1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

Before he knew it, it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Chen Weidong swept all the trash and dust that had accumulated from the first to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year out the door in one go, and then took out a small piece of firecracker and lit it.

This is called "sending away poverty" or "destroying poverty," which means driving away the five types of poverty: "poverty of wisdom, poverty of learning, poverty of literature, poverty of fate, and poverty of social connections."

Chen Weidong cooked the last of the dumplings; the dumplings he made on New Year's Eve had already been eaten in the past few days.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Weidong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and thought about the manuscript he had submitted before, wondering if it had been accepted.

"Wei Dong~"

"Wei Dong~"

Early the next morning, Chen Weidong heard He Yan calling him from outside.

"Brother Yan, is something the matter? Come inside and have a seat."

"I won't sit down. The brigade has a message for you; Captain Wang asked me to tell you."

"I see."

Chen Weidong hurriedly buttoned up his clothes and rushed towards the brigade.

It was the same postman he had seen before, now loudly calling out names.

Perhaps because they had all been resting for the past few days and had accumulated too many letters, there were an unusually large number of people coming to collect their mail today. Chen Weidong even saw Liang Xiao, and the two nodded to each other. Since the last time they wrote couplets, their relationship had become somewhat awkward.

He waited in line for a while before it was his turn.

"Chen Weidong, October Magazine."

The postman paused, looked at Chen Weidong, who seemed somewhat familiar, and asked with some curiosity, "Comrade, did you send a manuscript to 'October'?"

"October" was his favorite newspaper, which is why the postman paid special attention to it. He had submitted articles to the newspaper several times, but none of them were accepted.

The previously lively crowd suddenly stopped. They didn't know about "October," but they did know about the magazine's publisher.

"Chen Zhiqing, has your manuscript been approved yet?"

"Did you submit your article to a magazine?"

……

Someone asked Chen Weidong curiously, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.

"I guess it's probably hopeless."

"I think so too. I've heard that those who get published in the newspapers are all big-name writers, and they easily earn several or even tens of yuan in royalties."

"So many?! Chen Weidong's got a tough ego, still daring to submit articles?"

"They can't even keep a horse secret, yet they want to be in the newspaper? I think they'd have a hard time getting it up a tree. It's a complete waste of the stamp money."

……

Hahaha……

A group of men and women who had been watching the commotion immediately began to whisper among themselves, their words filled with disapproval and belittling of Chen Weidong.

"I don't know either."

"Open it and take a look."

Immediately, people around started making a fuss, while Liang Xiao, who was not far away, had already calmed down from his surprise.

Instead of going straight home, he stood comfortably to the side, enjoying the melon seeds.

Liang Xiao also admitted that Chen Weidong's handwriting was indeed quite good, but writing a novel is not just about having good handwriting. The story must be smooth and have profound educational significance. It's not something anyone can just write.

Even he, who was about to go to university, had never dared to try, let alone Chen Weidong; he definitely wouldn't pass the test.

Seeing Chen Weidong's calm and composed demeanor, Liang Xiao chuckled inwardly. He thought Chen Weidong was just putting on an act, and that he would embarrass himself once the envelope was opened.

Chen Weidong originally planned to sneak home to check, but the postman discovered his plan, so he had no choice but to open the envelope on the spot.

Comrade Chen Weidong.

Your submission, "The Horse Herder," has been discussed by the editorial team, who unanimously agree that it has a very good foundation and intend to retain it. However, some chapters are still somewhat loose, the dialogues are a bit long, and some details still need to be verified.

To be responsible to both readers and authors, please come to the publishing house within twenty days to discuss revisions in person. It would be best to bring both the original manuscript and a draft.

The document also included directions to the editorial office, a telephone number, postal code, and the editorial office's official seal.

The postman leaned closer for a look and exclaimed in astonishment, "It's been approved!"

"Congratulations, comrade! Are you writing poetry, prose, or a novel?"

"My name is Ren Hongxing. I especially like the newspaper 'October.' I've submitted articles before, but none of them have been accepted. Could I ask you for some advice?"

Ren Hongxing asked excitedly, as this was the first time he had ever seen the author standing in front of him.

"What?! It's approved! Comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Liang Xiao was somewhat disarmed and questioned him loudly.

"I've been sending letters for years, how could I not clearly tell whether a manuscript has been accepted or not? Besides, it even has the official seal of the October magazine editorial department on it."

Ren Hongxing immediately retorted, saying that while he admitted his writing was poor, his work was questionable and that they should be seriously discussed.

"It's really been approved!?"

"Won't Chen Zhiqing become a great writer?"

"Of course! I said before that kid was good! That year when we were harvesting wheat, he kept muttering 'image, image' as he swung his sickle. I thought he was possessed, but it turns out he was looking for 'words' for his writing!"

An old woman who had previously spoken ill of Chen Weidong was now squatting on the edge of the millstone, her lips chapped from the cold, and she turned to praise him, saying, "Those educated youth are different from us country bumpkins; they're full of 'brilliance'! This news has made our brigade look good, and we can even sit in the front row at commune meetings!"

The crowd erupted in a buzz. Young men tossed their cotton hats into the air; girls jostled and pushed forward, eager to be the first to see the "article published in the newspaper."

Several old men squatted by the wall, banging their pipes loudly, muttering under their breath, "We peasants toil in the fields for food, but others can make 'food' even with a pen..."

"They dug up a lot more; this one article should be worth at least seven or eight yuan."

"You're underestimating it! I heard from a relative at the county cultural center that one article there is worth as much as an acre of wheat!"

"So many!"

"Our little village is going to produce a great writer!"

……

Liang Xiao was rendered speechless by Ren Hongxing's retort, and he felt as if countless eyes were staring at him from all around.

His face paled, he immediately lowered his head, pressed his hat down over his forehead, and quickly left the front of the brigade headquarters.

"Is that Liang Xiao speaking?"

"Yes, it's Liang Xiao. I didn't expect him to be this kind of person. He usually seems so polite and refined, but he's actually quite jealous."

"The more someone is like this, the more they hide themselves. Look at Chen, the educated youth. Ever since he came to our village, he has been exceptionally approachable."

"Exactly! From now on, we should call him Writer Chen!"

……

The winds shifted instantly. Chen Weidong went from being labeled a "good-for-nothing," "a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung," and "unreliable" to becoming the writer Chen in an instant.

The speed was so fast that even Chen Weidong himself hadn't expected it.

"I wouldn't dare to ask for your advice. I just wrote a novel and luckily it was accepted. My name is Chen Weidong. We can learn from each other in the future."

Chen Weidong folded the letter, put it in his pocket, and planned to go home first to tell Su Man the good news.

……