Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 409 Seminar

The day before, October 22nd, at 9:10 AM, the Education Department of the Prefectural Committee.

Jiangnan University's correspondence education center in the Yunhu area... It turns out that there's now an "Admissions Office" sign under this one.

Inside the office, all five desks were occupied, with everyone busy organizing documents.

The three extra people were originally from Jiangnan University who were responsible for assisting with correspondence course admissions, and now they naturally take on the work of college entrance examination admissions as well.

Just then, the phone rang. Guo Huaimin, also known as Teacher Guo, picked up the phone without looking up and said, "Hello."

After a few seconds, he suddenly looked up. "Huh? A seminar on middle school textbooks at this hour?"

Upon hearing the sound, the other four people all turned around and looked at him.

Guo Huaimin frowned, listening to the voice on the phone, "Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay, I'll obey orders."

After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone.

He Tianpei, also known as Teacher He, got up and walked over, adjusted his glasses, and asked with a puzzled look, "Why are we having a middle school textbook seminar at this time?"

Guo Huaimin tightened the pen cap, sighed softly, and looked at him, saying, "The current junior high and high school textbooks are seriously inconsistent with the direction of the college entrance examination. As the content of the college entrance examination changes, the content of the textbooks should naturally change accordingly."

Although that's for the future, the most important thing for this seminar is to quickly produce a set of study materials specifically for this year's college entrance examination.

You and I have been in charge of admissions for the correspondence education department for the past few years, so we have a good understanding of the current situation of middle school students. Therefore, the school recommended us to participate in this seminar to the Provincial Education Commission. The most important thing is to quickly come up with an effective set of review materials for this year's exam takers.

He Tianpei frowned deeply. "How can we possibly compile a set of materials in such a short time?"

At this moment, an elderly gentleman in his forties or fifties, wearing glasses, stood up and said, "Then we should seize the time even more. Whether you are a recent graduate or a graduate from the third cohort, it has been too long since you have been exposed to these basic knowledge. But if you can't even master the basic knowledge, how can you talk about going to university?"

Another person of similar age chimed in, “Xiao Guo, Xiao He, you’ve experienced this firsthand. The more critical the moment, the faster you need to react. If we don’t have suitable review materials, how can we select outstanding talents? What’s the point of the college entrance examination then?”

Before the last person could speak, He Tianpei quickly said, "What I mean is, for science subjects, you can directly use the 'Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry'. This set of books covers the entire middle school stage of mathematics, physics and chemistry knowledge, and there is no book more suitable than this set of books."

The last old gentleman finally seized the opportunity to speak, “You don’t need to worry about that. Shanghai took action immediately and is now preparing for a reprint, but it won’t be published until early November at the earliest. Time waits for no one!”

By this time, Guo Huaimin had almost finished packing his things. He said to He Tianpei, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and pack your things. Come with me."

He Tianpei was stunned. "Me too?"

Guo Huaimin said irritably, "Didn't I make myself clear just now? What are you and I standing there for? Hurry up and pack, we're taking the bus to the provincial capital today."

After He Tianpei hurriedly packed his things, Guo Huaimin said to an old gentleman, "Professor Su, there is something you must pay attention to."

Teacher Su immediately looked at him and said, "You speak."

Guo Huaimin, "It's the group of people from Lujiawan Production Brigade, Nanhu Commune, Gufeng County, that I told you about last time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Teacher Su raised her hand to interrupt him, "I remember this incident. Chen Fan, a new writer for Jiangnan Literature, painstakingly trained 24 students for the development of the production team. Unexpectedly, when the college entrance examination was reinstated, they would all participate. That's the story."

Guo Huaimin nodded, "That's right. Lao He and I have already discussed a few of them, but just in case, it's best to have someone keep an eye on them when it's time to fill out the college application forms."

Also, I've contacted a photo studio for them; they'll come tomorrow morning to take registration photos. If possible, it would be best to chat with a few more people.

Teacher Su immediately nodded and smiled, "I trust your and Teacher He's judgment. I will try my best tomorrow, and I will definitely go when it's time to fill out college applications."

A man next to him said, "Old Su, you're already in your fifties, why bother with all this trouble? I'll go there myself."

