Chapter Eighteen: Taking Up the Post at Beijing Normal University

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On a fine, sunny morning, Cheng Kaiyan officially began his new job at Beijing Normal University.

He had already returned his bicycle, so he got up early, walked several miles, and took Bus No. 22.

Today, Cheng Kaiyan had to stand.

His luck was poor, and he had failed to get a seat.

There were simply too many young people aboard—office workers, students, and even quite a few young women.

Southeast Asia has a classic tourist route known as the “Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand” circuit, referring to those three countries.

By coincidence, Beijing also had a famous trio, whose reputation was no less impressive: Xinjiekou, Madian, and Beitaipingzhuang.

Bus No. 22 ran to Xinjiekou and Beitaipingzhuang, where Beijing Normal University was located.

The Beitaipingzhuang area was home to a number of large institutional compounds and several universities.

Using the General Political Department residential compound as the center: directly opposite stood the General Staff Surveying and Mapping Bureau, the Surveying and Mapping Institute, and the Beijing Film Studio; to the west were the Beijing Film Processing Plant and the printing plant of the People’s Education Press.

To the east lay the offices and residential quarters of the Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals. To the south were the residential quarters of the Ministry of Railways’ cadre school and Beijing No. 123 Middle School; farther south stood Beijing Normal University and the Beijing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications.

Curiously, he studied the scenery outside the bus window. Most of the buildings here were only two or three stories high. Even the roads had a hint of ocher in them, while the scattered roadside trees on either side looked listless and wilted.

It felt as though he had arrived at the outskirts where city and countryside met. Then again, Beitaipingzhuang was already close to the Third Ring Road.

“Beijing Normal University stop…”

The conductor raised a loudspeaker and reminded passengers to get off. Carried along by the crowd, Cheng Kaiyan stepped down from the bus.

At a glance, he saw quite a few university students and teachers wearing the badges of Beijing Normal University and the Beijing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications.

He followed the crowd into Beijing Normal University.

The entrance was not particularly imposing, with two large stone lions standing guard.

There had once been a pair of iron lions at the university’s eastern gate. During the nationwide steelmaking campaign of 1958, however, they were not spared. They were sent into the blast furnace and melted down into worthless iron.

The name Iron Lion Mound nevertheless remained.

According to the route sign for Bus No. 22, after Iron Lion Mound came Beijing Normal University. Interestingly, several stops farther on were Huguosi and Little Western Heaven.

A large sign with black lettering on a white background hung above a low bungalow, bearing the words “Beijing Normal University.”

A small table stood outside the guardhouse. When the uniformed guard saw Cheng Kaiyan enter, he merely yawned and did not stop him at all.

Cheng Kaiyan was quietly relieved. Universities in this era were completely open.

Several decades later, he would never have been able to walk in so freely.

From the eastern gate, the road continued deep into the campus. Students could be seen walking along it, some pushing bicycles and others on foot.

Lush pines and poplars lined both sides of the road, while several buildings rose ahead.

Once he entered the university grounds, Cheng Kaiyan finally felt a touch of familiarity.

College student—a beautiful phrase. I used to be one myself!

Unfortunately, even his educational credentials had shrunk. He was now merely a high-school graduate.

On the sports field, a group of boys were playing football.

Several girls with long braids were running laps as they sang. Their voices were clear and sweet, full of youthful vigor, like the sun at eight o’clock in the morning.

As a newcomer, Cheng Kaiyan had to report to the Chinese Department office.

The office building stood deep within the campus, flanked on either side by dense little gardens.

A thick stand of bamboo rustled loudly in the sharp early-morning wind, its slender green shadows swaying endlessly across the ground.

Cheng Kaiyan entered the office-building corridor.

The lower half of the walls was painted green, while the upper half was white. Along the ceiling hung a row of electric bulbs edged in green.

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On the third floor, sunlight streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, spreading a golden lattice across the marble floor.

Tap, tap…

As Cheng Kaiyan walked through it, the crisp sound of his footsteps seemed especially quiet and serene.

Before long, he arrived at an office bearing several plaques. The wooden door reinforced with sheet metal was painted green, and one of the plaques read “Foreign Literature Research Section.”

He knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Only after a moment did an elderly voice answer from within.

Cheng Kaiyan entered the office. It was very spacious, with several desks inside, and a number of people were already seated.

By the window, an old man wearing glasses sat behind a desk with his back to the sunlight, reading a newspaper. Steam still rose from the tea in the enamel cup on his desk.

This was Professor Fang, deputy head of the Chinese Department and director of the Foreign Literature Research Section. He was Cheng Kaiyan’s superior.

As a matter of fact, Cheng Kaiyan had been able to enter the university only because the old professor had given his approval.

That was why Cheng Kaiyan had come to report to him first thing in the morning.

“Director Fang, good morning!”

Director Fang pushed up his glasses and examined him for a moment.

Cheng Kaiyan was tall and well-built, with a distinctly military air about his brows and eyes. Satisfied, the director nodded and said, “Good morning, Comrade Cheng. You’ve come to report, I take it? Very well, I know you’re here. Go familiarize yourself with the surroundings for now. You’ll officially begin work in the next couple of days, so prepare yourself properly.

