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

On the morning of the opening ceremony of the National Congress of Literary and Art Circles, the words of blessing from the veteran leader to the literary and artistic circles were widely disseminated by major newspapers and news broadcasts during the lunch break.

The spring of cultural expression has truly arrived.

In an instant, the already exciting and exhilarating lunch break was elevated to an unprecedented level.

Li Mo'an and the others from the Jiangcheng University delegation were utterly speechless upon witnessing this scene. Their so-called allies, who had previously been close by, discussing cooperation at the meeting, instantly shunned them like the plague, keeping their distance and refusing to approach.

This made Li Mo'an and others feel that the literary and art congress had only just begun, and it wasn't even their turn to speak yet, as if their spring had already withered prematurely.

The surrounding delegations are still focused on the topic of Cheng Xuemin.

However, the situation has completely changed!
They've all gathered at the Yan Film Studio, praising Cheng Xuemin for being so young and outstanding.

Of course, the main purpose was to subtly inquire why they had invited Cheng Xuemin with such high-level and unique treatment.

"A wreath at the foot of the mountain?"

Li Mo'an quickly realized that it must be because of "The Garland Under the Mountain" that the kid was highly regarded by Hai Zi.

Ironically, they chose to criticize someone shortly after the publication of "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain," when Hai Zi had issued a call for nationwide reading—at the height of his fame.

The ridiculous thing is that they only managed to capture people and write a few popular fictional stories for the story magazine.

With that, if they don't fail, who will?
Ultimately, it was their own failure to grasp the situation clearly that led them to believe they could escalate a minor flaw into a major attack and bring the enemy down.

That era is over!
It's no longer the time when a single unorthodox article can bring someone down with a stick.

"Teacher An, right?"

At this moment, a young man wearing glasses, whose accent sounded like that of someone from Shanghai, came over and greeted An Shaokang, who had been standing silently beside him.

An Shaokang was startled and jumped in surprise.

You should know that right now, the most clownish and shameless person at the entire literary and art congress is none other than An Shaokang.

Because he is Li Mo'an's vanguard at Jiangcheng University!
Those front-page headlines in Jiangcheng Evening News were all written by An Shaokang; Li Mo'an was merely behind the scenes fanning the flames.

So now everyone is avoiding him like the plague, but no one expected that someone would actually come over and greet him so warmly.

This surprised and puzzled An Shaokang, and Li Mo'an, who was standing next to him, was also taken aback and looked at the person with a questioning look.

I was so engrossed in watching the commotion at Yanying Factory that I didn't really notice which group this person came from.

"Hello? Who are you?" Li Mo'an gestured with his eyes, and An Shaokang understood and asked.

In fact, An Shaokang was relieved, at least for now.

Because of the speech draft that Teacher Li had given him, he was struggling with whether or not to use it at the meeting.

it's good now!

With that, it was the final word. Teacher Li, already disheartened, had instructed him that the manuscript could be destroyed and not a single word could be published.

Otherwise, they would be openly regressing during the meeting and going against the spirit of the meeting.

The consequences would be dire, not only for a small lecturer like An Shaokang, but also for Li Mo'an, the mastermind behind it all.

Therefore, that original manuscript must be destroyed immediately.

"Teacher An!"

"Is this Director Li Mo'an from Jiangcheng University?"

The young man with glasses didn't introduce himself first, but instead asked Li Mo'an, who was standing next to him, a question!
"It is indeed me. Forgive my bluntness, but this comrade looks completely unfamiliar. May I ask what business you have with me?" Li Mo'an nodded, even more suspicious of what this guy wanted.

"Director Li, hello!" The young man with glasses nodded repeatedly, then smiled and gestured towards the Yan Film Factory, continuing, "I overheard something when I passed by just now. Director Li, Teacher An, do you know what they were talking about?"

"Aren't you just laughing at me for overestimating myself?" An Shaokang's face darkened instantly upon hearing this, and he said coldly.

With so many people gathered over there, what good could possibly be happening?!

It's true what they say, fortunes change. Those people used to revolve around Jiangcheng University.

But who knew!
The literary gathering had barely begun, and those people, having caught wind of the situation, had completely and utterly sided with that side.

An Shaokang and his group noticed that several of the people there were representatives from their Jiangcheng region and other parts of Hubei province.

In particular, the director of the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Troupe was currently trying to get close to Yan Ying Factory. He was Liu Xiaoli's former troupe leader, which made An Shaokang feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Teacher An, I didn’t hear much about that!” The young man with glasses shook his head and continued, “But I did hear why Old Liao invited Cheng Xuemin to the lake!”

"why?"

Even Li Mo'an couldn't help but blurt out the question first.

In fact, Li Mo'an had always been suspicious!
Cheng Xuemin was a rising star in the cultural scene in Haizi. He originally taught and studied at Yenching University, and his main base should have been there.

