Chapter 85

After hearing his wife’s idea, Xie Tingyu appeared indifferent.

Ye Qingshui grew anxious and hurriedly said, “I’m just telling you in advance. In a few days, I’m going to the provincial capital.”

By now, Xie Tingyu knew his wife’s temperament well. What more could he say? Back then, he had opposed her so strongly when she went to the black market to do business, yet she hadn’t listened. Since he couldn’t change her mind, all he could do was try his best to protect her.

He said, “I’ll go with you.”

To build the biogas digester, Xie Tingyu needed to purchase a large amount of bricks and concrete materials from the city. They had to be hauled by truck, and with an introduction letter it was easy to go into the provincial capital. The next time he hauled materials, he could secretly leave some space for books—without anyone having to carry them back by hand.

A few days later, the village cadres one after another expressed that they also wanted to build another biogas digester.

The village party secretary’s family was already cooking with biogas, and after seeing the initial results—enjoying the convenience of no longer burning firewood—other families who had been watching from the sidelines could no longer hold back. They pooled money together to build another digester.

A biogas digester cost only a little over thirty yuan. A family of more than ten members working hard for half a month could raise enough money. Once completed, they wouldn’t need to chop firewood anymore. Even more tempting was the chance to use biogas lamps in the future. Compared with spending money on kerosene, paying thirty yuan to buy light for the evenings was absolutely worth it!

When Xie Tingyu was preparing to go into the city to purchase sand and gravel, he brought along the introduction letter and took his wife to the provincial capital.

In the largest state-owned bookstore of the provincial capital, Ye Qingshui found Zhou Cunren’s review books. She saw the books neglected, tossed in a corner, the cramped space pressing the new pages until they were wrinkled—nobody cared for them. Ye Qingshui’s mood was complicated.

She asked the shop assistant, “How much is this set of books?”

The shop assistant didn’t even spare her an extra glance. These books had arrived nearly half a month ago, and only a handful had been sold. Because it was a whole set, several thick volumes, the price wasn’t cheap. Clearly, this young student wasn’t going to buy it.

With little enthusiasm, she said, “These books don’t sell well. I’ll recommend another set for you instead.”

She handed over a popular set. Ye Qingshui glanced at it—wasn’t this the very same set she had bought last year, the one Zhou Cunren had scorned?

Ye Qingshui felt uncomfortable. Zhou Cunren’s painstaking effort was being ignored, while this deceitful, error-filled book was selling like hotcakes. She said firmly, “Please answer my earlier question.”

The shop assistant was pushed back by this young girl’s insistence, and replied coldly, “Five yuan eighty.”

Ye Qingshui said, “I’ll buy one hundred and twenty-five sets.”

The shop assistant stared at her in shock and disbelief, sizing her up from head to toe.

Only then did Ye Qingshui take out the introduction letter and say, “I’m the procurement agent for the county middle school.”

That simple statement finally dispelled the suspicion in the shop assistant’s eyes.

The assistant withdrew her gaze, thinking she must be crazy. Who cared who bought these books that wouldn’t sell? As long as they didn’t pile up in the warehouse, it was fine!

Ye Qingshui happily packed the books, while Xie Tingyu carried them out one bundle at a time.

The shipment sent to the provincial capital had about one or two thousand sets, but Ye Qingshui didn’t have enough money to buy them all. She could only ride this wave and grab her share. She thought of the future, when books would be nearly impossible to buy, with people even writing letters to Shanghai to beg connections to purchase them.

All the price difference in the middle would be borne by students.

Before leaving the bookstore, Ye Qingshui couldn’t resist reminding the manager: “If possible, stock more of this set. The quality is especially good. Our principal specifically named this one.”

It wasn’t until after this “sucker” procurement agent had left that the manager, Li Yuan, came back to his senses.

He had just received seven hundred and twenty-five yuan and entered it in the books. Without a bulk order like this, there was no way to reach such sales figures. He even started to wonder about that “sucker’s” suggestion. Could this new set really be useful?

Although the bookstore was state-owned, it still had strict annual sales quotas. Failing to meet them meant being dead weight, eating the state’s resources for nothing. With the year’s end approaching… as the number-one state bookstore in Qing City, they could not afford to lose face.

