Chapter 176: This is not a good sign

'Today's class was really amazing. I never knew that finance could be understood in this way. The teacher really opened a magical door for us today!'

'Who says not? But I like the story the teacher told even better. It's almost like a myth. I swear to God if the teacher hadn't told us that we could understand it that way, I'm afraid I would never have thought that the secret of finance is hidden in that story, and that financial crises and bonds can be expressed in that way. It's incredible!'

'No, I still think that in the end, the teacher's analysis of the farmers' market was the most amazing! Why is it that in the market, there are so many egg sellers, but only one sells particularly well? This is the herd mentality in the stock market. People like to follow the crowd. When someone keeps saying that the eggs from this place are delicious, people will go there to buy them. In fact, no one knows if the eggs are really delicious or not, they just follow the crowd and buy them.'

'Yes, I was very impressed by that too. The teacher said it's exactly the same as in the stock market. The dealer first creates the illusion that the stock is doing well, but in fact no one knows the company's real operating situation. All retail investors can see is the good news released by the dealer, so they think the company's operating situation is very good and follow the trend to buy.'

'Whether it's the stock market or the farmers' market, this kind of needle-in-a-haystack approach to finding things that can rise in price is a huge challenge!'

'And the analogy with the white fungus was also very impressive...'

A few students were walking and chatting on the Renmin University campus. They were talking in a very excited tone, and it was hard to imagine that they were talking about the class just now. People who didn't know would think that they had won the lottery.

'Li Yang and Huang Ping, what are you talking about so excitedly?'

A voice suddenly came from nowhere, instantly revealing the identities of the students. They were Zhou Ming's classmates from the finance class. The leader was Li Yang, the vice class president of the finance class. After returning from the farmers' market, they went to eat first. Originally, they should have gone back to the dormitory to rest for a while, but they remembered the morning class at the farmers' market, which made them excited again, so they just kept walking and talking on campus.

They were talking and walking along without a problem, but now Li Yang and the others all stopped in their tracks at the sound of the voice, and shouted 'Hello, Dean'.

The dean of the School of Finance at Renmin University stood there smiling and said hello, and then repeated the question just asked. Li Yang immediately replied, 'It was the teacher who gave us the class. The teacher is really amazing. I've never had a class like this before, it was so lively and specific.'

'Teacher and class? Are you talking about your class teacher, Zhou Ming?'

The dean asked curiously, and Li Yang nodded and said yes. The dean then asked, 'He did have a class scheduled for the finance class this morning. I wonder what method Mr. Zhou Ming used to teach you?'

'It was a very interesting method,' Li Yang said, very happy, like a child showing off his treasures. 'This morning, the teacher took us to the Nanzhuang Farmers' Market.'

'Nanzhuang Farmers' Market? What did Mr. Zhou Ming take you to the farmers' market for?' the dean asked, his eyelids twitching unnaturally.

'Of course it was a class. The teacher used a different method to teach us. He actually brought finance into the farmers' market. All financial phenomena and knowledge can be used as examples in the farmers' market. The teacher also tried to guide us to think independently, and said that whether it is finance or economics, it is all about trading...'

Before Li Yang could finish, the dean impatiently interrupted him: 'So did any of you fall behind or encounter any danger?'

'Dean, what's the danger? We're just going to the Nanzhuang farmers' market, there's no danger,' Li Yang said blankly, a little confused. 'Dean, many of our classmates often go there to buy food, and I've been there many times,'

Li Yang said halfway through his sentence, but the dean interrupted, 'How can that be the same? You were there in normal times, but now it's during class. You are all elite students selected by the country, and you should pay more attention to your status and work hard to learn financial knowledge, not just hang around!'

'Dean, we're not loitering, we're in class...'

Li Yang tried to argue back, but was stopped by Huang Ping, who stepped forward and said, 'Dean, I'm sorry, we won't run around anymore in the future, but our learning method today is very novel and has been well received by our classmates. Today was just a bold and meaningful attempt.'

The dean looked at Huang Ping and patted him on the shoulder: 'You are all the future pillars of the country. There is no shortcut to learning this. You must be down-to-earth and practical, and never be overambitious or unrealistic. That is harmful.'

Huang Ping nodded to show that he understood, and the dean left satisfied. After the dean left, Li Yang frowned and asked, 'Huang Ping, why did you say that just now?'

