1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

The two chatted until very late yesterday, almost making Chen Weidong late.

As soon as they arrived at the horse pen, they were stopped by Wang Jianshui.

"Wei Dong, come here for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."

Wang Jianshui led Chen Weidong a few steps to the side, and seeing that no one was around, he continued quietly, "Weidong, the secretary and the others discussed it in a meeting yesterday and decided that the quota for returning to the city this time will be given to you and Su Man."

Upon hearing this news, Chen Weidong was first taken aback, then immediately said gratefully, "Really? Thank you so much, Uncle Wang. If it weren't for your help, we might not have been able to go back this time."

"You are still the best, especially your novel 'The Horse Herder' which gave you a lot of advantages. In addition, others had already registered for the college entrance examination, so everyone unanimously approved it."

Wang Jianshui didn't say it, but he was very pleased with Chen Weidong's attitude. It was worth all the hard work he had put in.

"When you get back, quickly prepare your and Su Man's materials and bring them to the brigade. Remember not to make too much of a fuss."

"I understand. I'll get ready when I get back."

Chen Weidong nodded. Now that they were at the final hurdle, he certainly wouldn't publicize it too much, otherwise, if it aroused jealousy and someone reported it, it could easily cause problems.

He suffered a lot of losses in this kind of thing in his previous life, and only gradually learned his lesson later.

After cleaning the horse pen, Chen Weidong looked back and realized that he would finally be free from shoveling manure.

Upon returning home, Chen Weidong immediately told Su Man the news.

"Is it really possible to return to the city?"

"It's true, Uncle Wang just told me this. Find our identification documents and I'll send them to the brigade right away."

At that time, educated youth could not simply leave for the city at will; they had to obtain the brigade's stamp first, and then submit it to the county for review.

Afterwards, he also needs to transfer the grain supply transfer certificate and the stub of the grain and oil relationship introduction letter, otherwise it will be a problem for him to find a job again after returning to Yanjing.

"for you."

Su Man took out all of their documents and certificates.

"What about all these things in our house now?"

Su Man glanced around the house. Although there wasn't anything valuable, it was all money that she and Chen Weidong had saved up little by little.

"Selling the sheep is fine. As for these pots and pans, we'll see if Brother Yan and the others want them. If not, we'll give them to Uncle Wang to fuss over."

Chen Weidong thought for a moment and then said.

"That's fine too."

Su Man felt a little heartache, but she also knew that she couldn't take all these things back at once.

"I'll go deliver the ingredients first. See how much flour we have at home. We can make some dough and then make some dumplings to celebrate."

"There's still a little over half a bag left, I'll go right now."

Chen Weidong brought the materials to the brigade headquarters.

"Accountant Yang."

"Wei Dong is here, please have a seat."

Yang Shuzhi got up and poured Chen Weidong a glass of water, and also took out some brick tea leaves from the drawer and put some in.

"You must have heard the news; you're here to deliver some materials, right?"

"That's right, these are my and Su Man's personal documents. Please check if they're correct, and if anything is missing, I'll add it."

Yang Shuzhi picked it up and examined it carefully. "Everything is here, nothing is missing. Once the secretary arrives and stamps it, it can be sent to the county. If all goes well, it should take five or six days to complete all the procedures."

"Thank you, Accountant Yang. I won't disturb your work any longer."

Chen Weidong was surprised by the speed and immediately expressed his gratitude.

Watching Chen Weidong's departing figure, Yang Shuzhi sighed in his heart, "Jinling is no ordinary fish; it will transform into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds!"

"Back so soon? What did the brigade say?"

When Su Man saw Chen Weidong come in, she immediately asked him something.

"We have everything we need. Once the procedures in the county are completed, our whole family will be able to go back."

Upon hearing this, Su Man's face instantly lit up with a smile.

The two of them made dumplings, and the family of four ate a quiet meal of dumplings.

For the next few days, Chen Weidong did the same thing as usual: after cleaning the horse pen, he would go straight home and begin writing his second novel, "Hibiscus Town".

Actually, the inspiration came from Liang Xiao and Yu Guo, which reminded him of the movie "Hibiscus Town" starring Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing in his previous life. However, the latter was not like Liang Xiao and Yu Guo; it was a real love story that took place in the countryside.

Chen Weidong chose "Hibiscus Town" because he wanted to continue the success of "The Herdsman." After all, "The Herdsman" is a love story, and if he continues with love stories, he will definitely be loved by book fans. This will not only consolidate his base but also gain the favor of book fans.

These are all experiences he accumulated in his previous life. Don't think about switching to another category before you've mastered it to the extreme, or you'll fail so badly you won't even be able to find a home.

However, there is another reason: "Hibiscus Town" has a lot of words, about 150,000 to 160,000 words when it is finished, which is six or seven times longer than "The Herdsman".

Even if the payment is calculated at five yuan per thousand words, he can still earn at least seven or eight hundred yuan, which is more than the annual salary of a sixth or seventh grade worker.

However, given the popularity of "The Herdsman," no matter which editorial department he submits to now, they will at least increase his payment by one or two yuan, and his total royalties will only increase.

He had already spent most of the royalties he had received, which would help ease his current financial burden.

As is his usual writing habit, he first writes out the story outline and character settings to prevent himself from going off on his own later.

The female protagonist, Hu Yuyin, is a small vendor selling rice tofu in Furong Town. She is beautiful, simple, hardworking, thrifty, skillful, warm-hearted, straightforward, and kind to others. She becomes wealthy through fair trade, but is unjustly accused of a crime that leads to her utter destruction.

At first, she attributed everything to fate, even believing that Qin Shutian's singing of wedding songs at her wedding brought bad luck. Later, through hardships with Qin Shutian, she matured from naivety into a strong woman.

Qin Shutian, the director of the cultural center, was the most cultured man in town, yet he was labeled a member of a faction. He was emotionally sensitive and sincere, quick-witted and resourceful, and resisted in a twisted way. Despite being labeled a faction member, his love for life and pursuit of beauty remained undiminished. In those turbulent times, he dared to help Hu Yuyin, dared to love, dared to enjoy the rights that life should have, his heart filled with light and hope, firmly believing that darkness would eventually pass.

……

In the spring of 1963, Hu Yuyin, the owner of Hu's Rice Tofu stall at the east end of the town, was the most eye-catching person on the street.

She was in her early twenties, with delicate features and a well-proportioned figure. Due to years of hard work, her cheeks always had two rosy blushes.

She is quick and efficient, and warm-hearted. Her rice tofu is tender and delicious, and when paired with homemade chili oil and pickled cowpeas, it attracts people from far and wide to come and try it.

People call her "Sister Furong," saying she is the hibiscus flower of Furong Town.

……