Chapter Summaries

Yang Rui organized the Rui Study Group to mimeograph and sell exercise booklets, carefully presenting the work as study support rather than a business and promising to cover any losses himself. The group produced its first batch, titled Rui Study Secret Compendium, and prepared to sell it.

• Yang Rui confirmed to his classmates that his novel had appeared in Science Pictorial and earned him a substantial manuscript fee.
• At a Rui Study Group meeting, Yang Rui proposed voluntary, compensated mimeographing work, with any surplus going into group funds for study-related expenses.
• When students worried about costs and political risks, Yang Rui promised to cover losses and explained that no individual would profit from any surplus.
• Yang Rui organized the group to cut wax stencils, then bought a mimeograph machine and supplies with his manuscript-fee money.
• More than thirty group members mimeographed several thousand sheets and assembled 180 exercise booklets, naming them Rui Study Secret Compendium and marking them for internal reference.

Shi Gui and Liang Wei joined Yang Rui’s test-paper business, and Yang Rui sent Shi Gui to sell the papers in the county with Wang Meng’s help. At County No. 1 High School, teachers and students wanted far more copies than Shi Gui had brought, so he realized the school could become a lucrative market.

• Shi Gui recruited his brother-in-law Liang Wei to help at the restaurant and prepared a bicycle basket to transport Yang Rui’s test papers.
• Yang Rui gave Shi Gui 150 boxed sets to sell and arranged for Wang Meng to introduce them at County No. 1 High School, while urging Shi Gui to build connections with teachers at other schools.
• Shi Gui and Wang Meng rode to the county seat, where Shi Gui waited by the school’s rear gate while Wang Meng promoted the papers in class.
• Wang Meng returned with six classmates, and they inspected the papers before Shi Gui admitted that he had brought only fifty sets.
• Wang Meng said Teacher Li wanted copies for classroom tests and that other teachers might need hundreds more, prompting Shi Gui to recognize the scale of the potential market.

Shi Gui sold No. 1 Middle School’s first batch of exam papers and arranged for more, while Yang Rui expanded production with student part-timers. At the city education bureau, Old Feng asked Zhao Dannian to lend him Yang Rui after praising an article, but Zhao Dannian reacted strangely to the request.

• Shi Gui and Wang Meng sold all the exam papers they brought to No. 1 Middle School, and Shi Gui wired Yang Rui to send more stock.
• Shi Gui reconsidered Yang Rui’s proposed profit shares as he worried that production might not keep pace with demand.
• Two students delivered four hundred sets, explaining that Yang Rui had hired part-timers and expected production to continue at that level.
• Zhao Dannian visited the education bureau to ask about funding and new exam materials, then met his old friend Old Feng.
• Old Feng showed Zhao Dannian an article by Yang Rui in the Middle School Student Herald and asked to borrow him, while Zhao Dannian grew increasingly wary.

Old Feng tried to recruit Yang Rui for the textbook compilation team, then learned that the prolific author he had praised was probably a student at Xibao Middle School. After realizing he had already described Yang Rui to Huang Weiping as an unreformed educator during a central-level meeting, Old Feng and Zhao Dannian worried about the consequences of the mistaken identification.

• Old Feng urged Zhao Dannian to second Yang Rui to the textbook compilation team, citing Yang Rui’s published articles and promising him a better future.
• Zhao Dannian revealed that the Yang Rui at Xibao Middle School was likely a student in the repeat-year class, not a teacher.
• Zhao Dannian showed Old Feng the new set of practice materials Yang Rui had created, and Old Feng rushed to meet him.
• Old Feng admitted that he had told Huang Weiping Yang Rui was probably an educator who had yet to be rehabilitated and had continued researching for years.
• Old Feng explained that Huang Weiping had been asked about Yang Rui during a meeting where two of Yang Rui’s articles were discussed, possibly at the central level.
• Zhao Dannian and Old Feng considered contacting Huang Weiping to correct the mistake, but they did not know who at the meeting had asked about Yang Rui or whether the inquiry would be forgotten.

Zhao Dannian and Feng Yun returned to Xibao Town and found Yang Rui’s students printing test papers under bright lamps. Feng Yun questioned Yang Rui about the operation and his published work, then tested his ability by handing him exam papers.

• Zhao Dannian and Feng Yun reached the school after a day of travel, where Zhao Dannian confronted students about the cost of their classroom lights.
• Huang Ren said Yang Rui had arranged the lamps and taught the students to solve problems, and he confirmed that Yang Rui had written the test paper Feng Yun brought.
• Yang Rui explained that the students printed extra test papers to reduce study costs and that the lamps had been approved and paid for with group funds.
• Yang Rui told Feng Yun that the group sold five hundred sets of test papers a day, and Feng Yun diverted Zhao Dannian’s questions about the revenue to speak with Yang Rui.
• Feng Yun questioned Yang Rui about the test papers and his publication in the Middle School Student Herald, then gave him exam papers to solve while Zhao Dannian arranged a comparison test.

