[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-37":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},2260745,4412,"Chapter 37: The Brave Enjoy the World First","rising-in-1979-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>Mo Du Chinese Medicine Factory No. 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the head of the sales department, Liang Lu, was worried: the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival were coming soon, but none of the retail stores and pharmacies along the distribution channels had shown any activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Spring Festival period, it wasn’t like this—everyone called him “Six Brother” with such warmth, all eager to stock his products.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the inventory piling up in the herbal wine workshop, Liang Lu decided to run another advertising campaign through the media.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he chose the Wen Hui Bao, a newspaper with massive circulation and nationwide influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chinese Medicine Factory No. 2 produced a wide variety of products and was a major advertiser; Director Liang was already a regular visitor here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering, he first saw several editors gathered around reviewing manuscripts; he greeted them and went to find Director Chen of the advertising department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that Director Liang wanted to advertise the popular Shen Gui Yang Rong Wine from earlier this year, Director Chen suddenly recalled an article circulated in the editorial office that morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I read a novel—I think that novel is more effective than ten of your ads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? A novel?” Director Liang was baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen immediately left his office and brought back a stack of manuscript pages; someone behind him shouted, “Director, hurry up, we haven’t finished reading yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here it is—‘The Ducks Know the Warmth of the Spring River.’ It’s about your factory’s herbal wine, quite interesting, with a fresh angle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen wasn’t responsible for reviewing manuscripts, but he enjoyed reading; this piece had gone viral in the editorial office today, so he took a look—it had real merit, and crucially, it aligned perfectly with current policies, making it a promising article.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Liang took the manuscript, dazed, and was immediately drawn in from the first paragraph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, mentions of Chinese Medicine Factory No. 2 and the head of the sales department gave Liang Lu the illusion that “this… this can’t be writing about me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the protagonist’s surname was Wang—he had no given name, just called Old Wang, Wang Kezhang, or Duck Knows; his wife sometimes called him “Son of a Bitch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Lu: Not me, not me—it must be about Director Wang Zhenxu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he read deeper, Director Liang couldn’t help but marvel: no one had ever turned their factory’s TV commercial story into a novel—and written it so well, even tying it to reform and opening-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was too high-minded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached the final passage—the brave little duck being the first to jump into the Huangpu River, swimming joyfully, eating fish and shrimp, and the protagonist saying, “The brave enjoy the world first”—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, as the most daring young department head at Chinese Medicine Factory No. 2, Liang Lu was struck hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Director Chen: “Excellent! Written so well!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen was about to agree when Director Liang added: “We don’t need any extra advertising—this one novel is enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen: “….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mouth, why did I open it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Director Liang had a request for Director Chen: “Can you arrange for this novel to be published as soon as possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tonight on Nanjing Road—I’ll take care of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen smiled: “I’ll discuss it with the chief editor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, what’s this writer’s name? Where’s he from?” Liang Lu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He seems to be from Yanjing, but left a contact number at the Writers’ Association guesthouse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the Lover’s Wall, Professor Qu and Sister Chen had asked about Gong Yu’s situation repeatedly—women’s gossip knows no age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming told them everything he should have known, and nothing he shouldn’t have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Rong: “No wonder she’s so beautiful—so she really is a movie actress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be hard for a young girl to leave her hometown,” remarked Professor Qu, himself a Beijinger living in Mo Du.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked north along the Bund when Wei Ming suddenly realized: “This place isn’t far from the Wen Hui Bao.” He’d been here once yesterday to submit his manuscript—he remembered the address: 149 Yuanmingyuan Road, also called Hami Building or Shami Building, with an office building in front and a printing workshop behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Rong encouraged: “Why not go ask if it got accepted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Qu added: “It’s on Yuanmingyuan Road, right? I remember turning left from the front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had written in his own novel: “The brave enjoy the world first.” Though only a day had passed, the editors might not have seen his manuscript yet—but what did it hurt to try?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe he’d already enjoyed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upstairs, Wei Ming found the same editor from yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Already accepted? And it’s going to be published soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming signed his name dazedly and received his manuscript fee from the Wen Hui Bao’s finance office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he came downstairs, he now held 65 yuan—a fortune!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Equivalent to over three months of his salary!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five yuan was for his four-panel illustration—back then, illustrating comics was still very profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His high school classmate Liu Rulong’s grandfather was a famous comic artist, earning ten yuan per page, the richest single old man in their town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixty yuan was the novel’s fee—fifteen thousand characters, at four yuan per thousand characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newspaper fees were always lower than magazine fees, but the advantage was speed of payment; this rate was still quite high, a recognition of manuscript quality for an unknown newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sisters genuinely rejoiced for Wei Ming; Professor Qu said: “Aren’t you always wanting to buy a watch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Chen Rong laughed: “You’re such a person—just as Xiao Wei got money, you’re pushing him to spend it. Save it for a future bride!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Qu retorted: “He’s got two more novellas coming—why not enjoy now? Besides, a watch matters a lot for getting a bride.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Rong thought it made sense: “Three turns and one sound”—the watch was one of the three turns. To marry in Yanjing, these were basic requirements; some families even demanded a TV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Chen added: “But I think a watch isn’t essential—better to buy a car first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A watch matters too, because time is priceless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But with a car…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the two sisters arguing over how to spend his fee, Wei Ming laughed helplessly: “Forget the car or the watch—where’s my ticket? I don’t have any!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though with the right channels, you could buy a watch ticket—or even a watch without one—Wei Ming’s 60-plus yuan left little room for choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the matter was put on hold; Wei Ming planned to revise “The Tale of the Two Donkeys” quickly and be brave again—ask Editor Li for an advance on his fee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he’d have more money and wouldn’t have to choose between a bicycle or a watch—I want both!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three wandered all day; Professor Qu grew tired and they headed home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the guesthouse, the young receptionist sweetly said: “Writer Wei, you have a call from Yanjing—called Wei Anping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. What time is it?” Wei Ming asked, confirmed that Uncle Ping hadn’t finished work yet, and called back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Professor Qu whispered to Chen Rong: “Isn’t the watch important?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Rong: “….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the phone, Wei Ming recounted every detail of capturing the traffickers and answered Uncle Ping’s questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Anping laughed heartily: “Good kid! When you get back, you’ll get your reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wei Ming was brave again: “Uncle, what kind of reward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Tickets! I want tickets!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(ps: You all heard that, right? Tickets!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1264,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cc50fef70fe2b252ac1b2d3553be24a21a6ad110e0ea4f4ad4187e6c1a9eff11","rising-in-1979-chapter-38","rising-in-1979-chapter-36",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]