Exciting 1979!

Where did Wei Ming's original manuscript go in Chapter 279?
(The previous chapter is finally out!)

Because he couldn't visit the graves on Lunar New Year's Eve, Wei Ming made up for it by himself on Lunar New Year's Day.

Looking at Wei Senhao's grave, Wei Ming thought that in a few months, he and Wei Senhao would be able to meet for the first time in their two lifetimes.

After sweeping the tomb, Wei Ming actually wanted to return to Yanjing, because if he didn't go back soon, Zhu Lin might leave.

Wei Ming can leave, but Lao Wei and the others can't, because the village is going to implement the household contract responsibility system and is preparing to distribute the land.

Now, only Wei Jiefang and Xu Shufen are registered in the Wei family household; it won't work without them.

Qi Kexiu was delighted because the land was distributed according to the number of people, and since his family had just had a new member, they would receive an extra person's share of land.

Besides, his father-in-law's land eventually belonged to the two of them. Even though Wei Jiefang got his share of the land, he didn't farm it himself, so it still benefited them. If you think about it this way, their family is almost the land king in the village. Thinking about it this way, the pain in his vas deferens doesn't hurt anymore.

It's a pity that Wei Hong went to university early and registered her household in Yanjing, otherwise she could have gotten an extra share.

Wei Hong also stayed behind. She planned to set up a free tutoring class to teach high school students in the village and help them prepare for the college entrance examination. Then she would go to Beijing with her parents and grandmother. This would be her holiday practice activity.

So on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Wei Ming went back to Yanjing with Uncle Ping'an's family, without even bringing Ah Long with him.

On the way, Uncle Ping'an and Aunt Xiaoyan discussed the dramatic changes of that era with their nephew based on the plot of "The Road to Awakening". People of their age are always keen to talk about national and family affairs.

However, they had another purpose in chatting: to find out if their fathers would have any roles in the later episodes.

Since they were all relatives, and Wei Ming happened to be writing about the Liaoshen Campaign, he added some scenes for Grandpa Lü, making him run errands for Jiang Limin. This will be written in the third part.

Aunt Xiaoyan was very satisfied, but Uncle Ping'an was depressed. Why didn't my dad have a scene? She's the aunt, but I'm the uncle!

This was indeed Wei Ming's oversight. However, his great-uncle passed away early, and when Wei Ming asked Lao Gui about it, he said there was nothing special about him and nothing to say.

To keep the main character's scenes concise, no one was placed next to him.

However, Uncle Ping An really didn't have much affection for this biological father he had never met, not even as much as Wei Senhao.

When the train arrived at the station, it was almost dark when Wei Ming returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

He then carefully sorted and put away the local specialties he had brought from home. This was only a small portion; there would be a large batch when his father and the others arrived.

He missed Sister Lin very much right now, but if she didn't come over on her own initiative, he would just drink some cola and watch TV for a while.

Wei Ming took out a Coke, turned on the TV, and began to enjoy the conveniences of modern society.

As soon as I turned on the TV, a duck wearing a bow tie jumped out and said "golden ratio" in a hoarse voice.

"Donald Duck's Adventures in Mathematical Wonderland," the first time Mickey Mouse's brother appeared on CCTV, is an old cartoon from more than 20 years ago, but it still doesn't feel outdated. Wei Ming, a 20-year-old young man, still watched it with great interest.

After watching the news, they started broadcasting "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp," China's first television series.

Television dramas have existed for a long time, but those that can be called serial dramas generally have more than three episodes. This is the first time that such a drama has been made; it is a nine-episode serial drama.

We have no choice but to produce our own. More and more TV sets are being sold, but there are far from enough TV programs. Imported programs from overseas have all sorts of problems, and they might be canceled halfway through. So it's easier to control if we produce our own.

The cast of this drama is quite strong. Director Wang Fulin later directed "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The male lead Zhang Lianwen is one of the top male stars in Beijing Film Studio. The female lead Li Xiaoli just worked with Sister Xue in "Midnight".

Wei Ming hadn't actually watched it, because when he started watching TV series, it was already the 90s, and popular shows at that time included "Aspiration," "Stories from the Editorial Department," and "Investiture of the Gods."

