Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 52: Old man, your chess skills are average!

The forty or fifty-day winter vacation sounds long, but it goes by quickly.

The Lantern Festival had just passed and the winter vacation was already half over, but the people of Yanjing City had not yet had time to wake up from the New Year atmosphere.

As soon as he arrived at the library early in the morning, someone came to look for Lin Chaoyang.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and wished Zhang Dening a Happy New Year, then asked, "What do you want from me so early?"

"I'm in a hurry to get to work. The editor of Xinhua Monthly found me a few days ago and wanted to reprint your article "The Horse Herder"."

Xinhua Monthly was founded in November 1949 and was sponsored by the newly established People's Publishing House. At the beginning of this year, in order to meet the needs of readers, it was divided into a document version and an abstract version. The abstract version became Xinhua Digest, and Zhang Dening called it Xinhua Monthly because it was more convenient.

Reprint?

That’s good. Doesn’t that mean I can get royalties again?
"How much is the fee?"

Zhang Dening shook his head. "You really don't look like a writer."

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "How does a writer behave? Treat money as dirt? Live on a bowl of rice and a jug of water?"

"I can't argue with you." Zhang Dening changed the subject and answered Lin Chaoyang's question: "Three yuan per thousand words. If you agree, I will reprint it in their next issue."

"Three dollars for a thousand words!" Lin Chaoyang looked thoughtful, as if he was considering something.

"Three dollars per thousand words is not a small amount. After all, it is a reprint." Zhang Dening advised.

"Yes." Lin Chaoyang nodded, "Then I agree. If you have such good things in the future, please think of me."

"Don't always think about the good things. Do you want to live off one novel until you die? If you want to earn royalties, write more. Do you have any new works recently?"

Lin Chaoyang doesn't really want to earn royalties, he just wants to make money without doing anything, preferably without doing anything.

"I have some ideas recently and I'm already writing them down."

"I'll help you take a look when I'm done writing it."

"I didn't tell you."

"If you don't give it to us, who will? Who will look for you?"

Zhang Dening looked alert, like a little wild cat protecting its food.

"You make it sound as if I sold Yenching Literature and Art to you. What if People's Literature comes to me for a commission?"

"What's wrong with People's Literature? Is our Yenching Literature and Art Journal worse than theirs?"

Zhang Dening said he was not convinced, which showed that he was a tough guy but weak inside.

"People's Literature is full of old-fashioned people. Believe me, our Yenching Literature and Art is the most suitable for you."

Zhang Dening was worried that if People's Literature really came to him, Lin Chaoyang would immediately betray him and start brainwashing him.

Unfortunately, Lin Chaoyang didn't buy her trick, and Zhang Dening left helplessly with regret.

Returning to the library, Lin Chaoyang discovered that the atmosphere in the library suddenly became serious for some reason.

Hu Wenqiong, who was supposed to be at the front desk of the lending library, was nowhere to be seen. Lin Chaoyang looked around and found that Master Xie's mailroom was crowded, with many students even standing outside the door.

He moved closer and found that everyone was concentrating on what was playing on the radio.

Something happened in the south!
Because of the explosive news that appeared in the morning, the Yanda Library was immersed in a restless atmosphere for the whole morning, and colleagues were whispering to each other.

Many people were discussing the possible direction and impact of the war, and even more people were feeling happy. They all simply believed that it was time to teach that ungrateful neighbor a lesson.

Two days later, on the weekend, my cheap brother-in-law Du Feng showed up at Tao's house early in the morning.

"Why are you here?"

"Why can't I come over?"

Du Feng and Tao Yumo joked for a while. Tao's mother asked him if he had eaten yet. He replied, "Aunt, I have eaten. Don't worry about me. I am here to look for my brother-in-law."

Tao's mother showed some surprise and confusion on her face, and asked Tao Yumo, "Why did he look for your brother-in-law?"

Tao Yumo looked strange, "I don't know."

Mother Tao frowned. She couldn't understand how these two people got together just for a New Year's dinner.

"Brother-in-law!"

Tao Yushu was washing clothes in the bathroom at the moment, and Lin Chaoyang was cleaning the room.

The two chatted for a while, and then Du Feng came over and whispered, "Brother-in-law, can I trouble you again?"

Due to limited time on the second day of the Chinese New Year, Lin Chaoyang helped Du Feng "polish" two love letters.

