Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 352 The Opportunity to Go to University
After hauling the grain back to the educated youth compound, the militiamen helped unload the millet into the storage room. They then said to Chen Fan, "Teacher Chen, today we're distributing rice first, and then oil. You'll need to collect the oil later."

"what?"

Chen Fan paused for a moment, then blinked at him, "Why not together?"

The oriole popped up again, jumping out and saying loudly, "Because there's a lot of dust when the rice is being distributed, and when the oil is being distributed, the lid of the oil vat has to be opened, and each household has to bring their own oil jug to get their share. If the rice is distributed at the same time, the dust will fall into the oil vat, and the oil won't taste good."

Chen Fan nodded in realization, "Okay, then we'll go over there later."

He then handed the militiaman a cigarette and saw him off.

Jiang Lili knew that Chen Fan had to go to the small water tower construction site, so she said softly, "Go ahead and do what you need to do. We can pick up the oil ourselves later."

Yang Ju nodded and said, "It's alright, Teacher Chen, you go ahead and do your work. We can still carry a few pounds of oil."

Huang Ying and Liu Dan also agreed.

Chen Fan thought for a moment. He had already experienced receiving rations once, and oil wasn't as heavy as rice. The few of them could carry it back in a few pieces. So he let them handle it and rode his horse toward the small water tower.

The horses' hooves clattered, and they soon arrived at the small water tower construction site.

At this point, the 15-meter-high cylindrical building had been erected, with thick red brick walls at the bottom and cement plastered on the top section for waterproofing.

Chen Fan dismounted and let the mare graze on her own. He then strode forward, greeting a dozen or so workers as he walked up the earthen slope.

Today, Secretary Yang was the one keeping watch here. When he saw Chen Fan coming over, he immediately waved and greeted him, "You're here."

He then asked, "Has your squad received all their rations today?"

"not yet."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "Captain Yang gave me my rations first, and after I received mine, I came over here."

Secretary Yang nodded. "If it were me, I would also give it to you first so you can come and start work."

Chen Fan grinned and said, "I don't really work here. My job is broadcasting and being a veterinarian. I'm just helping out here, like Master Qiu and Master Ma."

He looked around. "Hey, where are Master Qiu and Master Ma? I can't see them."

Secretary Yang pointed to the ceiling, "They're up there."

Chen Fan looked up and asked, "Huh? Waterproofing?"

Secretary Yang nodded. "Before you came, the pipes and water pumps had already been installed, and the well pipes were installed beforehand. We just need to wait for the water tank to dry completely and then clean it thoroughly before we can try pumping water."

At this point, he sighed deeply, looking at the water tank under construction on the roof. "It's a pity. They have to go back to the county town this afternoon. The construction company called and said that the county's dock needs to be repaired, and they have to go back to oversee it."

The small water tower isn't officially operational and supplying water, and with them not around, I always feel uneasy.

Chen Fan glanced at the water tank above his head, thought for a moment, and said, "It's alright, I'll go up and take a look."

Secretary Yang turned to look at him, wanting to say, "What's the point of you going up there? Do you think you can learn the skills of the two master craftsmen just by watching once?"

However, thinking about Chen Fan's many amazing feats in the past, he ultimately remained silent, watching him climb straight up the ladder made of steel bars, reaching the top in no time.

Secretary Yang put his hand to his forehead and couldn't help but chuckle twice. "No wonder Old Xiao praised him, saying he was like a monkey, climbing up in no time."

Chen Fan climbed into the water tank. Master Qiu and Master Ma were busy with more than a dozen workers and didn't even have time to exchange pleasantries with him. They just waved and greeted him.

He didn't go over to disturb them, stood on the ladder and watched for a while, and only climbed out down the iron ladder when he was almost done finishing.

Others go up quickly but come down slowly, but he comes down even faster than he goes up, landing on the ground in just a few seconds. He gestured to Secretary Yang, "I've seen it. It's truly the work of a master craftsman, no doubt about it."

For some reason, even though Secretary Yang knew that Chen Fan didn't know as much about building water towers as the two experienced workers, he still felt relieved when he heard this and grinned, "That's good, that's good."

