Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 881 Graduation Early
Some people pretend to be stupid, while others refuse to let go.

They were all just joking.

Chen Fan only briefly expressed his intention to strike, and He Qingsheng readily agreed to discuss it with his superiors when he got back. If nothing unexpected happened, he would still allocate foreign exchange reserves to Chen Fan according to the total ratio of 35%.

To reiterate, there was no real loss of foreign exchange; what he received was simply foreign exchange certificates converted from his original share, which indeed had little impact on the overall situation.

Conversely, if Chen Fan insisted on allocating his income according to his personal foreign exchange earnings, the percentage he would receive would be much higher than this.

Referring to the remittances received by overseas Chinese from coastal areas, they used to receive remittance certificates at a rate ranging from 20% to 50%, and at the same time, they exchanged all foreign exchange into local currency at the official exchange rate. They received remittance certificates and local currency, which allowed them to purchase scarce goods without coupons.

After the implementation of foreign exchange certificates, this will no longer be so troublesome.

If relatives overseas send them $100, once the funds are received in mainland China, they will be directly converted into RMB 150 in foreign exchange certificates at the current official exchange rate of 1:1.5.

Of course, this exchange rate is floating; it will be calculated based on the exchange rate at the time of exchange.

Chen Fan's royalties are considered personal income, which is currently a gray area with blurred boundaries, because only organizations can generate foreign exchange earnings nationwide, not individuals.

But he's different. Overseas publishers have connections with him, and they only sign contracts because of his works. Even other writers from the Writers' Association who contribute to overseas publications are, strictly speaking, taking advantage of him.

In this way, in principle, he can be managed through his employer in accordance with the regulations for non-trade foreign exchange earnings, but he can also bypass his employer and have it directly counted as personal income, just like remittance income.

The difference here is the amount of foreign exchange certificates Chen Fan can obtain.

Of course, there are advantages to earning foreign exchange through one's employer. The employer would solve many procedural and official matters for Chen Fan and block out some people who were envious of foreign exchange, saving him a lot of trouble. This is the main reason why Chen Fan did not bypass his employer.

But if he bypassed his workplace, Chen Fan would have to deal with those minor, annoying troubles on his own, even if they weren't truly harmful. Since he wasn't short of money, and the difference in foreign exchange certificates didn't mean a decrease in income, why create unnecessary trouble for himself?
Therefore, if possible, Chen Fan also hopes to maintain the status quo.

Everyone knew the bottom line and the reality. He Qingsheng only said a few words, which was just a joke between acquaintances, before he readily agreed.

What else can we do?

Although his work unit could shield Chen Fan from a lot of trouble, other units besides the Writers' Association could do the same. So now it's the Writers' Association that needs Chen Fan, not the other way around.

When both sides are not on equal footing, where is the room for negotiation?!
Besides, we have such a deep friendship, that's enough. Anyway, it has nothing to do with my own wallet. Why bother people with all this nagging about public affairs?

He Qingsheng picked up a cigarette from the table, took one out and put it in his mouth, looking at him and saying, "If this foreign exchange certificate is ever issued, then we'll do it your way. The higher-ups shouldn't have any problems either. Otherwise, if they ever displease you and turn to other units, they'll have nowhere to cry."

Chen Fan smacked his lips, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and said, "You know what, in a couple of years, I might actually be transferred to another unit."

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng's eyes widened immediately. "What? Haven't I treated you well enough? I'm practically worshipping you. You can come to this class whenever you want and not come whenever you don't want to. Apart from the manuscript assignments for Takahashi Publishing House, there are no other requirements for your works."

Conversely, whenever you have a request, your workplace always fully supports you. What could you possibly be dissatisfied with?

Chen Fan waved his hand, "This isn't a matter of satisfaction or dissatisfaction."

He flicked off his cigarette ash and chuckled, "The main thing is that my wife will be graduating in a couple of years..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Qingsheng immediately said, "Graduation is good too. I'll arrange it. I remember she studied textile engineering, right? Perfect. Our Jiangnan Province is a textile powerhouse. Putting aside everything else, her parents' cotton mill is a good place. If she's willing to come back, I'll put in a good word for her. You don't need to worry about any of the procedures. I'll take care of everything for her. All she needs to do is show up and report for duty."

