1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

"Comrade Ren, are you alright?"

When Wang Jianshui saw Ren Hongxing in the center, his expression changed slightly. He looked at Chen Weidong and He Yan beside him, wanting to know what had happened.

"I'm fine, Captain Wang."

Ren Hongxing, of course, recognized Wang Jianshui and waved his hand.

"Captain, Comrade Ren came to deliver a message to me. Everyone is probably being too enthusiastic, that's why they've gathered around."

Chen Weidong held up the October magazine in his hand.

"Yes, Captain Wang, you don't know, Comrade Wei Dong's novel has finally been published. I just read the beginning, and it's exceptionally well written."

Ren Hongxing chimed in, glancing at the magazine in Chen Weidong's hand, "Comrade Weidong, could I borrow it for a while longer?"

At this moment, Wang Jianshui also understood the whole story, breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Weidong, your article has finally been published. I'll buy a copy in a couple of days to show my support."

"Thank you, Captain."

Chen Weidong thanked him and then handed the magazine to Ren Hongxing.

"Comrade Ren, please feel free to look around."

Chen Weidong would certainly not refuse to gain recognition from others.

"Comrade Ren, what's written in the magazine?"

"Could you read it aloud for everyone?"

The villagers who had just dispersed gathered around again, talking amongst themselves with curiosity in their eyes.

This was the first time in Yangjiatun that an article written by a villager had been published in the newspaper. Although Chen Weidong was a sent-down youth, he had been in Yangjiatun for several years and was considered a part of the village. They were also proud of it.

"Then I'll read it for everyone."

Seeing that Chen Weidong didn't mind, Ren Hongxing picked up "October" and started reading.

"The Herdsman, by Chen Weidong!"

"The Chule River flows beneath the Yin Mountains, where the sky is like a yurt, covering the vast wilderness."

Before dawn, I was awakened by the noise from the stable.

That's "Blackie" kicking the trough. This fiery hen always wakes up earlier than the other animals.

... "

"It seems to be written on our side."

"It's originally from here."

"Who is this black guy?"

"It must be that old man from the back of the village!"

"Nonsense, Grandpa Hei has been dead for several years. Chen Zhiqing hadn't even arrived yet at that time."

"You guys really don't understand anything. The 'Blackie' that Chen Zhiqing wrote is the name of a horse."

One of the young men looked at the others with disdain, but his words carried a hint of smugness.

"What kind of beast even has a name?!"

"Say less, are you even listening? If not, get to work!"

Wang Jianshui shouted something in a low voice to the group of people who were talking, and they immediately fell silent. Although they couldn't understand what he said, they certainly didn't want to work if they could rest a little longer.

"This three-year-old colt was the first foal I delivered after I came to the ranch. At that time, I was assigned to this remote military horse farm."

The night I delivered "Heizi," the old herdsman Bayin said to me, "The foal recognizes its owner. If you delivered it, it will be close to you for life."

... "

"That's true. Both horses and dogs are exceptionally intelligent."

"And there are cats too. My cat caught a sparrow the day before yesterday, and it was fried and tasted especially good."

……

Chen Weidong almost burst out laughing when he heard the whispers behind him.

Gradually, everyone fell silent, leaving only Ren Hongxing reading aloud and the sound of the wind.

"Hey, Comrade Ren, why aren't you reading anymore?"

"Exactly, we were just getting to the exciting part. What happened to Xu Lingjun and Li Xiuzhi later?"

……

That's all for this issue; the rest will be in the next one.

Ren Hongxing returned the magazine to Chen Weidong with some regret. He also wanted to know what happened between Xu Lingjun and Li Xiuzhi afterward, whether they left the mainland, and whether they abandoned their wife Li Xiuzhi.

"Chen Zhiqing, you're a writer, you must know, why don't you tell everyone about it?"

"That's right, that's right."

……

"What are you talking about? What time is it? Get up and get to work! If we don't finish today's tasks, everyone will have their work points deducted."

Wang Jianshui immediately rebuked, saying that to be a leader at the grassroots level, one must have a good voice and be able to command respect, otherwise it will be difficult to manage people.

Reluctantly, everyone stood up, picked up their hoes, and returned to their previous positions to get back to work.

"Comrade Weidong, I'll be going now. If I receive any letters from you, I'll bring them to you later."

"Thank you for your help."

"It's alright, no trouble at all."

Ren Hongxing picked up his bicycle and continued riding towards the next village, still recalling the story of "The Herdsman" in his mind.

The afternoon took some time, and it wasn't until after 8 p.m. that everyone finished their work for the day.

Chen Weidong returned home, carrying a hoe in one hand and a magazine in the other.

"You must be tired. Hurry up and wash your face and eat. What's this?"

Su Man poured some hot water into the basin, then brought the food that had been prepared in the pot to the kang (a heated brick bed), only then noticing that Chen Weidong was holding a book.

"The October magazine."

"October! Your novel was published?!"

Su Man remembered the name vividly and immediately looked at Chen Weidong with surprise. Seeing the latter nod, she wiped the water off her hands before taking it.

"This drawing is beautiful! This guy looks a lot like you!"

Su Man had already read the original manuscript of "The Herdsman" and could be considered Chen Weidong's first reader, so she was not in a hurry to read it again. Instead, she carefully read through the entire magazine.

The entire October issue is about two hundred pages long, with "The Herdsman" being the longest, taking up about half of the layout and being the opening piece on the front page.

The cover is printed on thick coated paper using offset printing, while the inner pages are printed on slightly yellowed offset paper.

Besides "The Herdsman," there's also "Learning and Reference," which usually publishes classic Chinese and foreign literary works. Following that are sections for short stories, essays, and poetry, making it seem quite compact.

"Is this a letter from the magazine to you?"

Su Man noticed that an envelope was also tucked inside the magazine.

"I think so, but I haven't had a chance to look yet."

Chen Weidong wiped his face with a towel, walked over, took the letter and glanced at it. It was written to him by Zhang Shouren. In addition to sending him a copy of the magazine, he also sent one to his home in Yanjing.

"This editor is really efficient. Is this the same Editor Zhang you mentioned to me before?"

Su Man gave a compliment.

"Yes, that's him."

Chen Weidong nodded, folded the letter and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed), then picked up a cornbread and took a bite.

"eat."

Chen Xiaosui crawled over and reached for the magazine, with a rope tied around his waist so he wouldn't fall off the bed while Su Man was cooking.

"This isn't for eating, be careful not to cut yourself."

Su Man immediately hid the magazine behind her back.

Seeing that Chen Xiaosui looked unhappy, Chen Weidong quickly picked her up, untied the ropes binding her, and held her in his arms.

"Come on, let's eat eggs."

"She just ate half of it tonight, you can have it yourself."

Su Man felt sorry for Chen Weidong, who had been suffering these past few days, so she specially boiled several eggs today to help him recover.

"It's okay, I'll just eat the yolk."

……