Chapter 365: The Book You Can Take to Your Coffin (Subscription Requested!)

Li Heng placed the manuscript before Chen Laoyezi Ba, unexpectedly feeling uneasy.

How could he not be uneasy?

Starting from Chapter 8, it boldly depicts several scenes involving gender and sexuality. He had considered removing these passages, but after careful deliberation, he decided to keep them.

How to put it?

It felt as if, without these passages, this *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan* would be incomplete, not a true masterpiece of literature.

But it's only 1988—many things are shaped by the era and the broader environment; he couldn't yet gauge the right boundaries, so he wanted Chen Laoyezi Ba, a respected elder, to review it.

Chen Laoyezi Ba put on his reading glasses, took the manuscript, and began reading—no fanfare, simply immersed in the world of the book.

For a while, Li Heng, Editor Sister Sister Liao, and Li Sister Xiao Lin exchanged glances, then dared not disturb him; they all rose and stepped outside into the courtyard.

Once in the courtyard, Editor Sister Sister Liao patted his shoulder and said cheerfully: "Your opening is extraordinary—it's caused a huge stir in the industry."

Li Heng had read the news papers, but he knew the real drama was still to come; China's influential literary figures, critics, and authoritative media outlets had yet to publicly evaluate *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan*—they were all waiting for the next installments.

After all, this is a 500,000-word epic novel, and only about 70,000 words have been published so far; while the quality's direction is already clear, what if it collapses later?

Wouldn't rushing to judge now make you look foolish later?

So right now, the loudest voices are only Li Heng's readers and minor media outlets; the weighty ones are all waiting for the right moment, waiting for the next chapters.

Seeing Li Heng just smile, Editor Sister Sister Liao sighed with emotion: "In February, *Shouhuo* sold nearly 3.5 million copies, once again surpassing *People's Literature* to become number one nationally."

A large part of that success is thanks to you and *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan*—when I saw the sales figures, I couldn't stay calm; I was thrilled for hours.

Li Sister Xiao Lin beside him chuckled and teased: "Then Brother Sister Sister Liao, you'd better treat your junior brother well—if you ever neglect him, he might just leave."

Editor Sister Sister Liao chuckled, glanced at Li Heng, and replied: "To be honest, we once had such concerns."

But now I've come to see things clearly: as long as the rest of *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan* maintains its quality, having a work like this published in *Shouhuo* is enough for me."

Editor Sister Sister Liao's underlying meaning was clear: publicly and privately, he hoped Li Heng would stay with *Shouhuo* forever, but he deeply respected Li Heng's personal choices.

After chatting about *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan*, Editor Sister Sister Liao brought up *A Bitter Journey Through Culture*, pulling a bank draft from his briefcase and handing it to Li Heng: "By the end of March, *A Bitter Journey Through Culture* had sold 3,456,013 copies—this is the second installment of your royalties."

The first batch was two million copies, at an 8% royalty rate, netting you 640,000 yuan—already settled before the New Year.

This second batch refers to the remaining 1,456,013 copies.

Regarding money, Li Heng was always straightforward—clear accounts, no ambiguity; he took the draft without much ceremony, swiftly and cleanly.

Glancing down, the draft showed an amount of 466,000 yuan.

Clearly, *Shouhuo* had added a few hundred yuan to round it to a neat sum.

640,000 plus 466,000—that's 1,106,000 yuan earned from *A Bitter Journey Through Culture* alone.

It instantly made him a millionaire.

He already had 130,000 yuan in bank savings.

Wow! Together, it exceeded 1.2 million!

It reached a substantial 1,236,000 yuan!

This was undeniably a massive sum—money a typical family couldn't earn in generations—and Li Heng felt a small surge of excitement.

Even though in his past life he'd had tens of millions in savings, the thought of becoming a millionaire at this age, in this era, stirred his heart uncontrollably!

This sense of accomplishment and security couldn't be matched by the future.

The three of them drank tea in the courtyard, chatted awhile, then Li Sister Xiao Lin rose to prepare lunch.

Once she left, Editor Sister Sister Liao fell into thought and asked: "Has Zhao Yi gone to Bai Bai Bai Luyuan to find you?"

Li Heng shook his head: "No."

He then asked: "Why? Any new news about her? Or did she come looking for you?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao said: "No news in the past month, but earlier, her mother asked me about you—I'm just letting you know."

"Oh?"

