Exciting 1979!

Chapter 275 The Right Path of Humanity is Full of Ups and Downs

Ma Weidu is a machine tool milling machine operator, but he likes to browse secondhand stalls and hunt for old items, spending all his salary on them. In addition, he also has a literary dream.

I've indeed found some good things while hunting for antiques over the years, but my literary dream truly begins today.

That day, he received a notification from the China Youth Daily that his manuscript had been accepted, and he could finally call himself a "writer"!

Moreover, the royalties can help subsidize the purchase of antique items, which sounds wonderful.

He immediately went to the newsstand and bought a copy of today's China Youth Daily. Although it didn't contain his own novel, he was still happy to read it.

However, when he turned to the third edition, he saw a review article about Wei Ming's new work "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes". The author was "Liu Zhenyun". Taking advantage of his proximity, Lao Liu sent out the review article before the novel was even published.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot to thank Teacher Wei!" Ma Weidu slapped his thigh.

Although Wei Ming didn't make any substantial contribution to his novel, he recommended a platform that matched the novel's quality—and it was a fairly large platform—and the novel was accepted. That's quite an achievement.

So Ma Wei immediately bought a bag of fruit and candied fruit and went to Beichizi Hutong. He only knew that Old Wei's family lived in the Beichizi area, but he didn't know exactly where. Fortunately, he found someone who knew.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengru, who had just returned from class at the film academy, exclaimed, "Wei Ming's father!"

"Hey, I know it well."

Ma Weidu: "That's my uncle too."

It was quite a coincidence. Old Wei had just handed Wei Ming's manuscript to Mr. Mao Dun's son when he brought the police chief to the courtyard with a cardboard box, so that it could meet the little ginkgo tree. Right now, the courtyard was in a state of chaos, with cats and dogs running around.

Although Ginkgo is slightly larger, it is no match for the six-month-old Black Cat Sheriff. But even though it can't beat him, it likes to provoke him, like a mangy dog.

The yard had a small hut specifically reserved for the sheriff, while Ginkgo built a doghouse in the yard to shelter him from the wind and snow.

Old Wei was making an opening in the house to make it easier for the police chief to come and go when Li Chengru arrived with Ma Weidu. Along the way, Sanru Jushi already knew why the other party had come.

"Hey, Li, Ma, what brings you two together? Hurry up and close the door." Otherwise, this thieving cat will sneak out again.

Ma Wei hurriedly closed the door. He was also a cat lover and knew that cats were more likely to get lost than dogs, especially in the spring when a female cat would run away as soon as it flirted with someone.

Ma Wei then presented a gift to express his gratitude: "Uncle Wei, my novel has been approved. I came here specifically to let you know and to thank you in person."

"Oh, what a coincidence, he went to Shanghai to revise his manuscript and just flew away today." The important information here is "flew away".

Ma Weidu: "Oh, what a pity, I was hoping to invite him to dinner."

Li Chengru asked, "Is it an adaptation of 'The Right Path in the World is Full of Vicissitudes'?"

"Yes." Fei changed it.

Li Chengru: "I heard my classmate Zhang Guangbei mention it today. He said it was particularly exciting and made people's blood boil. He even said something about how it often brings tears to the eyes of heroes. It made me really itchy to buy a copy of Harvest magazine to read."

Ma Wei hurriedly replied, "Me too. I read the book review in the newspaper. Congratulations! Teacher Wei has published another masterpiece."

Old Wei showed no modesty about this: "Don't even mention you young people, you know Mao Dun, right? The old man is in the hospital, and he read my son's novel. When he saw that there was only the first part, his son came to my house this morning and begged for the original manuscript."

"what!"

Ma Weidu and Li Chengru were both greatly surprised. The two had just been exchanging pleasantries, but now, after hearing what Lao Wei said, they truly realized the power of this novel.

I had heard that Mr. Mao Dun was very ill, but I didn't expect that he would still be so concerned about the continuation of this novel. It must be a great novel!

After leaving Wei Ming's house, the two immediately went to find "Harvest" magazine. At first, it was quite difficult to find. It had been on the shelves for a few days and sold out very quickly at newsstands. So they went to the Xinhua Bookstore in Wangfujing.