So he was watching with great interest until he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

It's so late, who could it be?

The answer is: Zhu Lin.

"Surprised? Unexpected?" Zhu Lin tilted his head, still holding something in his hand.

"How did you know I just got home?!" Wei Ming was genuinely surprised and suspected that there were surveillance cameras installed in his home.

“I don’t know,” Zhu Lin said. “I was originally going to visit Director Shui Hua. When I came back, he brought me some fried meatballs from his own family. Then I passed by your place, and Grandpa Sun told me that you were back.”

She said she was just passing by, but it was obviously not on her way. She was about to leave for Shandong to film a movie, so she wanted to see if Wei Ming had returned. If he had, she would try to ask him out.

Unexpectedly, not only did he return, but Grandpa Sun revealed that he returned alone, so she went straight to his door, as she hadn't been inside for a long time.

When lovers meet, they are extremely jealous and immediately hug and kiss each other. Sister Lin even playfully puts her hand inside Wei Ming's clothes and touches his flesh.

My older sister has become unreliable.

Although she had been wearing gloves, Zhu Lin's small hands were still a little cold. Wei Ming directly told her to place her hands on his warm abdominal muscles, while he placed his hands on her chest muscles.

The idea of ​​letting her take the initiative was instantly forgotten; Wei Ming's initiative was terrifying.

"Wait a minute, where's your sheriff?" Zhu Lin grabbed the hand under her tight sweater. She had been wanting to see the black cat for a long time. She had heard that it could do somersaults, but unfortunately, she hadn't had a chance to come to the Overseas Chinese Apartments in the past few months.

Wei Ming held her as they sat on the sofa: "Before I left, I left it in the courtyard house, the one I bought for my parents. There's a dog there to keep it company, and Xiao Mei and Biao Zi help take care of it."

Wei Ming spoke calmly, expecting Zhu Lin to be suspicious, but she didn't ask any more questions about the courtyard house. Instead, she said regretfully, "It's a pity I didn't get to see it. Actually, I quite like dogs too."

"That's not difficult at all. We'll go over there tomorrow and show you around."

Zhu Lin knew that it was where he and Gong Xue used to meet secretly. It was antique and beautiful. Humph, I want to see how lewd it really is.

“Okay,” Zhu Lin readily agreed, then glanced at the TV again, “You’re watching ‘Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp’ too? My parents are watching it too.”

"how do you feel."

Zhu Lin: "It's pretty good. I even met Comrade Zhang Lianwen at the Beijing Film Studio. Before filming, many people said he shouldn't be making TV dramas, saying that it's not art. But the response has been quite good, and it's been in the newspapers several times."

"Now there are more and more domestically produced TVs, including color TVs. In the not-too-distant future, the number of TV viewers will surpass that of moviegoers."

Wei Ming felt that Sister Lin and Sister Xue could also act in TV dramas in the future to expand their influence. Of course, there was no need to act in dramas that weren't considered classics.

But now is not the time to talk about those things: "Sister, I've been on the train all day and I'm a little tired."

Zhu Lin: "Then I won't bother you anymore. My parents are waiting for me to come back."

Wei Ming hugged her waist tightly: "I'm tired, but you're not. Can't you take the initiative?"

Zhu Lin patted him lightly: "Aren't you afraid of exhausting yourself?"

Wei Ming slapped his hand heavily: "I'm just being modest, but you really think I'm easy to bully?"

As he spoke, he carried Zhu Lin to the bed in the bedroom.

Returning to this familiar place, Zhu Lin had mixed feelings. This bed had witnessed so much; it had witnessed Melinda, but he wondered if it had witnessed Xiaoxue as well.

Wei Ming didn't give her much time to think; soon her body was driven only by instinct.

Everyone had a happy Spring Festival!
It's a pity that Gong Xue was watching Shanghai TV alone with her family today; they were watching a recording of Masashi Sada's concert.

Gong Xue and Gong Ying waited anxiously for their parents and brother and sister-in-law to see them on television.

However, in the end, we didn't see any shots of the five audience members.

~
The next day, Wei Ming woke up looking at Zhu Lin's face. He felt happy looking at such a face, as if it had the effect of prolonging life.

