[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-81":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},2260789,4412,"Chapter 81: Another New Poem (310 First Subs Needed!)","rising-in-1979-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>Wei Ming didn’t leave through the campus gate; after tucking the magazine into his coat, he exited through the west gate and followed the school wall back to the south gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, he could still see the newsstand, where the old man was just packing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Master, do you still have any copies of ‘Yanjing Literature’ today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua had bought ten, but they were all already taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man said: “All the new ones are sold out, but I’ve finished reading my own copy—if you don’t mind a used one, I’ll sell it to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming paid and asked: “Master, you read it—which of the two stories did you like better?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master was also an avid reader, and he spoke at length: “That Jiang Zilong piece, ‘Liberation’—right from the opening line, I thought, here we go again, another factory director taking office. Can’t he write something different?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he focused on ‘Er Niu’: “But Wei Ming’s story is the one worth reading—I cried my eyes out. I lived through the War of Resistance; those devils weren’t human—it was a miracle just to survive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man didn’t analyze the ideological or literary merit—he simply and directly preferred ‘Er Niu’ and expressed his fear and hatred of that era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, many students buy the magazine just for this story,” he added finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming nodded—it seemed the reputation was spreading beyond campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the dorm, the guys immediately gathered around, curious about what delicacies he’d eaten with the international students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming thought for a moment, pulled out a photo—it was taken with a Polaroid, and the image had developed instantly—and he handed out a copy of the group photo taken around the dining table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d expected to see the food, but everyone’s attention locked onto the bright red figure beside Wei Ming—first because the color was vivid and eye-catching, second because she was genuinely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way, Ming-ge, you’ve hooked up with a foreign girl!” Biaozi shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “What hooking up? It’s just a photo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a photo? Look how close you are—you’re practically glued together, and she’s got her arms bare!” Biaozi gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming laughed and sighed—it wasn’t because they were close; the foreign girl was about 1.75 meters tall, taller than several of the guys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ge focused on her hair: “How can her hair be this red? Isn’t it dyed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked—she’s naturally that color. She’s from northern England; there are more redheads there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ohhh,” Mei Wenhua made a strange noise, “you’ve gotten pretty deep—knowing her hometown too? And you still say there’s nothing between you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming stopped arguing. In a male dorm, if you’re seen talking to a girl, people will inevitably say weird things—let them talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon, Biaozi shifted his attention from the girl to the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming introduced each item one by one: what a birthday cake was, what Coca-Cola was, what “seven-tenths done” steak meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi was utterly awed by bourgeois decadence; Mei Wenhua kept staring at the foreign girls’ clothes in the photo—so tight, so revealing, so indecent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wow, if Qingqing-jie wore that red-haired foreign girl’s outfit, she’d look amazing too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in bed, Wei Ming softly hummed a line from “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: “country roads take me home...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreigners get homesick too; later, the group sang the song together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ming-ge, what song are you singing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An English song—I learned it from the international students.” Wei Ming spoke louder and sang a few more lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t understand—what does it mean?” Feng Ge asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “The song expresses the singer’s longing for home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ge nodded: “Yeah, there really is a little sadness to it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biaozi asked: “Got any other songs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s rock ‘n’ roll, but I can’t hit those notes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua joined the conversation: “Foreign songs are hard to get used to, but I heard foreign movies are wild—they say the actors kiss all the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actors that beautiful?” Biaozi swallowed hard. “Where’d you hear that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ge: “Culture’s from a compound—he’s probably seen internal screenings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua: “Nope, I read it in a magazine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming knew he meant the May issue of ‘Masses’ Cinema’—the back cover showed a still from the British film ‘The Crystal Shoe and the Rose,’ with the prince and Cinderella kissing, eyes closed, amid lace dresses and bouquets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That still sparked huge controversy and debate across society—it was the first time Chinese readers had seen such bold imagery in a magazine; Mei Wenhua’s impression of foreign films being full of kissing scenes came from there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The international students mentioned some movies—I heard the hottest one this year abroad is called ‘Alien.’ Li Aiguo, aka Li Kui, was a new international student who had seen it and specifically told the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s an Alien?