1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 13: Commissioned Work
“You’re looking for Fusheng? His whole family has gone to his wife’s parents’ home.”

Xiao Xinghai led the reporter who wanted to interview Chen Fusheng all the way to the neighborhood where Chen Fusheng's parents lived, and finally found out their whereabouts.

"Auntie, do you know where Comrade Fusheng's wife's family is located?" a reporter from the Hubei Daily asked.

"Oh my, that's really far. His wife is from Northeast China, I think it's Harbin, the northernmost city."

Upon hearing this, the reporter felt a pang of unease, realizing that his plan to interview Fusheng was likely to be delayed.

Still somewhat unwilling to give up, she asked, "Then, ma'am, do you know when they'll be back?"

"I don't know about that, but Fusheng just got married this year, and his wife's family lives far away, so it's not easy for them to go there. I guess he won't be back anytime soon."

"Okay, thank you, ma'am."

The reporter also agreed, and now he had no choice but to give up.

In the following days, as "Bullfighting" became increasingly popular, more and more reporters tried to contact the author, including some from other provinces, but all of them returned empty-handed.

Even the magazine "Fangcao" couldn't get in touch with Chen Fusheng.

"The phone is ringing again. I bet it's for Fusheng again. Lao Xiao, you're his editor, go answer it quickly."

Xiao Xinghai said, "I've received more phone calls in the last two days than I have in the previous month. You might as well make me a switchboard operator."

"Alright, stop showing off. If we're still looking for Fusheng, we might really have to contact the Federation of Literary and Art Circles in Harbin and ask them to help us find someone."

Xiao Xinghai nodded, then walked over and answered the phone.

"Hello, this is the Fangcao magazine office."

"Hello, I am Han Sanping, a director from Sichuan Emei Film Studio. I read a novel called 'Bullfight' in your magazine and we believe it has the potential to be adapted into a film or television series. I would like to ask if the copyright of the novel is still valid?"

"Hey, hey, Director Han, is your Emei Film Studio really going to make 'Cow'?"

"Yes, we really want to film it. If possible, we would also like to invite the author of 'Cow' to be our screenwriter."

Han Sanping continued on the phone: "Is Fusheng from Hubei? I'd like to come to Hubei this Friday to discuss the novel and my ideas for its subsequent adaptation with him."

“Fusheng is from Hubei, but if you come this Friday, Director Han, you probably won’t run into him.”

Xiao Xinghai didn't keep them in suspense on the phone, and further explained: "Because he went back to his wife's parents' home some time ago, many reporters have tried to interview him but haven't been able to these past few days."

"I see..." Han Sanping asked somewhat unwillingly, "When will he be back? Can you help me contact him?"

"I don't know when Teacher Chen will be back, but our magazine can try to contact him for you. We'll call you back if we get any results. Director Han, is that alright?"

"Yes, yes, thank you so much..."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Xinghai sighed and said, "Sigh, it seems we really have to trouble the literary federation over there. I hope they have some sportsmanship and don't try to steal our people."

Literary magazines in Harbin include *Northern Literature*, *Women's Friend*, *New Youth*, and *Science Times*.

Among them, the sponsor of "Northern Literature" is the Harbin Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and its status is equivalent to that of "Fangcao" in Hubei.

However, the domestic popularity of "Northern Literature" and the sales volume of each issue cannot compare with "Fangcao".

Previously, when talking about "Fangcao"... to be more precise, "Jiangcheng Literature" before its name change was considered a second-tier magazine in China, while "Northern Literature" could barely be ranked in the third tier.

Lu Wenhai is both the vice chairman of the Harbin Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the editor-in-chief of "Northern Literature".

He never expected to receive a call from the Hubei Federation of Literary and Art Circles today. He never expected that Fu Sheng, the author of the recently popular novel "Fighting Bull," would be in Harbin right now. What he didn't expect even more was that this author was actually the son-in-law of his old comrade-in-arms.

Without saying a word, Lu Wenhai, carrying two bottles of wine, arrived at the Oriental Rose residential complex. "Old Lu, what brings you here today, you busy man?"

"You old Liu, you didn't even invite me to my niece's wedding. Don't you recognize your old comrades anymore?"

"It's not that I didn't want to invite you... well, it's a long story. Please come in and sit down."

Lu Wenhai wasn't there to interrogate anyone, so he didn't dwell on the issue. After entering the house, he looked around but didn't find his target, so he asked directly, "Old Liu, where's your son-in-law?"

Chen Fusheng's father-in-law was a reconnaissance soldier in the army when he was young. He had been wondering why Lu Wenhai had suddenly come to visit, but now he understood.

So this guy came after his own son-in-law.

That makes sense. My son-in-law is now a bestselling author who made his name with one book, and Lu Wenhai is the editor-in-chief of Northern Literature. It's not surprising that he came to visit his son-in-law.

After guessing his old comrade's purpose, the father-in-law relaxed and felt a sense of pride.

He deliberately asked:
"Old Lu, what do you want with my son-in-law? They went to my child's aunt's house."

"What a coincidence! But I do have something to discuss with your son-in-law."

"What is it?" the father-in-law asked.

"Here's the thing, the Hubei Federation of Literary and Art Circles asked us to pass on a message to your son-in-law, saying that the magazine 'Fangcao' is looking for him, and asking him to call back when he has time."

Did they say what they wanted to see my son-in-law about?

"What else could it be? Your son-in-law's novel is very popular right now, and a lot of reporters want to interview him..."

"Alright, I'll tell Fusheng and the others about this when they return."

Lu Wenhai rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Actually, there's another matter I've come to visit this time."

"you say?"

"Old Liu, you must be aware of the current situation of our 'Northern Literature' magazine. We are basically unable to expand beyond the three northeastern provinces. It is rare for a bestselling author to come to Harbin. So, I am here on behalf of 'Northern Literature' to solicit articles from Comrade Fusheng."

"Okay, Lao Lu, I understand why you're here. I'll pass it on for you later. But although I'm not a writer, I know that writing a novel isn't something you can just do on a whim, so I can't guarantee whether this will work out or not."

"Okay, thanks. But old comrade, you have to stand on my side and persuade your son-in-law. As for the benefits, we can talk about it."

……

It was almost evening when Chen Fusheng and the others finally returned.

Lu Wenhai had already left by then.

The father-in-law didn't let him down; he relayed the message his old comrade had asked him to convey and the article request.

"It's too late today. Tomorrow, let Xiaojun take you to their bank and use their office phone to call back 'Fangcao' magazine. Otherwise, long-distance calls like this are too expensive outside," the mother-in-law suggested after listening from the side.

Seeing that his brother-in-law also nodded, Chen Fusheng didn't stand on ceremony.

As for the commission from Northern Literature, Chen Fusheng, out of respect for his father-in-law, neither directly refused nor directly agreed.

"I need to think about it first and see if I can get any inspiration," Chen Fusheng said.

"It's alright. If you can write, then write. If you really can't, just refuse. There's no need to feel pressured." Although the father-in-law had agreed to his comrade's request, he didn't want to put pressure on his son-in-law because of his relationship with his father.

(End of this chapter)