Chapter 43: Yannan Garden and Cats (Seeking follow-up reading!)

In a military camp in the suburbs of Jingcheng.

Feng Xiaogang, a cadre of the Tank Sixth Division propaganda team, was flipping through newspapers in the reading room.

Liang Tian, who had just been assigned to the propaganda team because he could write and edit, leaned over.

"What's up, what's up."

"Yo, Brother Tian," although Feng Xiaogang was one year older than Liang Tian, he knew Liang Tian's family background was very good, so he was willing to be a younger brother, "I saw a very fun novel in the newspaper yesterday and am preparing to read the follow-up."

"What newspaper?"

"Wenhui Bao."

"Isn't this it?" Liang Tian reached out and found today's *Wenhui Bao* from the pile of newspapers.

Feng Xiaogang gave a thumbs up: "No wonder the old saying goes, small eyes gather light. Your eyes are really awesome."

Liang Tian rolled his eyes. If you want to praise, praise well. Why do you have to belittle my small eyes?

Fortunately, he wasn't the kind of narrow-minded person and asked: "What novel is it?"

"Just this one, *The Spring River Water Warms, the Ducks Know First*."

Liang Tian glanced at it and then saw the writer's name.

"Oh my, Wei Ming?"

"What's wrong? Is this person very famous? I haven't heard of him before." Feng Xiaogang was very fond of reading. After being a soldier for more than a year, he knew all the writers who had emerged recently.

"If it's the Wei Ming I know, he shouldn't have any fame now, but it's hard to say in the future."

"Yo, what's the meaning of this? Is this still a hidden dragon?"

Liang Tian: "You used this word well. Maybe it's a hidden dragon."

Then he told Feng Xiaogang all the information about Wei Ming he had heard from his mother and eldest brother.

Publishing a novel in *Harvest*, writing poetry in seven steps, and the key premise: he was just a gatekeeper!

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang, a little person who was good at drilling, had eyes shining. This was too inspiring! So as long as you have talent, no matter how low your background is, you won't be buried, right!

Then Liang Tian asked him: "How is this novel written?"

Feng Xiaogang, who originally only felt it was generally awesome, immediately said: "It's simply too awesome. The style is self-contained, the whole article is full of punchlines, and it sees the big from the small. Although it talks about selling goods, I feel it's actually talking about reform and opening-up."

Feng Xiaogang had good vision. He only read one-third of it and guessed Wei Ming's intention hidden in the last third.

Then he found yesterday's *Wenhui Bao* for Liang Tian, and the two sat side by side reading the newspaper.

After half a day of training, Wei Ming basically knew what to do for patrol: as long as nothing happened, you didn't have to do anything; as long as something happened, you had to manage everything.

However, there was no surveillance in this day and age, so it didn't matter if you occasionally slacked off.

At noon, he went to the school canteen to buy a pack of cigarettes. Just as he was about to go to the faculty canteen, he met Liu Zhenyun.

"Oh my, you finally returned. You didn't forget, right, the treat!"

Hearing his urgent tone, it seemed like Wei Ming was the one who wanted to treat him to dinner.

"Remember, is it now?"

"Yes, just now!" The girls were all impatient.

Just like that, Wei Ming was pulled by Liu Zhenyun to the First Student Canteen. This was also the first time Wei Ming ate in the student canteen. Although he had a little money, Wei Ming felt that he could save a meal if he could.

He was wearing a uniform. As soon as he entered, he attracted the attention of many people, and many people whispered.

"Is this the Gate God of the South Heavenly Gate?"

"The great poet who wrote *Ideal*?"

"I heard Ba Lao designated him as the successor of the literary world..."

Although he wasn't a Peking University student, Wei Ming was clearly already a famous figure in the school.

Through drawing lots, the one treating him to dinner today was Wang Xiaoping of the '77 Chinese Department, a Jingcheng local and a famous screenwriter in the future.

Wei Ming liked her *Scraping*, which expressed the cultural conflict between East and West, very much. However, he watched *Empresses in the Palace* the most. Although there was an original work, the screenwriter contributed significantly.

He finished watching it on TV and then on Douyin. Today, Zhen Huan started shooting with a machine gun to suppress the harem, tomorrow Concubine Hua started cultivating immortality to suppress the whole scene, and the day after tomorrow, the Empress learned black magic. This show was always new to watch.

He hadn't expected Wang Xiaoping to not ask him what he wanted to eat, but instead ask him if he could write a poem in seven steps now.

"No, I said it before, I have no inspiration. Don't talk about poetry; I can't even squeeze out a fart."