Lin Jie was supposed to go home last night, but she was not determined and gave in to him whenever he asked, and the fire didn't stop until late at night.

It would be a bit ridiculous to talk about going home now; it would be more realistic to make up a lie the next day.

Although the bed was warm, Wei Ming thought that Old Wu next door should be home at this time, and might go out for a walk later, so he went over to pay his respects and bring some local specialties from his hometown.

Afterwards, Wei Ming went to the gatekeeper again, and Old Sun also received a share, which he accepted with a chuckle.

Wei Ming was about to go back to prepare breakfast when the postman came over with international mail and asked him to sign it.

It was sent by Melinda from England.

After returning home, he didn't immediately unpack the package. Instead, he prepared a simple breakfast and dragged Sister Lin out of bed.

She lingered in bed, and when Wei Ming got into bed, she clung to him.

Wei Ming acted decisively and went for a morning workout.

The phone rang outside but I didn't answer it, and I don't know who called.

Finally, I could eat properly: "These sausages are good, and this cured meat is delicious too."

"These fried meatballs from Director Shuihua's family are pretty good," Wei Ming commented. "You should be going home later, right? You can bring some local specialties from our hometown to give to your uncle and aunt."

Zhu Lin didn't stand on ceremony with him: "Sure, my dad really likes the chili sauce that Auntie and Grandma make."

“These were also made by my mom and grandma. I brought quite a lot with me. I’m going to visit some elders and give them New Year’s gifts. Let’s set a time, and I’ll pick you up to go see the courtyard house.”

Zhu Lin: "You don't need to pick me up. Just tell me the address and give me the key. You can go there when you're done."

"Come on, even though Ginkgo is a little dog, it's still quite good at guarding the house. If you go there yourself, they'll definitely think you're a female thief."

"Is there a thief as beautiful as me?" Zhu Lin snorted.

Wei Ming: "A heart-stealing thief who makes a living off her looks."

Although Wei Ming rejected her, Zhu Lin was very happy to be coaxed. The scumbag really could provide emotional value. After the meal, Wei Ming took out his keys to give them to her.

"You can go ahead and wait for me, but we'll go in together once I arrive."

This pleased Zhu Lin, who pushed the keys over, saying, "If you lose them again, you can keep them yourself. Just be there at five o'clock."

As Zhu Lin was preparing to leave, she saw a package with writing in both Chinese and English on it at the door.

"Did Melinda send this to you?"

Wei Ming could not deny it.

"Ah."

"Oh." Zhu Lin stared at the package leisurely, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. Wei Ming smiled, picked it up, and was about to open it: "It should be good news about the new book, why don't we take a look together?"

At this point, a magnanimous girlfriend would usually say: "I'm not looking at it, you can open it yourself."

Zhu Lin replied, "Great! I've never seen international mail before."

When Wei Ming opened the book, he indeed found four copies of "The Lion King": two hardcover editions and two paperback editions. There were US dollars tucked inside each book. Melinda had thoughtfully exchanged the pounds for US dollars.

There was a thousand dollars tucked inside the book alone. Wei Ming grabbed two bills and tried to stuff them into Zhu Lin's pocket, but she resolutely refused. The British's sugar-coated bullets won't corrupt me!
"You don't want to shop at the Friendship Store? Besides, this is all my hard-earned money." Wei Ming smiled, knowing what she was thinking.

Zhu Lin thought about it and realized it was true, but since he had already refused, it wouldn't be appropriate to accept it again; even the Queen has her pride.

So she said, "If you want to spend money on me later, I won't stop you. It's not appropriate to take your money."

"She's a truly principled and good girl," Wei Ming praised.

Zhu Lin blushed, feeling that he was being mocked, but he had no evidence.

Feeling embarrassed and bored, Zhu Lin flipped through the beautifully produced hardcover edition of "The Lion King." The paper quality, the illustrations, the colors, and the price—wow!

So expensive!

Besides the book, there are also dozens of photos of Melinda in the United States, with different city backgrounds, different clothing styles, and different hairstyles, showing a different kind of beauty of this red-haired woman.