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An Alien is an extraterrestrial lifeform...” Then Wei Ming explained how the creature reproduced, leaving the others thoroughly disgusted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of taste do foreigners have!” Mei Wenhua sneered—why not show more kissing scenes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming couldn’t stop laughing, but then they asked: “Any other movies?” “Tell us more about foreign stuff you’ve heard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed everyone was curious about the unknown world—curiosity was one of humanity’s greatest drivers. Wei Ming shared more dining experiences, then pulled out the four issues of ‘Time’ magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You guys can read them—I borrowed these from the international students. Exactly four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh wow!” It was already past ten—they were wide awake and didn’t want to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once they got them, they couldn’t read the text—could only look at pictures—and felt frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ming-ge, is this... is this the Alien you mentioned?” Zhao Debiao pointed to an image on one page—he thought it was disgusting and once again scorned foreign tastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming glanced: “Yes, that’s it—looks like the movie really is popular; even ‘Time’ covered it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua sighed, staring at the strange photos in the magazine: “If only I could read English... Ming-ge, can you take me with you to class tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wenhua: I want to learn a foreign language too—I want to improve!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Tomorrow I’m attending a history class—if you want English lessons, I can tell you where to go. I’ve got the schedule.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Wei Ming wouldn’t go, Mei Wenhua immediately shook his head: “Never mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have the courage to go alone, and his foundation was practically zero—he wouldn’t understand a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming remembered something: “By the way, if you want to learn a foreign language, there’s another place—right in front of the Russian Language Building, there’s a small garden. Every Saturday night, it turns into an English corner—international students, foreign language majors, anyone wanting to learn gathers there to practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in a classroom—Mei Wenhua was intrigued, but he still wanted Wei Ming to come along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My level doesn’t need to practice with them anymore—it’s sufficient,” Wei Ming said, then opened the magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Mei Wenhua whispered to Zhao Debiao, seeming tempted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following days, Wei Ming focused on finishing the remaining half of ‘The Legend of the Heavenly Book’ and occasionally attended classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, while taking an English class in the Russian Language Building, he ran into a few international students he’d met at the birthday party—but didn’t see the fiery red head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, under his guidance, Liu Zhenyun wrote a 2,000-word critique of ‘Er Niu.’ Wei Ming advised caution—avoid high-profile journals like ‘Literary Criticism’ and ‘Literary Gazette.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Liu Zhenyun analyzed his options and chose ‘Shanxi Literature,’ a lower-profile journal with a literary criticism section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So a man from Hebei wrote a story set in Shandong, which a Henan man critiqued and submitted to a Shanxi journal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhenyun made the right choice—because the next day, he saw Laozi Sun Li’s critique of ‘Er Niu’ in ‘Literary Gazette,’ and he filed it under his own ‘Reading Notes’ series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his comeback, Sun Li’s energy had waned—he rarely wrote fiction anymore, only essays and reflections on reading, quietly mentoring younger writers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his ‘Reading Notes’ series, he offered praise and analysis of established writers like Liu Shaotang, Liu Xinwu, Lin Jinlan, and Zong Pu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they were all writers over forty—while Wei Ming was only eighteen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading the article, Liu Zhenyun excitedly rushed to the faculty dining hall to tell Wei Ming the good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There he found Wei Ming tackling a large bowl of braised pork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhenyun wiped his mouth: “What’s the occasion? You’re eating so well today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “I eat like this every day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhenyun was stunned: “You don’t mean you have meat every single meal?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming nodded—he still didn’t feel strong enough; in the dorm, he only reliably outmatched Mei Wenhua, still lagging behind Biaozi and Feng Ge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhenyun’s spirit shattered, then he handed Wei Ming the newspaper he’d borrowed from a roommate: “Look—Laozi Sun wrote this so well!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming glanced—it was by Sun Li, titled ‘Seeing Through Er Niu.’ He immediately wiped his hands on his clothes and took it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laozi Sun analyzed the story through the lens of character typology, lavishly praising Wei Ming’s character-building skills, then shared his own insights on crafting characters—all practical wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it, Wei Ming told Liu Zhenyun: “You still need to practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhenyun nodded, about to speak further, when he noticed a woman peering in at the dining hall entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nudged Wei Ming: “Sister Zhang Dening’s here—go talk to her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Liu Zhenyun left, Wei Ming knew something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Zhang Dening came up, sighing: “I heard your new piece went to ‘Contemporary’~ Sigh, ‘Contemporary’ really is on the rise—they’re the rising sun, while we ‘Yanjing Literature’ are the setting sun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who leaked this? So careless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Dening was the first editor to come to him personally, and she paid generously—Wei Ming was grateful and didn’t want to disappoint her, so he improvised: “No, I’ve saved my new piece for ‘Yanjing Literature.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Did I get the news wrong?” Zhang Dening looked embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I promised a story I haven’t written yet to ‘Contemporary,’” Wei Ming admitted, then quickly added, “but my next new piece is reserved for ‘Yanjing Literature.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Already finished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—I’ll bring it to you after I get back to the dorm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s it about? Short story or novella?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Poetry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1732,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e5beab5a3224420032d0971fa2b79ca07ff28f357e641833abcc629fa7c85ad1","rising-in-1979-chapter-82","rising-in-1979-chapter-80",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]