He tossed his cigarette butt aside, his face serious, and continued, "Besides that, if she doesn't want to go back to Yunhu, she can choose any unit in the provincial capital: the Light Industry Bureau, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the Department Store,..."

Chen Fan waved his hand, interrupting him, and looked at him with a smile, "I understand what you mean, it hasn't come to that yet. Besides, you don't think Shanghai will release them easily, do you?!"

Even disregarding his status as a "foreign exchange earning expert" who could single-handedly replace a large factory, just looking at Jiang Lili herself, as a top student from the textile institute, and Shanghai being a strong city in the traditional textile industry, how could they easily let her go?
Thinking of this, He Qingsheng was speechless.

He could break the rules and arrange for Jiang Lili to work in any unit in the provincial capital because he was confident that the provincial leaders would also approve of his approach.

But all of this is based on the premise that the school will let people go.

Do you think they'll let them go easily?

Anyway, He Qingsheng felt that if he were in Shanghai, he would not only release the person, but would also use Jiang Lili as bait to lure Chen Fan, this big fish, to his destination!

Well, that might be exactly what Buffett was planning.

Thinking of this, He Qingsheng looked at Chen Fan and couldn't help but sigh. In other families, the wife follows the husband, but in the Chen family, it's the man who follows the woman.

What? It doesn't matter where Chen Fan works?
That's okay.

Seeing that He Qingsheng remained silent, Chen Fan clearly understood his meaning, so he smiled and continued, "Actually, I don't really care where or what kind of company she goes to; it mainly depends on Lili's own wishes. And although she studied textile engineering, her dream is fashion design, and in this area, Shanghai and Guangdong do have an advantage in China."

He Qingsheng's eyes widened. "You're not going to send her to Guangdong, are you?"

He knew that the Zhou family had invested in several factories in the Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen, including a garment factory. They might actually send people there, or even to the United States.

Although there hasn't been a craze for going abroad yet, there are already quite a few people who have the opportunity to see foreign countries, making more and more people yearn for overseas travel. It's hard to say that Jiang Lili won't want to go abroad.
Chen Fan waved his hand, "I don't have that idea, at least not me. How to arrange things is up to her. I'm telling you this today just to let you know in advance."

Besides, even without Lili's workplace issue, I wouldn't be staying here for long.

He took out a cigarette and handed it to her, smiling, "You know why."

He Qingsheng took the cigarette, sighed softly, and looked at him, saying, "There's nothing we can do. Although the Writers' Association is nominally a professional people's organization, it is actually a member of the system, and we have to follow the rules and regulations when we do things."

You are very capable and resourceful, and have made significant contributions to the company's growth and development. However, your biggest problem lies in your young age and lack of experience, and there's another very important point.

Then he gently tapped the table. "Not within the organization. That's why I suggested you go teach at a university last year, regardless of whether you came to the office or produced any works. That was all to put some pressure on you and give you a break. Otherwise, if we continued like this, not to mention last year, through the international student literature interest group you started, we established contact with writers' organizations in more than a dozen countries."

"All the credit will ultimately go to you. If you're not in the unit, you'll only get 20% at most, but if you are, you'll get at least half. Add to that all the other external liaison work, how can we possibly reduce or slow down the process?" Before Chen Fan could speak, he paused, then sighed, "Actually, if you were a more composed veteran, willing to settle down in the unit for a few years, you'd still be the youngest provincial branch chairman in the country by the next election. But you're also a restless person. If you ask me, enduring and waiting isn't a bad thing."

After saying all that, he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a lighter.

Chen Fan spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. It's innate, and I can't change it."

The main reason is that he really didn't want to develop within the system. If it weren't for the special circumstances of the times, it would be inconvenient to do many things outside the system these days. For example, taking a train, plane, or ship requires meeting certain rank requirements. He might not have become the section chief at Yunhu Health Department, let alone accepted He Qingsheng's invitation to take a position in the Provincial Writers Association.

He Qingsheng lit a cigarette, took a puff, and looked at him through the smoke. "I'll be your introducer and bring you into the organization, how about it?"

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Uncle He, have you forgotten? I'm still a Taoist priest!"

Upon hearing this, He Qingsheng slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "What kind of mess is this?"

If Chen Fan hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have remembered that this most outstanding young writer in the country was also the abbot of Chaoyang Temple in Beijing.

Well, that's great. There's nothing more to say. Let's just see when he leaves.

