Chapter 530 Visitors from the United States
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 mess around. Today is a big day. So many leaders are here!"
"What's wrong with making trouble? What's wrong with making trouble? I just want to make trouble when you leaders come!" The veins on the young man's neck were exposed and his tone was excited.
“The school has been built, the children are well fed, but I, as a teacher, have not received my salary yet.
Last year’s salary has just been paid, and this year’s salary has not yet been settled!
I have owed it for half a year. If I don’t pay it back, I will starve to death…”
The young man continued to shout at the top of his voice. The matter was not complicated and everyone present knew what was going on after just hearing a few words.
Several leaders from the county and town were so angry that their faces turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. The people from 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. Lin Weimin walked together with several people from the foundation, still discussing what had just happened.
The foundation's staff have had the most contact with rural primary schools over the past year and are very familiar with the conditions in these places.
In many places, conditions are poor. Not only do students not go to school, but it is also difficult to recruit teachers. There are no staffing arrangements in rural primary schools. All teaching positions are private. The working environment is poor, the work intensity is high, but the pay is very poor. Many people would rather farm than be primary school teachers.
The salaries of rural primary schools consist of two parts. One part is allocated from the finance to the Education Bureau, which then pays the teachers’ salaries. The other part is paid by the local government.
But even if the two parts are added together, it is still very meager.
In many places, wages are often in arrears. It is common not to pay wages for half a year or a year. Many rural teachers suffer greatly from this.
There is no need to ask about what happened today. It must be due to unpaid wages. The teacher is angry and chooses to cause trouble when the leader comes.
When everyone talked about this, they all sighed.
Even though the foundation has built Hope Primary Schools and provided meals for the children, there are still many difficulties in running schools in rural areas. These cannot be solved overnight or by just one Hope Project.
Lin Weimin walked last, feeling equally heavy-hearted.
A group of leaders who had just participated in the ceremony were taken to the car. Lin Weimin was sitting in the car and saw Principal Li waving at the car at the school gate.
The car started and everyone was still continuing with the previous topic. Someone proposed the idea of giving subsidies to private teachers in Hope Primary Schools.
"No, no. The foundation's funds are already tight enough, and every penny must be used wisely. The government will naturally take care of the teachers' salaries.
No matter how powerful our foundation is, it is impossible for us to do everything for the government. If we do that, how much money do we need to raise to keep the foundation running? "
"It's not much actually. There are usually only two or three teachers in a school, and they make an extra 30 to 50 yuan a month."
"It's not legitimate, so what right do we have to give subsidies to teachers? Besides, one school is not enough, what about a hundred or a thousand? That's not how you calculate it. Your idea is ridiculous!"
The people in the foundation were arguing about the topic just now. Lin Weimin sat aside without saying a word. Zheng Guo asked, "Weimin, what do you think?"
Hearing the voice, everyone looked towards Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not realistic to issue subsidies. Our foundation cannot overstep its authority and do government business."
The expectant look in a few people's eyes dimmed, and there seemed no need to continue the topic.
Zheng Guo continued, "Weimin, it was only after I joined the foundation that I realized how difficult this job is!"
Lin Weimin glanced at him without saying anything. Zheng Guo continued, "You have seen the school. To build such a school, plus the supporting facilities, including the students' meals for the next three years, it costs at least 100,000 yuan. This year we are going to build 120 schools, which is 12 million yuan, but we have only raised 11 million yuan so far this year.
According to the foundation’s plan, the foundation will build more schools next year and the year after. If the foundation’s fundraising amount doesn’t increase in the future, it may be gone in a few years if it continues to be spent this way…”
Lin Weimin watched Zheng Guo talk in silence, and when he had almost finished speaking, he asked, "What do you mean? Just tell me!"
Zheng Guo was seen through by him and smiled embarrassedly, "Look, you are the honorary president, should you donate more next year?"
"You can't just fleece me!"
"How can this be considered as taking advantage of someone? I'm not just begging from you. As long as there is a person who can be developed, my colleagues in the foundation will not let go of any of them."
After Zheng Guo finished speaking, he looked at Lin Weimin expectantly.
Lin Weimin pondered for a moment and said, "It's not a problem to donate more money to the foundation, but the foundation can't always rely on my strength alone."
"Of course I know that. We are all trying to find a solution! Why do you think we have gone through so much trouble to hold this launching ceremony?
We just want the media to report more. Only when the people know what we are doing will they support our work and raise more funds.”
At this point, Zheng Guo asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"
"There is a way..." Lin Weimin looked out the window, and the scene in Hope Primary School flashed through his mind. "It's not that there is no way."
Zheng Guo looked surprised, "What method?"
"Let's talk about it when we get back to Yanjing!"
