1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

"Xuemin, Xuemin, big brothers, you've arrived!"

"Xuemin, you probably haven't heard yet, have you? Something big has happened, something really good!"

Because the time had been arranged in advance, Feng Jiacheng, the second brother-in-law of the General Logistics Department, was waiting at the door after finishing his lunch.

Seeing Cheng Xuemin's car approach and park, he couldn't wait to go up and greet him.

Her face was flushed with excitement, clearly this was a really great thing, and she couldn't wait to tell her brother-in-law, Cheng Xuemin.

"Great news? Second brother, what great news?!" Upon hearing this, the eldest brother-in-law, Feng Jiazhao, was puzzled for a moment, then asked jokingly, "Does it mean we don't need to take the test anymore, and they'll just issue us driver's licenses directly?"

If it weren't for the fact that there was no need to take a test and they could just issue driver's licenses directly, that would be even better. At this moment, the brother-in-law was indeed a little flustered and unsure of himself.

"We should still take the exam!" Feng Jiacheng replied to his brother, then turned to Cheng Xuemin and asked, "It's not about that. Xuemin, has your workplace heard about it?"

"So what's this great news? Second brother, why don't you just tell us directly?!" They actually want to test us. What exactly is this amazing news you're talking about, little brother? Just tell us all at once.

"Second brother, have you been notified already?"

"Actually, I only found out this morning. I just didn't know if it was the same thing I told you about!"

Could Cheng Xuemin not have thought of that?

My brother-in-law's unit has obviously already started issuing notices, after all, his unit is the General Logistics Department.

"That's for sure! This is a call for nationwide reading, and I heard it's going to be published tomorrow and announced nationwide!" Hearing Cheng Xuemin say this, Feng Jiacheng, clearly aware that his brother-in-law had already heard, continued excitedly, "If Mom knew, wouldn't she be ecstatic?"

"It's not 'Second Brother,' what's this 'national reading' thing? Which organization is advocating for it?" The eldest brother-in-law, Feng Jiazhao, was completely bewildered and asked, "Second Brother, what's going on?"

"Didn't Xuemin tell you?" Feng Jiacheng was taken aback. Since his brother-in-law Cheng Xuemin already knew, why didn't they mention it at all on the way here?
"No! Xuemin didn't say anything to me!" Feng Jiazhao was still confused, then looked at Cheng Xuemin and asked, "Xuemin, what's going on? Judging from the tone of my second son's voice, Mom is so excited. Did you write another hit?"

Anyway, the two brothers knew that anything that could make their mother extremely excited must be because her good son-in-law had created another hit product and received praise from above!
Moreover, judging from the second son's tone, it's not just a simple commendation; is it going to be published in the People's Daily and announced nationwide as a commendation?
If that's really the case, then that would be incredibly awesome!
"Brother, it's about to be published as a standalone book, 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain.' I heard from the People's Publishing House that they're also issuing a nationwide call for reading, and that announcement might be on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper!"

"Holy crap, what? Such a great thing, Xuemin, you didn't mention a single word to me the whole way?" Brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao was shocked and dumbfounded when he heard this.

It's another official selection, and it's being promoted for the entire army and the whole nation to read it. The call for this will even be featured on the front page of the People's Daily. This is such a great thing! No wonder the second brother's face was as excited as a monkey's bottom.

But his brother-in-law is really good at keeping quiet. He hasn't mentioned a single word to him the whole way. He's so good at hiding his feelings!

At this moment, the brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao's face was so excited that it looked like a monkey's bottom.

"I forgot, I forgot! I was just thinking of discussing the script for 'Da Zhang Fu' with you, brother, and I completely forgot!" Cheng Xuemin shook his head. Actually, he hadn't planned to tell everyone so soon!

I was planning to wait until tomorrow's People's Daily came out before telling everyone, but I didn't expect that my brother-in-law's workplace had already found out before the local authorities!
Since my brother-in-law already knows, my family will definitely know too after I get off work.

"You can forget this..." Brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao didn't know what to say, but they had indeed been discussing the revision of the script for "Da Zhang Fu" the whole way, and he had almost finished writing it.

"That's because Xuemin is low-key. I bet if I hadn't found out beforehand, he probably wouldn't have brought it up with his parents when he got home from get off work today!" Feng Jiacheng praised his brother-in-law from the side.

