1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 147 I need to write a report! (Seeking monthly votes)
On her way back, Yao Fanghua didn't go straight home but went directly to the hospital. These past few days, she had been staying by the bedside of the unconscious old woman, waiting day after day, hoping the old woman would open her eyes and that her pleas would be answered.

Two days passed, but there was still no word from the district government. Yao Fanghua couldn't wait any longer and went to the police station again, cautiously inquiring about the progress of the matter, only to receive the same answer as always: "We are still handling this matter, please wait a little longer."

His tone was so calm that it revealed not a trace of emotion, showing no intention of making a big fuss. Yao Fanghua knew perfectly well that her report had probably already been ignored.

She stood in the police station lobby, took a deep breath, her chest heavy, and felt her last remaining glimmer of hope being extinguished little by little by the cold water of reality.

Finally, Yao Fanghua remembered Zhou Xu: he must have a way.

This was her only hope.

Thinking of this, Yao Fanghua immediately rushed to Zhou Xu's school.

She stood at the door and said to her comrades from the military academy, "Can anyone help me find Comrade Zhou Xu?!"

Zhou Xu was frequently sought after, and the soldiers had been informed by their superiors once. Most of those who sought Zhou Xu's attention were lenient. Seeing how beautiful the woman was, the soldiers assumed she was Zhou Xu's girlfriend, and nodded, "Later!!"

In the dormitory.

Zhou Xu was still resting in bed when he heard someone outside the door calling, "Comrade Zhou Xu, someone outside is looking for you. They say they're your friend! Someone from the drama theater?"

Zhou Xu immediately thought of Yao Fanghua.

So he tidied up for a while, then immediately came out of the house and headed towards the reception room.

Upon arriving at the reception room, Zhou Xu smiled and walked over to Yao Fanghua, who had a serious expression on her face. "Fanghua, you've arrived!"

Upon seeing Zhou Xu arrive, all the grievances Yao Fanghua had suffered instantly surfaced. She had always been cared for by the old lady and regarded her as her own grandmother. Now that the old lady was being bullied, she felt the same way.

Zhou Xu was the same; he had always been very important to her. So when she saw him, she immediately ran over and threw herself into his arms! Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "Zhou Xu... Zhou Xu!!"

Zhou Xu was surprised, but when he felt her slender body trembling against his chest, like a small animal, he felt a warm current and his heart softened.

A woman's coquettishness and crying have always been a man's weakness, and Zhou Xu was no exception: "What's wrong? Tell me slowly?"

He gently patted Yao Fanghua on the back.

Yao Fanghua burst into tears, feeling wronged, and then said resentfully, "I'm telling you... it just now!?"

Zhou Xu listened slowly, "Mmm, I understand!"

Yao Fanghua went on to talk about the district government's inaction.

Hearing Yao Fanghua's tone, the veins on Zhou Xu's hands bulged.

Zhou Xu calmed down for a moment and asked some other questions: "Are you sure the urban construction stopped right next door?"

Yao Fanghua nodded emphatically: "Actually, we don't need to build to the old lady's place, but her house is in a good location with good transportation and water conservancy. The person in charge of urban construction wants to build a hotel there, so he wants to take advantage of the urban construction's power to sell the land together!"

He had received kindness from the old man, who treated him to meals during the Lunar New Year. Now, the old man brings him all sorts of things to eat every month. He is a kind and respectable person.

Moreover! Most importantly, Zhou Xu is a soldier, and Zhou Xu's father is also a soldier!
He knew the old lady was the widow of a martyr of the War of Resistance Against Japan! What a noble and pitiful group of people! Now she's been injured because of the forced demolition. Is there no law left here?
Zhou Xu took a deep breath: "Fanghua, I'll handle this!!"

“You…” Yao Fanghua did not question Zhou Xu.

After all, Zhou Xu is the most resourceful person she knows. If even he is helpless, then there is probably no hope for this matter.

With that in mind, she had no choice but to trust Zhou Xu and looked up to ask, "Okay! What do you plan to do?"

Zhou Xu tapped the table, pondered for a moment, and said, "I'll write a letter and send it to the Xinhua Daily later. The recipient may not hold a high position, but someone who dares to do something like this must have powerful backers. I don't know how much influence those backers have, but I need to make sure they don't dare to easily step forward to protect me!"

Influence has always been a form of power, a principle that Zhou Xu firmly believes in, and the core logic that the Internet age has taught him—traffic is king.

Once this dark phenomenon is exposed, it will not only shake public trust in some government departments, but also chill the hearts of soldiers. Therefore, once the matter escalates, the relevant parties will inevitably try to resolve the problem and make amends.

Moreover, the People's Liberation Army has always been considerate of the families of martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan. Many families have only been able to obtain justice by reporting their situations to the army. Zhou Xu is determined to help the old lady get justice this time as well.

And as long as justice is served, the soldiers' sense of belonging and cohesion to the collective will naturally be stronger.

Yao Fanghua nodded emphatically: "Okay! I believe you! As long as we can keep the house, I'll do whatever you say!"

