1980 My literary era

The peaceful and joyful atmosphere in Hope Primary School was interrupted by a sudden quarrel. Everyone followed the sound and saw Principal Li arguing with a young man.

"Don't be ridiculous, today is a big day, so many leaders are coming!"

"What's going on? What's going on? I'm just trying to catch you leaders here!" The young man said with an excited tone as veins appeared on his neck.

“The school is built and the children are well fed, but my salary as a teacher has not been paid yet.

Last year’s salary has just been paid this year, and this year’s salary has not yet arrived!

I've been in debt for more than half a year, and I'm going to starve to death if I don't pay..."

The young man continued to shout at the top of his lungs. The matter was not complicated. Everyone present only heard a few words and understood what was going on.

Several leaders in the county and town were as embarrassed as the bottom of a pot. People in the town quickly pulled Principal Li and the young teacher aside, while the county leaders tried to smooth things over.

A small episode was artificially eliminated, and Lin Weimin walked with several people from the foundation, still discussing the situation just now.

The staff of the foundation have had the most contact with rural primary schools this year, and they know the situation in these places very well.

The conditions in many places are poor. Not only do students not go to school, but it is also difficult to recruit teachers. Rural primary schools have no establishment and all are private teaching positions. The working environment is poor, the work intensity is high, and the remuneration is very poor. Many people would rather work in farming than Become a primary school teacher.

The salary of rural primary schools consists of two parts. One part is transferred from the finance to the Education Bureau, which then pays the salaries to the teachers, and the other part is the responsibility of the grassroots government.

But even if the two parts are added together, it is very meager.

In many places, wages are often in arrears. It is common for them not to pay wages for half a year or a year. Many rural teachers suffer deeply from this.

No need to ask about what happened today. It must be due to unpaid wages. The teacher lost his temper and picked on the leader to cause trouble when he came.

When everyone said this, they all sighed.

Even though the foundation has built a Hope Primary School and provided food for the children, there are still many difficulties faced by running schools in rural areas, which cannot be solved in a short time, nor can they be solved by just one Hope Project.

Lin Weimin walked at the end, feeling equally heavy.

A group of leaders who had just participated in the ceremony were sent to the car. Lin Weimin was sitting in the car and saw Principal Li waving to the car at the school gate.

When the car started, everyone was still continuing the conversation. Someone brought up the idea of ​​giving subsidies to private teachers in Hope Primary School.

"No, no. The foundation's funds are already tight enough. Every penny must be spent wisely. The government will naturally handle the teachers' salaries.

No matter how powerful our foundation is, we cannot do everything for the government. If we do this, how much money will we raise to keep the foundation running? "

"Actually, it's not much. A school generally only has two or three teachers, which costs 30 to 50 yuan more a month."

"The name is not justified, what qualifications do we have to provide subsidies to teachers? Besides, there are not many schools, what about a hundred or a thousand? That's not how the accounts are calculated. Your idea is too ridiculous!"

People from the foundation were arguing about the topic just now. Lin Weimin sat aside and said nothing. Zheng Guo asked: "For the people, what do you think?"

Everyone heard the sound and looked towards Lin Weimin.

Lin Weimin pondered for a moment, "It is unrealistic to issue subsidies. Our foundation cannot go overboard and do government affairs."

The expectant looks in several people's eyes dimmed, and there seemed to be no need to continue the conversation.

Zheng Guo continued: "For the people, I only realized how difficult this job is after I joined the foundation!"

Lin Weimin glanced at him without saying anything, and Zheng Guo said again: "You have also seen the school. The construction of such a school, plus various supporting facilities, including the students' meals for the next three years, costs at least one hundred thousand yuan. Money. This year we will build 120 schools, which is 12 million, but only 11 million have been raised so far this year.

According to the foundation's plan, the foundation will build more schools next year and the year after. If the amount of donations raised by the foundation cannot increase in the future, it may be empty in a few years according to this method..."

Lin Weimin looked at Zheng Guo without saying a word. When he had almost finished what he said, he asked, "What do you mean? Just tell me!"

Zheng Guo saw through his thoughts and smiled sheepishly, "Look, you are the honorary president. Can you donate more next year?"

"You can't even use my sheep to pluck the wool!"

"How can you get away with this? I'm not just begging for help from you, my colleagues at the foundation will not let anyone go as long as they are candidates for development."

After Zheng Guo finished speaking, he looked at Lin Weimin expectantly.

Lin Weimin pondered for a moment and said: "It is not a problem to donate more money to the foundation, but the foundation cannot always rely on my strength alone."

"Of course I know this. Aren't we all thinking of ways to do this? Why do you think we went through so much trouble and trouble to come to this launch ceremony?

We don’t just want the media to report more. Only when the common people understand what we are doing will they support our work and raise more funds. "

Having said this, Zheng Guo asked: "Do you have any good ideas?"

"There is a way..." Lin Weimin looked out the window, and the scene at Hope Primary School flashed through his mind, "It's not impossible."

Zheng Guo looked surprised, "What can I do?"

"Let's wait until we get back to Yanjing!"

After saying this, Lin Weimin ignored Zheng Guo and scratched his ears and cheeks anxiously, feeling itchy.

