1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 88 Military Marriage
July has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The literary discussion surrounding "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain" is nearing its end.

After tidying up these things in the office of "PLA Literature and Art", Liu Songlin said, "Now that the literary world hasn't fully reached a conclusion, how about we hold a symposium?"

"A symposium?" Liu Jiaju thought it made sense.

That would also boost the popularity of "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain," he called Zhou Xu to ask:
"Did you read the last issue of the Literary Gazette? Comrade Feng Mu publicly spoke out for you."

Zhou Xu said, "I've read it, Comrade Feng Mu wrote it very well."

"You've seen how well 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain' has done. Our magazine has decided to hold a symposium for you?"

Most of the symposiums are held by the magazines for the works they publish.

The time and place were mostly arranged by the magazine.

"Huh?" Zhou Xu was slightly bewildered for a moment.

"Is the symposium being held at the Propaganda Department in our capital? Are you interested?" Liu Jiaju asked on the other end of the phone.

"I don't need to go, do I?"

This question left Liu Jiaju speechless for a while. What author wouldn't attend a symposium? He replied with a smile, "What author wouldn't attend a symposium? Don't joke with me."

"I don't have time?" Zhou Xu was still looking at the documents in his hand, and he really didn't have much time.

"what happened?"

"I'm currently working on a piece of work, so I'm afraid I won't have time to leave the military region."

After all, editors and writers know that writers are most afraid of being disturbed. Once their minds are in disarray, they can't write anything! Of course, this wasn't Zhou Xu deliberately trying to fob off Liu Jiaju.

Hearing this, Liu Jiaju was delighted and said cheerfully, "That's perfect! Your new work is still in progress? When can you submit it?"

Zhou Xu paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I promised to give it to People's Literature last time..."

"why?"

"They kept calling and pestering me for it, so I said I could give them my next novel," Zhou Xu said directly, shifting all the blame onto Cui Daoyi. After all, what these editors are best at is going around asking for manuscripts, right?

"Alright! Let's talk about the symposium later."

Liu Jiaju hung up the phone abruptly and complained to Liu Songlin, "The manuscript has been stolen!"

"Stolen? Who did it?"

"After the novel became a hit, People's Literature called Comrade Zhou Xu to commission a copy, so it was directly taken by him."

Liu Songlin shook his head helplessly: "Cui Daoyi bullies the weak, and People's Literature magazine bullies its customers... After all, which writer doesn't want to publish in People's Literature magazine?"

Neither of them actually blamed Zhou Xu.

Because no writer would refuse to publish their novel in People's Literature, and later generations had four great female writers.

However, in this day and age, People's Literature is the only dominant publication. Of course, in the southern regions, Harvest may have a slightly greater influence than People's Literature.

hang up the phone.

Zhou Xu packed his things and put them back in the archives, then returned to his studio.

We just arrived at the door

Lei Yuansheng looked at Zhou Xu and called out, "Comrade Zhou Xu, there's a military wedding tomorrow, are you going?"

Who's getting married?

Lei Yuansheng stroked his beard and continued, "Quite a lot, isn't it?"

Zhou Xu slapped his forehead: "I remember Mai Sui mentioning it to me? Oh right! Mai Sui is getting married tomorrow, of course I have to go! Where are they holding it?"

Lei Yuansheng said, "Inside the camp in Wuchang District!"

Group weddings are usually a form of wedding organized by the military to address the marriage issues of officers and soldiers in a unified manner and to enhance the cohesion of the troops.

Sometimes, a group of people planning their weddings will be surveyed in advance and then arranged to get together. These grooms include company commanders and platoon leaders from grassroots positions, as well as key soldiers from the border defense frontline…

Of course, in most cases it is a military region or a division.

Mai Sui married an artilleryman from the Wuhan camp. Two other men from the cultural troupe also had their weddings. Including the existing couples from the camp, there were probably seven or eight couples in total.

Zhou Xu said to Lei Yuansheng, "Then I'll apply to leave the military region this afternoon?"

"What are you going for?"

"Preparing a gift? What else could it be? After all, Comrade Mai Sui took care of me for so long when I was injured before!"

Zhou Xu had no other feelings for Mai Sui; the two were simply comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side on the battlefield.

Zhou Xu went to Jiefang Road in Wuhan and picked out some gifts. To be honest, he wasn't very good at choosing gifts.

I simply went to the department store and found a jewelry store.

I saw a very simple safety buckle, wrapped in some gold leather.

Other jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings, seem to be gifts that only boyfriends should give. Only pendants are a good choice, and the peace buckle has a nice meaning. Zhou Xu really is a clever and shrewd person.

Zhou Xu asked, "How much does this safety amulet cost?"

Has anyone bought this?

Just as Zhou Xu spoke, another voice appeared beside him, causing Zhou Xu to look over curiously.

Looking up, I saw this woman with a classic oval face, bright and lively phoenix eyes, a high and straight nose with a hump, full lips, fair skin, and an extraordinary and refined temperament.

Zhou Xu blurted out, "Liu Yifei?"

