[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-77":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},2260785,4412,"Chapter 77","rising-in-1979-chapter-77",77,"\u003Cp>On his way to work, Bai Shurong bought a copy of Yanjing Literature, entered the Contemporary editorial office, and Editor-in-Chief Long Shihui chuckled: “You bought this magazine too, Xiao Bai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shurong glanced at her colleagues’ hands and spotted at least three identical magazines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yin, sitting next to her at her desk, said: “I heard Zhang Dening from Yanjing Literature say this issue has Wei Ming’s story—it’s his debut. I’ve got to read it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shurong: “Don’t listen to her—Wei Ming’s debut was in Shouhuo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yin: “Oh, Shouhuo has great taste—no surprise, it’s the elder brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shurong asked: “What did you think of it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same as you—I just sat down. If I’d known you bought it, I wouldn’t have spent the money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Bai Shurong put everything else aside and opened the story first; she smiled as she flipped to the table of contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This issue of Yanjing Literature had only two stories: one was Jiang Zilong’s Jietuo, the pioneer of reform literature; the other was Wei Ming’s Er Niu, the rising star of reform literature—both mid-length, nearly half the issue’s total pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were the hottest authors lately, constantly compared—Yanjing Literature played this smart!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just placing their names at the front guaranteed high sales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shurong skipped Jietuo and went straight to Er Niu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike typical novels that build gradually, Wei Ming opened with a explosive scene that instantly gripped her—his powerful prose and masterful atmosphere drew her instantly into the lonely Yimeng mountain village, where only one man and one ox remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t disappoint—he truly had skill. Bai Shurong adjusted her posture and kept reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forty-thousand-word story moved slowly; her expression shifted constantly—sometimes she laughed aloud, sometimes she wiped tears with a handkerchief, not finishing until nearly noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final scene was devastating: Niu Er begged the soldier to leave him a tombstone inscription, vowing never to leave the mountain again—so four pieces of paper appeared: “Niu,” “Er,” “Zhi,” “Mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind blew, jumbling the order; illiterate Niu Er scrambled them together, ending up with “Er Niu Zhi Mu.” The vast sky and earth stretched empty—only he and his ox remained. Wasn’t this mistaken “Er Niu Zhi Mu” a kind of heart-stopping romance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has Lao Yan left yet?” she asked Liu Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shurong dashed straight to the chief editor’s office—she had to talk to him properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Ming got home, Aunt Qian had already made authentic fried soybean paste noodles, brimming with mother’s flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi was delighted to find meat cubes in the sauce—something he never got at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Qian also gave Wei Ming a neck pillow made by their factory, saying: “This thing sells for several yuan at Friendship Store.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming tried it—it was far superior to his old, primitive version.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Auntie!” Now Mom won’t worry about my business trips anymore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Auntie should thank you—you got me promoted and treated Biaozi so well. They say close to vermilion you turn red—he’s become refined just from being around you cultured folks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: He’s refined because of Yanzi, not me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi’s movie time was near, so he urged Wei Ming to stop chatting with his mom and let’s go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From now on, Biaozi wouldn’t need Wei Ming to accompany him to the sports school—he feared Yanzi might stray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming rode his bike to Dongsi Trust Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The editorial offices of Children’s Literature and People’s Literature were both in Dongsi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, goods were numerous and varied—dozens of watches, but only one camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most urban families now owned watches, so secondhand ones circulated quickly, but cameras remained rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming had only encountered cameras in the late 1990s; this model was far too old—he knew little about it, a Mo Du DF-7; Mo Du was the predecessor of Hai Ou, probably not much younger than himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was no film inside; Wei Ming worried about the image quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the price was tempting, he didn’t buy it—he wasn’t a camera enthusiast; if he wanted a secondhand one, he’d need a professional to inspect it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for professionals, the only one he could think of was Zhang Yimou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Wei Ming’s reader letters, most came from Yanjing; some included meat coupons and sugar coupons, so before returning to school, Wei Ming bought a braised pig’s trotter from Tianfu and some pastries from Gongyifu—sharing his fortune with the people, since he was rich now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before entering campus, Wei Ming stopped at a newsstand to buy Yanjing Literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man said: “Sold out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not a single copy left?” “If I had one left, I’d keep it for myself. Come back tomorrow—I’m already pushing them to restock.” The old man looked annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Old man, how long do your usual stocks last?