Exciting 1979!

Chapter 247 Trying the Rain Again
This is the fifth issue of the literary bimonthly magazine "Harvest" this year.

Without a blockbuster article, the circulation of Harvest is generally slightly lower than that of People's Literature, since the latter has a price advantage.

However, this issue of Harvest magazine has the potential to turn things around, as it has produced a hit.

After returning from the cafeteria, Wei Ming felt a little sleepy. After taking a short nap, he felt some soreness in his wrists, so he started reading a magazine.

The first item on the list is Ye Xin's new work, "Wasted Years".

Ye Xin previously made her debut in Harvest magazine with "Our Generation of Young People," but it didn't receive much attention because it clashed with Wei Ming's debut novel "The Tale of Two Donkeys."

Afterwards, Wei Ming tried different themes, while Ye Xin, because of his ten-year experience of going to the countryside in Guizhou, insisted on creating literature about educated youth, which led to the famous novel "Wasted Years".

Because it's a long novel, there's only one part.

Moreover, the ending was perfectly timed, leaving readers wanting more to know what the main characters' lives would be like next. So when the next issue ended, Wei Ming remembered that the circulation of Harvest magazine broke one million for the first time, reaching the peak of the magazine's circulation.

After reading half of "Wasted Years," there is another novel that has finished its serialization, "The Echoes of History," by Li Keyi.

It's said to be the end, but it was actually abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances.

The author, Li Keyi, passed away last year from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage while writing this novel. He only completed the first volume of the four-volume novel, and the rest are only outlines and synopses. Even the first volume alone is more than 30 words long.

It is foreseeable that if all of it is written, it will be a very detailed scroll-like work about the history and culture of the area east of the Ussuri River during the late Qing and Republican periods, which will be of great significance for the study of that land that has been occupied by the Soviet Union.

Wei Ming continued reading and saw another short story by Zong Pu, "Mi Family Landscape." It had been a while since he had visited Mei'er's family.

So after get off work, Wei Ming first went to Weiming Lake to see if there were any fishermen.

Fishing is officially prohibited in Weiming Lake, but the school staff conduct a collective fishing operation before winter each year to make a special dish for the students and teachers.

However, this ban is useless against the kids of the faculty and staff. They can just fish secretly. Wei Ming has seen it several times during his patrols. Who would take a kid seriously?

Although he doesn't like sweets, he always has all kinds of candies in his pocket, which should be enough to exchange for a few small fish.

After leaving the library and arriving at the south side of Weiming Lake, I indeed saw two brothers on a rock extending into the lake. They were also acquaintances, neighbors of Uncle Ping'an's family, Pu Shu, Wei Ming's young reader, and his older brother Pu Shi.

Pu Shi was six years older than his younger brother and had a more lively and outgoing personality. He held a line in his hand with a fishhook on it, and on the hook was a dough made from a steamed bun that had been soaked in water.

Pu Shi was fishing, and Pu Shu was there to cover for him.

Their father, Professor Pu, was still studying in the United States, and their mother was a key member of the Computer Research Institute at Peking University, and was usually very busy. Therefore, Pu Shu followed his elder brother's lead and his eyes were full of vigilance. Then he saw Wei Ming.

“Teacher Wei…” Pu Shu stammered.

Wei Ming laughed and asked, "How many fish have you caught?"

Seeing that it was Wei Ming, Pu Shi was not afraid and generously showed the small bucket in his hand: "Two fish and three shrimp."

"Great, great, how about you sell it to me?"

Pu Shi said, "Why would I sell it? I'll give it to you."

"Wow, so generous." Wei Ming was surprised.

Pu Shi said, "I recently learned a song called 'The Same Song,' which I heard you wrote. Consider this my tuition fee."

Wei Ming accepted it with a smile, and took out two pieces of candy from his pocket, thinking he couldn't accept them for free.

"But I didn't bring a bag, could I borrow this bucket for a moment?"

Pu Shu asked, "Teacher Wei, are you going to eat fish? This kind of fish has a lot of bones."

Wei Ming: "No, I'm giving a gift to a mother cat and her kittens."

