1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

"Old factory director, how could we trouble you to come and pick us up in person?"

When the film crew exited the train station, they found that Wang Yang, the former director of Yanying Film Studio, was already waiting outside the station with his team.

This immediately surprised and bewildered Cheng Xuemin, Huang Jianzhong, and others, who quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Xuemin, you are fighting for the country in Chenjiagou, but someone in our backyard is talking nonsense!"

"You may not understand, but this old man with a few bones is definitely going to stand by your side!"

Former factory director Wang Yang stepped forward, took Cheng Xuemin's hands in his, and shook his hand, saying...

"Old factory director, are you talking about the Jiangcheng Evening News?"

"Actually, I didn't care much!"

If Cheng Xuemin could know what was happening outside in Chenjiagou, then the old factory director in Yanjing must know even more.

"Xuemin, you were right not to respond!" The old factory director nodded, then added, "However, the current situation is becoming increasingly acute!"

"You might not know this yet, but there are already a lot... Never mind, let's get in the car first and talk about it when we get back!"

Cheng Xuemin understood exactly what the old factory director wanted to say!
Now, besides Jiangcheng Evening News, many local newspapers and publications are echoing and criticizing him as a pioneer of reform and opening up.

There has been no movement in Yanjing, presumably because the higher-ups gave the order to suppress it.

Otherwise, there would be a few envious people who would definitely join in and fan the flames, as if they were afraid that things wouldn't get bigger enough.

But there was no movement from the newspapers and magazines in Yanjing, so they must have been suppressed.

Or perhaps a few familiar figures, out of kinship, refrained from publishing any reports or comments detrimental to Cheng Xuemin.

of course!

At this critical juncture, not many people are as proactive as those commenting on "Garland at the Foot of the Mountain," and few have stepped forward to speak out and fight back for Cheng Xuemin.

Although Cheng Xuemin was far away in Chenjiagou, he was closely following the development of the situation.

I didn't think much of it at first. As long as he doesn't retaliate or fight back, this wave of trouble will probably pass quickly.

But now that he has met the old factory director, and that he has gone to the trouble of personally picking him up at the train station and standing up for him, it is clear that the development of the situation has exceeded Cheng Xuemin's expectations.

really!

Upon arriving at Yanying Film Studio, the old director recounted the undercurrents in Yanjing to Cheng Xuemin in detail, which made him instantly realize that his decision not to fight was far too optimistic.

"Xuemin, don't feel any pressure! In short, no matter how things develop, your former boss and I are on your side!"

"Whatever ideas you have, feel free to go for them!"

"Don't worry, you have us old guys backing you up!"

The old factory director suddenly slammed his hand on the table, instantly snapping Cheng Xuemin out of his daze. He quickly said, "Thank you, old factory director! I know what to do now!"

"Good, Xuemin, we are very pleased that you have this mindset!"

"Tell me, what are you going to do?"

The old factory director, Wang Yang, never expected that writing just a few popular fictional stories would cause such a huge uproar.

But looking back, it's clear that Cheng Xuemin was just too prodigious and young, yet so highly regarded by Hai Zi, leaving his peers far behind.

Therefore, those who are not envied or resented are mediocre people.

Cheng Xuemin is such a young and extraordinary talent, yet he holds a high position and great power. How could he not be envied and resented?

So some people are just jealous, like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to make a mistake, even the smallest one. That makes them as excited as flies landing on excrement, constantly attacking and making a big fuss about the smallest, even insignificant, things.

Just like this incident!
Submitting popular historical fiction to Story Club was an extremely ordinary thing, something even the old factory director and others knew about.

But the other side insisted on holding onto Cheng Xuemin's reputation as a pioneer of reform and opening up and a rising star in the literary world, insisting that he could not write popular novels, otherwise he would be considered to be degrading himself.

But can literature be classified as high or low, noble or base?

Anyway, the old factory director felt that it was incomprehensible, and that the person who started it was a lunatic.

Previously, Cheng Xuemin was filming a movie in Chenjiagou and ignored it; everyone thought he was doing the right thing.

Unexpectedly, the other party became increasingly unscrupulous and without any bottom line, acting like a mad dog, which was truly incomprehensible.

"Old factory director, actually I was in Chenjiagou when I first heard the news. The crew was filming the scene where Master Yu Hai, who plays the Tai Chi master Chen Zhengying, is besieged by his enemies!"

"I read the script at the time. Chen Zhengying resolved this crisis by not dodging or flinching, but by using softness to overcome hardness, and ultimately the enemy was defeated without a fight!"