Feng Yun tested Yang Rui with an unusually difficult collection of math and physics papers, and Yang Rui completed them with ease. Feng Yun then questioned him about his published articles, but Yang Rui stayed evasive, while Zhao Dannian ended the conversation for the night.

• Feng Yun gathered Liu Shan, Li Xuegong, Xu Jing, and Huang Ren to take the team's hardest test papers and assess Yang Rui.
• Li Xuegong and the others struggled with the math questions, while Yang Rui finished the math and physics papers within about half an hour.
• Feng Yun checked Yang Rui's math paper and confirmed that every answer was correct, astonishing Zhao Dannian and the students.
• Feng Yun showed Yang Rui his articles in the Middle School Student Herald and asked how he had written so many; Yang Rui said he had simply seen the light.
• Zhao Dannian pulled Feng Yun away to end the late-night questioning, and the two left without discussing the students' stencil-cutting work.

Feng Yun and Zhao Dannian learned that Yang Rui’s Rui Study Group was using its test-paper profits to improve the cafeteria and school, and Zhao approved Yang Rui’s plans for lighting, food, and student work-study. The discussion ended abruptly when Huang Ren reported that pirated copies had appeared in the county.

• Feng Yun practiced boxing while Yang Rui led students on their morning run, then Feng Yun and Zhao Dannian ate free bone broth and pickles at the cafeteria.
• Zhao Dannian questioned Yang Rui about the cost of the free food and asked to inspect the Rui Study Group’s ledger.
• Yang Rui showed Zhao Dannian the accounts and explained the surplus as money left over from group purchases of test-paper materials.
• Yang Rui proposed using the surplus to extend evening lighting, subsidize cafeteria food, and pay students for part-time printing work, and Zhao approved each plan.
• Huang Ren rushed into the courtyard and warned everyone that pirated copies had appeared in the county.

After learning that a man called Leopard was selling pirated copies of their test papers outside County No. 1 High School, Yang Rui gathered classmates and rode down from the mountain to investigate. The group reached the county town and headed to confront Leopard, with Yang Rui planning to try courtesy before force.

• Huang Ren told Principal Zhao and Yang Rui that a seller outside County No. 1 High School was offering pirated copies of their papers at a discount.
• Yang Rui decided to go to the county town with classmates, and Principal Zhao warned them not to fight before joining them.
• Yang Rui and six classmates rode to County No. 1 High School, while Lin Dongliang stayed behind.
• Shi Gui told Yang Rui that the seller was an ex-convict called Leopard who had connections at the police station and a large tattoo.
• Yang Rui reasoned that Leopard's small-scale copying business showed his connections were limited, then led the group toward him and urged them to try courtesy first.

Yang Rui caught Leopard selling pirated copies of the Rui Study Group’s test papers and learned that Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves were behind the operation. After Duan Hang arrived and heard the details, he asked Yang Rui what he wanted to do.

• Yang Rui and the students confronted Leopard and found that his test papers copied the Rui Study Group’s papers and packaging.
• Yang Rui questioned Leopard about his connections, then identified himself to Lu Yang as Duan Hang’s cousin and had a student summon Duan Hang.
• Yang Rui took Leopard into the ice cream shop and learned that Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves had organized the piracy operation and hoped to expand sales.
• Yang Rui suspected the gang had found a printing plant after Leopard refused to answer, and Duan Hang arrived fifteen minutes later.
• Duan Hang questioned Yang Rui about the operation and, after hearing how profitable it was, asked what Yang Rui wanted to do.

Yang Rui discussed how to stop Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves from pirating and selling his test papers, while Duan Hang explained the gang’s connections and the limits of police action. Yang Rui decided to seek his father’s help and devised a plan to distract Huo Laosi and protect the paper business.

• Yang Rui asked Duan Hang to stop Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves from copying his test papers, while keeping Leopard in custody for the time being.
• Duan Hang warned Yang Rui that Huo Laosi had backing from Peng Xiang and that stronger officials would be needed to force the gang to back down or take them down.
• Yang Rui rejected Duan Hang’s suggestion to partner with Huo Laosi and decided to ask his father for help, explaining that the paper proceeds went toward supporting students.
• Yang Rui told Duan Hang to focus on keeping him safe rather than investigating Huo Laosi, and said he would provoke the gang into losing face while releasing two new sets of papers.
• Duan Hang agreed to watch over Yang Rui and Shi Gui, while Yang Rui suggested allowing any attack on Shi Gui to be documented before the police intervened.

Yang Rui rejected Huo Laosi’s attempt to divide up the territory, humiliated Leopard in public, and then reported his test-paper business to his father, Secretary Yang. Secretary Yang approved of the collective operation and summoned the township militia to protect the school’s property.

