1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 311: Who is happy with you?

"Tear--"

On the wooden frame next to the window.

An old-fashioned almanac was hung on an iron nail with green rust. The lunar calendar seasons and taboos were printed on the gray-white paper.

A slender, white hand with distinct joints came into view, picked up a piece of cheap almanac paper, and tore it off with a tearing sound.

November 22, Gengshen year, Saturday.

The fifteenth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar is the light snow season.

It is advisable to clean before traveling.

"Time flies so fast, and before I knew it a year has passed."

Cheng Kaiyan stood in front of the desk, staring at the almanac in his hand, lost in thought.

At this time last year, he boarded the train back to the city from southern Xinjiang.

Many unpredictable things happened this year.

One thing after another, one after another.

He, who was used to living a peaceful and uneventful life, felt like he was being pushed around.

Fortunately, for many things, the final result is not bad.

Thinking of this, Cheng Kaiyan laughed, crumpled the almanac in his hand and threw it into the trash can.

Then he raised his hand and pushed open the printed glass window.

With a creak, the old wooden window pushed open to both sides, making a dull wooden sound when hitting the wall.

The light suddenly brightened, not because the weather was good, but because it was already white outside the window.

The gray tile roof of the courtyard, the crooked sycamore tree, the yard, and the ditch were all covered with snow.

The snow and the light were blindingly bright.

"Whoosh-"

The snowflakes floating in the air were carried by the breeze and rushed into the house with a whistling sound.

A chill that penetrated his bones hit Cheng Kaiyan's face, making him feel just as chilling as it did last year.

It was as if he was back to last year, back to the day when he first arrived.

"It snowed during the light snow season..."

Cheng Kaiyan looked up into the distance outside the window and murmured.

He stood at the window and watched for a long time, and didn't even notice Xu Yuxiu standing at the kitchen door and looking at him.

Until the mother frowned and complained: "It's snowing, and you're still standing by the window to enjoy the wind. You don't even remember to put on your coat. Do you want to get sick and lie in bed again? If you don't know, you'd think you're in good health! Hurry up and put on your clothes and eat!"

"understood."

Cheng Kaiyan's expression remained unchanged. He responded lazily and turned to walk towards the closet.

When he came out again, he was fully armed and wearing warm cotton pants, snow boots, a military coat, and a matching warm military cap.

The dinner table.

The mother and son ate quietly. Their breakfast was pickled vegetable porridge and a dish of fried bacon.

"Mom, there is an activity at school today, so I probably won't be back at noon. I will bring you some gifts from the school then."

Although today is Saturday, the professor from Pennsylvania University just finished his visit to Peking University and skipped Tsinghua University and chose Beijing Normal University.

It is said that he was invited by Xiao Jianshan, and many teachers and students in the school were very surprised.

Beijing Normal University actually surpassed Tsinghua University. This time everyone can be proud!
Cheng Kaiyan was also a little surprised when she learned about this.

This old guy is quite lucky. To be honest, the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University is on par with that of Tsinghua University.

Maybe it’s because I made plans in advance, and the Beijing Normal University has the reputation of a writers’ class.

It is rare internationally for a college of higher learning to set up a special system for training writers.

It’s not surprising that it can attract scholars from the University of Pennsylvania.

"Holding an event? And there are prizes?"

Xu Yuxiu sipped the rice soup on the chopsticks with her lips, with some curiosity in her beautiful eyes.

"We had a school from the United States come to visit us, and the school organized a lot of activities, including a quiz contest."

After Cheng Kaiyan gave a brief explanation, Xu Xiu Yu quickly understood.

"I see. My family is short of oil. If you can get oil, you can get it. Or eggs and rice will be fine too."

Xu Yuxiu thought about it and gave instructions.

"Haha, Mom, do you think I'm going to buy some goods? I'll give you a set of rice, flour, grain and oil."

Cheng Kaiyan laughed.

To be honest, if my aunt didn’t want to attend this exchange meeting, I would have to accompany her.

Even if there were prizes to be won, he really didn't want to go on such a cold and snowy day.

It has nothing to do with him anyway, why go there?
Might as well just lie down and sleep at home.

"Ha ha……"

When Xu Yuxiu heard the news about purchasing goods, she also found it funny and started laughing with her hands covering her mouth.

After dinner, my mother washed the dishes and watched TV in the living room.

Cheng Kaiyan didn't ride a bike, but walked out directly.

