Chapter 166: The Value of Peking University
At ten in the morning, in front of the County Education Bureau, a middle-aged man walked out clutching a notebook, his face beaming with excitement. This man was Li Hongjun, the head teacher of Class 34 at Pine Mountain High School. He had come to check the college entrance examination scores for his students and record them to bring back to the school.
"Head teacher!"
As soon as Li Hongjun stepped out, he heard a familiar voice. Looking up, he saw Deng Yunheng, one of his favorite students. Unable to contain his excitement, Li Hongjun exclaimed, "Deng Yunheng, you are the top scorer in liberal arts in our city this year! Your score is 9 points higher than the initial estimate. Peking University is a sure thing for you!"
Although Deng Yunheng had already estimated his college entrance examination score, there were still uncertainties until the official results were released. This was why his father had advised the family not to discuss his college entrance examination situation prematurely. Now, with the confirmation from his head teacher, Deng Yunheng finally felt a wave of relief and excitement. "That's great!" he exclaimed.
Deng Shirong, Deng Yunheng's father, was also thrilled. However, given his mature mental age—equivalent to someone in their eighties or nineties—he quickly composed himself. With a smile, he greeted his son's head teacher, "Hello, Teacher Li. I am Deng Yunheng's father."
Li Hongjun promptly returned the greeting, "Hello, Mr. Deng!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Deng Shirong extended an invitation. "Teacher Li, I've wanted to meet you for a long time but never found the right opportunity. Since we've met here today, I'd like to treat you to a meal as a token of gratitude for your guidance and teaching of Yunheng over the past two years."
Li Hongjun smiled warmly. "Mr. Deng, you're too kind. This is my duty as a teacher."
After some back-and-forth, Li Hongjun finally accepted Deng Shirong's enthusiastic invitation, and the three of them headed to a restaurant for lunch.
Half an hour later, at a restaurant on Xicheng Road, Deng Shirong, his son, and Teacher Li Hongjun sat together, chatting over their meal.
Deng Shirong asked, "Teacher Li, how many students from Pine Mountain High School were admitted to university this year?"
Li Hongjun swallowed a bite of food, his face glowing with pride. "A total of three students were admitted, and two of them are from our Class 34."
"That speaks volumes about your teaching skills, Teacher Li," Deng Shirong praised, though inwardly he couldn't help but sigh. If not for the unexpected success of his second son, only two out of more than 200 graduates from the entire high school would have been admitted to university—an admission rate of less than one percent. It was no exaggeration to say that the college entrance examination in this era was like thousands of soldiers trying to cross a single-plank bridge.
Of course, precisely because the admission rate was so low, the quality of college students in this era far surpassed that of later generations. Even students from the same university in the future couldn't compare to those of this time.
Deng Yunheng interjected, "Class teacher, is the other student our class monitor?"
Li Hongjun nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's him. His score is 12 points higher than expected, so he's also guaranteed a place at university."
Deng Yunheng wasn't surprised. The class monitor had always been a strong student. In their first year of high school, Deng Yunheng's grades had lagged behind the monitor's. It was only in his second year, when he began to study diligently, that his academic performance improved significantly.
The three of them continued eating and chatting, and the meal lasted nearly an hour.
When it was time for Li Hongjun to leave, Deng Shirong refrained from inviting him to the university celebration party. Although the scores were out and Peking University seemed certain, Deng Shirong remained cautious. He wouldn't host a celebration until his son received the official admission letter from Peking University. Since the date for the celebration couldn't be set yet, it was difficult to extend an invitation to his son's head teacher.
After parting ways with Teacher Li, it was already noon. Deng Shirong and his son spent some time inquiring before finally locating the county theater troupe.
After explaining their purpose, they were introduced to the troupe's director, Captain Zhou.
Following the initial greetings, Deng Shirong asked, "Captain Zhou, I'd like to know how much it would cost to invite your troupe to perform in the countryside."
Captain Zhou smiled and replied, "Comrade, it depends on the type of performance. For a short play that can be completed in a day, it would cost a few dozen yuan. For a longer play that takes ten days or half a month, the cost would be several hundred yuan."
Deng Shirong thought for a moment and asked, "Does your troupe have a play that can be performed over seven days and seven nights?"
Captain Zhou nodded. "Of course. For example, The Legend of the White Snake meets that requirement."
Deng Shirong followed up, "If I were to invite your troupe to perform The Legend of the White Snake in the countryside, how much would it cost?"
Captain Zhou did a quick mental calculation. "It would cost at least two hundred and ten yuan."
This price didn't surprise Deng Shirong. Unlike puppet shows, which require only a handful of performers, dramas demand a larger cast. For instance, a large-scale drama like Five Horses Patrolling the City requires over 30 performers, while even simpler plays need at least seven or eight people.
For a play like The Legend of the White Snake, the cast and backstage staff would easily exceed ten people. With so many individuals performing continuously for seven days and nights (with breaks, of course), charging over two hundred yuan was quite reasonable.
"Captain Zhou, could you lower the price a bit? I'll ensure that your troupe members are well-fed and accommodated during their stay."
"Comrade, this price is already very reasonable..."
After some negotiation, Deng Shirong managed to bring the price down to one hundred and eighty yuan.
Once the price was settled, Captain Zhou asked, "Comrade, which commune will the performance be held in, and on what specific date?"
Deng Shirong replied, "The performance will be in Thatchfield Village, Help and Correct Brigade, Pine Mountain Commune. As for the exact date, I'm not sure yet. I'll notify you once it's decided."
Captain Zhou frowned slightly. "Comrade, this won't work. If we don't know when the performance will be, our troupe will be stuck waiting and unable to take on other engagements."
Deng Shirong explained, "Captain Zhou, here's the situation. I invited your troupe to perform in our village to celebrate my son's achievement. If all goes well, he will be admitted to Peking University. However, until we receive the official admission letter, I can't be entirely at ease. So, I'd like to wait until the admission letter arrives before notifying you to come and perform. I hope you can understand."
Upon hearing this, Captain Zhou was visibly impressed. The way he looked at Deng Shirong and his son changed immediately. Even in the future, being admitted to Peking University would be a remarkable feat, let alone in this era when such an achievement carried immense prestige.
Realizing the significance of the occasion, Captain Zhou's attitude shifted dramatically. He even offered to reduce the price further, from 180 yuan to 100 yuan, and assured Deng Shirong that the troupe would be ready to perform at a moment's notice as soon as they received word.
This interaction left Deng Shirong deeply moved and gave him a newfound appreciation for the value of Peking University, this top-tier institution.
(End of this chapter)