Upon hearing that there was a cat, the two brothers immediately pleaded with Wei Ming, "Can we go and see it too?"

"Sure, then you can carry your buckets and come with me."

Pu Shi suddenly felt the thread in his hand move: "Another one!"

On the way, Pu Shi asked Wei Ming, "Is that Mr. Why from abroad also you? My dad said he saw your book in a bookstore in America."

Wei Ming nodded: "Yes, it's me."

Pu Shu was more familiar with Wei Ming, and boasted, "Isn't Teacher Wei amazing!"

Pu Shi: "I still think songwriting is more impressive. I heard that a Japanese singer even gave you a guitar."

Yes, that's true.

Pu Shi said earnestly, "I'm also saving money; I'll buy a guitar sooner or later."

This child also loved music, and later Pu Shu's first guitar was left to him by his older brother.

When we arrived at Mr. Feng's house, Aunt Zong Pu was also there, and she was reading a freshly printed copy of the China Youth Daily. The second page was about "Jumanji: The Game of the Brave," which had made it to the New York Times bestseller list and won the number one spot in the children's book category!

"Xiao Wei, congratulations! Recently, many of my classmates in the United States have mentioned buying this book for their children. They found it hard to believe, as the synopsis says it's written by a Chinese author."

Aunt Zong Pu graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages ​​at Tsinghua University, and many of her classmates work and live abroad.

"Oh, what's so incredible about it?"

Zong Pu said, "It doesn't feel like a story that could be written in our educational environment; it's very imaginative."

I have to say, these people seem to be having a really good time.

Wei Ming pointed to his head: "If I didn't have a wild imagination, how could I dare to write children's literature? Children are at the stage where they need imagination to guide their interests and hobbies the most. This kid is thinking every day about becoming a policeman and catching mice when he grows up."

Wei Ming pulled the shy Pu Shu in front of him and introduced the two brothers.

If Pu Shu really stops being a singer because of "Black Cat Detective", I will help him write those songs.

"Oh, you even brought gifts! Thank you." Old Feng also came out, but his appeal as a great philosopher was clearly less than that of the three little kittens to the two children.

The three of them can already run, and they are not afraid of people. They all come running over as soon as Wei Ming calls them, and he can touch them as he pleases.

Wei Ming liked them all. The white cat and the calico cat were female and had gentle personalities, while Wei Ming's Sheriff was a male cat, very lively, and had the potential to destroy things.

Normally, a mother cat's maternal love for her kittens can last for one to two months. Right now, Mei'er still cherishes her three kittens. She munches on the fish and shrimp that Wei Ming brought, then lies down and nurses them, revealing her double-breasted shirt.

However, he probably won't bother with these annoying little devils who are trying to snuggle up to him next month, so Mr. Feng arranged for Wei Ming to come and pick up the cat next month.

Wei Ming was actually quite looking forward to it; he was going to have a cat too!
In his previous life, he kept cats, which is why his family was loved by the seven gourd brothers of Xizi's family.

It was getting late, so Wei Ming said goodbye with the two children and asked, "Are you going home or waiting for your mother to get off work?"

Pu Shi: "Go find your mother."

So Wei Ming took them to the computer research institute and watched them sit obediently outside the door before leaving.

Just now, Feng Jiazongpu inquired about the progress of Wei Ming's new novel.

When they learned that he had already written 30 words, they thought they would see it soon, but Wei Ming said, "It's only half finished."

When Zong Pu learned about it, she admired Wei Ming's composure and his ability to challenge such a long work at such a young age, but she was also a little disappointed that she hadn't seen any new works by Wei Ming in the past six months.

Think back to those six months last year, publishing one article a month, all in top-tier literary journals, practically bombarding the literary world. What youthful vigor and high spirits they displayed!

Looking at Wei Ming now, at only 19 years old, he already possesses a certain composure and calmness of an old artist. It seems that writing a long novel is indeed grueling, making even young people look old.

Wei Ming was actually hoping to appear more mature, so that he would look even more well-matched standing next to Sister Xue and Sister Lin.

However, Sister Lin obviously doesn't think so. She likes to eat young, handsome men, believing that eating them will grant her immortality.