Teacher Su immediately spat, "Pah! Everyone knows your spouse is from Jiangnan University of Science and Technology. You think you can go there? Who knows if you're recruiting for Jiangnan University or Jiangnan University of Science and Technology!"

The man was so angry that white smoke was coming out of his head. "Hey, you're slandering someone's innocence out of thin air..."

Amidst laughter and chatter, Teacher Guo and Teacher He emerged from the office, beaming with joy.

However, they did not set off immediately. Instead, they took their food ration book to the grain store and exchanged it for 30 jin of nationally valid grain coupons. After packing their clothes and some daily necessities, they went to the bus station, bought tickets, and boarded the bus.

There are two ways to get from Yunhu city to the provincial capital. The first is by long-distance bus, which takes about 5 hours. The second is by waterway, which takes more than twice as long, about 12 hours.

Actually, if you're not in a rush, taking the waterway is the best option; you can get there overnight.

However, Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei were pressed for time, so they had to take a long-distance bus.

After waiting at the station for a while, it was time to depart. They quickly boarded the bus and then endured a bumpy ride until 4:30 p.m., when they finally arrived at the provincial capital's South Bus Station.

It wasn't over yet. After leaving the bus station, we took a bus, changing buses along the way, until it got dark, and finally arrived at the meeting point the company had notified us to meet at—the Yangtze River Hotel.

A riverside city named after the Yangtze River, this is undoubtedly one of the best hotels in the entire provincial capital.

There are only things similar to it, nothing more high-end!
Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei, carrying their luggage and looking disheveled, walked to the hotel. They both froze, then looked at each other, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.

There were soldiers on guard duty at the hotel entrance?!
As the best hotel in the provincial capital, it's not unusual to have soldiers on duty. There's usually a soldier with a pistol in charge of security at the entrance.

But today, not only have the numbers doubled, but there are also two soldiers on duty, and they're even carrying rifles?!
Is this textbook seminar really that strict?
The two swallowed hard and started walking forward.

Before the two of them could get close, a soldier was already watching them.

Guo Huaimin quickly took out his work ID and carefully handed it over, "Hello comrade, we are teachers from Jiangnan University, here to attend the textbook seminar."

The soldier took the ID, looked at it, then looked at him, carefully compared the photo with the man, and after confirming that it was correct, handed the ID back and looked at He Tianpei again.

He Tianpei had already prepared his work permit and quickly presented it with both hands.

After carefully checking the documents again, the soldier handed them back and then gestured for the person to come in, saying, "Please come in."

There wasn't a single wasted word from beginning to end. Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei exchanged a glance and quickly went inside. As soon as they entered through the bright glass door, they saw a table with a sign that read "Registration Area for Textbook Seminar" on it, and two people were sitting behind it.

Once he could see clearly, Guo Huaimin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went up to greet him, "Old Wang."

The man immediately stood up, extended his right hand, and chuckled, "You must be tired after traveling all this way."

Guo Huaimin shook hands with him and said with a smile, "It's not that it's hard work, but all you've said is that you sent the two of us here for a meeting and haven't said anything else. We just got here and there are two soldiers guarding the gate. I'm really worried. Can you give me a heads-up?"

He Tianpei also said, "You, as the director of the Secondary Education Department of the Provincial Education Commission, personally took charge of receiving them. There must be something going on behind the scenes, right?"

Director Wang smiled and waved his hand, "Sorry, I can't say anything now. I'll make a unified announcement to you all tomorrow night when everyone is here."

Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei's hearts skipped a beat. They both understood the implication in his words. Knowing the rules, they could only calmly shake hands with Director Wang, then register, receive the key, and enter the hotel led by a waiter.

That evening, teachers, some familiar and some unfamiliar, began to arrive.

Some of them, like Professor Guo, are university teachers, specifically teachers of basic subjects, while others are middle school teachers.

Apart from that, there were only a very few leaders from the provincial education commission.

It wasn't until the evening of the following day that Director Wang announced everyone had arrived, and then gathered everyone in the conference room for a meeting.

