1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 573 Cultural Night Market
"Comrade Jiang Xian," Wang Yidi called out.

"Hehe, you flatter me." Jiang Xian smiled at him and Xu Dexia.

"Sigh, that's how it is when you're doing literary work."

Wang Yidi, who is also the editor-in-chief, understands Jiang Xian’s feelings at this moment very well. “We are in charge of the work of a publication, so of course we have to do a good job in ensuring the quality of the publication and take responsibility. Sometimes we inevitably have no choice but to do things our own way. But the people below do not understand and feel wronged. It’s all normal.”

Wang Yidi certainly didn't think Jiang Xian had been humiliated by Liu Xinwu. On the contrary, compared to Liu Xinwu, who had barged in rashly and lost his composure and even became somewhat defensive, Wang Yidi admired Jiang Xian more for his calm demeanor.

"That's the kind of person Xinwu is."

Wang Yidi sighed, "I've known him for many years. He's just impulsive and not mature enough."

After briefly discussing Liu Xinwu's situation, Wang Yidi steered the conversation back to the commissioned article:

"Comrade Jiang Xian, I hope you can carefully consider the manuscript. If you want to publish children's literature, then our 'Children's Literature' magazine is definitely the most suitable publication. Besides, we're old friends, and you know how much 'Children's Literature' values ​​you."

"I understand, Lao Wang. I won't agree to it right away. You need to give me some time to think it over," Jiang Xian said.

"Yes, I came here today to discuss this with you." Wang Yidi said politely, "If you've made up your mind, please give us an answer as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about this."

"Then we won't disturb you any longer." Wang Yidi stood up and bid farewell to Jiang Xian together with Xu Dexia.

I wasn't affected by Liu Xinwu's situation; it was him who broke down, not Jiang Xian.

Having completed the creation of "The Little Prince" and finished airing "Stories from the Editorial Department" on CCTV, Jiang Xian took a break during this period of work and decided to spend time with Zhu Lin and Jiang Niannian.

These days, summer parties are all the rage.

I heard that Taoranting Park is hosting a three-day "Xuanwu Summer" garden party.

So for the next three days, every evening, Jiang Xian would lead Zhu Lin and Jiang Niannian to the park to cool off and participate in the recreational activities at Taoranting Park.

To avoid trouble, he and Zhu Lin both wore sunglasses, and Jiang Niannian also insisted on wearing them. The whole family simply wore sunglasses when they went out, so they wouldn't stand out too much in the crowd. After all, sunglasses are a fashionable item these days, and many people wear them.

Taoranting Park is very lively, filled with laughter and joy, and there are many children. After all, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the "back garden" for all the children in Beijing. Many primary school students would go to Taoranting Park for their spring outings.

"Dad, I want to play this!" Jiang Niannian pointed to the lively water surface.

Jiang Xian had also noticed the water-based activities early on; a group of adults and children were speeding across the water in round boats.
— "Bumper Boats".

This was arguably the most fashionable water park in Beijing during the 1980s.

It's kind of like bumper cars, with a molded hull, and tourists sit in the middle of the boat, bumping into each other on the water.

Each boat can only accommodate one adult and one child at most. Jiang Xian bought two tickets to go on the boat, while Zhu Lin carried Jiang Niannian onto one boat, and he went on another boat alone.

At that time, safety awareness was not very high, and there were no life jackets. So, wearing their own clothes and holding their tickets, they went ashore to queue up to board the boat and got to the front of the line very quickly.

"Slow down." Jiang Xian first helped his daughter-in-law up, then carried his daughter up, and only after that did he stride into the boat himself. To onlookers, they looked like a very happy family of three.

The operation was simple and easy to understand. Jiang Xian quickly familiarized himself with it and then followed his wife and children towards the center of the lake, before accelerating.

"Fa Xiu San Da!"

The two boats collided violently, bouncing back against each other. From the opposite boat came gasps of surprise from Zhu Lin and Jiang Niannian:

"oops!"

"Daddy's bad!"

"Haha." Jiang Xian drove out for a spin, then quickly returned and crashed into the other boat. The two boats collided, splashing up large sprays of water that landed on his arms and face, feeling refreshingly cool.

Seeing how much fun they were having, the other families nearby quickly joined in, and the family feud immediately turned into an external battle.

At times like this, men inevitably display their charm. Jiang Xian went all out, ramming the boats that were besieging Zhu Lin and Jiang Niannian. The impact was so great that the people on the boats were completely disoriented. After that, when they saw this man sailing by again, they ran away as fast as they could, afraid of being hit again.

