Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 703 Obtaining a Doctoral Degree
Just two days ago, Fang Minghua suddenly received a call from Liu Jianjun, vice president of Xi’an University.

"Minghua, after research, our school's degree committee has decided to issue you a doctoral degree certificate after the start of school in September. The official letter will be sent soon. I'll call you in advance to let you know."

"What, a doctorate?" Fang Minghua was very surprised. "I don't even have a bachelor's degree, how can I get a doctorate? Besides, I haven't even written a graduation thesis."

Liu Jianjun laughed at the other end of the phone: "That's not a big deal. As for your graduation thesis, didn't you publish three academic articles in the Literary and Art Newspaper recently? I think that one is very good! You can combine them into one and use it as your graduation thesis!"

"This"

"Minghua, I'm about to retire. I promised you, and I can't go back on my word!" Liu Jianjun said again.

Liu Jianjun did say this.

That was in 89. Liu Jianjun hired Fang Minghua as a visiting professor at Xi'an University on behalf of the school. His main job was to give lectures in the writers' class at that time.

Fang Minghua smiled and said that he only had a correspondence college diploma, so how could he be a professor and teach students in the master's class?
Liu Jianjun immediately said that this was easy and he would get you the diploma.

Fang Minghua was just talking, and finally went to Xi'an University to teach the writers' class. After the students of the writers' class graduated, Fang Minghua still held the title of visiting professor of Xi'an University, and occasionally went to Xi'an University to teach literary theory to the graduate class, but he never mentioned the diploma again.

Several years have passed, but unexpectedly Liu Jianjun suddenly called and talked about this matter.

"Minghua, originally our school leaders wanted to award you an honorary doctorate in view of your contributions to literature and to our Xi'an University. Later, we decided to award you a doctorate directly. I guess other universities will award you an honorary doctorate in the future, but how can it be as valuable as a real doctorate?"

"As for the thesis, just write it and give it to me, and I will act as your mentor. I never thought that I, Liu Jianjun, would accept such a great disciple when I am about to retire, haha."

After hearing this, Fang Minghua expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

When Song Tangtang came home from work in the evening, Fang Minghua told her about this. Song Tangtang was happy and envious.

My husband has become a doctor, but I am still a correspondence college student.

Not being able to go to college became a lifelong regret for her.

"Alas, my life is like this. My hope can only be placed on my two children. I hope they can get into a good university. I won't even mention Tsinghua University or Yanda University. I will be satisfied if they can get into Jiaotong University or Fudan University." Song Tangtang sighed.

呵?
Lowered expectations?

It’s hard to say about my son right now, but based on my daughter’s current academic performance, it’s going to be very difficult.

Of course, Fang Minghua couldn't say anything at this time.

Since Xi'an University was going to award him a doctorate degree, Fang Minghua could not be careless about the thesis. He sorted out and processed three articles that had been published not long ago into a graduation thesis, and drove to deliver it to Liu Jianjun personally.

At the beginning of September, when school started, the Degree Committee of Western University organized a thesis defense for Fang Minghua. After he passed it successfully, there was a ceremony to award him the doctoral degree.

Today is September 9th. The sun is shining, the sky is cloudless, and the birds are singing. Fang Minghua, wearing a suit and tie, drove to the gate of Xida University, parked his car on the side of the street and then walked into the campus.

Today is the graduation ceremony for the 95th doctoral students of Northwestern University. Fang Minghua and 42 other doctoral students from different departments received their doctoral degrees.

The degree ceremony was held in the auditorium of Xida University. In addition to the graduating doctoral students, there were also doctoral and master's students who had not yet graduated. Fang Minghua changed into a black and red academic gown and a graduation cap as arranged, with a red tassel hanging in the middle of the right front side of the graduation cap. Everyone sat in the front row of the auditorium, waiting to go on stage.

Fang Minghua was still a little excited.

Soon, a group of people wearing red academic gowns, known as "walking references," came on stage one after another. They were all senior professors, including chairmen and members of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee. They arrived at the center position in front of the podium, and the audience burst into warm applause.

The degree ceremony began, and doctoral students and others came on stage one by one. After bowing, they took the degree certificates from the committee members, and there was warm applause in the venue.

In the 1990s, the value of a PhD was still very high, and the masters in the audience looked at him with envy.

When Fang Minghua came on stage, he straightened his coat and strode towards the podium, and there was a murmur from the audience.

"Hey, who is he? Which department is he from? Why have I never seen him in school?" A boy sitting in the front, a doctoral student in the Chinese department, whispered to the student next to him.

"You don't even know him? Minghua is so famous in the literary world, and you're a Chinese major!" The short boy next to him looked at him with contempt.

"Is it him? I almost didn't recognize him. How could he get a doctorate degree from our school?" The boy named Hu Yong looked a little surprised.

"Doctor of literature. If he doesn't qualify, which of these PhDs in your Chinese department is qualified?!"

"That's true, but at least you have to come to class, right? You have to write your graduation thesis, right? The rules can't be broken, right?" Hu Yong was a little unconvinced.

"Listen to a class?" The short student immediately laughed at him. "Hu Yong, I remember you attended his class last semester, right? He is a doctoral student like you, but he still needs to come and attend classes with you?!"

“Then at least I have to defend my graduation thesis, right?” Hu Yong persisted with his last bit of stubbornness.

"Papers? Minghua has published so many articles on literary theory over the years, so any doctoral dissertation would be enough!"

"You two stop arguing. Minghua has written his graduation thesis, which is his academic theory on the "Great Discussion on Humanistic Spirit" published in the Literature and Art Newspaper not long ago. The thesis defense passed unanimously!" A girl next to them whispered.

Hu Yong stopped talking
He is a literary theorist, so how come he doesn't know the value of those three articles?

He gave a very complete and systematic exposition of the nature, significance, and problems that need to be solved in discussing the humanistic spirit. As a result, the group of young scholars in Shanghai who were dancing so happily remained silent.

The people below were whispering while the ceremony on the stage was going on.

The person who awarded him the degree certificate was Liu Jianjun.

Fang Minghua bowed to him in a standard way, then lowered his head slightly. Liu Jianhua moved the tassel from the right front side of the hat brim to the middle of the left front side, letting it hang naturally, then he handed the degree certificate to the other party with both hands with a smile on his face.

Fang Minghua stretched out his hands to take the degree certificate, and then shook hands with Liu Jianjun.

"Haha, Minghua, my last wish has come true. I can finally retire with peace of mind." Liu Jianjun said with a smile.

"Thank you, Principal Liu." Fang Minghua expressed his sincere gratitude.

(End of this chapter)