My era, 1979!

Chapter 47 Ambition
Wang Zengqi never expected that staying at a guesthouse would lead to meeting a young man whose temperament suited him.

The two of them chatted endlessly around the bedside table.

A moment later, a shout came from outside the guesthouse: "Dinner's ready! The canteen's open for lunch!"

Wang Zengqi patted his clothes and said to Xu Chengjun with a smile, "Let's go, Xiao Xu, let's get something to eat. We've been to the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles Guesthouse a few times and the food has been pretty good!"

The two went down the stairs to the cafeteria on the first floor.

The aroma of braised pork, the steam of stir-fried vegetables, and the sweet, slightly fishy smell of corn porridge, mixed with the clinking of enamel bowls, all simmered together under the incandescent light bulb.

Xu Chengjun was queuing with two rough porcelain bowls when he noticed that in the iron basin at the food serving window, there were only a few pieces of braised pork with skin left at the bottom.

Okay, they actually have braised pork!
It costs 1.2 yuan a serving on the old green train!

"Xiao Xu, squeeze forward."

Wang Zengqi patted his shoulder gently from behind: "If you're too late, there won't even be any scraps left."

This person truly exudes the demeanor of an elder!
Xu Chengjun smiled and took half a step forward, just in time to catch the head chef scooping out the last spoonful of meat: "Comrade, two pieces with skin!"

The head chef looked up angrily, thinking, "You still dare to complain?"
With a flick of the iron ladle, two glistening pieces of braised pork fell into the bowl with a "plop," splattering oil onto the back of his hand.

Okay,

They're all skinny, with no skin!
Xu Chengjun hadn't even had a chance to "express his gratitude."

Then he heard someone laugh behind him: "Mr. Wang is here to snatch the braised pork too?"

Looking back, I saw a middle-aged woman in a gray cloth top standing in line with a bowl in her hand. She had a pen clipped to her short hair and a big smile on her face.

Wang Zengqi wasn't annoyed and greeted her, "Comrade Chen Rong, you just finished revising your manuscript too?"

"That's right, Editor-in-Chief Li kept me up all afternoon revising it."

The woman walked over with a bowl in her hand, her gaze falling on Xu Chengjun with curiosity.

Wang Zengqi quickly introduced, "This is Xu Chengjun, an educated youth from Fengyang. He just published an article in Harvest, which is very interesting."

He then turned to Xu Chengjun, saying, "Xiao Xu, this is Comrade Chen Rong, the author of 'Forever Spring' and 'True or False.' Her works reveal strength in the ordinary."

"It's Always Spring"?
Xu Chengjun was in a daze for a moment, then remembered who it was: the author of "Middle Age"!

In 1979, Chen Rong was 44 years old, but this woman only began her literary career in the early 70s. If you really want to say it, she is still in the rising stage of her creative career.

The novella "It Will Always Be Spring," published in Harvest magazine at the beginning of this year, will be specifically praised by Mao Dun in his speech at the Fourth National Congress of Literary and Art Workers.

Mao Dun's talent needs no introduction.

However, what truly made her famous was "Middle Age," published early next year, which won the first prize in the first National Excellent Novella Award and was named one of the "40 Most Influential Novels in the 40 Years of China's Reform and Opening Up."

Many film enthusiasts who are not familiar with literature know Chen Rong, because she won many awards for the film of the same name, "Middle Age".

In this era, there were only a handful of female writers who could be considered her equals, such as Zhang Jie.

Xu Chengjun quickly stood up and shook hands with Chen Rong: "Hello, Teacher Chen! Your novel 'Forever in Spring' is very well-known in Anhui. I've been looking for an opportunity to read it!"

Chen Rong was amused by his reaction and waved her hand, "Sit down, sit down. Don't call me teacher, just call me Chen Rong. I heard from the editorial department that a young author has come, and his writing is quite wild. So it's you, young man."

She looked Xu Chengjun up and down. "He looks even younger than my son. I didn't expect him to already have articles published in Harvest."

"The literary world today is truly a place where the younger generation surpasses the older!"

Speaking of which, Chen Rong's family is not simple either.

My eldest son, Liang Zuo, is a junior in the Chinese Department at Peking University. He's a legitimate high school graduate!

He collaborated closely with Jiang Kun, Wang Shuo, and others. The popular novel "Tiger's Mouth Reverie" was adapted from his novel "Tiger's Mouth Survival".

The second son, Liang Tian, ​​was carefree in his early years, but later starred in films and television series such as "Erzi Opens a Shop", "The Troublemakers", and "Hippocampus Dance Hall", and was considered a well-known actor in the 1980s and 1990s.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zengqi laughed and said, "That's right! The more Sina Weibo posts there are, the more interesting the Chinese literary scene will be. It's a good thing!"