Here, a new look has emerged. Starting this month, Xinhua Bookstore Wangfujing Store has begun piloting a self-selection book purchase model. Two smart people immediately realized that this was imitating Oriental Plaza!

When they finally found the magazine section, they still couldn't find "Harvest," so they asked the salesperson.

"Sorry, we're sold out for today. We're already getting more stock."

At this moment, another male salesperson came over and said, "Actually, there is another book. I was reading it before. I just finished reading 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes.' If you don't mind that someone has already read it, you can take it."

The two of them certainly don't mind, but the question now is who will buy it.

Ma Weidu and Li Chengru exchanged a glance. At this moment, if either of them were to feign politeness, the other would immediately agree without hesitation, so neither of them spoke.

"Are you buying it or not? If not, I'll take it," a female reader behind her urged.

Ma Wei quickly pulled out his money: "Buy, buy, buy!"

Li Chengru: "No, why did you buy it?"

Ma Weidu asked, "What year were you born?"

"54, huh?"

"I'm 55. In ancient times, there was Kong Rong who shared pears with others. Today, Li Chengru, you're sharing books. This will surely become a beautiful story in the future."

Li Chengru laughed and scolded, "Get out of here! Why don't you respect the elderly?"

However, by this time Ma Wei had already received the magazine and the other party had accepted his money. The two left the bookstore arguing, and Li Chengru said, "How about this, I'll add 50 cents, and you can give it to me."

"Five cents!" Ma Wei was tempted. For a worker like him, that was no small amount.

However, it's alright for Li Chengru. Thanks to Xintiandi, the garment factory has been doing very well recently, and his income has also increased accordingly. He doesn't care about this dollar or two. He's the kind of person who gets carried away when he has a lot of money.

"Six cents, take it or leave it," Li Chengru said again.

"No way, fine, fine, you can have it. After all, you're the older brother." Ma Weidu happily completed the deal.

He always thought that only antiques had appreciation potential, but he never expected that the magazine that published Wei Ming's novel could also appreciate in value, and in fact, it appreciated by 60% in no time!

Li Chengru began reading Harvest magazine immediately after receiving it.

~
Shanghai, the editorial department of Harvest magazine.

The trio of Ming Honglong successfully delivered Ba Jin to the Harvest editorial department. To thank the three children for their meticulous care along the way, Ba Jin, along with his daughter Li Xiaolin, insisted on treating Wei Ming and the others to a meal.

I dare not refuse a gift from an elder, nor do I dare to accept an invitation from an elder.

So they had to leave their luggage at the Writers' Association guesthouse for the time being and had dinner with Mr. Ba.

During the event, Li Xiaolin mentioned that he had received many letters from readers in Shanghai, most of whom came specifically for the novel "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes".

Wei Ming asked curiously, "What did they all say?"

Li Xiaolin smiled and said, "First of all, it's refreshing. The literary scene is full of educated youth, reflection and scar literature. Your kind of grand narrative, a family epic about the fate of the country and individuals, is a very rare type. So many readers find it refreshing."

In fact, the era of educated youth reflecting on the trauma literature is far from over. After all, Liang Xiaosheng's representative works, such as "Tonight There Is a Snowstorm" and "The Years," have not yet been published. He is a representative figure of the Northern School of educated youth literature, and these types of works have always been very popular in the 80s.

However, readers get tired of the same old stuff and want a change of pace. In addition, Wei Ming's storytelling skills are superb, so when "Human World" came out, it was like a breath of fresh air in the novel market and was extremely popular with readers.

"Your work has also attracted many witnesses of that era. Some readers are even older than my father. Some of them will point out a small error in your work, while others want to discuss the authenticity of a certain event with you. You can take all the letters with you later."

"Great! It's a serialized story now, so it would be wonderful if we could find and correct any errors."

Afterwards, Editor Li asked his father about Mr. Mao Dun's health. Mr. Ba did not say directly, but only said that he could still read. Then he told him about Mr. Mao Dun's son asking Wei Ming for the manuscript.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaolin was first surprised, then proud. "Harvest" has published another great book! Moreover, I was involved from the very beginning when the theme was determined, and I even helped Xiao Wei find a lot of reference books."