• Old Wolf offered Yang Rui a territorial division in exchange for Leopard’s release, but Yang Rui refused and sent him away.
• Yang Rui and Duan Hang raised the bound, dye-covered Leopard on a flagpole with signs mocking him and declaring his love for Huo Laosi.
• Huo Laosi’s men struggled to break into the grocery store roof and eventually rescued Leopard while a crowd watched.
• Yang Rui returned to Xizhaizi Township and explained the test-paper operation and its profits to his father, Secretary Yang.
• Secretary Yang questioned the school principal, then ordered the township militia to assemble and protect Xibao Middle School’s collective property.
• Militia commander Wei Lin reported to Yang Rui and listed the company’s members and weapons.

Yang Rui’s father deployed the militia to protect Xibao Middle School, stopping Huo Laosi’s men from pursuing Yang Rui. Huo Laosi’s counterfeit exam-paper business faltered until a militia regiment occupied the bus station, forcing him and the Thirteen Wolves to unite against it.

• Wei Lin and the militia fortified Xibao Middle School, and the Thirteen Wolves retreated without attacking them.
• Huo Laosi rescinded his order to pursue Yang Rui, then found his exam-paper business stalled and the new Rui Study Group Secret Papers competing with his counterfeits.
• Shi Gui learned to distinguish genuine Rui Study Group papers from Huo Laosi’s pirated copies as discounts and free answer sheets drew students to the genuine editions.
• Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves argued over whether to abandon their exam-paper business, with Huo Laosi reluctant to lose his investment and his chance to open a factory.
• After hearing that militiamen had occupied their bus-station turf and seized their stored goods over unpaid freight, Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves agreed to unite against outsiders.
• Huo Laosi and the Thirteen Wolves marched toward the bus station, then stopped when they saw a flag marked “Xi County Second Militia Regiment.”

Yang Feng used the Xi County militia to shut down Huo Laosi’s bus station operation and capture him, Thirteen Wolves, and their gang. After the gang was beaten into submission and taken away, Yang Rui learned that Duan Hang’s entire family belonged to the militia.

• Yang Feng sent militia members to block roads and inspect vehicles leaving Xi County, while they confiscated goods transported by Huo Laosi’s men.
• Huo Laosi and Thirteen Wolves tried to leave but Wei Lin and the Xizhaizi Township Militia Company surrounded them and ordered them to surrender their weapons.
• Duan Hang arrived with the militia and accused the gang of crimes including robbery, assault, and rape.
• The militia beat and disarmed the gang, then Duan Hang made the men kneel before arranging to take them to the bureau.
• Duan Hang told Yang Rui that Yang Feng had planned the operation and said his father wanted to discuss technical matters with him.
• Yang Rui discovered that Duan Hang’s mother and sister were also in the militia, making the whole family militia members.

Yang Rui met Engineer Shao during the militia deployment and learned that the Xibao Meat Processing Plant planned to donate earmarked supplies to Xibao Middle School in thanks for his technical advice. After Engineer Shao asked about the Rui Study Group and his son’s prospects, Yang Rui agreed to tutor Shao Liang, leaving the group with a new student and another ally.

• Duan Hua introduced Yang Rui to Engineer Shao, who praised Yang Rui’s role in improving the cannery’s sterilizing process and product acceptance rate.
• Engineer Shao gave Yang Rui an official letter assigning him control over supplies donated by the Xibao Meat Processing Plant to Xibao Middle School.
• Engineer Shao asked Yang Rui about the Rui Study Group and its test papers, and Yang Rui explained how he had founded it.
• After learning that Yang Rui could help his son Shao Liang with schoolwork, Engineer Shao asked him to tutor the boy.
• Yang Rui agreed to teach Shao Liang, while warning that the Rui Study Group’s rules and discipline would apply to him.

After Duan Hang helped capture Huo Laosi's gang and six wanted criminals, Yang Rui offered him a news release and money to secure prominent newspaper coverage. When they reached Xibao Middle School, Yang Rui found the meat processing plant had donated 480 cans of canned meat to the school.

• Duan Hang's Criminal Police Unit and the Militia Regiment rounded up Huo Laosi's gang, local underworld figures, and six wanted criminals, earning Duan Hang praise from his superiors.
• Duan Hang escorted Yang Rui back to school and talked confidently about his chances of promotion.
• Yang Rui offered Duan Hang a news release advocating a harsh crackdown and warned that its zero-tolerance stance could affect his future if the political climate changed.
• Yang Rui lent Duan Hang five hundred yuan to help get the release published prominently in the Nanhu Daily, and Duan Hang accepted the money.
• At Xibao Middle School, Yang Rui learned that the Xibao Meat Processing Plant had donated supplies, including 480 cans of canned meat, which drew a crowd of teachers and students.