“Since Professor Jiang recommended you, you must naturally have some ability. Be sure to assist Professor Jiang well.”

“Understood, Director.”

“Recommendation” was simply a respectable way of saying that he had entered through connections.

“Let me introduce everyone. This is our new colleague, Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, an excellent young man. Let’s give him a round of applause.”

After Cheng had reported in, Director Fang introduced him to the lecturers in the office. Everyone was generally quite welcoming.

Applause broke out all around.

“Who is he?”

“He was recommended by Professor Jiang. He’s joining our Chinese Department as a teaching assistant. His name is Cheng Kaiyan.”

“Oh, young man, you’re remarkably handsome. Which school did you graduate from? How about I introduce you to someone?”

A middle-aged woman in a red sweater spoke with a hearty laugh. Seeing how good-looking Cheng Kaiyan was, she immediately wanted to find him a match.

A teaching assistant might sound like a minor position, but it was still highly sought-after.

“I graduated from Wangfujing High School,” Cheng Kaiyan replied frankly. He did not find it embarrassing.

After all, there were vocational secondary schools now, and even a junior- or senior-high-school education counted as an advanced qualification. A person with such schooling was considered an educated youth.

“Haha… A high-school diploma is fine too. You can always earn a correspondence degree from our university later. Wouldn’t that amount to the same thing?”

“Tch… What ability could someone with only a high-school education possibly have? Isn’t he just a man with connections? If you didn’t know better, you might think he was some outstanding graduate of Peking or Tsinghua.”

In the corner of the office, a bearded man bent over his desk writing. He sounded thoroughly disdainful.

“A high-school education doesn’t mean he isn’t talented. Besides, Comrade Cheng has no need to feel inferior. You are a meritorious serviceman who has received a Second-Class Merit Citation.”

Director Fang smiled reassuringly as he spoke.

At those words, everyone was startled. One after another, they turned to look at Cheng Kaiyan.

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“A Second-Class Merit Citation? No wonder.”

“All right, all right. Everyone, get back to work.”

Director Fang waved his hand, indicating that Cheng Kaiyan could go and attend to his own business.

…

Cheng Kaiyan closed the door. His workplace was located at the very end of the corridor.

This was Jiang Ting’s office. As her teaching assistant, Cheng Kaiyan would naturally work alongside her.

The office was bright and airy.

The gentle morning sunlight filtered through the gauzy embroidered curtains and fell across his aunt’s clean, pretty face, making her look especially soft and beautiful. The fine, nearly invisible down on her skin could just barely be seen.

His aunt, Jiang Ting, had already begun working.

“Auntie, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Today, Jiang Ting wore a black women’s overcoat that appeared to have been tailored for her, paired with a cream-colored knitted sweater underneath.

How fashionable.

Curious, Cheng Kaiyan asked, “Auntie Jiang, why do I feel as though the clothes you wear are different from everyone else’s?”

“What’s different about them?” Auntie Jiang asked, looking up in puzzlement.

“Your outfit is incredibly fashionable for this day and age. It would instantly outshine ninety percent of the women around here.”

“All the women in Harbin dress like this. It’s nothing special. People in Harbin were dressing this way as far back as the early nineteen-hundreds—woolen coats with tights and a pair of knee-high leather boots. It’s warm and attractive.

“Really, we learned it all from the Russians and the Jews. At that time, nearly half the population was foreign.”

Auntie Jiang shook her head as she explained.

So that was how it was. Cheng Kaiyan clicked his tongue in wonder. It seemed he really had been ignorant.

Harbin now possessed formidable industrial strength and a thriving economy, ranking among the top eight cities in the country and even catching up with Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

“Strictly speaking, this teaching-assistant job is the result of a transaction between us. But you still can’t neglect your duties. I don’t expect much from you, and I won’t assign you anything particularly difficult. When you have free time, help me brew a few cups of tea, fetch some water, or collect assignments.

“If you truly find yourself with nothing to do, spend twenty yuan on a library card and read some books. You might even broaden your knowledge.”

Jiang Ting beckoned Cheng Kaiyan over and spoke with a serious expression.

She did not expect him to accomplish anything extraordinary. She simply hoped he would not cause trouble.

“Understood, Auntie Jiang.”

Cheng Kaiyan nodded. This arrangement suited him well. At the very least, he would have considerable freedom and ample time to write.

Jiang Ting’s expression softened somewhat. This was a reminder from an elder to a younger relative. Then she said, “A batch of assignments was collected yesterday, but I have a class later and won’t have time to mark them. Go through them for me. I’ve written down the correct answers, so you should be able to manage it, shouldn’t you?”

A carefully measured note of doubt appeared on her face.

Cheng Kaiyan could tell that she was genuinely doubtful, not merely pretending.

“Of course I can.”

Cheng Kaiyan patted his chest and accepted the task. In his previous life, he had marked plenty of assignments.

Some time later, it was past nine o’clock.

Jiang Ting went to teach in the large classroom on the second floor. As her teaching assistant, he had to accompany her.

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