1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 100 1980
Two days passed.

On the 29th, they were going to the town, which was the commune market. This was the last chance to prepare for the New Year.

Early in the morning, people going to town found donkey carts, horse-drawn carriages, tractors...

The group packed up and went to town. Although they didn't need to buy anything new for their home, they still couldn't miss the market day.

At this time of year, industrial products were not allowed to be sold at the market, and clothing required ration coupons... Of course, the main items sold were grains and agricultural products from one's own farm.

Of course, a few snack stalls, such as those selling fried potatoes and fried potato cakes, were cheap but still cost a few cents, which was enough for these kids to earn pocket money for several days.

Zhou Xu generously bought several small bags of potato cakes: "Come and line up, don't cut in line! It's on me today!"

The village children came running over chatteringly, and Zhou Xu handed them all over.

The remaining talented younger brother, Zhou Xu, was about to hand over a large bag of snacks: "Take these home and eat them yourself!! And this red envelope, I'm giving it to you in advance this year."

"Thank you, Brother Xu."

"okay."

After shopping, Zhou Xu ate a skewer of candied hawthorns, and Zhang Qiutian immediately called him over: "Mom? What's up?"

"Let me introduce you..." Zhang Qiutian said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xu immediately perked up: "What are you going to introduce?"

"That's not my solution, is it? People heard you were back and insisted on introducing you to some girls," Zhang Qiutian said. "But you're not getting any younger! What about that teacher, Li Xiaopan?"

"Li Xiaopan? She's not from the same military region as me. I didn't know that!"

"So you went to the performing arts troupe but didn't meet anyone you liked?" Zhang Qiutian tapped his head.

Zhou Xu pouted helplessly: "Mom, it's easy for you to say that when you're not in my shoes! It's not that simple."

"Let's go! Don't keep the girl waiting." Zhang Qiutian didn't care whether his son was a company commander or a war hero; now that he was at home, he just had to find a wife.

Cough cough! This kind of thinking is common in rural areas: once someone graduates without further education and starts working, they are expected to find a wife.

Zhou Xu followed them to the market center, where villagers from several brigades were waiting.

I forgot to mention that the local clans had a custom specifically for finding wives, called the Daughter's Gathering.

Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, a man surnamed Xue from Shihuyao went out to do business. On the eleventh day of the seventh lunar month, he returned home to pay respects to his ancestors, and his wife and daughters hosted a banquet to welcome him. Xue told his nine daughters that the next day they could get their hair done, put on makeup, go to the market, and have a day of fun.

So on July 12th, women went out into the streets, and men took this opportunity to meet and interact with them. Over time, this became a custom and formed the Daughters' Association.

Although it's not July 12th now, these village beauties have indeed dressed up.

Zhou Xu was, after all, a soldier who had earned a first-class merit, and he was handsome and a good writer, so he was indeed very popular.

"This is my daughter. She just finished high school and was assigned to work at the city cultural center. Xiao Zhou, do you think this is a perfect match?"

Zhou Xu glanced at it, but Zhang Qiutian's eyes lit up when he heard it.

"This is my niece. She's been specially recruited into our city's dance team to study dance!"

"My daughter is beautiful!"

"Xiao Zhou, look at my niece! I'm telling you, she got into university!!"

"You introduced your precious niece to Xiao Xu?"

"..." Upon hearing the words "college student," Zhang Qiutian's pupils constricted. One would have to be incredibly lucky to marry a college student, right?

But her idea is indeed quite good! College students are truly valuable.

After the blind date, Zhou Xu went home with his elderly mother.

Zhang Qiutian was dissatisfied: "Don't you like any of them? That female college student is pretty too, isn't she?"

Zhou Xu mentally compared Liu Xiaoli and thought that Tianxian Ma was much prettier: "I don't have time!"

"What?"

“I still have two more years of service! Besides, I can go to military academy for further studies later…” Zhou Xu coughed, “In total, I’ll serve for at least five or six years! I won’t have time to date.”

Upon hearing the word "military academy," the elderly father was taken aback: "What military academy?"

"I didn't apply this year because I didn't have enough years of service, but I can apply for further training next year or the year after," Zhou Xu said, taking a sip of tea.

"Oh!" Thinking of the "First-Class Merit Award" kept at home, the old father felt that it was normal.

"There's no rush to get married."

Zhang Qiutian still wanted to say, "How many female college students are there...?"

"Tsk, that's a female college student's daughter-in-law," Zhang Qiutian muttered...

Zhou Guoping was both amused and annoyed: "If your son graduates from military academy in a few years, what kind of wife won't he be able to find? Really..."

