Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 592 Painting Cake
Jiangnan University, Professor Xu's office.

Chen Fan sat in a chair and spoke eloquently to the three elderly professors.

The four-hour course covered everything from the most basic postgraduate courses in Chinese language and literature to explanations of the Four Books and Five Classics, from the "Shuowen Jiezi" and "Erya" to the influence of the New Culture Movement on literary creation.

At first, it was fine, a “friendly exchange”, but later, the three professors took turns asking questions, like a barrage of artillery fire.

Chen Fan, completely focused and racking his brains, finished answering a question about "Why did the Chu mythology become the mainstream of Han culture after the fall of Qin?" His forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and he was even more tired than after fighting with Master Zhang and the others.

Then he stared longingly at Professor Xu.

Why is it that the final exams are making things difficult for me?

Whose family asks questions for four hours straight during a final exam?
Moreover, the chief examiners were the "Three Elders of Jiangnan University".

That's outrageous!
"Xiao Fan."

Chen Fan immediately straightened his back and said, "I'm here."

Professor Xu grinned and chuckled, "You did well today, you pass."

Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly stood up and bowed slightly, "Thank you, teacher."

Then he turned to the other two and bowed to thank them, saying, "Thank you, Professor Liu and Professor Xi."

The plump Xi Tianping leaned back in his chair, gestured to Chen Fan, and said with a smile, "Sit down. There are no outsiders here, no need to be so polite."

He crossed his arms and placed them on his unusually small belly, saying to Chen Fan, "For those in the literary field, reading volume is very important. I heard you've already finished the first reading list Old Xu gave you, which is a year's worth of material. The fact that you could read it all so carefully and even gain some insights shows that you've put in a lot of hard work, and it proves that you have good talent and are a natural reader..."

After he finished speaking, Liu Dengzhuo, who was standing next to him, followed up with perfect understanding, "Reading ancient books extensively is only the first stage of literary research. Later, we need to do in-depth research and also take into account classic works from abroad, including literary works, literary criticism works, philosophical works, and so on, to broaden our horizons."

As the saying goes, "stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade." If you can extract even one or two sentences of essence from a great book and apply them to your own work, then reading that book has not been in vain.

Finally, Professor Xu gave a concluding speech, "This semester,..."

Chen Fan silently corrected himself: It's two and a half months!
I arrived on April 15th, and now it's the last day of June, which is exactly two and a half months.

Professor Xu was unaware that his prized student was daydreaming about the past month or two. He was still giving serious feedback, saying, "The main focus should be on building a solid foundation. My requirements for you were to read books, study, and submit reading notes. Now, passing the assessment proves that you have a pretty good grasp of these basic knowledge."

I won't make any demands on you during the two-month summer vacation. The reading list I've written for you—whether you read it or just relax—is fine with you.

Chen Fan thought to himself: There should be a "but" here.

"but,"

Professor Xu's expression turned serious. "As the saying goes, 'learning should be applied to practice and knowledge should be integrated with action.' Starting next semester, the learning reflections will be canceled, but I will assign you a research project. You will need to start researching the project and write a paper."

Chen Fan nodded solemnly, "Understood."

Professor Xu's expression softened slightly, and she waved her hand at him, "Alright, let's go."

Watching Chen Fan walk out, Liu Dengzhuo turned to Xu Zurui and said, "Chen's learning progress far exceeds that of other students, so it's right not to follow the original teaching syllabus. However, won't the learning plan you designed for him be too much of a burden?"

Xi Tianping nodded and said, "This pace is too fast. In just two and a half months, they've completed almost all the previous master's level courses. Do you think we should slow down?"

The master's level he referred to was the postgraduate education system during the Republic of China era.

In 1935, the Ministry of Education at the time promulgated the "Degree Conferral Law" following the British and American system, stipulating that degrees were divided into three levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral, with some special disciplines having only two or one level.

However, due to historical reasons, it was not well implemented at the time. By the time the People's Republic of China was founded, only 232 people had obtained master's degrees, and doctoral degrees were extremely rare.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the postgraduate system was seriously discussed, and more than 22700 postgraduate students were enrolled in the 15 years following the founding of the PRC.

Unfortunately, the educational stage and degree for postgraduate students have not yet been determined.

In response to this issue, the Ministry of Education held two expanded meetings to discuss whether to adopt the Soviet Union's "candidate of sciences" system or to continue the academic, master's, and doctoral system from the Republic of China era.

