1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 109 Zhang Guangnian: I want to see what kind of beauty you can’t forget?
After reporter Yang's interview ended, the atmosphere in the main room quickly became casual and no longer so serious.

"The interview is over and I have to leave to sort out the manuscript. Goodbye. I hope to interview you formally next time at the National Outstanding Short Story Award Ceremony."

Yang Zhenwu put the paper and pen into his briefcase and spoke seriously.

He felt that this young man in front of him, who was only 20 years old and had written a work like "Fragrant Grass", would definitely have a bright future.

In addition, strictly speaking, this interview is not an interview, but more like a task. You must know that today's interview manuscript will be submitted to the leader for review.

Therefore, it is uncertain how and what content will be published in the end.

"Thank you, there will be such a day." Cheng Kaiyan nodded and asked, "But this piece of 'Fragrant Grass' has a full 280,000 words. Can it be selected as one of the national outstanding short stories?"

The venue for the National Excellent Short Story Award seems to be the People's Hall, right?

"Strictly speaking, the National Excellent Short Story Award does not restrict the length or word count of the works. Considering that we have not yet established an award for medium-length or long novels, the organizing committee usually focuses on all the novels in the past year. Kaiyan, you don't have to worry about the length and word count."

Mr. Zhang Guangnian explained calmly.

"I see."

"It's a pity that Fangcao was released two months late, otherwise it would have definitely been shortlisted for the National Excellent Short Story Award at the end of March. What a pity."

Wang Meng joked that in his opinion, the quality of "Fragrant Grass" would definitely be selected, but it was not published in time. This year, one of his novels, "The Heart of the Grass", was selected for the Second National Excellent Short Story Award in 1979-1980.

The National Excellent Short Story Award is sponsored by the China Writers Association and is generally entrusted to People's Literature.

We will adopt a method that combines experts and the masses, and ask local literary and art publications, publishing houses, and newspaper literary supplements to recommend and publish news, and mobilize the general public to recommend.

People's Literature will assign a special person to be responsible for the preliminary selection, propose the preliminary articles, and submit them to the judging committee for review.

The selection of shortlisted works begins in October, and the publication period for the selected works is from the beginning of the year to the end of December. The awards ceremony will be held at the People's Hall in March of the following year, and the selection results will be announced. The winners will be given spiritual and material rewards as appropriate.

It is now the tenth day of the first lunar month, and Fangcao has only been published for ten days, so it will not be able to catch up with the selection of the National Excellent Short Story Award.

Cheng Kaiyan knew this very well, but he didn't care much. "If I can't participate this year, I can participate next year."

"Given the quality of Fangcao, it will definitely be selected next year. By the way, Fangcao has been written and published. Do you have any new works recently? Show them to me?"

Zhang Guangnian said something to comfort him, then looked at Cheng Kaiyan with burning eyes.

"Is this why you followed Reporter Yang here?"

Cheng Kaiyan was a little speechless.

"Of course, I'm taking this opportunity to urge you to submit your manuscript.

Do you still remember what you said when I invited you to eat mutton hotpot at Donglaishun at Mr. Ye’s house that day?
You said at the time that you would give your next work to People's Literature, so don't think of denying your debt!"

Zhang Guangnian pointed at Cheng Kaiyan's nose and said vigilantly.

"Is there such a thing?"

Wang Meng and Yang Zhenwu looked at each other in bewilderment. Others all wanted to be published in People's Literature but were unable to do so, but this guy was lucky; it was the editor-in-chief Zhang Guangnian who asked him to be published.

It’s the only one!

Cheng Kaiyan laughed. He had never thought of defaulting on his debt. He was even worried that People's Literature would not accept his manuscript, "Love Letter".

During the 1970s and 1980s, romance novels were not mainstream, and literary works focused more on social issues and political criticism.

Based on Cheng Kaiyan's experience of scanning books in the library of Beijing Normal University, he had hardly seen any novels written specifically on the theme of love by domestic writers. Most of them were written by foreign writers, such as the book "Gone with the Wind" given to Liu Xiaoli.

Perhaps it was not until the mid-1980s, when social atmosphere became more open, that some works touched upon the theme of love, but they were often expressed in an implicit or symbolic way.

For example, Zhang Jie's novella Emerald, published in 1984, tells the story of a one-sided love affair between an intellectual woman named Zeng Ling'er.

Wang Zengqi's "Notes on Da Nao" published in 1981 shows the local customs and practices of the Da Nao area by writing the story of the pursuit of free love between the tinsmith Shiyizi and the porter's daughter Qiao Yun.

Given today’s social environment and the mainstream trend of literary creation, is it possible for a pure romance novel to be published in People’s Literature? Not at all!
If Cheng Kaiyan's "Love Letter" were published in People's Literature, it would be the first time in history!
Maybe it will surpass "Lush Mountain Love" and cause a huge response.