"Alright, Mom and Dad!" Zhou Xu waved and said, "Let's leave it at that for now! We'll talk about the wedding later, let's celebrate the New Year first."

"It seems we haven't bought the couplets yet!"

"..."

It just so happened at that moment.

Someone knocked on the door.

Zhou Guoping opened the door and saw Zhou Xu's uncle, who had a dark expression on his face, though he wasn't his biological uncle.

"His uncle? What are you doing?"

People with children seem to like calling others by the same names as their children, such as "his third aunt" or "his second aunt."

"I heard that Xiao Xu is back, so I was thinking of asking him to write a couplet for me for the New Year."

"Couplets?" Zhou Guoping was taken aback for a moment: "What kind of couplets can he write?"

His uncle immediately said, "Captain, don't lie to me. Xiao Xu has already published articles! How could he not know how to write couplets?"

“…Oh!” Zhou Guoping was mainly concerned about Zhou Xu’s rating and forgot that Zhou Xu’s rapid rating was also related to writing a book.

Zhou Xu stepped forward: "Couplets! I can do that."

He studied calligraphy, though not formally, but it was definitely not amateurish. He was rather unsophisticated, imitating the works of masters like Wang Xizhi!
They brought out a table. Zhou Guoping had been educated before and often wrote names and calligraphy for the people in the brigade, so he had the basic equipment.

Zhou Xu picked up his pen and wrote: "The sheep bids farewell to the old year with the new wind, and the monkey festival heralds the new spring with its righteous spirit!"

The uncle immediately said, "Xiao Xu writes really well."

"Next person!"

Zhou Xu wasn't just shouting randomly; a family actually came over and said, "Xiao Xu, can you write one for us? We'll put it on our door to try and benefit from your family's good fortune... who knows, maybe my son can join the army!"

That's how superstitious people are in rural areas.

Zhou Xu wrote seven or eight paintings and sent them out. Finally, he wrote one for his own home and pasted it on the door.

the next day.

It's finally Lunar New Year's Eve.

Of course, this time is Chinese New Year!

Today, a car came crashing down the hillside. In those days, only government employees could ride in cars, so everyone knew it was a government employee.

The car arrived at the doorstep. A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit stepped out and slowly walked towards Zhou Xu's house. Zhou Xu and his family came out to see him.

Hearing the noise, a group of villagers came running over with a bowl of glutinous rice balls to watch the old leader. After all, apart from the time they met the minister at the Armed Forces Department, they had never seen such a high-ranking official before!
"That must be the Party Secretary, I've never seen him before!"

"They must have come to comfort our Xiao Xu. He's really something!"

"I've said this so many times! My ancestors must be emitting auspicious smoke."

"Hello, Comrade Zhou Xu! I am Zhang Lixian, a county official. I'm here today to wish our first-class meritorious official a Happy New Year!" Secretary Zhang smiled and shook hands with Zhou Xu.

After all, Zhou Xu received a first-class merit award, so it's not surprising that he received such a gesture of appreciation from his superiors.

Personally, Zhou Xu's identity as a writer is in no way inferior to his military achievements, and such a writer should certainly be won over.

"Hello, Secretary Zhang!!" Zhou Xu and his parents greeted the secretary.

"Actually, when you came back, I was thinking of visiting your home, but I didn't have time, so I decided to come and wish you a Happy New Year during the Spring Festival."

Zhou Xu smiled and said, "It's really kind of you, Secretary, to make a special trip."

"It's nothing! Xiao Li, go and bring over the oil and pork ham." Secretary Zhang said with a smile, "I was originally going to give you fresh meat, but we only slaughtered pigs this year, and we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to finish it and it would spoil, so we brought over the ham instead."

"Thank you, Secretary." Zhou Xu didn't become arrogant just because his work had been published; the Secretary was still a fairly high-ranking official.

His position as company commander was equivalent to that of a staff member, while the position of secretary was analogous to that of a full regiment commander in the military.

"This is what we should do! Cough cough, Comrade Zhou Xu, you're a writer, aren't you?"

"Yes, I have written some works."

"Oh! I see..."

The Party Secretary chatted with Zhou Xu for a few minutes.

The leaders always use roundabout language. After all, what do they need writers for? Just to mention their hometown in the book and do some promotion.

After finishing here, he went to the village entrance to visit Secretary Zhou, since they were both families of first-class meritorious officials, and there couldn't be any deviation from their duties.

"..."

night.

We prepared a New Year's Eve dinner at home.

The pot was stewing cured pork trotters with dried bamboo shoots, and on the stove were meat stir-fried with fried chili peppers, as well as stir-fried chicken with chili peppers, pork rib and lotus root soup, fried potatoes, cold beef salad, and other dishes.

