The literary era since 1979

Chapter 143 "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" published

Based on his impression from his previous life, Fang Yan thought it would not be easy to guide a troublemaker like Wang Shuo to revise the manuscript, and he was mentally prepared.

I thought Wang Shuo was either a prickly hedgehog or a stubborn wild donkey, but he turned out to be as docile as the donkeys in the production team.

Wang Shuo didn't even dare to show his teeth, let alone kick his chest at Fangyan.

Write whatever you are told to write and change whatever you are told to change.

It was just like being locked up in a small dark room and whipped.

Fortunately, General Fang was kind-hearted and only asked Wang Shuo to revise the manuscript honestly according to his requirements so that the quality of the manuscript would be worthy of publication in "October". After all, his literary foundation was very weak.

During these days of hands-on guidance, Wang Shuo became more and more convinced of Mr. Fang, who was of similar age but had a profound background:
"Teacher Fang, this is who I am."

"If someone doesn't offend me, I won't offend him. If someone offends me, I will definitely offend him. To put it bluntly, I am like a mad dog that will bite someone to death without paying for it."

"From what you said, when you were caught for fare evasion, you really wanted to bite me to death." Fang Yan laughed, "Do you still want to do that now?"

"I don't want to think about it anymore. I've thought about the ticket evasion incident carefully. I'm in the wrong. When I get paid for my article, I'll treat you to dinner at Lao Mo to make amends."

Wang Shuo shook his head, his tone sincere.

"Let's talk about eating later. Let's revise the manuscript first."

Fangyan wrote a list of books and asked him to read them.

The two separated at the door of the publishing house. Fangyan rode his bike to the Palace Museum's Foreign Trade Service Department to buy calligraphy and paintings as usual.

All the things he bought were stored in the Huanghuali cabinet in his room.

As for the Hougulouyuan house, a construction team has been invited to conduct on-site inspections, draw up design and construction drawings, and formulate a demolition and reconstruction plan.

The front yard was demolished and rebuilt first, then the backyard.

After all, the Urban Planning Law will be promulgated in a few years.

At that time, if you need to build, expand or renovate any building, you must submit a construction application to the relevant department.

So, a new arrangement was added to my life to visit the Siheyuan regularly, day after day, until December.

Fangyan continued to teach Wang Shuo how to revise manuscripts and buy calligraphy and paintings. Only at lunch or dinner time, like a lonely gourmet, he would wander around the city and eat at every newly opened restaurant.

After eating and drinking, I returned home and wrote down everything I saw, heard, thought and imagined as part of "A Bite of China".

"Jingle Bell."

"Is Teacher Fang at home? There's a letter for you!"

Along with the sound of car bells, a familiar voice came from the alley.

Fang Yan picked up the sample issue of Yenching Literature from the table and walked out of the room quickly: "Here I come."

"Teacher Fang."

Master Hu leaned against a bare locust tree, wrapped tightly in a blanket, his legs trembling constantly as he faced the biting cold wind.

"Master Hu, what's wrong with you?"

Concern was evident in his tone of voice. "Is it okay?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just an old problem."

Master Hu said that he had chronic cold legs and would have convulsions in extremely cold weather. He could just go home and put on a pair of dog-skin plaster and he would be fine.

Fangyan breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the sample issues that he had gotten from the editorial department of Yenching Literature the day before, a total of three copies.

Two copies were given to Master Hu and his son, and one was given to his comrade-in-arms.

"Teacher Fang, can you give me another copy of that?"

Master Hu opened his mouth and said embarrassedly.

After asking in Fangyan, I found out that Master Hu's leaders and colleagues heard that he had written a book specifically for postmen, and they also wanted to take a look at it.

"Okay, wait here, I'll go back to the house and get it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran in and came out again soon, holding three sample magazines in his hands. "There are only three left."

"That's enough, that's enough, thank you."

Master Hu thanked him repeatedly, took it, dragged his flabby legs, faced the cold wind, and pushed the cart laboriously back home.

Seeing this, Xiao Hu immediately took out the dog-skin plaster.

"Dad, you are already like this, let's take a leave this afternoon."

"Why ask for leave? It's just an old problem."

Master Hu lit a candle and baked the plaster. "When you take over my job in the future, I'll have plenty of time to rest."

"Dad, why are we talking about succession again? I haven't decided whether I want to be a postman or not." Xiao Hu said dissatisfiedly.

"What are you thinking about! Is being a postman unfair to you?"

Master Hu said angrily: "Do you know how many people want this golden rice bowl, but don't have this way?"

"Growing up, you always said that postmen were honorable."

Xiao Hu curled his lips, "But I still don't feel proud of myself." "Of course I don't!" Master Hu took out a sample magazine from his bag, "Take a look for yourself! Take a good look!"