She looks so confident, and Zhu Lin looks so jealous. No, Xiao Xue has to know about these photos. I don't believe she can stay calm.

"What did the letter say? If it's inconvenient, I can excuse myself," Zhu Lin asked sourly, this was what she really wanted to know.

Wei Ming quickly glanced at the letter and then said, "Oh dear, my eyes are a little sore, can you read it for me?"

Zhu Lin felt a little embarrassed by Wei Ming's frankness, but replied readily, "Oh, Chinese? Then I'll read it."

“My dear Ming…” Zhu Lin paused for a moment.

Wei Ming: "Foreigners are all like that, they always say 'dear'."

Zhu Lin continued reading, and it became much more normal afterward. First, he talked about the publication of "The Lion King" and some revenue data, which shocked Zhu Lin.

The profit-sharing ratio this time is 5:3:2. The illustrator is a newcomer, and since Mr. Why is no longer a newcomer, Wei Ming can get an extra 10%.

But Melinda, who was in charge of the translation, still made up 30% of the work; she is already a well-known translator and editor.

Regarding the proceeds from the first printing of "The Lion King," the letter stated that it amounted to $4 in the UK alone.

In addition, "Jumanji" has already been released in some English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland, India, and Singapore, so there is an additional $2.2, making a total of $6.2!
Two thousand dollars were sent to Wei Ming via parcel, another twenty thousand dollars were deposited into Wei Ming's domestic account, and the last forty thousand dollars were in his Hong Kong account.

With this, Wei Ming now has over $10 in his HSBC Hong Kong account, which is quite a bit of wealth, allowing him to dream of buying a car and a house in Hong Kong.

Melinda then mentioned Xiaohong's work, saying she was pleasantly surprised. Rubik's Cubes are very popular in the UK now, but their popularity is limited by their difficulty.

"This work has great market potential, but unfortunately I'm not good at math. I'll find another translator to take over. Also, the illustrations need to be redesigned, and you and your sister will be credited as the authors. We can start the project now."

Finally, she poured out her heart to Wei Ming.

"After reading the song you wrote, I felt a little better. I hope one day I can sing it for you in person... What song is it!" Zhu Lin exclaimed excitedly. Could it be a love song? You've already broken up, why would you write a love song?
Wei Ming hugged Sister Lin: "You'll hear a song in memory of John Lennon sooner or later."

That's what they said, but Melinda wanted to sing it to him in person. The British were indeed still up to their old tricks. The Gong-Zhu alliance must join forces to keep the enemy out of the country!

Upon returning home, Zhu Lin immediately began writing to Gong Xue, telling her everything he had seen and heard that day. He omitted the four incidents that occurred between last night and this morning, to avoid causing any internal strife.

Wei Ming rode his motorcycle around Beijing, mainly using his connections at Peking University. He visited the homes of Professor Jin and Professor Qu, as well as the hometown of Feng Youlan and the library director Xie Daoyuan. He also distributed cigarettes to some of his peers, as it was the New Year and the receptions were a bit more upscale than usual.

When Wei Ming finally arrived at the courtyard house at 4:55, Zhu Lin was already waiting there.

She pulled the scarf covering her mouth down: "Listen."

Wei Ming heard it; it was "woof woof woof".

Zhu Lin: "I not only saw the dog's nose, but I also saw a white paw sticking out from the crack in the door."

The white paw belongs to the sheriff. Although he is a black cat sheriff with black limbs, his four paws are white.

By the time Wei Ming opened the door and went inside, the cat had already run far away, while the dog was still pawing at him.

Wei Ming asked Sister Lin to lock the door from the inside, so that Biaozi or Xiaomei wouldn't suddenly come in and ruin things.

However, judging from the rice bowl marks on the ginkgo tree, someone had already been here in the morning, so there's no need to worry too much.

"Its name is Ginkgo?" Zhu Lin looked at the chubby little yellow dog with great affection.

“Yes, it’s yellow.” Wei Ming pointed to the ginkgo tree in the yard.

Ginkgo kept circling around them, while the sheriff had already gone back to his hut.

Wei Ming doesn't have Lao Wei's skills, otherwise the police chief would have to come out and give Zhu Lin a good thrashing.

