1987 My Era

Chapter 85, Hey, why am I so popular? (Please subscribe!)

"Hello, Teacher Li."

"Hey, Editor Zou, you've worked hard all the way. Come, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up first."

In order to keep a low profile, Li Heng did not go to the school gate to greet editor Zou Ping, but waited at his English teacher's house early in the morning with a pot of tea.

"Teacher Li, these are the letters that readers sent to Harvest. I picked out some of them for you. I hope you can reply to some of them when you are free."

Zouping opened his backpack, took out 50 letters and placed them on the coffee table.

Li Heng was surprised: "It's only been ten days, and there are so many?"

Zou Ping said happily: "This is not much, not too much. The magazine receives a lot every day. We received thousands of letters just the day before yesterday.

Besides, it proves that To Live is popular, and your work is successful. I have worked in the magazine for 6 years, and this is the first time I have seen such a prosperous scene. Everyone is so envious. "

Unlike the last time they met, the huge benefits and the joy of success made their relationship close all of a sudden. Zou Ping was not so cautious and serious anymore. During the conversation, he told many interesting stories about "To Live" in the magazine.

Li Heng was very satisfied with what he heard, and while he kept chatting, he actually said thank you several times sincerely.

"Oh! By the way, I almost forgot about this!"

As they were chatting, Zou Ping suddenly slapped his forehead, put down his teacup immediately, turned around and took out another brown registered letter from his backpack, handed it to him and said:

"Before I left, our magazine's editor-in-chief Liao asked me to pass this to you. It's also a letter from a reader."

Li Heng took the registered letter and took a look at it, only to find it was nothing special.

Fearing that he might ignore it, Zou Ping quickly added, "Teacher Li, Editor-in-Chief Liao picked out this letter separately. I heard that an old friend of his asked him to pass it on."

Li Heng understood that the owner of the letter was no ordinary person, as the editor-in-chief of such a large magazine could pass on a letter on his behalf. He might not be that powerful, but at least he had a certain social status.

Li Heng took a look at the address, memorized its appearance, put it aside, and concentrated on cooperating with Zou Ping's interview about his creative journey of "To Live".

It's a journey of the heart.
Hey, it can also be understood as an insight, plus some inspirational chicken soup for the soul.

This thing is not a problem for Li Heng, who has been working in the system for 7 years. He can master it easily.

He spoke eloquently for half an hour, and Zou Ping's pen was almost worn out. Fortunately, there was a tape recorder recording, otherwise he would have been anxious to death.

Zouping was thinking in his heart, Teacher Li is worthy of being the one who wrote "To Live", what a talent. He was almost moved to tears as he memorized these words. They are all famous quotes, and readers will probably like them very much.

After staying for only half a day, Zouping left happily.

Li Heng and his English teacher wanted to invite each other to have lunch together, but they didn't expect that the other person was only thinking about work.

He said he had to rush back to publish the manuscript and get the transcript published in the newspaper as soon as possible, so as to add fuel to the heated public opinion and push "To Live" to another peak.

Well, isn't this just to increase your fame and earn some money? What else is there to say? Li Heng smiled and expressed his support.

When he delivered it to the door, he thought for a moment and said to Zouping, "I may write a short story under a new pen name and mail it to you later."

Zouping stopped for a few steps and exclaimed: "Teacher Li, why do you use a new pen name? This pen name is worth its weight in gold now."

Li Heng explained: "I will only use the new pen name once and then stop writing. I will continue to use "December" in the future. As for the reason, I will keep it secret for now."

Hearing this, Zouping breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked expectantly, "How many words are there in the new chapter?"

Li Heng said, "Well... it won't be too long, about 4 to 5 words. I think it will be finished in a week. I'll let you know when it's done."

"Okay, wait for good news from Teacher Li."

Unexpectedly, there was such a pleasant surprise. Zou Ping felt that the trip was worthwhile and shook hands with him excitedly before leaving.

After watching Editor Zou leave the school, Wang Runwen returned to the room from the corridor and asked curiously, "You have a new idea so soon?"