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Hu was puzzled.

Master Hu raised his chin and said, "Look what Teacher Fang wrote. It's specially written for us postmen!"

"Teacher Fang Yan Fang?!"

Xiao Hu ran back to the room half-believing and half-doubting.

I had originally started reading this new work in dialect and was very interested in it, but when I saw the postman and his son at the beginning, and then realized that the son was also a college entrance examination failure like myself, I felt puzzled and disgusted. The more I read on, the less interested I became.

It is neither as exciting and interesting as "Insidious" and "Infernal Affairs", nor as touching as "Under the Hawthorn Tree". "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" is as bland as a cup of tea, or even plain water, which gradually extinguishes the enthusiasm of people to continue watching.

"It's boring!"

Xiao Hu read the first few pages, threw them on the bed, and turned his attention back to "Wulin", which he had just read halfway.

Since the second half of 1981, Wulin has serialized Jin Yong's The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and has now serialized to the point where Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke are having a marriage-seeking competition on Peach Blossom Island.

Looking at it this way, time passed by unknowingly.

Just at this moment, there was a sound of door closing outside the house.

Master Hu applied a dog-skin plaster and felt his legs were getting better. He went out to work and rode his bike to the post office.

As soon as they heard that the sample issue of the latest issue of "Yenching Literature" had arrived, colleagues rushed to it and scrambled to read it.

Master Hu secretly lent the book he had sent to his comrade to his old friend. The old friend did not open it immediately. He stared at his legs and asked with concern, "Are you suffering from the same problem again?"

Master Hu nodded, "It has been patched up."

"I think your old cold legs are getting worse."

The old friend asked, "Xiao Hu is still unwilling to take over your job?"

"This kid still thinks that postmen are not decent."

Master Hu shook his head and smiled bitterly. In fact, if his leg could be cured, why should he let his son do such a tiring job? Unfortunately, it couldn't be cured.

The old friend said, "Do you want me to help you with Xiao Hu's thinking? After all, I watched him grow up."

"It's useless. No matter who comes, it will be useless. Let him figure it out himself."

Master Hu changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that little bastard. Let's read Teacher Fang's novel. I just read it while applying the plaster at home. It's really well written."

My old friend opened the "Yenching Literature" and saw the father and son of the rural postman appear in the village. The men, women, old and young in the village all came out to see them off. He couldn't help but feel relieved. He also saw the rural postman pretending to be the grandson of the fifth grandmother, writing letters and sending money to give her hope in life. He couldn't help but feel moved...

Watching it from beginning to end, I saw the son carrying his father across the river, and it was clearly written, "If he can carry his father, the son has grown up."

I subconsciously looked at Master Hu and saw that he was staring at the magazine, his eyes slightly red, and he let out a long sigh.

"Ugh!"

"Don't sigh. After Xiao Hu reads the novel, I think he will be able to figure it out." The old friend kept comforting him.

"I hope so. I hope so."

Master Hu murmured to himself and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

In stark contrast to the two men's silence, colleagues in the post office were competing to pass the book around, and those who had already read it were discussing it enthusiastically and giving it many positive reviews.

"I have a low level of education and have read very little, so I can only say 'well written'."

"It's the same for me. I can't say what's good about it, but I just think it's good and touching, especially the scene where the villagers came to see the postman off. I felt that it was all worth it despite all the hard work!"

"When this issue of Yenching Literature is published, I will definitely buy a copy to show my child how glorious his father's job is."

"I'll take one too."

"........."

The people in Master Hu's unit became more and more excited about the conversation. When they went out to deliver mail in the afternoon, whenever they met postmen from other areas, they were willing to become "water army" and share the news of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog". Word of mouth spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Soon, it caused quite a stir in the postal system of Yanjing.

All post offices were eagerly looking forward to the latest issue of "Yenching Literature", which was finally officially released on December 12.

Starting from this day, the people of Yanjing discovered some very strange and peculiar phenomena. One was that when they went to the post office to mail something, the theme of the blackboard poster at the door was all "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog", as if every post office had agreed on it.

One is that when I see a few postmen on the street and say hello, the first sentence is no longer "Have you eaten?", but "Have you read "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog"? " Some even took out the latest issue of "Yenching Literature" and started chatting, and they never got tired of talking.

This aroused the curiosity of passers-by.

Everyone wanted to read "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog", so the sixth issue of "Yenching Literature" sold well in Yenching and was hard to come by.

Of course, these aren't the weirdest ones.

The strangest thing was that although it was a very cold day, the postmen rode harder than usual and even rang their bells louder.

The cold wind was blowing, it was very cold and biting.

But each of their hearts is warm.

The whole person's blood is boiling and burning.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, who is this car bell ringing for?

(End of this chapter)