1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 335 Review and Invitation

"Editor-in-chief, our sales this month are pretty good. In just half a month, the circulation in BJ alone is close to 80,000! This month's national circulation may even surpass the sales of 490,000 in January last year."

"I don't think so. In January last year, Teacher Cheng's work was published, and Mr. Ye wrote a literary review in the Literary and Art Newspaper, which is why the sales volume was over 400,000."

“In this January issue, there are indeed many excellent works, such as Liu Xinwu’s “Extinction”, Gu Ying’s “Two Bars”, and Wang Fu’s “Qingqing and Cuicui”.

But judging from the dimensions of popularity, social influence, quality of works, etc., he is still inferior to Comrade Cheng Kaiyan. "

"That was before. What is Mr. Cheng's status now? A pioneer of battlefield literature and art, a master of children's literature theory research. How can we compare them? There is no comparison at all!"

……

Children’s Literature Editorial Department, Zuojiazhuang North, Chaoyang.

The sky is clear and cloudless.

A dazzling sun hangs above, casting warm rays.

On the third-floor balcony, a few sparrows that were not afraid of people were holding on to the rusty railings with their claws, turning their heads to peck at their feathers, basking in the sun, and looking contented.

Look out into the balcony.

Four or five people moved stools out of the office and sat side by side against the wall, basking in the sun and chatting.

Naturally, the topic of conversation was the phone call from the distribution bureau that morning, in which they informed us of the circulation of Children's Literature for the past half month.

Sales in the BJ region alone reached 80,000, and sales in other regions totaled 120,000, totaling 200,000.

A circulation of two hundred thousand in half a month was already a very good result, which naturally led to heated discussions among the editors.

Xu Dexia held a cup of hot tea in her hand and heard the sound of people talking.

Thinking about these things in my mind, I couldn't help but shake my head.

Since Children's Literature published Cheng Kaiyan's works in January and June last year, these two months have briefly allowed Children's Literature to reach its peak in circulation.

The number in January was over 400,000, approaching 500,000.

The sales of more than 600,000 in June directly broke the highest sales record of "Children's Literature" since its inception, and everyone will never forget it.

But after that, it naturally returned to its original state, with sales of more than 300,000 per month.

However, we have achieved sales of 200,000 in just half a month, which is already a pretty good result.

"..."

Xu Dexia couldn't help but shake her head when she thought of this. She couldn't just rely on individual writers.

She lowered her eyes, blew away the tea foam floating on the light yellow tea and the steam rising in the air, then carefully took a sip of tea.

After drinking the boiling hot tea, my lungs also felt warmed up.

“It’s warm…”

She let out a long sigh, leaned against the cold wall, looked up at the sun, and didn't feel cold at all.

At this time, an older woman who was knitting a sweater suddenly came over and asked, "Dexia, aren't you very close to Comrade Cheng Kaiyan? Why haven't I submitted any articles to you in the past few months?"

"Didn't the newspapers report last month that Teacher Cheng came up with a new theory at a children's literature exchange meeting that shocked professors from world-renowned universities? I guess he should write about the theory now."

Xu Dexia closed her eyes and explained helplessly.

In fact, it was because Cheng Kaiyan had changed so much that Xu Dexia felt a sense of distance. It was not convenient for her to go to her house in person to ask for the new manuscript. Besides, the other party might be really busy.

"That's true. It's such a pity. If Cheng Kaiyan's work was published in this year's issue, it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of last month's Children's Literature Exchange Conference. Then, Xiao Xu, you would be guaranteed to win the Excellence Award this year. Maybe you can even get a promotion next year."

The knitting sister looked regretful. Last month's children's literature exchange meeting not only caused a stir in the academic community, but also attracted the attention of people in the literary and children's literature circles.

If a work by Cheng Kaiyan were published during this period, it would have sold like hot cakes!
Tsk!
This little Xu is really guarding a treasure trove without realizing it. If he knew Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, he would have to stay at his house every day to let him write manuscripts!
Xu Dexia only took a glance at her expression and roughly guessed what she was thinking, and responded casually: "Maybe."

"Hey~...Big sister is teaching you!"

The eldest sister was dissatisfied when she heard this, and raised her eyebrows and said with a look of disappointment.

Xu Dexia closed her eyes and hummed to get by.

I don't know how long it had been before I heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs in the corridor.

"The manuscript has arrived. Those who just received it today, don't sleep, come and give me a hand."

I saw a middle-aged man in a grey cotton jacket and grey cotton trousers coming up carrying two large bags of manuscripts. He was so tired from climbing the stairs carrying all the things that he was out of breath that he shouted.

"I'm coming."

Everyone turned to look.

Oh.

Editor-in-Chief Hu is here.

……

Hearing the noise, experienced people like the elder sister remained motionless.

Several young people hurried over to help, including Xu Dexia.

"Oh, that's quite a few."

Several people carried bags to the office and started searching on the floor.

Obviously everyone has their own favorite authors who have left a lasting impression on them.

