There is no shortcut to success.

One late autumn morning, in the square in front of the provincial capital station, a middle-aged woman in plain clothes was waiting for the train home. The lonely figure paced back and forth, thinking about what his son said when he left him in the morning, with mixed feelings. A stream of heat rushed to my heart and kept wiping his eyes behind my back. Her son suddenly grew up overnight and suddenly realized that knowledge is not achieved overnight, but accumulated over time, and success depends on down-to-earth steps. Even if you take a shortcut to achieve your goal, it's not true. Fake is fake after all. Get a fake diploma, and you'll end up hurting yourself.

Funnily enough, when she came to the provincial capital for the first time, she couldn't buy a ticket herself. There are so many ticket booths in the station that she doesn't know where to go. It was her son who led her to buy a ticket yesterday, telling her all the procedures, which exit to take and which platform to wait for the bus. Because it is the first time that she has been away from home, she has never taken a train and has entered middle age. She knows less about going out than her own children. She only abides by death, be a good housewife, stay at home, obey the rules of motherhood, raise her children wholeheartedly, work hard without regrets, and turn a deaf ear to things outside the window.

She studied well at school, but she finally gave up her studies because her family was poor. Her greatest wish is to see her children successfully admitted to the ideal university without regret. So as long as the child has any needs about learning, she will spare no effort to do it, including helping the child cheat.

She paced back and forth, still thinking about the problem. Shall I help my son or hurt him this time? She couldn't figure it out and began to hate herself. Why did she suddenly have this idea? The child is very confused, how should I follow? Over and over again.

Yesterday, she came all the way to see the headmaster, a headmaster of the Academy of Fine Arts. She even used such despicable means to launder money, but she wanted to help others. It's humiliating to think about it. Unexpectedly, as a mother, sometimes for the future of her children, her IQ is zero. She was haunted by this terrible nightmare last night.

In the box of a hotel, a rich banquet was filled to welcome a mysterious guest. She was as anxious as sitting on a needle carpet, while her son went out and looked around again and again. After waiting for more than three hours, the delicacies on the table were cold, and mysterious guests appeared in the box. He was burly and handsome, and he liked him at first sight. After all, he is a highly educated person. How can it be compared with ordinary housewives like us? As long as someone is willing to come here to meet them, it is a great honor. He introduced himself politely: "I, the president of the Academy of Fine Arts, am the main person in charge of this year's training class ..."

And she knew that she was the parents of the students without introducing him, because her arrival was his suggestion, and she sat down separately after a few commonplaces. The purpose of this visit is self-evident. Since time is limited, we can talk over dinner and get down to business.

"I have read your son's works carefully. His paintings are very dull and have no aura. There is still more than a month before the exam. No matter how hard you paint, it is difficult to make a breakthrough in such a short time. The only way to achieve something in this respect is to take shortcuts through some relationships. Of course, only I can do this shortcut, and there is nothing you can do. If you don't see that your child is not bad at ordinary times and still has some talent, just because the study time is too short, it is a plastic talent with a little processing. I'm willing to take a chance. I am also a valuable talent. I just gave him a nudge that day, but the child's "understanding" is still quite high. I don't know how your family's economic conditions are. The headmaster asked tentatively.

"As long as it is good for the children's future, we can do whatever it takes." She also wants to test his ultimate goal.

"As long as you are willing to spend money, it will be easy." He said with a smile.

"What's the shortcut?" She then asked.

"I'll tell you one thing first. I think you are also a real person. Just say hello to the examiner first and tell them not to be too harsh when grading. As long as you are willing to pay the fee, I will arrange the rest, and you will wait for the result. " He said mysteriously.

"Then how much can we pay for this at most?"

"At least two hundred thousand?"

"two hundred thousand?" When my mother heard this, everything went round and round. She saw that the face of the person sitting opposite her was double-edged. She couldn't believe her ears. This is not a business, but it is a robbery with fire, which is different from a robber. However, she remained calm and listened calmly.

Seeing that she hasn't changed much, the headmaster went on to say, "Now it's a money society. You can't ask for it without paying the price. Besides, there are risks in this matter. If the news gets out, we will lose our jobs and have to become corrupt officials. So, if you don't pay, no one will take the risk? "

"I can understand what you said. If there is no interest, no one will take such a big risk, but I want to know, if I take out the money, what guarantee can you have? "

"Normal Academy of Fine Arts, undergraduate course. Engaged in education after graduation. "

"What if I can't do it?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Of course, as a parent, I can understand this worry, but then again, who will do something uncertain? We run several such students every year, and the success rate is almost 100%. However, you have to prepare for the worst, and there are still risks. "

"If you can't make money, you can't come back?"

