My 1978 Hotel

Chapter 113 A Generation
"The exchange group is coming over right now, and it's not convenient for me to go over here. I'd like you to give me a ride this afternoon."

Alas, Li Feng was also quite helpless. He couldn't give up this exchange or he would appear too arrogant. The other party had already come to his doorstep. Besides, this person was already in jail. Gao Cheng and Gao Ju both had experience in the police station. And then there was Wu Shengnan. Her father was the head of the Tongcheng police.

After saying hello, the two of them took a rest inside first, and would go to pick them up after they finished their work here. Really, how could they not be careful at all? They had to be more careful these days and not get caught. Fortunately, it wasn't a big problem this time.

I'm just worried that it will be difficult to get a letter of introduction in the future. The brigade will definitely know about it, and I'll have to issue a certificate later. The household registration problem for both of us hasn't been resolved yet. Fortunately, the requirements in this regard are not strict now.

With the brigade's certificate and Wu Shengnan's help, the most he'd get was a fine and a few days in jail. What a shame! He was probably going to have to give up his job. "This is a huge loss." He was probably going to have to treat Wu Shengnan to dinner later, so he had to prepare well.

Wu Shengnan was a powerful figure, so she should hold on tight. At least she wouldn't be arrested for some nonsense like being a spy. "Public Security Officer Wu, if you're free at noon, why don't you go over to my house for lunch? It just so happens that some of the county writers and literature enthusiasts are coming over to chat."

Wu Shengnan was also a young intellectual. She'd been a go-between for the literature club last time, so she probably had a lot of friends there. This was a good opportunity to get to know Wu Shengnan better. "Let me ask about today's work. If you're not busy this morning, I'll come over."

"That's great."

Li Feng agreed to this. "It just so happens that I'm not very familiar with the writers and literary enthusiasts in the county literature club. I'll need your help to introduce them to some of them."

"no problem."

Wu Shengnan thought that several of her friends were also coming over, and they were quite curious about Li Feng. This time they came to communicate, so she could help introduce him to him. You know, she knew some things about Li Feng very well.

"Oh, by the way, there are also Comrade Wu Xiaofeng and Comrade Huang Xiaoli. If they are free and willing to come, you can come together. It's a rare lively occasion. It's a pity that Comrade Yang Ming has work. I asked An Jungang, and he can't leave the commune. Otherwise, it would be even more lively."

Li Feng now feels more and more that the ways of the world are still very important even in this era. Otherwise, if he hadn't met Gao Chenggao, it would have been difficult for Li Feng, a writer even if he didn't have some connections.

"Xiaofeng and the others have gone to the brigade to deliver a letter. I'll ask them for you when they come back."

Wu Shengnan guessed that the two would probably agree. After all, they both had a passion for literature and poetry, and since they both went to high school, it wouldn't be wrong to call them cultured people.

"Then I'll go back and make some more food for you."

"Then I'll get you some food coupons."

Wu Shengnan usually brings food coupons and money for meals when she goes to other people's houses for dinner. This is a matter of principle, so Li Feng didn't follow her lead and was polite.

"I'll take the food coupons, but forget about the vegetable money."

Wu Shengnan didn't force it. She knew Li Feng's family didn't need any money. Since they didn't want it, Huang Xiaoli asked Wu Xiaofeng and Huang Xiaoli to buy some food, or even bring some vegetables from home. While they were talking, the sound of a tractor came from the gate of the commune compound.

"I'm afraid someone is coming."

"Then go and greet her."

Wu Shengnan wanted to leave first, but seeing that people were already at the door, she didn't rush to leave. After all, she had a few good friends there, so she could help introduce them. There were quite a few people there, more than ten people.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, Yang Qingfeng, the deputy director of the cultural center, and several staff members of the cultural center, two of whom were writers, and several folk writers, all of whom had published articles in regional and even provincial newspapers and magazines.

They are all around 35 or 36 years old. Relatively speaking, the members of the literature club are all young people, in their twenties, and the most likely under 30, with some looking like half-grown children.

A group of people came over, and Han Anjun hurried out to welcome them. The commune secretary and the director of the commune revolutionary committee were not there. There was nothing they could do. The drought was severe, and the main cadres of the commune had gone to the brigade to provide on-site guidance on drought relief and disaster reduction.

Han Anjun is now considered a small leader in the office, so it is reasonable for him to be responsible for the reception. Besides, the exchange group came here for Li Feng, so it is good enough for the commune to make a appearance.

"Comrade Li Feng, how can I trouble you to drive the car?"

