1979: Literary Master, Starting from the Return of Educated Youth

Chapter 26 College Entrance Examination, start the sprint!
It is late at night and only the chirping of summer insects can be heard outside the window.

There were several finished manuscripts piled on the desk in front of Xu Yuexin, but he still hadn't put down his pen.

"Write this down first."

Finally, when another sheet of manuscript paper was full, Xu Yuexin put down the Parker gold pen in his hand and stretched.

A rough estimate is that since he read the letter from the confused educated youth, he has written a total of 2000 words, which makes him quite prolific among real-life writers.

Wash and sleep.

……

The next morning, after Xu Yuexin woke up and had breakfast, he remembered that he had not yet replied to Wang Chaoyin's letter.

I was so into creating last night.

Returning to his desk, Xu Yuexin found a piece of letter paper from the drawer and wrote a long letter.

I am grateful for his efforts and the efforts of all the colleagues in the publishing department. I am very happy to see my book will soon be released on the market. I have read the letter from the confused educated youth and was quite touched. I will visit him in the editorial office in a few days.

That’s the content of the letter.

After writing the letter, Xu Yuexin took out an envelope from the bookshelf and put it in the letter, but did not go downstairs to deliver it immediately.

I'll write some more novel and then send it out together with the letter when I go out for a trip.

Xu Yuexin put the envelope on the corner of the table, took out several sheets of manuscript paper, and continued to write based on the plot he had written last night.

This is a work that responds to the millions of people who once had ideals but are now confused. Xu Yuexin was very dedicated when writing it.

Before he knew it, Xu Yuexin had been writing until noon.

In the afternoon, Xu Yuexin walked down the staff building with the letter to Wang Chaoyin, went outside to buy a stamp, put it on the envelope and threw it into the mailbox.

After sending the letter, Xu Yuexin rode his bicycle to Xinhua Bookstore to buy high school textbooks.

Yesterday, he was attracted by the high spirits of university campuses in this era and felt that he should experience such campus life.

The Xinhua Bookstore closest to the faculty building was located within the future Third Ring Road. Xu Yuexin rode his bicycle for about 20 minutes and parked his 28-bar bicycle in front of the bookstore.

On weekday afternoons, there are still many people reading in the store. The most popular books are "People's Literature" and "Poetry Magazine". Some readers hold these two books in their hands, their eyes concentrating on them, motionless like sculptures, and only make a sound when they turn the pages occasionally.

"Excuse me, please make way."

"Hey, comrade, please make way..."

Xu Yuexin walked past one person after another who was reading, walked to the innermost bookshelf, and picked out a stack of textbooks published in the early 60s from the dazzling array of textbooks.

It is said that the textbooks of this period are of the highest quality and most suitable for self-study. The only ones that can be compared with them are those produced in the 80s.

"Comrade, please settle the bill."

Xu Yuexin held a pile of textbooks and placed them on the counter, reminding the salesperson who was reading behind the counter.

The salesperson put down the high school textbook in her hand and looked up at Xu Yuexin. Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey, Yue Xin, are you back in the city?"

The female salesperson stood up happily and greeted him, "Why didn't you tell us old classmates when you came back?"

"At the beginning of the year, there were too many things going on and I didn't have time to find you."

Xu Yuexin said with a smile.

The female salesperson was named You Peiling, and she was his high school classmate.

There was once a rumor in the class that she had a crush on Xu Yuexin.

Xu Yuexin had never verified this, so he didn't know if it was true or not. In fact, he had never spoken to You Peiling in his entire high school life, and he only remembered that she was a quiet, timid girl with fair skin.

I didn't expect that after not seeing her for a few years, You Peiling has grown into a beautiful young lady with a fuller figure and a confident look.

"Then let's get together next time when we have time. Your home is still in the Wudaokou faculty building, right?" You Peiling asked enthusiastically, "Are you buying these books to take the college entrance examination?"

"Yes, it's still there. Let's give it a try this time."

Xu Yuexin agreed casually, feeling a little uncomfortable because some customers were already looking at him with curious eyes.

You Peiling didn't take it seriously and even helped enthusiastically.

"There are two books with wrinkled edges. I'll replace them with better-looking ones for you."

You Peiling took out Chinese and history and trotted to the warehouse.

Xu Yuexin felt the passion in You Peiling's words and actions, and for a moment he doubted whether the rumors of secret love were true.

Never mind, just consider it as a show of care between old classmates.

People of this generation still attach great importance to friendship between classmates. It is normal to be enthusiastic and help each other with small things after not seeing each other for a long time.

After a while, You Peiling came back from the warehouse with three books. The shaking of the mountains while she was running made Xu Yuexin quickly look away.

"Your Chinese and history books, along with other teaching materials, cost three yuan."

"And this book, People's Literature, is a gift from me to you."

You Peiling piled the books on the table and looked into Xu Yuexin's eyes. Something seemed to be beating in his pupils. "There is a novel in it called 'The Wreath under the Mountain'. It is very well written."

"This issue of People's Literature was sold out several times because of it."

"Some customers come to me to order People's Literature just for this."

"Everyone is discussing who the author Chunfeng is and how he could write such a classic novel."

This... is pretty good.

Xu Yuexin's face turned red due to the compliment. He took out three bills from his pocket and put them on the counter.

Before leaving, You Peiling stuffed several book covers into his hands, saying that wrapping them could prevent the textbooks from being damaged.

Xu Yuexin couldn't refuse and had to accept it.

In fact, he doesn't have the habit of wrapping books in covers because he is lazy.

After returning home, Xu Yuexin put the book cover on the table, intending to give it to his younger sister who was still in high school.

The textbooks I bought today are Chinese, mathematics, politics, history, geography, and "Xu Guozhang English" which was popular all over the country in the 60s.

79 was another unusual year in the history of the college entrance examination. In that year, the education authorities decided to include English in the total score, with a proportion of 10%, which would be increased year by year.

In the college entrance examinations of 77 and 78, English was only used as a reference subject for admission. It was in 79 that the basic framework for the college entrance examinations in the following decades was laid.

This year, some parents with connections and awareness have begun looking for college entrance examination cram schools for their children, and the curtain of the college entrance examination arms race is slowly opening.

Fortunately, the difficulty of the questions in this era is relatively low for Xu Yuexin.

After reading a book at the desk to recover, Xu Yuexin finished several math problems in a row, and his hands felt quite smooth.

The textbooks nowadays are different from those in the future. The difficulty of the textbook questions is the difficulty of the college entrance examination. It will not happen that the textbooks are very simple but the exams are very difficult as in the future.

Xu Yuexin was concentrating on doing some questions when he heard a knock on the door.

Is Chen Qiaoqiao here?

Xu Yuexin thought about it, put down his textbook and went outside to open the door.

"Excuse me, is Yue Xin at home?"

When he walked out of the bedroom door, Chen Yixiu's beautiful voice like a silver bell came from outside.

(End of this chapter)