1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 110 First Prize
The competition is still ongoing these days.

Zhou Xu took some time to write the ending of the novel, then went to the post office and mailed it to Harvest magazine.

But now that he's become a sensation two or three times, surely no one will refuse to accept his articles anymore?

"Teacher Zhou, is it really possible for Teacher Zhou to go to the Forbidden City?" Tao Huimin asked Zhou Xu.

“That’s right.” Zhou Xu nodded.

The areas of the Forbidden City that are currently open to the public include the three main halls, the three rear palaces, the east and west corridors, and the Treasure Gallery. He led a group of people into the Forbidden City.

In the morning, the group entered through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Golden Water Bridge to reach the Gate of Supreme Harmony, and then visited the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony in turn. These three halls are the core buildings of the Forbidden City.

After a tiring day of shopping, a group of people ate lunch at the Ice Cellar Restaurant.

Tao Huimin ate her rice in small sips.

Zhou Xu braced his hands on the table, tilted his head back, and looked up at the sky... Wow! It wasn't white at all; it was still gray and hazy. After all, the main industry in the North is manufacturing.

"Teacher, aren't you going to eat?" Tao Huimin asked while eating.

"I'm not eating. I'm not hungry. Who eats three big bowls a day like you?" Zhou Xu looked at Tao Huimin's appetite, which seemed disproportionate to her height, but then thought that these students were all teenagers and needed to eat so much to grow.

"..." Tao Huimin put down her bowl.

"Cough cough, you need to eat more to grow, you should eat more...cough cough." Zhou Xu felt that he sometimes spoke a little too harshly.

Hearing this, she happily went back to eating.

Xiong Jiayuan wiped his sweat: "Tsk, it's so hot, the sun is so strong."

“Big Bear, that’s because you don’t exercise often,” Zhou Xu replied.

"What is Xiong Da?"

“…Hmm, I feel like you’re the older brother, so I’ll call you Big Brother Xiong.” Zhou Xu nodded.

In the afternoon, they first visited the three inner palaces: Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Hall, and Kunning Palace. Then they went to the six western palaces, and it was recommended to visit Yangxin Hall, which was the political power center after Yongzheng and where Empress Dowager Cixi "ruled from behind the curtain." They also visited Yongshou Palace and Yikun Palace.

Next, we will visit the Treasure Gallery, which is located in the Ning Shou Palace area and requires a separate ticket. The Treasure Gallery houses national treasures such as the Golden Bronze Bells, the Golden Cup of Eternal Stability, and the Jade Mountain Carving of Yu the Great Taming the Flood. The Changyin Pavilion and the Well of Consort Zhen are also located in this area.

After visiting the Treasure Gallery, Zhou Xu felt he had plenty of time, so he went to visit the Eastern Six Palaces, such as Yanxi Palace and Zhongcui Palace, before finally leaving through the Imperial Garden and exiting the palace via Shenwu Gate.

After leaving the palace, the Victory Tour Group officially completed its tour mission.

"Wow, the capital city is really fun."

Tao Huimin and Zhang Xiaoyu, along with a group of students, each held a candied hawthorn skewer. How could they come to the capital and not eat candied hawthorn skewers?
"It's really hot," Xiong Jiayuan said, fanning himself continuously.

The group returned to their dormitory.

The next morning, everyone gathered early again. The final day was naturally for announcing the final results of the singer competition, which was the ultimate goal for all the people who came here to participate.

Zhou Xu and a group of people took their seats.

At this moment, Yan Weiwen from the General Political Department leaned closer to Zhou Xu again: "Comrade Zhou Xu, have you really never thought about joining our General Political Department? Actually, it would be easy to transfer here if I just spoke to the leaders."

Zhou Xu immediately shook his head, "No, no, Comrade Yan Weiwen, please don't ask me about this matter. I really have no such intention."

Yan Weiwen sighed and gave up.

The host stood on the stage, blew on the microphone and said, "These past few days, our singing competition has maintained a lively pace. From the contestants' carefully prepared performances to the audience's focused listening and applause, this passion for music has kept the entire venue full of energy."

Now that all the competition rounds have successfully concluded, the long-awaited awards ceremony is about to begin. Every honor embodies the hard work of the contestants and reflects the attention of everyone present. Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the glorious moment for our outstanding singers!

"..."

Zang Yunfei looked at Geng Lianfeng and asked, "Who do you think will win first prize?"

Geng Lianfeng shook her head. "Is there any need to guess? It's most likely the Victory Song and Dance Troupe."

“I think it’s ‘Night at the Naval Port’!” Zang Yunfei said. “By the way, although ‘When That Day Comes’ is very well written, the Naval Political Department…”

"No way! There's no shady dealing involved."

Yan Su coughed and said, "The judging is always fair!"

Zang Yunfei shook his head helplessly: "You two old comrades have misunderstood me. What I meant was that the music composed by the Navy Political Department is more suitable for the troops."

"..." Shi Xin smiled and said, "Then I think 'When That Day Comes' is more fitting, after all, the author really went to the front lines."