But when they arrived in Yanjing, they were surprised to find that the kid had been temporarily transferred to Yanjing Film Studio.
While Yanying Film Studio also belongs to the cultural sector, it ultimately falls short compared to literary creators.

After all, what else can Yanying Film Studio do besides making a few movies these days?
Could it be that Cheng Xuemin is required to helm the project and write a film with a specific subject matter and propaganda ideology?
"Because of the story behind the wreaths at the foot of the mountain!"

But the young man with glasses asked another question, which not only failed to answer Li Mo'an and the others, but also made them even more puzzled. They pressed on, asking, "What's the story behind the wreaths at the foot of the mountain?"

"Yes! They're all talking about the story behind the wreaths at the foot of the mountain; that's why they view Comrade Cheng Xuemin this way!"

"You may not know this! Before Comrade Cheng Xuemin wrote 'The Wreath Under the Mountain,' he personally visited the southern front to comfort and gather material. I heard he even went deep into enemy territory to support our soldiers..."

Li Mo'an and his student An Shaokang listened attentively, their expressions growing increasingly astonished. No wonder this person was a flag raised in the lake; just hearing the story behind the wreath at the foot of the mountain from this young man was already quite impressive.

They didn't even notice that the other person used the respectful term "Comrade Cheng Xuemin" in their address.

"Director Li and Teacher An, that's all I've found out so far. You may not know this, or you may not have been to Comrade Cheng Xuemin's residence!"

"If you had been to his residence, you might know more and be able to deduce why Elder Liao and the others in Haizili were so supportive of Comrade Cheng Xuemin today!"

After the young man with glasses finished speaking, he ended by saying this in suspense.

"Cheng Xuemin's residence? What's so special about his residence?" Li Mo'an was already terrified enough listening to this, and the information this kid had found out was already inside information that they had no idea about.

If all these inside stories and the events behind this are true, then they are even more clownish than clowns.

Now, this kid is saying that there are even more important clues at Cheng Xuemin's residence, which are related to why Hai Zili unanimously supported him at today's literary and art congress.
Now they've even been invited into the lake for lunch.

"You've been to his place?" An Shaokang's face was filled with shock, but even more so with dejection.

He had thought about the gap between himself and Cheng Xuemin, but he never imagined that the gap would be so big. Before, he only regretted his bad luck and that he wasn't as lucky as Cheng Xuemin.

But now that we've heard these inside stories, how can this be considered good luck?

"I was fortunate enough to visit once before and saw several framed pieces hanging in the main room!"

"Among them are inscriptions personally written by former leaders: 'Pioneers of Reform and Opening Up,' and 'The heroic spirit stained with blood, a tribute to the most beloved people.'"

Sensational!

Li Mo'an felt a pang of disappointment. He had thought there was some big inside story, but it turned out to be just another publicity stunt.

They actually framed and hung the inscription on it, and in the most prominent room of the house. Isn't that just showing off and trying to attract attention?
Of course, having said that!

If they received such a high-level handwritten inscription, they would not only frame it and hang it at home, but they would also definitely make a copy and hang it in the most prominent place at their workplace.

It's quite possible that Jiangcheng University will erect a monument for them, specifically to commemorate this event.

"Of course, I wasn't talking about those two!"

Then the bespectacled young man changed the subject again, instantly making Li Mo'an and his apprentice roll their eyes. Could you please finish your sentence in one go?

These two are already the highest honors that they can only dream of, so what?
Could it be that Cheng Xuemin's family has something more important and impressive than these two framed items?

This is exactly the same as the imperial edict plaques and iron certificates of appointment in ancient times. How come you're implying that there are things even more awesome than these two?

Forgive me, Mr. Li, for devoting his entire life to scholarship, but I really can't think of anything that could be more prestigious and honorable than these two.
The young man with glasses seemed to be deliberately keeping them in suspense. Seeing their curious expressions, he realized he had successfully piqued their interest and didn't press further. He then asked, "Director Li, Teacher An, do you know what else I saw besides these two?"

"That's what you said!"

Li Mo'an rolled his eyes. Was this guy deliberately trying to whet his appetite?
Knowing full well that Jiangcheng University and Cheng Xuemin were already at odds, this guy still deliberately came over to whet their appetites and mess with them.

If I didn't really want to know how they died, where they failed, I would also really want to know what he saw in their house that was even more impressive than an imperial edict or a certificate of merit.

Otherwise, I'd really like to spit a mouthful of phlegm at him and tell him to get lost!
Their morale was already terribly low, but they weren't about to be mocked by some random nobody. "A certificate of merit!" the bespectacled young man finally said with a smile.

This answer left Li Mo'an and his apprentices stunned on the spot. It took them a long time to recover, and they almost spat out blood in anger. But they forced themselves to click their tongues and ask for confirmation: "A certificate of merit?"

