Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 279 Postgraduate Entrance Examination
The editors at the People's Literature and Art editorial department were stunned by the woman's words.

Seeing that no one answered, the woman stuffed the money into Cui Daoyi's hand and hurriedly left downstairs.

It took Cui Daoyi a while to realize what was happening. He chased after her downstairs, but the woman was already gone.

Cui Daoyi returned to the editorial office with seven yuan and looked at the other editors. One of them sighed, "Seven yuan? The year-end just ended, and they can still come up with seven yuan?"

“Yes, seven yuan is already a week’s living expenses for some families!” Xu Yi said.

Cui Daoyi reported the money to Zhang Guangnian, who looked at the seven yuan on the table and said, "There are indeed people who secretly slip money to authors!"

“If one person donated, there will definitely be countless others. I reckon this woman isn’t the last one; we’re probably going to receive a lot of donations soon!” Cui Daoyi said cautiously.

When it comes to money, especially a lot of money, you can't be too careless! One wrong move and it can cause problems.

"Old Cui, from now on, all reader letters to 'Chinese Girls' magazine must be received and opened by a designated person. You will also supervise the calculation. All the donated money will be sent to the Sports Commission, and it must be stated that it is for the construction of the Chenzhou volleyball stadium!"

Zhang Guangnian quickly assigned tasks.

"Okay, I understand!"

"Yimin, you should be back in the capital by now, right?" Zhang Guangnian asked.

"I'll call him and see if I can get through!"

"Go!"

Cui Daoyi immediately found Xu Yi and another accountant, and the three of them were responsible for opening the letters from readers and managing the money.

After making the arrangements, Cui Daoyi picked up the phone and dialed the number. He first called the courtyard house but found no one there, so he called the Overseas Chinese Apartment. The moment he heard Liu Yimin's voice, Cui Daoyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yimin, you guessed right! You're here really early! You're at the Overseas Chinese Apartments, I'll come find you and see what the apartments are like!"

"it is good!"

"Should I take Li Shu with me?" Cui Daoyi asked tentatively.

"no problem!"

After hanging up the phone, Cui Daoyi immediately crossed his legs and dialed Li Shu's number: "Old Li, I have some information I want to sell you. What do you think? Do you want it?"

"One person's? How many meals?"

"How many meals? Old Li, I'm not that greedy, you tell me!"

"A meal?"

"Hang up the phone, do you think I, Old Cui, owe you a meal?" Cui Daoyi snorted twice, pretending to hang up the phone.

"No, no, no, three meals!"

Five meals!

"Row!"

Seeing Cui Daoyi's thoroughly shrewd businessman demeanor, Xu Yi winked at the others.

After hanging up the phone, Cui Daoyi hummed a tune as he went downstairs, where Li Shu was already waiting with his bicycle.

"Old Cui, where is Yimin? Does he still have the publishing rights for 'Triumph at Midnight'?"

"Old Li, what kind of posture is this, all loose and slouching? Stand up straight when you speak, it's like you've just pooped in your pants!" Cui Daoyi said sternly.

Li Shu gritted his teeth and said, "Tian Wenjing!"

After Cui Daoyi made a few threatening remarks, Li Shu immediately became docile.

"Come with me. Yimin and I are true brothers. From now on, try to curry favor with me. It will only benefit you, not harm you!"

Cui Daoyi said with a smile while riding his bicycle, ignoring Li Shu's desire to crash into him from behind.

Upon arriving at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, the two first marveled at the building and then at the heating system.

Cui Daoyi happily placed his hands on the radiator, and his frozen hands immediately warmed up.

"Yimin, every piece you produce is a masterpiece! I came to talk to you about something. Someone has donated to the women's volleyball team, and we think there will definitely be more donations in the future, so what do you think we should do?"

Li Shu asked in surprise, "A donation?"

"Yes, donations! Everyone wants to provide better conditions for the athletes!"

Liu Yimin was equally surprised: "The article mentioned that the venues were inadequate, and the original intention was to get the Sports Commission to contribute some funds. I didn't expect that the one who contributed funds would become the reader!"

"Then what should we do? Refuse to accept it?" Cui Daoyi said.

"No, given the current situation, the Sports Commission probably won't have the extra funds to improve the facilities. If we can actually raise some money, then the article won't have been written in vain! Here's what we'll do: have the newspapers report on it, without mentioning a donation, just say that someone donated money to the women's volleyball team. Some people might want to donate, but don't know how!"

Liu Yimin said with a smile, a headline flashing through his mind: "Shocking! Someone actually did this at *People's Literature and Art*."

He shook his head, trying to banish UC from his mind.

"Yimin, I'm truly impressed. If you were to do business, you'd be a master!" Cui Daoyi said, putting his arm around Liu Yimin's shoulder.

"I'll also donate some money then. Also, I'll contact Coach Yuan; he'll be so happy to hear this news at the Chenzhou training center!"

Liu Yimin planned to send a telegram to Coach Yuan in a few days, but he couldn't send it now, because it would be ridiculous if the donation was only seven yuan.

After discussing Cui Daoyi's matter, Li Shu had already circled the living room more than a dozen times.

"I was so anxious! Old Cui, you're finally finished. Yimin, release the copyright, release the copyright!"

Li Shu said hurriedly, "Here you go!"

"it is good!"

Li Shu nodded excitedly, then asked, "Did I hear that right?"

"No! But don't try to take the copyright for the essays from the Commercial Press!"

"absolute!"

Li Shu jumped up and down excitedly a few times, then tried to pull Liu Yimin and Cui Daoyi out for dinner.