In the beginning, our relationship with the Soviet Union was quite good, and some universities adopted the Soviet system, which was the "Candidate of Sciences" degree, roughly equivalent to a master's degree, while a Doctor of Science degree was naturally a doctorate. There was no bachelor's degree.

Then, before the discussion could reach a conclusion, the postgraduate education program was suspended, and this suspension lasted for 12 years.

So when Chen Fan said he was a graduate student, no one cared whether it was a master's or a doctoral degree.

Well, in that case, when the degree system was announced in 80 and implemented on New Year's Day 81, it would be hard to say whether one would receive a master's degree or a doctoral degree.

Anyway, it's not a big deal to get a doctorate certificate, as long as you pass the assessment.

Well, that's probably it.

Professor Xu calmly took a sip of tea and said to his two old friends, "It's not that I'm forcing him to learn; it's just that he learns too fast. He can memorize a book in just a few days and understand it thoroughly. Although he can't be said to have a photographic memory, he's not far off."

You all understand the principle of individualized instruction; I can't deliberately slow down his learning progress just to conform to the curriculum.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Moreover, his rapid learning progress is also largely due to his solid foundation. Before coming to the school, he had already completed most of the undergraduate professional courses on his own, and also had some knowledge of literary works."

"He has good talent and a solid foundation, so of course I'll lend him a hand and help him succeed faster."

Xi Tianping took a deep breath, his brows furrowing slightly. "I received news that someone suggested to the vice president that he seriously consider establishing a degree system. The vice president immediately stated that he wanted to implement a degree system and that he would propose it to the organization and announce it to the public at an appropriate time."

He then turned to Xu Zurui and said, "According to my estimate, this matter should be resolved as early as next year or at the latest the year after. If Xiao Chen's learning progresses too fast, you may not be able to issue his graduation certificate in time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Dengzhuo nodded slightly and turned to look at Xu Zurui.

Professor Xu pondered for two seconds, then looked up and smiled, "If that's the case, then let him write a couple more papers and graduate a year or two later. Anyway, the power to approve is in my hands, and no one will necessarily raise any objections."

Liu Dengzhuo and Xi Tianping's expressions froze instantly. The next second, they both gave a thumbs up and said in unison, "Truly a cunning old fox."

……

Chen Fan drove out of the school, one hand resting on the car window, feeling very happy, humming a song, "Hehehehe, hahahaha, vacation time, vacation time, vacation time, exams over, exams over, exams over, during summer vacation I am a happy little bird, during summer vacation I am a happy little bird, flying, flying, flying, flying happily..."

He flew all the way to his workplace, and the car braked slightly at the entrance. Chen Fan stuck his head out and called out, "Uncle Xiang, have you eaten yet?"

Grandpa Xiang immediately came out, one hand on his hip, the other fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, and laughed heartily, "It's already 12:30, and you still haven't eaten?" Chen Fan's face fell, "Sigh, I had an exam this morning, and I ran off as soon as it was over, and now I'm still starving."

Grandpa Xiang walked up to them and said, "Oh, so pitiful?"

Then he pointed to the office building and said, "I don't know if the cafeteria is still open. Why don't you go check first?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "I thought you were going to treat me to a meal, but you're asking me to go to the cafeteria?"

Grandpa Xiang, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, grinned and said, "I would like to invite you, but didn't you tell me to buy more good food to nourish my grandson? I don't even have enough money to nourish him, so where would I get the money to invite you?"

As she spoke, she tilted her head and leaned closer to Chen Fan, whispering, "How about we do it the same way as last time? You go to the wild game canteen and bring back a few lunchboxes, and I'll get you a big stew pot?"

Chen Fan's expression stiffened slightly. "Sir, when did you become so good at scheming?"

Grandpa Xiang sighed, "I have to make plans. That kid's health is improving, but according to the prescription you gave him, he'll need to take supplements for at least three to five years. Even if it's not a bottomless pit, it's about time. I have to save money."

Chen Fan said, "If you ask me, you should listen to your old commander and get a different job. At least the salary will be higher."

Grandpa Xiang immediately laughed and scolded, "Get lost, you're inciting me to take advantage of public resources."

As he spoke, he proudly fanned himself with a palm leaf fan, "You have no idea how many old buddies envy my job. If I weren't here guarding the gate, how would I have met you, this little miracle doctor?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, so knowing how to do acupuncture makes you a little miracle doctor? I'm at most a Cheng Yaojin, with only three and a half moves of skill, nothing more."

