Chapter 161 You are the best

The office was quiet, with only the regular ticking of the wall clock. Zhou Wangshu took a deep breath and finally tore open the envelope carefully.

Sure enough, there was only a piece of letter paper inside.

"Dear Comrade Gu Qiuyue: Thank you for your support of this journal. After review, your manuscript, "On the Integration of Planning and Market Regulation," does not yet meet the publication requirements. We recommend further strengthening the theoretical depth and empirical support..."

Gu Qiuyue read the few short lines for a long time. Every word was like a small hammer, gently knocking on her heart. Although she had a premonition, when she actually saw the rejection notice, the feeling of loss still came like a tide.

She silently folded the letter, stuffed it back into the envelope, and sighed softly.

"Teacher Gu, have you finished grading the compositions of Class 3?" Teacher Zhang walked in with a stack of homework books, a gentle smile on his face.

Gu Qiuyue quickly adjusted her expression and raised her head: "It will be done soon." She picked up the red pen and tried to focus on the student's composition, but her thoughts kept drifting away.

The school bell rang, and Gu Qiuyue packed up her things and walked out of the school gate. The autumn wind blew, and the leaves of the sycamore trees on the roadside rustled. She walked slowly, thinking back to the days and nights of writing, and thinking of Professor Zhu's expectations, and felt a little uncomfortable.

When they got home, the twins flew over like two happy little birds, "Mom!" The two children hugged her legs, one on the left and one on the right, and looked up at her with their little faces.

Gu Qiuyue squatted down and hugged the children in her arms. Their soft little bodies with the fragrance of milk instantly dispelled the gloom in her heart.

"Mom, the teacher praised me today!" Shuangshuang said excitedly.

"I was praised too!" Xiaoyu said without wanting to be outdone.

Looking at the two children's rosy little faces, Gu Qiuyue couldn't help but smile. She kissed one and hugged the other, and most of the depression in her heart was relieved.

In the evening, when Xie Shiyu returned home, the children had already gone to bed. He walked into the study and saw Gu Qiuyue sitting at the desk in a daze.

"What's wrong?" he walked over and asked softly.

Gu Qiuyue handed him the rejection letter and forced a smile: "Nothing, just a little disappointed."

Xie Shiyu quickly glanced at the letter and then shook her hand. "Economic Research is a top journal in China. It's great to get a response on my first submission. I remember when I first joined the army, I missed all the targets in my first live-fire shooting and was scolded by the company commander."

Gu Qiuyue was amused by his words: "What happened next?"

"Then I practiced two hours more every day, and after a month, I became a sharpshooter." Xie Shiyu looked at her firmly, "Yueyue, failure is not scary. The important thing is to learn from it."

His words warmed Gu Qiuyue's heart. She nodded and cheered herself up: "You are right. The editorial department's suggestions are very pertinent. My article does need to strengthen its theoretical depth."

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Gu Qiuyue took out the rejection letter and her own manuscript again and carefully read the editorial department's comments. She found that it mentioned that "if you can further enrich the empirical cases, especially by adding more front-line observation data, you can consider submitting the manuscript again."

This sentence lit up the light in her heart, and she suddenly remembered the many materials she had recorded during the market research some time ago. Aren’t those vivid examples the best evidence?

Gu Qiuyue immediately took out her research notes and read them carefully page by page. The more she read, the more excited she became. Many of the ideas that had flashed through her mind at the time were now combined with the theory, generating new thoughts. She spread out the manuscript paper and began to re-conceive the framework of the paper.

The next day was Saturday. Gu Qiuyue got up early and prepared a sumptuous breakfast for her family. Watching her husband and children eat with relish, she felt more fulfilled than ever before.

After breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" Gu Qiuyue answered the phone.

"Is this Comrade Gu Qiuyue? I'm Zhao Ming from the Provincial Economic Research Institute." A gentle male voice came from the other end of the phone.

Gu Qiuyue suddenly became nervous: "Hello, Director Zhao!"

"Professor Zhu highly recommended you to us, saying you have unique insights into economic theory and excellent writing. We'd like to invite you to help organize Professor Liu's manuscript. Do you have time this weekend?"

Gu Qiuyue's heart beat faster. Being able to participate in the compilation of the manuscripts of a famous economist was such a rare learning opportunity.

"I have the time and would love to participate," she answered without hesitation.

Director Zhao gave a detailed introduction to the work arrangements and remuneration, and agreed to work at the Institute of Economics every Sunday starting next week. After hanging up the phone, Gu Qiuyue was still immersed in joy.

Xie Shiyu came over and hugged her from behind: "Good news?"

"The Provincial Institute of Economics invited me to help organize Professor Liu's manuscript." Gu Qiuyue turned around, her eyes sparkling. "That's great! I can learn a lot from it."

Xie Shiyu was happy for her: "I knew you were the best."

Gu Qiuyue came to school in high spirits. During the break, she found Teacher Zhang and said, "Thank you for your concern last time. I'm fine now."

Teacher Zhang smiled and said, "That's good. By the way, the Municipal Education Bureau is holding a teaching paper competition. I think you can enter. Your economics paper is so professional, so a teaching paper will definitely be no problem."

Another opportunity!

Gu Qiuyue thanked Teacher Zhang gratefully and wondered what topic she could write about.

Since there were no classes in the afternoon, Gu Qiuyue took half a day off and went to the provincial library. She borrowed several of the latest economic theory books and found some statistical data.

As Gu Qiuyue walked out of the library carrying a thick stack of books, she felt her steps were particularly light.

When she got home, she couldn't wait to start reading the newly borrowed books. Many new ideas opened her eyes, and she stopped from time to time to take notes.

While tidying up her desk, she accidentally found an old notebook given to her by Professor Zhu. On the title page was written in a vigorous and powerful manner: "Be based on reality and be brave to innovate."

Gu Qiuyue gently stroked the eight words, as if she could feel the expectations and instructions of her predecessor. She opened her notebook, which was filled with Professor Zhu's thoughts and experiences while studying.

Suddenly, a few pages of scattered notes caught her attention. They contained some fragments of thoughts on the dual-track pricing system. The views were very advanced and even a little bold. Gu Qiuyue read them carefully and was more and more surprised. Professor Zhu had thought about these issues a few years ago and put forward some very forward-looking insights.

"Professor Zhu actually thinks so deeply..." Gu Qiuyue murmured to herself, feeling both surprised and curious about these unpublished ideas.

She carefully put away the notes. These precious ideas should be carefully organized and studied, and perhaps they can provide new ideas for the current economic reforms.

Outside the window, the sun was setting and the sky was dyed with a brilliant orange-red. Gu Qiuyue stood in front of the window, looking at the distant sky, her heart full of hope and determination.

Failure is only temporary. As long as you don't give up, there will always be new opportunities and possibilities. She took a deep breath, turned back to her desk, and prepared to start new work.