She was worried that the sales of "Harvest" would not be as good as "Wasted Years", which would dampen Xiao Wei's enthusiasm. Now it seems that "Harvest" may have a chance to reach a higher level in sales!

The magazine has only been out for a few days, so market feedback hasn't been quick yet. However, judging from the number of letters from readers in Shanghai, it's the highest among all magazines, Harvest.

It is clear that many readers across the country are paying attention to the fate of the Jiang family. Even Jiang Lizhong, who is clearly a villain, is very charismatic and popular with readers.

After finishing her meal, Wei Hong's excitement had subsided considerably, and she began to inquire about where she would stay for the night.

"Are you staying at the Writers' Association guesthouse?"

Wei Ming shook his head: "My friend has already given me the key, so we can move in today."

Then he took the two of them to the villa on Huating Road for the first time.

"Wow, this is so big? Is this all your friends' homes?!" Wei Hong exclaimed in surprise.

Although it occupies a similar area to the courtyard houses in Beichizi, it's a Western-style building, and it looks very fashionable.

Wei Ming opened the door and said, "That's right, we'll be staying here from now on."

Sister Xue has gone to northern Jiangsu, and no one has come here for several days, but it will be lively soon.

Wei Ming found his master bedroom without any problems. He tried out the bed, and sure enough, it was silent. There was also a painting on the wall, which, if he guessed correctly, was probably the work of his future father-in-law.

"Brother, how about I stay next door to you?" Wei Hong poked her head in.

Wei Ming said calmly, "The maid's room downstairs." "No way, Brother Long has already taken it."

Wei Ming was taken aback. After thinking about it, he realized that it would be inconvenient to have Ah Long live downstairs as well, and it would also be inconvenient to have Ah Hong live downstairs as well.

"Don't stay next to me, I'm afraid you'll disturb me at night. You, you stay in that room," Wei Ming told her to stay further away from him.

Then Wei Ming started writing to Sister Xue that same day, telling her that he had arrived and that she could return.

Oh, I also need to write a letter to Lao Gui about Shen Zui's situation, and tell him not to worry.

~
Ma Weidu, who had earned six cents from Li Chengru, still couldn't forget "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes". The next day, on his day off, he went to the district library early in the morning, was the first to enter, and actually found the magazine. There was only one copy.

He immediately started reading amidst the frustrated voices of those who came after him. The library was free, so this was equivalent to him earning one dollar and fifty cents!
Although the story takes place in a relatively distant era, starting in the 1920s, he was able to smoothly immerse himself in the story because the opening episodes took place in old Beijing. The story quickly progressed to the Whampoa Military Academy plot, with familiar names appearing one after another.

Ma Wei couldn't help but applaud Wei Ming's audacity. These names, which only existed in history books, had actually been written into the story, and many of them were villains in their education system.

However, Wei Ming did not portray these villains in a stereotypical way. It was the first time that Ma Weidu had seen these characters as real people, rather than as obviously villainous as Chen Qiang and Ge Cunzhuang. Some of them even had some redeeming qualities that made him realize that they were indeed human beings.

These reading reflections actually made Ma Wei a little worried, wondering if the novel's stance was problematic. After all, it hadn't been many years since 76.

It wasn't until he read about the "purification of the party" in 1927, and saw the forces led by Chiang Kai-shek begin to arrest and kill members of our party on a large scale, that Ma Wei's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for this novel, was finally at ease.

~
Li Chengru only understood the meaning of Zhang Guangbei's words "It often makes heroes weep with sorrow" when he saw the "Purge of the Party" plot. This passage was so well written that he read it several times.

Wei Ming applied cinematic techniques to this story of capture and murder, piecing together events that occurred in different spaces and times, creating a brutal and gruesome atmosphere.

Not only was it visually appealing, but it was also incredibly impactful. Even Li Chengru, who considered himself a tough guy, couldn't help but shed a few tears.

From the perspective of the male protagonist Jiang Limin, he also chose the Communist camp without hesitation. At this point, the male protagonist finally found the faith he would follow for the rest of his life and completed the transformation from soldier to revolutionary.