Li Yuan prepared to draft a telegram, applying to the capital for more copies of the Handbook of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry . But halfway through the draft, he suddenly came to his senses.

He shook his head sharply, muttering that he must have been bewitched. How could he have so casually believed the nonsense of a young girl?

It wasn’t until half a month later, when the news of the college entrance exam’s restoration was officially announced, that Li Yuan looked at the long queues and could only pound his chest in bitter regret.

…

Ye Qingshui packed the books tightly into burlap sacks—three large bags full.

When Xie Tingyu drove the truck over, it was easy for her to load the books straight onto it, without having to haul them home on her back.

As she got into the truck, Ye Qingshui couldn’t help expressing surprise that Xie Tingyu could drive.

In those days, people who could drive were as rare as phoenix feathers. Drivers were highly sought after, their treatment no worse than workers. If nothing else, the things Xie Tingyu knew how to do were many, often surprising Ye Qingshui.

Xie Tingyu coughed lightly and said, “I learned in the army. The driver went to lunch, so I have to hurry and send you back, and return the truck early.”

As he leaned over to fasten his wife’s seatbelt, when his body pressed against hers he felt the softness of her, and his whole body stiffened. After a moment’s daze, he sat back in his seat, burning with heat.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ye Qingshui’s body where he had leaned still tingled, as if a current had passed through. She suddenly lowered her head, her face gradually turning red.

After returning home, Ye Qingshui counted out the one hundred and twenty-five sets of books. Each set had four volumes. If she raised the price by just one yuan per book over the original price, then each set could earn four yuan. This trip would bring in at least five hundred yuan.

If she resold them like the scalpers of her previous life, tripling or quadrupling the price, then the profit from this trip would be astronomical.

Selling exam prep books was all about timing. The first batch printed by the Capital Publishing House was already far from enough to meet demand.

By the time the first printing sold out, and they published and printed again, and the books were distributed to every city’s bookstores, the college entrance exam would already be over.

After weighing it carefully, Ye Qingshui decided to increase the price by fifty cents per book. Not too expensive, but enough to make a modest profit.

If the price were any lower, it wouldn’t be business—it would be charity. From the county to the provincial capital was over a hundred kilometers. The bus fare alone cost one yuan for a round trip.

After buying the books, Ye Qingshui nervously awaited the news about the college entrance exam.

At this moment, it wasn’t just Ye Qingshui waiting—the educated youths in Ye family village were waiting, the students in the city were waiting, and cultural people all across the nation were waiting…

Sure enough, starting from August, good news kept coming from the capital.

In September, the Ministry of Education decided to restore the college entrance examination, which had been suspended for ten years.

In October, major media outlets successively announced the resumption of the college entrance exam. Newspapers, magazines, television, and radio sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain, making every effort to publicize this major decision from all directions.

The capital city exploded with excitement, and the whole nation boiled over.

Ye Family Village also… exploded.

“Ah—I told you, we’d be able to take the college entrance exam!” One educated youth hugged his Red Star radio and jumped up in joy.

“It’s real! Really! It’s not a rumor—finally, the exam is back!” Another educated youth’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“Never thought…” this one sighed. He had sworn he would never believe the exam could return, but it turned out those “madmen” had guessed right. He shuddered suddenly—he hadn’t reviewed at all, couldn’t even gather all the textbooks.

When Zhou Tingting heard the news, she too was shocked. She felt the sun today was blazing, so dazzling she couldn’t keep her eyes open, hot and warm on the body. She lowered her head, wiped her face, and found her hand wet with tears.

“Ah, there’s less than two months left before the exam, there’s not much time left for us…” After the excitement, the educated youths grew anxious.

“We’ve reviewed two months longer than others, it’ll definitely help!” Zhou Tingting encouraged everyone.

But such encouragement could not comfort the educated youths who hadn’t reviewed before.

She passionately recommended the study materials she had: “This Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Handbook is very well-written, easy to understand, and helps speed up reviewing.”

She shared the green-covered book with everyone. Some stingy educated youths glanced at the price tag—one reference book cost 1.45 yuan, a whole set was 5.8 yuan. At that price, it seemed better to copy by hand.

But seeing the stack of books, together over a thousand pages, they gave up the thought of freeloading. Each educated youth had a monthly stipend of ten yuan. With frugality, they could still afford it.