"Elder sister, the money has been sent out. How can I get it back? "

"oh! I see. "

"Elder sister, I'm pressed for time, and I have a meeting later. What's your attitude towards this matter? "

"As you know, we are farmers and our income is not high. Just tell your sister the truth. Is there still room for bargaining? "

"How much can you pay for the elder sister?"

"20,000, this figure can be tolerated for the time being."

He smiled: "Sister, what can you do with 20,000 yuan this year? There is no such big risk as 200,000. "

Hearing this, my mother came, and the beautiful building she built in her heart collapsed instantly. She already knew it in her heart, but she still asked with a straight face:

"This is the final result. Is there no room for manoeuvre? "

"No, it's because your children usually behave well, so I'm willing to take a chance. I won't care if others beg me ... "He said seriously at once.

"Well, it is also very serious. Let me go home and discuss it and give you an answer. After all, it is not a trivial matter. "

"Well, you do something, I'll wait for your news ..."

The headmaster told me very gracefully, but the expression on his face was far-fetched. Stride out of the box, turned around, and his face was ferocious and terrible. His twisted face came at her like an angry lion. She was startled. "Ouch!" Let out a loud cry.

"Mom, what's the matter with you?" My son was awakened by her.

She was cold and sweaty, and she couldn't tell for a moment whether it was a dream or a reality. When she opened her eyes and saw her son fall asleep in the dim light and looked at the strange white wall, she suddenly realized that this was a hotel, and her thoughts slowly returned to reality from dreams.

She came to this city at noon yesterday. What happened was like a dream. She thought too much. Her dream, like reality, is hard to say whether it is true or not. She turned over and asked her son, "What are you going to do in the future?"

The son asked her, "Mom, what do you want to do?" "Mom wants to hear your thoughts."

"Mom, don't do this. It was all my stupidity that I called you without asking about the situation. He took me away from the conversation behind you, but I didn't hear it. However, I knew from his face when he came out of the stairs that you didn't promise him. Although he still greeted me and told me to paint well, the smile looked so reluctant. "

"Let mom think again."

"Don't think about it, I don't want to buy a diploma with money. My study of painting has caused you an extra financial burden. At that time, I just thought it would be easier to go to college like this. I didn't expect this road to be more difficult than learning culture. The tuition fee is so high and the introverted operation is so dark, which makes people feel chilling. This time, I died in the middle of the Yellow River. I still work hard on my own. Success or failure is irrelevant. I'm just going through the process of hard work. In the future, I won't blush and feel ashamed. That's enough. "

"That's settled." Mother held him in her arms and tears came from her eyes.

"I am eighteen years old, I don't say, but I know everything you have done for me. If you don't study too hard in culture class, your grades have been declining, and you are afraid to see your disappointed eyes, so you choose the shortcut of artistic life. But in the end, it was self-defeating and not worth the loss. I was bent on learning culture class at the beginning. I am not an enterprising child. I also want to get ahead and be a useful person. Every achievement is earned by sweat. The simpler it is, the harder it is to do. Therefore, I must pay the price. I can't be whimsical anymore. Let's practice basic skills in a down-to-earth manner. Time is limited, and learning more is a point. I was scared. I didn't pass the exam, and everyone laughed, so I listened to the encouragement of the principal. "

If you fail in the exam, won't you regret it She asked again:

"I don't regret. I try my best to live up to my efforts. It doesn't matter how I did in the exam. I will face the reality. I'm too old to rely on you everywhere. You work hard for my tuition. If I let you use money to pave the way for my future, drain your hard-earned money and drain your bone marrow, what is the meaning of my life? "

She held her son tightly in her arms, unable to say anything, and let the tears flow downwards. Without the farce played by the principal today, her son would still be immersed in a selfish and self-reliant world, or a child who has not grown up. He finally understood that the diploma obtained by fraud is a piece of waste paper, and it will never be fake. Even if everyone doesn't know, he can't feel at ease.

He also told the truth what he was thinking. His son realized that he had made a wrong choice and saw the dark side of human nature. But since the road is his own choice, he will walk on his knees and be doomed to accomplish nothing. He has to work hard on his own for the art exam. As for how to let the result let nature take its course, he got rid of other thoughts in his heart and fell asleep peacefully.

The next day, my son got up early, put the ticket home on her pillow and repeated the process of asking her to check in at the station. Remember, ask the conductor if you don't understand, don't get on the wrong bus ... then, he hurried to the studio!

She finally set foot on the train home with peace of mind, and looked back at the big city she had been longing for, except for the neatly arranged dense and towering buildings.