Chapter 303 Serving the Writer Wholeheartedly
Because of teaching Rong Shihui at the Institute of Literature Research, Lin Weimin's trip to Shanxi was postponed for a few days, but finally took place at the end of May.
He and Zhang Zhonge spent more than a day wandering on the green train.
After getting off the train, Lin Weimin was carrying a suitcase, looking neat and tidy. In contrast, Zhang Zhonge looked much more shabby, holding a wrinkled soft cloth bag in his hand, looking like an antique dealer going to the countryside to collect goods.
The two chatted as they walked. This was not Zhang Zhonge's first visit to Shanxi.
He came here once last year to discuss an article titled "The Trekker" with the author Jiao Zurao.
In fact, these things could be solved by just sending a letter, but Zhang Zhonge still made a trip out of concern. In addition, he also had to visit several other Shanxi authors, including Zheng Yi, whom we talked about last time.
Taiyuan is an ancient city with many famous places of interest, but Lin Weimin and Zhang Zhonge were on a business trip and had no intention of visiting those attractions.
The two of them booked a room at Bingzhou Hotel and went to find Jiao Zurao, an author familiar to Zhang Zhonge, and had a meal with him.
Then the troops were divided into two groups, Lin Weimin went to Yuci and Zhang Zhonge went to Yuanping.
Lin Weimin went to Yuci by long-distance bus and wasted a whole day on the road. He first went to meet He Yunlu.
He Yunlu was an employee of the Yuci Nylon Factory and lived in a shabby bungalow in the factory. His wife Luo Xueke was also a writer.
She was washing clothes when Lin Weimin came. He Yunlu greeted Lin Weimin and went to fetch water. He waited for a long time before coming back.
"The conditions here are a bit poor!" Lin Weimin felt a bit uncomfortable looking at this place.
"This place is relatively quiet, and no one disturbs me, which is nice."
Last year, He Yunlu's "Rising Star" was published in the first issue of "Contemporary", which caused a huge response. He also became one of the hottest writers in the literary world. Countless commissions for articles, interviews, and conference invitations came in, making him overwhelmed.
"What's the matter? Is it bad to be famous?" Lin Weimin asked with a smile.
He Yunlu shook his head. "I longed to be famous before, but now that I know, it doesn't feel good."
This era is different from later generations. In later generations, once you become famous, wealth will follow.
But nowadays, being famous is just being famous, and you won’t earn a penny more, so being famous seems to be of no use to many people.
Lin Weimin asked He Yunlu what he was writing recently. He took out the manuscript he was writing, which was also a work on officialdom, just like "New Star".
The novel has only started with a few tens of thousands of words, and judging from the content alone, it is far less stunning than "Rising Star".
Lin Weimin gave He Yunlu some suggestions and then asked Luo Xueke if she had any recent works.
Luo Xueke took out a novella entitled "The Power of Women". Lin Weimin read it carefully and thought it was of acceptable quality.
"This article can be put in a special issue, what do you think?"
Luo Xueke said happily: "Of course that's the best!"
After receiving the manuscript, Lin Weimin left in a hurry.
He Yunlu and his wife tried to persuade him to stay and offered to treat him to a meal.
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "That's enough. Telling you that you want to treat us to a meal is not only awkward for you, but also for me."
He Yunlu is interested in philosophy and has a somewhat eccentric personality. He has already shown signs of becoming a recluse, and in the next few years he will plunge headfirst into the Q Gong craze.
After leaving He Yunlu, Lin Weimin found a guesthouse in Yuci City and stayed there.
The next morning, he found Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi is from Yenching University and attended Shuimu High School.
So Lin Weimin and he had common topics, because Shi Tiesheng also studied in this school.
"Haha, Tiesheng told me about it. When he was in school, you were already very famous in the affiliated high school, "Zheng Kuaer", the iron-clad champion of the 100-meter and shot-put events. Your calves were as big as two lanterns, and your chest muscles were also very developed. You made those boys jealous!"
Lin Weimin's words were so humorous that Zheng Yi couldn't help but think of his school days, with a hint of nostalgia on his face.
