he couldn't understand why someone would value dignity more than life itself.

Therefore, Kong Yiji's tragedy was not a tragedy for him, but a joke.

She paused for a moment.

"So, when we can't truly empathize, are we willing to admit that there may be a kind of suffering we don't understand, but it is real?"

Who can guarantee they won't make mistakes? Who can guarantee they'll always have smooth sailing?

"If only perfect victims deserve sympathy, then there are very few people in this world worthy of sympathy. If only suffering that we can empathize with is considered suffering, then we will never understand most people."

This is one of the most brilliant themes in "Kong Yiji".

The coldest part of Lu Xun's work is that he lets the readers become spectators in the Xianheng Hotel, laughing at Kong Yiji together.

Then, years later, when you encounter difficulties in life, he appears and asks you: Who are you laughing at? How much does the person in the tattered long gown you are laughing at resemble yourself?

The bullet hit him right between the eyebrows.

Zhang Laoshi was still on the edge of the field when several farmers from the village gathered around him after finishing their work to listen to the sky.

After Shen Moyan finished telling the story of Kong Yiji having his leg broken, Zhang Laoshi suddenly said, "That guy surnamed Ding went too far! Breaking a leg just for stealing a few books? Stealing books isn't stealing a person!"

Old Li rubbed his back, which he had been working all day. "Books are the lifeblood of a scholar, but breaking his leg was definitely going too far."

Under the overpass, an old scholar stood on the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed, sneering.

"Hmph, getting your leg broken for stealing is only natural, isn't it? As the sage said, 'Punishment does not extend to high officials, and etiquette does not apply to commoners.' Ding, the scholar, is a high official, and Kong Yiji is a commoner. What's wrong with beating him?"

Old Sun, who was selling tofu pudding nearby, couldn't help but retort, "Mr. Liu, last time you said Xianglin's wife deserved to freeze to death, and this time you said Kong Yiji deserved to be beaten. How come in your mouth, everyone deserves to die?"

The old scholar blushed, and the surrounding vendors laughed.

Old Sun sighed and said, "To be honest, at first I also thought Kong Yiji deserved it. He stole things, so what's there to sympathize with? But this Mr. Shen said we don't understand Kong Yiji's suffering, and I really don't know what to say about that."

"There is one last reason: differences between genders."

What do society expects of men? "You're a man, so you should support your family, achieve success, and make a name for yourself."

She turned to look at the camera, her voice very soft, but every word was clear.

"Society has never had much patience for men who fail."

It gave them more resources, but also imposed heavier shackles on them.

It tells them to strive for fame, status, and success; if they fail, they are worthless.

Once a man internalizes these standards, he won't even feel sorry for himself.

Kong Yiji refused to take off his long gown until his death, not because he refused to admit defeat, but because he had become one with this standard.

He believed the saying that men must succeed.

He failed, so he deserved it.

He was beaten for stealing books, and he felt he deserved it.

He felt he deserved it when Ding, the scholar, broke his leg.

He never hated the system until his death; he only hated that he hadn't passed the exam.

This is the most thorough form of cannibalism; even the bone marrow is chewed up, leaving not even a vengeful spirit behind.