"Second brother, you're right. Xuemin is indeed very low-key. He definitely won't tell us unless we ask him directly!"

"Who knows, we might not see Mom and the others jumping up in surprise until they get to their early shift tomorrow and look at the newspaper at work!" It's hard to tell whether Feng Jiazhao's words were a compliment or an insult.

"Yes, yes, Xuemin, that's just your personality, I don't know if it's good or bad!"

“Sometimes if you’re too low-key, people will think you’re faking it!” Feng Jiacheng added.

"No, no, big brother, second brother, I'll definitely tell Mom and Dad about this as soon as I get back. I really don't intend to keep it a secret!"

"This isn't what you call being low-key; in fact, I'm not that low-key."

The three brothers-in-law got back into the car. The place to take the driver's license test wasn't in the General Logistics Department, so the second brother-in-law had to take them there.

In the car, we chatted casually. When we arrived at our destination, thanks to my brother-in-law's prior arrangement, it was actually quite easy to get a driver's license. It was just a matter of taking a picture, driving around on the road, and that was it.

I was told to come back in a week to pick up my driver's license, and my brother-in-law, Feng Jiacheng, would come over then to help me get it.

"I never expected the driver's license test to be so easy. All that nervousness for days was for nothing!" On the way back, my brother-in-law chuckled to himself.

"It was my second brother who made the arrangements; otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly!" Cheng Xuemin nodded, knowing he couldn't deny his brother-in-law's crucial role.

Cheng Xuemin knew that the difficulty of getting a driver's license in this era was no less than that in later generations, and it was not just a matter of taking a road test.

There was actually a written cultural exam, but it was handled as a special case.

"That's true!" Feng Jiazhao nodded upon hearing this. Cheng Xuemin let him drive the car back to practice, and now his brother-in-law's confidence was boosted.

"Hey, why is Jia Zhao driving today?"

"I wouldn't dare ride in your car!"

I arrived at the People's Art Theatre around the right time, just in time to run into my sister-in-law who was getting off work. She was waiting at the entrance and, seeing that it was her husband driving, she looked quite surprised and joked around.

"Sister-in-law, actually, my brother is already driving very steadily. I plan to let him continue driving so he can get more familiar with the road and practice more!" Cheng Xuemin said to Ke Yumei from the passenger seat.

"Did you hear that? You have to sit whether you dare or not. From now on, I'll be your personal driver!" Brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao was already quite excited and said to his wife with great pride, "And today Xuemin and I went to the second brother's place. He passed his driving test and will get his driver's license in a week!"

"Really? With your skills... I'd better sit in the back for safety! Xuemin, you stay in the front and keep an eye on him!" When Ke Yumei saw her brother-in-law Cheng Xuemin about to get off, she waved her hand and sat in the back herself.

But soon, Ke Yumei realized just how steady her brother-in-law Cheng Xuemin was—he was driving at a snail's pace! At this rate, by the time they got home, the evening news might have already finished airing. Impatient, Ke Yumei urged, "Why don't you step on the gas and drive faster? At this dawdling, when will we get home?"

"I was just worried about jostling you! Actually, I'm pretty fast, you can ask Xuemin if you don't believe me!"

"Oh right, right!" Cheng Xuemin rolled his eyes from the side, thinking to himself, "What are you doing going so fast? Right now, I'm just worried about bumping into your wife, so I'm only going around ten miles per hour, which is about the same as the speed of the vehicle. But I wasn't going much faster just now, maybe thirty miles per hour at most."

However, Cheng Xuemin's mentality was that his brother-in-law needed to practice more. If his driving skills weren't up to par, who would dare to ride with him as his driver in the future?

So, I didn't rush to tell him to step on the gas. By the time we got home, it was already quite dark.

"Your older brother and sister-in-law haven't come back yet?!"

"Xuemin hasn't come back either?"

After arriving home from get off work, Feng's mother parked her bicycle, glanced at Feng Jiamo and her family who were watching TV, and asked them a question.

Now that the eldest son's wife is heavily pregnant and insists on going to and from get off work, she is definitely the focus of Feng's mother's attention and care, so she dares not be careless.

"Mom! They should be on their way! Today, my eldest brother and Xuemin are going to my second brother's workplace to take their driver's license test, so they might be a little late!" Feng Jiayou replied.