Then Wei Ming pointed to a door: "Do you like antiques? Take a look at my dad's collection."

"I'm not really interested. How about I go sit in your bedroom instead?"

Wei Ming was surprised. After so many times yesterday, Sister Lin was still so proactive today. Was she really getting old?

When the fierce and ruthless Wei Ming met his own powerful and energetic self, he wasn't intimidated by her.

However, once inside the house, Zhu Lin no longer took the initiative. He looked at the red sheets and red quilt and thought, "Hmph, just as Gong Xue said."

However, Xiaoxue and Xiaowei hadn't stayed overnight here yet, and thinking of this, Zhu Lin felt a surge of excitement.

The room wasn't very warm, so they needed to start a fire again, but getting the heating back on wouldn't be a quick process.

However, during the process of starting the fire, both of them warmed up and were ready to use it.

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, and Zhu Lin will be leaving on the fifth day, so she cherishes the remaining days very much.

Yesterday she was at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, today she's at the Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), and tomorrow she'll be going to Tuanjiehu (Unity Lake). Her schedule is packed.

However, just as darkness fell, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin had finished their meal and crawled into bed, before they could even get down to business, they heard Ginkgo squawking wildly.

Someone's coming.

Wei Ming ignored him and started to take off his clothes.

Zhu Lin: "Should we go take a look? I'm always afraid someone might suddenly barge in."

Wei Ming sighed helplessly, "Fine, if it's Xiao Mei, he's doomed."

Zhu Lin asked with a smile, "What about Biaozi?"

Wei Ming put on his shoes: "I can't beat him, what can I do?"

Zhu Lin chuckled and rolled around in bed, clutching the blanket.

Wei Ming walked to the door: "Who is it?"

"Oh, Teacher Wei, it really is you. I was passing by and saw that the door lock was gone. I was a little worried about attracting thieves, so I knocked on the door. Your loyal dog responded very enthusiastically. Oh, it's me, Li Chengru."

“Oh, Brother Chengru,” Wei Ming opened the door, but didn’t invite him in. “I was writing a manuscript, and it was quieter here, so I came to stay.”

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you."

Wei Ming: "It's alright, you meant well."

"Hehe, everyone in the neighborhood knows I'm a kind-hearted person." Li Chengru stood still, seemingly engrossed in conversation.

Then Wei Ming yawned again, meaning you'd better hurry up and leave.

Li Chengru saw through it, so he stopped beating around the bush and asked, "Professor Wei, your book 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes' is so well written. It was sold out in bookstores at the time, and I had to pay extra to buy this issue of 'Harvest'."

"Oh, Brother Chengru, you're too kind. I can't accept your kindness."

"I can take it, I can take it. It's just that it's so hard to finish reading half of it. I heard from Uncle Wei that you finished writing the novel a long time ago, right?"

"It's finished."

"I also heard that you lent your original manuscript to Mr. Mao Dun?"

Yes, that's true.

"Has the old gentleman finished reading?" Li Chengru finally revealed his intention, though he felt it was somewhat abrupt, considering their past relationship.

Wei Ming shook his head: "How could I dare to ask or urge such an important person? Anyway, they haven't contacted me to pick up the manuscript yet, so I'll just wait."

"Oh, you're right. Well then, you're busy, I'll head back now." Li Chengru left disappointed.

Wei Ming shook his clothes and said, "Hey, see you later."

Then I quickly locked the door again.

"Who is it?" Zhu Lin asked.

Wei Ming: "Your classmate, Li Chengru, asked me for the manuscript so he could read it in advance."

"Did you borrow it? Actually, my dad also wants to see it."

Wei Ming embraced the beautiful woman in the quilt: "I was going to lend it to you for your sake, but unfortunately, Mr. Mao Dun borrowed it in advance. I'll let my uncle see it when he returns it."

"Ah, Mr. Mao Dun!" Zhu Lin was taken aback. Was her little man really that impressive?

~
Meanwhile, at Wei Ming's home in the Overseas Chinese Apartments, the phone rang again, but still no one answered.

On the other end of the line, Wei Tao hung up the phone, returned to the ward, and shook his head at his father, Mao Dun…

(End of this chapter)