The group had a very pleasant discussion. After all, winning first prize in the first arts competition meant they could apply for a second-class merit award from the military region. If it were a military region that hadn't won an award in a long time, awarding a first-class merit award wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Even for them, a first prize in arts and literature is indeed a respectable achievement.

Yan Su leaned closer: "Comrade Zhou Xu, what do you predict you can achieve?"

Zhou Xu smiled slightly and said arrogantly, "First prize!!"

Zang Yunfei chuckled: "Comrade Zhou Xu isn't modest at all! I thought you'd decline!"

After all, Zhou Xu felt he had already brought out the song "When That Day Comes," which was one of the three most righteous songs of later generations—"Singing for the Motherland," "The Song of a Strong Army," and "When That Day Comes"!

"Night at the Naval Port" is too narrow a scope, more suitable for the navy, but "When That Day Comes" is a song that the entire army should learn. Yan Su shrugged: "It's good for young people to have a bit of pride! I encourage you too."

After a long discussion, the host finally brought out the list of winners, holding it up in her palm and saying:

"Let's first congratulate the comrades who won the third prize: Comrade Yongxi from the Zhanqi Art Troupe and Comrade Ma from the Qianxian Art Troupe..."

Of course, less than a third of the participants won first, second, or third prizes; these were almost all won by military regions or large performing arts troupes. It was considered quite good if a small troupe could win a third prize.

Soon, the award ceremony for the second prize arrived.

"The second prize winners are: Comrade Su Xiaoming from the Naval Political Department, Comrade Yan Weiwen from the General Political Department, and Comrade Yang Shuqing from the Air Force Political Department!"

The three winners of the second prize are all highly prestigious.

"Finally..."

A voice certainly piqued the curiosity of the group, but everyone's attention was focused on Zhou Xu and Xiong Da in front of them.

Sure enough, the host announced: "The winner of the first prize is Comrade Xiong Jiayuan from the Shengli Art Troupe, and his song 'When That Day Comes'!"
His singing infused every note with the mission and responsibility of a soldier, the melodies brimming with passion and strength. It not only expressed his deep love for his country but also allowed the audience to feel the spirit of soldiers in the new era—truly deserving of the award!

A burst of applause erupted from both the stage and the audience.

Xiong Jiayuan walked onto the podium, received the certificate from the director of the General Political Department, and then took the microphone. As the first-prize winner, he was required to give a speech at the competition, a long-standing rule for all competitions.

Xiong Jiayuan slowly said, "First of all, I want to thank Comrade Zhou Xu. If it weren't for Comrade Zhou Xu writing such an excellent song, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stand on this stage. Secondly, I want to thank..."

Finally, Xiong Jiayuan also started to thank God. Zhou Xu was very gratified, and the first person he thanked was himself.

Of course, everyone present who wrote the lyrics and composed the music knew who was behind it all.

Just like how Yan Weiwen wanted to bring Zhou Xu into the General Political Department even though it was clearly Xiong Jiayuan who won the award, he knew that Zhou Xu wrote the song, and if he had sung the song himself, Xiong Jiayuan might not have won the award.

"..."

The speech has ended.

Xiong Jiayuan stepped down from the stage.

Zhou Xu smiled and said, "Congratulations!"

"Haha." Xiong Jiayuan couldn't control his smile. This was probably the highest achievement he had made since graduating and starting his military service, so he couldn't control his emotions for a moment.

Although he also longed to be like Zhou Xu and receive a first-class literary merit award for writing a book, he knew that this really depended on talent and luck.

"Congratulations, Comrade Xiong."

"This is a first prize! Comrade Xiong will be promoted when he gets back!"

"..."

A group of people came over to offer their blessings, which Xiong Jiayuan gladly accepted.

soon.

The next day, the vehicles arranged for the Victory Cultural Troupe were almost ready.

Liu Jia came over to see Zhou Xu off briefly: "My dad asked me to tell you that next time you have any manuscripts, you should discuss them with the editorial department."

Zhou Xu nodded: "I understand!"

"By the way, what's your contact information?" Liu Jia said this without looking Zhou Xu in the eye.

"what?"

"What are you doing? I don't need your contact information because I like you..." She gently twirled the hem of her clothes with her fingertips, her earlobes turning slightly red. "Next time, if anything happens, I'll let you know directly."

Zhou Xu wrote down his contact information and handed it to Liu Jia.

It's still best not to offend the children of high-ranking officials.

Pooh.

What if all of these people write to me?
Zhou Xu stroked his chin.

Soon, he boarded the train with the cultural troupe.

Lei Yuansheng patted Zhou Xu on the shoulder and said slowly, "He Jing counts as one? Zhang Fangfang counts as one? And this one too? I remember you had a childhood sweetheart? How come you have so many female confidantes?"

Zhou Xu glanced at him: "No? Where?"

He's a clean-cut man who's going to military academy, but he shows no mercy in any situation!

Zhou Xu thought to himself.

"Alright, enough gossip. Your dark circles are so bad today. Did you stay up all night reading novels again?" Xiong Da asked.

Zhou Xu nodded; "I slept on the train today, so I borrowed a copy of 'War and Peace' from the General Political Department last night and read it through."

(End of this chapter)