The three of them found a table by the window and sat down. Xu Chengjun shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, the aroma of braised pork mingling with the sweetness of the rice.

In this day and age, a meal of braised pork is a must.

It smelled absolutely amazing!
He noticed that Chen Rong's bowl only contained vegetables and corn porridge, so he picked up a piece of meat from his own bowl and put it in her bowl: "Teacher Chen, you should have some meat too."

Chen Rong smiled and pushed it back: "You're young and growing, so eat it yourself. I'm used to writing light food; greasy food makes my thoughts unclear."

She picked up a piece of green vegetable and said, "I glanced at your article 'The Fitting Mirror' in the editorial department this afternoon."

"This kind of writing is rarely seen in China nowadays. It's really daring! And it's really well written!"

Xu Cheng waved his hand with a smile: "Teacher Chen, you flatter me. I just wrote it by whims. I read Gao Xiaosheng's review of 'It Will Always Be Spring' in the Literary Gazette. He said it has an 'epic feel of ordinary people,' which is what I should learn!"

Wang Zengqi stopped eating and looked at Xu Chengjun suspiciously, thinking: If I write nonsense, you write nonsense too, right?
Chen Rong was outmaneuvered, a smile flashing in her eyes: "You're a sweet talker, young man. But the way you wrote about the shadow rebellion in 'The Fitting Mirror' is indeed fresh, unlike our generation, which always loves to delve into collective narratives."

She picked up a piece of green vegetable and said, "The literary world needs young people like you who dare to write and aren't afraid to break the rules."

Wang Zengqi, sipping his corn porridge, chimed in: "That's right. I just read Xiao Xu's manuscript. He only wrote about the floral shirt in the mirror, but it was more effective than shouting 'liberation of thought' ten times. Literature doesn't necessarily have to be about crying out in pain."

It was clearly a veiled reference.

Xu Chengjun refilled the hot water for the two senior writers: "Teacher Wang, what you said makes sense. When I write, I always think, don't treat the readers like fools. Just like Teacher Chen's writing about the countryside, you don't need to explicitly say the hardships, you can taste the flavor from the everyday life of the family."

Chen Rong was amused: "You're so young, but you talk like a seasoned veteran. By the way, which room are you staying in? I'll send you a copy of the newly printed 'True or False' book another day."

“I’m in room 201, sharing a room with Teacher Wang.”

Xu Chengjun took out his pen, tore a piece of paper from his notebook, and said, "Professor Chen, could you leave your address? I'll send you my new work for your feedback after I return to Anhui."

Chen Rong took the paper, wrote "BJ Dongdan Santiao Literary Federation Dormitory", and added, "Just mark 'Manuscript Exchange' on the envelope."

Xu Chengjun also wrote down the address of Xujiatun Commune in Fengyang, and specifically noted "to be transferred to the educated youth point".

As I walked back after finishing my meal, the wall clock in the corridor struck eight.

Chen Rong smiled and waved, "I won't disturb your rest any longer. I still need to revise my manuscript. Xiao Xu, remember to come find me when you get to Beijing."

Back in room 201, Wang Zengqi sat down on the bed, the wooden bed frame creaking.

As soon as Xu Chengjun turned on the desk lamp, he saw that it was pitch black outside the window, with only the streetlights in the distance casting a dim yellow light.

It was just past nine o'clock, and the guesthouse was already quiet; even a cough could be heard clearly.

"There's not much fun in this day and age, so go to bed early and get up early."

Wang Zengqi took off his coat, saying, "Unlike you young people, you can still catch eels and fish and shrimp in the countryside."

Xu Chengjun carefully made the bed: "The educated youth settlement was indeed lively at night, and the snoring was so loud that it was impossible to sleep."

These days, bed boards are getting harder and harder; it's really uncomfortable to sleep on if you don't make them loose.

He took out the "Selected Essays of Lu Xun" that he had brought with him, "reading a few pages before bed is a way to relieve boredom."

Wang Zengqi leaned against the headboard, smoking, the smoke drifting in the lamplight: "Are you confident about your interview at Fudan University?"

"It's hard to say." Xu Chengjun shook his head and smiled, but he didn't seem uncertain at all.

Are you unsure?
Yes, he did study a lot of the relevant works and theoretical ideas of Fudan University professors such as Zhu Dongrun and Zhang Peiheng during his graduate studies.

Xu Chengjun might understand Zhang Peiheng's ideas even better than Zhang Peiheng himself.

just,

Hopefully, my "ambition" regarding the worker-peasant-soldier recommendation process will be successfully realized.
Thinking about it, Xu Cheng shook his head and smiled.

under the light,
The selected essays of Lu Xun were also turned to "Random Thoughts Under the Lamp" in "Selected Essays of Lu Xun".

(End of this chapter)