Li Heng was surprised: "Why would her mother ask about me?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao looked at him and sighed: "What else? She's just curious about your personal situation, wondering if you and Zhao Yi might have a future."

As a mother, she's naturally anxious and worried—Zhao Yi is grown and still unmarried. But don't worry, junior brother—she's a reasonable woman; she won't cause you trouble."

Hearing this, Li Heng relaxed.

Or rather, he'd never cared much about it. Though he'd had little close contact with Zhao Yi, from their past letters, he could judge: she was upright and wouldn't do anything underhanded.

From morning to noon to afternoon, Li Heng stayed at his teacher's home, chatting aimlessly with his two senior classmates.

Chen Laoyezi Ba became so absorbed in reading he ignored them entirely—only when evening came did he stop, simply because his eyes were tired and needed rest.

Seeing this, Li Heng, Editor Sister Sister Liao, and Li Sister Xiao Lin fell silent and turned to look.

Especially Editor Sister Sister Liao, who cared even more than Li Heng about the novel's later quality, asked eagerly: "Teacher, what do you think?"

The question made Li Heng tense with anticipation.

Overall, this *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan* was still the original *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan*—yet not quite the same. After all, he'd privately added 30% new content, drawing from both his past and present lives, striving to deepen and enrich the original.

Chen Laoyezi Ba looked at Editor Sister Sister Liao, then at his daughter, and finally fixed his gaze on Li Heng; after a long, calm silence, he slowly patted the manuscript and said:

"Good. This is a book you can rest your head on in your coffin."

One word—"good"—one sentence—its evaluation was powerful, undeniably high.

Especially since it came from Chen Laoyezi Ba, a titan of the literary world—its value was immense.

Editor Sister Sister Liao shot to his feet, then sat back down, clutching a cup of strong tea, beaming with joy.

Li Sister Xiao Lin was also moved; she knew her father well—only someone who truly loved this work would give such a judgment.

Most excited of all was Li Heng—his heart finally settled. While writing, he'd felt the added sections were especially strong, many places like the finishing touch on a dragon's eye.

But as the old saying goes: those involved are confused; those watching see clearly.

Your own feelings mean nothing—if others don't recognize your excellence, it's meaningless; only when others highly approve of your work is it truly good!

Chen Laoyezi Ba asked: "This subject is powerful, easily resonant—how did you come up with it?"

Everyone present was attentive; all eyes turned to him.

Li Heng answered without flinching: "I didn't deliberately think about it—I just read too many documents, and the idea came naturally."

Editor Sister Sister Liao pondered, then asked: "The documents Zhao Jing gave you?"

Li Heng nodded: "The initial inspiration came from those documents—they detailed the folk customs of Guanzhong and Shaanbei, greatly inspiring me."

Hearing this, Chen Laoyezi Ba nodded and said: "Where there's will, there's a way—you're outstanding, far more so than I was at your age."

Editor Sister Sister Liao and Li Sister Xiao Lin exchanged glances, silent.

Li Heng smiled shyly: "Thank you, Teacher."

Then he asked the question he cared about most: "Teacher, should any parts of the manuscript be revised?"

Chen Laoyezi Ba understood immediately: "You mean the passages describing Xiao'e's desires?"

Li Heng said yes.

Chen Laoyezi Ba fell into thought, then slowly waved his hand: "All of it is essence—leave it untouched for now."

"Ah, good!" Li Heng replied happily.

With Chen Laoyezi Ba backing him, he had nothing to fear—just write, damn it, write with all his might.

Chen Laoyezi Ba took a sip of tea, covered the cup, and asked: "When do you think you'll finish?"

Li Heng had already planned: "If fast, by the end of this semester; if slow, before August."

Chen Laoyezi Ba nodded: "Leave the manuscript with me—I'll have Sister Xiao Lin deliver it to you after I finish reading."

Li Heng said "Ah" again, indicating he wasn't in a hurry.

After dinner, Chen Laoyezi Ba took Li Heng and Editor Sister Sister Liao for a walk along the main road, discussing current literary affairs, and finally advised Li Heng:

"You have extraordinary talent—use it fully, cherish it. Outside matters, I and your senior brother will handle them—you needn't worry."

"Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Senior Brother." Li Heng felt warmth in his heart.

Once again, he deeply felt: damn it, having a powerful backer is wonderful—you can go anywhere under heaven.