Jiang Xian was able to relax completely for once, enjoying this rare moment of happiness with his family.

The summer evening party featured a variety of activities, including song and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, shadow puppetry, tea house, concerts, and movies, with different films being screened simultaneously in three open spaces.

Folk flower fairs, which used to only appear during the Spring Festival, were also included in the gala this time.

In addition, there was a group dance party with more than 200 young people.

This was called a dance party, but it was actually a matchmaking event, with matchmakers busy at work, building bridges for couples of older single men and women.

A group of spectators gathered around to watch the matchmaking, and Jiang Xian and his family of three also joined in to watch the excitement.

As they were looking around, a matchmaker walked straight over to Jiang Xian and looked him up and down.

"Hey young man, let me introduce you to someone!"

"Ok?"

Jiang Xian paused for a moment, exchanged a glance with Zhu Lin, then turned away and smiled:

"Okay."

"Wow, with your qualifications, you'll definitely find someone easy to match." The matchmaker clapped her hands, beaming with joy. "Anyone you like?"

"Um"

Jiang Xian looked shy and pointed at Zhu Lin, "I think this lady is quite nice."

The matchmaker glanced over and saw that Zhu Lin was holding Jiang Niannian in her arms. She tentatively asked, "Miss, is this your child?"

"Ah."

The matchmaker was shocked and ran away, exclaiming, "Oh dear, young man, she already has a child, and you still have your eye on her? Aren't you ashamed? You really have no shame!"

"Haha."

Jiang Xian laughed heartily.

Today was the first day of the party. The family didn't expect there to be a "surprise" – in the middle of summer, firecrackers suddenly went off in the park, and colorful fireworks burst across the lake, bringing the summer night atmosphere to a climax.

Despite a brief rain shower in the evening, the tourists remained enthusiastic, and judging from their appearance, there were probably tens of thousands of visitors.

Jiang Xian's family boarded a cruise ship and followed hundreds of other cruise ships to a painted boat decorated with colorful lights in the center of the lake. An amateur band had been hired to hold a two-hour "floating concert".

There were about 300 boats gathered here to listen.

Besides the concert, there were also crosstalk and Pingju opera performances. To Jiang Xian's surprise, one of the crosstalk performers was reciting "Tiger's Mouth Reverie," imitating Jiang Kun's tone perfectly.

“Look how influential you are,” Zhu Lin said with a smile, linking her arm with his. It was already dark, and she had taken off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of dark almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with colorful light.

"It's just a crosstalk performance," Jiang Xian chuckled.

"Didn't you see those people wearing T-shirts?" Zhu Lin blinked.

T-shirts are so popular right now.

Everywhere you look, people are wearing T-shirts with slogans, especially in the park. And on many of these T-shirts, the text is mostly written by Jiang Xian.

"Winning by half a move against Heaven!" This is from the game "The Heavenly Game".

"China is mine, but it's also yours!" This is from "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain".

"Maybe I'm a failure, maybe." This is from "Variations Without a Theme." "You have no choice but to compose." This is from "You Have No Choice."

"."

Comparatively speaking, "The Troubleshooters" has the most lines:
"The next step after boredom means degeneration."

"Life is just about running around and listening to others cheer."

There are only two kinds of friends: those with whom you can have sex and those with whom you cannot.

"."

In short, seeing a group of people with sentences from her husband's novels written on their clothes, Zhu Lin couldn't suppress her pride. She wasn't a proud person, but at this moment she was truly proud of Jiang Xian and her husband.

As she thought about it, she glanced down at her daughter.

Jiang Niannian, looking completely bewildered, stared blankly at the crowd around her, and kept frantically snuggling into Zhu Lin's arms.

A smile appeared on Zhu Lin's face.

She doesn't yet understand the significance of this scene, nor does she know how powerful her father is.

However, the summer evening parties that followed continued to demonstrate Jiang Xian's influence on the spiritual culture of this era.

For example, Haidian's "Cultural Night" includes a variety of cultural activities such as calligraphy and painting performances, chess competitions, and the sale of new books and magazines.

Jiang Xian and his family made a special trip to join in the fun.

"My God, so many people again? There must be over ten thousand, right?"

"Not only that, it's been reported in the newspapers that the nine night markets set up have seen an average nightly visitor count of 220,000. That's an average of 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per night."