"Wang Jianxiong, Qin Mu... Zheng Kaihui, who wrote "Hello Teacher" in 78."

Xu Dexia squatted on the floor and took out a few names that she vaguely remembered from the bag, but she still did not stop in satisfaction and continued to search aimlessly.

Maybe she was also looking forward to seeing that familiar name.

Unfortunately, the weather was not good and the bag was not found even after searching twice.

Probably not.

Xu Dexia looked at her colleagues who were waiting impatiently behind her, and while thinking, she stood up angrily, picked up the few manuscripts that she remembered just now, and was about to go back.

Editor-in-Chief Hu, who was taking a break at the time, suddenly asked, "Xiao Xu, what are you looking for?"

"Just look for it."

Xu Dexia said casually.

"Here."

Editor-in-Chief Hu held two manuscripts in his hand, handed them to her, and said with a smile: "Look for Comrade Cheng Kaiyan's manuscript. This is it."

Xu Dexia took it and looked down. The letter on top was from a man named Lin Weimin. She then looked at the next letter.

Cheng Kaiyan.

"It really is."

Xu Dexia held the manuscript letter and read the information on it in full. She found that this letter was actually sent to her by Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, and the recipient was written as Xu Dexia.

Her heart was filled with joy like a clear spring.

His fingers kept stroking the name above, and the rough and smooth letter paper made a slight rustling sound.

"Go and have a look, and bring it to me when you're done."

Editor-in-Chief Hu saw how happy she was and waved his hand in mock impatience.

"okay!"

……

Xu Dexia returned to her desk with the envelope in her arms. The older sister next to her came over curiously and muttered, "Hey, it really is from Teacher Cheng. Now she's really the royal editor!"

"Haha, I want to be someone's concubine, but I have to get their consent."

Xu Dexia smiled and replied while opening the envelope impatiently.

"Xiao Xu, please show me this talented writer's manuscript later so that I can learn more."

"Let's talk about it later. The editor-in-chief is still waiting."

……

After sending away her elder sister and several colleagues, Xu Dexia's mood calmed down.

After seven and a half months, she received Cheng Kaiyan's manuscript again. She wanted to see how the story was this time.

"Click..."

Open the envelope and take out the letter.

"It's so light... one, two, three, four... only about seventy pages, and this is only about thirty thousand words."

Xu Dexia was somewhat surprised by the length of this manuscript.

Professional manuscript paper is strictly 20x20 grid paper, with words on one page, which makes it easier for editors to count the words.

But in her impression, except for her first debut work which had only more than 10,000 words, the others were all long novels.

I didn’t expect that this time there would only be a little over 30,000 words.

"Then let's see what short story you wrote." Xu Dexia said to herself and turned to the first page.

The azure blue pen words appeared before my eyes: My Neighbor Totoro

"A story about a dragon and a cat? This time it should be a return to children's fantasy stories, just like what he said at the children's literature exchange meeting, a return to the children's focus..."

Xu Dexia picked up her notebook and began to record the analysis while reviewing it.

The story takes place very recently, in Yunnan in the summer of 1980.

The main character of the story is Lily, a gentle and quiet mother who works as a dancer in the theater.

There is also my father, who is a writer with a humorous, elegant personality and a childlike interest. His surname is Cheng.

And a pair of sisters, the elder sister Xiaofei and the younger sister Xiaofeng.

Because his wife was ill and had been hospitalized for a long time without any improvement, the doctor recommended that she rest and recuperate.

So the father decided to take his wife away from the hustle and bustle of the city and recuperate in a sanatorium in the countryside.

In order to accompany his wife, he brought his daughters to a small country town covered by forests, where they rented a two-story old house that had been uninhabited for a long time.

On this day, the father and his two daughters rode on a tractor, dragging the family's luggage and moving to this small town.

On the way to move, the daughters learned a shocking news from children of the same age.

"It's a haunted house! Really!"

The sudden news scared the younger sister so much that her face turned pale and she quickly hugged her sister's legs and refused to let go.

As a result, the elder sister forced herself not to be afraid in front of her younger sister.

"Haha, what a warm pair of sisters."

Xu Dexia smiled happily. It seemed that this haunted house was the beginning of the story.

Starting from ghosts, there has never been such a story entry point in any children's literature works that Xu Dexia has read.

After all, it involves feudal superstition.

But judging from Xu Dexia's own childhood experience, ghosts were indeed the biggest source of fear in her childhood.

But soon, Xu Dexia found that it was not what she had imagined.

There was no ghost, but something strange.

"They float in the air like balloons, light and airy.

It was the size of a meatball, pitch black, hairy, smooth and soft to the touch, and icy cold...

Just give them a good slap and with a bang, they'll blast your face black."

"It's the coal bug! As long as you smile at it, it won't hurt you."

……

"It sounds like a magical creature born from dust gathering together. It seems that there may really be some magical things in places like southern Xinjiang that are full of virgin forests."

Xu Dexia was amazed, not realizing that she had unknowingly fallen into this wonderful, interesting and somewhat heartwarming story.

The story continues.