Because it suddenly snowed today, the road was covered with light snow. Pedestrians and vehicles passed by, leaving behind footprints and tire tracks that were particularly clear.

He waited for a long time before the bus finally arrived, humming and puffing, with smoke coming out of the tail.

Slow come, slow go.

We arrived at the gate of Beijing Normal University at 8:30.

The two stone lions were covered with snow, as if they were wearing a white veil.

Cheng Kaiyan withdrew her gaze and walked into the school gate.

Everywhere you look, it's covered with light snow.

The school logistics staff were sweeping the snow on the main road with bamboo brooms, and many college students could be seen having snowball fights and making snowmen on the wide playground.

Red banners were hung in many places, welcoming foreign scholars and teachers and students from other schools.

Such a large campus is still full of vitality and bustling even in the snow.

Cheng Kaiyan did not go to the auditorium first, but went to the Chinese Department office.

He and Jiang Ting made an appointment to attend the exchange meeting today.

Jiang Ting said that as a teacher at Beijing Normal University, it would be difficult for her to be absent from such an event.

Cheng Kaiyan also wanted to see whether Xiao Jianshan would arrange for his aunt to go on stage at today's exchange meeting.

But when he walked into the office corridor, he learned the result.

Because several teachers in front were talking about this.

"Principal Xiao really didn't arrange for Professor Jiang to attend today's exchange? It shouldn't have gone to this extent, right?"

"Professor Jiang is in the top three in our Chinese department in terms of foreign literature research, if not number one. How could she not be allowed to come on stage to share her experience at this kind of event?"

"That being said, Principal Xiao has made contributions after all, right? Otherwise, how could we be ahead of Tsinghua University?"

"Even if he has made contributions, can he do whatever he wants to make things difficult for others? To put it in a bigger context, this is an abuse of power. If he can do this to Professor Jiang today, he might be able to do this to us in the future..."

"That's right! People who are too narrow-minded and intolerant of others won't go far."

……

“Sure enough, Xiao Jianshan has no intention of letting my aunt go on stage.”

Cheng Kaiyan frowned and his eyes were indifferent.

When passing by a few people, Cheng Kaiyan waved to an acquaintance and said hello, "Teacher Wang, is my aunt in the office?"

"Yes, I came early in the morning."

When Teacher Wang heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

Cheng Kaiyan's sudden appearance almost scared them, but they immediately realized that she was saying bad things about Xiao Jianshan, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Kaiyan, I have something to tell you, don't be angry. I guess you and your aunt have been excluded from this exchange by Xiao Jianshan."

Teacher Wang grabbed Cheng Kaiyan who was about to turn around, looked around, and came close to Cheng Kaiyan and whispered.

"Okay, I got it. Thank you, Sister Wang."

“What a big deal…”

Teacher Wang looked at Cheng Kaiyan in surprise, who looked calm and indifferent, and found that he even had a smile on his face.

I was a little surprised. He is indeed a talented man, so calm and composed.

He didn't take this little thing to heart.

Teacher Wang felt that Xiao Jianshan might suffer a serious accident in the near future.

After all, his methods were too low-level and too obvious.

Anyone who knows something about the situation knows that he did it.

That is to say, Xiao Jianshan has made great contributions because of his exchange visit to the University of Pennsylvania, so no one is dealing with this matter for the time being.

……

As soon as Cheng Kaiyan entered the house, a warm breeze hit her in the face, making her feel particularly comfortable.

I looked up and saw snow flying outside the window. A beautiful woman in a coat was leaning on the sofa with her eyes closed and resting by the window.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Cheng Kaiyan sat over and asked casually.

"Well, I stayed up too late reading."

Jiang Ting opened her eyes and explained softly.

"Then let's go back and have a good rest. We won't go to see it today."

Cheng Kaiyan asked with concern.

Anyway, the quiz with prizes is in the afternoon, and Xiao Jianshan didn’t arrange for my aunt to go on stage to discuss, so I might as well go back to sleep and rest.

"Okay, let's come back this afternoon."...

At the same time, in the lounge backstage of the auditorium.

Scholars and teachers from the English Department at the University of Pennsylvania are familiar with the materials in their hands and are preparing for today's exchange meeting.

"There are three sessions scheduled for this morning. In the morning, we will discuss the Chinese and American literary routes. In the afternoon, we will have direct dialogues with many outstanding Chinese writers. There will also be a question-and-answer session with prizes at the end of the afternoon."

“The schedule is quite tight.”