Jiang Xian came by bicycle, but didn't dare to ride too far in because there were too many people and he was afraid his bike would be stolen. He found a secluded corner to lock it up, and then took Jiang Niannian's little hand and went inside, marveling at the dense crowd.

People of all ages and social classes, regardless of gender or occupation, were dressed in various ways, some in decent clothes and others in tattered garments, but all wore joyful and excited expressions.

Jiang Xian led his wife and children, looking around as they walked inside.

"Every year, stay close to your parents."

"Oh."

It's so lively inside.

Stalls selling food and snacks, cold drinks and beverages, general merchandise, clothing, daily necessities, books and magazines. There are also stalls selling Bailong mineral water kettles.

"Where's Niannian?" Jiang Xian adjusted his shoes, turned around and found that Jiang Niannian had disappeared. He hurriedly went to look for her, but unexpectedly, Jiang Xian, taking advantage of his small stature and short legs, actually squeezed in front of the food stall and clung to it tightly.

"Who told you to run around like that?"

Jiang Xian pulled his daughter aside, "What are you looking at?"

Glance at the stall:
"Lamb skewers, roasted lamb, stir-fried liver, sausage, steamed buns, pea flour cake, yellow rice cake, wontons."

What do you want to eat?

"Um"

The little girl's eyes darted around, her mouth watering.

"What are you doing here?" Zhu Lin squeezed in, her throat gurgling as she smelled the aroma.

"Just buy something random."

Jiang Xian pointed and bought twenty skewers of lamb, and then a plate of fried liver. The three of them ate as they continued walking.

"Hurry! Hurry! There's a Go tournament ahead!"

"A Go competition? Whose is it?"

"Nie Weiping! Ma Xiaochun!"

"Wow, these are all top-notch experts!"

A group of people rushed forward in a hurry.

Since the China-Japan Go Tournament, Go has become incredibly popular in China.

Previously, this project had few followers and was almost abandoned, but it became incredibly popular because of Nie Weiping's "half-move victory over heaven" myth created in the China-Japan Go Tournament.

The Chinese chess tradition, which had been in decline, has finally ushered in a period of great fortune for the game.

"Nie Weiping?"

Zhu Lin glanced at Jiang Xian and said, "Let's go take a look too. I haven't met this chess player before."

"Then I'll invite him over to my house sometime," Jiang Xian said without any politeness. He was usually a humble man, but he couldn't help but show off in front of his woman.

"Look at how arrogant you are." Zhu Lin glanced at him. "He's a ninth-dan Go player, you think you can just summon him and dismiss him at will?"

"We are all friends."

Jiang Xian was bound to join in the fun at Nie Weiping's chess tournament. He and Zhu Lin led Jiang Niannian to the venue and soon saw a platform set up. Nie Weiping and Ma Xiaochun were sitting on either side of the chessboard, smiling as they played chess.

Nie Weiping played black and Ma Xiaochun played white. This game was more of an exhibition, so neither of them played too seriously and both played rather casually.

There were many people watching the game, three or four layers deep.

Who's about to win?

"Ma Xiaochun is a 9-dan player, right? His advantage is already quite obvious."

"Don't worry, Nie Weiping still has a chance."

Jiang Xian held Jiang Niannian and watched for a while. As the game progressed to the endgame, Nie Weiping's black pieces faced some difficulty in making komi. However, towards the end, Nie Weiping employed a series of consecutive moves. In response to the black attack, Ma Xiaochun chose to launch a direct counterattack in the center. The two were evenly matched, but in the end, Nie Weiping broke through the white defense, and the situation instantly reversed. By move 187, Ma Xiaochun resigned.

After the game ended, the two waved to the audience.

"Chess Saint Nie!"

"A half-step victory over Heaven!"

The audience's shouts were mixed, but in the end they all coalesced into a neat "Half a move ahead of Heaven".

Nie Weiping smiled. Ever since the China-Japan Go Tournament, the phrase "winning by half a move" has been practically synonymous with him. Wherever he goes, people say he has "won by half a move."

As he was awkwardly laughing, Nie Weiping's gaze swept over a face in the audience, paused for a moment, and then immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Comrade Jiang Xian!" With such a lively scene, Nie Weiping was also having a great time and pointed directly at where Jiang Xian was.

The audience looked in the direction he was pointing and quickly spotted a tall man with a little girl riding on his shoulders, trying to hide her face.

Soon someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Jiang Xian!"

"It's the writer Jiang Xuan!"

(End of this chapter)