1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 50 Go to the People!
In the spring of that year, the yellow sand in the capital was suffocating.

As early as two years ago, the United Nations Environment Programme announced that Beijing was a "city on the edge of desertification in the world."

In the spring of this year, on March 3, Xinhua News Agency issued a news report titled "Sandstorms are Pressing Close on the City of Yanjing."

The following ninth day, March 3, was designated as Arbor Day, and a tree planting campaign was launched across the country.

What a poplar tree.

The suffocating flying catkins in later generations came from here.

However, Jiang Xian was about to get married. Going to Xiangxi with the crew for filming was exactly what he had been planning for a long time.

These days, film crews are very particular about filming, and it is common for a drama to take a year to finish.

He doesn't care. He is just a screenwriter. He can come back after collecting inspiration. It will be more reasonable for him to write the novel by then, and it will give an explanation to the general public.

Before leaving, he had a feast of roast duck, a long bath, and a shave from an old barber. The barber was sharp and the water was hot, and he shaved every bald head. It was really authentic.

It was mid-April and the sun was warm.

At the Beijing Railway Station, Jiang Xian's parents and Jiang Ke came to the train station to see him off.

"Come on, put this on and it will keep you safe on your journey."

"I won't wear it. It's a feudal and superstitious era."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is his badge."

"The old man?" Jiang Xian's face changed. "Then you have to wear it. The old man is really in charge."

The family didn't get too upset. Jiang Ke was even a little envious. After all, they were riding a train!
In those days, being able to take a train was a real feat; you needed a letter of introduction, national food coupons, and some spare money.

I went to the platform with my bags and happened to run into Professor Zhu's family who were experiencing a separation of life and death.

"Linlin, remember to write home when you get there."

"You are out here alone, take care of yourself."

They didn't object to their daughter pursuing acting, but they didn't know how long she would be away, and in a remote and poor place. How could they not worry about her?

"Uncle Zhu, Aunt Liu, don't worry, I will take good care of Comrade Zhu Lin for you." Jiang Xian expressed his opinion immediately.

"This"

"Jiang Xian, we leave Linlin to you!"

Zhu's father and mother tried every possible means to find a cure for his illness, and gave him many instructions. Jiang Xian made all kinds of promises, but Zhu Lin kept rolling her eyes.

"Okay, get in the car."

The entire crew, from Ling Zifeng and Shen Congwen to young actors like Chen Hong and Zhu Lin, and Ge You who was sent by his mother, all took the train, and all of them had hard seats.

Nowadays, if you don’t have a certain level of status, you can’t get a sleeper berth even if you have money.

Hard seats are considered high standard and are much better than seats without seats. The lowest grade is the "sealed iron tank".

Similar to a freight train, there are a few small windows above the carriage, and all the people sit on the floor, so ordinary people can rarely ride on it.

"How long will this trip take us?" Zhu Lin asked him as she sat down.

"It will take about two days. Going from Beijing to Xiangxi requires crossing half of China, which is the distance from south to north of three or four Korean countries."

At this time, as in later times, the train ticket only shows the departure time, not the arrival time. There are too many influencing factors on the road, so the time is difficult to determine.

The whistle sounded, and the green train started slowly, rattling out of the capital and speeding across the North China Plain at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

Zhu Lin, Chen Hong and Ge You were all looking out the window, admiring the beautiful scenery of their motherland.

Chen Hong was a little excited, "Where are we?" "I think we have arrived in Hubei." Ge You replied.

Jiang Xian: "Don't talk nonsense. We haven't even left Hebei."

The seats are now made of leather, which is much more comfortable than the wooden seats from a few years ago.

"Teacher Shen, I heard that you used to be a bandit in Xiangxi." Jiang Xian started gossiping.

Mr. Shen coughed twice shyly.

"Bandits, bandits."

"Please tell me about it."

"What's there to say?"

"Just treat it as a way to entertain everyone."

Seeing the crowd cheering loudly, Shen Congwen had no choice but to agree, "Let me tell you a story about kidnapping."

"That's great." Jiang Xian took out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket and started eating them.

"Back then, if the bandits kidnapped a young victim, they would first ask the cook to cook him a fish."

Ge You was shocked, "You're giving us fish to eat, so humanitarian?"

“It’s not in vain, just look where he takes the first bite.

If you eat the fish back, then let him go, you are a poor kid. If you eat the fish belly, then keep him in jail for a few more days, your family must have some money. If you eat the fish eye, that's a big deal.
He must be from a wealthy family, and the money is definitely huge, which will make this family go bankrupt."

Shen Congwen was a man of great learning and a China expert, while Jiang Xian knew a lot of unofficial history. The two of them told each other a little story, and the journey suddenly became much more joyful.

At noon, the conductor pushed a cart around the carriages, with uncovered aluminum lunch boxes stacked on the cart. Each box cost 3 cents and no ticket was required. It contained two-thirds of a meter, one-third of vegetables, a few slices of luncheon meat, red sausage, shredded potatoes, and shredded green peppers, and tasted really good.

The level of chefs on the train is very high nowadays. Most of them come from a family of chefs, or are chefs from established restaurants, or are the descendants of various famous dishes. Only then are they qualified to work in train restaurants.

When everyone has almost finished eating, the conductor comes back to collect the lunch boxes, stacks them in a diamond shape, and washes them before using them again.

As the sky darkened, the journey reached its most difficult stage. Everyone was drowsy, and those who couldn't sleep read newspapers and magazines.

"Jiang Xian, you see, this article is praising you." Zhu Lin handed over the "Xinhua Monthly" in her hand.

Jiang Xian looked up and saw a literary review titled "'Animal Ferocity': On the Purity of Desire."

[Young people will not write about youth, because they are deeply trapped in it and are subjective and extreme. Adults will not write about youth either, because they are out of it and everything about youth is already a blur. Therefore, Jiang Xian’s "Ferocious Animals" is precious.]
"What a coincidence! I also saw an article here, from the Literary Gazette."

“I saw it a few days ago.”

"My copy of the Monthly Fiction Report has reprinted "The Fierce Animals" on the front page. Teacher Jiang wrote it brilliantly."

A group of people started to flatter Jiang Xian and gave him a lot of emotional value.

Shen Congwen sat opposite him and looked at him with admiration, as if he saw himself who became famous at the age of 26 decades ago.

After another day of hard work, when it was finally dark, I heard the flight attendant announce, "We have arrived at Phoenix Station!"

A group of people got off the bus in a hurry, carrying large and small bags. The climate in the south is more humid and hotter than that in Beijing.

Jiang Xian was so tired that his head was swollen. The local administration quickly sent someone to pick him up. Taking advantage of the night, he was arranged to take a car and travel. Finally, he arrived at Zhenxiancheng, Fenghuang County in the misty night.

I finally fell asleep, but when I woke up it was already daytime.

I rubbed my eyes and went out, the morning breeze was cool.

All I saw were tall and short stilted buildings connected together, the stream like a bow's back, the mountain road like a bowstring, and the Tuojiang River gurgling.

(End of this chapter)