Chapter 42: The Admission Letter Arrives (Please Keep Reading)

After September arrived, colleges and universities across the country began sending out admission notices. In Ru County, someone had already received an acceptance letter from the Coal Industry Technical College.

The entire Revolutionary Committee held their breath in anticipation of Liu Yimin’s notice. Yang Yushan was so anxious that he wished he could call the post office every day to check.

On September 13th, the much-awaited call finally came—Yang Yushan received a call from the post office saying that Liu Yimin’s admission notice had arrived and would be delivered to the committee soon. Overjoyed, Yang Yushan immediately summoned a reporter to witness the event and prepared to deliver the acceptance letter to Liu Yimin.

This was a historic moment that simply had to be documented!

Inside the Cultural Center, the director of the Bureau of Mines happened to be sitting nearby, watching Liu Yimin explain homework problems to his second daughter, whose face was lit up with unconcealed admiration. When she returned home, she would recount how Liu Yimin’s teaching surpassed that of her schoolteachers—so clear and easy to understand, and in just a few days at the Cultural Center, she had gained so much.

After the lesson, Yang Chenglin pulled Liu Yimin aside for a chat, producing an envelope as a token of gratitude, which Liu Yimin politely declined.

Yang Chenglin said with satisfaction, “Comrade Yimin, your family is truly remarkable. Just yesterday I went to the Third Mine and met your elder brother, Liu Yiguo—a fine young man. He’s maintained the leading record for tunneling at the mine!”

“Director Yang, my brother often says that as a coal miner, one must dig as much coal as possible for the country to be worthy of the title. Since he chose to become a miner, he believes he should take on the most dangerous work—heading the tunneling team, always at the forefront.”

The tunneling team’s work was indeed extremely dangerous. They dug the initial passageways, while the coal extraction team followed behind. The two teams worked in succession.

“Miner? Not anymore—he’s now an inspector for the Bureau of Mines’ Safety Division! From today—no, from yesterday—he holds that position. There are frequent accidents in the mines, sometimes minor, sometimes fatal. Your brother, with his experience and expertise underground, is exactly the talent the Safety Division needs!”

Just yesterday, as Liu Yiguo emerged from the pit, someone from the Personnel Department came to inform him of the Bureau’s latest appointment.

Dear comrade, from today forth, you have the status of a cadre!

Liu Yimin grinned broadly. “Thank you, Director Yang!”

“No need to thank me—your brother deserves it. The Safety Division has long wanted to bring in a frontline worker, and your brother just happens to be the perfect choice.”

With his elder brother’s future secured, Liu Yimin’s mind was finally at ease. Working underground was simply too dangerous; every few years, word of an accident would spread through the mines, and every time, Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun would listen in terror.

Once, there was a flooding incident underground. When the news reached Maiji Brigade, Liu Fuqing tried calling the mine, but the line was busy. In a panic, he dashed off to the mine on foot, with Li Lanyong’s father, Li Dashan, chasing after him on a bicycle. When they arrived and found Liu Yiguo safe and sound, Liu Fuqing was so exhausted he collapsed onto the ground.

At that time, Liu Fuqing insisted that Liu Yiguo should give up mine work and return home to farm. Only after much persuasion did Liu Yiguo convince him to return home, where Yang Xiuyun had already been crying her eyes out.

Now that he would be working above ground, there was little cause for further worry.

While they were talking, the sound of drums and gongs echoed in from outside. Yang Yushan saw Liu Yimin rush over at the head of the crowd and shouted, “Yimin, your admission notice is here!”

The notice was specially tied with a red ribbon by Yang Yushan, and the large red flower used for the award ceremony was once again pinned to Liu Yimin’s chest. At everyone’s urging, he opened the notice in front of the crowd.

The onlookers held their breath, eyes unblinking and fixed intently on Liu Yimin’s hands.

The admission notice was simple—just a small rectangular card emblazoned with “Yanjing University” in large characters, followed by several lines of text:

“To be conveyed to Comrade Liu Yimin, Ru County Revolutionary Committee, Luocheng, Yu Province:
Upon acceptance by the university and approval by the Provincial College Admissions Committee, you are hereby admitted to the Department of Chinese Literature, Ordinary Class, at our university. Please report with this notice between October 5th and 6th, 1978.”

At the bottom was the seal of the Yanjing University Revolutionary Committee, its red stamp prominent and eye-catching.

Liu Yimin held the admission notice high, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Among the onlookers, there was both joy and envy. The young people who had studied with Liu Yimin, after seeking his permission, carefully took the notice, gently touching it as if it were a precious treasure.

Each time it passed to another’s hands, the previous holder would linger, gazing at it as if trying to imprint its image forever in their memory.

Yang Yushan told Liu Yimin that he still had to deliver the notice to the Maiji Brigade with drums and gongs. But Liu Yimin promptly stopped him.

“What a pity!” Yang Yushan smacked his lips, clearly unsatisfied.

After leaving the Cultural Center, Yang Yushan and Yang Chenglin conspired together. They decided it just wouldn’t do, and without telling Liu Yimin, they went to the Maiji Brigade and held a lively celebration. They organized a commendation meeting for Liu Fuqing, thanking him for raising such an outstanding young man for the nation.

That evening, the mine funded a performance by the county’s opera troupe, who set up a stage at Maiji Brigade. Members from villages miles around gathered, enraptured by the show, all marveling that the Liu family had produced a university student, bringing honor to the entire commune.

Before going to university, a household registration transfer was required. With the admission notice in hand, the process was straightforward. Only by transferring his registration to the university could Liu Yimin receive city-resident grain rations and meal tickets at school.

But Liu Yimin didn’t have to worry about any of this—the Revolutionary Committee took care of everything efficiently.

...

At “People’s Literature and Art,” when Cui Daoyi saw Liu Yimin’s submission letter, he tore it open eagerly, a broad grin on his face. On his desk lay the latest issue of “Poetry Journal,” with “Liu Yimin” heavily circled in pen beneath the title of a poem. Beside it were scrawled notes: “This poem is the best in this issue!” and “Stirring, brilliant writing.”

After reading “The College Entrance Exam of 1977,” Cui Daoyi was so elated that, to the astonishment of his fellow editors, he rushed straight to the editor-in-chief’s office.

“Old Zhang, Liu Yimin has submitted another piece—it’s excellent! It’s about the college entrance exam, and he wrote it so quickly!”

Zhang Guangnian, who had just been about to scold Cui Daoyi for his shouting, immediately sat up with a smile when he heard it was a piece by Liu Yimin.

If “Donkey Gets Water” was a fortuitous masterpiece, then the publication of “A Generation” and “Motherland, My Beloved Motherland” proved that this author truly had substance.

He wasn’t just a one-hit wonder, but someone who could continuously produce outstanding work. Such authors were sought after by every editorial office.

“Quick, let me have a look!” Zhang Guangnian said with a smile.

After a while, Zhang Guangnian remarked, “Comrade Liu Yimin really has a knack for topics—writing about the entrance exams just as they’ve been resumed, perfectly suited to our magazine’s tastes. Of course we’ll publish it!”

“The writing is truly superb, and the protagonist group is highly representative. As the saying goes, ‘An essay should be written for its time, and a poem for its occasion.’ He is also a keen social observer!”

Thank you all for your support. Dear readers, if you have a monthly vote, please cast it. This book has been stuck at 21st place on the new releases list for several days—so close to breaking into the top 20. I hope you’ll help push it forward. Thank you for your continued reading—my deepest gratitude!