Chapter 28: Old Xu, Do You Want a Wife or Not?

Hearing a stir in the editorial office, Wang Chaoyin looked up, saw Xu Yuexin, and greeted him.

"Yuexin, long time no see."

"When you looked for me earlier I was gathering wind."

Wang Chaoyin set down the manuscript paper and fountain pen and asked, "Do you have any new ideas lately?"

Good fellow, asking about writing as soon as we meet.

His professional sense is really strong.

"I just finished a manuscript; let me show you."

Xu Yuexin said, stepped forward, placed the item on the table, patted it, and said, "Look, authentic Harbin beer, produced by the First Factory."

"From the First Factory? That's great."

Wang Chaoyin grinned broadly, drew two bottles from the beer Xu Yuexin gave, and said, "I'll take you out for a walk and talk about your latest masterpiece."

He had thought Xu Yuexin was coming to discuss ideas; good fellow, he brought the work directly.

Very good, truly a talented and prolific young writer.

"Alright, let you point out the flaws in my book."

Xu Yuexin and Wang Chaoyin went downstairs together and sat at a small restaurant outside Chaonei 166 Gate.

The restaurant's décor was meticulous, with carved solid‑wood tables and chairs arranged orderly, and the white walls displayed photos and quotes of famous writers through the ages—what modern people would call very stylish.

At the entrance stood a small bookshelf holding People's Literature, Yan River, and this year's newly renamed Hu Hai Literature.

"Quite an artistic atmosphere."

After Xu Yuexin sat near the inner side, he placed the manuscript folder on the adjacent seat and gave a brief assessment.

"This is our Magazine Office's Third Production, used to house the children of staff families."

Wang Chaoyin explained, then called out to the counter, "Waiter, order."

The waiter brought the menu, and the two each ordered a dish.

During the interval before the dishes arrived, Wang Chaoyin asked Xu Yuexin for the manuscript, held it in his hands, and read it carefully.

"The Horse Herder…"

"He is a son abandoned by the rich… — Victor Hugo, Les Misérables."

Wang Chaoyin murmured entranced, and was quickly captivated by the vividly pictorial opening.

A child abandoned without parental love since childhood was sent to work on a ranch on the Loess Plateau.

Here, he went from utter despondency to being comforted by a horse, until he wept uncontrollably…

Wang Chaoyin read quietly, his thoughts carried by Xu Yuexin's words to the distant yellow earth, his mind filled with the youth named Xu Lingjun.

The beer he cherished was now forgotten, left silently on the table untouched.

Elegant prose, far more intoxicating than wine.

Wang Chaoyin watched immersed, from Xu Lingjun's completion of forced labor to becoming a herdsman, forming friendships with others on the farm, then being appointed a teacher and returning to the podium…

…and even finding love.

"Hey, Old Xu, do you want a wife or not?"

"If you want a wife, just open your golden mouth, and she'll be delivered tonight."

Seeing this, Wang Chaoyin couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Wang Chaoyin had already imagined himself as Xu Lingjun, and now he was eager to know what kind of match Guo Pianzi would introduce him.

Even when his ordered tofu jerky pork arrived, Wang Chaoyin remained unmoved, still earnestly reading Xu Yuexin's manuscript.

"The dishes are here."

Xu Yuexin reminded, "If you don't eat soon it'll get cold."

"Oh, okay."

Wang Chaoyin was completely absorbed; after casually replying twice, he reached for chopsticks, his gaze never leaving The Horse Herder. He finally managed to grasp the chopsticks, but his eyes stayed on Xu Yuexin's The Horse Herder, and the chopsticks clacked the air twice.

Xu Yuexin couldn't help but laugh.

"Shall we finish eating before we continue?"

Xu Yuexin suggested.

"No, no, I'll finish reading first, quick, quick."

Wang Chaoyin shook his head, his mind flashing with many things.

This novel concentrates on a scholar's thirty years, from birth to downfall, then rising from the Loess Plateau to become a person of great stature…

When he finished The Horse Herder, Wang Chaoyin carefully placed the manuscript on the table and chair, fearing the wind might blow it away; after a moment he took off his coat and pressed it over the manuscript paper, as attentively as one would treat a newborn baby.

"Wang Team Leader, eat your vegetables."

Xu Yuexin pushed the tofu jerky pork toward him and said.

"Alright, alright."

Wang Chaoyin's thoughts remained in the novel; even while eating, the food was tasteless as his mind kept replaying scenes from The Horse Herder.

"Wang Team Leader, could you point out the flaws for me?"

After Wang Chaoyin took a few bites, Xu Yuexin modestly offered.

Wang Chaoyin was momentarily at a loss how to respond to his request.

"Point out flaws? What a joke."

His novel titled The Horse Herder reaches a considerable height in both literary and ideological aspects.

If you actually try to pick them out, it's like picking bones out of an egg.

"Your The Horse Herder has a very novel premise, a very moving plot, and very profound ideas."

Wang Chaoyin used three "very"s in a row to express his feeling after reading, "It can be published without a single word needing alteration."

Xu Yuexin, after listening, picked up the wrench on the table, opened a beer and poured a glass each for himself and Wang Chaoyin: "Thank you for such high praise."

"This glass is my toast to you."

Wang Chaoyin also raised his glass, smiled and waved his hand: "It should be I who thanks you, for continuously providing our magazine with excellent works."

Amid the crisp clink of glasses, the two drank their beers in one gulp.

……

Three Reviews and Three Proofs, and still missing the Chief Editor Li Ji at this stage.

After parting at the small restaurant, Wang Chaoyin and Xu Yuexin hurried back to the editing room without stopping, sending a telegram to Li Ji, who was attending a meeting out of town.

Chief Editor, there is a fine piece; please return.

In the telegram era, words were treasured like gold; sending an extra character was considered wasteful.

According to the schedule Wang Chaoyin knows, Li Ji's meeting agenda now has only two days left; at this time, leaders usually gather to relax, wander around and have fun.

Xu Yuexin's "The Horse Herder" is worth demanding that the Chief Editor forgo his vacation and return to the Magazine Office for manuscript review.

On the vast prairie, Li Ji was drinking milk tea made by the herders, chatting warmly with a few old friends from the literary world, discussing plans for the next two days of recreation.

At that moment, a telegram from the Magazine Office was delivered into his hand.

After reading the telegram, Li Ji smiled.

No need to guess; it was certainly sent by Wang Chaoyin—he is the only one in the entire Magazine Office who dares to demand that I interrupt my schedule.

Putting down the telegram, Li Ji told the old friends that the Magazine Office had business, and he needed to leave first.

That afternoon, Li Ji boarded a train and set out on the journey back to Jing.

He actually wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of novel could make Wang Chaoyin so eager to call him back.

(End of chapter)