So far, he had only read half of the "first part." Wei Ming's writing was very concise, creating more than ten main characters and two major climaxes in just 10 words. Li Chengru was so excited that he didn't even want to go to work.

~
Li Chengru can skip work, but Liang Xiaosheng dares not take leave or be absent, even though today is his blind date.

This morning, he had a brief meeting with the textile worker surnamed Jiao in the park near the textile factory.

This 32-year-old literary youth has a handsome appearance and a respectable job, as well as the ability to earn money by writing articles, but he can never solve his personal problems and has repeatedly failed in blind dates.

Because he is very honest about his situation every time he goes on a blind date.

“My monthly salary is 42.5 yuan, but I have to send 30 yuan back to my hometown in Northeast China. There are five brothers and sisters in my family. My eldest brother has mental illness and has to take medication, and my third brother is still in high school.”

After saying this blunt truth, nine out of ten girls would be scared away. Even if you married into the family, we wouldn't dare to accept you.

However, Jiao Dan, the textile worker, was the tenth person. She felt that this person was quite honest and responsible, and was a good person.

So she asked, "What time do you get off work?"

"what?"

"Oh, what time do you get off work? Can you come pick me up?"

Liang Xiaosheng doesn't know how to sing "Good Days," otherwise he would definitely sing this song when he entered the Beijing Film Studio. However, from the gatekeeper to Ge You, everyone could tell that this old bachelor was in a good mood.

He even thought that if this didn't work out, he would place a marriage advertisement in the newspaper. Recently, a math teacher named Ding Naijun had just placed a marriage advertisement in the Market News, a newspaper under the People's Daily, which caused a sensation throughout the city.

Upon entering the Literature Department office, he overheard several senior colleagues discussing which general of the Kuomintang was the most capable fighter, using terms like "Whampoa Military Academy Xth Class," "Five Tiger Generals," and "Four Great Vajras" everywhere they went.

I later found out that it was a reaction to reading Wei Ming's new book, "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes".

This has sparked a craze for the wars during the Republic of China era in the editorial department!
Liang Xiaosheng was thinking about dating and getting married in the future, so he was a little reluctant to buy a copy of "Harvest" magazine, which cost one yuan. However, he was sure that the editorial department would have it. Sure enough, he quickly borrowed a copy and then read it eagerly.

~
In the classrooms of the Chinese Department at Peking University, students from the Class of '79 were asking around if anyone had a copy of "Harvest" magazine and if they could read it, offering to exchange their meal tickets for it.

Many students know that Wei Ming's novel is about the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and about war, so they are not interested in it as soon as they hear the subject matter.

But just two days later, everyone was saying how well it was written and they couldn't wait to see the next episode. But when they tried to buy it, hey, it was gone!

Luo Yihe, a somewhat well-known campus poet, couldn't borrow any from his own class, so he went to the Class of '78 to borrow some, starting with Liu Zhenyun.

Liu Zhenyun shrugged: "Do I look like someone who can afford to buy 'Harvest' magazine?"

Actually, he could afford it since he just received a sum of royalties, but sorry, I've already read "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes," and I've read the whole series! Apart from Wei Ming and his editor, I guess they're the only ones who have done this!

Just then, Dai Jinhua finished reading it and readily lent it to her junior. Then she said to Liu Zhenyun, "It seems my previous worries were unnecessary. Wei Ming didn't get caught up in the petty romance. The novel 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes' has the same grandeur as this poem, sweeping and majestic! It's exhilarating!"

Liu Zhenyun asked, "What do you think is the most appealing aspect of this novel that makes you eager to read the second book?"

Dai Jinhua: "I admit I'm quite materialistic. I really want to see the two brothers, Jiang Lizhong and Jiang Limin, fighting each other. I hope the two brothers fight each other to the death."

"Hehe, me too!" Liang Zuo entered their class at some point, echoed Dai Jinhua, and then pulled Liu Zhenyun out.

"What's wrong?" Liu Zhenyun asked.

Liang Zuo: "Don't say that your senior brother doesn't take care of you. I just got my hands on a book from Taiwan. The author is Bai Chongxi's son, Bai Xianyong."