This is just a certificate of merit?
Are you referring to the kind of certificates that schools give to their students? Or the kind of certificates that factories give to their workers?
That's it! ?
At best, they might be considered good students, advanced individuals, or glorious workers.

These are all honorary certificates and awards that aren't too impressive, and this guy actually revealed them at the very end like they were his most treasured possessions. Are you really here to make fun of them?
"Just one certificate!" The young man with glasses nodded in confirmation.

"What kind of certificate?" Li Mo'an, now truly suppressing his rage, pressed for an answer.

If this kid really dares to make fun of me like this, then I might as well risk my old bones and my reputation to give this guy a good beating.

Anyway, it's obvious that this guy is definitely one of their group, and he came here to sabotage Jiangcheng University.

He seemed to be kindly sharing the inside story he'd found out, but actually he was just there to mock and ridicule them.

Fortunately, the bespectacled guy stopped keeping them in suspense and told them everything he saw and knew in one go: "It's just the same certificate you give to your students."

"However, the awarding unit above is the General Political Department..."

They really came here to make fun of Yin Yang and the others. Li Mo'an was about to pick up his weapon and go after them on the spot.

But the bespectacled guy's next sentence made Li Mo'an jump in surprise, and he couldn't get past it no matter what.

The certificate of merit issued by the General Political Department?
What certificate?
"Director Li and Teacher An, you heard right. It's a certificate issued by the General Political Department, and it's a 'Special Merit' certificate, awarded to Comrade Cheng Xuemin for his special military achievements on the southern front!"

"A special merit! Director Li, Teacher An, please forgive my ignorance, I really didn't know what kind of special military achievement this was that could earn me a special merit award from the General Political Department?"

The young man wearing glasses looked genuinely surprised and puzzled, as if he were asking them for advice.

"A special merit award?!"

Li Mo'an froze on the spot, his face contorting into purplish-blue bruises and twitching uncontrollably.

What kind of special military achievements would earn someone the title of Special Merit?

Needless to say!

He must have made outstanding contributions on the front lines to be awarded such a high personal honor by the General Political Department.

Li Mo'an finally understood why their fierce attacks had failed to make a ripple in Yanjing.

Do you know why, even though the literary and art congress had just opened and they hadn't even started discussing any topics, the leaders had already set the tone that no one should interfere?

They also learned why they were invited to have lunch together in the lake during the recess.

They risked their lives on the front lines to achieve this! It's laughable that before launching their attacks, they hadn't found out anything, knew nothing at all!
Who are you?

Li Mo'an felt like he had been hit by another heavy blow. His face turned as if he had lost his parents. He stared intently at the bespectacled man in front of him!

Why the hell are you telling them all this?
Would it kill them to be clueless?
Really!

Li Mo'an now truly wishes he knew nothing at all.

Because the ignorant are fearless!

But now, they will surely become the most ridiculous laughingstock in the history of Chinese literature, and their infamy will be remembered for eternity.

Because scholars understand scholars better than anyone else, and they know exactly how sharp the pen in a scholar's hand can be.

"Oh, oh, oh! Director Li, Teacher An, you haven't introduced yourself yet!" The young man with glasses adjusted his glasses and introduced himself in a serious manner, saying, "I am He Chengwei, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Shanghai street vulgar fiction magazine 'Story Club.' My apologies!"

Damn, this is a storybook!

At this moment, Li Mo'an could no longer hold back. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, followed by a sweet taste in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The water splashed directly onto An Shaokang, who was standing nearby. The accompanying representatives from Jiangcheng University were so startled that they all turned pale and rushed over, shouting, "Director Li!"

He Chengwei from the story club was dumbfounded when he saw this, and quickly slipped away while the other party was looking after Old Man Li!

He felt regret and fear. If he had known that this old man Li was so easily frightened, he shouldn't have introduced himself in front of him. He should have just put on a show and made a quick getaway.
A large crowd had gathered around the Yanying Film Studio, especially Ding Daming from China Film Group.

Ding Daming was quite surprised to hear that Cheng Xuemin, the pioneer of reform and opening up who had been raised above, had been seconded to Yan Film Studio.

After all, according to procedure, all film studios across the country are subordinate units of China Film Group, and Yanying Studio is no exception.

Therefore, when comrades like the pioneers of reform and opening up are transferred to the subordinate Yanying Film Studio, they should have gone through the procedures of the China Film Group.

However, in reality, apart from the film copies which must all be distributed by China Film Group, all other personnel and business matters at Yanying Film Studio are directly led by Old Wu from Haizi.

But when Yanying Studio hires a new person, especially a pioneer of reform and opening up like Cheng Xuemin, how can they not inform China Film Group and report what specific work he will be responsible for at Yanying Studio?
But no!

