Literary Master 1983

Chapter 364 Professors of the Two Academies
After the first meeting, there was a third round of meetings.

In the 1980s, the process for universities to hire professors was as follows: First, the college-level unit would draft the list of candidates, which would then be approved by a two-thirds vote of the academic committee and submitted to the university office for approval and voting. During this period, there was a public announcement period, during which applicants were not allowed to have any issues that would damage the teaching profession or ethics, or any issues related to their stance.

Finally, the principal came to sign the letter of appointment.

In other words, there are three processes: college level, university level, and a public announcement period. Yu Qie has already completed the first two rounds at lightning speed and is now in the third round.

Hu Daiguang laughed and said, "You have no idea how fast this process goes. It usually takes at least a month, or even ninety days! We're afraid something might go wrong if we delay, so we'll finish it in two or three days!"

He had barely finished laughing when, the very next day, a group of people from the Faculty of Arts stormed into his door:
"How dare you secretly select Professor Yu without informing our School of Literature?"

"He's not one of yours at all!"

Hu Daiguang looked up and was immediately dumbfounded. He frantically called Yu Qie: "Something terrible has happened! You need to come and clean up the mess!"

What do you need my help with?
Yu Qie didn't have time to check the questions with Zhang Li. He twisted the accelerator very fast and was dumbfounded when he arrived at the meeting place: all the living "hidden masters" from the School of Literature had come!
The event was absolutely star-studded, a gathering of masters. Any one of them was a prominent figure at Yenching University, a professor among professors.

Mr. Feng Youlan, who was 92 years old at the time, came. He had served as the dean of the Faculty of Arts, was a student who studied in the United States during the Republic of China era, and was a master of Chinese studies. Many bigwigs in the central government have long-term correspondence with him.

Wu Zuxiang, 79, also came, leaning on a cane. This old man is the president of the Redology Research Association. He and Lao She drafted the "Declaration of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles for Resistance Against the Enemy" back then.

There's also Qian Zhongshu, and Ji Xianlin... These people no longer hold teaching positions; they are only nominally teachers at Yenching University, but they all came because of Yu Qie's departure.

Because they wanted Yu Qie to stay in the Faculty of Arts, not the Faculty of Economics.

With the Cervantes Prize awarded, there is no doubt that China's most promising contemporary writer is here. Yet, this person has no intention of becoming a full-time writer and has been lured away to become a half-baked economist. Isn't this an international joke?

How shocking is it that Yu Qie insists on studying economics?
It's like Gong Xue winning two Best Actress awards and then deciding to become a film projectionist at the Wanxian People's Grand Theater—it sounds similar, but actually they have nothing to do with each other.

Qian Zhongshu is an "old friend" of Yu Qie. Since the ice-melting trip, he and Yu Qie have been both teacher and friend.

To some extent, he benefited from Yu Qie's influence and also helped Yu Qie take the blame.

This year, Yu Qiecai asked Zhang Li to write him a greeting letter for the Spring Festival.

Even with this kind of relationship, Qian Zhongshu still didn't understand Yu Qie. He hoped that Yu Qie could come to the School of Literature and stop pursuing economics.

Qian Zhongshu sharply commented: "Dingling once said at a press conference that among all young writers in China, Liu Xinwu was the one she thought the most highly and had the most potential... Who still knows Liu Xinwu today?"

“But Dingling is already dead. We say respect for the dead is paramount, so I won’t mention Dingling’s poor eyesight anymore. But I’m not blind. The real money is right here, and we won’t let you get away!”

Damn, Qian Zhongshu really knows how to talk!

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's face darkened.

Does this mean that if I didn't come to your School of Arts, some people would die with regrets? No, is it really that serious?
No sooner had Qian Zhongshu finished speaking than Ji Xianlin came to persuade him again.

"Becoming a professor with a graduate degree is nothing special! Shen Congwen only has a primary school education, yet he was a professor at Yenching University. Is it only the School of Economics that can be flexible? Our School of Humanities also needs to be flexible!"

Old Ji also brought a letter from Shen Congwen: "If Shen Congwen hadn't been bedridden and unable to even sit in a wheelchair, he would have come to persuade you, instead of just writing a letter."

"Yu Qie, Yu Qie!" Ji Xianlin became angry. "Why don't you want to come to our Chinese Department? Have we done anything to offend you?"

When he got particularly sad, Ji Xianlin even coughed. Old Ji had suffered many misfortunes in his later years, and Yu Qie didn't know if it was true or not.

Yu Qie opened the letter: There were so many words! It was written very densely.

It really is a letter from Shen Congwen.

Because Shen Congwen had several extramarital affairs in his youth and was never forgiven by his first wife, he was practically alone and destitute in his later years. Therefore, Shen Congwen often wrote long letters to relieve his loneliness, sometimes spending an entire day writing.

This letter, urging Yu Qie to come to the Faculty of Arts, is roughly five or six thousand words long. Even the letter Yu Qie wrote to Zhang Li back then wasn't this long.