Huang Ping shook his head helplessly and said, 'You can't see it, but I can. I'm afraid our teacher is going to have bad luck.'

Li Yang was so surprised that he froze in place. On the other side, just as Huang Ping had said, the dean went straight to Zhou Ming's office and, without any preamble, asked him, "Zhou Ming, I'm asking you if you took the students to the Nanzhuang Farmers" Market this morning. I need an explanation!'

Zhou Ming didn't react at first, and it wasn't until he and the dean stared at each other for a while that Zhou Ming said, 'Dean, I did take the students to the Nanzhuang Farmers' Market this morning. I took them there for class. Dean, I don't understand what explanation is needed for this?'

Zhou Ming's words were full of puzzlement, but the dean's side followed with a series of questions: 'Who approved you to do this? Did you apply to the college? Did you get permission from the college to prepare your lesson? How did you teach the finance class without consulting the college?'

These questions made Zhou Ming's head spin. 'Dean, I don't think it matters. I'm the class teacher of the finance class, so what's wrong with me giving a class to the finance class? I remember I already told you about this a long time ago, and you approved.'

'I agreed for you to give a class to the finance class, but I didn't agree for you to take the students to a place like the farmers' market!' The dean shouted at Zhou Ming, his saliva about to spray Zhou Ming in the face.

'Dean? I don't think there's anything bad about the farmers' market, and I think it's a better place to demonstrate the essence of finance and develop the students' ability to think.'

Zhou Ming's words were rudely interrupted by the dean before he could finish speaking. His tone was angry: 'This is all nonsense! You, the head teacher of the finance class, are not responsible at all. Places like the farmers' market are full of all kinds of people. What if the students encounter some danger there? These students have been carefully selected from all over the country. Can you afford to take responsibility for them?'

'Finally,' the dean said, "our Renmin University School of Finance also has its own management system. You can't just do whatever you want. Do you even see me as the dean?'

Zhou Ming felt a little helpless. After thinking about it, he explained to the dean, "Dean, I think you're being a little extreme. I admit that I did take the students out without notifying the school and applying for a record, which was indeed an oversight on my part. But I don't think that's the point. The point is that after this course, the students have all started to think about financial concepts independently.'

'Comrade Zhou Ming!' The dean called Zhou Ming's name very seriously. 'You have made such a serious work mistake, but not only did you not admit your mistake, you are now here arguing nonsense and spouting a bunch of fallacies. I can hardly imagine what the result would be if the finance class was completely handed over to you. I think it is necessary for me to reapply to my superiors. I don't think Comrade Zhou Ming is suitable for the position of class teacher until you have fixed these problems!'

After saying this, the dean did not give Zhou Ming the opportunity to explain, and simply left. Zhou Ming looked at the dean's departing back and was stunned. After a while, he muttered, 'Is the dean on fire? Why is he so against me, even over such trivial matters? Oh no, it's not even a matter. I've never seen him like this before.'

The dean quickly returned to his office and sent a fax, which arrived on the desk of the chairman, Du Zhongyuan, the next morning.

On seeing the fax, Du Zhongyuan immediately put down his work and drove to the Sui'an Room to find Yang Dingguo.

'Yang Lao, please take a look at this fax, it was sent from the National People's Congress yesterday.'

Du Zhongyuan handed the fax to Yang Dingguo, who looked at it for a while before letting out a heavy sigh.

Taking the fax, Yang Dingguo looked up and asked, 'What do you think, Comrade Zhongyuan?'

Du Zhongyuan shook his head: 'I don't think this is a good sign, Lao Yang.'

'Of course this is not a good sign.'

Yang Dingguo let out a heavy sigh. He got up, went to the bed, pushed open the window, and felt the wind from the courtyard. He then said, 'Comrade Zhongyuan, look outside, the leaves are falling. Spring going to autumn is the most normal natural phenomenon. No one competes with or takes away from anyone else. Just let nature take its course. It would be great if some of our comrades could understand this!'

Du Zhongyuan was still standing there. He knew what Yang Dingguo was talking about, but he was wise enough not to say anything.

Yang Dingguo continued, 'In fact, my goal is very simple: I want everyone in the country to live a good life. On this premise, it doesn't matter who wins or loses, as long as reform and opening up can be carried out and a modern financial system can be established, why wouldn't anyone be willing to do it?'