Speaking of the movie "Lush Mountain Love", it seems to be released in July, right?
Thinking of this, Cheng Kaiyan said calmly: "Editor-in-Chief Zhang, why are you in such a hurry? I'll give it to you as soon as I say so. I was worried that you wouldn't want it."

"Why wouldn't I want it? If you give it to me, I'll take it."

When Mr. Zhang Guangnian heard this, he slapped his thigh and immediately said in a decisive tone.

"You said it, and a gentleman's word is as good as his bond. You can't go back on your word. Professor Wang Meng and reporter Yang are both witnesses."

Cheng Kaiyan quickly looked at reporters Wang Meng and Yang Zhenwu standing beside him and asked them to testify with a sly smile on her face.

"Yes! The editor-in-chief is a gentleman of his word. Once you have agreed, you cannot go back on your word. I am quite curious about what novel Comrade Xiao Cheng has written. He is actually worried that our editor-in-chief will not accept it. Could it be that he has written some banned book?"

Wang Meng also asked with a smile, as if he was watching the fun.

"I heard it anyway, so I'm here to bear witness for Teacher Cheng."

Yang Zhenwu glanced at Zhang Guangnian's somewhat stiff face as he realized something was wrong, and for a moment he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

This teacher Cheng is quite naughty, but he is a young man after all.

"Ahem, well...it depends on the specific situation. Just tell me what the novel is. As long as the content is okay, I'll definitely give it to you."

Zhang Guangxian coughed and spoke ambiguously.

"love!"

Cheng Kaiyan lowered her head, took a sip of tea, and whispered those two words.

"What did you say? You wrote about love!?"

Zhang Guangnian was drinking water with his head down. He choked when he heard these words and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Love, maybe this guy got his inspiration from dating?
Wang Meng immediately became interested when he heard the word love. "Love novels are quite rare in China! Comrade Xiao Cheng, how did you come up with the idea of ​​writing this?"

Zhang Guangnian regretted his decision so much, thinking that he shouldn't have agreed so readily. He then said to Wang Meng in great pain, "What else can I do? You're dating someone. Before, you had to go to Jiangcheng for your partner, and now you want to write romance novels for your partner! You're really not doing your job properly!"

"There's such an interesting thing? Maybe it will become a good story in the future!"

When Wang Meng heard the news, he was immediately delighted and said, "If the editor-in-chief agrees, he can't go back on his word. Otherwise, where will your reputation as the editor-in-chief be?

What's wrong with a romance novel? There are many books in the world's literary classics that are about great love! As long as Comrade Xiao Cheng's article is fine, it must be published!"

Wang Meng then looked at reporter Yang from the People's Daily and said, "Isn't that right, reporter Yang? We all heard it clearly."

"Yes."

"Can I still regret it? How much have you written?"

Zhang Guangnian sighed, this time he got himself into big trouble.

A love story was published in People’s Literature?
Where does this put the status of People’s Literature as a national journal?
"I've written an introduction, but don't worry, old man. You won't regret it when you finish reading it." Cheng Kaiyan suppressed her laughter and comforted him.

“Okay… when you’re done writing, come find me at Humanities Press.

By the way, I must meet your girlfriend if I have the chance!

I want to see what kind of stunning beauty can make you obsessed with her and be so infatuated with her."

Zhang Guangnian was so angry that he puffed his beard and glared, and he insisted on meeting Cheng Kaiyan's boyfriend in Jiangcheng.

"Okay, okay! There will be a chance!"

Cheng Kaiyan and the other two were extremely happy.

"See you!"

After discussing the manuscript, the matter finally came to an end.

Zhang Guangnian and his team were very busy, and they were also busy people at the magazine, so they could stay longer, so they were about to go back to work. Cheng Kaiyan saw the three of them out, all the way to the outside of the yard. The backs of the three people riding their bikes disappeared in Xiaowei Hutong, and Cheng Kaiyan turned around and went back into the yard.

Cross the hanging flower gate and return to the second courtyard.

All the old men and women in the yard and the young people were standing on the eaves in front of the Cheng family’s door, or standing in the yard looking around.

The Wang family, the Xiao family, the Zhao family, and so on.

It was the time when everyone just got up in the morning. Except for the housewives who went out to buy groceries, most of the people came out to watch the fun because of the reporters' interviews.

But before everyone could figure out why the reporter from People's Daily came to interview Cheng Kaiyan, reporter Yang from People's Daily had already finished the interview and was about to leave.

No one spoke for half an hour, and now everyone is almost unable to hold it back.

Especially Wang Cuihua, the gossipy woman, who was so upset that she dared not even breathe.

As soon as the reporter from People's Daily left, everyone in the yard started chattering.

These workers and people who work in the company have never seen such a scene. They usually brag a lot. In fact, even Director Hu, the director of the street office in Xiaowei Hutong, is a big shot.

What’s more, he is a senior reporter of People’s Daily.