Sitting on the sofa in the lounge, Professor Ansel looked at the plan of Beijing Normal University in his hand and muttered to himself.

At this time, the door of the lounge opened.

George led a man in his sixties and pushed the door open and walked in, "Teacher, the president of Beijing Normal University came to see you specially."

headmaster?

Professor Ansel stood up and looked up.

I found out that this was not the person I saw last time, so I thought this should be the real principal.

The man had short, gray hair, visible forehead wrinkles, a serious square face, and was a little over 1.7 meters tall. He was wearing a navy blue Zhongshan suit, a scarf around his neck, and two pens in his left chest pocket.

As soon as he saw the professor, the president showed a friendly smile and greeted him in not-so-fluent English: "Professor Ansel, I am Wang Zikun, the president of Beijing Normal University. I have heard a lot about you!"

Normally, President Wang would not show up easily, but since the Penn team came to Beijing Normal University for a visit and exchange, he, as the president, naturally had to come in person to show respect.

"Hello."

After a brief acquaintance, the two sat on the sofa and started chatting.

Principal Wang wanted to strike up a conversation, so he took the initiative to talk about the writers' class in the Chinese Department of Beijing Normal University.

“The model of the writers’ class, which is recommended by government literary and artistic units and jointly trained by universities that emphasize both ideology and writing skills, is indeed unique.

In 1936, the United States established the world's first writer training program called the Iowa Writers' Workshop, but the education model is more systematic and professional, and it awards a two-year Master of Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)..."

Professor Ansel thought about it and explained the key points one by one, including the student training program of the Writers’ Workshop and the advantages and disadvantages of the workshop model.

Principal Wang listened attentively and took out his notebook to take notes.

These are the successful experiences of the West.

More than ten minutes later, Professor Ansel took a sip of water and suddenly asked, "Principal Wang, I heard that there is a young talent in your school? Is he also studying in the writer's class?"

Principal Wang was stunned for a moment, and soon realized who the talented person Professor Ansel was talking about was.

But how did this professor from a world-renowned American university know this kid's name?
For a moment, Principal Wang was filled with surprise and curiosity. "Professor, you actually know the great talent of our Beijing Normal University? Are you talking about Comrade Cheng Kaiyan?"

"Cheng Kaiyan..."

Professor Ansel thought to himself and nodded, "Yes, it's this Cheng."

"How did you know him?"

"To be honest, I am a big fan of Cheng's books! I like his works very much."

Professor Ansel picked up a magazine from his hand and waved it in front of Principal Wang, not hiding his love for it in his words.

"What?! You mean... you are a loyal fan of Cheng Kaiyan's books?"

Principal Wang's pupils shrank and his voice rose a few notches.

He originally thought that Professor Ansel was considering visiting Beijing Normal University, so he specifically asked the Ministry of Culture and other people about Beijing Normal University, and only then did he learn the name of the great talent Cheng Kaiyan.

But what was unexpected was that Professor Ansel watched the work in the process and even became a loyal fan of his book.

This is so surprising.

Is it...

"Could it be that Cheng Kaiyan's works have been published abroad?"

Principal Wang took a deep breath, slowly looked at the magazine in the professor's hand, and asked tentatively.

"Of course, doesn't the principal know? This is Chinese Literature, the only literary magazine in your country that is published to foreign countries. I saw Cheng's works here. It is really amazing!"

Professor Ansel looked at the principal's embarrassed expression and smiled.

It seems that this Cheng is quite low-key.

"I see."

Of course Principal Wang has heard of this magazine. It is said that it is only published externally and cannot be bought in China.

Moreover, the selection, translation and distribution of works are all very strict.

Comrade Xiao Cheng is really good at hiding!
He silently digested this sudden and shocking news, and it took him a while to calm down.

But soon, he heard Professor Ansel say, "Come to think of it, part of the reason why we visited China and came to Beijing Normal University was because of Cheng."

"hiss!"

Principal Wang took a deep breath, a look of shock and disbelief appeared on his face, and he stood up immediately.

The mental cultivation that he had always been proud of seemed vulnerable in the face of this news.

The emotions that had just calmed down were once again turbulent, and the emotions soared like a roller coaster.

In that case, Penn wasn't invited by Xiao Jianshan?
But it’s because of Cheng Kaiyan?
……

Inside the auditorium.

"Hey, you! Be quick."

"What's wrong with you? It's so difficult for you to adjust the sound system. This visit has been affected. Can you take responsibility?"

Vice President Xiao Jianshan was busy directing the staff to check for deficiencies and fill them in.