After reading it, Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief, took out a cigarette and handed one to Secretary Yang, then lit it for him and asked, "Yesterday I heard Captain Ye and Brother An say that they were going to the county town with Brother Sanhu and the others to find a market for their ducks and geese. I didn't see them come today. Did they go to the county town?"

Secretary Yang took a puff of his cigarette, shook his head, and said, "No, the earliest we can set off is the day after tomorrow. We need to arrange for someone to be on duty these two days."

Chen Fan was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at him, "On duty? What kind of duty?"

I haven't heard anything important from the production team, otherwise Huang Ying and the others would have mentioned it during breakfast this morning.

"What other class could it be? Of course, it's the flood control class."

Secretary Yang took a drag of half a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and looked at Chen Fan with a smile, "We have to come here every year. August and September are the peak flood season. During the flood season, we have to set up flood control sentry posts on both sides of the Yangtze River and on reservoirs and rivers."

This year's rainfall hasn't been much, which is a bit better; otherwise, we would have had to set up watchtowers in July. However, even with little rain, unless it's a drought year and the river level is too low, in which case we don't need to be so careful and just have a few people patrolling daily, we must set up watchtowers to prevent flooding.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan also remembered.

For rural residents living along the river in the Jiangnan region, an essential part of their annual life is going to the sentry posts to guard against floods. This work has become a habit, almost like farming.

It wasn't until after 2010 that many places gradually began to upgrade their water level monitoring systems and make extensive use of electronic monitoring equipment, thus gradually freeing themselves from the reliance on manual monitoring of river water levels.

But now, water level monitoring costs 10 work points a day. People can't leave their posts and must keep an eye on the river day and night. They also have to record water level data regularly. If the river suddenly rises in a short period of time, they have to ring a gong and all the able-bodied men, women, and children in the team have to go to the embankment with baskets, shovels, and hoes, ready to rush to the rescue at any time.

At the same time, the team notified the brigade, the brigade notified the commune, and the commune arranged for technicians from the water conservancy station to go up the dike to investigate and deal with the situation in a timely manner.

In this matter, whether in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, from rural areas to towns, no matter how audacious a person was, they dared not have the slightest intention to be careless or negligent.

Because when the dam breaks, the flood doesn't care whether you're a leader or an ordinary citizen; if it comes crashing down, you're doomed!
So regardless of whether the heart is black or red, people generally don't dare to reach out at the water conservancy outlet.

This could really be deadly!
Upon hearing that it was a flood control duty shift, Chen Fan fell silent.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with him. He didn't even participate in the double harvest season, so don't expect him to be on duty for flood prevention.

What's more, it's 10 work points a day, and you don't have to do any heavy work. You just need to squat there. This kind of good thing usually falls to the strong laborers who have worked hard during the busy harvest season. Chen Fan would never compete with them for this "good opportunity"!
He chatted with Secretary Yang downstairs, while Master Qiu and his team were working hard in the water tanks, and hundreds of other commune members were scattered in the fields laying pipes.

They were busy like this until after 11 a.m. before all the work was finally completed.

Master Qiu and Master Ma slowly climbed down, and when they stood on the ground, they were trembling all over.

Even the bricklayers in their prime were exhausted, let alone the two elderly men in their sixties.

Secretary Yang quickly called for someone to bring over a cart and invited them to sit on it. "Thank you both for your hard work. Let's go back for dinner now, and be sure to have a couple of drinks later."

Master Qiu waved his hand, "I won't drink, don't delay your ride."

Master Ma nodded repeatedly, "The general manager called me personally yesterday, and I have to go back today." Chen Fan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Don't worry, just eat and drink in peace. We have someone keeping an eye on the time, and we'll take you to the commune when it's almost time."

Master Ma, holding onto the sideboard of the cart, swayed as it moved. He looked at Chen Fan and smiled, "Our general manager likes people who are good at writing the most..."

Before he could finish speaking, Secretary Yang shouted, "Stop!"

Then, with a wry smile on his face, he put his hand on the cart and walked forward, saying, "Hey, you two, your county construction company is a big organization. What kind of talent don't you have? Why are you competing with our small production team for workers?"

