Qi Caigen looks to be about the same age as Lin Fuqiang, at least in his fifties or sixties, and he is now successful in his career. How could he still want to study?
"Of course! It's a lifelong learning!" Qi Caigen smiled, a few wrinkles appearing on his round face. "You young people are all thinking about making progress, but you don't allow me, an old man, to make progress?"
He had initially just wanted to learn, since the tuition was only a few dollars. His family ran a vegetable business, and if he could grow more mushrooms, as Chen Chunhua had said, it would be a lucrative business, so why miss out?
But you have to admit, the lecturer, Mr. Qian, is really patient. He is illiterate and cannot read a single word. In the beginning, he could hardly understand what he said, but if he didn't understand, he would ask. Mr. Qian would explain it over and over again until he was sure that he understood it.
"It's just right that you're here to sign up today. It seems our group of students will be going to the Agricultural Machinery Station for classes starting the day after tomorrow."
"Why do we have to go to the agricultural machinery station?" Chen Chunhua asked in confusion.
"Teacher Qian applied for it, saying it's inconvenient to teach and experiment with mushroom cultivation at school. Mushrooms can't be grown in a room with people around all the time. The county agricultural machinery station is currently idle and not very busy, so growing mushrooms there is perfect."
This is a good thing for Chen Chunhua, because the ride from Sihe Village to the agricultural machinery station in Su County is at least ten minutes longer than the ride to the school here.
"So are the classes still in the evening?"
"Of course! Who's free during the day? Teacher Qian also has to go to work." Qi Caigen stretched out his arm, revealing the watch in his sleeve, squinting his eyes and looking at it for a long time.
"Almost done, let's go in. You can directly sign up for class with Teacher Qian!"
…
Teacher Qian was actually a factory-run cadre in the county. He was a soldier who joined the army after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Later, he served as an instructor in the army for several years. Around 1970, he retired from the army and returned to participate in the construction of the factory here.
It is said that when he was in the army, he liked to grow something, and he still kept this hobby after retiring. He would go to the countryside for a walk when he had nothing to do. After the reform and opening up, he found that many people in the countryside only knew how to farm. They had strength but didn't know how to make money.
Either you have to bury yourself in the fields for the rest of your life, or you have to work outside from dawn to dusk. However, there are not so many jobs in the factories, and gradually, there will be many idle people.
The increase in the number of unemployed people will only accelerate the emergence of social contradictions, which is why the authorities have begun to crack down on it.
As an outstanding Party member, Mr. Qian decided to contribute his own strength and pass on the mushroom cultivation technology he researched to everyone.
Growing and selling mushrooms isn't very labor-intensive, suitable for everyone, young or old. Perhaps one day, they could escape poverty and become wealthy. So he taught his classes very seriously, and the students listened intently.
When Chen Chunhua followed Qi Caigen into the classroom, there were not many people there. As soon as Teacher Qian arrived, Qi Caigen took her up to greet him.
Teacher Qian was very polite. She said she wanted to take the class, so I just wrote her name down. The registration fee was also very cheap, only 2 yuan, which was the full tuition. You can ask any questions you have until you learn it.
Qi Caigen said that Teacher Qian originally planned to teach for free, but there were so many people coming that he started charging tuition at the request of the school. At least the venue fee should be covered, right?
At first, Chen Chunhua didn't think that Qi Caigen had said a lot, but after sitting for a while, students continued to come into the classroom, and she realized what it meant to say a lot.
The students sitting in the classroom spanned all age groups, including old men and women with sunken mouths, students wearing green military uniforms, and teenagers. Chen Chunhua even saw two women coming to class with children in their arms.
A large classroom was packed with people, and some tables were even shared by two people.
No wonder, when she said she wanted to join the mushroom class just now, Qi Caigen did not show any tension about the competition among peers. With so many peers, one more or one less would not make much difference.
Actually, this Mushroom Class was only recently opened this year, and it hadn't been open long. It started around the time Liu Ni heard about it, and it meets every other day. Plus, the students are of varying ages and educational levels, so the learning progress is really slow.
When Chen Chunhua started listening, it seemed that they were still talking about theories. For Shen Chunhua, who had been growing mushrooms for several years, these theories were similar to those in preschool.
Of course, this could also be because the classroom wasn't ideal for practical use. But everyone still listened attentively. Qi Caigen even pulled out a notebook and pen, frowning and taking notes.
Chen Chunhua cautiously stretched her head over to take a look.
Well, it has the same style as Liang Shengdi’s notebook, and the main feature is that only you can understand what is drawn.
But there were many people like Qi Caigen. Everyone's serious attitude made Chen Chunhua feel ashamed. Why didn't she remember to bring the notebook just now? It was okay to pretend! This made her look not serious.
As she was riding, her stomach started to growl. She had eaten porridge in the morning and before leaving, she pocketed two sweet potatoes that no one wanted for lunch, and she had been carrying them until now. She was really hungry. If she had to wait until 9 o'clock to finish class to go back, she was afraid that she would not have the strength to ride back.
If Lin Guoqing knew about this, he would definitely laugh at her for having to endure the hardship!
Teacher Qian brought a microscope with him today. I don't know where he borrowed it from, but he held it very carefully when he entered the classroom. He also brought a few small boxes, saying he wanted to take everyone to see the microscopic world.
Chen Chunhua didn't really want to know what the microscopic world was. She felt like she was possessed by Liang Shengdi and wanted to go home for dinner.
While everyone was queuing up to see the teacher, Chen Chunhua slipped over to Teacher Qian and said that she had something to do at home and asked if she could come the day after tomorrow.
Teacher Qian looked at this student who had just started class today with a look of concern on his face. "Comrade Chen Chunhua, you haven't attended the previous classes yet. Will you have trouble keeping up? Can you read? How about I give you my notebook..."
"Teacher Qian, I've actually been growing mushrooms near my home for several years. I'm pretty good at it and have a basic understanding of it. I just want to learn some modern growing techniques.
I'll catch up on the basics next time I have time. I really have something going on at home today, but I definitely won't be late or leave early starting the day after tomorrow!"
Chen Chunhua hurriedly explained herself, fearing that she would leave a bad impression on the teacher she met for the first time.
When Teacher Qian heard that she had a basic knowledge, he felt relieved.
"Okay, the class the day after tomorrow is at the Agricultural Machinery Station, so don't go the wrong way."
"Yes! Definitely not! Thank you, teacher. Goodbye, teacher!"
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