1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 31 Warning
"A writer... comrade?" Zhou Xu thought to himself.

This was the first time someone had ever called him a writer! He was a little surprised at first.

He was a little happy for a moment, after all, he was only in his early twenties and had never been surrounded by people or liked by so many people in his previous life.

"Oh...? Are you calling me?" Zhou Xu asked.

"Yes, yes, you're a newly transferred writer to the cultural troupe, aren't you? We haven't seen you before!"

"I've only been here for less than half a month," Zhou Xu replied rather casually.

He Jing was wearing a flesh-colored, tight-fitting thermal top and tight-fitting People's Liberation Army trousers, which were probably her training uniform.

Moreover, the dancers and performers in the cultural troupe train regularly and have excellent, well-proportioned, and powerful physiques. He Jing also has a pretty face. She smiled slightly:
"Hello, writer, my name is He Jing."

On the other side was a woman who was about 1.7 meters tall with slightly thick lips, but these same thick lips gave her a special air about her. She said, "My name is Mai Sui, but they all call me Mai Zi. Hello, Comrade Zhou Xu."

The two treated Zhou Xu exceptionally well because Zhou Xu was handsome and talented, and such a person would be highly sought after anywhere.
The other female comrades and curious male comrades all greeted Zhou Xu one after another.

"Hello, He Jing, Mai Sui, Chen Hai... comrades."

He Jing gave Zhou Xu a kind smile: "Comrade Writer, what brings you here?"

Zhou Xu, holding the report, said, "Because of the alert today, I'll walk around a bit and write a short report later!"

Mai Sui leaned closer and asked, "Would the writer like to interview us? I'd be happy to."

"I do have a question for all of you currently on duty: what are your thoughts on this alert?"

When someone offered to deliver a report to him, Zhou Xu naturally accepted it.

He Jing said, "It felt really unexpected, since we were about to go to war, but I wasn't that scared because of the protection of the troops!"

“Yes, I felt the same way after watching ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin.’ As a cultural troupe, we should also play our positive and inspiring role!” Mai Sui chimed in from the side.

"Now that we've come this far, could the author please sign his autograph for us?"

"I want an autograph too."

Zhou Xu said, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Signatures are not a Hong Kong thing, so they are not currently banned.

The only thing banned in recent years was book signings, because book signings were selling books under the author's name, which is a capitalist practice. It wasn't until more than a decade after the reform and opening up that this was gradually lifted.

"It's okay, everyone even got the dance teacher's autograph!"

Zhou Xu signed autographs for the group as payment for his interviews.

He left with the report.

A group of people were still staring at Zhou Xu's back: "This is the new writer! I feel that he has a unique temperament of a cultured person." He Jing was still swooning over the book cover.

Mai Sui laughed and said, "You just think he's handsome, what kind of temperament is that?"

"Get lost, you're only after he's handsome!"

"I genuinely love Comrade Zhou Xu's novels, just like you do!"

The two of them started joking and pushing each other.

The men watching felt even more resentful. The two prettiest women in the cultural troupe were fawning over this writer, and a little jealousy welled up inside them.

……

Zhou Xu returned to his studio.

Visible.

At best, good looks can win favor; to truly conquer and earn respect, one must rely on talent.

Before his work was published, many people thought he was a gigolo, but after it was published, a group of people began to respect the author's identity even more. I was just thinking about this.

Bai Hua suddenly walked into the house.

He gestured to the person next to him to close the door.

"Everyone..." Bai Hua paused for a moment, then sighed and continued, "You are all writers, and you should have noticed this when you visit various organizations, right?"

The group nodded.

Even those who aren't sensitive to this have noticed; it's clearly preparation for war now.

"As the creative studio of the Victory Cultural Troupe, you all... cannot stand idly by. Perhaps we too will need to go to the battlefield and provide real-time reports. We need you all to create more inspiring music and plays..."

Bai Hua looked at Zhou Xu and added, "And novels! These are our responsibilities as writers, and also our contribution to the performing arts troupe! That's all."

Bai Hua nodded, didn't know what to say, took a sip of water, and left.

The group of people looked at each other, bewildered, as the director disappeared ahead.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Xu realized that now was a good opportunity for him to make a contribution as a creator. He wouldn't go to the front lines himself, but he was determined to make a contribution to the team.

This is a new generation of young people nurtured under patriotic education...

Actually, it's because he also felt sorrow for all the fallen soldiers and was grateful for their contributions.

Zhou Xu buried his head, his first thought being what to create.

Soon he started writing away.

Lei Yuansheng asked curiously, "It seems we won't be able to go home for the Spring Festival this year!"

Gao Ruxing said, "You still want to go back? Do you want to be punished?"

"No, that's not true. You know, living with your wife in the military region right now would be much more comfortable!" Lei Yuansheng exclaimed.

Gao Ruxing laughed and teased, "You even brought your wife to live in the military area? Why didn't you just find a wife who worked in the military back then?"

"Is it because I don't want to?"

After exchanging a few words, Lei Yuansheng said meaningfully to Zhou Xu, "Xu! You're living in a single room. My advice to you is, if you want to stay in the army long-term, you'll have to marry someone from within the unit! Luckily, we have a dance troupe in our unit..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xu smiled slightly and asked, pretending to know perfectly well, "Why?"

Lei Yuansheng said, "You don't even have a partner right now, so you definitely don't know anything. You'll know when you get older."

Gao Ruxing slapped Lei Yuansheng on the head: "You talk nonsense all day long. How old is Xiao Zhou and you're already teaching him all this nonsense."

"Tch, Lao Gao, you're already married at eighteen, aren't you?"

"..."

The two exchanged a few words of banter, and Zhou Xu laughed along but didn't respond; he continued writing.

It has been more than ten days since it was published in "PLA Literature and Art".

Sales are gradually increasing.

Sales figures for military units are readily available, but those for the general public require gradual statistical analysis. Furthermore, military subscribers have clearly defined subscriptions, while sales in the general public fluctuate significantly.

A book's sales volume depends heavily on its quality; the higher the sales, the more attractive it becomes.

In the first week or two, "PLA Literature and Art" seemed to only sell 50,000 to 60,000 copies a month, but sales began to gradually increase starting in the second week.

As the novel's influence and reputation are gradually increasing, word-of-mouth is currently the best marketing method.

There has been an increasing number of discussions about "The Battle at Lake Changjin" in society.

(End of this chapter)