Yu Qie's hands trembled as he held the letter: How could you refuse someone who had gone to such lengths?
Hu Daiguang was terrified, fearing that Yu Qie might change his mind at the last minute. He could only bite the bullet and say, "Being a writer doesn't necessarily mean being a full-time writer. We should respect Yu Qie's personal wishes. If all else fails, he can always register at the Academy of Literature. There's always a way."

"No way!" Ji Xianlin blurted out.

Everyone immediately looked at Lao Ji. Lao Ji had been ousted by Ding Lei before and hadn't said anything. He and Shen Congwen were old friends of many years. Shen Congwen had been having a lot of bad luck for a while, and Lao Ji didn't say anything then either.

Old Ji suppressed his grief and anger, resorting to emotional abuse towards his son, but always presented himself as a nice guy to outsiders, rarely losing his temper.

But now he really lost his temper, and it sounded like a kind of honest man's tearful lament:
"Where Yu Qie goes is no longer just Yu Qie's business! In the future, when people ask us why we watched him go to another department while he was in school, which affected his interest in literature... History will not blame any genius for making a random decision, but it will blame me!"

Yu Qie was moved by Ji Xianlin's words and immediately said he would think about it again.

He temporarily calmed down the group of "hidden masters".

Yu Qie turned to comfort Hu Daiguang: "It's absolutely impossible for me to leave the School of Economics. I'll stay here and not go anywhere else."

This was quite a big deal, so Yu Qie went home and discussed it with Zhang Li. He told her everything, and Zhang Li asked curiously, "I know that nothing could change your mind, so why did you change your mind when Ji Xianlin spoke up?"

"Zhang Li, I'm going to tell you a secret. You have to keep it to yourself and never tell anyone."

"Fine, I won't tell anyone."

Yu said, "Ji Xianlin has a bad relationship with his whole family. I heard that his son suspects that he is narcissistic, aloof, and morbidly enjoys being praised by others... Basically, his son thinks that he has all the bad habits you can think of."

Zhang Li understood immediately.

For someone as concerned with his outward appearance as Ji Xianlin to say "History blames me" implies a do-or-die attitude, and that he places himself below Yu Qie in this statement.

Yu Qie is a genius with a wide range of interests, while he is an ordinary person who cannot make mistakes.

"Brother Yu, how are you going to satisfy everyone's requests at the same time?"

Yu Qie spread his hands and said, "I can only reluctantly become a professor again. Anyway, I will try my best not to give large lectures, only elective courses and do research. I will donate the salary the school gives me to avoid gossip!"

"No matter what, I support you."

After saying this, Zhang Li called Chengdu to tell Chen Xiaoxu the same thing. The crew of "Family Spring and Autumn" had built a film studio in Chengdu, where Chen Xiaoxu was filming, playing Qian Meifen, Gao Juexin's cousin.

"Xiaoxu, you should also get involved in family matters... Do you think this is a good idea? Do you have any other ideas?"

Chen Xiaoxu was overjoyed, raising her eyebrows: "Sister, you can decide! I'll listen to you all! Just tell me, and I'll be very happy."

Zhang Li didn't waste any words and replaced Yu Qie with her.

"Hello? Chen Xiaoxu?" "It's me."

"Do you think I should stay in this department, or go to the School of Humanities?"

Chen Xiaoxu's eyes lit up, and her answer changed: "You have a lot of energy and you're always flirting with everyone. Now they're all coming to you. Since you can't bear to part with any of them, then don't give up on any of them. Love them all equally."

Yu Qie was speechless: "I was talking about work, what are you talking about!"

Chen Xiaoxu laughed heartily: "I bet you won't give up on either one!"

indeed so!

After considering it all night, Yu Qie's compromise was indeed "I want it all": he wanted to be an associate professor in the School of Economics and a professor in the School of Literature.

Soon after, Principal Ding also came to persuade Yu Qie: "The students hope that you can teach in the School of Literature. They have expressed their opinions. Why don't you... go to all of them!"

It turned out that after news of the struggle between the School of Economics and the School of Literature spread, on the evening of April 22nd, a sentence was suddenly posted on the east wall of the large dining hall at Yenching University, which was used for student gatherings: Protect our Teacher Yu!

It's no longer important which department wrote it.

This statement sparked a heated debate among faculty and students at Yenching University, even escalating into a physical altercation in front of the main dining hall. Male students from the School of Economics and the School of Literature adopted a stance, ready to fight for Professor Yu.

Yenching University is most afraid of student disturbances! And the students are also very willing to cause trouble!

If either side loses Yuqie, they will be seen as weak and vulnerable, unable to hold their heads high in the entire school.

On April 23rd, the faculty and staff of the School of Economics and the School of Humanities held a general meeting, during which Yu Qie gave a self-criticism:
"I feel extremely ashamed that my personal research leanings have led to this injustice being suffered by others!"

“I believe that research should be conducted in a low-key manner, and holding teaching positions in two colleges at the same time is too high-profile and will not be good for our school’s reputation… I never thought that now, the absence of either one will actually damage our reputation!”

Yu Qie spoke a long string of words in one breath.

Finally, he said, "Therefore, I accept the organization's arrangement for me and am willing to take up teaching positions in both colleges."