At 7 p. m., after their walk, Chen Laoyezi Ba returned to reading *Bai Bai Bai Luyuan*.

Seeing the hour grow late, Li Heng took his leave: "Sister Sister Xiao Lin, I'll head back now—I'll come visit you and Teacher again later."

Li Sister Xiao Lin warmly urged him to stay: "It's so late, night's almost here—why not sleep here tonight and leave tomorrow?"

Li Heng shook his head: "Tomorrow's Monday—full classes. I have to get back to catch up; I've missed too many lessons."

After some polite refusal, seeing his mind was made up, Li Sister Xiao Lin gave in and said to Editor Sister Sister Liao: "Brother Sister Sister Liao, drive him home."

Editor Sister Sister Liao had already intended to—after leaving the courtyard, they got into the minivan and headed toward Yang Pu.

They chatted all the way, and before they knew it, they arrived at Lushan Village.

At the alley entrance, Li Heng leaned out the window and asked: "Senior Brother, want to come by my place for a bit?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and said: "Next time—it's too late tonight."

"Alright, then drive carefully, stay safe."

They were old friends—no need for formalities; Li Heng stepped aside, watching the minivan drive off before walking into the alley.

"Huh? No one's home?"

At the alley's end, Li Heng noticed the three nearby villas were pitch black—no lights, no warmth, no sign of daily life; it felt unnaturally silent.

Unwilling to accept it, he shouted loudly.

He called for Yu Laoshi, for Mai Sui, for Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe—no response. All he saw was cold emptiness.

He stood motionless in the center of the alley for a long, long time before finally pulling out his key and unlocking the door.

As he stepped inside, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion—but he felt his home would go a long time without seeing Yu Laoshi's presence.

In fact, his intuition was right: for the next month, Yu Yu Yu Shuheng didn't come to his house, nor even return to Lushan Village.

Every sunset, the small house at No. 25 stood alone, doors and windows tightly shut, lonely under the setting sun. The person was gone, the dizi music gone—he found it unbearably strange.

Fortunately, the small house at No. 27 next door often opened its door, but both Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe and Mai Sui came to his place far less frequently than before, and rarely stayed overnight.

Yet Li Heng, constantly occupied with writing, had no time to ponder these matters; he was fully immersed in his writing world, utterly absorbed and delighted.

Reduced contact with the outside world had brought him surprisingly fruitful writing results.

During this month, aside from attending classes, he secluded himself to cultivate and advanced "Bai Bai Bai Luyuan" to Chapter 35, with each chapter better than the last.

Thus, Chen Laoyezi Ba praised him endlessly, often telling his daughter and Editor Sister Sister Liao privately: He was born to be a writer.

"Li Heng, your letters."

May 12th, today was Thursday; after finishing the seventh class, Liu Yue walked in carrying a stack of letters.

Li Heng asked casually, "Where from?"

"Check for yourself—there are several," Liu Yue said, handing him six letters at once, startling him.

A quick glance revealed that, aside from Song Yu's letter—which he expected—the other five were unusual.

For instance, Yang Ying's.

For instance, Chen Chen Chen Lijun's, whom he had never contacted before.

For instance, the sisters Li Wang and Li Xi.

As he pondered the envelopes, Liu Yue tore off a slip and wrote: I'm leaving for abroad soon. Is your promise from two months ago to take me out to dinner still valid?

Li Heng paused, put away the six letters, and picked up his pen to reply: When are you leaving?

Liu Yue frowned and wrote: Everyone in class knows. Haven't you heard?

Li Heng replied: Sorry, I've been very busy lately.

Remembering the immense impact "Bai Bai Bai Luyuan" had recently made in the newspapers, Liu Yue let it go and wrote: I leave the day after tomorrow morning. Today is my last time delivering letters to you.

Li Heng turned to look at her and sincerely replied with two words: Thank you.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked: When are you free?

Liu Yue wrote: How about tomorrow evening?

Li Heng asked: Evening? What about tomorrow afternoon? I only have two classes tomorrow afternoon.

Liu Yue wrote: I'm unavailable in the afternoon—my family is holding a farewell for me; relatives and friends are all here, I can't leave.

Li Heng stared directly into her eyes, and after a few seconds, picked up his pen and wrote: Okay.

Liu Yue wrote with bright eyes: Then around six tomorrow evening, I'll come to the school gate to pick you up.

Li Heng replied: Good.

PS: Please subscribe! Please vote for monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)