Pooh!
It seems Liu Yifei isn't there yet.

Liu Xiaoli was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Comrade PLA soldier! Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

Zhou Xu thought about it and realized that Liu Yifei's mother seemed to really be from Wuhan and worked at an opera house.

However, her mother looked somewhat like her when she was young... except her nose was a bit more prominent. "Sorry, I really mistook you for someone else."

Liu Xiaoli asked, "Can I have this safety amulet?"

Zhou Xu shook his head, determined not to be swayed by beauty. He said firmly, "I'm sorry, lady, this is a wedding gift for my friend. I can't give it to you."

Upon hearing the word "wedding" and seeing that Zhou Xu was a soldier, Liu Xiaoli had no choice but to give in:
"Alright! Here, take the things."

Liu Xiaoli touched her face; she had always been a shrewd woman.

"Thank you."

Zhou Xu wasn't in the mood to chat; he just curiously glanced at Liu Xiaoli. They really looked alike. If this were a Chinese entertainment novel, the female lead would probably be her daughter.

Pooh!
"Comrade, how much does this pendant cost?" Zhou Xu continued to ask.

"This safety amulet costs fifteen yuan."

Zhou Xu took another look. It was indeed edged with gold, which made it much more expensive than a regular button. In this era when a monthly salary was twenty yuan, this button was worth half a month's wages.

"Oh! This is my money."

Currently, the sale of gold and silver by individuals is restricted in China, so these jewelry stores are generally state-owned, meaning no receipts are required.

Zhou Xu took the things and left.

He returned to the performing arts troupe.

Starting the next day.

The atmosphere in the performing arts troupe became lively, after all, it was wedding day...

Because it wasn't an event held within the performing arts troupe, there weren't many decorations inside; only some red embroidered balls were placed at the entrance of the Wheat Ear dormitory.

Zhou Xu arrived at the door and waited for Mai Sui to finish tidying up before coming out.

There are no fancy wedding dresses these days.

Mai Sui wore a red suit made of thin wool, with a pink "Dacron" shirt underneath, a rather fashionable choice at the time.

Zhou Xu presented the gift: "Maisui, we've been comrades-in-arms for ages, this is a wedding gift for you!"

Mai Sui picked up the box and said with a smile, "Thank you, Zhou Xu. I wish you find your dream partner in advance."

After she finished speaking, she winked at him.

Zhou Xu coughed lightly. "This blessing is nice, but don't bring it up too early."

After delivering the gifts, they escorted the dressed-up bride and groom directly to the truck, which was unusually loaded with embroidered balls today, as the military encourages group weddings.

Zhou Xu returned to the back of the group who had come to see him off with the cultural troupe.

He Jing exclaimed, "So beautiful!"

Zhou Xu pouted: "Even when you get married, you'll still look beautiful, right?"

"I haven't found a partner yet! It's hard to find one."

"But there are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women in the Arts Academy, right? You two should work hard when you get in," Zhou Xu said cheerfully.

Chen Yong and He Jing were certainly talented, and naturally they were admitted to the Academy of Arts.

However, they only studied for three or four months before returning.

"Who goes to college to date?"

"Mmm," Chen Yong said, "I didn't expect Mai Sui to be the first among us to get married!"

“Maisui is already twenty-three, that’s about right. Aren’t you going to be twenty-five soon?” He Jing replied.

"Did you join the army together?" Zhou Xu asked curiously.

He Jing nodded, a hint of reminiscence in her voice: "Mai Sui and I are from the same neighborhood. We both joined the army at seventeen, and it's been five years now. Chen Yong is a second-generation rich kid..."

Chen Yong sighed and said, "I'm not a second-generation rich kid. My dad was a company commander, and I rose to a higher rank than him in just a few years."

Zhou Xu chuckled and nudged Chen Yong: "So you're quite the hidden talent too?"

"What? What kind of second-generation rich kid is a company commander? Besides, Comrade Zhou, you're a company commander now!"

A group of people were leisurely riding in a car.

We finally arrived at the camp's auditorium.

The groom also came out. Mai Sui's partner was a second-class meritorious soldier with several gunshot wounds... He was originally the deputy company commander of the company, and now he was about to be promoted to officer. He had an ordinary appearance, but he was a gentle person.

Zhou Xu glanced around and seemed fairly satisfied with his friend's newfound belonging.

Many of those attending the wedding today are soldiers who came from the battlefield; some had lost arms, while others had burns.

Zhou Xu had to admit that not only were these soldiers great, but their wives were also great.

The groom, holding flowers, went to find the bride, and together they went to the front of the stage to receive the emcee's speech.

Zhou Xu and a group of people below offered their congratulations.

There was also a group of parents in the camp, and it was very festive and lively.

Chen Yong pulled Zhou Xu outside: "They're setting off firecrackers."

"Crackling and popping!!!"

Zhou Xu lit the firecrackers, making today's festival even more festive.

Mai Sui came down with her lover and introduced them to the group.

"congratulations!"

"Happy wedding."

(End of this chapter)