Chapter 1945: Donation

Zhou Andong returned the bowl to the kitchen, then went to the living room in the third courtyard. Beside it was a stack of newspapers; they were all subscriptions, and the post office delivered them every day.

He casually picked up the *Beijing Daily* on top. Aside from major national events, there was news about city leaders inspecting this or researching that, and which projects had landed in which district.

Zhou Andong flipped through them and didn't see any important news. Just as he was about to put it down, his eyes inadvertently swept over a headline.

"China applies to join the International Space Station, but is shut out by the US space agency on the grounds of preventing leaks."

Zhou Andong muttered softly, his eyebrows twitching involuntarily.

"Damn it, it really is: those who are not of my race must have a different heart."

He put down the newspaper and took out a cigarette to light it. He hadn't even taken two puffs when Jian Qiu pushed the door open and entered.

Zhou Andong hurriedly stubbed out the cigarette and threw it into the ashtray.

"Why are you back so early? Weren't you going to see Comrade Old An tonight?"

Jian Qiu sat on the sofa, looking somewhat exhausted. Seeing her state, Zhou Andong knew she must be worn out.

He bent over, took off her shoes, helped Jian Qiu lie down on the sofa, and then placed her feet in his lap, massaging them gently.

"Do you feel a bit more comfortable?"

"Mm!" Jian Qiu let out a very comfortable sound. "An Jing and I went shopping and bought two pieces of clothing. I really couldn't walk anymore. After eating, I went with An Jing to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to find Uncle An."

Zhou Andong nodded. "How was it? Did Comrade Old An take the job of designing the nursing home?"

"He took it!" Jian Qiu couldn't help but chuckle. "We stayed for an hour, and half of that time he spent complaining, saying that old bones of his were about to be rattled apart."

Zhou Andong laughed heartily. "I provided the design concept for the exterior; it's his students doing the work, so how tired could he possibly get?"

"By the way," Jian Qiu said, "Uncle An also chatted with me about Xiao Qin's future development."

"Future development?" Zhou Andong was a bit confused. "She's only a freshman this year and still has three years until graduation. Are we considering future development already?"

"It was just chatting." Jian Qiu shifted her body, trying to lie as comfortably as possible. "Uncle An said he hopes Xiao Qin will continue to pursue a master's degree."

"It's not up to us to decide." Zhou Andong grabbed Jian Qiu's other foot and started rubbing it. "We have to ask Xiao Qin about her own thoughts. If she wants to study, then she studies; if she doesn't want to, we can't force her."

"That's true!" Jian Qiu thought for a moment. "She's coming back on Sunday since she has no classes. I'll ask her what she thinks."

Zhou Andong asked curiously, "How did the topic of Xiao Qin pursuing a master's degree come up?"

Jian Qiu said, "Today when we went to the Academy of Fine Arts, we ran into a teacher who wanted to apply for a directed master's program and went to Uncle An to ask about the procedure.

After that teacher left, Uncle An said that if Xiao Qin wants to pursue a master's degree, she can also go through the school's directed training program without taking the national entrance exam.

Crossing majors is also no problem. As long as Xiao Qin chooses the school and major, Uncle An will arrange the contact with the professor; he still has some pull.

However, if she goes through the school's directed training program, she must return to work at the Central Academy of Fine Arts for a certain number of years after graduation; there are requirements for this.

If Xiao Qin doesn't want to go through directed training and wants to stay at the Central Academy of Fine Arts to study, that's even easier. She can be directly recommended; Uncle An will supervise her himself. Even if Xiao Qin slacks off during her doctoral studies, she won't have to worry about not graduating."

Zhou Andong laughed heartily. "This is the benefit of having connections."

"Uncle An also said that after Xiao Qin graduates with her bachelor's, she can stay at the school directly. Whether it's an administrative or management position, he'll get her a staff position first, and she can pursue her master's while working.

"After you finish your doctorate, serve as a lecturer for two years. During this period, secure a few projects and publish two papers in domestic journals; get the associate professor title first."

"Whether it's directed training or getting Xiao Qin a staff position right after her bachelor's, why do I feel like this is a conspiracy by the Central Academy of Fine Arts?"

Zhou Andong smacked his lips, looking thoughtful.

"A conspiracy?" Jian Qiu asked, confused. "This is all for Xiao Qin's benefit; what conspiracy could there be?"

Zhou Andong pondered very seriously. "Back when Xiao Qin was enrolling, we went to find that vice president—what was his name—to donate coal. Do you remember what I said?"

Jian Qiu thought for a moment. "You said that since Xiao Qin is studying at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, you were afraid the school wouldn't be willing to burn coal in the winter and would freeze your sister, so you would provide the coal for the Central Academy of Fine Arts for free while Xiao Qin is studying."

"Smack!" Zhou Andong patted Jian Qiu's foot. "That's exactly what I said. So, the Central Academy of Fine Arts is trying every possible way to keep Xiao Qin, so that I'll keep providing them with coal for free."

Jian Qiu rolled her eyes at him, then immediately started laughing. "If Uncle An heard you say that, he'd be so angry he'd have a heart attack."

Zhou Andong stopped joking. "Directed training is very troublesome, especially since the quotas are limited. For Xiao Qin to get a quota right after graduation, besides Uncle An pulling strings, the lingering influence of that 20 million USD donation must still be there."

Jian Qiu nodded. "The power of 20 million USD won't dissipate within ten years."

Zhou Andong was very proud. "That 20 million USD donation sounds like a lot, but the benefits it brought us are worth several times that."

Jian Qiu praised him without reservation. "My husband is just amazing."

Zhou Andong chuckled. "Besides the reputation, there's also that plot of land in the old campus of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Without that 20 million USD donation back then, there's no way it would have ended up in our hands.

Even if we can't redevelop that land in order to preserve those buildings, just letting it sit there and wait for appreciation will bring us huge returns in the future."

"Help me sit up." Jian Qiu was getting tired of lying down; she propped herself up on her elbows on the sofa to sit up.

Zhou Andong hurriedly got up and helped Jian Qiu sit up.

"I just saw the news that our country applied to join the International Space Station but was shut out by the US space agency on the grounds of preventing leaks. Did you know?"

"I know." Jian Qiu let out a breath. "I went to the No. 6 Courtyard yesterday, and Grandfather mentioned it."

Zhou Andong asked, "The old man just mentioned it and didn't say anything else?"

"What else could he say?" Jian Qiu sighed. "The Beidou navigation project has been launched, so where would there be money for the space station project? Grandfather said to let the country catch its breath first and talk about it in two years."

Zhou Andong fell silent. Jian Qiu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Zhou Andong came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Wife, why don't we take out 800 million or a billion USD and donate it to the country to research the space station?"

Jian Qiu looked at Zhou Andong, her eyes blinking. "Are you—serious?"

"Pfft!" Zhou Andong laughed heartily. "I'm lying to you. I couldn't bear to part with that much money."

"Husband!" Jian Qiu called out softly, cupping Zhou Andong's face with both hands. "I know you were serious just now. If you have this idea, I support you."

Zhou Andong pondered for a moment, then grabbed Jian Qiu's hand. "A billion USD is a drop in the bucket for the space station project, but it can definitely hold us over and let our country catch that breath." ===== CHAPTER 1946 =====