"So at that time I felt that it should be like the Tai Chi secret in the script, true strength is not about head-on confrontation, but about knowing when to strike and when to hold back."

"So at the time I chose to ignore it, feeling there was no need to respond!"

Cheng Xuemin then spoke, explaining that he had initially not intended to respond, but now he changed the subject, saying, "However, now, it's probably time to make a move."

Originally, Cheng Xuemin planned to send the Tai Chi team to the Berlin Film Festival at the end of next month after completing the follow-up work.

After Tai Chi achieves brilliant results, he will return home in glory.

At that time, all the criticisms and attacks will seem so powerless and pale in the face of tens of millions of US dollars in foreign exchange earnings.

However, Cheng Xuemin is still too optimistic.

Judging from the old factory director's grave expression, as if facing a formidable enemy, the undercurrents behind the scenes are likely far more turbulent.

Cheng Xuemin is unaware that, just as the old factory director said, everything is being supported and managed by him and his former superiors.

and so!
At the beginning, Cheng Xuemin made the pledge with a bit of a "let's give it a try" attitude, but now he simply cannot afford to lose.

Otherwise, his loss would also implicate the powerful figures who had been silently supporting him.

"Alright, then we old guys will be waiting for you to make your move!"

The old factory director nodded in agreement. Previously, Cheng Xuemin wasn't in Yanjing, so they didn't know how to respond or cooperate.

Now that Cheng Xuemin has returned to Yanjing and is preparing to make his move, let's wait and see!

"Brother Cheng, wanna go to the public bathhouse together?"

With the old factory director's support, Cheng Xuemin made up his mind to go back and write a counterattack article overnight, which he would send to the People's Daily the next day.

Lost in thought, he ran into Ji Chunhua and his group, who had just settled in and were heading to the public bathhouse, when he called out to them, "Hey, you're here!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xuemin thought that he had been on the train for three days and three nights and his body smelled terrible. He was sure that his wife and son would find him repulsive when he went home like this.

He immediately thought that it would be good to take a bath and change into clean clothes before going back while he was at the factory, so he readily agreed to Ji Chunhua's suggestion.

Not long after, Cheng Xuemin, having changed into clean clothes, entered the large public bathhouse, which was filled with steam.

Standing in front of rows of wooden wardrobes, Cheng Xuemin quickly took off his clothes and then asked Yu Rongguang, who was still dawdling and hadn't gone in yet, "Xiao Yu, aren't you going home today?"

Yu Rongguang was a martial arts actor at the Yanjing Peking Opera Company. His family members were also from the Peking Opera Company, so his home was in the company's residential compound, which was not far from the Yanjing Film Studio.

"Go back, Brother Cheng! I was just thinking of washing up first before going back!"

Yu Rongguang had already taken off his clothes and was whistling, looking quite content.

Men!
People generally prefer to be open and honest with each other, and Yu Rongguang is very confident in his abilities and is extremely competitive.

Anyway, he deliberately stayed until the end and found that none of Li Lianjie, Ji Chunhua, Hu Jianqiang, Du Yuming, Xiong Xinxin, and Sun Jiankui were any of them who could fight.

Therefore, in terms of martial arts skills, Yu Rongguang probably wouldn't rank among the best in the entire crew.

But in terms of capital, who else should I choose?
He acted like he was the best in the world, and told others not to be too smug or arrogant.

Just then, Cheng Xuemin came in last, which reignited Yu Rongguang's competitive spirit. He had competed against every martial arts actor in the entire crew.

Since only Brother Cheng was left, I decided to whistle and take a quick look over while we were taking off our clothes and chatting.

But Cheng Xuemin wasn't fully undressed yet, and Yu Rongguang, growing anxious, tried to make conversation by asking, "Brother Cheng, aren't you going home? Actually, about those things in the newspapers, you..."

Just then, Cheng Xuemin finished undressing, and Yu Rongguang's eyes bulged out as he stared intently, his mouth involuntarily uttering in amazement: "Big...big...big...big...big...no need to pay any attention to him!"

"Yes, there's really no need to pay attention to it. You don't need to take it to heart either. Just focus on doing your job well!" Cheng Xuemin lowered his head and stuffed the clothes into the closet. He didn't notice Yu Rongguang's strange behavior. He just assumed that Yu Rongguang was worried about the news in the newspaper and whether it would affect the movie "Tai Chi". So he comforted him without looking up.

"Yes, yes, we know! Brother Cheng, I'll go in first!"

