1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

It's not that Chen Weidong has any special charm, but rather that everyone is just too curious about his new manuscript.

After all, the performance of "The Herdsman" is simply too explosive. It has sold more than 800,000 copies so far, creating the best results since the founding of "October". This makes the entire October editorial department proud.

Therefore, how could everyone not be curious and interested in Chen Weidong's new manuscript? If he could really publish another "The Horse Herder," that would be an honor! Maybe they could even benefit from it and receive more bonuses.

Zhang Shouren opened the envelope. "Hibiscus Town"—judging by its thickness, it couldn't be a long novel, could it? He was both surprised and delighted—surprised by Chen Weidong's writing speed, and happy to receive another manuscript from Chen Weidong.

At the same time, there are some concerns. You know, "The Herdsman" was Chen Weidong's first article, which was only a little over 20,000 words. Now he is taking on a long article of over 100,000 words. Can he do it?

Although there's only a one-word difference between a novella and a novel, many authors only know one type. An author skilled in novellas can easily falter when writing a novel.

Especially for new authors like Chen Weidong, Zhang Shouren was afraid that if they really messed up their writing, it would dampen their enthusiasm for creating.

However, after reading the first paragraph, Zhang Shouren's worries vanished, and he became completely absorbed in the love story of Qin Shutian and Hu Yuyin.

……

"Wei Dong, your manuscript is so full of life, the characters are believable, and the issues it reflects are also relevant to reality."

However, aren't some of the descriptions a bit too realistic? Although the environment is more relaxed now than it was two years ago, we still need to be careful about what we say.

Zhang Shouren hesitated slightly, but he valued "Hibiscus Town" more than "The Herdsman".

Although both stories are about love, "The Herdsman" focuses more on the warmth amidst hardship, with the kindness, simplicity, and love among ordinary people becoming a force for redemption.

The story is relatively gentle, and through Xu Lingjun's refusal of his father's invitation to go abroad and his choice to stay in his motherland, it reflects his deep affection for the land and the people.

Chen Weidong's newly written story, "Hibiscus Town," is much sharper and full of criticism. Through the experiences of Hu Yuyin and Qin Shutian, it fiercely attacks the absurdity and irrationality of the buzzing.

In particular, Qin Shutian's words while sweeping the streets, "Live on, live on like livestock!", deeply resonated with him, making Zhang Shouren somewhat hesitant.

However, he admired Chen Weidong more and more, but was also shocked by Chen Weidong's progress.

When Chen Weidong wrote "The Herdsman," his writing was not refined enough. However, just six months later, when he revisited "Hibiscus Town," both the story content and his writing techniques showed tremendous improvement.

"Weidong, I need to consult with the editor-in-chief about this manuscript. How about this, you can leave the manuscript with me for now, and I'll give you a reply as soon as we've finished our discussion."

"no problem."

Chen Weidong nodded. He knew his own writing style well; it was indeed more explicit than "The Herdsman." He understood Zhang Shouren's concerns, given the fluctuating situation and the uncertainty everyone was facing.

"Let's go eat first, you see, I've gone too far with my gaze."

Just as Zhang Shouren was about to put the manuscript into his drawer, he was stopped by Zhang Zhong'e, who was standing next to him.

"Old Zhang, you guys go eat first. I'll keep an eye on the manuscript for you to prevent it from being leaked."

Looking at Zhang Zhong'e's righteous indignation, Zhang Shouren thought to himself, "I don't believe you for a second. I think you're the one who's all talk."

However, as a long-time colleague, I knew that Zhang Zhong'e had fallen into his old habit. In fact, this is a common problem for all editors or literature lovers. When they come across a good article, they want to read it as soon as possible and will read it and study it repeatedly.

However, since "Hibiscus Town" had not yet been approved, Chen Weidong still had the final say. Zhang Shouren looked at Chen Weidong, wanting to see the latter's attitude.

"I'm fine with anything. I've submitted the manuscript to October. You guys decide what to do."

Chen Weidong said with a smile, secretly pleased that his manuscript was so captivating.

It turns out that choosing to write was the right decision. Not only can one earn money legitimately, but one can also become famous. Whether it was Zhang Shouren, Zhang Zhong'e, or Wang Liming whom I met yesterday, their attitudes changed after learning that he was an author.

Nowadays, writers can achieve both fame and fortune as long as their manuscripts become wildly popular.

"Then be careful!"

Zhang Shouren emphasized his words, then handed the manuscript to Zhang Zhong'e, took Chen Weidong to the cafeteria, and even asked the chef to cook two dishes.

"Brother Zhang, I'll pay. Didn't we agree on that before?"

Chen Weidong took out his money and was about to pay when Zhang Shouren stopped him.

"We eat at our company's restaurant, how could we let you pay? Besides, you really helped me a lot today, not only agreeing to attend the symposium, but also providing me with such a good article."

If I make you pay, it's not only embarrassing for me, Old Zhang, but next time, you'll be treating us to dinner.

In the end, Chen Weidong couldn't persuade Zhang Shouren otherwise and made the latter pay.

"Wei Dong, don't leave yet. Before, the fans didn't know your home address, so they mailed all the letters about 'The Herdsman' to the editorial department. Now that you're here, take them back and have a look."

Zhang Shouren led Chen Weidong to the warehouse.

"What are these?"

Chen Weidong pointed to the two large sacks in front of him and looked at Zhang Shouren with some disbelief.

"How could that be?"

Before Chen Weidong could even catch his breath, Zhang Shouren continued, "There are some more that were sent recently, I haven't had time to pack them yet."

He then found another burlap sack, led Chen Weidong to the gatehouse, and put all the letters related to "The Herdsman" into the sack.

Chen Weidong had originally planned to take the bus back, but now he could only take a rickshaw, which was twice as expensive as usual. This was only because he was a local; otherwise, no one would have offered to give him a ride, since three large sacks of letters were much heavier than an adult.

……

Seeing Chen Weidong carrying a sack in, Su Man asked with some concern, "What did you buy this time?"

Since his son was born, Chen Weidong's personality has changed a lot. He has stopped going out and fooling around, become much more considerate, started taking care of his family, and even started writing articles to earn money.

However, his extravagant spending habits have only gotten worse. He was given 100 yuan in Yangjiatun and spent almost all of it in no time. He even bought sheep worth only a few dozen yuan without hesitation.

On the train, just to make sure Chen Xiaosui ate well, a meal cost more than a dollar.

No family can afford to spend so much.

Not to mention that their family didn't have much money to begin with, and Su Man was afraid that Chen Weidong would spend all of their remaining savings.

……