"Wow, as expected of Young Master Liang," Liu Zhenyun joked. "What's your name, and what are you talking about?"

"The Peony Pavilion tells the story of the upper echelons of the Kuomintang. The credibility of what Bai Gongzi wrote should be very high."

Liu Zhenyun wasn't particularly interested in the KMT's high-ranking officials, but after reading "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes," he found these people quite interesting. They were once a group of people with such ideals, and yet they managed to lose their country despite having such a great advantage.

Recalling the stories of the Henan famine of 1942 that he often heard from older generations, Liu Zhenyun also began to develop a curiosity about this group.

"Your book came at just the right time. It can be read in conjunction with 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes'."

Liang Zuo said, "Be careful not to spread this around. Also, this book is in traditional Chinese characters."

“I have no problem with traditional Chinese characters.”

Come to my dorm to pick it up after school.

If Wei Ming's "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" is the first novel in mainland China to depict the upper echelons of the Kuomintang, then Pai Hsien-yung's "The Peony Pavilion" can be considered the first novel to directly depict this group, even without the word "mainland China".

However, this novel tells the story of the upper class of the Kuomintang after their defeat on the mainland and retreat to Taiwan.

The upper echelons of the Kuomintang (KMT) can be divided into two categories, with 1949 as the dividing line: one group followed Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan after his defeat, and the other group remained on the mainland.

Those who remained on the mainland were divided into two categories: one was those who surrendered directly and were thus spared, and the other was those who were captured and directly admitted to Gongdelin University.

Shen belonged to a category between the first and second. He also surrendered, but it was under duress, so he was also imprisoned in Gongdelin. His status was only recently changed.

However, he also had acquaintances in the first category, such as his former boss, Tang Shengming.

Tang Shengming was a student of the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy. Because of his meritorious service in the peaceful liberation of Hunan, he became a member of the People's Liberation Army after liberation. He also spent some time doing business in Hong Kong.

This is a life winner who relied on his brother's connections to achieve success without effort. Except for a few years of hardship when he returned to the mainland from Hong Kong in the 50s, his life was smooth sailing.

Back when they worked together in Changsha, Tang Shengming would always let Shen Zui do the work. Shen Zui was also very dedicated to his work, so they still have a good relationship. Shen Zui also often visits his old leader.

However, Tang Shengming was still a little unsure of what the visitor meant by wishing him an early Happy New Year.

Tang Shengming also knew that Shen had recently gone to Hong Kong to visit relatives and had been subjected to some coercion and enticement by Kuomintang agents, but he had persevered and had not brought shame to Gongdelin, so he praised him a few times.

Shen Zui chuckled, and seeing that there were still walnuts on the table, he simply cracked one open with his bare hands and offered the kernel to his old leader.

Despite being a spy, he was quite skilled in martial arts, and in his youth, several people couldn't get close to him.

"Xiao Shen, is something wrong? Is it serious?" Tang Shengming asked.

“No, no,” Shen Zui said, taking out a copy of “Harvest” magazine from his bag. “I just came across a good story and wanted to share it with my old boss.”

"Oh, Harvest, I know that, it was edited by Ba Jin."

Shen Zui opened a page of "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" to Tang Shengming, and Tang Shengming's name happened to be on it.

"What? I've been written into a novel?" Tang Shengming, who was over 70 years old, suddenly became interested.

"And me too, but we don't have many scenes, just minor supporting roles."

Tang Shengming asked, "Then who has the most scenes?"

“The third class of Whampoa Military Academy, Wang Yaowu, Kang Ze, Zhu Yunqing, and so on,” Shen Zui briefly introduced the plot outline. “The protagonist is from the third class of Whampoa Military Academy, so the third class of Whampoa Military Academy has the most scenes, and I saw some of my own shadow in this person.”

"What do you have to do with Whampoa Military Academy?" Tang Shengming retorted with a laugh.

Shen Zui laughed it off and then asked, "Old leader, do you still remember Wei Muchun from the sixth class of the Whampoa Military Academy? You were Boss Dai's old classmate, and Principal Jiang's advisor."

(Guaranteed minimum today~)

(End of this chapter)