The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 606 - 575: Oh my, what a good thing!_1

Chapter 606: Chapter 575: Oh my, what a good thing!_1

Secretary Qi also noticed something was amiss and secretly approached He Jingyu.

After thinking it over, He Jingyu spoke privately to Village Chief Qi, saying, "Big Brother Qi, what I’m about to say is just speculation and might not be accurate. Just keep it in mind, that’s all."

"Brother He, don’t you trust me? Don’t worry, even if the word gets out, it will be because I, Qi Dazhu, let it slip, not you." Village Chief Qi was direct. As long as it benefitted Qijia Village, he was willing to explore all possible means.

"Hehe, then I’ll speak," said He Jingyu with a smile. "You see, both primary and secondary schools have started classes already, so I figure that university can’t be far behind."

"Isn’t university admissions ongoing? Our village’s Er Gou was sent there through recommendation," Qi Dazhu said, not understanding He Jingyu’s point.

He Jingyu looked around and said, "In our village, Qi Ergou only graduated from junior high and after stumbling along for several months, learning from Professor Wang and Professor Gu, he barely managed to go to university. With his own efforts, he barely graduated, not to mention other students who were recommended. The quality is mixed. The faults may not have been noticeable before, but once they get to their jobs, especially in some scientific and technical fields, it’s not about reciting a few lines or writing flattering articles. Actual technical drawing and solving practical problems are required. As such, these university graduates aren’t meeting the expectations. Naturally, the method of selecting talent will change."

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Qi slapped his thigh and said, "Oh dear, Brother He, what you’re saying is an eye-opener for me. Once, Er Gou was drinking at my house and mentioned a university graduate assigned to the Huai City Machinery Factory who couldn’t even draw blueprints and was just for show, looked down upon by others at the factory. I thought it was just laziness and laughed it off, but I didn’t consider the deeper issue."

"Yes, the country has spent so much effort on training people, but in the end, if they don’t perform as expected due to mixed quality, changes will surely happen!" He Jingyu said. "Don’t you think so?"

"Of course, just like with our crops out in the fields, if they don’t grow well, we always try to find the cause. If it’s because of bad seeds, we’ll change them out next year," Secretary Qi made an appropriate analogy.

"Exactly, that’s the principle," He Jingyu said. "Take Wang Lei and Zhang Qingshan, for example. They’re also clever. Seeing Tiantian and Huo Yingjie studying at home, they often come over to copy problems. I bet they have their own plans in mind."

"Oh my goodness, if that’s the case, and both the young people from the city and those from the village are all going off to take university and technical school exams, then what about our Qi Family Primary School? If we’re left without teachers, won’t we have to suspend classes?" Village Chief Qi saw a potential problem while contemplating the hope.

"Hehe, that’s true," said He Jingyu. "But look at it this way! Since both primary and secondary schools have resumed classes, once things stabilize, many former teachers will be willing to teach again. Our Qijia Village offers favorable treatment, you shouldn’t worry about attracting good teachers!"

Secretary Qi thought it over and nodded, saying, "You’re right. When I get the chance, I’ll have to check with the commune, have Big Brother Niu help find some outstanding teachers. After all, those young people from the city and our village people were once students and lack experience. They’re all feeling their way across the river by groping for stones."

"Yes, we offer generous compensation. If the teachers are from far away, we can provide accommodation," said He Jingyu. "That’s why if you plant the phoenix trees, the Golden Phoenix is sure to come. Also, according to my guess, if competitive exams for selecting talent are reinstated, the questions for the first year might not be too difficult after such a long hiatus. This would present an opportunity..."

Village Chief Qi’s facial muscles twitched at the thought.

Oh boy, what a fortunate turn of events!

"Brother He, I’ve got the picture now. Openly encouraging everyone to study for the exam may not be appropriate, but under the guise of adult literacy classes, I could gather some ambitious young people and have them review thoroughly," Village Chief Qi mused, calculating his own plans. His eldest grandson was sixteen this year. Since he stopped attending school after the fifth grade, he was probably at a primary school graduation level after literacy classes. With some hard work, he might be able to seize this good opportunity.

Now Qi Ergou was a role model in the village, and Secretary Qi also wished for his grandson to become a literate person, to become cultured and not have to live with his face always to the loess, his back to the sky, scrabbling for food in the fields.

"As long as you have a clear idea, that’s good," He Jingyu said with a laugh, not making much of it.

Most of ’76 had already passed, and he estimated the official documents would be issued either by the end of the year or start coming in next spring.

Village Chief Qi returned and restarted the literacy class efforts of Qijia Village.

During the day, they taught children, and at night, teachers from the school would take turns giving lessons to the young people in the village.

Some believed that knowing how to read was enough and were unwilling to attend, but Village Chief Qi didn’t force them.

Learning was something that depended on self-motivation. If they didn’t see the value in it, didn’t have foresight, he couldn’t do anything about it.

Especially when it came to Village Chief Qi’s own grandson, who didn’t want to study, Secretary Qi would take a hard approach, holding a stick on the side. If his grandson refused to attend literacy classes, he’d get a few hits; if he didn’t study well, he’d get a few more.

Extremely strict.

Seeing Village Chief Qi resorting to using a stick to make his grandson study, many began to have their speculations.

In the hearts of the villagers, Village Chief Qi was a shrewd man, the kind that was only a few hairs less clever than the Monkey King. The fact that Village Chief Qi was putting in so much effort for his grandson’s education must have a reason behind it.

So, they came to ask one after another.

Village Chief Qi simply said that the child was mischievous and needed to be taught.

This excuse was a bit far-fetched, but it persuaded many parents to send their children to the literacy classes.

Anyway, following Village Chief Qi meant there was meat on the table; they couldn’t go wrong.

While the villagers might not have had great wisdom, they possessed a very practical and simple form of wisdom, which was to follow the crowd.

That was not all; a wave of learning swept through Qijia Village, and when the village secretaries of the neighboring villages noticed it, they too started mobilizing their young people to come for literacy classes.

However, due to the distance, only a small portion came to study.

Village Chief Qi was happy to see this development in educational interest and welcomed everyone.

Just as Qi Family Primary School was experiencing a wave of enthusiasm for learning, Huo Yingjie received transfer orders from Nan City Technology Research Institute, which required Huo Yingjie to report to the institute within half a month.

Huo Yingjie looked at He Tiantian’s slightly swollen belly and felt reluctant to leave.

This was their first child, and he wanted to be by his wife and child’s side.

He Jingyu, He Tiantian, Wang Shuping, Third Grandma Qi, and Grandpa Qi were all perplexed by the transfer orders.

In their hearts, they had always been instilled with the belief that the country is greater than the family; without the country, there would be no home. Therefore, they couldn’t find the words to suggest that Huo Yingjie should stay at home with He Tiantian.

He Tiantian wished for her husband to stay by her side, but she also feared holding back Huo Yingjie’s future.