Li Heng pointed at his head and said proudly, "Don't underestimate it. There are many good ideas in it. It's just that I'm busy with the college entrance examination now and don't have time to write it."

In the past, English teachers would have looked down upon this.

But now, she adjusted her glasses with the tip of her right hand, smiled slightly, picked up a reader's letter, sat opposite the sofa, opened it and started to read it, not giving him the chance to continue pretending.

Why are you sitting opposite me?
Oh, the peaches are so ripe.

Li Heng, who was in the period of active hormone secretion, took a few unconscious glances and forced himself to look away. He first drank two sips of tea to calm himself down, then took the envelope that Editor-in-Chief Liao had handed over to him and opened it.

When he was immersed in reading the letter, the English teacher looked up at him imperceptibly, then looked down at her full breasts. After thinking for a moment, she changed her seat and moved to the separate sofa on the side.

The brown registered letter was quite thick, and contained 4 folded sheets of letter paper.

Not to mention anything else, just based on the thickness of the letter paper, this is a loyal reader.

Honestly speaking, this was the first time he had received a reader's letter in his past and present lives. Whether it was out of vanity or curiosity, he quickly opened it and read it:

“Dear teacher December, hello, my name is Huang Zhaoyi, I am a literature lover from Shanghai. I am honored to read your excellent work "To Live" in the magazine "Harvest". I like this novel very much. It makes me happy, makes me cry, and also makes me moved and reflect.”

There were more than 2000 words in the article, and it took Li Heng a long time to read it word by word.

It turns out that this reader named Huang Zhaoyi didn't pay much attention to "To Live" at first, because she thought it was a tragic novel. Later, she tried to read it under the strong recommendation of a friend, and she couldn't stop reading it. The changes in Fugui and his family shocked her.

Wow, to put it wittily, it almost broke open the top of the head of this female reader.

The reason why Li Heng thought it was a female reader was based on the beautiful handwriting and name.

Zhaoyi! Zhaoyi! A man wouldn't use such a feminine name, would he?
I read it again from beginning to end and found that the other party has a very high literary literacy. He may be engaged in writing-related work or be a literary worker himself.

But what’s interesting is that this female reader kept using honorifics to address Li Heng, probably because she thought of Li Heng as an older uncle.

After pondering for a moment, Li Heng decided to write a reply letter immediately, considering the face of Editor-in-Chief Liao, the sincerity of the reader, and the vanity of his first reader's letter.

"Teacher, do you have a pen and writing paper?" Li Heng asked.

The English teacher stood up and took out a full set of pens, ink, paper and inkstone from the study.

Ask him: "Are you going to reply now?"

"Well, I'm free now." Li Heng replied.

Wang Runwen crossed his legs and said, "You were reading so seriously just now, what did you write? Can you show it to me?"

Li Heng was speechless. "Haven't you already opened and read several letters? Why are you asking about this one?"

Wang Runwen smiled and said, "It's different. The value of this letter is obviously incomparable to other letters."

Li Heng didn't care. "Come on, what's the value of this bullshit? It's just a favor to Editor-in-Chief Liao."

Wang Runwen lifted his long hair with his right hand, took the letter and started reading.

After reading for several minutes, she said, "He must be a cultured person. His writing style and word choice are very particular. I can't write like him."

Li Heng agreed with this: "That's right. If I weren't a cultured person, I wouldn't like To Live."

Wang Runwen looked at the letter and said with a half-smile, "The words between the lines all express their admiration for you. If you put in some thought and effort, maybe you can develop a relationship with me."

Li Heng looked at her and said, "Look at what you said. Among all these readers' letters, is there any one that doesn't admire me?

Otherwise, why would people spend that much money and time? Teacher, you are obviously up to no good.

Besides, don't say you didn't see it, the other party obviously regarded me as an old uncle, and it's even possible that in his mind I was just an old man with white hair. Would you be inexplicably interested in an old man?"