After Lin Weimin finished speaking, he ignored Zheng Guo, which made him so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks, feeling itchy and unbearable.
On the day after the event, Lin Weimin was the first to board the train back to Yanjing. The reporters who came with him did not leave. The foundation had finally invited the reporters this time, so they would definitely visit more places to promote the event for them.
He was away for six days, basically all on the road. The National Day holiday had already passed. After returning to Yanjing, Lin Weimin rested for a night and then went back to work at the Guowen Press.
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 had said on the phone before.
When he opened it, he saw that it was indeed a letter from Richard Yates.
The letter that Lin Weimin wrote to Richard Yates was full of enthusiasm, and the style of Richard Yates' reply to Lin Weimin was similar, but it was not a commercial flattery, but was based on mutual appreciation.
A few days later, news about the completion and opening of the first batch of Hope Primary Schools appeared in the newspapers, which once again won a wave of attention for the Foundation and the Hope Project.
Zheng Guo, who had just returned from abroad, approached Lin Weimin again and asked, "What was the solution you mentioned that day?"
Ever since Lin Weimin said that day, he had been thinking about it even in his dreams these days. After returning to Yanjing this time, he couldn't wait to find him.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"How can I not be anxious? Raising more money means one more child can go to school!"
Lin Weimin reluctantly took out the story he had just started writing in the past two days and said, "Let's take a look!"
The manuscript was not long, only a dozen pages, and the story had just begun, but Zheng Guo could still see some clues.
"For the people, is this your solution?"
Lin Weimin nodded.
Zheng Guo looked at the manuscript again and a bright smile appeared on his face, "Your idea is good!"
He became excited as he thought about it. "This is 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 novels is much better than that of news. If the story is written more vividly, it will definitely touch the hearts of readers, and then fundraising will be much easier! What a great idea!"
Zheng Guo talked to himself with a silly smile on his face, and kept repeating good ideas.
"Is it okay this time?" Lin Weimin asked.
Zheng Guo looked at Lin Weimin again, his face excited, "Weimin, your method is worth one million, no, ten million, no no, maybe one hundred million!"
Lin Weimin put away the manuscript and said, "It's hard to say, but as long as the foundation and Project Hope can gain popularity, fundraising will definitely not be a problem."
"Yes, you are right. Weimin, thank you so much!"
"What is there to thank me for? I'm the initiator of the Foundation and Project Hope. I hope it can get better and better. I should donate money and effort. After all, I'm also the honorary president!"
Zheng Guo asked again: "When can you finish writing this novel?"
Lin Weimin thought for a moment and said, "About a month!"
Zheng Guo nodded, his face full of anticipation, and said: "Then I will be looking forward to your masterpiece. When the time comes, I will definitely buy a hundred copies and give them to everyone."
After chatting for a while, Zheng Guo happily left the Chinese Literature Society.
In the following days, apart from working, Lin Weimin devoted most of his energy to writing the novel.
Just as he was immersed in his creation, a visitor interrupted his concentration.
At the end of June, Roger Strauss helped Lin Weimin secure an author interview with The Paris Review.
Lin Weimin was interviewed twice by Christian Salmon, editor and reporter of The Paris Review, in late June and mid-July respectively. The two agreed that the final interview would be conducted in China.
After more than three months, Christian Salmon arrived in China as promised.
When they met again, Christian Salmon came to the courtyard where Lin Weimin lived.
He showed great interest in the courtyard house and praised it after touring it: "The house is so beautiful! It's much better than the Dakota Apartment!"
"Thanks!"
The courtyard house and the apartment each have their own characteristics, but to Christian Salmon, an American who is used to seeing apartments, the courtyard house is undoubtedly more distinctive.
The two chatted casually for a while, and Christian Salmon took out several newspapers from his bag, all of which were newspapers of Lin Weimin's previous interviews in the United States.
"I thought you didn't have these newspapers, so I brought you one. It took a lot of effort to get through customs!"
"You're thoughtful."
Lin Weimin took the newspaper and flipped through it. Apart from the interview in The New Yorker, he had never read the other two newspapers. He was busy every day at that time and had no time to care about this matter.
"These interviews should be regarded as your first official appearance in the United States. The response was quite good. The mainstream literary community was quite friendly to you. Especially when you praised Richard Yates, Kurt Vonnegut even wrote an article in the newspaper to praise you."
“Why are you praising me?”
“You didn’t know? Vonnegut had a good relationship with Richard Yates, who 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 deep humanistic concerns. '"
Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most important writers in the United States in the 1960s. Almost everyone on the university campus at that time had a copy of his novels. In every university dormitory, paperback editions of Vonnegut's novels were essential reading materials.
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 Richard Yates's works after returning to China!"
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(End of this chapter)
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