The meeting was met with thunderous applause. Each side felt they had won.

The monks who had previously turned pale with anger suddenly broke into a wide grin. In the late 1980s, there was a wave of passing away of masters, and these people saw the arrival of their successors while they still had some influence.

The news spread, and the students were overjoyed. Several campus poets from the Chinese Literature Department's Class of '85 gathered together to celebrate "Yu Qie's return to the School of Literature," and even Lu Buxuan, for the first time ever, took out his own money to treat himself to a meal.

School cafeteria number one.

Cheng Guoping said to several friends, "My return to the Faculty of Arts is a momentous event that will be etched in history!"

"Our School of Arts looks impressive, full of great scholars, but that's not really the case. Everyone in our class is a top scorer, and we all came here because of all those professors... but very few of them can actually teach us."

"Professors in Chinese literature departments are as numerous as hairs on a cow; doctoral supervisors in Chinese literature departments can be easily refuted."

Chu Fujun also said, "Those truly skilled masters are now on their deathbeds, and what we are actually being taught are young teachers from a period of talent shortage—there's a vacuum in the middle of the teaching force. It's so much worse than before!"

"It's not that Yuqie needs the School of Literature, but that the School of Literature needs Yuqie—now we can confidently say again that we are number one again!"

"Lu Buxuan, what do you think?"

Lu Buxuan looked up and said, "After I learned that studying Chinese literature didn't lead to an official career, I haven't attended many classes. I don't know any of these masters of Chinese studies you mentioned."

Cheng Guoping laughed and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't know him. It's different now. You can see what a literature professor in his prime is like. This may be the most amazing person we've ever seen in our lives."

"More capable than those officials?"

"Of course! Did you know that professors also have administrative rankings? At Peking University, a first-level professor is equivalent to a ministerial-level official, a second-level professor is equivalent to a vice-ministerial-level official, a third-level professor is equivalent to a department-level official, a fourth-level professor is equivalent to a deputy department-level official... Even if you've just become a professor, the lowest you'll be at is the level of a municipal-level cadre!"

Chu Fujun, who was listening nearby, was also stunned: "So being a professor is such a high status! It's like heaven and earth compared to being a lecturer. No wonder everyone wants to be a professor! It's truly a 'dragon gate' leap in life!"

Their conversation was overheard by those nearby. Everyone was filled with uncertainty about the future: very few Chinese literature majors actually pursue a career in literature; most end up working in government agencies.

Within the government offices, even a junior staff member can have you completely under their thumb. Who would have thought that a professor at Yenching University would hold such a high position!
Lu Buxuan suddenly asked, "Will Teacher Yu really teach us?"

Both of them were stunned: "I guess...?"
-
For Yu Qie, being a professor was no different at first.

The biggest feeling for ordinary lecturers who become professors is that they are extremely wealthy materially. Liberal arts professors in this period were probably even more comfortable than those in later generations.

Yu Qie didn't care about that little bit of salary at all; he donated it all.

There are two writers in China who do not take a salary and live entirely off their royalties: one is Ba Jin, and the other is Yu Qie.

If we also include those who don't receive a salary for their teaching positions, then perhaps only Yu Qie remains.

But for those close to Yu Qie, the situation was different. Yu's parents treated this as a matter of bringing honor to the family, and for several days they called every day.

Zhang Li studied diligently at home, sometimes even refusing to let Yu Qie quiz her. Chen Xiaoxu started reading on set; she had previously scoffed at the idea of ​​going to university, but now she suddenly felt it was necessary.

Even Gong Xue, who was filming in Thailand, tried her best to call Yu Qie to congratulate him.

This shows that Chinese people highly value the position of professor.

On the 27th, Yu Qie substituted for Hu Daiguang in class without prior notice. At first, there were obvious cases of students skipping class, and Yu Qie was too lazy to take attendance. As a result, more and more students joined the class, and eventually the classroom was full, with people even outside the door.

Yu Qie could only say, "I don't have three heads and six arms, so it's not worth everyone coming all this way."

He told these people, "It's not very meaningful for you to come to my class; you're just having fun. You should focus on improving your own majors, especially those of you in engineering."

A journalism student said, "Professor Yu, you are more real than the Li Yong you created. Li Yong changing his fate through studying is a lie, because Li Yong was still a primary school student... but you are real!"

“Wanxian does have better basic conditions than Ningxian, but you are far superior to Li Yongqiang in your story.”

"Don't you realize that you are the best example to refute the argument that studying is useless?"

Yu Qie suddenly realized.

No wonder Li Yong's story is so touching. After his novel was written, many people only paid attention to the novel and not to Li Yong, who was a primary school student: Li Yong was famous in history very early on!
Alas, my attempt to do something clever backfired.

If I hadn't been selected as a top scorer in the college entrance examination back then, I might still be stuck in a rural middle school in Wanxian. Actually, being stuck at home wouldn't have been so bad; I always managed to make a good living. But becoming a top scorer in the college entrance examination and a professor would have opened up a whole new world for me.

(End of this chapter)