Yang Qingfeng knew something about Li Feng's situation. Apart from the recent sensation "Scars", he had actually published works, including one published in the People's Literature Magazine. It was said that several of his good poems were favored by magazines and newspapers, and were already scheduled to be published in provincial magazines and newspapers.

"Director Yang is so polite."

Li Feng said with a smile. "Everyone, please don't be polite. The car is a bit simple, so please bear with it."

"Comrade Li Feng, you are too polite."

"Yeah, the bullock cart is pretty good."

It's amazing that this group of writers and literature lovers were quite polite. No one was being disrespectful. In fact, Li Feng underestimated himself. There were only a few people in the entire region who could publish People's Literature. For a county, publishing in a provincial-level publication was something to brag about.

Everyone boarded the oxcart. Li Feng whipped it, and the cart slowly drove out of the commune compound. The entire journey was relatively stable, except for some bumps and dust. "Sorry, the road is a bit dusty. Everyone should wash their faces later."

"It's okay. We usually go to the countryside to collect folk songs." Few people would say to your face how bad the countryside is now. It hasn't been two years, and the Up to the Countryside Activities program has basically been abandoned.

In some cadre schools, the system of on-site supervision is now in name only, but the overall environment has not changed completely, and everyone is still very cautious in what they say and do.

"Yeah, there's actually quite a bit of dust in the county."

"The weather has been dry lately, and everything looks the same. It was also quite dusty on the way here."

Everyone was speaking politely, with Yang Qingfeng and a few young literary figures trying to smooth things over. These people, considered Wu Sheng's boyfriends, were more supportive of Li Feng. Li Feng then greeted Chen Chuan, Zhao Guodong, Qin Guosheng, and the girl Xu Qingqing.

Especially Xu Qingqing was very fond of poetry, and she asked Li Feng about poetry all the way. Fortunately, Li Feng had studied poetry for a while when he was in college because Han Chaoxia also liked poetry.

Having some understanding of poetry, she handled the conversation well without making a fool of herself. "Shengnan said you wrote several good poems. You must teach me later." Xu Qingqing said this and went to get her shoulder bag, which contained some of her poems.

It should be noted that everyone who came this time was well prepared. They brought their own works, including poetry, novels, essays, and even classical Chinese texts. There was really everything, but it was not convenient to talk too much while we were in the car.

Li Feng was quite helpless, having never expected Xu Qingqing to be so eager. "Comrade Xu Qingqing, how about this? Let's talk about this later when we get back. The road ahead is too bumpy with potholes, and it's hard to concentrate on discussing poetry."

"Oh, that's it. Sorry."

Xu Qingqing blushed. It was not her fault. Although the literary club also discussed poetry, most of them were poems published in other people's magazines. She had never met a few poets who published poems in magazines. She was a little excited when she didn't see Li Feng.

She almost leaned on Li Feng. In this era, poets and writers are the favorites of literary women, similar to fans of idols in later generations. They can even offer themselves to entertain poets. This is no joke. "It's okay. Everyone sit inside. It's a bit bumpy."

The dirt road is bumpy. Although it is occasionally filled, some potholes are always exposed from time to time. At this moment, all the teams are busy with drought relief and disaster reduction. I am afraid there is no time to repair the road this year.

Fortunately, Li Feng's driving skills were comparable to those of a veteran driver with over ten or twenty years of experience, and the oxcart smoothly navigated the bumpy terrain and arrived at the Hanjiaba intersection. This time, Han Fuguo and the other brigade officials didn't specifically arrange for a reception. The cultural center, after all, showed movies, and there weren't many writers who weren't as famous as Li Feng.

They were busy fetching water and carrying water to save the seedlings, so they had no time to pay attention to other things. Unless it was the commune secretary or director who came, Han Fuguo and the others really had no time to greet them. They just said they would come over to keep the guests company at noon.

The oxcart stopped at the gate of Daya's yard, and Li Feng invited everyone in. "I'll go get a basin of water. Everyone, dust off the dirt first, then wash your faces." Li Feng immediately handed everyone a dozen towels, which startled everyone.

“So many towels?”

"Some were sent by readers in the city, and some were given by relatives." Li Feng said with a smile. "Everyone, wash your faces." "The soap is here."

Two basins of water were filled, one for the boy and one for the girl. Although there was only one basin for the girl, she was still a girl. Xu Qingqing didn't expect Li Feng to be so considerate. In this era, there were not so many particulars. It was normal for men and women to wash their faces in the same basin.