So some educated youths quickly got introduction letters to buy the handbook in the city.

Ye Qingshui caught wind of this and began selling her “stockpile” in the small county.

On the first day, people who asked about the price of the Handbook learned each copy cost 1.95 yuan—50 cents more than the original price. Many instantly backed away.

These customers cursed angrily: “So expensive! Why not just rob us?”

“Yeah, yeah! We students are so poor—how can you shamelessly profit off us?”

Wearing a mask and head covering, with only her eyes showing, Ye Qingshui smiled and said: “Sorry, if it’s too expensive, you can buy in the provincial capital. The city bookstore probably hasn’t got stock yet—you’ll have to wait a few days.”

But waiting those days meant reviewing less content and losing points compared to others. And a round trip to the provincial capital—by the time you got back, it would be too late.

These penny-pinching buyers were never destined to be Ye Qingshui’s customers.

Other students, hearing this, immediately paid. Nobody was foolish—going to the provincial capital might not even guarantee getting the book, and just the travel cost was over a yuan, plus time and energy wasted.

In just three days of squatting at the black market, Ye Qingshui sold out all her books.

Half a month later, the county bookstores finally began stocking this once “unpopular” math-physics-chemistry guidebook.

By then, it was already a situation of “one book impossible to find.” Books that had been sold at 1.95 yuan were being resold in the black market for 3 yuan each. Many students who had sneered at Ye Qingshui’s prices now regretted it deeply.

Their faces burned with shame. Once, they had a cheap set of books in front of them, but refused. Now, even at triple the price, they couldn’t buy them.

The story was nothing but tears.

By that time, Ye Qingshui had already withdrawn. Qian Xiangdong scorned her “cheap” sales. If it had been him, he would have sold confidently at 3 yuan a copy.

Ye Qingshui shook her head and said: “For me, it’s already enough. A gentleman loves wealth, but takes it by the proper way.”

If these books weren’t for poor students, if they weren’t tied to the college entrance exam, she could have raised the price sky-high. But even so, feeling the bulging weight of her purse, she was satisfied. She had earned at least 250 yuan this round.

Two hundred and fifty yuan—that was half a year’s wages for a city worker, enough to support a family of five for half a year.

If only reform and opening-up were already here… how wonderful that would be.

…

Elsewhere.

Zhou Ke squeezed in with the crowd, eyes filled with longing as he looked at the green-covered books at the end of the line.

That was… his grandfather’s Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Handbook ! So many people had come before dawn just to buy this book! The noisy chatter from the crowd made his face flush with pride:

“This book is good, really good—but why’s it so hard to buy? It’s driving me crazy! Is there any stock left?”

“You came for this too? I heard about it from my teacher—apparently, it’s very high-level.”

“Too bad last time I only got the math volume. I flipped through it carelessly… and ended up reading past midnight! It’s so well-written!”

“Ah, pity the author only did science, not the humanities. Isn’t this forcing us to switch from arts to science?”

His chest swelled with pride. How he wished he could tell them: Of course it’s good!

This was the book his grandfather had written especially for him!

To help his grandson, who had never been to school, Zhou Cunren deliberately used lively, interesting examples to guide learning, abandoned tedious complexity for simplicity and clarity. Each sample problem was carefully selected—most representative, most able to illustrate the key point. He had revised the manuscript three times before it took its current shape.

A book written so Zhou Ke could understand it could also be understood by people who had left school for years!

“Hey, kid, what’s your problem—squeezing around like that?” Someone in the crowd scolded him.

But Zhou Ke was bouncing with excitement, running like a whirlwind toward the hospital.

He pushed open the ward door, and told his grandfather excitedly:

“Grandpa, your book is selling out everywhere! So many copies—all gone in a flash!” He gestured with his still-childish hands.

By this time, Zhou Cunren had already received several telegrams. The Capital Publishing House was going to reprint 100,000 more copies. Royalties would be sent to him in installments.

He had also received an invitation from Qing City’s higher-education exam committee, inviting him to participate in drafting and reviewing exam questions.

A smile appeared on Zhou Cunren’s face. “Mm, Grandpa knows.”

Sansukini: I tear up whenever I read about Grandpa Zhou and Zhou Ke. I find it crazy that this era especially punished those who were cultured and educated, and such harsh punishments too.

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