1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 81: 7 yuan per thousand words
Day three.

Another leader from the Arts and Literature Department arrived. Liu Jiaju went into the office without looking for anyone else and went straight inside.

Upon entering the office, Liu Jiaju asked Wang Chuanhong:
"By the way, Lao Wang, one of my authors sent a novel to your literature and art department for review! I haven't heard back for a long time, could you help me find it?"

Wang Chuanhong looked at Liu Jiaju and asked, "What novel?"

"Comrade Zhou Xu wrote it, and the title is 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain'!?" Liu Jiaju remembered.

Wang Chuanhong was a little embarrassed, after all, even the old leader had come over in person yesterday, so he knew what had happened.

But now, unexpectedly, Liu Jiaju himself came to the editorial department to ask for the novel, which surprised him a bit. He continued, "Is he from the Wuhan Military Region?"

Liu Jiaju nodded.

Wang Chuanhong was now completely certain. He paused for a moment and continued, "Then let me tell you something first..."

Blah blah blah, Wang Chuanhong recounted the major events that had occurred in the past few days.

After listening to everything, Liu Jiaju slammed his hand on the table and complained, "Report? That's really nitpicking! Comrade Zhou Xu is a first-class combat hero who served on the front lines!"

This so-called editor has worked in the arts and literature department for over ten years; I think he's been influenced by the atmosphere of those days. How dare he treat our heroic soldiers on the front lines like this!

Wang Chuanhong was a little uneasy, after all, the matter came from their arts and literature department. He continued, "I was also very angry when I heard about this."

“Outrageous!!??” Liu Jiaju glanced at Wang Chuanhong.

Wang Chuanhong immediately stood up and reassured him, "Old Liu, don't be angry yet. I understand what you're all thinking. Our editorial department is very indignant about what this editor did, so we will definitely give Comrade Zhou Xu a reasonable explanation!"

Liu Jiaju glanced at Wang Chuanhong: "A reasonable explanation?"

"We have also submitted an application to our superiors, and we are temporarily preparing to transfer this comrade to a grassroots position for training. If that doesn't work out, we will have him apply for demobilization."

"..."

After Wang Chuanhong finished explaining his solution, Liu Jiaju calmed down a little and breathed a sigh of relief, saying:
"I understand what you're saying. Consider this an explanation for Comrade Zhou Xu! What about the original manuscript?"

"The original manuscript of the novel has been submitted to the disciplinary committee. Go directly to Comrade Liu to get it."

Liu Jiaju got up and walked out the door before even having a sip of tea.

Outside.

Jiang Yi had just heard Liu Jiaju shout again, and he was even more surprised. Why was another leader here today after an old leader came yesterday?

The key is that he is so concerned about Zhou Xu's situation. He spent the whole night thinking that he would most likely be arranged to leave the editorial department because the impact was a bit bad.

He had initially held onto a sliver of hope, but seeing how much concern so many veteran comrades had for Zhou Xu's situation, he gave up on the idea.

"What should I do?"

Gao Junlang, on the other hand, didn't kick him while he was down. As a veteran editor, he was known for his smooth-talking and worldly wisdom.
"What other options are there? You're showing genuine remorse now. Quickly write an apology letter, and the best you can hope for is to be transferred to a lower-level unit."

Jiang Yi scratched his head, deeply regretting his impulsive actions.

……

In the afternoon, Liu Jiaju went to the disciplinary committee, took the manuscript of the novel, and returned it to the editorial department.

Upon returning to the editorial department, he opened the novel manuscript and took a look.

He then shared the story with Liu Songlin, who was standing next to him. After hearing the whole story, Liu Songlin was also indignant and joined Liu Jiaju in complaining a few more times.

After their discussion, the two of them started reading a novel.

Compared to Zhou Xu's first novel, "The Battle at Lake Changjin," this novel is clearly an improvement.

It should be considered a comprehensive improvement.

Because Zhou Xu's first attempt at writing a novella was "Changjin Lake," while "Garland Under the Mountain" was his second time writing a novel.

Zhou Xu copied the story structure from later generations, but he couldn't completely copy and memorize the text. He relied on his own writing skills to reconstruct it.

Having accumulated experience with his first novel, and having recently read many more books, his writing style and skill have become much more refined.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, suffering is the breeding ground for literature. Zhou Xu experienced war, which made his writing more emotionally rich and his prose more solid.