"It's all in the past. It's not possible now."
The two chatted for a while, and when it came to the manuscript, Lin Weimin said, "This novel still needs to be revised. Do you have time?"
"No problem." Zheng Yi agreed readily.
Revising manuscripts is a common occurrence for authors who want to publish their works.
"How long will it take to complete the revision?" Lin Weimin asked.
"It's hard to say." Zheng Yi looked hesitant. He is also an editor now, and writing is just a hobby.
"We at Contemporary Magazine are planning to publish a special issue on Shanxi writers. You should arrange for a similar time for the manuscripts so that we can coordinate the layout."
Lin Weimin said this, and seeing Zheng Yi's hesitant expression, he asked, "How about going to Yanjing to revise the manuscript? You can stay in our unit's guesthouse, enjoy cadre treatment, and receive a two-yuan subsidy per day. You can take a leave from work, so that you can revise the manuscript faster without distractions."
Teacher Lin's true intentions were exposed, and he continued to tempt her: "This manuscript should be able to be revised quickly. When you have time, you can also meet up with your old friends in Yanjing."
Zheng Yi's heart was moved by what he said, and he said without hesitation, "Okay."
The two decided to go to Beijing to revise the manuscript. Zheng Yi asked for leave from his unit, while Lin Weimin returned to Taiyuan.
After three days of going back and forth, Zhang Zhonge finally returned. This time he met two authors, Cheng Yi and Li Rui, and brought back two manuscripts.
When Zhang Zhonge heard that Lin Weimin had tricked Zheng Yi into going to Yenching to revise the manuscript, he laughed with joy.
Revising a manuscript = being locked up in a small dark room has now become a consensus among the editorial department of Contemporary and a large number of authors. They rarely take the initiative to mention this matter to the authors for fear of causing misunderstanding.
Lin Weimin also told Zhang Zhonge about He Yunlu's current conditions. After all, he was a nationally famous young writer, and his living conditions were indeed a bit shabby. In a few years, this thing would be a bit out of place, but it was still a good thing for now.
Lin Weimin and Zhang Zhonge found Jiao Zurao, and through his introduction they met the two leaders of the SX Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, hoping that they could come forward to help solve He Yunlu's life difficulties.
After the meeting, the other party said that it would take some time to finalize the matter.
Lin Weimin and Zhang Zhonge did not receive any news in Taiyuan, so they had to return to Yanjing first.
This trip to Shanxi was quite fruitful. Not only did I bring back several novellas, but I also brought back an author.
Zheng Yi arrived two days after Lin Weimin and his companions returned to Yanjing and was arranged to stay in the guesthouse on the third floor.
Two days later, Lin Weimin received a call from Jiao Zurao. After consultation with the Yuci Nylon Factory where He Yunlu worked, the Cultural Association provided He Yunlu with two convenient conditions.
First, you can write at home without working, and your salary will be paid by the agency.
Second, the factory improved the housing conditions for He Yunlu and his wife and moved them into a tube-shaped building.
Lin Weimin felt somewhat relieved after receiving the news.
Liu Yin joked, "Our editor-in-chief Lin is really powerful. He helped the author solve a big problem by organizing the manuscript once!"
The colleagues also laughed, but Zhang Zhonge looked serious and said, "Weimin is a good editor who serves writers wholeheartedly!"
"Look! Look! You guys are so superficial!" Lin Weimin said proudly.
A day later, Tong Zhonggui came to the editorial department to help and took the initiative to find Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin asked, "Have you thought about the work?"
Tong Zhonggui is a student of Yenching Normal University class of 1980. He will graduate this year, with only more than a month left. Previously, Lin Weimin, on behalf of the editorial department, talked to him and asked him whether he was willing to stay in Contemporary.
Nowadays, college graduates are generally assigned to their hometowns. Tong Zhonggui is from Jiangsu, so it is natural for him to return to his hometown after graduation.
According to the original trajectory, he will become the youngest editor of Zhongshan next year, and then he will be unstoppable on the literary path and publish a series of representative works.
