Zhang Qiurui rented a house in Zhuxinzhuang. After they had this gathering point, they would get together for dinner from time to time in the evening.
They never come empty-handed. They either bring sparrows or "borrow" vegetables from outside. Otherwise, three local people, Hu Mei, Cheng Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang, will bring some fresh vegetables and fruits from home.
The small house rented by Zhang Qiurui gradually became a gathering place for this group of friends.
Of course, Zhang Qiurui gave more. Every time he came, Zhang Qiurui bought fish, meat, eggs and other things from the trading supermarket for everyone to eat in a place where they could not see.
These were all excuses. She said that Zhang Wenfu bought these things for her to eat and was afraid that she would be hungry.
In fact, Zhang Wenfu has not returned to the Zhuxinzhuang cottage these days. He has been supervising the work in the courtyard at the foot of the imperial city.
When November came, the weather in Yanjing became even colder, and the hut became their daily gathering place.
Because the school only provides hot water once a month, if you want to take a shower, you can only do so once a month. The boys say that they can bear it, but the girls can't bear it.
It is convenient to boil water in the hut, and if they come to take a bath from time to time, Zhang Qiurui will cook a delicious meal for everyone.
In their spare time, everyone speculated about Zhang Qiurui's identity and how he made money.
Unfortunately, no one guessed it until one day...
On this day in December, after they had showered and eaten dinner in the cabin, they took turns reading a magazine. When Zhang Yimou finished reading, he sighed and said, "Bi Yao didn't get resurrected in the end. I didn't expect Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi to be together."
"Finally, People's Literature also said that they will publish Xiaoxiang Qingkong's new work next month, which is also a fantasy novel. I am looking forward to it." Li Shaohong said expectantly.
"Are you all fans of Xiaoxiang Qingkong's book?" Zhang Qiurui asked with a smile.
In the girls' dormitory, she knew that Li Shaohong and Hu Mei were fans of Xiaoxiang Qingkong's novels, because they would take turns buying every issue of People's Literature magazine and exchange them with each other. They also recommended Xiaoxiang Qingkong's novels to Peng Xiaolian, Liu Miaomiao and Zhang Qiurui.
After reading several of Xiaoxiang Qingkong's novels, Peng Xiaolian and Hu Miaomiao also became devoted fans. Whenever a Xiaoxiang Qingkong novel was published in People's Literature magazine, the four of them would eagerly gather together, taking turns reading and passionately discussing the plot development, character personalities, and those breathtaking descriptions.
After getting familiar with Zhang Yimou, Cheng Kaige and others, I found out that Cheng Kaige and Zhang Yimou were also fans of Xiaoxiang Qingkong. After recommending the book to my roommates Gu Changwei, Zhang Huijun, Xie Xiaojin and Tian Zhuangzhuang, they were also impressed.
Later, ten people bought a new issue of People's Literature or Xiaoxiang Magazine and took turns reading the serialized works of Xiaoxiang Qingkong.
"I started following Xiaoxiang Qingkong from her first piece, 'The Fault in Our Stars,' and her subsequent piece, 'Hidden in the Dust,' which described the hardships and warmth of rural life, deeply touched me.
If I have the chance, I will definitely film Xiaoxiang Qingkong's work into a movie." Li Shaohong said excitedly when talking about her idol.
"I like 'Drawing Sword' written by Xiaoxiang Qingkong. I like Li Yunlong's ruffian spirit." Tian Zhuangzhuang said.
"Qiu Rui, you are from Xiaoxiang Province. I seem to have seen... Have you ever published your works in Xiaoxiang Magazine?" Hu Mei didn't know what she was thinking about. She suddenly turned her head to look at Zhang Qiu Rui, with a bit of curiosity and exploration in her eyes.
"I also remembered that Xiaoxiang Magazine seemed to have published Qiu Rui's works.
I remember that Xiaoxiang Magazine and Xingcheng Yucai High School collaborated on a composition competition.
The author of the two essays published, "Wine" and "The Death of Red Hare", is named Zhang Qiurui.
"Qiu Rui, did you write these two essays?" Li Shaohong also remembered.
Zhang Qiurui was slightly taken aback. She thought her vest had been discovered, then she laughed and said, "Yes, I did publish two small articles in Xiaoxiang Magazine before, but they can't compare to Xiaoxiang Qingkong's masterpiece."
"That's great too! I like the essay about wine. There's not a single sentence that mentions wine, but every word mentions it. It's really well written." Zhang Yimou also recalled it and gave Zhang Qiurui a thumbs up.
"I like the story of Red Hare's death."
Everyone started discussing the composition Zhang Qiurui published in Xiaoxiang Magazine.
Tian Zhuangzhuang and Zhang Huijun, who had not seen the film, said they would go back and take a closer look.
.......
Time slowly came to January 10, 1979.
This day marks the beginning of the winter vacation for Yenching Film Academy. Classes will officially resume on February 12th and will start on the 10th and 11th.
"Sister Lian, Sister Hong, Sister Mei, Sister Miao, I'm leaving now. See you next year. I've left you the key to the house in Zhuxinzhuang. If you want to live there, it's up to you.
"In the kitchen, I've also bought a lot of rice, flour, eggs, bacon, and other things. Feel free to eat them. Don't save them for me. And by the way, tell Yimou and Zhuangzhuang." Zhang Qiurui asked People's Literature to book two sleeper tickets back to Xingcheng that afternoon. After lunch that day, she and her second brother carried their luggage and went home.
Before leaving, she gave the key to the Zhuxinzhuang house to Peng Xiaolian, then Zhang Qiurui waved and left.
"Okay, be careful on the road, and we'll see you next year." Peng Xiaolian, Hu Mei, Li Shaohong, and Liu Miaomiao were a little reluctant to leave.
I don’t know if it’s because they’ve been getting along too well during this period, or because the impending separation makes people feel sad, but there’s a subtle hint of sadness in everyone’s eyes.
She didn't bring much when she came, but when she left, Zhang Qiurui deliberately bought a lot of clothes and shoes at the trading supermarket and took them back as gifts for her family.
In fact, by that time, she would take out much more things than she brought back.
An excuse to bring some stuff back from BJ's and get some other stuff out of the Trader Mart.
On the train on his way home, Zhang Qiurui looked at the scenery passing by outside the window, feeling both longing for his hometown and infinite longing for the future.
She knew that every separation was for a better reunion, and every reunion would bring her a more mature and enriched self.
In the winter of 1979, although the wind was biting cold, Zhang Qiurui and her friends and classmates were filled with warmth and hope because of their concern and blessings for each other.
They believe that no matter how tortuous the road ahead is, as long as there is a dream in their hearts, there will be a way under their feet, and that pure friendship will become their most solid backing.
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