Exciting 1979!

Chapter 139 You can't leave without leaving something behind (2 more chapters guaranteed)
In fact, Wei Ming could find his uncle and aunt by himself, after all, they had been here in his previous life.

But it was the early 80s after all, an era when finding accommodation in a different place was a problem, and having a local to help could indeed simplify complex problems.

Originally, Wei Ming wanted to visit Mr. Ma Shi Tu. They had met once at the National Congress of Writers and Artists, and Wei Ming had even sent him a photo of them together, so they were certified as close friends.

But after all, he is the chairman of the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Provincial Writers Association, and a top local official. It is better not to alarm him if possible.

With Liang Ping's help it should be enough, but how should I repay this favor when the time comes?
It was dark, and Wei Ming and his family spent their second night on the train.

While they were still asleep, the train had passed through Yangping Pass and entered Sichuan from Shaanxi.

Xu Shufen woke up early. She got out of bed, wiped the heat off the window, and looked at the scenery outside, feeling dazed and expectant.

I'm about to go home. Dad, Mom, brother, sister, and little sister, are you all still here?
Just like the mountains and rivers of her hometown, the appearance of her relatives has become very vague in her mind. She spent the first 18 years in Sichuan and the next 20 years in Hebei. Relatively speaking, the memories of the latter period are clearer and more vivid.

Her most profound memory of Sichuan and Chongqing is hunger, which made her desperate, and her last memory is hopping on a train to leave here to find a way to survive.

At first, the three siblings followed their parents, but she got lost when they arrived in Chengdu.

She knew there was no way out by returning to her hometown, so she could only go out. She secretly took many trains, some carrying coal, some carrying stones, and some carrying livestock. In short, none of them were as comfortable as the sleeper berth bought by her son.

As she was reminiscing, a pair of big hands rested on her shoulders.

She turned around and smiled, "Sleep a little longer."

Lao Wei chuckled, "I'm about to meet my mother-in-law, and I'm a little too excited to sleep. Can my father-in-law and brother-in-law drink?"

"I don't think I've ever seen them drinking." Xu Shufen shook her head.

Lao Wei was relieved: "I guess he is not my opponent."

Later, Wei Ming, Wei Hong, and Editor Liang also woke up. The Wei family still had some dry food and meat, so they directly invited Editor Liang to eat with them.

Editor Liang did not hold back and introduced them to the local customs and practices of various places along the way. Wei Ming could also interject a few words, and sometimes he talked about things that Liang Ping didn't even know. He couldn't help but sigh at Wei Ming's extensive knowledge, no wonder he could write such a rich and exciting story.

Wei Ming said that he read all the books in the Peking University Library, but in fact most of them were the knowledge he gained from traveling with the crews during filming in his previous life.

It was not until noon that the train finally stopped in Chengdu, the land of abundance.

With Liang Ping in charge, they took the bus with him directly to the Writers Association Guesthouse.

The person in charge asked in a Sichuan accent: "Liang Ping, is this your relative?"

"More important than my relatives, this is the writer Wei Mingwei from Peking University, who brought his mother to look for his relatives!"

"Wei Ming, who wrote "Ideal" and "The Shepherd"!" The person in charge of the guesthouse also became serious. It has been a long time since such a big name came to the guesthouse.

"That's right. Treat me well. Put the food coupons, board and lodging on my account." Liang Ping said righteously. Of course, he would also have to ask the poetry magazine for reimbursement.

But after he said that, Wei Ming felt that no matter what he said, he would have to leave something behind.

The guesthouse arranged two rooms for them, one for Wei Ming and Lao Wei, and one for his mother and younger sister.

Liang Ping arranged lunch and left temporarily to help get people together.

~
In the office of Ma Shi Tu, chairman of the Sichuan Writers Association, an old man is concentrating on writing.

There were several booklets on his desk, with titles such as "Record of Breaking the City", "Record of Reimbursement", "Record of Stealing an Official", "Record of Marrying a Concubine", "Record of the Ban on Smoking", and "Record of Sinking in the River".

Ma Shi Tu, 65 years old this year, is the leading figure in Sichuan literary circles today. He, Ba Jin, Zhang Xiushu, Sha Ting and Ai Wu are collectively known as the "Five Old Men of Sichuan".

It was Ba Lao who introduced Wei Ming to him at the Writers' Congress.

He is also an old revolutionary who risked his life to do underground work in the "KMT-controlled areas".

Because he often changed jobs, Mr. Ma often dealt with all kinds of people and listened to them chatting and talking nonsense with him.

Mr. Ma was infected by these vivid stories and developed a strong urge to create. Finally, in 1942, he selected the ten most interesting "Longmen Formations" and began to create "Ten Night Tales", which he wrote for 40 years.

Because of the Anti-Japanese War and subsequent movements, his manuscript was destroyed three times. He rewrote it three times and now has completed most of the content, some of which has been published through literary magazines.

People in later generations, including Wei Ming, know him because of the masterpiece "Let the Bullets Fly", which was adapted from his "The Story of Stealing an Official".

However, those who know Jiang Wen’s movies know that they are all cosmetic adaptations and do not have much connection with the original works. This is the case with "Sunny Days" and "Evil Does Not Suppress Justice".

After writing for a while and feeling tired, he would take a sip of tea, take a walk, and then read a book or newspaper.

The few newspapers at hand were all newly published today. He glanced through the first two without much interest until he saw the China Youth Daily.

The front-page headline is a bold title: "No matter how poor you are, you must not be poor in education; no matter how hard it is, you must not make your children suffer."

