Literary Master 1983

Chapter 343 Candlelight "Night" Talk
"Quiet!"

Yu Qie came to the front of the stage and glanced around.

Damn, he really skipped class.

You dared to skip the dean's class? You must be tired of living. Shouldn't we take drastic measures against you? Did you even consult with Lao Hu before you acted so recklessly?

"I'll read out a list, from first to last. Whoever is absent will fail this class. After I've finished speaking, who agrees and who disagrees?"

The students looked at each other, stunned for a moment.

Someone raised their hand and asked, "Is this Senior Yu?"

Call me teacher!

"Teacher Yu, Teacher Yu! My friend just went to the toilet and really needs to pee! Class is starting now, can he come in?"

"Okay. But only during the time I'm reading the list. Once I'm done, it's over."

This opened a door.

It takes about three or four minutes to read out a list, which means if you come here now, your life will be spared.

The student who asked the question immediately pulled a pager out of his pants and secretly sent a message.

Pagers entered China three years ago, and there are probably fewer than 10,000 pagers nationwide now. For someone at Yenching University to be using a pager, they must be at least a small business owner.

why?
Pagers are not only expensive, but modern pagers also lack Chinese characters and rely on codebooks. This means you input a string of numbers, and both parties have to decipher it from the codebook, which is quite mentally taxing.

The commonly used code is 000: Please call back.

200: Reply immediately if needed.

600: May you enjoy good health and happiness with your family.

800: Weather forecast.

……

Yu Qie watched as the student frantically pressed "200," his fingers practically sparking from the friction. Besides him, the others were also trying their best to send messages out—some threw crumpled paper, some sneaked out, and some banged on doors.

One pass to ten, ten to a hundred...

"Wang Qiang, are you here yet?"

"coming!"

"Li He?"

"To!"

"Xie Yufang?"

"To!"

People started barging in, panting. They stared blankly at Yu Qie's face, standing there dumbfounded.

"who are you?"

"Teacher, my name is Ma Yanan. Is this the current state of Western economics?"

"—You've come to the right place, this is Professor Hu's class. I'm his graduate student, here to cover for him."

"Oh, oh!"

The student named "Ma Yanan" had just sat down when he suddenly remembered: Hu Daiguang only has one favorite disciple now, isn't that Yu Qie?

Looking up at the stage again—it really was Yu Qie! Just like in the newspaper!
That senior is so damn handsome! Even Zhu Shimao can't compare to him!

Yu Qie observed this and smiled at the student: "I'll say it again, after the list is read out, start counting the number of people, understand?"

"understand!"

A few more students arrived.

Wasn't it said that college students in the 1980s—that is, the current generation of people born in the 1960s—were simple-minded, hardworking, and diligent?

Shit!

What did the Beijing Evening News say?

"More than 700 graduate students across the country dropped out of their programs. Last year alone, the number of people applying for graduate school in Beijing decreased by 1000 compared to previous years..."

“In the past, Jinling University admitted 1 out of 30 or 40 doctoral students. This year, it plans to enroll 80 doctoral students, but fewer than 80 people applied. The problem of absenteeism and cheating on exams among current students is quite serious, and the utilization rate of self-study classrooms is less than half…”

"In some schools in Beijing, classrooms were converted into guesthouses to accommodate private business owners visiting the city, with the profits split equally; students also had a division of labor, with only two or three taking notes in each class, while the others did their own thing and took turns resting; two-thirds of the students surveyed indicated that they did not object to cheating..."

This is crazy.

What kind of miserable life did I have when I was in college in my past life?

They'll also be subjected to psychological manipulation, being told they're not working hard enough, which is why they can't find jobs and can't afford houses.

"Zhou Haitao?"

"To!"

After reading the last name.

Yu Qie picked up the list and said, "Seventy-eight people were supposed to attend, and one hundred and eighteen people actually attended. No one will fail the course. Our Yanda University doesn't have a tradition of kicking people out. As long as you are willing to attend class, the more teachers you have, the better."

“You don’t know, in the United States, if you barge into a class as an outsider, you’ll be kicked out because you haven’t paid the professor.”

“My classes are very expensive. Boston University invited me to teach Chinese literature, for tens of thousands of dollars a class? I didn’t accept.”

The entire classroom erupted in cheers, as if Yu Qie had acknowledged his identity. Those who had been daydreaming sat up straight, watching Yu Qie expectantly.

They were so excited; those legendary experiences flashed through their minds like a replay in a camera. The Laoshan front, rejecting Schultz, the special agents in the Colombian war… the more they thought about it, the more excited they became.

Yu Qie couldn't help but laugh.