Yu Rongguang withdrew his horrified eyes, quickly replied with a couple of words, and then, like a defeated rooster, slunk into the bathhouse.

There was only one thought in my mind: how could Brother Cheng's be so big?

Absolutely... Is he born a donkey?
"Little Li, Little Li, Little Ji, Little Ji, you all need to look at Brother Cheng! Look at Brother Cheng!" Yu Rongguang, who had rushed into the bathhouse first, quickly called to Li Lianjie and Ji Chunhua, who were already inside, to get ready.

"What's wrong? What happened to Brother Cheng...?"

Before Li Lianjie could even peek out and ask what was wrong with Brother Cheng, she saw their Brother Cheng come in wrapped in a towel.

However, even with such a large towel, it couldn't completely cover the area; it only covered the tip of the iceberg, leaving Li Lianjie and Ji Chunhua utterly dumbfounded.

Especially Li Lianjie, who was the most insecure among the boys.

This injury was already frustrating enough.

But when Cheng Xuemin walked in so casually, it was a fatal blow to Li Lianjie, who had absolutely no confidence.

A little incident!
After washing away the stench, Cheng Xuemin felt refreshed and his previously clueless counterattack suddenly came to him.

So he didn't wait to get home before starting to write, but went straight back to his office and began to write.

We won't play games with those refined types. Since they're so fixated on Cheng Xuemin's "undeniable vulgarity," then let's just keep being vulgar to the end.

Therefore, Cheng Xuemin's article title is also very simple: "Why I Write Popular Novels".

"Some people say that 'The Cotton Robe' is feudal dross because it depicts martial arts and the world of chivalry. But they forget that 'Water Margin' is also about the world of chivalry, and 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' also depicts martial arts. Does that mean those are all dross?"

Some people say that popular literature cannot be considered highbrow, but isn't what ordinary people like literature?

"When I was filming in Chenjiagou, I saw an old farmer carrying a copy of 'Story Club' in his pocket. He would take it out to read when he rested in the fields, and he would laugh like a child."

They don't understand stream of consciousness, nor are they accustomed to obscure poetry, but they can find themselves reflected in the stories—like the warrior monk in "The Cotton Robe," who is willing to sacrifice himself to protect others. Isn't this the spirit we should praise?

"Some people say that as a pioneer of reform and opening up, I should write more 'sophisticated' works. But reform and opening up is not an abstract concept; it must be grounded in reality and made clear to ordinary people."

Popular novels are like bridges, conveying profound truths in language that ordinary people can understand. What's wrong with that?

……

I wrote several thousand words, then put them in an envelope and wrote down the submission address.

Originally, Cheng Xuemin thought of submitting directly to the People's Daily, but then he changed his mind. He realized that a small newspaper like the Jiangcheng Evening News was not worth his effort; he didn't need to use the People's Daily to achieve a much better result.

He doesn't deserve it!
So let alone People's Daily, even Wenyi Bao wouldn't be qualified to be on the same level.

Since the other party's main platform is Jiangcheng Evening News, let's not say that Cheng Xuemin is bullying people. Let's have an evening newspaper against an evening newspaper. This time, Cheng Xuemin chose Yanjing Evening News.

After filling in the address for the Beijing Evening News, it was almost time to leave work, so I found my brother-in-law, Feng Jiazhao, from the screenwriting department and asked him to drive me home.

not bad!
After driving independently for more than a month, my brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao's driving skills have become quite advanced.

"Xuemin, you've gotten thinner and darker since you went out!"

Wenyi picked up her pregnant sister-in-law, who was already showing when she got in the car. She was genuinely surprised to see Cheng Xuemin and exclaimed in surprise.

"Really? I'm alright, I'm alright!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded, replying to his sister-in-law. Then, just like his brother-in-law, he couldn't help but mention the things in the newspaper.

He also needed to understand his mother-in-law and father-in-law's views and attitudes on the matter so that Cheng Xuemin could prepare himself mentally before going back.

"Why have you lost so much weight? Did you not like the food in Chenjiagou?"

The same concern was expressed by his own wife, Feng Jiayou. Just as she arrived home, she was about to push her stroller inside when the family car came back.

She thought it was her older brother and sister-in-law coming home from get off work, but she never expected that the first person to get off the bus would be the man she had been longing for. She was overjoyed.

But upon closer inspection, she noticed that her man had become thinner and darker, and she couldn't help but ask him with concern.

"No, honey, I just missed you so much! I missed losing weight!" Cheng Xuemin hugged his wife tightly and then confessed, "Honey, I made a mistake in Lushan, and I have to tell you!"

……

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