He nodded. This title was good enough to be used directly as a promotional slogan.

I continued reading and found out that it was about the new popular writer Wei Ming who donated 1,000 yuan to his hometown primary school. The title was a quote from his original words.

Seeing this, Mr. Ma thought of "The Shepherd Class" which he had just read two days ago. That novel was quite amazing and also talked about education. Combined with Wei Ming's donation, it seems that he is a comrade who attaches great importance to education. Wei Ming's original words are also included in the back: "It is because I have never been to college and work in a university that I deeply understand the good of university life. I hope that my hometown can produce more college students. Their presence will definitely change the face of my hometown!"

Mr. Ma nodded. He had never expected at the literary congress that the kid introduced by Mr. Ba would rise so quickly and achieve such great success today.

There is probably no one who can compete with him among those who write novellas today. Among the three novels highlighted by People's Literature, the one that people discuss the most is "The Shepherd Class".

After putting down the newspaper, he was about to continue writing when someone came to his door. It was Bai Hang, the editor-in-chief of the "Xingxing" poetry magazine and also the founder of "Xingxing".

"Mr. Ma, I'm here to borrow a car from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and ask for your approval." Bai Hang said.

Mr. Ma looked at Editor-in-Chief Bai, who was ten years younger than him, and asked, "Xiao Bai, do you want to use the car?"

"I'm not using it for myself, I'm doing it to help others," he said with a smile, "You still remember Wei Ming, you mentioned him when you came back from Yanjing before."

"I remember. I just saw a report about him. What's going on?"

So Bai Hang told the story of how his editor happened to meet Wei Ming's family on the train who were visiting their relatives in Sichuan.

"I feel that as fellow literary people, we have to help with this matter."

In addition to being people in the literary world, although Editor-in-Chief Bai is rooted in Sichuan and Chongqing, he is actually from Hebei like Wei Ming, so they can be considered fellow villagers.

Ma Lao smiled and said, "I didn't say I wouldn't help. So, let's get a jeep and find a local comrade. It would be even better if he can drive."

Hearing that Mr. Ma was also so enthusiastic about Xiao Wei, Editor-in-Chief Bai smiled and said, "As long as you support me, I will arrange it right away."

Ma Lao added: "Also, we can arrange for Wei Ming to travel around Chengdu. Maybe he will get some inspiration."

Editor-in-Chief Bai chuckled and said, "We are thinking the same thing!"

~
In the guesthouse, Lao Wei and Xiao Wei were both lying on the beds. The berths were so narrow and after all, they were not as comfortable as a regular bed.

I had just been lying down for half an hour after dinner when Editor Liang came again.

Fortunately, Wei Ming was not asleep either, so he went out to ask, "Editor Liang, how are you?"

Liang Ping smiled and said, "Our editor-in-chief Bai went to the Writers Association to find Mr. Ma Shi Tu and asked for a jeep, as well as a driver and guide. We will set off early tomorrow morning. Writer Wei, do you think it's okay?"

"Oh, that's great!" Wei Ming held Liang Ping's hand and expressed his sincere gratitude.

Editor Liang said, "Writer Wei, we still have some time this afternoon, why don't you visit the scenic spots and historical sites in Chengdu?"

Wei Ming liked the city of Chengdu very much in his previous life. He often filmed short dramas here and almost bought a house here.

Wei Ming went back to get his camera: "Okay, my parents are tired, I'll ask my sister to come along."

Although they were bumpy for more than thirty hours, the two young men recovered very quickly, and Wei Hong was also very enthusiastic and positive.

He also asked: "Can we see giant pandas?"

Editor Liang laughed. "There aren't giant pandas running around in Chengdu yet. But your mother's hometown, Ya'an Baoxing, is rich in giant pandas. Maybe we can see one tomorrow."

The most noteworthy attraction in Chengdu now is definitely the Wuhou Temple, which is also the most well-known one.

Places like Kuanzhai Alley are somewhat famous among locals, but are relatively unfamiliar to outsiders. They are not as famous as Wuhou Temple and Du Fu Thatched Cottage, both of which were the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 61.

Sitting on the bus, Wei Ming could already sense a hint of Chengdu's future slow-paced life from the citizens he met. No one had the hurried feeling of the big city of Yanjing, and their expressions were all very relaxed.

Knowing that she would visit the Wuhou Temple, Wei Hong had already prepared "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" and was waiting for her brother to check it so that she could recite the entire text in amazement.

As a result, he was so busy taking pictures that he didn't even examine himself.

"Editor Liang, please take a photo for us."

Of course, Wei Ming did not ignore Liang, and later asked a passerby to take a photo of the three of them, which he later developed and mailed to the Xingxing Poetry Magazine.

There is also a Jinli Ancient Street within the Wuhou Temple scenic area. Wei Ming and Xiao Hong also went for a walk, but there were not many things on sale, which could not satisfy Wei Ming's consumption desire. It will be better after a few years.

Sometimes we reject commercialization, but it would be boring if a scenic spot was not commercialized at all.

But the bluestone slabs used here now really have that kind of classical beauty, as if they were passed down from the Three Kingdoms period.

After that, Wei Ming had some time left, so he experienced Kuanzhai Alley again in the early 80s.

The next morning, Editor Liang and the driver and guide came to the guesthouse to pick up Wei Ming's family, but he did not go with them.

Seeing his expectant look, Wei Ming smiled and took out an envelope...

~
(There will be another chapter later, please give me a monthly ticket!)

(End of this chapter)