He began to understand why Hu Daiguang had asked him to substitute teach.

Hu Daiguang wanted to see if his personal charm could save this unhealthy trend of "not reading".

If Cui Jian can turn a literature student into a rock music fan, then how much more so can the source of idols for today's young people!

The trend of students going into business has spread to every university, leaving school authorities helpless. Some students who have made money are even openly mocking their teachers, and you can do nothing about it.

Because if teachers don't "make mistakes," they really won't have as much money as the students who set up stalls.

The current president of Yenching University is Ding Leisun, an educational reformer who believes in guidance rather than suppression. A few years ago, Yu Qie got into a fight at Yenching University, but Ding Leisun, valuing talent, suppressed the incident. Cui Jian's concert at Yenching University was also approved by Ding Leisun, which is why he was able to hold a rock concert at the highest institution of learning.

Thinking of this, Yu Qie sighed, "Your teachers have all put in so much effort! In this era when studying is most useful, you say that studying is useless. You're all such fools!"

"I won't talk about Western economics today; I'll share my personal views. You can also share yours."

No one said a word.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Yu Qie asked.

"We're afraid you'll lure us out and make us confess our 'crimes,' then you'll punish us severely..." Have I lost the trust of young people after not writing domestic novels for a while?

I should be your most trusted friend!

Yu Qie looked disappointed. One student immediately retorted, "It's not that we don't trust you, but if we get caught, we'll be expelled and sent back to our hometowns. The price is too high; we can't afford it!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qie immediately swore, "I guarantee with my reputation that no one in this classroom will be punished. If you are punished, I will quit studying and go to Tsinghua University next door."

He tore the paper into pieces in a few quick movements and threw it away. "Now we don't know each other anymore. Once we leave this classroom, forget what you said. I promise I'm not targeting anyone."

"Still don't believe me? We've closed the windows and the door."

Just as the students were about to begin, Yu Qie said again, "Wait!"

For a moment, the air in the classroom seemed to freeze.

“Draw the curtains and turn off the lights. We won’t know each other and we won’t be able to see anything. If you’re still worried, I’ll turn my back to you.”

The boy who had the pager immediately jumped up and said, "Don't do this! Please don't do this! I completely believe you! My name is Lu Buxuan, and I'm in business. Teresa Teng is coming to Guangzhou for a concert soon, and the tickets have been scalped to exorbitant prices. I haven't been to school for two weeks just to make a profit from the price difference."

Teresa Teng?
Two years ago, when Yu Qie was still in Hong Kong, several reporters from Xinhua News Agency said they wanted to contact Teresa Teng... I never expected that this would actually be done?
Yu Qie still remembers that Teresa Teng didn't come to hold a concert. After all, Teresa Teng's identity and background were special, and no one dared to take responsibility if there was any trouble.

Fei Xiang is of mixed American and British descent, which is actually a good thing at this point, as there are no boomerangs.

If this plan is not announced, the investor will likely lose everything.

As they spoke, the students had already drawn all the doors, windows, and curtains. The lights were off, making it almost impossible to see people's faces. Even the midday sun couldn't shine in.

Yu Qie used Teresa Teng as a starting point: "In terms of Teresa Teng, I am the same as you—I also listen to her songs."

"However, there is one difference. I guess Teresa Teng might know me. Isn't that a bit arrogant?"

The students made a lot of noise, and although their faces couldn't be seen, they probably didn't think Yu Qie was arrogant.

Some even defended Yu Qie, saying that if Teresa Teng didn't know Yu Qie, then she was nothing more than a vulgar person.

Yu Qie added, "I also met Teresa Teng's boyfriend. I don't know if he was her ex-boyfriend... His name was Hendrik Willem Van Loon. He gave me a watch, but I didn't accept it. He then donated it to a charity foundation in mainland China."

"I had just finished speaking with some Hong Kong intellectuals. Some wanted to speak with Mr. Cha Liangyong on my behalf, while others wanted to discuss business. I dealt with them casually. On my way back to the hotel, I ran into Hendrik Willem Van Loon..."

Yu Qie described that encounter vividly. Everyone listened with fascination: After "Project A" and "Police Story," Hendrik Willem Van Loon is now very famous in the Chinese community, pirated DVDs are selling like hotcakes, and he has gradually become the most successful commercial actor among Chinese people.

This same person generously donated money to Yu Qie a few years ago, and after a few words, they became close friends.

What kind of appeal does this have?

Yet he himself was still unwilling to trust Yu Qie!
The student who went into business, "Lu Buxuan," said, "I was wrong, Teacher Yu! I should have confessed to you sooner. I just called two of my roommates over, and they were all persuaded by me to go into business... They did nothing wrong. If you want to punish someone, punish me."