Grandpa Xiang looked at him with disgust, "Hide it, hide it as much as you can, as if everyone wants to see you."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'm still hungry. I'll go to the cafeteria to find something to eat."

He then started to drive forward.

At this moment, Grandpa Xiang, holding onto the car window with one hand, quickly asked, "Are you going to the hospital again this afternoon?"

Chen Fan continued to apply the brakes, shook his head, and said, "I'm not going. Everything's been taken care of. I'll say hello to Chairman He later and then head back to my hometown."

Grandpa Xiang's expression changed. "All 33 are done?"

Chen Fan nodded, "Yes, it was done yesterday afternoon. Director Gong also arranged for me to have some tests done. I've met the requirements for surgery, so there's nothing else for me to do after that."

In order not to delay his summer vacation, he went all out to complete the treatment task ahead of schedule, without delaying even a day.

Grandpa Xiang nodded gently, gave him a deep look, then took two steps back, smiled, and waved, "Then go ahead, be careful on the road."

"okay."

Chen Fan waved his hand before releasing the brake and driving into the yard.

First, go to the small canteen on the first floor. Due to the nature of their work, it is common for the staff of the Writers' Association and several magazines to not eat on time. The canteen will also keep a special stove with some hot food on hand, so there will be food available when you arrive.

I was just chatting with Grandpa Xiang about food, it was purely for fun.

After quickly finishing his meal, Chen Fan returned to his office.

Unless there are special arrangements, Bian Huifang usually spends her time in the office organizing documents or reading a book.

Upon seeing Chen Fan enter, she immediately stood up to greet him and turned to pour tea.

Chen Fan waved his hand, gesturing for her to come and sit down, then said, "Starting today, I'm on summer vacation..."

Bian Huifang was stunned. "Summer vacation?"

No, is your main job as a student or a writer's association cadre?

Chen Fan continued calmly, "Before I leave, let me briefly explain the work to you."

Bian Huifang snapped out of her daze, immediately ran to get her notebook, and sat down to take notes.

Chen Fan glanced at it and said, "There are mainly two things. The work of the correspondence center is now on track. Just do it step by step. If there are any special circumstances that you can't solve, go to Secretary-General Xu. If she can't solve it, she will naturally go to Chairman He and Vice Chairman Tan."

Bian Huifang nodded as she took notes.

After she finished writing, Chen Fan continued, "The second thing is about the External Relations Department."

Upon hearing this, Bian Huifang couldn't help but look up, then quickly looked down to take notes.

But I was wondering to myself, was the External Relations Department about to start its work?

Haven’t you heard of it?

Chen Fan: "In the past, although there was no external liaison department, there were many international exchange activities. Although they were mainly focused on Asia and Africa, it does not mean that there were no exchanges with Europe and America."

As far as I know, France, Germany, and the United States have all had relevant exchange programs with the Writers' Association. In particular, the United States, where American poet Paul Ingres and Chinese-American novelist Nie Hualing jointly established an 'International Writing Program' at the University of Iowa, intending to invite Chinese writers to visit and reside there.

In other words, it's about exchanging and learning from each other. While I'm away, you can gather some information on this topic.

After a pause, he still explained, "Since the Writers' Association has established an External Liaison Department and included Europe and America, or even set up a separate branch, then there should be plans in this regard, or at least a willingness to communicate with European and American writers."

Therefore, our provincial branch, having established this department, cannot simply treat it as a mere formality following the headquarters' example. Ideally, it should be able to perform some actual work and prepare for future international exchanges.

Of course, he wouldn't rule out any possibility, so he smiled and continued, "If there are no such activities, or even if our European and American branches are canceled, it doesn't matter. The information you've compiled won't be wasted. Not only can it broaden your own horizons, but you can also submit the information to the headquarters, which can be considered our small contribution."

Bian Huifang quickly finished taking notes, then nodded seriously, "I understand."

He then asked, "Director, is there anything else?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "Study more and learn more. Whether it's the correspondence center or the European and American branches, they may expand in the future. I hope that when the opportunity arises, you can step up."

Upon hearing this, Bian Huifang's face lit up, and she nodded excitedly, "Yes, I will definitely work hard."

Chen Fan smiled slightly, inwardly sighing, "The one who ate the pie has ultimately become the one who drew the pie."

(End of this chapter)