A week later, in the provincial capital, at the military region.
"Wenhui, your letter."
"Mom, who sent it?"
Liu's mother took the letter, turned it to the front, and glanced at it.
"It was sent from Qilian. The sender is Lu Fangfang. Hey? Isn't that the model military wife you mentioned in your article?"
Liu's mother looked at the name on the letter with some curiosity.
Her daughter's article made it to the front page of the People's Army Daily, which made her and her husband very happy. They have been showing it off to others for the past few days.
She was very familiar with Zhuang Mingcheng and Lu Fangfang, the main characters in this article.
"Comrade Lu's letter has arrived."
Liu Wenhui quickly walked out of the house.
She took the envelope from Liu's mother and tore it open impatiently.
"Huh?"
She shook it down, and a piece of white paper fell out.
Feeling a bit curious, she bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it for a glance.
"Oh my, how cute! Is this a drawing of a cat? It looks more like a little tiger."
Liu's mother leaned closer, looking at it with great interest.
The cat drawn on this paper is truly imposing.
"Mom, this isn't a cat, it's a Pallas's cat, a type of feline."
It was also Liu Wenhui's first time meeting him, and she introduced him to her mother in the same tone as Comrade Lu.
"Pallas's... Pallas's cat? It doesn't look like a rabbit at all. Why is it called such an awkward name?"
"I don't know, it might be a name used by ethnic minorities."
Liu Wenhui shook her head. She picked up the painting and looked at it again, and she liked it very much too.
The painting depicts one large Pallas's cat and five smaller ones; they are so adorable.
"Mom, what do you think of Comrade Lu's drawing?"
"Excellent, very high level, even better than some of the teachers at our publishing house."
Liu's mother nodded, still somewhat delighted. "Wenhui, give me this painting. I really like it."
"That won't do, this was a gift from Comrade Lu."
Liu Wenhui refused outright.
She looked at the painting again before reading the letter Comrade Lu had written to her.
"Wenhui, I'll hold this painting for you."
Liu's mother was still a little reluctant to part with him.
This picture is really good; it's vivid and adorable.
Pallas's cat, what a special animal! This is the first time she's ever heard of it.
"Mom, no need."
Liu Wenhui shook her head with a smile and sat down on the sofa to read.
"You silly child, you won't even give your mother a painting. By the way, I heard your article is going to be published in the PLA Daily?"
"Yes, only the first article will be published."
Liu Wenhui said she still felt a little regretful, but being featured in a national newspaper was an honor for her.
After reading Comrade Lu's letter, she wanted to write another reply to tell Comrade Lu about the good news.
"My Wenhui is becoming more and more outstanding. I wonder which young man will become my son-in-law."
As Liu's mother spoke, she sounded somewhat weary.
She shook her head, picked up an apron, put it on, and prepared to go to the communal kitchen outside to cook.
The Liu family lived in a three-story dormitory building, which was inhabited by military personnel.
While cooking, the neighbors in the hallway all asked Liu's mother about the article. She proudly said that her daughter's article was about to be published in the People's Liberation Army Daily.
Everyone who heard this was astonished.
After she finished cooking, she returned with the dishes and suddenly found her daughter sitting on the sofa, silently shedding tears.
"Wenhui, what's wrong with you?"
Liu's mother was startled. She put down the plate she was carrying and hurriedly ran to the sofa.
"Waaah, Mom, you...you've worked so hard, Mom, I...I love you."
Liu Wenhui immediately hugged her mother.
"Why is this child saying such things out of the blue?"
Caught off guard, Liu's mother's eyes suddenly became sore.
She quickly and gently patted the woman's back. After a while, seeing that her daughter had calmed down, she hurriedly asked what had happened.
Liu Wenhui wiped away her tears, feeling a little embarrassed.
She picked up the letter and handed it to her mother.
She was immediately moved by the story of the Pallas's rabbit after reading it.
When emotions got the better of her, she couldn't control herself; she was just too sentimental.
"Ah, the pure maternal love in the animal kingdom."
As Liu's mother read the story of the Pallas's cat, she couldn't help but sigh.
No wonder her daughter reacted this way; it made her heart ache.
Picking up the painting beside her, she felt a different kind of emotion as she looked at it.
"Is this the scene where the mother Pallas's rabbit leaves her territory and entrusts her five cubs to her?"
"Yes, Mom, Comrade Lu said that she also drew a lot, depicting the entire story of the Pallas's cat family."
Liu Wenhui hugged her mother's arm, still feeling a little regretful.
She's really eager to see it; she's sure Comrade Lu's drawing is very interesting.
"How old is that Comrade Lu you mentioned?"
"When I was nineteen, I went to the Qilian Mountains and happened to run into her and Comrade Zhuang's wedding. I even ate at their wedding banquet."
Liu's mother listened thoughtfully.
Holding the painting and looking at it again, she suddenly had an idea. "Wenhui, do you think Comrade Lu's story about the Pallas's rabbit could be printed as a comic book?"
"Publishers in Gansu should also print some distinctive comic books."
Liu Wenhui was taken aback and turned to look at her mother.
Her mother worked at the People's Fine Arts Publishing House in the provincial capital. At that time, the publishing house was very sensitive because it mainly published comic books.
"I don't know if Comrade Lu is up to the task..."
"It's alright. I'll write a letter tonight, and you can send it to Comrade Lu along with the letter. There's no rush."
Liu's mother plans to ask Comrade Lu to send some more paintings over for her to see.
If it was suitable, she suggested to the publishing house that they publish the story of the Pallas's cat.
The comic books published by our publishing house now mainly feature the Four Great Classical Novels and some revolutionary military themes; there really aren't any animal-themed ones.
Liu's mother was still quite excited when she thought about it. Not only their publishing house, but all the publishing houses in the country really didn't have any animal-themed books besides "The Monkey King".
If this were published, it would truly be a groundbreaking event in China.
She looked at the painting again, then got up and walked into the house.
"Oh? Mom, Mom, please keep the painting that Comrade Lu gave me. It was a gift from someone."
"Go away, go away, this is for work purposes. I'll use this painting for now and return it to you later."
"Oh dear, Mom, you're being unreasonable!"
Forgetting all about maternal love, Liu Wenhui immediately ran to her mother and chased after her, demanding the painting.
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