Wang Runwen was speechless after being rebuked by him, so he simply ignored him and helped him sort out the readers' letters.

After a while, she said: "You are a very thoughtful editor. These 50 letters are from almost every province in the country.

Look! This is from Shanghai, this is from Beijing, this is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, this is from Yunnan and Guizhou, and there are even some from places as far away as Hohhot.”

Li Heng did not even raise his head as he replied, "It shows that I am very popular. I have readers all over the country."

Wang Runwen asked: "Will you reply to these letters one by one?"

Li Heng didn't dare to guarantee it: "It's hard to say, it depends on the situation. If I have time, I'll pick a few to reply. If I don't have time, I'll just ignore them."

Wang Runwen said pointedly: "Haha, you are too biased."

Li Heng shrugged, "That can't be helped. If you have a relationship with the editor-in-chief, I will give priority to replying to you.

I am just a glutton, not a wealthy person, so I should put practical benefits first, right? "

After writing 700 words in one breath, which filled up a whole page of letter paper, Li Heng picked it up and blew it dry. Then he touched his stomach and said, "Teacher, I'm a little hungry. Don't just sit there. Go get something to eat."

Hearing this, Wang Runwen stood up and walked to the door, "I'm going to the staff cafeteria, you can take care of it yourself."

"Hey? You don't care about me anymore?" Li Heng shouted from behind.

"I just eat and drink every day, and I'm not a rich man. Who are you to me? Why should I care about you?" Wang Runwen mocked him with his words and actually opened the door and left.

“So heartless…”

Li Heng muttered to himself, then left the teachers' family building with the letter he had just written.

I met Sun Manning when I went downstairs.

As soon as the girl saw me, she asked me sneakily, "You and your English teacher were alone in a closed environment for the whole morning?"

Li Heng frowned: "What do you want to say?"

Sun Manning glanced around and said jokingly, "It's nothing. I just think the English teacher has a super sexy body and a very charming voice. At her age, she doesn't have a boyfriend, so you should keep a proper distance from her."

"You don't believe me?"

"letter!"

"You don't trust your English teacher?"

"letter!"

"So what are you talking about?"

"Because you are now at the age of full of vigor and vitality, like wolves and tigers. Adding one together would be dangerous."

Li Heng seemed to understand something and asked seriously, "Manning, did you hear any gossip?"

Sun Manning shook her head: "No, the English teacher is very popular in this building, and most people would not make malicious assumptions in that direction.

I just think you go to her house too often, and stay there for a long time. If I were your girlfriend, I would be jealous."

It turned out to be a false alarm. Li Heng continued to walk downstairs, "So you can't be my girlfriend."

"cut!"

Sun Manning snorted and asked, "Where are you going? Do you have time to play another round of billiard?" Li Heng shook his head, "I have to mail a letter and go to the medical school."

Sun Manning asked: "Why do you go to medical school?"

Li Heng answered casually: "My second sister is studying there."

Sun Manning said, "Do you want me to go with you? My uncle is from the Beita District. I am familiar with that area."

"Thank you, no thanks. It's a rare few days off. You should have a good rest."

Li Heng refused directly. What a joke! I'm going to the medical school to give money. If I take you with me, won't everything be exposed?

It was a bit surprising that the stupid guy was reading books and doing exercises in the dormitory.

Li Heng walked in and gave him a light kick, "Can't you see that you have also learned to work hard?"

Zhang Zhiyong was indignant, "I was provoked by you, a bastard. I don't want to be ranked last in the class."

Li Heng said: "I have a task for you. Come with me to the medical school."

"Go to see your second sister, that tigress? Mom! Please let me go. Why should I go to see her for no reason? I don't want to get beaten." Zhang Zhiyong shook his head loudly.

Since nice words were useless, Li Heng simply taught him a lesson with force. When he appeared at the school gate again, he was very happy and obedient.

The two of them first went to send a letter to Huang Zhaoyi.

Then go to the bank to withdraw money.

After weighing the pros and cons, he took out 200, which was considered a huge sum of money in those days, enough for his second sister to eat melon seeds for a long time.

