[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-3":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260711,4412,"Chapter 3: Children's Literature","rising-in-1979-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>This trip to Beijing, Wei Jiefang’s only goal was to get his son a job and crush his dream of going to college.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He failed the entrance exam three times in a row—even heaven sent a hailstorm unseen in decades; perhaps this was fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Anping had initially misunderstood; once he grasped his cousin’s intent, he sat back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting Wei Ming into Peking University as a student was impossible, but placing him in a job there was no easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jobs are hard to come by in Yanjing these days!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, when cities faced employment and food pressures, youths were sent to the countryside to fend for themselves—but now no one has the influence to launch another “Up to the Mountains, Down to the Villages” campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to that, millions of former sent-down youths are flooding back into the city; Yanjing’s 9 million population includes 400,000 unemployed and jobless youths!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, I heard many unemployed youths had gone to Qianmen to sell big-bowl tea—two fen a bowl, enduring nothing but scorn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To quickly address the potential social crisis posed by these unemployed youths, besides urging them to find their own livelihoods, every government office and unit in the city must take on a quota of unemployed youths—Peking University included.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders wanting to come into the city for work? Dream on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these words couldn’t be explained to Jiefang— he didn’t understand, and didn’t want to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wei Anping gritted his teeth and agreed: “Fine, I’ll figure something out. I just thought you wanted to shove Xiao Ming into Peking University as a student.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, can that be done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way!” Wei Anping quickly squashed the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Jiefang smiled regretfully: “Heh, a job’s enough. Isn’t school just for getting a job? I told you my brother’s got ability! Xiao Ming, show your respect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming quickly filled a cup of Laobai Gan and raised it to his uncle: “Uncle, I’ll drink this. You go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to show bravado, but this body was weak—it made him choke, face turning red. He really needed more practice; he remembered his liquor tolerance used to match Uncle Anping’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, this was exactly how things went—except later, some twists occurred, and he never got the job at Peking University.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wei Anping drank, he thought about the connections he could leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was 36, serving as Director of the General Office in Peking University’s General Affairs Department, dealing with every corner of the school and possessing wide acquaintances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this critical moment, he’d surely need to call in many favors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meal lasted until two in the afternoon; Wei Anping, not flushed or breathless, said: “Let me arrange your lodging first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why waste money on that? We…” Wei Jiefang wiped his mouth, ready to say they could sleep on the floor in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming cut him off: “Alright, we’ll follow Uncle’s arrangements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d once been a city dweller—even unmarried, he refused to let relatives intrude into his private space; he’d rather pay for a hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping thought this nephew was far sharper than his father; he hoped Wei Ming would perform well at Peking University and secure permanent status soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already said it: even the best case meant starting as a temporary worker, and the duration was uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, once you became a formal Peking University employee, the school would handle your household registration and housing—you’d at least enter the queue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this building, besides administrative staff and professors, it housed head chefs, hospital nurses, and maintenance electricians—everyone was treated equally these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving Weixiu Garden, they entered Peking University through the West Gate; the campus buzzed with energy, revitalized by the arrival of the ’79 freshman class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming surveyed the energetic university students around him, their eyes clear yet foolish, thinking he could make a fortune selling T-shirts on campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wei Anping walked, he introduced: “This is Minghe Garden, this is Jingchun Garden…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several turns, they stopped at Langrun Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Langrun Garden and Yannan Garden were both residences for senior professors, with excellent surroundings; Langrun Garden was even encircled by water, like a lake island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1960s, Peking University squeezed in dozens of apartment buildings on vacant land in Langrun Garden to solve staff housing shortages, and even built a hotel amid the blocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It remains the only guesthouse inside the campus, located in the north, hence called “North Guesthouse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hotel manager greeted Wei Anping with great respect: “Director Wei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Manager Wang, this is my brother, this is my nephew—they’ll be staying two days. Any rooms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Wei speaks, and even if there are no rooms, we’ll make one!” Manager Wang spoke with a streetwise air—clearly sharp-minded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were finally assigned a standard second-floor room: two 1.2-meter beds, private bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The view was nice too—through the window, a field of lotus flowers, blooming to their last, perhaps the “Ji Lotus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Jiefang dazed, Wei Anping handed the meal tickets and grain tickets to Wei Ming and gave instructions:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tonight, eat at the staff canteen or go south of the gate to the Changzheng Canteen—I won’t come. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up, take you into the city for a good tour, then have dinner with your aunt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming took the tickets without hesitation—no meal ticket meant no eating on campus; no Yanjing grain ticket or national grain ticket meant no eating off-campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traveling these days was hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing Wei Anping off, Wei Jiefang kicked off his shoes and fell asleep. Having secured his son’s job, he felt at ease—and slept soundly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming tidied his luggage, but his mind churned; he pulled the curtains, then took off his pants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out the 12.5 yuan fortune his mother had sewn in, left a note for Old Wei, and went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It read: Wei Ming is visiting Weiming Lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heading south from the gate led straight to Weiming Lake; before seeing the lake, you first saw Boya Tower—the tallest building on campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the shimmering water, Wei Ming began walking clockwise along the lake’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lakes are all much the same—the key is the cool breeze, perfect for thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His immediate goal was to stay at Peking University; his ultimate aim was to settle in Yanjing—only a grand stage offered grand opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To stay at Peking University, he had to cultivate a good relationship with Uncle Anping’s family—wind fills the sails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now 3:30 p.m.; time was right. He needed to remove a thorn—a thorn poisoning their uncle-nephew relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he turned to the west bank, where the “Weiming Lake” stele stood, and walked straight out the West Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the dozen or so apartment buildings, Weixiu Garden had two years ago built a Peking University-affiliated kindergarten; Wei Anping’s two children were enrolled there—just drop them off in the morning, pick them up at night, lunch provided, very convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming arrived earliest; soon, elderly men and women appeared—some might be renowned professors. But except for Ji Xianlin and a few other star professors, he didn’t recognize anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time kindergarten ended, Wei Ming hadn’t seen Uncle Anping—just as in his past life—he’d been so busy helping Wei Ming that he forgot to pick up the kids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wei Ming came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t know Wei Xi and Wei Le well, he’d seen their recent photos at lunchtime—and they were twins, easy to spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the two siblings, seven-tenths alike, walked out hand in hand, their looks standing out among the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both later pursued art: Wei Xi passed the Central Academy of Drama entrance exam, became classmates with Xin Baiqing and Wang Qianyuan, graduated and joined the People’s Art Theatre, occasionally acting in films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Le (le) loved music (yue)—singing and instruments, all mastered; she not only entered the Central Conservatory of Music but stayed on as faculty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled seeing Wei Xi looking around—back in the 90s, they worked together at the People’s Art Theatre; with family ties, they were close, and later Wei Xi even invested in his company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he transmigrated, Wei Xi was divorcing his twenty-years-younger wife—he’d been utterly stressed; now, he was carefree, innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xi Zi, Le Le, over here!” Wei Ming called, drawing the two confused children over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?” Wei Le asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Call me Ming Ge. Your father, Wei Anping, sent me to pick you up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, let’s go then,” Wei Xi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid was utterly clueless—in his past life, he got lost right then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the original timeline, neither parent came to pick them up; the teacher was about to leave, so Le Le suggested walking home—it was only two hundred meters, they’d done it many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wei Xi saw a bicycle selling candied haws and dashed after it—he caught the haws, but lost his sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure “let-go-and-forget.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Aunt Lu Xiaoyan returned from work, she found only her daughter waiting at the door; learning her husband hadn’t picked up the kids and her son was missing, she flew into a rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the boy was eventually returned by police, the incident triggered the worst fight of their marriage, so the next morning Wei Anping didn’t go to meet Wei Jiefang and his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Old Wei brought his son to their door—and just outside, overheard their argument, some of it aimed at them, harsh words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighteen-year-old Wei Ming had a strong sense of pride; already embarrassed to beg for favors, now he was slandered behind his back—he grabbed nothing, ran straight to the train station, and returned to the village alone, abandoning Old Wei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Wei Jiefang later said Uncle Anping had secured the job, Wei Ming refused outright—he’d rather farm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, the bond between Wei Jiefang and Wei Anping grew distant; they didn’t visit for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not this time. Wei Ming held one child by each hand and bought them candied haws on the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xi Zi was clueless; Le Le stayed wary—if Wei Ming hadn’t been good-looking, she’d never have followed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once home, she trusted the handsome brother completely, sharing her candied haws with Wei Ming—one berry for him, one for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they had no key, couldn’t get in, so Wei Ming took the two kids to play downstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Xi had paper; Wei Ming folded them airplanes, then boats, swallows, and paper cranes—in minutes, he became their idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xi Zi, Le Le!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama! Mama!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As dusk fell, Lu Xiaoyan finally returned, and the two children rushed to her like fledglings to their nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was barely 30, much younger than Uncle Anping, clearly a city-bred woman in bearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan asked Wei Ming: “Young comrade, whose child are you? Thank you for keeping them company.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lu Xiaoyan now, Wei Ming felt no resentment—Aunt Xiaoyan was actually kind-hearted, had worried over his future in his past life, introduced him to countless potential partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But children are a mother’s Achilles’ heel; since Xi Zi nearly vanished, her words were bound to be sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama, this is Ming Ge!” Le Le eagerly introduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “Auntie, hello. I’m Wei Ming, from Hengzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei Ming? You’re Little Ming from Jiefang’s family!” She’d met him before—eight years ago, at her wedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Uncle Anping was busy, so he asked me to pick them up,” Wei Ming explained simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan sighed: “We’re both busy, no elders to help—we’ve made the kids suffer. Xi Zi, Le Le, are you hungry? Ming, join us for dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming was about to refuse when Xi Zi boasted: “I’m not hungry—I just ate a whole big string of candied haws!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, who let you eat candy? Forgot how your teeth hurt last time, didn’t you!” Lu Xiaoyan suddenly snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming quickly took the blame: “It’s my fault, I bought it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan calmed down: “It’s not your fault—it’s this brat’s fault. He’s got such bad cavities and still can’t keep his hands off sweets. He forgets the pain as soon as the wound heals. No matter how many times we tell him, he never changes. From now on, no sugar for a week—no, a month! All the White Rabbit candies in the house are your sister’s now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!” Xi Zi instantly stopped smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaoyan invited Wei Ming upstairs again, but he smiled and declined: “I’ve got all the food and grain coupons. If I don’t go back, my dad will starve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before parting, Wei Ming asked her a question: “Auntie, which magazine are you with? Isn’t editing work exhausting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Children’s Literature,” she said. “I just joined this unit and have no connections with children’s writers. Putting together each monthly issue is a headache!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming “oh”ed, and a few ideas popped into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to Peking University, he first went to the small shop and bought a stack of letter paper, several envelopes, a bottle of ink, and a notebook—totaling 4 jiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the guesthouse, Old Wei was leaning against the pillow, yawning—he’d clearly just woken up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Ming laying out the paper and ink on the table, he asked: “What are you buying all this for? I didn’t send you here to do scholarship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming grinned at him: “Of course to make money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Requesting monthly votes and follows!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2229,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ce99e9b16df492043c24fbd2e4994481f249ea2b23442db916bf73a81dca3e2e","rising-in-1979-chapter-4","rising-in-1979-chapter-2",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]