Judging from what my cheap brother-in-law said, he should be hooking up with the girl... Since they have made contact, two love letters are not enough.

"You can't always rely on me. Read more poetry and novels. Otherwise, if you talk too deeply with others, you'll be easily exposed."

Lin Chaoyang casually wrote three more love letters to Du Feng, and did not forget to give Du Feng some instructions.

"I know that too. I've been cramming for it lately. Unfortunately, I don't have your literary talent. Brother-in-law, it would be a waste if you didn't become a poet or a writer!"

"Come on, stop flattering me, just go get your girlfriend."

"I'm not flattering you, I mean it!" After Tao Yushu entered the house, Du Feng was ready to get up and leave. When Lin Chaoyang sent him out of the house, Du Feng took out a cigarette from his arms.

"It's foreign stuff, from Cuba. Try it. It's much better than the diamonds from Algeria."

The cigarette box has a blue background with the name of the cigarette in the middle - ARDIAN.

"Where did you get it from?"

"I traded it with a friend."

Du Feng didn't say much, but Lin Chaoyang knew that this was not a problem for him as a second-generation military man.

"I've drawn it. I'll bring it to you next time."

Lin Chaoyang looked at Du Feng's back as he rode away on his bicycle in the cold wind. It seemed that this cheap brother-in-law was more particular than his sister-in-law.

After returning home, Lin Chaoyang gave the cigarettes to Tao's father, "Du Feng gives you this as a gift!"

Father Tao laughed and said, "That kid has never given me anything!"

Knowing the truth, Tao's father still accepted the cigarettes from Lin Chaoyang, but he split it in half, since they were given by his son-in-law after all.

Seeing that his elder brother-in-law was also envious, Lin Chaoyang gave him two more boxes of cigarettes.

"My brother-in-law is such a particular person!"

Lin Chaoyang's "writing fee" made the two men in the family happy, but it made his mother-in-law unhappy. Not only did they have to smoke second-hand smoke, but they also had to clean up cigarette butts.

A little after nine o'clock, Zhu Guangqian came with a cane to play chess with Tao's father.

"Come, smoke my cigarette!"

The old man took the cigarette and looked at it. "Wow! It's imported!"

"My son-in-law gave it to me."

Father Tao said in a low-key manner.

Zhu Guangqian: "This cigarette tastes just average."

Halfway through playing chess, there was a knock on the door. It was a few students who had returned to school early who came to wish Tao's father a happy new year.

Mr. Tao was not at all arrogant. He was busy entertaining a few students and asked Mrs. Tao to cook a few more dishes for lunch.

Since no one was playing chess with him, Zhu Guangqian refused to leave and grabbed Lin Chaoyang who came to add hot water for him.

"Xiao Lin, would you like a plate?"

"You can just call me Chaoyang."

The old man smiled and said, "Come on, play a game with uncle."

“I don’t know how to play Go.”

Lin Chaoyang actually knows how to play Go, and he is at the fifth-level amateur level, but it was because of this old man that he had sneaked away in the library before.

"I won't teach you."

"I am too stupid to be taught."

Zhu Guangqian saw through the trick and asked, "Are you holding a grudge?"

After all, he is a respected senior, so Lin Chaoyang just showed his temper to avoid the old man thinking that he is a soft persimmon.

"I don't know how to play Go, let's play Gomoku."

Go is a very demanding game, and Lin Chaoyang just wanted to relax on the weekend, so he suggested this to Zhu Guangqian.

"What's the point of just playing with children's toys?" the old man said with disdain.

"You definitely can't beat me at Gobang. Okay, let's play Go."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Guangqian's face turned serious. "I have been playing black and white pieces in Yanyuan for thirty years and have never met an opponent. A mere Go..."

He sneered and set out the chessboard, "Come on, come on!"

……

"Tsk..."

"Sigh~"

"I looked in the wrong place. I regret it now."

As soon as Tao Yushu entered the room, he saw Zhu Guangqian and Lin Chaoyang sitting opposite each other, both looking worried and deep in thought.

"Uncle Zhu, it's time to eat."

Tao Yushu had just finished shouting, and Lin Chaoyang hadn't reacted yet, when he saw Zhu Guangqian's hand wiping the chessboard, and his four pieces connected by a center turned into a pile of loose sand.

The old man stood up, his face showing no guilt at all, but relief. "Oh, it's time to eat so soon."

Old man, your chess skills are average!

(End of this chapter)