Master Ma immediately burst into laughter, "No matter how many talented people we have in our construction team, none of them can publish an article in the prefectural daily newspaper. At most, they can publish in the county magazine. Who wouldn't want a talent like Teacher Chen?!"

Chen Fan helped the carriage forward, not even riding the little mare following behind him. Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "You flatter me too much. Putting aside everything else, there are even college graduates in the construction company, right? As for me, I don't even have a primary school diploma, so I dare not compare myself to them."

Master Ma and Master Qiu also knew that Chen Fan had drifted in from the water. After all, this was not a secret in Lujiawan, and anyone could have let it slip.

When they heard Chen Fan's words, they didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Disagreeing makes the construction company's "top students" seem useless. Agreeing, however, reveals that no one is more literary than Chen Fan!
After a two-second silence, Master Qiu suddenly said, "Teacher Chen, let's not talk about the past. People always have to look forward. It's not difficult for you to get a higher education. Although Lujiawan doesn't have the qualification to recommend students for university, and you don't have a high school diploma, you can still go to university and get a university diploma if you can pass the entrance exam."

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, looking at him in confusion, "Huh? Entrance exam?"

Are you sure there's an entrance exam at this time?

At this moment, Master Ma also realized what was happening. Leaning against the partition of the cart, he smiled at Chen Fan and said, "Now that you mention it, I remember. You know Jiangnan University, right?"

Chen Fan nodded instinctively, "I know."

Jiangnan University is the best university in Jiangnan Province, without exception. It may become one of the best in the future, but it is the best now. Even if it's not among the top universities in the country, it is still very well-known.

What, is Jiangnan University so special that it can admit students on its own?

Then you hear Master Qiu say, “That’s right. Jiangnan University set up a correspondence teaching point in the Yunhu area in 75. Ask Secretary Yang to give you a letter of introduction and go directly to their teaching point to apply for the exam. As long as you can pass their entrance test, you can become a correspondence student of Jiangnan University. After you have completed all the courses and passed the exam, Jiangnan University will issue you a proper university graduation certificate.”

Don't let the fact that it's a correspondence course fool you; it's just like a regular diploma, recognized by all employers nationwide. While it doesn't guarantee job placement, it still makes you a university graduate, and all employers will recognize it. You'll definitely find a job in your field. Then you won't have to worry about your diploma anymore.

Chen Fan was stunned.

Although he repeatedly told Secretary Yang and the others that once the students in the training class had finished learning the basic knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry, he would ask the prefectural committee's university to help them with correspondence courses.

However, this kind of correspondence course really only involves answering questions through correspondence, and he didn't expect to receive a graduation certificate.

Did some universities reinstate their correspondence programs around this time?
Isn't it a bit too early?

Didn't the rise of correspondence education begin in the 80s?
Just as he was filled with questions, Master Ma continued, "One of our company's managers graduated from high school but didn't get a recommendation, so he could only join our construction company."

By the end of 1974, the province held a meeting with the leaders of several major universities to arrange for the development of correspondence education. In early 1975, Jiangnan University set up correspondence centers in more than a dozen places throughout the province.

Upon hearing the news, he immediately rushed over to register, showed his high school diploma, and was surprisingly accepted on the spot. This is his third year of study; if he can pass a few more exams, he'll receive his diploma next February!

As if telling a joke, Master Qiu spoke up as soon as Master Ma finished speaking, "With his example, many people in our construction company went to him to inquire about the situation, so everyone in the company knows about it."

Previously, the correspondence department of Jiangnan University enrolled students at the beginning of the year. Those with a high school diploma could be directly admitted, while those without a diploma had to take an exam, which mainly checked whether they had a high school education level. After passing the exam, they would be issued an admission notice, and then they could start studying after paying tuition.

Later, the school system changed, and they switched to enrolling students in July and starting school in September, and everything else changed accordingly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but smile wryly, "It's already August, their recruitment work should be over by now."

If it had been a month earlier, he really would have wanted to enroll in this correspondence university.

Although he never thought about going back to university, a university degree was indeed of extraordinary significance in this era.