Today she also saw the latest report in the China Youth Daily about Wei's overseas fame. The progress bar has now reached the North American market, and the sales are still so good, and the reviews are also very high. As a result, the title of "King of Fairy Tales" has become even more well-known.

It seems Melinda is really going all out for her ex-boyfriend, Zhu Lin thought to himself as he was alone in his guesthouse room that night.

Just then, the gatekeeper downstairs said someone was looking for him.

Who is it? It's so late.

Zhu Lin went downstairs to answer the phone. It was Wei Ming. He told Lin-jie, "My parents are going back to their hometown early tomorrow morning. Xiao Hong is staying in the school dormitory, and Yunyun is working the night shift."

Zhu Lin's heart pounded wildly. She knew she would be able to eat meat again. Before Wei Ming could finish speaking, she said, "Then come pick me up after work."

This period of being single is incredibly cruel for a woman who is fully mature both physically and mentally, especially since the two of them often engage in intimate acts, seeing each other but not being able to have sex.

She was worried that if she didn't let off some steam, it would affect her upcoming filming schedule.

The next day, Lao Wei didn't let his son see him off. He and his wife took a bus to the train station with their luggage full of bags. They would go back to Peking University in a couple of days when it was time for Wei Ming and Xiao Hong to go back.

That afternoon, Wei Ming left work early and went to Oriental Plaza. He did this to give Zhang Yu's endorsement poster to Mei Culture and to tell her that she and Yunyun could go home late that night, or even not go home at all.

Mei Wenhua immediately understood that his brother-in-law wanted him to give it another try. So he decided to give it another try. Damn it, he was going to give it his all!
Wei Ming then asked about the poster: "How do you plan to change it? Is there any space outside to hang a third one?"

Mei Wenhua: "I can take down the previous two paintings."

It's been three months, so changing the advertising posters is understandable, especially since Zhang Yu is currently very popular, and the two previous posters by Wei Ming can be kept permanently.

“But then there’ll only be one poster, isn’t that a bit monotonous?” Wei Ming said, “And it’s not symmetrical either.”

Mei Culture: "I think so too, but what if we add Chen Chong's poster as well?"

"Hmm? You know her?"

“She’s also a customer of our store. She came by a couple of days ago, so I just did the same thing. I sent her clothes, changed the photo, and found an artist,” Mei Wenhua said proudly.

Recently, Chen Chong has been trying to pull strings in Yanjing to obtain permission to study abroad. Although she intends to study abroad at her own expense, she cannot go without the approval of the state. For this reason, she even asked Mr. Xia of the Ministry of Culture to write a letter.

Zhang Yu and Chen Chong are arguably the two top actresses of today. Xiao Mei plans to put their photos up during the National Day holiday, and Wei Ming can already imagine how popular it will be.

As expected of a married man, Xiaomei is becoming more and more reliable. Wei Ming went to the Beijing Film Studio to pick up Sister Lin without any worries. She got into Wei Ming's car without saying a word, and the two of them rushed to the Overseas Chinese Apartment without even having dinner.

Wei Ming calculated the days and realized that today was still Lin Jie's safe period. If he wanted to score, no one could stop him!
When the gatekeeper, Old Sun, spotted the familiar figure, he immediately smiled. The Jiefang brothers and their spouses had just left, and now Xiao Wei's girlfriend had come in.

"Won't my cousin be back anytime soon?" Zhu Lin worried.

Wei Ming: "Don't worry, there are still more than two hours until we get off work."

Wei Ming then carried Sister Lin into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

The release after holding it in for months was terrifying; the two even fought from the bed to the floor, with half of Sister Lin's body leaving the bed.

It was because of this opportunity that she saw what looked like something under the bed.

At the same time, Lao Wei and Xu Shufen also returned to Gouzi Village after a bumpy journey.

They were brought back from the county town by a donkey cart from a neighboring village. The man already knew Wei Jiefang, but he kept talking about Wei Ming along the way, even knowing that Wei Ming had composed "The Same Song" at the New Star Concert in Beijing.

The other party even mentioned that Wei Ming received a musical instrument as a gift from a Japanese singer at that concert.