On the day after participating in the event, Lin Weimin took the lead in boarding the train back to Yanjing. The reporters who came with him did not leave. The foundation finally invited the reporters here this time, and it must go to more places to promote it for them. .

After being out for six days, most of them were on the road. The National Day had already passed. After returning to Yanjing, Lin Weimin rested for one night and then returned to work at the Chinese Literature Society.

As soon as he got to work, Lin Weimin received an email from the United States.

There was only a letter inside, and Lin Weimin immediately thought of what Roger Strauss said on the phone before.

When he opened it, he saw that it was indeed a letter written to him by Richard Yates.

The letter Lin Weimin wrote to Richard Yates was full of enthusiasm, and the reply letter from Richard Yates to Lin Weimin was in a similar style, but it was not commercial flattery, but out of mutual appreciation.

A few days later, news about the completion and opening of the first batch of Hope Primary Schools appeared in the newspapers, once again gaining a wave of attention for the Foundation and Project Hope.

Zheng Guo, who had returned from overseas, approached Lin Weimin again, "What exactly was the method you mentioned that day?"

Since Lin Weimin said it that day, he has been thinking about it in his dreams these days. After returning to Yanjing this time, he couldn't wait to find it.

"Why are you so anxious?"

"Can I not be in a hurry? The more money we raise, the more children can go to school!"

Lin Weimin reluctantly took out the story he had just written in the past two days, "Let's take a look!"

There was not much manuscript, only a dozen pages, and the story had just begun, but Zheng Guo could still see some clues.

"For the people, this is your approach?"

Lin Weimin nodded.

Zheng Guo looked at the manuscript again, with a bright smile on his face, "This is a good idea!"

He became excited as he thought about it, "What a great idea! Your novel is read by millions or tens of millions of people across the country. This is a very good publicity channel. Moreover, the publicity effect of the novel is much better than that of the news. Yes. If the story is written more vividly, it will definitely touch the hearts of readers. Then it will be much easier to raise funds! What a good way!"

Zheng Guo was talking to himself, with a silly smile on his face, and kept talking about good ideas.

"Is it okay this time?" Lin Weimin asked.

Zheng Guo looked at Lin Weimin again with an excited expression, "Weimin, your method is worth one million, no, ten million, no, no, maybe one hundred million!"

Lin Weimin put the manuscript away, "It's hard to say, but as long as the foundation and Project Hope can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, fundraising will definitely not be a problem."

"Yes, you are right. Thank you very much for the people!"

"There is nothing to be grateful for. I am the sponsor of the foundation and Project Hope. I hope it will get better and better. I should contribute money and effort. After all, I am also the honorary president!"

Zheng Guo asked again: "When can you finish writing this novel?"

Lin Weimin thought for a while, "A few months!"

Zheng Guo nodded, his face full of expectation, and said: "Then I will be waiting for your masterpiece. I will definitely buy a hundred copies for everyone."

After chatting for a while, Zheng Guo left the Chinese Literature Society happily.

In the next few days, apart from going to work, Lin Weimin focused most of his energy on the creation of novels.

While he was immersed in his creation, a visit from a guest interrupted his concentration.

At the end of June, Roger Strauss helped Lin Weimin secure an interview with the writer in The Paris Review.

Lin Weimin accepted two interviews with Christian Salmon, editor and reporter of The Paris Review, in late June and mid-July respectively. The two agreed at that time that the last interview would be conducted in China.

After more than three months, Christian Salmon came to China as scheduled.

Meeting again, Christian Salmon came to the small courtyard where Lin Weimin lived.

He showed great interest in the courtyard house. After touring around it, he praised: "The house is so beautiful! It's much better than the Dakota Apartment!"

"Thanks!"

Both courtyard houses and apartments have their own characteristics, but from the perspective of Christian Salmon, an American who is used to apartments, courtyard houses are undoubtedly more distinctive.

The two chatted casually for a while, and Christian Salmon took out several newspapers from his bag, which were all newspapers that Lin Weimin had previously interviewed when he was in the United States.

"I thought you must not have these newspapers, so I brought you one specially. It took a lot of trouble to go through customs!"

"You have a heart."

Lin Weimin took the newspaper and flipped through it. Except for the interview in The New Yorker, he had never read the other two newspapers. He was so busy every day that he had no intention of caring about this matter.

"These interviews should be regarded as your first official appearance in the United States. The response has been quite good, and the attitude of the mainstream literary circles is quite friendly towards you. Especially your praise of Richard Yates, Kurt Vonnegut I even wrote an article in the newspaper to praise you."

"Why do you praise me?"

"You didn't know? Vonnegut had a very good relationship with Richard Yates and was one of his staunchest defenders in the American literary world.

Vonnegut said in the article, ‘You are a writer who truly understands Richard Yates, a writer with profound humanistic concerns. ’”

Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most important writers in the United States in the 1960s. On college campuses at that time, almost everyone had a copy of his novels. Paperback editions of Vonnegut's novels are essential reading in every college dorm room.

Lin Weimin smiled and said: "I'm really flattered!"

Christian Salmon said seriously: "Lin, you deserve such praise! I heard from Strauss that you immediately planned to introduce the works of Richard Yates after returning to China!"

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