This year's New Year's Eve dinner was probably the most sumptuous meal the couple had eaten in over twenty years, thanks to the many local specialties that Zhou Xu brought back.

In addition, his family fortune has already exceeded one thousand, which of course is Zhou Xu's alone.

"By the way, are you leaving after the fifteenth?" Zhang Qiutian asked.

"My family visit leave is only a month, about that. I just need to get back before the 20th."

"Yes, I'll prepare some things for you in the next few days." Zhang Qiutian was slightly relieved.

While enjoying the New Year's Eve dinner, Zhou Xu felt very happy. He thought that once things were stable, he would bring his parents to the city to live with him!

He ate while watching TV.

There was no Spring Festival Gala this year. The first Spring Festival Gala was in 1983, and the host was Liu Xiaoqing's generation. Actually, if Gong Xue had been from Beijing Film Studio instead of Shanghai Film Studio, she would have been the leading lady.

Pshaw! Why do I keep thinking about this woman?
Although Zhou Xu had a clear memory of eating with Gong Xue, it was a pity that she was five years older than him.

However, there is no Spring Festival Gala now, not no variety show.

Today's broadcast is the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, "The First Spring of the 1980s"... It includes songs, dances, crosstalk, opera, magic, and other programs. The skits only started appearing in 1984.

Crackling.

Soon, the sound of firecrackers rang out outside the house, crackling and popping. Zhou Xu looked at the fireworks in the sky and felt a little gratified.

……

The next day.

It's the first month of the lunar calendar now. Normally, people visit each other to exchange New Year's greetings on the first, second, and third days of the Lunar New Year.

Well, their village was formed by refugees who fled there years ago. They didn't have any clans, so they rarely visited relatives at the beginning of the year. Zhang Qiutian's own family members had all died, which was a common occurrence in those days.

Zhou Guoping had several brothers, but the eldest brother died, as mentioned before, so this was the last one in his generation.

But this year, many people came to their house to curry favor with them during the Chinese New Year.

After all, the village is like a loudspeaker, and the fact that Zhou Xu became a writer was known for miles around, so anyone with even a slight blood relation would come to see him.

Zhou Guoping is someone you should get close to, but he rarely pays attention to those who deliberately try to build relationships or use connections.

Of course, what's indispensable when going home for the Lunar New Year? Finding a partner! So, quite a few matchmakers were visiting. Although Zhang Qiutian didn't say it aloud, she was secretly very fond of that college student!

After all, a daughter-in-law is only someone you like before marriage. Once married, it might lead to conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Although Zhou Xu also likes female college students.

I met several beautiful girls here on blind dates. Of course, I'm not exaggerating; there are indeed many beautiful Miao girls.

On the morning of the 15th.

I ate a bowl of glutinous rice balls.

The elderly mother packed a bag full of things for Zhou Xu, while Zhou Xu took out three hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to his parents: "Mom and Dad, please take this money."

“You…” Zhang Qiutian said, “Your parents are still working hard, why would they want your money! Take it back yourself!”

“…No, I only earn forty yuan a month, I don’t need it all, Mom and Dad, you can keep it,” Zhou Xu smiled, pursing his lips.

"Alright, alright, I'll save it for you as your wife's dowry!"

"It will take me five or six years to get married!" Zhou Xu waved his hand.

The family parted ways at the bus station.

After another three or four days of travel, Zhou Xu finally arrived in Wuhan. The festive atmosphere in Wuhan was stronger, with lanterns and decorations everywhere.

He went straight to the department store.

I don't know if it was fate, but I ran into Liu Yifei's mother again at the department store.

Zhou Xu still has to say that Liu Yifei's mother was pure and beautiful when she was young, but she has grown up to have a mature and charming look.

"Hello? You are..." Liu Xiaoli looked at Zhou Xu, who was getting off the train, looking travel-worn but wearing a military uniform.

Looking into her round, bright eyes, Zhou Xu smiled and said, "...Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

It seems that Liu Xiaoli also said this.

Ahem, Liu Xiaoli looked at Zhou Xu with a smile and immediately said, "You must be Teacher Zhou Xu?"

"How did you know?" Zhou Xu wondered if he had done anything else besides stealing her safety amulet.
Liu Xiaoli immediately replied, "Of course I saw it in the newspaper! I saw your photo in that article of the PLA Daily!"

Pshaw, what Liu Xiaoli really wanted to say was, he's so handsome!

After all, no young girl doesn't like handsome guys, and it's no surprise that even a beauty like Liu Xiaoli is attracted to them.

Liu Yifei also likes handsome men, such as the rumored boyfriend.

(End of this chapter)