The meeting was still a "textbook seminar," but it repeatedly emphasized the need for confidentiality and that there should be no contact with the outside world. It was also announced that there would be another meeting early the next morning, the 24th.

The specific work arrangements will likely be announced at the meeting on the morning of the 24th.

Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei shared a room and spent two days in a daze.

When I woke up in the morning, I went to the cafeteria for breakfast. At 7 o'clock, everyone gathered in the conference room on the first floor.

But when everyone arrived, Director Wang told them that they could no longer stay at the hotel and that they should pack their bags, get on the bus, and have the meeting at another location.

Everyone went back to their rooms to get their luggage, and then, under the guidance of several staff members, boarded two tour buses.

The car drove out of the Yangtze River Hotel and headed north. After more than an hour, it left the city center and arrived at a remote lake.

With its expansive waters, surrounding mountains, beautiful scenery, and tranquil environment, this place is indeed a great location for holding seminars.

Another busy period ensued, with everyone being arranged to check into their rooms.

This time, Guo Huaimin and He Tianpei were not assigned to the same room, but instead shared a room with another physics teacher from the university of science and technology.

Fortunately, they were old acquaintances and everyone knew each other.

I'm just a little confused about what happened these past two days.

Just as the two were sitting and chatting, there was a knock on the door, and a waiter came in to announce that a meeting was about to begin.

Guo Huaimin scratched his head, adopting a "what's done is done" attitude. "Let's go. After all this fuss, it's time to assign tasks."

The other person just smiled and shook his head, then followed him out without saying a word.

Soon they arrived at a large conference room. Five people were already seated at the front, and Director Wang, whom they thought was the host of the meeting, was sitting at the very edge. The person in the middle was the leader of the Provincial Education Commission.

Seeing that the leaders had arrived, everyone quickly sped up, found their seats, and took their places.

In less than two minutes, they were all seated.

Only then did the leader sitting in the middle say, "First of all, welcome everyone here."

After a round of applause, he continued, "Yesterday I told everyone that I was here to attend a seminar on secondary school textbooks, and that's what we tell others as well. If anyone asks you about it in the future, you should answer the same way."

Upon hearing this, everyone knew something was wrong, and they stared at him without daring to blink.

The leader glanced around and said with a serious expression, "The reason we say it's a textbook seminar is for confidentiality. Actually, we've called you here to help us organize the college entrance examination for Jiangnan Province."

Unlike previous college entrance examinations, this year's exam will not have a nationally unified question set and examination. Instead, each province will organize its own question set and examination. That's the job you're here to do.

From today onwards, you will all be stationed here, dedicating yourselves wholeheartedly to successfully completing the exam question setting work. You must produce the college entrance examination papers by the end of November and oversee the printing process, continuing until the end of the college entrance examination.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Director Wang.

Director Wang immediately leaned forward, coughed lightly, and said, "Regarding this meeting, I would like to announce the relevant matters. First of all, discipline: the location and tasks of this question-setting work must not be disclosed to the outside world, and no contact with the outside world is allowed during the question-setting work, including letters, telephone calls and telegrams, and no one may leave the residence without permission."

He pointed outside and said, "The soldiers have taken over the defense of this guesthouse. No one should take any chances. If anyone does anything against the rules and is misunderstood, the person involved will bear all the consequences."

As he spoke, most people looked outside and saw that there were indeed many soldiers standing guard under the eaves and in the woods.

These are the visible ones; we don't know how many more are unseen.

Director Wang paused for a moment, glanced at the silent crowd, and said softly, "I hope that as many people come, they will all go back together, and return with honors."

Everyone swallowed hard, but no one spoke.

Director Wang waited a few seconds and, seeing that no one reacted, continued, "This meeting will be chaired by Secretary Zhou, with Company Commander Yang in charge of security, and I will be responsible for all logistical matters. If you have any problems with your daily life, you can come directly to me."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Secretary Zhou, who was sitting in the middle.

Secretary Zhou shook his head slightly, indicating that he had nothing to say.

Director Wang then announced, "Now I'm giving you a list. It lists the subjects you're responsible for and your colleagues. I hope you can complete the tasks on time and with high quality. Now, meeting adjourned."

(End of this chapter)