He hadn't expected the great poet and great writer to speak so vulgarly. He was so special! Next, the two lined up to get food together. Liu Zhenyun crossed out Wang Xiaoping on his little notebook—one down.

Liu Zhenyun was still eating a one-jiao portion of pot-stuck tofu and gnawing on a steamed bun. Wei Ming and Wang Xiaoping got their food, and he greeted them to sit at his table.

Then he swallowed his saliva. A portion of braised pork, a bowl of rice, and an extra four-joy meatball!

These added up to five jiao, right? The key was that Wang Xiaoping didn't mind at all.

Wang Xiaoping was very curious about Wei Ming's experience of revising manuscripts in Modu. Hearing him talk about meeting Ba Lao and getting a signed copy of *New Life*, she was very envious.

Liu Zhenyun only envied Wei Ming's stomach. He couldn't help but ask: "You said this four-joy meatball can't be pure meat, right? Should have added flour inside."

Wei Ming: "Let me taste."

Saying that, he picked up a chopstick: "There is starch, and tofu and eggs, but it's mainly meat."

After saying that, he ate the four-joy meatball clean in a few bites, and Liu Zhenyun also stopped looking at it.

After eating, after parting with the satisfied Wang Xiaoping, Liu Zhenyun flipped through his little notebook: "The one treating you to dinner tonight is..."

"I'm not free tonight. I made an appointment with the guys in our dormitory to go out to eat."

!

"Oh, then tomorrow noon..."

"Tomorrow noon won't work either. I'm going out tomorrow. Evening is fine."

"Alright, then tomorrow dinner." Liu Zhenyun seriously helped Wei Ming arrange the schedule.

"Brother Zhenyun, if you don't mind that we are all security guards, you can come along. It's lively with more people."

"Ah? You said go out to eat? Where to eat?"

"Long March Canteen."

Liu Zhenyun swallowed his saliva instinctively. Not to mention Long March Canteen, he hadn't even eaten the meat dishes in the school canteen.

Once, when passing by Long March Canteen, the fragrance could be smelled from outside. Returning to school, he ate an extra steamed bun.

However, he refused the first time: "I won't go. The consumption there is too high."

Eating one meal was equal to what he ate in school for three days.

"You don't need to consume. I'm treating today. You bring your mouth and bring food coupons."

"Then I can't go even more." No merit, no reward.

Wei Ming: "Then you look down on security guards."

Seeing Wei Ming use these words to provoke him, Liu Zhenyun had to say awkwardly: "In order to prove that workers and peasants are one family and are all class brothers, then I have to go this time."

Anyway, he often went to the south gate during this period and had long been familiar with Zhao Debiao and Mei Wenhua. There were no outsiders.

After parting with Liu Zhenyun, Wei Ming went to find the senior who was leading him, prepared to start his first official patrol.

The two first came to the Yannan Garden villa area.

In the south of Peking University campus, near the Great Auditorium, there was a special area surrounded by a short wall, with terrain slightly higher than the surroundings, covering 48 acres. 17 historical buildings made of gray bricks were located here, numbered 50 to 66 in order. This was Yannan Garden.

Those who lived here were all the school's top professors and scholars, so it was also the top priority for patrol. Wei Ming had only passed by the surroundings before and had never been inside.

The senior pointed to the No. 66 courtyard: "This is where Mr. Zhu Guangqian lives. Before, Bing Xin's family lived here. Zhu Lao is now 82 years old, and his health is not as good as before, but he is still insisting on bringing graduate students."

"This No. 62 is where Mr. Lin Geng lives, a professor in the Chinese department and also a poet. If you meet him, report your name. He will probably pull you to discuss poetry."

"This No. 61 is where the geographer Mr. Hou Renzhi lives, also the head of the Geography Department. He is not at home recently; he ran to the Western Frontier to study the desert."

Then he pointed to the No. 56 courtyard: "This is the home of our principal, Mr. Zhou Peiyuan. He is a physicist studying mechanics."

Wei Ming listened with a smile to the stories of every courtyard and every scholar. It could be seen that the senior loved Peking University deeply and knew every courtyard like the back of his hand.

Just as he was talking, he heard someone shout "Mei'er, come down quickly~"

The senior hurriedly took Wei Ming outside the No. 57 courtyard.

"Mr. Feng, wait, I'll go move the ladder!" the senior said.

I saw a white-bearded old man leaning on a cane standing under a tree. On the tree was a beautiful long-haired white cat. It was meowing anxiously on the tree, and it was a "clip-sound" (cute voice).

Wei Ming smiled lightly and directly rolled up his sleeves: "What ladder do I need."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 44 =====