Moreover, the value of correspondence diplomas in that era was very high, only slightly lower than that of full-time diplomas, and among the "five major types of diplomas," it was the most valuable.

The so-called "five major types of universities" refer to radio and television universities, workers' universities, workers' spare-time universities, correspondence universities and evening universities run by higher education institutions, which are respectively abbreviated as radio and television university, vocational university, work university, correspondence university and evening university.

The earliest formal "night school" in my country was probably the first formal university night school class founded by Mr. Li, the "Peking University Night School Class," which only taught one major: journalism. Mr. Li was a student in this night school class at the time, while also working as a librarian.

Later, from the early 80s to the early 90s, the "Five Major Students" also followed the principle of "easy entry and strict exit". Their mentors were all regular lecturers and professors from universities, and the school would match them with students, with one person responsible for more than a dozen students.

These old-school lecturers and professors strictly adhered to their rigorous academic approach, diligently replying to every letter and every question from their students, some even writing several times more text than the original letters.

It was precisely because of the guidance of such a group of teachers that many graduates from the "Big Five" universities became pillars of society. Compared with promising college students, one formed the top of the pyramid and the other formed the "backbone".

However, starting in the early 90s, with the influx of money, the supervision and examinations of these schools gradually became distorted. Many correspondence schools only cared about collecting tuition fees and no longer paid attention to teaching.

In order to recruit more students, they relaxed the graduation requirements. As a result, those who studied hard and those who never studied could take the exam together and get the same score. By then, the "Five Majors" that had been popular for ten years had slowly become obsolete.

Even the "Big Five" students, who were once at the height of their fame, tried every means to "change their degrees," which is a real pity.

Just as Chen Fan was pondering this, Master Qiu said, "Although they have a fixed enrollment period in July, they also 'specially recruit' students who have a solid foundation and are exceptionally outstanding. Since you can single-handedly support the Lujiawan study class, your knowledge base must be quite good."

Go back to the prefectural committee and find the correspondence education point of Jiangnan University. Apply for the special admission exam. If you pass, you can register with the students in July, then pick up the books and study on your own. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher by letter. At the end of the year, go to the prefectural committee's correspondence education point to take the final exam.

Master Ma continued, "Although correspondence students don't have the same benefits as regular students, they do have their advantages. As long as you complete the course and pass the exams, you can apply for graduation, which is much better than regular university students who have to stay in university for several years."

These days, the length of study at ordinary universities varies. For associate degree programs, some are two years, some are three, while programs like architecture and medicine can even take four years. Bachelor's degrees are even longer; for example, a bachelor's degree at Peking University takes six years!
Unfortunately, the students recommended for university education have varying levels of basic knowledge; some even only have an elementary school education. University professors can only try their best to help them fill in the gaps in their basic knowledge before they can learn professional courses.

This naturally requires more time.

That's still relatively mild. What's most exhausting is when some students, who don't like studying themselves, come up with a whole bunch of ridiculous reasons to criticize teachers for helping them with their studies, disrupting the flow of the teaching process.

However, in general, most people still prefer to learn knowledge and follow the teacher's instructions, which is why this system has been able to be maintained.

It wasn't until the resumption of the college entrance examination, with a "unified examination" as a foundation, that Peking University restored its undergraduate program to four years.

So if it's really as Master Ma said, that correspondence courses will issue graduation certificates as long as you pass the exams, then it would be even more attractive to Chen Fan.

While Chen Fan was chatting happily with the two veteran workers, his gaze drifted outward and he saw Secretary Yang with a sullen face. With a slight change of thought, he guessed what Secretary Yang was thinking.

It's because they're afraid that after they go to university and get their diploma, other companies will poach them.

He coughed lightly and said with a smile, "It has to be the two old masters, they are so knowledgeable, otherwise I wouldn't have known that the prefectural committee had a correspondence course point at Jiangnan University."

However, to be honest, I am indeed very interested in getting a university degree, but since I've been recruited by other organizations, I'll pass. Otherwise, back in May when I was at the prefectural committee, I would have agreed to be transferred to the health department as a cadre.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang's expression immediately brightened, and he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

(End of this chapter)