Unexpectedly, Li Feng's place even separated the rooms for men and women, and even provided separate towels and soaps. This was the first time Xu Qingqing experienced the feeling of being cared for.

"These are new towels. If you don't mind, you can take them with you and dust them off when you go back."

"Why is this so embarrassing?"

Yang Qingfeng didn't expect that Li Feng would give him a gift. It was a colorful towel. None of the ones sold in the department stores in the county town were as beautiful as this one. I'm afraid it must be expensive.

"Director Yang, what you said is not good at all."

My goodness, this is not a good thing at all. In fact, for Li Feng, it is not a good thing at all. He originally wanted to bring more towels to give to others or sell them for money, but after arriving, he found that this guy was cracking down on speculation very severely.

Now that Gao Ju and Gao Cheng were arrested again, Li Feng had to be even more careful. There were dozens of towels at home. Apart from giving them away to others to earn favors, Li Feng really didn't want to trade them. He wouldn't make much money and it would be easy for something to go wrong.

Especially since he had offended some of the old gang members in the team, the commune and the county, Li Feng was even more afraid. Wu Shengnan was not a person who would abuse her power for personal gain and break the law. If she really caught him with solid evidence, she would definitely arrest him.

Besides, if you send these people from the cultural circle, your reputation will definitely spread more widely. Li Feng is in urgent need of fame now. It is really useful now. Even in the future, if you are a famous internet celebrity, people will not dare to raise the price for you when you stay in a hotel.

The more famous you are and the better your reputation is, the easier it will be to earn royalties, and the higher the subsidies and allowances you will get. Even a small problem will not be a problem. After all, people will be more tolerant of famous writers.

"This won't work."

"Dust it off, Director Yang. I'd be furious if you didn't accept it. Consider it a souvenir." Li Feng said this, and Yang Qingfeng nodded, thinking he'd save some extra food coupons and money. Their exchange was originally organized by the Cultural Center, and there were standards for food coupons and money. Of course, as Director, Yang Qingfeng couldn't raise them a bit. After dusting and washing up, everyone came to the main hall, where Li Feng invited them to sit.

"Sorry, there aren't enough chairs. Please sit on small stools."

"What are you talking about?"

Several young people waved their hands indifferently. Before coming here, they had thought that the conditions in the countryside would be a bit difficult, but after arriving, they felt it was okay. At least the furniture and water cups in the house were quite complete.

The tables, chairs and benches are all quite new, and the house is also clean and tidy. The yard is paved with a winding stone path and a few flowers and plants are planted. He is worthy of being a great writer, and his life is quite refined.

"Everyone, have some tea."

Li Feng helped pour tea and served snacks. Not to mention Li Feng's snacks, there were actually quite a few candies. This guy felt like he was having a tea party, even more exclusive than the cultural center, except for the poor quality of the house.

After eating snacks and drinking tea, the conversation gradually touched upon the subject of literature. Li Feng had some basic knowledge after all, and with some insights and opinions from later generations, although he didn't talk much, he always had surprising remarks.

Especially when the original manuscripts of Li Feng's works were taken out for everyone to appreciate, apart from anything else, those few short poems fascinated Xu Qingqing and others.

“What a profound little poem.”

"Yes, even though it's only two short sentences, it makes perfect sense."

"The night gave me black eyes, but I use them to seek light. How profound!" Yang Qingfeng repeated this several times, looking at Li Feng in shock. There was a sense of charm in this, short but thought-provoking.

“Does this poem have a title?”

"Oh, I thought of one. I'm not sure if it's good or not. Please give me your feedback." Li Feng said. "A generation."

"a generation?"

Everyone paused and started muttering to themselves.

"Okay, that's a good name."

"What a really good name, so suitable, this name is very to the point." At this moment, everyone has a deeper understanding of the poem, especially those who have experienced ten years. Many people feel that this poem may become a classic. It simply expresses everyone's thoughts.

"very nice."

After listening to everyone's interpretation, Xu Qingqing was a little obsessed for a moment. She looked at Li Feng with stars in her eyes, which scared Li Feng. This girl must be a fan-brained person. This is a serious disease that is as famous as rabies.

Li Feng was a little scared, but then he heard the sound of a motorcycle, thinking it was Wu Shengnan. "You guys chat first, I'll go meet Public Security Wu."

"I will go with you."

"no, I'm fine."

Just kidding, Li Feng was so scared when he saw Xu Qingqing approaching him that he kept waving his hands. Just kidding, I have to ask Wu Gongan for help later. This girl looks really sick, it's too scary.

(End of this chapter)