Not only that, after hearing about it, Ding Daming asked Wang Yang, the old director of Yanying Film Studio, several times, but in the end, Wang Yang relied on his seniority and kept it from him.

They only mentioned that Cheng Xuemin had written another script for their Yan Film Studio, and that the studio had invited him to come and guide the filming process.

Ding Daming didn't think much of it when he heard this.

After all, everyone knows that the novels and screenplays written by Cheng Xuemin, a pioneer of reform and opening up, are all very impressive.

Leaving aside the original novel of The Herdsman, it is already considered a pioneering work of reflective literature, establishing its own school of thought. Then there was the film adaptation of The Herdsman, in which he himself starred, which broke the distribution record of their China Film Group in nearly thirty years.

Such a talented young writer, striking while the iron is hot, wrote another script for Yanying Film Studio and personally joined the crew to direct the filming, which is perfectly reasonable!

In fact, Ding Daming and the others had been paying attention to Cheng Xuemin's movements before, and just as Wang Yang said, he had joined the crew to film a movie in Lushan.

But the only discrepancy between what the old factory director Wang Yang said and what he said was that the movie filmed on Mount Lu was produced by the Shanghai Film Studio and had nothing to do with their Yanying Film Studio.

However, the director is Xie Jin, who had worked with Cheng Xuemin before. China Film Group also called Shanghai Film Studio, and the reply from Director Xu Sangchu confirmed that Cheng Xuemin had indeed joined the Lushan film crew.

This puzzled Ding Daming of China Film Group. Why did it not match what Yan Film Studio said? Who exactly did Cheng Xuemin write the new script for, and whose film crew did he join?

Ding Daming's intuition told him that Wang Yang of Yanying Film Studio and Xu Sangchu of Shanghai Film Studio, those two old foxes, were definitely up to something behind his back.

Unfortunately, he had no evidence!
This left Ding Daming quite frustrated for a long time. In addition, Cheng Xuemin himself was indeed confirmed to be on Mount Lu, so he could not confront him in court and could only wait.

However, before Cheng Xuemin could return in person, Jiangcheng University launched a barrage of attacks against him, which quickly escalated into a very heated and sharp conflict.

This once again left Ding Daming of China Film Group completely astonished; this was a brilliant move to undermine their very foundation.

Thinking to himself, this is a great opportunity. No matter what tricks those two old foxes, Wang, Yang, Xu, and Sangchu, are up to behind the back of China Film Group, as long as we remove Cheng Xuemin as our pawn, let's see if they won't reveal their true colors.

Ding Daming of China Film Group was indeed watching the fight from the sidelines, waiting for the old fox to reveal his true colors and see what tricks he was up to.

Thinking that this literary and art congress has given Jiangcheng University a good opportunity to go to Beijing, they will definitely press their advantage and make a concerted effort.

But who knew!

The tone set by the old leader's congratulatory speech at today's opening ceremony was so high that it effectively silenced the people from Jiangcheng University.

During the lunch break, Cheng Xuemin, who was at the center of the storm, was even led into the lake by Liao Lao's hand. This honor shocked Ding Daming of China Film Group.

They became even more restless and quickly gathered around the old factory director, Wang Yang, determined to find out exactly what merits Cheng Xuemin had.
To know!
Liao Gongke was the top leader of their China Film Group, yet he bypassed the group and invited Cheng Xuemin into the lake without even a word of greeting.

Where exactly did things go wrong?
What exactly is Yanying Studio up to that they're doing, bypassing China Film Group and going straight to Liao Gong?

But the more anxious he became, the more Wang Yang, that old fox, played games with him, avoiding the important points and saying things that were neither painful nor meaningful, which made Ding Daming so angry that he cursed under his breath.

"It'll be here soon, just wait a little longer!"

"We'll have the results in about a month!"

After dodging Ding Daming from China Film Group and driving him away, former director Wang Yang met with Xu Sangchu from Shanghai Film Studio.

The other party clearly saw that Cheng Xuemin had been called away by Liao Gong, obviously to report on the progress of the military order, so they came over and asked in a low voice.

Wang Yang gave the old man a reassuring look and whispered.

"Good, good, good! Old Wang, I hope you can succeed this time. I wish you success in advance!" Xu Sangchu's eyes lit up when he heard this. He thought to himself, no wonder the war outside is raging and has now reached right under the nose of their Yan Ying Factory. This old fox and that little fox are still as unmoved as mountains.

The relationship between "Tai Chi" is almost complete, and the results should be available in about a month, which is perfectly normal!
If it were Old Xu in charge, with such an atomic bomb in hand, what would he have to fear from those petty scoundrels jumping around?

He would do the same: focus on doing a good job in the later stages, and then drop the atomic bomb while they are at their most arrogant.

Just imagining that scene is exciting!
……

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