The Beginning of the World: Going to the Countryside as an Educated Youth

"I don't deserve it, I just did it by chance. I thought of sending it out to give it a try, but I didn't expect it to be accepted!" Zhao Dongchuan said modestly.

"You're being too modest. Over the years, I know of at least eight hundred people who submitted their articles, if not a thousand, but none of them were accepted. You're the first one!" The postman is also knowledgeable and knows the value of this article.

"Comrade postman, have some tea. I didn't have time to have some tea last time you came." Zhao Dongchuan hurried back to the house to pour tea.

"I have to taste this great writer's tea and get some of his literary flavor."

The postman didn't stay long. He just drank a bowl of tea and left because there were still many letters to be delivered.

Zhao Dongchuan went back to work as usual and didn't tell anyone about this.

He planned to go to the commune in a couple of days to get a letter of introduction so that he could go to the provincial capital, meet the editor-in-chief to discuss the subsequent publication, and also take a look at what the provincial capital was like and see the world.

But before you go, you have to think about which work is suitable for publication. (Uh, not copying, but borrowing, yeah, that’s right! It’s borrowing!)

Before Zhao Dongchuan went to find the commune, the commune director Bai Mingchuan had already brought people to find him.

Commune director Bai Mingchuan has been very busy these days. Recently, people from various villages have been arrested and sent to labor camps for various "trivial" matters. Not only do they have to do heavy work, but they also don't get any work points and are required to bring their own food. Incidents of beating and injuring people are frequent, causing many accidents.

On the one hand, he had to complete the tasks assigned by Feng Shikuan from the county for the commune, and on the other hand, he had to try his best to withstand the pressure and not harm the farmers unduly.

But Deputy Director Xu Zhigong disagreed with him and adopted a radical approach, completely disregarding the feelings of the farmers.

Bai Mingchuan was very tormented by this. As a farmer's son, he understood the farmers' difficulties, but the facts forced him to do things that went against his original intention.

"Ring ring ring!"

"Ring ring ring!"

The commune phone is ringing!

"Hello, I'm Bai Mingchuan from Shigejie Commune. Who are you looking for?"

"Comrade Bai, hello, I am Jia Bing from the regional cultural center, I want to ask you about someone"

"Jia Bing? Is he the great poet from Yuanxi County? Teacher Jia, I often read your works and I admire you very much."

"Who are you asking about? I will tell you everything I know!"

"It's like this. I want to ask if there is a person named Zhao Dongchuan in Shuangshui Village, Shigejie Commune." Jia Bing was a little anxious and didn't care about Bai Mingchuan's "flattery".

"Well, let me think about it, I seem to have some impression. Shuangshui Village resettled an educated youth some time ago, with this name. He was sent here by Director Ma of the County Educated Youth Resettlement Office, and I arranged for Shuangshui Village to receive him." Bai Mingchuan tried hard to recall and remembered.

"Oh, that's great. I'll take a car over right away. Please wait for me. And please take me to see him." Before Bai Mingchuan could ask, Jia Bing had already hung up the phone.

Bai Mingchuan was also confused at this time. He couldn't understand how an educated youth was related to the local poet Jia.

Only after getting into Jia Bing's car did Bai Mingchuan understand the whole story.

It turned out to be because of a poem.

Jia Bing saw the sample issue of that month from the editor-in-chief of the provincial magazine "Yanhe". There was a touching poem in the issue, and the author was Zhao Dongchuan from Shuangshui Village.

This is really like a golden phoenix flying out of a chicken coop, Bai Mingchuan was deeply moved.

Not to mention Bai Mingchuan's emotion, Jia Bing himself was also moved when he first learned about it. As a literary and artistic worker from Jiajiagou, Liucha Commune, Yuanxi County, he knew the harshness of the current rural environment and how much effort and perseverance it takes to create literature and art in such an environment. (No, you don't know. For cheaters, this is too easy!!!)

Jia Bing met the editor-in-chief of Yanhe at a literary and art seminar in the provincial capital today. They happened to talk about some "newcomers" in Huangyuan area recently. The editor-in-chief said that a "peasant writer" emerged in Yuanxi County, Jia Bing's hometown, who wrote a touching poem, which left Jia Bing confused and at a loss.

When the editor-in-chief took out a sample issue of "Yanhe" to be published at the end of this month and showed it to him, he was greatly shocked.

"Love Life"

“I don’t think about it”

“Will it be successful?”

“Since you have chosen the distant place”

"I just focus on the wind and rain"

"..."

"Just be brave and speak your truth"

"..."

“Everything is as expected”

He read it aloud unconsciously, his eyes slightly red. For a moment, he felt that the entire venue had become quiet, as if everyone was quietly listening to him reading the poem.

Jia Bing was deeply moved. To be more precise, all the literary and artistic workers with sensitive hearts were deeply moved at this moment. Under the great torrent of the times and in this catastrophe, everyone was experiencing their own ups and downs, and only those who have experienced it know the taste.

Under such a catastrophe, the poet still chose "Love Life". Life kisses me with pain, but I repay it with song.

Finally, this sample issue was circulated among everyone present. While they were deeply moved, they couldn't help but be curious about the author of the poem.

Author: Zhao Dongchuan from Shigejie Commune, Yuanxi County

Everyone was very surprised. They knew about Yuanxi County, but they had never heard of Shigejie Commune.

Jia Bing was also very confused. He had never heard of such a person in Shigejie Commune. He often went back to his hometown, but had never seen that the "young man" had such talent.

Jia Bing immediately called Shigejie Commune and learned through the commune director Bai Mingchuan that the man was an educated youth who had been sent to work in Shuangshui Village, Shigejie Commune.

This is both unexpected and reasonable.

There were many educated young people who loved poetry and who had also experienced hardships in this catastrophe. This kind of experience could give rise to the spiritual sublimation of "life kisses me with pain, but I repay it with song."

So Jia Bing immediately reported to the director of the regional cultural center, who arranged a car for him to find Zhao Dongchuan to express his condolences and see if some appropriate arrangements could be made so as not to bury such a talented person.

The driver drove non-stop all the way to Shigejie Commune, and then took Bai Mingchuan with him and headed towards Shuangshui Village.

By the time we arrived at the place, it was already evening. It was the time for the villagers to finish work. Everyone looked at this lump of iron in amazement as it entered the village. They wondered which big leader was coming to inspect the work.

Upon hearing the news from the villagers, Secretary Tian rushed over from home immediately, followed by his lackey Sun Yuting and Deputy Secretary Jin Junshan, who had a leg disability due to an injury in his early years.

"Director Bai, are there any new instructions from above? If there are any new instructions, we can just go to the commune for a meeting and have them conveyed to us. There's no need for Director Bai to go there in person," Tian Futang said with a smile.

"Secretary Tian, ​​this is Teacher Jia from the regional cultural center, and he is looking for Zhao Dongchuan from your village," Bai Mingchuan introduced.

"Zhao Dongchuan? The educated youth from the city?" Tian Futang looked confused.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's him. Please introduce him to me," Jia Bing said to Tian Futang.