In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

evening.

When Zhang Yong arrived at his doorstep, Li Guilan was cooking in the kitchen, the spatula clattering as she cooked.

"You're back? I just bought two new pairs of slippers and they're in the bathroom. Try them on first, then wash your hands and eat."

"it is good."

Zhang Yong went into the bathroom and had just closed the door when he heard Li Guilan's voice coming from outside.

"Zhang Yong".

"Um?"

What do you smell like?

Zhang Yong's movements froze for a moment.

"What does it taste like?"

"Safflower oil." Li Guilan's voice was calm. "This morning when I went to get the insoles from the shoe cabinet, I found that about half a bottle of your father's safflower oil was missing."

Zhang Yong closed his eyes.

It’s over.

"Mom, I bumped myself while practicing boxing outside. I applied some ointment, it's nothing serious."

There was a three-second silence outside the door.

"Lift up your clothes and let me see."

"mom--"

"If you don't watch, I'll make you instant noodles tonight. I'll make you watch your dad and me eat hand-pulled noodles."

……

Dinner was tomato and egg noodles, and Li Guilan added two extra poached eggs to Zhang Yong's bowl.

Zhang Defa hasn't returned yet; he said the factory is working overtime to haul goods and he won't be back until after 9 PM.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Yong obediently lifted his shirt.

When Li Guilan saw the dark purple bruise, the rag in her hand fell to the ground.

"You got hurt while practicing boxing?" Her voice trembled. "Do you think I'm blind? I was beaten up!"

"Mom, it's really not—"

"Zhang Yong!" Li Guilan's eyes reddened. "Tell me the truth!"

Seeing his mother's expression, Zhang Yong could only offer a milder response.

"On my way home last night, I ran into some thugs who tried to rob me. I dealt with them, but I got hit a couple of times myself. They've already been arrested by the police station, so it's all over now."

Li Guilan's lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Finally, she turned and went into the kitchen, and when she came out, she had a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray in her hand.

"Lie down."

"Okay, Mom."

Zhang Yong obediently lay on the bed, while Li Guilan sprayed medicine on him while scolding him, and then punched him again.

"If you fight again, I'll arrest you!"

"If anything happens to you, how are your father and I supposed to live?!"

Zhang Yong buried his face in the pillow and didn't dare to make a sound.

I absolutely must not let my family know about this boxing practice, and I must not mention the competition!

……

7:30 p.m.

A series of hurried footsteps sounded at the entrance of the building, followed by a very cheerful voice.

"Zhang Yong! Is Zhang Yong home?"

When Li Guilan opened the door, she saw a middle-aged man in his forties standing in the hallway, carrying two bags of Beijing white pears, his face glowing.

It's Liu Jianguo.

"Oh, you are..." Li Guilan recognized him. The editor from the magazine who came to her house last time, the one with the good temper.

Liu Jianguo grinned from ear to ear and shoved the Beijing white pear into Li Guilan's hand.

"I'm Liu Jianguo, Auntie! Thanks to Comrade Zhang Yong, I've had a wonderful experience and came here specifically to express my gratitude."

"Editor Liu! Come in and sit down." Li Guilan quickly took the pear with one hand and opened the door with the other.

Liu Jianguo had a big smile on his face.

"Auntie, my wife bought this from Fengtai. It's very juicy, please try some."

Li Guilan said, "You're here, why bring anything?" She quickly went to the kitchen, washed a few things, chopped them, plated them, and served them on the table.

When Zhang Yong came out of the bedroom and saw Liu Jianguo's ruddy complexion, he knew what was going on.

"Brother Liu, what brings you here?"

Liu Jianguo sat down on the sofa and started talking before he even got comfortable.

"Zhang Yong! Great news! Fantastic news!"

He was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, and his tone was cheerful.

"The editorial team has circulated 'The Kingdom on Wheels' internally, and everyone agrees. Even Editor-in-Chief Zhou said—this piece is only suitable for the front page."

He first took a piece of pear and put it in his mouth.