Yang Rui organized the food donations from Xibao Meat Processing Plant and used the Rui Study Group’s profits to establish scholarships at Xibao Middle School. He announced one-time cash and canned-food awards for students chosen through exams, academic progress, and social practice.

• Yang Rui divided the oranges among students, teachers, and test-paper contributors, sent flour and lard to the cafeteria, and left the canned food undistributed.
• Yang Rui caught up on lessons, reviewed the Rui Study Group’s accounts and members’ work, and prepared new test-paper sets for students across junior and senior high school.
• Yang Rui instructed Huang Ren to print school exam sets and assign the Rui Study Group’s top ten students to cut the stencils.
• Yang Rui announced scholarships for students with good grades, marked improvement, or active social-practice participation, with applicants required to take an exam for the academic awards.
• Yang Rui said 125 students would each receive ten yuan and canned food, funded by the Rui Study Group’s profits.

Yang Rui held a five-hour, six-subject scholarship exam on Xibao Middle School’s sports field, while Qi Yuan opposed his authority and left to complain. The exam began under bright lights, and Yang Rui asked Teacher Lu to recruit teachers to mark the papers for two yuan a day.

• Qi Yuan argued that Yang Rui had no right to administer exams or distribute scholarships, but Zhuang Musheng defended Yang Rui and the two teachers nearly fought.
• Qi Yuan left the school to lodge a complaint, while most teachers accepted the principal’s approval of Yang Rui’s plans.
• Rui Study Group members moved desks and chairs onto the sports field and set up lights for the exam.
• Yang Rui announced the five-hour exam rules and began the six-subject scholarship assessment at night.
• Yang Rui asked Teacher Lu to recruit willing teachers to mark the papers, offering two yuan a day.

Yang Rui ended Xibao Middle School’s six-subject exam and arranged paid grading that involved more teachers and checks. He then gave Huang Ren a secret teacher evaluation form, intending to reward highly ranked teachers and make poor teaching harder to ignore.

• Yang Rui assessed the students’ weak academic levels during the exam and told Huang Ren to record students who handed in early, lowering their evaluations if they applied to the Rui Study Group.
• Yang Rui ended the exam at midnight despite Xu Jing and Teacher Lu asking for more time.
• Yang Rui agreed to pay teachers grading fees for three days’ work and instructed Teacher Lu to organize separate graders for junior and senior high subjects, plus extra graders to check the results.
• Yang Rui gave Huang Ren teacher evaluation forms to print secretly and explained his plan to reward teachers who ranked near the top.
• Huang Ren warned that low-ranking teachers might resent Yang Rui, but Yang Rui defended the plan as necessary for the students.

Yang Rui checked the teachers’ grading, paid them honoraria, and began the Rui Study Group’s scholarship ceremony at Xibao Middle School. Just as he was about to announce the recipients, Qi Yuan arrived with news that Section Chief Xiong from the county Education Bureau objected to the awards, and Liu Shan seemed to recognize the significance of his intervention.

• Yang Rui sampled the graded papers, confirmed the marking was accurate, and gave Teacher Lu an envelope of honoraria for the teachers.
• Teacher Lu and Wang Fang counted the money and found that Yang Rui had prepared exact payments in crisp new bills for all fourteen teachers.
• Yang Rui announced the afternoon scholarship ceremony, while Hu Yanshan and the other troublemakers kept their distance from him.
• Yang Rui opened the ceremony and announced a total of 1,350 yuan in scholarships, with sixty cans of meat and sixty-five cans of fruit as prizes.
• Qi Yuan interrupted the ceremony to report that Section Chief Xiong from the county Education Bureau’s Infrastructure Section said the scholarships violated regulations, and Liu Shan reacted with concern.

Yang Rui confronted Qi Yuan and Section Chief Xiong over their apparent interest in taking control of the Rui Study Group's funds and the school's canned food. After revealing that his father was close to Deputy County Head Luo, Yang Rui left Section Chief Xiong suddenly trying to ingratiate himself.

• Qi Yuan arrived at the awards ceremony with Section Chief Xiong and demanded that the school fetch Principal Zhao, but the students ignored him.
• Liu Shan told Yang Rui that Principal Zhao needed Qi Yuan's uncle to approve funding for two wells and a drainage channel, explaining why the principal had tolerated Qi Yuan's behavior.
• Yang Rui went to investigate Section Chief Xiong, then met him at the school gate and asserted that he controlled the group's funds and the canned food.
• Section Chief Xiong and Qi Yuan discussed their intentions to claim some of the school's resources while Yang Rui warned that the principal's absence might reflect a desire to avoid a clash.
• Yang Rui revealed that his father, Yang Feng, was close to Uncle Luo, now the deputy county head overseeing education, and Section Chief Xiong abruptly changed his attitude toward him.