Shaoyang Medical School is a public school located in Beita District, a bit far from Shuangqing District where No. 1 Middle School is located.

It took them more than an hour to get there by bus.

"Oh my god! I will never come here with you again. I am so sorry for the pain."

As soon as he got off the car, Zhang Zhiyong, who was suffering from severe motion sickness, held onto a roadside electric pole and vomited continuously.

The smell on the bus was too mixed and too strong. Li Heng was also a little carsick, but fortunately he didn't vomit. He ran to a nearby grocery store and bought two bottles of soda. He handed one to him:
"Lao Yong, rinse your mouth first."

Zhang Zhiyong took the soda, pried open the lid and took a few gulps before saying sadly:
"Fuck him! The beef I ate at noon was wasted. It's all on the ground. My heart aches."

Li Heng smiled and consoled: "It's okay, buddy has money, let's go back tonight and have hot pot, beef hot pot."

It’s been so long since I was reborn, but I haven’t eaten hot pot yet. I’m really craving for it.

After entering the medical school, Zhang Zhiyong was a little scared. He sat down on the lawn at the entrance and said, "I'll wait for you here. I won't go to see your tigress."

"Okay." Li Heng didn't force it.

The medical school was not big, and I quickly found my second sister after searching based on my memory.

At this time, she was with a group of friends, both men and women, chatting and laughing.

One of the boys with thick eyebrows and big eyes looked very familiar.

Can it be unfamiliar?

He is the son of a cadre family and the future brother-in-law, but now he is just a spare tire and one of the many bootlickers.

The second sister is an expert in relationships who has learned everything by herself. She has made full use of her beauty and finally picked the backup man with the highest overall score as her husband.

"How did you come?"

"Let me see you."

The moment Li Heng appeared, he keenly noticed that two boys' eyes immediately widened and stared at him.

Wow! That's right, these two bootlickers are on high alert and guarding against me.

Li Lan took him aside and asked, "Have you had lunch?"

"I came here after eating." Li Heng replied.

"You came alone?"

"And Lao Yong, he's carsick and is waiting for me on the grass at the school gate."

Li Lan looked him up and down, her eyes sparkling: "It's only been a month since we last met, and you look much better than before. Have you hooked up with a classmate from a wealthy family at school?"

Look at what he said, it's simply outrageous!

Li Heng's face twitched, "Can't a male classmate generously pay for the meal?"

"No way. I've seen all those bad friends of yours before. With my sharp eyes, I think the one with the least brains is the richest. Tell me, which girl became the unlucky one after the breakup with Chen Zijin?"

For some reason, ever since the relationship between the two siblings thawed in the first month of the lunar year, when Li Lan saw her brother again, she suddenly felt a long-lost sense of intimacy, so she couldn't help but talk a little more than usual.

Li Heng was unhappy. "The female classmates who are close to me are the unlucky ones?"

Li Lan stretched lazily and said directly, without any perfunctory response: "If not an unlucky guy, then what else could it be?
Judging from your bad deeds, if you only cheated people for money, you are lucky. I am afraid that you will end up like Chen Zijin, who was cheated for sex and ended up losing both his money and his life."

Hearing this, Li Heng turned around and walked away, saying as he walked: "I was originally sending you money, but I can't give it to you because of what you said."

Li Lan stood there unmoved, wondering how much money she could make by fooling her female classmates.
No wonder she thought so, no wonder she formed a stereotype about her younger brother. It was really that the incident involving Chen Zijin had such a huge impact on her worldview.

Such a well-behaved and sensible girl, such a pretty and well-educated girl, was taken to bed by this little brother without anyone noticing. Not to mention the villagers were shocked.

Privately, even she, Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e were shocked!

At first, she thought that it was fortunate that it was her brother who bullied others. If Chen Zijin was her sister, she would have beaten him to death.

After walking about five or six meters, seeing that the second sister had no intention of trying to keep him, Li Heng had no choice but to go back, take out two bundles of big unity from his underwear pocket and hand them to her.