Although there were no televisions and newspapers were not widespread, people in the countryside had radios, and people from the surrounding villages were actively or passively collecting all information about the great writer Wei, so everyone knew about him.

This also means they didn't give Wei Jiefang any room to show off.

The key to showing off is creating an information gap. I know something that you don't, and then I tell you, making you feel shocked, incredulous, and even envious. That's how you show off.

As it turns out, you all know everything, and I don't know everything, which puts Lao Wei in a difficult position.

If the people in the neighboring village are like this, then the people in our own village must be even more difficult to deal with. When we arrived at the village entrance and got off the donkey cart, Old Wei felt heavy-hearted.

When they got to their doorstep, they found it locked from the inside.

Old Wei immediately knocked on the door, and then Qi Kexiu opened it. His hair was messy and his beard was unkempt.

"Big brother and sister-in-law, you're back." Qi Kexiu said listlessly.

Old Wei asked in surprise, "Kexiu, what are you doing at my house?"

Qi Kexiu: "Well, Chunhua was worried about having so many chickens and pigs at home, and she's also pregnant and can't take care of them all, so I moved here to help you look after the house."

Old Wei asked, "You didn't have a fight with Chunhua, did you?"

"No."

Wei Jiefang immediately put down his luggage and took out a package of fragrant braised pork hock.

"Chunhua likes to eat this. Why don't you come back with me for a meal?"

"okay."

Old Wei noticed that Qi Kexiu had changed. He was completely unmoved by the braised pork knuckle, which was unusual for him. Old Wei felt embarrassed to provoke him.

Forget it, I won't mention that I've been on TV.

It was lunchtime, and Fan Chunhua and her son Qi Delong were eating. When they saw Qi Kexiu return, she snorted, "Not bad this time, he came back on his own without being invited."

Then she saw Wei Jiefang and his wife, and quickly stood up: "Oh, brother and sister-in-law, you're back."

Old Wei handed over the braised pork knuckle, glanced at the food on the table, and frowned, saying, "Chunhua, add another dish. There are so many eggs, why didn't you just fry a couple?"

Fan Chunhua: "Frying eggs uses too much oil, so I save up a basketful and sell it to help Xiaolong with his tuition."

After Qi Kexiu sat down, he ate his meal in silence, without saying a word. He ate a little bit of the braised pork knuckle and then went inside.

Old Wei asked his cousin worriedly, "What's wrong with your man? Who upset him?"

He didn't dare to boast at all just now, for fear that his and his son's success might hurt his brother-in-law.

Fan Chunhua said angrily, "Who could provoke him? He insisted on writing novels and even submitted them to 'Story Club.' At first, they rejected his work, but later they sent him a letter begging him to stop writing and leave them alone."

"No, this 'Story Collection' is going a bit too far. If it's not well-written, it's not well-written. We can practice writing badly, but not letting us write is too much. I'll have Xiaoming talk to them later." He knew that the "Story Collection" even asked his son to write stories for them.

Qi Delong could no longer contain himself: "Uncle, that's because you don't know what he wrote."

"What did it say?" Wei Jiefang's heart skipped a beat. Could it be something that couldn't be broadcast?
Fan Chunhua said, "He wrote that Qin Shi Huang lived to this day, then made money, then recruited soldiers and horses, and finally ascended the throne again as emperor."

Qi Delong said righteously, "Isn't this a feudal restoration? If Qin Shi Huang becomes emperor again, who will he overthrow? Luckily it wasn't a few years ago, otherwise my mother and I would have been implicated!"

“Goodness, Ke Xiu really dares to think big. But you can’t just kick him out of my house. You’re about to give birth, how can you manage without a man at home?” Wei Jiefang said earnestly, transforming into a kind and venerable elder.

Fan Chunhua: "I didn't kick him out. He left on his own initiative and even wanted to sleep in Xiaoming's bed, saying he wanted to absorb the literary energy left behind by Xiaoming."

Wei Jiefang asked, "Which room did he sleep in?"

Qi Delong: "The newly built west wing."

Wei Jiefang laughed: "Xiaoming didn't stay there for more than a few days. All his literary talent is still in the original room."