"The proofreading and layout for the next issue's front page are all set up; we're just waiting for your signature." He then picked up a piece of pear and put it in his mouth. "This pear is juicy and sweet; have a bite."

Zhang Yong nodded and took a piece for himself. It was indeed crisp and sweet. Fruits from this era tasted so much better.

In fact, this result was a foregone conclusion.

"The Kingdom on Wheels" tells the story of a group of engineers who dismantled a scrapped Crown car in 1988 and reverse-engineered it to build their own car. Every technical detail is meticulously crafted, and with the backing of leadership, it's a solid project.

"There's something else," Liu Jianguo said, his voice rising slightly.

"I got promoted."

Li Guilan poked her head out of the kitchen, listening intently.

"What have I been doing in the editorial department all this time? Collecting reader mail—basically, doing odd jobs," Liu Jianguo slapped his thigh. "Now it's different! Editor-in-Chief Zhou has transferred me back to the manuscript review post. From now on, all submissions will go through the initial and secondary reviews myself!"

Zhang Yong chewed on a pear, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Manuscript reviewer.

This means that from now on, when Zhang Yong's manuscripts are submitted to "October," the first hurdle will be his own people.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou even assigned me a partner," Liu Jianguo continued. "Her name is Xiao Liu. She used to be in the proofreading team. She's young. Oh my, now I have an assistant too."

"It was because Lin Xuechang went down to proofread that the proofreading team didn't need so many people, so Xiaoliu was promoted."

Li Guilan listened in the kitchen, and couldn't help but smile. It was this Lin Xuechang who had come to her house last time to scare her child.

Now it's all right, time to proofread the punctuation.

She turned around, opened a new box of tea leaves, and brewed some for the two of them.

Zhang Yong kept eating and quickly ate seven or eight pieces.

I couldn't help but admire how ruthless Zhou Deqing had been.

If he were fired, Lin Xuechang could still find work at other publications, at least he would still have the title of former deputy editor-in-chief of "October".

Staying in the proofreading team, I spent my days counting commas and periods on the manuscripts, and when I looked up, I saw my former subordinates sitting in their seats reviewing the manuscripts.

He knew in his heart that the more Lin Xuechang was trampled into the mud, the more likely he was to have evil thoughts.

However, with Zhou Deqing keeping things under control, they certainly can't cause any major upheaval.

"There's something else." Liu Jianguo straightened up, his expression becoming serious.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou asked me to convey his hope that you can take some time to go to the magazine office and sign a new contract. Let's put an end to all those messy disputes from before."

"Okay," Zhang Yong readily agreed. "I'll find some time to go over in the next couple of days."

Liu Jianguo nodded emphatically.

He knew in his heart that his rise from a marginal position back to a core position was ostensibly due to Editor-in-Chief Zhou's arrangement, but in reality, it was inseparable from Zhang Yong's influence.

Zhou Deqing could tell that he had a good relationship with Zhang Yong. Now that Zhang Yong had both writing skills and a powerful backer, he was naturally in a secure position.

"Oh, right." Liu Jianguo remembered something else. "I also inquired about Chen Ping's situation."

Zhang Yong listened.

"After his rebuttal paper was rejected by external reviewers, things didn't go well for him at Peking University either. I heard that his advisor was very dissatisfied with him, feeling that he was not doing his job properly and was just engaging in petty squabbles among scholars."

"He doesn't leave the house now except to eat."

Zhang Yong did not respond.

Chen Ping has quieted down, but that doesn't mean the people behind him have quieted down.

Those five people from last night, I wonder how much they confessed. If the case goes up the chain of command, it could really implicate Chen Ping.

This line will eventually be closed.

"Brother Liu, the pears are delicious. Please thank your wife for me." Zhang Yong stood up.

Liu Jianguo didn't hesitate and stood up, patting his pants.

"Okay, I'll be going then. You set a time for the contract, and I'll let Editor-in-Chief Zhou know in advance."

"The day after tomorrow morning."

"become!"