Writer 1979: Writing for the People

"Uncle Xu! The jade is returned to you intact! I've brought Aunt Li back to you safe and sound!"

As evening fell, Zhang Qiaoqiao, who had come back with her companion, shouted into the cave dwelling.

Li Xiuzhi, who was next to her, gently patted her, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

Zhang Qiaoqiao didn't care about any of that. After greeting Xu Lu, she hummed a tune she'd learned from somewhere and slowly walked home.

As for Li Xiuzhi, seeing that Xu Lu had already started cooking, she quickly came over to help, explaining as she went.

"I walked a little slowly today, I'll come back earlier tomorrow!"

Xu Lu didn't care about these things. Li Xiuzhi came back late, and since he was capable of doing chores, it wouldn't be a problem for him.

He first stopped her, telling her to go get some water and rest, and then asked her another question.

How was your day at school? Are you settling in well?

"It's alright, everyone's been very nice to me."

Li Xiuzhi nodded. Although she was not highly educated, she did odd jobs at school that were not difficult.

Moreover, after everyone learned that her husband was Xu Lu, they took good care of her, so she adapted quite well to the new environment.

Hearing this, Xu Lu felt a little more at ease, and then spoke again.

"I thought about it today, and it's really too far from home to the middle school in the commune. How about we buy a bicycle?"

  

That way, you and Qiaoqiao will have an easier time, and it'll be more convenient for me to go to the commune to buy things sometimes.

It takes more than half an hour to walk from Zhangjia Village to the commune, and even more time to walk to the middle school.

Going back and forth like this every day is quite a hassle.

Xu Lu had just received the royalties from the two articles he had written last time, and there was nothing he needed to spend money on at home for the time being, so he had been thinking about this matter all day.

This time, he also took the initiative to discuss it with Li Xiuzhi.

"Buy a bicycle? That would cost around a hundred yuan, and you'd need a ticket..."

"No way, it's too expensive!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuzhi quickly waved her hand in refusal. She was already quite content to be able to work at the school without having to endure the wind and sun all day.

I really can't bear to let Xu Lu spend this money to buy her a bicycle for transportation!

"It will cost more than a hundred yuan, but we have enough money on hand right now."

"I can ask Zhang Dameng to figure out a way to get tickets. If all else fails, we can buy a used car."

"This money is what you've worked so hard to save over the years, let's keep it safe and not use it to buy a car!"

Half of the family's current money comes from Xu Lu's savings over the years, and the other half comes from the royalties he earned from writing this article. She absolutely does not want Xu Lu to touch this money for her sake.

Although Xu Lu earned quite a bit from writing articles last time.

But if this money were so easy to earn, everyone would be scrambling to earn it!

Li Xiuzhi knew that earning royalties was definitely not easy, and she also knew how hard Xu Lu worked, so she was truly reluctant to let him spend the money.

Of course, if the car were bought for Xu Lu, she would definitely agree!

"or……"

Xu Lu wanted to try again, but Li Xiuzhi had already grabbed his hand, her eyes warm and pleading.

Seeing her like this, Xu Lu swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Okay, I'll do as you say!"

"Okay! I'll cook. I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Seeing Li Xiuzhi smile immediately and run to the stove to start busying herself, Xu Lu couldn't help but smile as well.

Having such a gentle, virtuous, and sensible wife is truly wonderful.

Thank goodness Zhang Dameng wasn't here, otherwise I would have rolled my eyes at him!

It smells so good!

You didn't say that before!

……

Although Xu Lu had promised Li Xiuzhi that he wouldn't use the two hundred yuan from his family to buy a car, he still hadn't given up the idea of ​​buying a car.

I want to buy a car, but I don't want to touch my family's money...

Then the only option left is to "generate revenue".

It seems he'll be quite busy lately.

With the idea of ​​earning money to buy a car in mind, Xu Lu went to his desk after dinner to continue working on his piece "Wheat Harvester".

He only made a start in the afternoon, and this is just the beginning of introducing the main character!

……

A burly young man strode towards us.

"Dad! Can't you be a little more perceptive? You're just sitting here waiting. When will you get there? Just now, at the bus station, a team leader from Shuichuan came and ordered forty or fifty people to leave..."

The young man was well-proportioned, with a delicate face and bright, intelligent eyes. His white shirt was stained with sweat, his black trousers were patched, and his hemp shoes were worn down at the heels, yet he exuded energy.

……

This practice, formerly known as "occupying the field," involved a strong, burly man who considered himself somewhat skilled in martial arts standing up abruptly from the group of migrant workers, thumping his chest and declaring, "I've taken over this field!! Five yuan a mu, no one can hire anyone without five yuan, and no one is allowed to follow me!"

Whoever wants to hire or follow will be in for a good fight. The shopkeeper was intimidated and had no choice but to raise the price. Back then, Wu Hedong had been a "on-the-spot" boss, thumping his chest and making a deafeningly loud price.

……

Thirty years have passed, and Wu Hedong is still a migrant worker. These people who come to the market to sell their goods, pass by, or look for odd jobs all seem to be a head taller than him, glancing at him with disdain as they walk past him...

Yes, who cares about migrant workers? Everyone says: "Nine out of ten of them are thieves! They'll steal anything they see. If you're eating at a restaurant, they'll steal your bowl, they won't even leave a pair of chopsticks untouched. If you're hitchhiking, they'll spot the brake cable, untie it, jump off, and run away..."

……

That night, Xu Lu wrote until his neck ached before he finally stopped. Li Xiuzhi felt sorry for him and quickly told him to sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), then reached out to massage his shoulders and the back of his neck.

They only stopped when Xu Lu said he felt much better.

"You're really harming your health like this. I'll make you some nourishing soup when I have a couple of days off!"

"Okay! You should get some rest now, you have to go to work tomorrow!"

Xu Lu spoke, then blew out the lamp and lay down as well, but his eyelids remained open.

The word count of "Maike" is about the same as the two articles he wrote last time combined, which means that if the price is the same, the final payment will be less than one hundred yuan.

Although this was already a "huge sum," it was still not enough to buy the bicycle!

These days, there's no such thing as installment payments.

So writing just one article, "Wheat Harvester," isn't enough to buy a bicycle.

What else should I write?

Pure literature is not a good choice at this moment. Although Xu Lu still has a lot of good ideas in his mind, it is too conspicuous to produce so many "good things" in such a short time!

What else can I write about?

Xu Lu pondered for a moment, and soon an inspiration struck him, and he came up with a good idea.

He could try writing children's literature!