Tong Zhonggui had of course thought it through before approaching Lin Weimin directly. Contemporary Magazine was the country's leading magazine, and Tong Zhonggui would be delighted to be able to work here. He had been communicating with his family during the past few days since he was going to stay in Yanjing to work.
Tong Zhonggui had had this idea in mind ever since he managed to get the job as a volunteer at the Chinese Literature Society. Now that his wish has come true, he is extremely happy.
"Teacher Lin, I hope to stay and work at Contemporary."
"Great! We have a new force in the editorial department!"
Lin Weimin pulled Tong Zhonggui and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see the director!"
Tong Zhonggui happily reported the matter to Meng Weizai. After Tong Zhonggui left, Meng Weizai told Lin Weimin a piece of news.
Rong Shihui is going to be transferred!
"I was transferred to the Writers Publishing House, which is considered a promotion. I was supposed to leave at the end of last year, but the incident you caused made everyone in the editorial department panic. You stopped working, and if Lao Rong left, the work of the editorial department would be delayed, so it was postponed for a while."
Lin Weimin felt a little guilty. He didn't expect that he had delayed Lao Rong's promotion because of him. This was really wrong.
"Then we have to say farewell to Comrade Lao Rong!" said Lin Weimin.
"You take care of it." Meng Weizai waved his hand.
Two days later in the evening, after get off work, the editorial staff of Contemporary Magazine gathered in the Shichahai courtyard.
Originally, Lin Weimin planned to find a restaurant, but Lao Meng was too stingy and said the standards were too high and violated the regulations.
Lin Weimin had no choice but to arrange the farewell banquet at his own home.
"When you become a leader, your heart is black! This is like making a donkey work but not giving it any grass to eat."
While Meng Weizai was in the toilet, Lin Weimin made arrangements for the leader in front of everyone.
Everybody was laughing. Tong Zhonggui, who had already been confirmed to stay at "Contemporary", was filled with envy. He wondered when he would be able to speak ill of his leader in front of his colleagues so unscrupulously!
No, I am as close to my leaders and colleagues as a family!
The food and drinks were all brought by colleagues, and a group of people worked together to quickly prepare a banquet.
Rong Shihui is the protagonist today. He stood up holding a cup filled with tea. His illness has not yet been fully recovered.
"Well, let me say a few words."
As soon as he spoke, Liu Yin couldn't help but teased him, "Old Rongxing, you just became a leader and you're already acting like a leader!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
After everyone had finally finished laughing, Rong Shihui continued in all seriousness, "Today everyone has come to see me off, thank you. But I think today is not only a farewell party for me, but also a welcome party for Comrade Tong. After seeing off an old friend like me, our editorial department has welcomed a new comrade. Young people, work hard, our Contemporary is a good place."
The last sentence was addressed to Tong Zhonggui. When his name was called, he stood up quickly, looking very immature.
"Everyone, sit down!" Meng Weizai pushed Tong Zhonggui to sit down, "Don't be nervous."
The atmosphere of the farewell party was very good, with a hint of sadness, but the overall atmosphere was still joyful and positive.
After the meal, everyone didn’t drink too much and looked a little tipsy.
Liu Yin, Yao Shuzhi and Tong Zhonggui cleaned up the mess, while Lin Weimin saw off several old comrades.
After cleaning up, Liu Yin and Yao Shuzhi also left, and Lin Weimin saw them off.
Tong Zhonggui was the last one to come. Lin Weimin said, "Your school is pretty close, right?"
Yenching Normal University is located in Taipingzhuang, just a few miles away from Shichahai.
Tong Zhonggui smiled and said, "Well, it's only a few miles away, we'll be there in a short walk."
Lin Weimin patted his shoulder and said, "We'll be colleagues from now on!"
Tong Zhonggui nodded, and his mood suddenly became excited.
Dedicating a new book: "Three Kingdoms: I, the eldest son of the Cao family, the kind father of the Han Dynasty!"
Old author, new pseudonym, reliable quality, book lovers who like the Three Kingdoms theme can go and have a look.
(End of this chapter)
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