"Where is your aunt?" Not seeing Gu Qiuna, Feng's mother asked again.

"My aunt has a class reunion today, I don't know when she'll be back!" Feng Jiayou replied to her mother, her eyes glued to the news broadcast on TV.

Now they are both college students at Yenching University. The school encourages those who can to watch the news and pay attention to current affairs, so the two sisters gathered in front of the TV to watch the news.

"Another party?! She hasn't had a break these past few days!" Mrs. Feng complained irritably upon hearing this.

"But Mom, I didn't see you take leave to keep Auntie company!? Then Auntie has to find something to do herself, right?" Feng Jiamo chimed in, supporting her aunt.

As she said, most people in the family are either at work or at school, and her aunt has no one to keep her company at home.

So for the first two days I could stay at home and keep my grandparents company, but later I couldn't stand being cooped up at home anymore, so I went out to find some fun.

Today is not a class reunion, tomorrow is a reunion of old comrades-in-arms!
"You talk too much?!" Mother Feng glared at her youngest daughter, thinking to herself that her aunt wasn't leaving immediately; she would have to wait until after the National Day holiday.
There's a three-day holiday for National Day, can't I spend it with them? Do I really have to take time off?
And with National Day approaching, and various units preparing for the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, is it possible to ask for leave if we are not too busy?

But soon, Feng's mother's attention was drawn to a news report on the evening news program on TV.

"Recently, the novella 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain' by renowned writer Cheng Xuemin has been published and has generated considerable buzz in society, while also receiving high attention from relevant leaders..."

"Mom, Mom, this...this...my brother-in-law is on the news! He's on the evening news!" Feng Jiamo, the sister-in-law, jumped up in surprise and exclaimed when the anchor mentioned her brother-in-law's name, her face full of disbelief.

This is the evening news! Her brother-in-law actually appeared on the evening news!

"Shut up!" But all she got in return was a "shut up" from her mother, Mrs. Feng. How could she listen to the rest of the report if she kept making such a racket?

A similar shock surged through my heart. Xuemin had actually appeared on the evening news! This... this...

You know, her son-in-law has been in the limelight so many times before, but he's never been on the news like this before!

But... what exactly is going on?

Is there a call for all organizations to promote reading among all citizens?
After hearing the entire news report, Feng's mother was completely stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mom! It's a call for everyone to read my brother-in-law's 'Wreath Under the Mountain'... Sister, it's a call for everyone to read my brother-in-law's 'Wreath Under the Mountain'!" Feng Jiamo shouted again.

"I heard it, I heard it! Don't shake me, the little squirrel is still drinking milk!" Feng Jiayou, who was feeding her son, was also shocked by the news report on the evening news.

"Jiayou, hasn't Xuemin returned yet?"

"He...he...such a big thing, didn't you guys hear him mention it before?"

It took Mrs. Feng a long time to come to her senses. She then asked her daughter, Feng Jiayou, why they hadn't told her anything about such a huge event beforehand!

"Mom! This... I really don't know! Xuemin really didn't mention a single word to me!" Feng Jiayou was still shocked and confused. Faced with her mother's question, she shook her head and said, "I don't know!"
Her man didn't mention a single word about her this time.

But Feng Jiayou is more inclined to believe that her man is probably completely unaware of the situation, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to keep such a big thing from her as well.

"Old Feng, Old Feng, did you know? Your son-in-law was on the evening news! Did you know?"

Before asking her daughter what was going on, Feng's mother saw her husband, Lao Feng, pushing his bicycle in and quickly inquired about the situation.

"You broadcast it today, right?"

Father-in-law Lao Feng remained calm. When asked by Mrs. Feng, he nodded and said, "I know about this. Relevant instructions were given at the meeting yesterday. I only heard about it this morning and was just thinking of telling you when I got back!"

"Is that true?" Mrs. Feng asked, still somewhat incredulous.

"How could this be fake? It's already on the news!" Mr. Feng chuckled. "You heard it on the news, how could it be fake?"
He then added, "And I heard that a leader is going to personally buy 200,000 copies to give to every brave and fearless soldier on the front lines!"

"what?"

When Feng's mother heard this news, she was so shocked that she was speechless!

……

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