At night, the father, his two daughters and his two daughters were taking a hot bath. There was a strong wind and heavy rain, and it seemed as if the roof was about to be blown off.

Both elder sister Xiaofei and younger sister Xiaofeng were a little nervous and scared, and their father naturally saw it. He did not say from an adult's perspective that they should not be afraid, but he successfully dispelled his daughters' fears through words and deeds, using exaggerated smiles and actions.

"This kind of thing seems to be something that only Cheng Kaiyan could do. He is such a childlike guy."

Xu Dexia nodded.

One day, Xiaofeng, a younger sister, was playing hide-and-seek with her older sister. They hid under the house and accidentally discovered an animal that looked like a rabbit. The curious younger sister followed the animal all the way into the bushes, followed the trail to a hole leading downwards, and then went in without thinking.

Gulu Gulu rolled down to the underground world.

Xu Dexia laughed and fell into the tree hole. Isn't this a tribute to Alice?

A huge creature appeared in the tree hole. It was covered in fur, and the hair on its belly formed a complete pattern. Its mouth opened wide as it breathed, revealing a row of neat white teeth, and its six black whiskers moved...

"A Totoro that looks like a bear and something else..."

Xu Dexia sketched the image of a chinchilla in her mind, but the next second she saw the simple pen drawing by Cheng Kaiyan on the grid paper and exclaimed, "Oh, he also drew a picture. This is what a chinchilla looks like! The drawing is pretty good."

Xiaofeng fell asleep on the chinchilla's belly, and when she was found, she was sleeping soundly in the bushes.

After waking up, she confidently said that she saw a chinchilla, but no one around her believed her. Only her father comforted her that she might have met the guardian of the primeval forest.

……

Before I knew it, the sun was directly overhead.

It was eleven o'clock in the morning.

There was a commotion in the editorial office.

"Xiao Xu is still watching?"

"Yes, I have been watching it for a long time. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I pout. It seems that Comrade Cheng Kaiyan's work is not simple."

"Xiao Xu, it's time to get off work."

Editor-in-Chief Hu walked in from outside, came to Xu Dexia, and started chatting with the older sister at the next table.

"Huh? Oh oh, right away."

Xu Dexia responded and finished reading the last page before looking up.

"How about it?"

Editor-in-Chief Hu looked down and found that the girl's eyes were red and moist. He knew that it was because of Cheng Kaiyan's works.

"Um……"

Xu Dexia pondered for a moment, then looked at Editor-in-Chief Hu with a serious expression: "I think this work will definitely become a classic. In my eyes, this work called My Neighbor Totoro is the true children's literature among Cheng Kaiyan's many works. It is much purer than The Shepherd Boy."

"Classic? Real children's literature?"

Editor-in-Chief Hu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

She has read all of Cheng Kaiyan's children's literature works.

But although those works are very excellent, they always give people a feeling that they are not like children's literature.

“Yes, this is a true Chinese fairy tale.

A small country town, a primeval forest, an old wooden house from the Republic of China, a tractor, a rice field, a sanatorium, the guardian of the forest, busy farming season, a production team, a brigade headquarters...

With the combined effect of various contemporary Chinese elements, a tranquil, healing, mysterious and fantastic story environment is constructed. The text is fresh and simple, and every word and sentence outlines a delicate, pure, warm and touching atmosphere.

It was like watching a movie. If this work was made into a movie, it would definitely be a big hit!"

Xu Dexia commented with great force.

Editor-in-Chief Hu was even more surprised. Is this a Chinese fairy tale that truly adopts domestic story backgrounds and elements?

He held out his hand and said, "Let me see it later."

……

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Editor-in-Chief Hu finished reading the entire story.

"Editor, do you want to publish it in February?"

Xu Dexia asked.

"Let's publish it in February. The fee remains the same, 10 yuan per thousand words."

Editor-in-Chief Hu rubbed his eyes. He was worried about the mother's serious illness in the story, moved by the sincere feelings of the two sisters, and curious about various wonderful and magical creatures such as Totoro, prayers for tree growth, and cat buses.

"Okay, I'll go find him myself tomorrow."

"By the way, the director of Chaoyang Welfare Home came this morning and said that the children of the No. 28 Welfare Home prepared a performance and would have a New Year's Eve dinner at noon. Director Jiang invited us to go over.

She also specifically asked Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, "When you go, remember to ask him if he wants to go."

"Orphanage? Why did Director Jiang invite Cheng Kaiyan?"

Xu Dexia asked curiously.

"Didn't you go there in June? Dean Jiang said that Cheng Kaiyan donated more than 300 yuan when he left. They and the children still remember him, but they don't know Cheng Kaiyan's address, so they came to ask us."

"Comrade Xiao Cheng is really..."

Editor-in-Chief Hu finished his explanation, his face full of emotion.

"So this is ah……"

After listening to this, Xu Dexia's eyes sparkled.

It turned out that the reason he suddenly turned back was to make a donation.

No wonder Cheng Kaiyan can write such excellent children's literature works.

(End of this chapter)