Literary Master 1983

Chapter 200 Business Genius

It's very cold inside the house.

Because the temperature dropped faster than expected, the heating renovation project in Yu Qie's home has not been completed in time.

As the capital, Yanjing is one of the first major cities in the country to receive heating, but the heating pipeline network gives priority to government agencies, factories and staff dormitories. Yu Qie's home was originally a large mixed residence with ten households, and the heating was not very good, so it needed to be rebuilt. But there was no rush and he had to follow the arrangements of the heating bureau.

Moreover, the heating in Beijing starts on November 11th every year. This has been going on for more than 15 years and will continue for decades. Therefore, in early November, when the heating is not yet warm, it is particularly unbearable, and the room is like an ice cellar.

Zhang Li always complained: "It's so cold! Beijing is good everywhere, but it's so cold in winter... I don't know how Xiaoxu can stand it."

Yu Qie asked her, "Why do you keep mentioning Chen Xiaoxu recently? Ever since you played Xue Baochai, it's as if you have a blood relationship with her."

Zhang Li didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she said, "Xiao Xu recommended me for the role and took care of me in life! She also taught me to study. She said that I should keep pace with you and not fall too far behind you in knowledge."

After that, Zhang Li opened an English book and started studying hard.

She was mumbling to herself, and if there was something she didn't know, she didn't ask Yu Qie, but looked it up in the dictionary herself.

It should be said that Zhang Li is definitely not stupid. She was also a little princess who was selected into the art troupe when she was only 10 years old. However, the current scene did not allow Zhang Li to learn. Her fingers were red from the cold, and the lines she drew when taking notes were crooked.

"I don't want to learn anymore!"

Zhang Li angrily said: "I want to read a novel!"

Zhang Li took three beds and laid two layers of blankets on them, then jumped into the bed and covered herself with them. Only then did she feel a little warmer.

But as soon as she left the bed, she said helplessly, "Yu Qie, I'm so cold!"

Yu Qie sat on the bed and wrote a novel, indicating that Zhang Li was just like him, eating, drinking and playing in bed - he didn't mind.

But Zhang Li, who had been trained by the crew of Dream of Red Mansions, certainly didn't want to be so casual, as she was a lady from a noble family. So, Zhang Li put on a big cotton-padded jacket in her room, which made her body as thin as a ball, and put her fingers into her sleeves, and read like this.

She turned the rocking chair around, so that it was facing Yu Qie diagonally, so that she could catch a glimpse of Yu Qie. If anything happened, she could get up at any time.

"Zhang Li, what novel are you reading?" Yu Qi asked her.

"promise!"

A book was handed over.

"Jane Eyre"?
"Who told you to read this? You never read these books before."

Zhang Li blushed: "I also read literary classics, why do you say that to me!"

Jane Eyre is a rubbish literary classic.

Yu Qi didn't say anything, just stared at him.

Zhang Li immediately gave up: "Okay, okay, it was Xiaoxu who recommended them to me. He told me to start with these novels so that we can have something in common."

Yu Qie thought: What common language do we have?

If I had a smart phone, I would watch videos every day - people like Yu Hua and Guan Moye later complained that videos were much more interesting than novels and they could not stop watching for hours.

Isn't it that we don't have any entertainment activities?
"Zhang Li, turn on the TV, let's watch TV." Zhang Li grinned: "You said you wanted to watch it! I never said that!"

The TV was on, and Zhang Li was tuning the channels. There were very few channels in those days, only two, and very few programs. However, Zhang Li found it very interesting. There was a program about the Earth's atmosphere - it should have been imported from a foreign TV station. Zhang Li watched it intently for more than an hour, and only said reluctantly after the program ended: "This program is really interesting."

"It turns out there is a big hole in the ozone layer in our sky. The whole world will become warmer in the future... But I always feel that since it is so cold, it won't matter if it gets a little warmer."

Yu Qie couldn't help but remind her: "You live comfortably in the capital, but what about the people in the south?"

"Yes!" Zhang Li reacted, but she immediately said happily: "Chen Xiaoxu is from Northeast China. If it were warmer, she would definitely be very happy."

"It's Chen Xiaoxu again. I see you mention Chen Xiaoxu more than I do every day...Speaking of which, how are Chen Xiaoxu and that boyfriend doing?"

"We've split up, what else can we do?"

Yu Qie shrugged.

This is all my fault. If I hadn't let Chen Xiaoxu send that letter, this situation might have lasted for a few more years.

"So she didn't find another one?"

Zhang Li shook her head like a rattle: "No more. She used to play with Ouyang Fenqiang, but now she doesn't have any contact with men. We all think something is wrong with her... But she always says nothing is wrong."

This scared Yu Qie: No way?
I haven't heard of these rumors in history. Could a breakup letter bring about such a huge change?
"Is it possible that Chen Xiaoxu likes women?" Yu Qi asked directly.

"Impossible! Yu Qie, don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Li was so anxious that she called Yu Qi's name directly.

The evidence Zhang Li gave was "Jane Eyre".

Many people don't know what kind of book "Jane Eyre" is. In short, this book is a Mary Sue novel. A poor girl gets the love of a nobleman. The classic line in the book is that the girl scolds the hero:

Just because I am poor, unknown, plain-looking and small, does it mean that I have no soul and no heart? You are wrong. My soul is as rich as yours, and my heart is as full.

This is a novel about longing for love!
Recalling the poem "I am a Catkin" written by Chen Xiaoxu when he was in his teens, there are similarities: perhaps we should look at it the other way around, the more Chen Xiaoxu emphasizes not caring about something, the less he has.

Yu Qie definitely didn't know Chen Xiaoxu as well as Zhang Li, so he just asked. After Zhang Li denied it, Yu Qie didn't think about it any more.

In the evening, CCTV broadcast some economic news: At a meeting of young economists held in Moganshan, many people put forward their own suggestions on the "new market system", which attracted the attention of senior management.

Finally, the above discussed the "Decision on Price Reform". The term "dual track system" was not used in the news reports at all. Instead, vague terms such as "price system adjustment", "combination of relaxation and regulation", and "gradual transition" were used.

The spring of profiteers has come. They are like capillaries, violently regulating some of the market failures.

Has Mou Qizhong, the former richest man in Wanxian, been released from prison?

Yu Qie suddenly remembered this great man from Wanxian. In the next ten years, this man quickly became the richest man in the country and had a profound influence on the style of entrepreneurs at that time: dare to venture, dare to think, and dare to do.

I only heard the host on the Panasonic TV say in a rhythmic voice:
"In a certain southeastern private small commodity market, the prices of some means of production were allowed to float independently by the enterprises. Soon, there was a price difference between the planned price of steel at 700 yuan/ton and the market price at 1500 yuan/ton! Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to this price difference. It seems to be a price chaos, but in fact it contains new elements to invigorate the economy and is a manifestation of market elasticity..."

Zhang Li read with great interest, without moving her eyes at all, and threw the "literary classic" Jane Eyre aside.

(End of this chapter)