The two smoked and chatted, and less than an hour later, the cleaning team that came to clean up also finished their work and went home.

After they left, He Qingsheng looked at Chen Fan and said, "It's already noon, don't bother making lunch, just come to my house for a quick bite."

He then laughed and said, "Don't worry, although it's not anything fancy, there are still plenty of good dishes left over from the New Year, so you won't be without food to go with your drinks."

Chen Fan waved his hand and said, "It's not that I'm looking down on you. I plan to go to my teacher's house first and have a meal there. Tonight, I'll invite Sister Xu and Uncle Tan over, and I'll set up a table at home for a good drink."

He Qingsheng didn't stand on ceremony, "Alright. I should definitely go to Professor Xu's place first. I'll head back now and wait for the big meal tonight."

Chen Fan saw He Qingsheng out, went back inside to tidy up briefly, then picked up the gift he had prepared for Professor Xu and drove out of the yard.

……

Jiangnan University and Wenyi New Village are separated by only one road. Chen Fan went directly into the school from the north gate, and in less than ten minutes, his car stopped in front of Professor Xu's house.

We were lucky today. In addition to Professor Xu, Professors Liu Dengzhuo and Xi Tianping were also there, so the three senior professors of Jiangnan University were all together.

Upon seeing Chen Fan arrive, Professor Xu first instructed the housekeeper to add an extra dish, then smiled and said, "You've come at the perfect time; we were just talking about you."

Chen Fan put the gift in the corner, pulled up a chair and sat down, asking curiously, "What are you saying about me?"

Professor Liu laughed and said, "I'm saying you can graduate now."

"graduate?"

Chen Fan turned to Professor Xu and asked, "Didn't you tell me to wait a little longer?"

Just before the Lunar New Year, Professor Xu had talked to him about graduation.

He had already completed his required courses in his first year, and he had always done a good job on his assignments. Last year, Jiangda Press published "Small Town People," which was also Professor Xu's graduation project for him.

It was a graduation project, not a graduation thesis. Other students didn't have one either; it was an assignment that Professor Xu gave him separately.

After its publication, the novel was highly praised by readers and professionals alike. Even Ba Jin and Mao Dun praised it highly when they met it, and even expressed that it had a chance to compete for the second Lu Xun Literary Prize this year.

This is blatant spoiler.

In conclusion, although Chen Fan's "academic performance" and "exam results" were both very good, and he could theoretically apply for early graduation, Professor Xu still asked him to wait.

What we're waiting for is the restoration of the degree system, which is currently being discussed by higher authorities.

Thinking of this, Chen Fan's eyes lit up. "Is the degree system going to be reinstated?"

Professor Xu was about to speak when he heard his words and said irritably, "It's been published in the newspapers. Such a big thing, didn't you even care?"

He handed him a newspaper, saying, "Read it yourself."

Chen Fan took it and saw that it was a second-rate newspaper from February 13th, which published the decisions of the executive meeting of the higher authorities on February 12th. It clearly stated that the "Degree Regulations" were formally passed and would be implemented on January 1, 1981. The regulations established a three-tiered degree system of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, marking the formal establishment of China's degree system.

For a long time, my country’s postgraduate degree system directly followed the Soviet system, which consisted of bachelor’s, associate doctorate, doctorate and full doctorate.

A PhD is equivalent to a Master's degree in Western countries, a full PhD is equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy, and a full Doctor of Philosophy is equivalent to a postdoctoral fellow.

This time, the "Degree Regulations" completely abandoned the Soviet model and instead referenced the Western degree system, clearly aiming to align with Europe and America.

The degree we later used was also decided at this meeting.

Professor Xu paused for a moment, lit a cigarette, and said from the side, "This degree system was discussed for 11 months and passed at the executive meeting. The efficiency is very high."

Furthermore, although the regulations won't officially take effect until January 1st of next year, with the relevant rules already clarified, current graduate students can apply for early graduation. They only need to pass their thesis defense to receive their graduation certificate. Once the "Degree Regulations" officially take effect on January 1st of next year, their master's degree certificates can be reissued.

As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Xi said, "Your studies have already been completed. Professor Xu is only making you wait for this regulation to be promulgated."

The time is right. All you need to do is write a graduation thesis, pass the defense, and you can officially graduate.

(End of this chapter)