Zhou Xu lowered his head and spread out the paper. The pen tip scratched across the paper, and every word he wrote was powerful and resounding.

Of course, traffic is king. Zhou Xu used to be just a small-time writer, but now his size is enough to attract the attention of many leaders. "Once this letter is sent out, and the Xinhua Daily publishes it, the matter will be impossible to keep quiet."

After Zhou Xu finished writing and dried the ink, he folded the paper and handed it to Yao Fanghua. “What they are afraid of is the fermentation of public opinion, the label of ‘bullying the family of martyrs’ being attached to them.’ At that time, not to mention Zhang Han, even his backers will have to think twice about whether they should protect him.”

Hearing this, Yao Fanghua's eyes were filled with gratitude for Zhou Xu: "Thank you for being willing to help!!"

She didn't understand anything about online traffic, but she was already very touched that Zhou Xu was willing to speak out.
Yao Fanghua has always felt that Zhou Xu is a kind and righteous person!
After packing their things, Zhou Xu went to the army base to ask for leave. He took Yao Fanghua directly to the Xinhua Daily and handed the letter to the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

Zhou Xu's influence is undeniable. After reading the letter, the editor-in-chief was slightly taken aback.

Zhou Xu quickly asked, "Editor-in-chief, what's wrong with this news?"

The editor-in-chief stroked his chin, pondering, "Is this a bit too sensitive?!"

"If your organization doesn't dare to publish it, you can simply give it back to me. I can publish it in countless newspapers, including the Hubei Daily, Jiangsu Daily, and Luzhou Daily!" Zhou Xu said with a hint of impatience, as the matter of saving people was already bothering him!

Hearing Zhou Xu's words, the editor-in-chief said, "Well... we can publish it, but could you give me some time to consider it?"

Zhou Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief and finally said, "In that case, I'll go to the hospital tonight. If it can't be published when I get back, let me know and I'll submit it to another newspaper or magazine!"

"Ok."

The editor-in-chief nodded and let Zhou Xu leave.

Newspapers don't seem to be afraid to publish any news; how many unscrupulous media outlets and malicious news stories have there been over the past decade? Plenty! News media only care about traffic!

Furthermore, apart from top-tier newspapers, the scope of news coverage is inherently small. After a moment's thought, the editor-in-chief convened a large meeting!
A group of people discussed it for a long time!
In the end, the editor-in-chief made a decision that defied his ancestors: "Publish it!!!"

……

Zhou Xu took Yao Fanghua to the hospital, and waited for her for half a day after Zhou Xu arrived.

The old lady finally woke up today, and Zhou Xu immediately asked, "Grandma, are you alright?"

The old lady looked at Zhou Xu and slowly sat up on her side in bed: "Is it nothing serious?! Is this a hospital?"

"Yes! You're injured. This is the hospital where you're being treated!" Yao Fanghua went over and brought over a glass of water. The old lady took a sip of water; she had just woken up and was still quite confused.

But suddenly, she thought of her house: "Oh no!? I have to go back!!"

Zhou Xu grabbed her hand and immediately said, "Grandma, I know everything about what happened to you! Trust me, I'll help you no matter what!"

“You…” The old lady shook her head: “Xiao Xu, don’t get involved! This is a troublesome matter…”

Zhou Xu immediately retorted, "I'm from the performing arts troupe!? This is such a huge issue of ideological guidance! Shouldn't we stop it!?"

"..."

End of July.

In front of a small newsstand in Xuanwu District, a man walked up and said, "Comrade, would you like a newspaper?"

He glanced at it and saw a copy of the Xinhua Daily with the words "Forced Demolition!! War War Widows Being Occupied!" written in large characters.

Wow? That's fucking explosive!? Even though he didn't know what the news was about, the man became curious: "Give me this newspaper!?"

The boss handed it to him: "This is big news, and it seems to be written by a famous author?"

"Tsk tsk tsk?" The man became even more interested upon hearing this: "Give me two portions!?"

So he took the two newspapers and left!
In the past few days, the Xinhua Daily finally published this news article, and the editor-in-chief did not change a single word:
"At the end of July, in xx Street, Xuanwu District, the urban construction and road repair target had actually been closed for (n-1) households, but the construction team insisted on demolishing the nth household! Simply because a certain person in charge of a certain company wanted to develop a large hotel!"

This person is apparently the son of someone in a certain department; I'm not sure what other relatives he has! But in order to forcibly demolish and rebuild, he openly beat people with shovels! This resulted in an elderly person being seriously injured and hospitalized…

This old lady's son was a sent-down youth who contracted an illness and passed away there; her husband was a veteran of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and he even had a first-class merit commemorative album! I just don't understand!? Are we widows of martyrs of the War of Resistance Against Japan not even allowed to receive proper care?!…

At the end of the news article, Zhou Xu posted a photo of himself receiving the First-Class Merit Award!
After reading the news, the man instantly lost his temper: "Damn it! How dare they bully people like this?! I'm going to sue them!! Are these people even human?! They're utterly beasts! Worse than beasts!!"

(End of this chapter)