Once inside, Qi Kexiu suddenly lifted the curtain: "Brother, I'll stay in my old room tonight!"

Wei Jiefang: "Get out of here! That's Xiao Hong's room now. Is it appropriate for you to stay there?"

Qi Kexiu was greatly disappointed. Wei Jiefang then criticized him: "And that lousy story you wrote, it really has no political sensitivity at all. We are a socialist society where the people are the masters. Even Qin Shi Huang would have to undergo socialist transformation. Wouldn't it be better to let him contribute to the country's construction? Why does he have to be the emperor?"

Seeing someone discussing the novel's plot with him, Qi Kexiu perked up, pushed his son aside, and sat opposite Wei Jiefang: "So that's what I was thinking too, but as I was writing, I realized that Qin Shi Huang was out of my control. He had to be the emperor, otherwise the story would lose its flavor."

Wei Jiefang stroked his chin and said, "Xiao Ming did tell me that sometimes a good story isn't controlled by the author, but by the characters. But that's a very advanced writing technique, and he only has that feeling occasionally."

"Ah, really!" Qi Kexiu was extremely excited. He thought he had gone astray in his writing, but he never expected it was because his level was too high and his realm was too advanced!

This restored his confidence, and he realized that he might very well become a literary master!
Fan Chunhua and Qi Delong simultaneously covered their foreheads. It's over, it's completely over.

I thought Qi Kexiu should have come to terms with reality, but after Wei Jiefang said that, it seems he has completely lost sight of his own limitations.

The meal was very long, lasting a full two hours.

~
Similarly, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin also had a two-hour session, though they took a break to catch their breath before continuing.

After Wei Ming was completely unable to stand up, Zhu Lin checked the time.

"Oh dear, it's been two hours already. I hope my cousin isn't coming back!"

Wei Ming patted her head: "Don't worry, she and Xiaomei are going on a date too."

Zhu Lin started looking for her clothes: "But I'm hungry too, let's go eat."

Wei Ming: "Okay, go wash up first, then we'll go eat."

Zhu Lin clutched her lower abdomen; she really needed to wash it.

After they were both dressed, Zhu Lin suddenly knelt down and said, "Wait a minute."

She reached under the bed and touched something: "I just saw something under the bed, what is it?"

Then she laughed: "So you left my old employee ID with you? I was looking for it everywhere."

Wei Ming laughed as well: "It seems like it was the first time we met."

However, touching the employee badge, Wei Ming suddenly couldn't smile anymore.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing," Wei Ming shook his head, but there was actually something wrong. Normally, dust would easily accumulate under the bed, but the name tag in front of him was very clean, which was very unreasonable!

Wei Ming only needed to use the simplest logical reasoning to know that his mother had most likely seen this employee ID card.

Yes, not only did we discover it, but we also took it out every few days to wipe it clean before putting it back.

However, his mother had never mentioned or asked about it, which surprised Wei Ming.

Xu Shufen: If it were just this one, I would have asked. Sigh!

On September 30th, Wei Ming and Xiao Hong boarded the train home to attend her college entrance celebration banquet.

Actually, she didn't really want to do it; she'd rather go to Fragrant Hills with her classmates to see the autumn leaves. But this was a chance for her parents to show off, and she couldn't refuse just because she didn't like it.

As for Xiaomei and Yunyun, they don't need to go. The posters have just been changed, and it's National Day, so the store will definitely be very busy.

Wei Ming was worried that the journey would be too boring, but he didn't expect to receive a package from Amin before he left.

And this time she also sent a special gift.

"Brother, what is this?"

When Wei Ming took a cube out of his bag, she was puzzled. She had never seen one before, and the six faces of the cube were all different colors, yet it was divided into nine small squares.

Wei Ming explained, "This is called a Rubik's Cube, a kind of educational toy."

"How do you play it?"

Not only was she curious, but the other passengers on the train were also very curious.

Wei Ming immediately began twisting the colors of the six sides haphazardly, completely disrupting their order.

Wei Ming smiled and said, "Next, you need to restore this Rubik's Cube to its original state, so that each face is the same color."

……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)