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, that’s my weekly supply—gone in less than half a day!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming found it strange—even if the work was acclaimed, shouldn’t there be a gradual spread?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the dorm, he saw ten copies of Yanjing Literature on his desk—thin booklets, covers featuring Huang Yongyu’s color ink painting “Four Boxes of Flower Shadows Roaring Like a Tide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who the hell bought all these?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua grinned: “I did. The guys asked me to buy them—and they want your autograph. Come on, Great Writer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming remembered the newsstand pile was much thicker—so many more copies must have been bought by others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a classroom at Peking University, the Class of ’77 Chinese Department was about to hold a class meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jiangong arrived late; upon entering, he noticed many classmates holding copies of Yanjing Literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was deeply moved—last month, his story had been featured first in Yanjing Literature’s fiction special issue, and he’d joked with classmates: “Why don’t you support your classmate’s work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they’d bought so many—so thoughtful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His younger siblings were generous—he couldn’t be stingy. He thought of using half his royalty to buy peanuts and candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he drew closer, he heard Su Mu say: “Er Niu is incredible—I felt like I watched a movie in my head!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhihong said: “Niu Er is brilliantly crafted—he reminds me of Ah Q—he’s so typical!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Xianjun said: “Why does Wei Ming get to take you girls out to eat? I want to take him out too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Ziping said: “Count me in—I feel like studying Chinese is pointless. I don’t know when I’ll ever have such skill—and he’s only eighteen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jiangong grew increasingly uneasy, moved closer, and realized Wei Ming’s story was also in this issue—Er Niu, listed second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How embarrassing—he’d almost misread the situation. But good—he’d saved half his royalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reminded his classmates: “After reading Wei Ming’s story, don’t forget mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zuo: “Wait, your story’s in this issue too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jiangong: “Look at the author of the reportage below—‘The Great Road Is Open for You.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my, we didn’t notice! Brother, you’re truly hiding your talents!” Liang Zuo gave a thumbs-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Jiangong: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the copy from Liang Zuo and began reading Wei Ming’s praised story right there at the meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Tianjin, Sun Li, founder of the Lotus Pond School, came to Baihua Literature Press to discuss publishing a collection of essays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then editor Xiao Fei excitedly handed him a copy of Yanjing Literature: “Old Sun, here’s a piece by your fellow townsman—written beautifully!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Li took it, glanced at the table of contents—ah, strong lineup: Ding Ling, Wang Meng, Qin Mu, Qin Zhaoyang, and his own essay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled: “Xiao Fei, you’re mistaken. Though Jiang Zilong and I are both in Tianjin, he’s from Cangzhou, I’m from Hengzhou—we’re neighbors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not talking about Teacher Jiang—I mean the one below: Wei Ming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Never heard of him. Is he from Hengzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—he’s hot right now. There’s a bio at the back: eighteen, from Hengzhou. His famous poem ‘Ideal’ and story ‘Spring River Water Warm, Ducks Know First’ are his.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Li smiled warmly: “My ignorance—must read it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Li read, and in Tianjin, Jiang Zilong—the other half of reform literature’s legendary duo, constantly paired with Wei Ming—also opened this issue of Yanjing Literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he saw Wei Ming’s name, he paused, then opened Er Niu first...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(On sale tomorrow at 12:00 noon!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1376,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7da1fd1367b56fd154b43e62567f971991b0d683de8e8396e58a2dd2917662ad","rising-in-1979-chapter-78","rising-in-1979-chapter-76",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]