"Tsk tsk! That reporter is tall and strong, and he's a reporter from the People's Daily. The camera hanging on his chest is from Germany."

Liu Yuhao, who claimed to have seen the world, leaned against the pillar and marveled at it, looking at Cheng Kaiyan with envy in his eyes.

During this period of time, he had been wandering around the streets with Wang Zhen, Zhao Jianjun and others. The four of them didn't even have a dollar in their pockets, let alone reading books or newspapers.

During this period, there was not enough food at home, and what they were most worried about was work issues after returning to the city.

Who has the time to pay attention to novel releases and newspaper reviews?
At this moment, I suddenly saw that Cheng Kaiyan was actually being interviewed by reporters, and I felt a pang of jealousy in my heart.

"Who knows what he has done? Maybe he has committed a crime."

Xiao Wenyuan, who was standing by, was so jealous that his face was twisted.

……

Cheng Kaiyan naturally didn't know what these people were thinking, nor did she want to explain anything.

He was about to close the door and go home to take a nap, but when he reached the door he was stopped by Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhao asked curiously, "Kaiyan, what big thing did you do? Why did the reporters come to your house?"

At this moment, her face was filled with a friendly smile, a very bright smile.

Although Aunt Zhao is old, she used to be the most beautiful girl in the courtyard. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a cold beauty like Zhao Ruixue. When Aunt Zhao smiles, she still looks a bit like she used to.

"Want to know?"

Cheng Kaiyan looked around, seeing everyone's expectant but sour eyes. He thought for a moment and said, "I can tell you, but it's a long story, so I'll cut to the chase..."

"Yeah! We will definitely not tell anyone, Kaiyan, you have to trust us!"

Wang Cuihua said shamelessly, patting her big belly which had lost a lot of weight in recent days.

"Just tell me, we are all neighbors. It's a good thing that a big reporter came to interview us. I am proud that our hospital has a talent like Kaiyan!"

Everyone nodded in unison, like chicks pecking at rice.

"Well, let me tell you, this matter involves confidential information. If you tell anyone, you might end up in jail. You better think about it carefully."

Cheng Kaiyan glanced around with a serious look, especially when his gaze fell on Wang Cuihua and Aunt Zhao.

"Why are you looking at Auntie? Auntie is the most tight-lipped one."

Wang Cuihua said this without blushing or beating her heart.

"cut!"

Aunt Zhao immediately sneered disdainfully.

After hearing what Cheng Kaiyan said, everyone became more and more curious.

"Then I'll tell you... Forget it, forget it. We're all neighbors, so I can't hurt you. I won't say anything more. See you later! Yawn~~"

What no one expected was that Cheng Kaiyan hesitated for a while and finally decided not to say anything.

He even yawned, turned around and went into the house, leaving only one sentence: "I'm going to take a nap."

Then there was a bang, and the door closed, leaving everyone disappointed.

"Hey~~ this kid! Too smart! Too cunning!"

"That's right, Sister Yuxiu is such a nice person."

Everyone was so angry that their teeth were itching. It was too exciting.

……

"Cuckoo~"

"Kaiyan is such a bad guy."

Zhao Ruixue, who was standing at the door of her house not far away and watching the fun with a few sisters, was also amused when she heard this.

Probably only she and a few other girls in the yard knew what was going on. After all, they were the ones who had seen Fangcao and often paid attention to her.

Of course, I know about the recent hot discussion about Fangcao, and the news that it has led to intentional suicides in various places.

According to Zhao Ruixue, it was probably because the latter's influence was too great that the reporter from People's Daily came to interview him.

Since Cheng Kaiyan refused to say anything, everyone gradually dispersed.

In a short while, the news that the boy from the Li Cheng family in Wutongyuan was interviewed by reporters spread like wildfire.

There were many different opinions at the time. Some said that the leaders above took a liking to him and wanted him to become a high-ranking official.

Some people also combined the fact that Cheng Kaiyan went to Jiangcheng to stay in a guesthouse some time ago, saying that the boy had become a great writer outside, and the reporters came to interview him about his creative process.

What's even more outrageous is that some people said that he was favored by the leader's daughter, who wanted to recruit him as a son-in-law.

Anyway, the father-in-law is right, and the mother-in-law is right.

Until half past eight.

Xu Yuxiu came back from buying vegetables on the street and walked through the alley.

When the uncles and aunts at the intelligence department at the entrance of the alley saw Shua Yuxiu coming back, they all looked at her in surprise and shouted:

"Yuxiu, your son was interviewed by a reporter from the People's Daily! He's going to be in the spotlight!"

"I see. He's still a long way off."

Xu Yuxiu responded calmly, then walked briskly back home on the bluestone tiles in the alley.

"Tsk tsk, after all, she is a lady from a wealthy family. Her insight and composure are amazing!"

"you do not say!"

An old lady pouted and muttered sourly.

There is one more picture. At around eight o'clock, this part of the story came to an end.

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(End of this chapter)