1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

Chen Xiangdong, being quite observant, examined the envelope: "From Liaobei, it must be from your parents, right?"

Xie Lu squeezed the envelope; it was quite thick, and there were other things inside besides the letter.

"It should be. You guys go up first, I'll take a look."

"Okay, let's go up first." Chen Xiangdong pulled Chu Yunfei, who still wanted to gossip, and gestured to Zhou Wenbin. The three of them entered the dormitory building first, and their footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

Xie Lu took the letter and walked to the dormitory building. In the dim light, he could clearly see the handwriting. He carefully tore open the envelope.

There are two things inside.

A neatly folded sheet of paper and a smaller, thin envelope.

Xie Lu first unfolded the letter.

The letter paper was the common lined paper with blue lines. The words were written with a fountain pen, each stroke carefully executed, but it was clear that the writer did not write often, as some of the strokes were stiff.

"Son, everything is fine at home, don't worry. Your mother is also in good health, but she often thinks about you, worried that you might not be used to the food or sleep well. Take good care of yourself at school and study hard."

These are just ordinary, everyday words, simple words of advice.

Then, with a change of direction, the handwriting exuded a light and quick feel.

"I have some great news for you! That scoundrel Li Hanwen has been arrested by the county public security bureau!"

It happened at the end of last month. A jeep came at night and they just handcuffed him and took him away!

He and his brother-in-law, who was an official in the county, were arrested together!

The whole village is buzzing with the news; they're saying they've embezzled and taken bribes, done a lot of bad things, and this time they're completely finished!

"Serves him right! He really deserves it! Let him bully people! Let him withhold your notice! Let him extort our family! Karma! This is karma! When your mother found out about this, she was so happy she cried, and for several days she put extra oil in her cooking! The villagers are all saying, 'What goes around comes around!'"

Xie Lu could almost picture his father's triumphant and perhaps even animated expression as he recounted these events, and he could also picture his mother wiping away tears of joy.

These simple, direct joys are clearly conveyed through the handwriting above.

The gloom that had been weighing on the elderly couple's hearts for months finally dissipated completely.

The letter included a few more words of advice, nothing more than to take care of your health, study hard, and not to worry about your family. Finally, it mentioned: "I'm enclosing twenty yuan with this letter, which is your living expenses for this month."

The harvest at home is alright this year, so don't be stingy. Eat well, use what you need, and don't skimp on yourself. Write back if you need more money.

Xie Lu put down the letter and picked up the small envelope.

Inside were two ten-yuan bills, neatly folded.

In 1985, twenty yuan was a considerable sum for a rural family, likely the result of parents saving money for a long time.

They knew that Xie had already made a lot of money from his writing fees, but they still did their best to give him what they could.

Xie Lu held the two banknotes in his hand, feeling a bittersweet ache in his heart.

He didn't lack the twenty yuan, but he had to accept this heartfelt gesture.

He carefully put the money back into the small envelope, then carefully folded the letter and put them all back into the large envelope.

Standing under the streetlights, the evening breeze brought a cool breeze.

He looked at the three words "Shuangshui Village" on the envelope and understood what was going on.

The fact that Li Hanwen and his brother-in-law fell from power so quickly and so thoroughly clearly indicates that it wasn't a typical whistleblower investigation process.

The county's swift and decisive action in arresting people overnight and eradicating the entire criminal gang was clearly thanks to the efforts of the two bigwigs, Zhou Shaoyuan and He Chongshan.

He Chongshan is the editor-in-chief of "Contemporary" magazine, an influential figure in cultural circles, and also lives in Beijing, so he knows many people at high levels.

Upon learning of Xie Lü's plight, given his character of valuing talent and upholding justice, he would never stand idly by.

Zhou Shaoyuan is the dean of the School of Literature at Wuhan University. As someone within the education system, he is deeply disgusted by the withholding of admission notices, which touches upon the bottom line of educational fairness. He said last time that he would conduct a thorough investigation, and given his status and influence in the academic world, it is entirely possible for him to exert pressure.

Regardless of who it was, or whether it was two people working together, Xie Lu remembered this favor.

This was not just simple help; it was a powerful helping hand extended when he and his family needed it most, completely eliminating any worries they might have.

This would allow him to focus on his studies and writing at Wuhan University, and allow his parents to hold their heads high in the village.

Xie Lu tucked the envelope into his pocket and placed it close to his chest.

He turned around and walked into the dormitory building.

Pushing open the door to dormitory 308, Chu Yunfei was talking animatedly to Chen Xiangdong, while Zhou Wenbin fiddled with his pen at his desk; everything seemed normal.

"Fourth brother, you're back? What did the letter from home say? Did they send you any local specialties?" Chu Yunfei immediately came over and asked.

Xie Lu smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "It's nothing, just that everything is fine at home and they sent me some living expenses."

Kyoto, editorial office of "Contemporary".

Early in the morning, the office landline phone was ringing off the hook.

It wasn't just one or two rings, it was one after another. As soon as one person answered "Hello, Contemporary," another one would ring.

Several old-fashioned black landline phones rang at the same time.

Several young editors, one holding a receiver and the other busy taking notes, responded rapidly: "Yes, the latest issue...out of stock? Which newsstand are you from? We've already reported it, and they're reprinting it. Please wait patiently..."

A bespectacled male editor had just hung up the phone, wiped the sweat from his brow, and before he could even catch his breath, the phone rang again. He answered with a pained expression, "Hello, editorial department of *Contemporary* magazine..."

Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Old Li from the distribution department, sweat beading on his forehead, stormed into the editorial office, carrying a stack of receipts. His voice boomed, "Is Chief Editor He in? Newsstands and bookstores from all over are urging us to reprint! When will the extra print run arrive? Many places sold out yesterday!"

He had barely finished speaking when a female editor near the door put down her phone, looked up, and called out, "Section Chief Li, the distribution station in Shanghai just called. They said they're almost out of samples and are asking if we could prioritize allocating some more?"

Just then, the door to the editor-in-chief's office opened.

He Chongshan stood at the door, holding a chipped enamel mug in his hand. He was wearing a worn-out Zhongshan suit, and his hair was combed fairly neatly, but he couldn't hide the growing receding hairline. He looked at the messy scene outside.

"What's all the noise about? Speak slowly." He Chongshan's voice wasn't loud, but as soon as he spoke, the office immediately quieted down, with only the telephone ringing persistently.

Old Li quickly took the documents and went over: "Editor-in-Chief He, look, these were just received this morning, they are all requests for expedited delivery and replenishment."

Our first batch of additional prints was sent out yesterday, but judging from the current situation, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Reports from many places indicate that newsstands are sold out as soon as they open, and bookstores are also experiencing long queues.