Li Lan couldn't believe it and stared at him blankly, "You really have money?"

Li Heng stuffed the money into her hands and said, "Take it. It's not easy for me to come all the way here. How can I cheat you?"

Li Lan put away her playful intention and asked seriously, "Where did you get so much money? Are you doing anything bad?"

"Oh my god, I'm in school every day, what bad things can I do?"

Li Heng didn't bother with her and immediately told her about his writing.

Explained in detail.

Li Lan didn't believe it at first.

Later, his facial expression of shock was very exaggerated.

Later on, the way I looked at him was like looking at a Buddha.

Still feeling that it was too dramatic, or too far-fetched, Li Lan pinched her thigh, it hurt so much, took a deep breath, and then reached out and put her hand on her brother's forehead:
"You don't have a fever, why are you talking nonsense in broad daylight?"

"..."

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing possessing my brother? Why don't you get out of here?"

"..."

After being slapped on the forehead several times, Li Heng was speechless and said helplessly: "When I was in the third grade, you spit all over the food on the table to prevent me from eating. Do you remember?"

How could she not remember the bad things she had done? The embarrassment on Li Lan's face flashed away, and she withdrew her hand and asked, "Then, then did you really write "To Live"?"

"Ah."

"You really have become a great writer. Is smoke rising from our Li family's ancestral graves again?"

"You talk too much nonsense, do you want money?"

Li Lan has always loved food, and people who love food are naturally greedy for money. She immediately put the money in her pocket and said, "I'm going home in a while, and I'll give it to mom then."

Li Heng shook his head and said, "This is pocket money for you. You can use it to buy some clothes and food.

Don't worry about your family, I have prepared some money, which I have deposited in the bank now, and I will withdraw it when I get home."

Hearing this, Li Lan fell silent and was suddenly moved. Fortunately, she was a strong person and did not show her emotions.

Seeing that several men and women were looking at this side and whispering, Li Heng said, "Second sister, I will go back first. You can play with your friends."

Li Lan tried to persuade him to stay: "It's still early, let's have a meal together before leaving."

Li Heng thought about it and refused: "Forget it, we'll have time to eat later. Lao Yong is still here. He's scared of you and doesn't want to see you. I'll take him back."

Compared to her talkativeness just now, Li Lan seemed rather depressed at this moment. She walked him to the school gate and only stopped after seeing him get on the bus.

"Lanlan, who is that?" As soon as Li Heng left, the group of friends behind him came over and asked all kinds of questions to find out what happened.

"That's my brother."

"Oh! I knew it, it must be Brother Lanlan. Your eyebrows and eyes look somewhat similar, both of you are good-looking." A girl said, patting her chest.

Li Lan asked them: "Has anyone of you heard of the novel "To Live"?"

"I!"

"Me! I know, this novel is quite famous. My father was reading it some time ago. After finishing reading it, he didn't say anything for a long time. He just sat there stupidly." said a bootlicker.

Li Lan asked: "How famous is quite famous?"

Another boy interrupted and said, "Now there are news reports about it everywhere in the newspapers. According to those literary critics, this is a great literary masterpiece that will be remembered forever."

A literary masterpiece? Immortalized? Cheating Chen Zijin into bed. These words crossed Li Lan's mind hundreds of times, but they just didn't fit together.

How can people change so much?
Is it possible to achieve such a great success by being lazy and not working in the name of reading and studying?
At this moment, Li Lan's heart was experiencing a baptism like a landslide and tsunami. She looked at the direction the bus left and could not calm down for a long time.

"Boss, give me the latest copy of 'Harvest' magazine." Li Lan was itching to save the money and didn't care about saving it anymore.

"No more, sold out. Please come tomorrow afternoon. The next batch will arrive tomorrow afternoon."

"Lanlan, no need to buy it. I'll go home and get the old man's book." said a licker.

Hearing this, the other bootlicker secretly hated himself for being so stupid and being one step slower.

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(End of this chapter)