1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

Su Man paused for a moment. What Chen Weidong said was true. It was not easy to live in the capital. Everything required money. Their small family didn't have much money left. If they really returned the money given as gifts today, they would have very little left.

There's no need to pretend to be rich; you can show your filial piety to them when you have more money later.

"Alright then, I really hope you can find a job soon, so at least we won't be eating for free at home. I see Mom and my sister-in-law taking odd jobs every day, I'll ask them tomorrow and work with them so I can earn some money."

"Alright, looks like I'll have to work harder then. Where did you put my writing notebook?"

Chen Weidong knew that Su Man was strong-willed, so he didn't stop her. He had been used to eating for free at home since he was a child, and Su Man was indeed new to living with everyone, so she would definitely need time to adjust.

Nowadays, there's no TV or cell phone at night, so you can't swipe your phone to earn money or like posts.

Therefore, he could only devote all his energy to writing in order to earn some money to support his family as soon as possible.

……

For the next week, Chen Weidong devoted all his energy to writing, except for eating, sleeping and going to the toilet.

When Chen's mother and the others learned that he was writing a new story, they all took over all the logistical work and helped Su Man take care of Chen Xiaosui and Chen Xiaoan.

Call ~

Chen Weidong flicked his wrist, looking at the thick stack of letters, and a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

Even he himself did not expect that he could write 165,000 words by hand in such a short period of time.

The word count was about what he initially predicted, and this was after it was shortened; otherwise, according to his first draft, it would have been a full 180,000 words.

Chen Weidong checked it again and found nothing wrong before putting the manuscript into the envelope and leaving.

"Honey, I'm going out for a bit. If I'm not back by noon, don't wait for me."

"Okay, where are you going?"

"Go to the editorial office of 'October' magazine."

This time, Chen Weidong once again chose "October". Firstly, Zhang Shouren had shown him great kindness. If it weren't for the latter, even if his "The Herdsman" could have been published smoothly, it wouldn't have been so quick. Moreover, the other party had paid him the royalties in advance.

The Herdsman played a significant role in enabling him and Suman to return to the city.

Therefore, after much consideration, he decided to submit "Hibiscus Town" to "October".

……

"Has Comrade Weidong replied yet?"

After finishing the morning meeting, Su Mao kept Zhang Shouren behind and asked him questions.

"Not yet, there might have been some delays on the way."

Zhang Shouren was actually quite anxious. More than a month had passed since he sent his last letter, and he still hadn't received a reply from Chen Weidong.

"Why don't you go to his place? Sales of 'The Herdsman' have dropped a bit. If Comrade Weidong could come and participate in the creative symposium, it would definitely boost sales."

Su Mao thought for a moment and said that she had recently gotten used to being the boss, and now that the sales of "October" were declining and about to be surpassed by "People's Literature" and "Harvest", she was still a little anxious.

"Okay, I'll finish my work and head to Montreal tomorrow."

Zhang Shouren was aware of the current situation in the editorial department and immediately agreed.

As soon as Zhang Shouren stepped out of the editor-in-chief's office, he saw Zhang Zhong'e walking over.

"Hold on, move quickly."

"What's wrong?"

"Comrade Chen Weidong is here; he's here to see you."

"What?! Wei Dong is here!"

Zhang Shouren immediately overtook Zhang Zhong'e and rushed into the office, where he saw Chen Weidong surrounded by several young editors who were asking him questions about "The Herdsman".

"Wei Dong!"

Upon seeing Zhang Shouren arrive, the editors who were gathered around knew they had serious business to discuss and could only regretfully walk away.

"Brother Zhang, I'm so sorry. I saw your letter, but I was busy returning to the city at the time and planned to talk to you in person when I got back, so I didn't reply."

"I see. So, Weidong, you'll be staying in Yanjing from now on?"

Zhang Shouren then understood the reason and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Chen Weidong would be lured away by another editorial department.

"Yes, we'll stay in Yanjing from now on and won't need to go back."

"congratulations!"

Zhang Shouren offered his congratulations, then asked, "What about the creative symposium I mentioned in my letter? What are your thoughts on it?"

What is my role in this seminar?

Chen Weidong had only heard of the creative symposium by name, but he was not really clear about the specific procedures and content.

"Your presentation will mainly consist of sharing your creative experience, followed by discussions with editors, writers, and critics. The process is quite casual."

After the meeting, we will compile everyone's speeches based on the meeting minutes, revise them, add any missing content, and finally publish them in the "Creative Talk" section of our magazine, which also comes with payment.

Zhang Shouren knew that Chen Weidong had just returned from the countryside and was short of money, so he made a point of mentioning it.

"Then I'm all set, I'll definitely participate."

Upon hearing that there was money involved, Chen Weidong, who was already considering agreeing, immediately agreed.

Even if he hadn't said anything, Chen Weidong would have attended anyway. After all, so many people would be there, and he would be the main speaker. He would have to put on a good show... well, I mean, give a good speech. He would also be able to meet more editors and colleagues, which would be very beneficial for his future development.

"Great, Weidong, when are you free? I'll make arrangements as soon as possible."

Zhang Shouren immediately inquired.

"I'm very free here, I can come anytime."

"Okay, I've made all the arrangements. I'll contact you in advance. It's already noon, let's go have lunch together."

Zhang Shouren was very happy today. He not only completed the task assigned by Su Mao, but also didn't have to go on a business trip.

Things are very different now than they were back then. When you had to take a green train for business trips, even though the company would reimburse the travel expenses, anyone who has ridden a green train knows how tiring it was!

If he could avoid business trips, Zhang Shouren would definitely not want to endure the hardships of travel.

"Brother Zhang, besides the symposium, I also came here today to submit an article to you. Why don't you take a look first?"

"Wei Dong, you've written a new article?! I'll have to read it carefully."

Zhang Shouren was surprised by the unexpected joy. He sat down again after standing up, took the envelope and touched it. It was so thick that it must be at least another novella.

"Weidong, let me pour you a glass of water first."

"It's okay, Brother Zhang, you take a look first, I can do it myself."

Just as Chen Weidong was about to fetch water himself, Zhang Zhong'e suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Comrade Weidong, have some water."

"Thanks."

Chen Weidong thanked him and saw that Zhang Zhong'e not only didn't leave, but also deliberately moved closer to Zhang Shouren and looked down at him.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhang Zhong'e; all the other editors in the office, upon hearing that Chen Weidong had written a new article, immediately sat down again, who were packing up to go to lunch. They all craned their necks, glancing at Zhang Zhong'e and Zhang Shouren with increasing envy.

……