At this time, he was still immersed in the respectful gazes of the school's teachers and students, and was secretly proud of himself for inviting the Penn team and defeating Tsinghua University.

Time passed quickly and it was nine o'clock.

The morning exchange meeting will begin soon.

One by one, teachers and professors from Beijing Normal University came on stage to exchange ideas with scholars from the University of Pennsylvania. Both sides made detailed and realistic analysis and debate on the current literary trends and directions in China and the United States.

For example, magical realism from Latin America, stream of consciousness and postmodernism from the international community.

We discussed and debated the scar literature, reflective literature, etc. that are currently popular in China.

2 p.m.

Writers from Peking University's Writers' Class, such as Jiang Zilong, Ye Xin, Zhang Kangkang and other outstanding writers from the Writers' Class, took the stage one after another.

I discussed creative methods, skills, ideology and other aspects with some scholars from the University of Pennsylvania.

Professor Ansel didn't think much of it at first, but time passed faster and faster, and it was already four o'clock, and he still didn't hear Cheng Kaiyan's name.

Finally, after a young writer took the stage, Professor Ansel found Principal Wang and asked in confusion, "Principal Wang, where is Cheng Kaiyan? Why hasn't he taken the stage yet?"

This question stumped President Wang: "Well... Cheng Kaiyan should be the finale writer, so I'll go ask her. Please be patient. Since you are here for Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, we at Beijing Normal University will never let you down, don't worry!"

"That's good."

Professor Ansel nodded, turned around and left with peace of mind.

Principal Wang watched the professor leave, found an officer, and said, "Xiao Hu, go call Vice Principal Xiao over. I need to talk to him about something!"

A few minutes later.

Xiao Jianshan came over with a smile on his face, "Old Wang, what's the matter? You asked me to come here in person, but I'm busy."

"Where are Cheng Kaiyan and the others?"

Principal Wang asked in a deep voice.

"No way!"

Xiao Jianshan was stunned for a moment, "What do you want to see him for?"

"Why did I look for him? Why hasn't Cheng Kaiyan come on stage yet? How did you arrange it?"

Seeing his puzzled expression, Principal Wang frowned and asked.

Xiao Jianshan suddenly realized that the principal didn't know the arrangement and thought Cheng Kaiyan was going to go on stage, so he hurriedly asked: "Cheng Kaiyan is not on the list of writers going on stage this time, why is he going on stage?"

"call……"

Principal Wang's heart was beating hard. It was a good thing he asked in person, otherwise something might have gone wrong!

After all the effort, Xiao Jianshan didn't even arrange for Cheng Kaiyan to go on stage to communicate.

It was Professor Ansel and I who thought that Cheng Kaiyan would be arranged to go on stage, and they were both looking forward to it.

For a moment, a nameless anger rose up, his chest heaved, he took a deep breath to calm the dissatisfaction in his heart, and said in a deep voice:
"Hurry up and invite Cheng Kaiyan over. Professor Ansel wants to see him! He's waiting! Hurry!"

"Professor Ansel asked to see him?"

Xiao Jianshan was a little surprised when he heard this, but he soon realized that he might have heard about Cheng Kaiyan's fame from someone else.

Damn, this guy is so lucky!

Although he was extremely reluctant, the situation was right now. The other person asked to see him specifically, and with the pressure from the principal, he had no choice but to ask Cheng Kaiyan.

"Don't worry, I'll find him right away."

Xiao Jianshan turned and left.

Principal Wang sat on the sofa, drinking tea, and slowly calmed down.

Being what a man he was, he soon realized that something was wrong.

Comrade Cheng Kaiyan can be said to be the second cultural celebrity of Beijing Normal University.

It is almost impossible for Beijing Normal University to exclude him from such activities!
It won't exclude him either.

But why didn’t Xiao Jianshan arrange for Cheng Kaiyan to go on stage?
Soon, Principal Wang's face darkened, but without frowning, he ordered the clerk: "Call Director Fang, I have something to ask him!"

Soon, Director Fang arrived.

"Director Fang, please tell me, what happened with Cheng Kaiyan?"

Principal Wang asked calmly, his eyes lowered as he drank his tea.

Upon hearing this, Director Fang's face turned red with shame and guilt.

He explained the whole story to Principal Wang.

"Snapped!"

"You are so lawless!"

After hearing the whole story, Principal Wang's face turned pale, he slapped the armrest of the sofa and shouted angrily.

(End of this chapter)