As for the story itself, "Garland at the Foot of the Mountain" has received higher ratings and better reviews from readers than "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

The former was written during a time when literary trends were very prevalent, a product of the planned economy era.

Even if the latter is a tribute film, it ultimately cannot withstand the path of commercialization, so its pure literary foundation is weaker than that of the former.

After reading the novel, Liu Jiaju immediately said, "It is a disgrace to our General Political Department that such an excellent novel could be slandered and framed by them."

"How long has it been since those years? The spirit of the times will always leave some remnants. Our only consolation is that such an outstanding writer as Comrade Zhou Xu was able to protect himself from the tide."

Liu Songlin sighed after finishing the novel.

"I think this novel is the best military novel written in recent years, no, it should be the best in more than ten years!"

Liu Songlin nodded:

"Compared to the battlefield scenes, Comrade Zhou Xu's novels prefer to summarize the human nature. What makes this novel fascinating is not the life and death on the battlefield, but the literary scenes in the early and later parts."

The two had forgotten the unpleasant incident that had occurred with the novel and were now more interested in discussing its content.

This novel is indeed well-written.

After discussing for a while, Liu Jiaju asked, "Is there any space left for this issue of the magazine?"

Liu Songlin said, "I asked around, and it seems there aren't any more. The scores will be given next month."

"It can only be published in May?" Liu Jiaju shook his head: "Okay, I'll go and inform Comrade Zhou Xu first. Remember to tell our editor-in-chief."

"Okay, Comrade Liu." Liu Songlin got up, took the manuscript of the novel, and left.

As for Liu Jiaju, he went straight to the telephone and dialed the number for the cultural troupe.

After a while.

After Political Commissar Huang gave the notification, Zhou Xu went to the telephone.

"Comrade Zhou Xu, have you received the royalties for the published single-volume edition of the novel I gave you last time?"

"I have received the royalties for the standalone edition of 'The Battle at Lake Changjin'," Zhou Xu replied with a smile.

Liu Jiaju said with concern, "I and several comrades are already aware of the unpleasant incident that happened on 'Garland Under the Mountain'."

We feel extremely indignant about Comrade Zhou Xu's unwarranted involvement and the injustice she suffered, and we will definitely uphold justice for you and ensure you are not wronged. As for the Literature and Art Department, they have already taken action.

However, I must apologize. Next time, I will go earlier to collect the manuscripts to prevent this from happening again.

Zhou Xu said, "Thank you for your concern, Editor Liu."

"Hmm... You've provided our magazine with quite a few excellent novels! It's normal to care about authors. By the way, there's something else I want to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xu definitely knew what it was about, and he immediately asked, "Is it about the royalties?"

"Hmm, your novel 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain' is truly excellent!" "Oh?" Zhou Xu immediately learned about the follow-up... the royalties.

Liu Jiaju continued, "This isn't your first time writing a novel, so the editorial department has given us a reasonable price after consideration: seven yuan per thousand words."

As the last word fell, Zhou Xu's mood also sank.

This is one of the few pieces of good news I've heard in the past few days.

Seven yuan per thousand words—that's the treatment of a famous writer! The military magazine really does have money! Zhou Xu was still daydreaming a bit.

I did the math, and it came to about five hundred yuan.

After receiving this payment, my savings will soon reach 1,500 yuan.

There was no notification regarding going to the capital to revise the manuscript.

Generally speaking, for better manuscripts, the editor usually only needs to correct a few minor errors. Zhou Xu went to the capital to revise his manuscript for the first time mainly because his first manuscript was really bad.

Of course, another reason is word count. Short and medium-length novels usually don't invite authors to the capital to revise their manuscripts, while medium and long novels do.

After saying all this, Liu Jiaju hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xu left the office.

He ran into He Jing again as soon as he stepped outside. Looking at her, Zhou Xu scratched his head again and finally said slowly, "Comrade He Jing, thank you so much for what you did last time."

"whats the matter?"

"The political commissar told me, thank you for speaking up for me." He had a slight liking for He Jing, which stemmed from his liking for a good person.

However, Zhou Xu really has no intention of being together right now. It's impossible for him to be with someone just because of a little bit of affection. That would not only hurt himself but also the other person.