He actually had a kind of "what's the use of trying" attitude.

“I don’t remember your name…” Yu Qie said.

This is what Yu Qie said earlier: he wouldn't remember any of the students' names. However, Lu Buxuan hoped that Yu Qie would remember his.

Just as Lu Buxuan was feeling disappointed, he heard Yu Qie say, "However, I consider you my friend. I remember every friend."

Yu Qie said he remembers me!
The student was so excited he was trembling. For some reason, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a candle.

"puff!"

It was lit.

The dark classroom was suddenly illuminated by candlelight, lighting up the people in the front row.

The others were startled and quickly hid behind them, causing chaos and confusion.

Lu Buxuan deliberately let Yu Qie see his face clearly: "Besides reselling tickets, I also sell trinkets. This is a diamond brand red candle, originally intended for young couples to use at their wedding!"

No wonder Lu Buxuan was able to become a middleman!
This business is huge.

“I’ve shared some of my stories, and I’d like to hear your thoughts. To be honest, I might become a teacher in a few years. Yenching University is my alma mater and the best university. It pains me to see students not studying.”

"Why does this happen?"

Yu Qie was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

A woman raised her hand and said, "Professor Yu, you are internationally renowned, so of course you don't care about money. But we do care."

Yu Qie nodded: "I also love money. I'm a vulgar person. I always feel that I don't have enough money. I also want to be the richest Chinese writer, far surpassing Cha Liangyong."

"As you know, I have some conflicts with him."

These words made the students laugh.

The girl who had asked the question mustered her courage and stepped into the candlelight, saying, "Teacher Yu, the purpose of studying is to make money. If you've already made money, what's the point of studying?"

This girl is "Ma Yanan," who came in halfway through.

Yu Qie thought she was a rare female middleman, but to his surprise, she introduced herself: "Let's all speak freely. I'm in the student union, and many people know me. I work as an editor for the school newspaper and write articles every day. Once, I wrote a very good paper on enterprise restructuring, which was published in a journal."

"I waited four months and received a certificate and fifteen yuan. The name on the paper wasn't mine; it belonged to two other people. I was the third person."

"I tore up that certificate and then focused on my business. I have no connections, and I won't get a good job in the future. At best, I'll earn a hundred or two hundred yuan a month, which is considered pretty good... I can only continue to be a middleman after get off work. What's the point of studying in this day and age?"

“Yes!” said the boy who had the pager earlier.

Another person stepped into the candlelight and said frankly, "Teacher Yu, you don't come to class very often. To be honest, we've hardly ever seen you."

This was the first boy Yu Qie called out. He said, "We all know you were the top scorer in Wanxian, because we've all read your college entrance exam novel. To be honest, although this is an elective course in economics, many Chinese literature students come here, just because Hu Daiguang is your teacher."

“I know Lu Buxuan! He was also the top scorer! There were 21 people in his class, and not one of them was not a top scorer! I was also the top scorer. I was the top scorer from a small county in western Guangdong Province. I had four siblings, and I was the second oldest. Before I escaped rural life, I ate two meals a day, and I ate moldy steamed buns.”

“Besides studying, I also herded pigs and cut grass. I was surprised that I was able to get into Peking University. My relatives spread the news and held a banquet for several days. I thought I was very amazing.”

"But when I came to Yenching University, I realized that there is still a big difference between the top scorers! The best ones are like you! You can become a great writer in just a few years, and no one can find fault with anything you do. Professor Hu loves to mention you to us to encourage us! But the worst ones are like me. I don't know anything and I'm not as good as others in anything. I can only read novels. After reading a novel, I often feel empty because I know that kind of genius is not me."

"Teacher Yu, you are exactly like the person in the book!"

He didn't break down; he was just stating the facts. Yu Qie broke down.

Why would children of officials become small commodity dealers? They directly resell permits.

These are all former "Yuqie" (a term used to refer to people who have lived in the past), or "Yuqie" from a previous life.

Lu Buxuan, Yu Qie remembered this person.

He was a student in the Chinese Department of Yenching University, and later became a pork king, the first top scholar in Yenching University to sell pork—he truly made a name for himself in business.

Many people say that Lu Buxuan was the first "Kong Yiji to take off his long gown." He took it off a little too early, and too decisively.

But what about the others?
Only reading.

Being a middleman wouldn't work, so they resorted to keeping quiet about it.

After listening to what the person said, Yu Qie asked, "Are you still not eating well?"

"Oh no, the cafeteria at Peking University is too expensive. I can only afford to use it for a treat."

(End of this chapter)