Liu Yimin waved his hand and said, "Old Li, I have to go to my girlfriend's house for dinner tonight, so you can put this meal on my tab!"

“You can write it down for me!” Cui Daoyi said.

In the afternoon, the two of them didn't want to go back to the editorial office, so they chatted in Liu Yimin's study until about five o'clock, when the three of them set off together on bicycles.

"Yimin, you should receive a lot of reprint fees this time. Many newspapers and magazines have reprinted it!" Cui Daoyi said, facing the wind.

Li Shu agreed, saying, "During the Spring Festival, our whole family watched it, and my wife even cried while watching it!"

When they arrived near Zhu Lin's house, the three of them separated, and Liu Yimin went up first.

Someone saw Liu Yimin and greeted him, "Is Zhu Lin's girlfriend here?"

"Hello!"

"Polite, just like the kids from Yanjing!"

Zhu's father and mother were at home, but Zhu Lin had not yet returned.

"Yimin is here, please have a seat!" Zhu's mother said with a smile.

Liu Yimin sat down and started picking vegetables while chatting with Zhu's parents. They mostly talked about his current novels, "Triumph at Midnight" and "Chinese Girl."
Coincidentally, Liu Yimin was wearing a "plum blossom" tracksuit today, and Zhu's mother praised him, saying that he looked just like an athlete.

Not long after, Zhu Lin returned, wearing a red "plum blossom" outfit. The two of them sat together, looking like red and blue dolls.

"Old Zhu, look how smart you look in your sportswear!" Zhu's mother said with a smile.

During the meal, Zhu's father talked about Zhu Lin's trip to Rucheng, and said with a smile:
"Yimin, Linlin said when she came back that your parents were very welcoming, so we're relieved!"

After finishing his meal, Liu Yimin stayed at the Zhu family's house for about an hour before leaving.

As they went downstairs, Zhu Lin asked, "Professor Liu, how's your preparation for the postgraduate entrance exam going?"

"Don't worry, no problem," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

"Teacher Liu is definitely fine, he scored so high on the college entrance exam, but we still can't let our guard down. It would be bad if he suddenly made a mistake!" Zhu Lin warned.

"Okay, be absolutely careful!"

Before leaving, Zhu Lin took one last peck. Behind the window, Zhu's father and mother both closed their eyes and pulled their heads back, looking as if they couldn't bear to watch.

"Stop looking! Stop looking! You'll get a sty if you keep looking!"

In the early 12s, the postgraduate entrance examination was not held on the third or fourth Saturday and Sunday of December each year, unlike in later years.

At the end of February, Liu Yimin will take a written exam, and around April he will have a graduate school interview. After being admitted, he will enroll in September.

As news of the donations spread through the newspapers, People's Literature and Art magazine received more and more donations. To prevent any problems from arising, People's Literature and Art magazine invited people from the Sports Commission to open the envelopes together and supervise the process.

In addition, some people directly transferred the money to People's Literature and Art Publishing House or the Sports Commission.

Sales of "Triumph at Midnight" and "Chinese Girl" are both growing rapidly.

Because of military newspapers and magazines sent to the front lines, the novel caused a sensation there, with soldiers vying to read it, and those who couldn't read having their comrades read it to them.

When it got boring at the front, literate soldiers in various units or bunkers would read newspapers aloud to share news from the rear and relieve boredom.

In a tunnel on a certain high ground, resting soldiers listened intently to their comrade reading a novel. Suddenly, one soldier pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and cursed:
"Tong Chuan must have accumulated a lot of good karma in his past lives to have found such a good partner!"

"Damn it!"

"Exactly! This kid didn't appreciate it at first. Damn it, if it were me, I would have married him long ago! Poor thing, now he's soaking in this muddy, bloody puddle. When he calms down, he can only think about his parents! Oh, and there's my poor older sister, she married a useless man!"

"Sigh, when we get back, we'll find myself a wife. My mother's been taking my picture everywhere, looking for a wife for me!"

"Being able to go back is a bonus. If I can't go back, the country will give my family 500 yuan, which will be enough for my parents for a while! If I die a martyr, please send the few sets of clothes I've saved and my martyr's certificate home. These clothes are made of good material, so my parents can wear them!"

"Hahaha!"

"Don't laugh at us. Our old revolutionary base area is poor. Many families only have one pair of pants, and whoever goes out wears it. My family's life only got a little better after I joined the army!"

While they were chatting, a series of rapid-fire sounds came from the tunnel outside, and someone shouted, "The ungrateful bastard has crept up here!"

"Go!" A group of men rushed out with guns in hand, pulling the triggers hard whenever they saw the enemy, shouting and cursing.

February 25th was the day of the postgraduate entrance examination. Liu Yimin and Li Xueqin walked out of their dormitory, where Chen Dazhi, Liu Zhenyun, and Li Lanyong kept encouraging them.

Li Xueqin took a breath and said with a smile, "Definitely no problem! Yimin, good luck on the exam, don't let my graduate school score surpass yours!"

"Let's cheer each other on!" Liu Yimin said with a smile.

The two walked together toward the examination hall, then parted ways in front of the teaching building. There weren't many students taking the postgraduate entrance exam, since most people could find good jobs after graduating with a bachelor's degree and weren't particularly keen on taking the exam.

Liu Yimin entered the classroom, and the proctor checked the time and said, "The 1982 National Postgraduate Entrance Examination has officially begun. Please abide by the examination rules!"

(End of this chapter)