Hearing this, He Jing smiled and said, "It was Long Ping who first slandered you within the group, so I just spoke up for you because I couldn't stand it. It was all just a casual thing to do."

"Speaking of which, let me treat you to a meal as a token of my gratitude."

"Let's go, I want to eat today... um, pork rib and lotus root soup."

"Okay, I'll go to the cafeteria to order first. You can call Chen Hai and Mai Sui later..." Zhou Xu said.

He Jing nodded. After all, she wasn't the only one who stood up for Zhou Xu. Chen Hai, Mai Sui, and others had also helped out. It wasn't strange that Zhou Xu invited them to dinner.

night.

A group of people gathered in the cafeteria.

Zhou Xu also extorted a bottle of wine from Political Commissar Huang, and of course he was certain that he had also given the commissar two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Nowadays, Zhonghua cigarettes are considered luxury cigarettes, costing 1.3 yuan per pack and at least 10 yuan per carton. Twenty yuan might seem like half a month's salary for Zhou Xu, but it's just a drop in the ocean for someone who earns royalties.

"..."

Zhou Xu poured four glasses of wine: "You guys can all drink, right?"

"Sure, hurry up and pour it! But where did you get this wine?"

Zhou Xu smiled: "The political commissar gave it to me."

“The political commissar really likes Comrade Zhou Xu as a soldier,” Mai Sui said, resting her chin on her hand.

Chen Hai nodded silently, he had to admit the truth: "Comrade Zhou Xu is currently the most outstanding writer in our art troupe. He is likely to receive a first-class merit award and will probably be among the first to be recommended for university admission in October."

"What?" Zhou Xu asked in surprise.

“There are recommendation slots every year. Some are direct admissions, and some are through exams. The exams will be held in the next two months. As for direct admissions, there are also slots available every year,” Chen Hai said slowly.

"So guess why Longping is so angry? Because he was originally supposed to take the exam, but he couldn't. Later, he left the army because of gossip, and now he can't even pass the review process to take the exam again."

Mai Sui shook her head: "Let's not talk about this jinx. Today is a celebration for Comrade Zhou Xu!"

"Yes! But last year our group only had one spot for direct admission."

"There might only be one recommendation slot this year."

"Comrade Zhou Xu has already received a first-class merit award, how can we compete with him for it?!"

Outstanding soldiers who are recommended for admission to universities must meet certain basic conditions, and must also meet one of the following conditions, such as winning a third-class or higher military science and technology award.

The first-class merit award that Zhou Xu received seems to be more valuable than the third-class award.

Zhou Xu said with a smile, "Alright, everyone, stop joking around and let's eat."

……

This is Ruian, Zhejiang.

In the drama troupe.

The basic skills training for Yue Opera revolves around the four major performance systems of "singing, acting, reciting, and fighting".
Tao Huimin is practicing singing with a group of friends.

The teacher sings a verse, and then a group of people sing along.

After singing for a while, the teacher said, "This song will be checked tomorrow, and everyone will be assessed then..."

Tao Huimin nodded.

A little while later, someone outside called out, "Tao Huimin, your letter."

Upon hearing this, Tao Huimin blinked, immediately ran out the door, and took the letter.

"Thank you uncle."

There was a hint of surprise in her eyes. Of course, she was most looking forward to a letter from her idol and hero. So Tao Huimin slowly opened the letter, glanced at it, and saw Zhou Xu's name.

"Wow!" Tao Huimin was very surprised.

"What's wrong, Huimin? Who sent you the letter?"

"A letter from your parents?" Several little girls gathered around Tao Huimin.

Tao Huimin blushed and waved her hand, immediately saying, "No, no, don't look!!"

She pouted and immediately left with her letter.

Such a precious letter should naturally be opened and viewed by myself alone.

"I fully support your wishes, and of course, you can do whatever you like..." In addition to these, Zhou Xu also answered some of Tao Huimin's minor questions in the letter.

For example, what is life like in the military?

How can I join the army?
Are there many talented people in the performing arts troupe?

These questions all stemmed from the clever ideas of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.

Of course, the most important thing is that this is the first time Tao Huimin has sent a letter to a stranger and received such a good reply. Her sense of satisfaction and excitement has reached its peak...

(End of this chapter)